Saturday, November 11, 2006

Political Observations By A Resident Of Who-ville

"Hell, I never vote for anybody, I always vote against."

-W.C. Fields

Sometimes I feel like "Little Carly Who," resident of Who-ville. I know that my voice, and my little blog, probably amounts to a little bit of "Who-dust," but I can't help but put my questions out there for consideration anyway. Shrug. Last Tuesday, as I was watching to political tide in America turning, I couldn't help but think of a certain member of the Bush administration. A man named, Stuart Baker, who is the Director of Lessons Learned. Do you suppose that Mr. Baker will remain in his current post? Do you think any lessons have been learned and if you do, which ones? Were they learned prior to, or after, the election, and who learned them? Will we see real change now that we have both the senate, and the congress led by democrats? Is there any such thing as compromise? Or does it become simply the lesser of two evils? Will we see anything change? I am asking these questions now, as opposed to at the end of my post because I want you to consider them while you read on. I have a few observations, so feel free to share with me what you think about what I have to say.

I want to share a first for me, I voted for a Republican governor. Yes, Carly the democrat, did indeed vote for Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnold made a huge mistake a year ago, by holding a rather ill-advised special election. The polls told him it was a bad idea, protestors told him it was a bad idea, his wife told him it was a bad idea, but he went forward with the election full steam ahead. Bad idea. California voted down every single initiative on the ballot, and sent him a clear message. As a result his numbers sunk in the polls, and it was predicted that his political career might be over. But instead of lashing out, or threatening or focusing on partisan politics, he stood up, admitted he had made a mistake, and looked toward the future. He kept his promise to move ahead, and to work with California lawmakers in a spirit of bi-partisanship. He did two things right. He owned up to his mistake... and he kept his word to work with the democratic party, for the better of California.

I think the national Republican party could learn a lot from his example. The Republican party lost their majority seats not because Americans switched camps, no they lost their seats because of the rigid "all or nothing" policies of the Bush White House, and their failures in Iraq. But make no mistake, the Democratic party shouldn't get too comfortable with this win, because it wasn't about folks voting pro-democrat, it was about voting against Bush. It was a shame to see folks saying that on the one hand they might be happy with a senator or congressman, but voting them out anyway, so that there would be a chance that the overall picture could be improved. That's a tough pill to swallow, and boy did that take courage.

There has been a couple meetings this week at the White House, in which both sides met and seemed agree to cooperate with one another, but that was expected. Isn't that always at least initially attempted? Unfortunately, I found it disheartening that Bush made, what I considered to be a sexist comment, to the new Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, in his Wednesday afternoon news conference...

"I shared with her (Pelosi) the names of some Republican Interior Decorators Who can help her pick out the new drapes in her new office."
-George W. Bush, October 8th, 2006 -White House.

Do you suppose that he would have made that same, flippant, type of remark had things gone his way in the election? If it had been a man in Nancy Pelosi's position, would Bush have decorating on his mind? And what do you make of his admitting that he, at the very least, mislead the voters to the fact that he had plans to oust, Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, prior to the election? Isn't this just more of the same type of misleading and half-truths that inspired some Republicans to vote for a clear and decisive change in American politics?

I wonder if Stuart Baker marked that down in the book as a "lesson learned?" I suppose time will tell. Believe it or not, I am always prepared to hold an open mind, although not much has happened to make me believe that anything will change. After all, we can't force Bush to do anything he doesn't want to, even with the house and the senate in the hands of the Democrats. America can try to follow the example of those of us who live in California, and send Bush a message they way we did Arnold Schwarzenegger after the 2005 Special Election. We can answer polls, and protest, and maybe even send emails indicating how we feel, but if no lesson was really learned by the mid-term elections...is there any chance for bi-partisanship?

According to the National Journal, the Director of Lessons Learned, Stuart Baker, makes $106,641 per annual salary. The minimum wage in America hasn't been raised in eight years. One of the top priorities on the new Democratic agenda, is to see it raised from $5.15 to $7.25 per hour. They also plan to put more money into education programs, such as the Pell Grant, so that more of our high school graduates will be able to afford to attend college. The "No Child Left Behind" act has received $16.4 billion less then promised by the Bush administration, which has meant that some children were indeed left behind. And there are plans to hopefully fix the complex, and confusing prescription drug plan, by making it easier for seniors and persons with disabilities to use. Fixing these problems, and many others, by both sides working together, will lead me to believe that lessons have been learned. It's about time that we have some balance, and that there is more accountability and wider representation.

