January 20th, 2017

"There is but one just use of power,

 and it is to serve the people."

~George H. W. Bush

It's here. A day I have been pretending doesn't exist, and therefore wouldn't happen. But it does exist, and it will happen. At noon ET Donald John Trump will become the 45th President Of The United States. What was a nightmare over the summer, has become a frightening reality. I am frankly scared to death, but face it we will, and I and many others won't give up on our principals and core belief values. Never. Ever. So, while it's an uphill climb, we never bend to hatred. We will never bend to fear. And we will never, ever, bow down before Trump! We will remember the words of president's past to keep us inspired to move forward. Today is more than the inauguration of a madman, it's a countdown to the end of his presidency. 2020 isn't that far away! Unless it comes sooner, by his own misdeeds! Either way, we still have plenty to look forward 

to!

 "It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession,

 I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first."

~Ronald Reagan

"We all do better when we work together. Our differences do matter,

 but our common humanity matters more."

~Bill Clinton

"You could see blood coming out of her eyes,

 blood coming out of her... whatever."

~Donald John Trump

45th President Of The United States

Speaking about Megyn Kelly

During and interview in August of 2015

My thoughts are not with Trump today, my thoughts today are for the speedy recovery of President George H. W. Bush and his wife, Barbara Bush. Two folks I strongly disagreed with politically, but two people I never doubted loved this nation!

 True American patriots!

 Mood: Quiet

~Me

Being Human

"Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."

~Neil Gaiman

Coraline

If it's Thursday, that means this is the last full day things in the world will make sense, at least as much sense as it has up until now. 24 hours from now Barack Obama will leave office, and Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 45th President Of The United States, and any semblance to normality will completely change. Forever. I haven't decided yet whether I will just sleep all day, or get drunk by noon and stay that way, or if I will just drift off into what I think of as the abyss, the allowing my brain the complete and total shutdown of the following of any news, politics, science or the research about any of the things I feel/felt that mattered. In other words... completely giving up.

My world isn't just about politics and news of the day. I love reading about fashion. I love music, so much so, that Alan routinely complains about the volume of noise coming from my office. I like to read too. Biographies. The plays of Neil Simon. Anything by Alice Hoffman, Mary Higgins Clark and Susan Issacs. Reading has brought me a great deal of happiness and peace. I fell in love with it as a small child, and at one time I considered writing, or perhaps journalism, but it wasn't to be. As disappointed as I was, I still had reading as a hobby, and I have ran to it many times when either the world got too loud and stupid, or my own head noise was too loud and stupid.

I am back there right now, and both the world and my own head is nothing but stupid noise. We are about to cross into some dark territory, and there is nothing we can do to stop it. Some supporters of Trump are already having regrets about voting for him, and as funny as that can be, it is also frustrating and infuriating. To be able to say, "I told you so" is really of little help... no, actually, it doesn't help at all. Trump is the 45th President Of The United States, and it's horrible. It's frightening. It's wrong. And... IT'S REAL. Sure, history will put a little (  *  ) next to his name because of Putin's involvement, but by the time his administration is over, will it matter? Will we even still be a nation by that time?

I don't know. 

So, because I have NO idea what comes next, I have decided to adjust my thinking as a way of caring for my frayed nerves, at least for this weekend. I am going to turn the noise off, and curl up with a book this weekend, and when I do it will be with this old book/friend, Making Minty Malone, by Isabel Wolff. Minty is a little bit Bridget Jones, and a little bit Carrie Bradshaw and a little bit of a every girl, everywhere.

I don't want to give too much away, but it's a fun lighthearted read, that frankly I couldn't put down the first time I read it, which, by the way, was back in 2000! I love Minty, and her misadventures. She is written as very human, and who can't identify with that? Being human is something I know about very well, pitfalls, missteps