Your turn. Tell me what you think.

-OndineMonet
"Nevada State Legislature"
Carson City, Nevada
October 26, 2006
Morning

Friday, November 10, 2006

What's Your Fantasy?

"Fantasies are more than substitutes for unpleasant reality; they are also dress rehearsals, and plans. All acts performed in the world, begin in the imagination."

-Barbara Grizzuti

When I was a little girl, a very little girl, I had grand ambitions for when I grew up. I didn't want to be a nurse, or a space cadet, or a lawyer, or even a politician. I wanted to be in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Ok, that's achievable right? Nope. See, I wanted to be a balloon in the parade. In that I was a mere kidling of 2 or 3, I had no idea one couldn't grow up to be a balloon. It seemed perfectly reasonable to me, and who doesn't want to float about once in a while? LOL. Oh to be that young again.

I don't remember if my heart was broken when I found out the awful truth, that fantasies sometimes don't come true, but I do remember how bad I wanted that dream. Why is it true that wanting something, is almost always better then having it? Is it the yearning that we actually want? The burning desire to have the unobtainable? What if a fantasy is obtainable? How long after we have our desire fullfilled would we lose interest? I suppose that depends on the object, person, or dream. Sometimes, a fantasy is more of a flight of fancy, then an actual wanting. There is a fantasy I have, and have had for a few years now, I want to own the Victoria's Secret Million Dollar Bra. The 2006 will do...

Victoria's Secret $6,500,000 Fantasy Bra 2006

I like wearing frilly, girly-girl things and this bra certainly qualifies. I like the idea of going to the supermarket, knowing I have on an 800 carat, one-of-a-kind bra under my clothes... and no one would know!Think of it, 2,000 diamonds across both breasts and on the straps, and a nifty little 10-carat broach right in the middle. Oooh-la-la! Model, Karolina Kurkova, says its, "very sexy and very comfortable, and doesn't dig in." :) Sounds good! Alan says if he bought it for me, I would just wear it on the outside of my clothes. Nope. I would just wear it! Tee Hee. Although, I bet it would be cold in winter. LOL.

It was all this thinking about fantasy gifts, that inspired the new poll on my sidebar. You can find the results of the last poll, "Songs We Like To Hear In Our Cars," here. The song you chose was, "Light My Fire," by The Doors. Now that song can inspire one to fantasize! I love that song, I can hear it in my mind right now. Oh Mr. Duchovny... I'll be waiting! :)

Don't forget to take this months poll, already on my sidebar. If you chose the last option, feel free to share what your personal fantasy gift is, in the comment thread for this entry.

-OndineMonet

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Victoria's Secret

Victoria's Secret Fantasy Bra


Thursday, November 09, 2006

In The New Year

"The bird a nest, the spider a web, man... friendship."

-William Blake

I went to San Francisco yesterday (Wednesday) to photograph the dahlias in Golden Gate Park, but I was out of luck. The park department is working on the whole park, replacing flowers here and there and unfortunately the dahlias are a part of the project. It will reopen next spring, and run through the fall so that is something to look forward to in the new year.

So, in place of the dahlias, I have this set of photos, that I took in Santa Cruz, last August. That was a pretty great day. I set out to attend the John Waite concert on the beach, and ended up finding all sorts of neat photo opportunities instead, including a game of naked Frisbee I happened upon when I accidentlly came across one of the area's nude beaches. My goodness, the adventures I have! LOL.

When I am in the area I always visit the two lighthouses that are in Santa Cruz, Walton, and this one, Surfer's Lighthouse, which sits along HWY 1. On this visit, I noticed something a little different. Situated under the edge of the top of the lighthouse, were a line of about 30 or so mud bird nests. Most of them were empty, but I noticed that there were one or two that had babies inside. They were pretty high up, so the photos I got weren't as clear as I would have liked, still, I enjoyed trying out some settings I hadn't had the chance to use prior to that time. Look at those faces... how cute is that? You can bet, I will be better prepared to photograph the new birds, when I go back next summer. :)

"Surfer's" Lighthouse, Santa Cruz

Mama bird brings back "Take-out"

Mud Nests

If you look very close, you can see the nests in a line under the edge.


-OndineMonet
"Siblings"
Santa Cruz, California
Late August, 2006
Afternoon

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

"Today We Made History..."


"Today we made history, now we make progress."

-Nancy Pelosi
November 7th, 2006

We have real hope once again in America! We voted for talent, and change, and vision. And most of all we voted for TRUTH! Some Republicans voted for Democrats. Some Democrats voted for Republicans. A wonderful sign that the fear mongers, dirty tricksters and those who follow their pride, rather then the best interests of America, can't steal our collective souls. We get to wake up tomorrow in a new America. Now, lets not take it for granted ever again!

ABC News

With A Little Luck
By Paul McCartney & Wings

With a little luck, we can help it out
We can make this whole damn thing work out
With a little love, we can lay it down
Can't you feel the town exploding?
There is no end to what we can do together
There is no end, there is no end, there is no end
The willow turns it's back in inclement weather
And if he can do it, we can do it, just me and you

And a little luck, we can clear it up
We can bring it in for a landing
With a little luck, we can turn it on
There can be no misunderstanding

There is no end to what we can do together
There is no end, there is no end, there is no end
The willow turns it's back on inclement weather
we can do it, just me and you

With a little push, we could set it off
We can send it rocketing skywards
With a little love, we could shake it up
Don't you feel the comet exploding?

With a little luck, a little luck, a little luck.

-OndineMonet
11:43 PM Pacific Time

Shadows & Light

"How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days."

-John Burroughs

A couple weeks ago, while on my way home from Nevada, I stopped off in the town of Placerville, California, to take some photos. While I was there, I just happened to spot this amazing tree, which was casting some serious colors, shadows and light. The sun was brilliant that day. Most of the trees around town looked like they were on fire, with crimson and bright orange sparkling leaves. I am not sure what type of tree this particular one was, but it had an incredible amount of autumn life shining bright. I was just drawn to it, and I could have stayed under that tree the rest of the day. It made me happy, clear to my soul. Sometimes I wish pumpkins grew on trees, because the only thing I love more then autumn leaves, are pumpkins. :) But bees are kinda nice too. :)

-OndineMonet
"ShadowLife"
Placerville, California
October, 2006
Afternoon

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Your Monday Photo Shoot: What's In A Name?

"Names are not always what they seem. The common Welsh name BZJXXLLWCP is pronounced Jackson."

-Mark Twain

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Take a picture of something that relates to your name. It can be your first name, or your last name, or of your middle name (we're not picky). Even nicknames work. And since this AOL, if you want you may use your screenname as well. Basically, if a name relates to you, let's see a picture of a representation.

-John Scalzi

According to, Baby Names World, my first name, Carly, means "little/womanly." Kind of ironic I suppose considering I am only 4'11... LOL... and I was always one of those "girly-girls." At first I thought that it would be easy to come up with a photo, but when I went tip-toeing through my files, not much popped out at me. I looked and looked...what to do, what to do? Then it occurred to me that I had just spent the whole summer photographing the beautiful butterflies at the conservatory, and my favorite had been the "Painted Ladies." They are some of the smallest of the butterflies that were on display in the exhibit, but quite lovely. So, that is my choice as a representation of the meaning of the name Carly. Just a little simple butterfly. :)

-OndineMonet
"Painted Lady"
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, California
October, 2006
Afternoon

Monday, November 06, 2006

Fibromyalgia In Autumn

Come said the wind to the leaves one day.
Come o're the meadows, and we will play.
Put on your dresses, scarlet and gold.
For summer is gone and days grow cold.

-A children's song, circa 1880's


I love the sound of leaves crunching under my feet. :) I wish every day looked the way this one did. Every autumn color one could imagine was present, and I felt inspired and happy. When I woke up this morning I was really sore from the Fibromyalgia, and my hands were numb. Great combination for an amateur shutterbug. :( After a couple hours of T'ai Chi and some meditation, the swelling went down a little and I was able to do some editing. If it's autumn, I know it's time to face the fact that I will not be able to take as many photos outside as I want to. That makes me grumpy, and kinda sad, because I hate giving in. The other day Alan went to touch me, and I couldn't even feel it. Stupid Fibromyalgia!

If it's November, I know I will be running into the November Man. I always seem to encounter him in autumn... well I see him other times of the year as well... but there is something about his eyes in autumn, that makes me feel even weaker. You can see his whole being in his eyes. It's the warmest light I ever saw. But then I told you that before. Sigh. Another stupid thing about Fibromyalgia, it leaves you in a haze, and the strangest things, people and memories invade your thoughts.

I am not alone in how I feel, of that I am sure. My friend Deb has a wonderful journal devoted to her experience with Fibromyalgia, "Fibro Haze." Deb has Fibromyalgia, and she writes about different treatments that are available and her personal experiences in dealing with how it makes her feel. I am so proud of her and what she has accomplished. She is my friend, and she makes me feel less alone. Fibromyalgia can make you doubt yourself, and it can really play on your insecurities. When I left for Nevada a couple weeks ago, I had planned to take about 2000 photos. I came up a little shy of that number, and wasn't too happy with the quality of most of them. I was tired on the trip, so I simply wasn't on my game.

I did take about 150 or so photos that I considered to be post-worthy, so I suppose that really isn't that bad. Autumn isn't over, hopefully I will get in some time with the camera this coming week. I have a nice afternoon planned for photographing more dahlia's in Golden Gate Park. I am going to try anyway, there is no way I will ever give up... not as long as there is autumn, and it's incredible light! :)

Deb has been a true source of inspiration to me. She seems to have the energy of a toddler, which gives me a lot of hope. For an inspiring read, and some awesome medical resources regarding Fibromyalgia, be sure to drop by her journal. Also, she has a site devoted to general health education and support. See the links below. :)

Fibo Haze

Rainbows & Sunbeams

My Take On Life

-OndineMonet
"Autumn Bridge"
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, California
Autumn 2006

Sunday, November 05, 2006

5x5


"If you wait to do everything until you're sure it's right, you'll probably never do much of anything."

-Win Borden

Time to cast off the serious stuff... and have a little fun. :) How about a few, or maybe 5, quizzes to amuse and inform us? But first, above you see "Yin and Yang." They are two of my favorite public sculptures, which sit along the Embarcadero, near Justin Herman Plaza, in San Francisco. I was in the city a couple weeks ago, and the lighting was just right for capturing them. I am not sure why I feel so inspired by them, but I do. Yin & Yang are part of artist, Robert Arneson's, "Egghead" series. Meant to be viewed with whimsey, they poke fun at intellectualism, and in particular, academics.Eventually in his career, as an artist, he would become known as one of the founding fathers of the American Ceramic Sculpture movement. More of the "Eggheads" can be found on the grounds of UC Davis, where the artist taught for a number of years. I know I have written a little about Yin & Yang in the past, but when I took one of the quizzes below today, it turned out that Yin & Yang would be on my mind yet again. Tee Hee. It seems that, according to the quiz, that is the name of my boobies. BLUSH!

Tell me, do you have a special name for your boobies? You don't have to answer that, unless you really want to... and you know that you do! If you feel like sharing, feel free to leave the information in the comment thread for this entry. Maybe you might feel more comfortable answering any one of the quizzes below, I tried to pick a variety of them, so that everyone would feel comfortable sharing. I was thinking that these quizzes could be good ice breakers at all those holiday parties we have coming up. Always get stuck with crazy Aunt Clara? Well, share with her who you were in a past life, and see where the conversation goes! Tee Hee! Now, on with the quizzes...

Click on each title to be redirected

Boobie Names Generator

What Part Of Fall Are You?

What's Your Political Persuasion?

Who Were You In A Past Life?

What's Your Celtic Horoscope?



PS: If you are wondering about the title of this entry, it comes from the character of Faith, on Buffy The Vampire Slayer. It was her way of saying, "It's all good."

-OndineMonet
Yin & Yang
Justin Herman Plaza
Embarcadero
San Francisco, California
October 15th, 2006
Afternoon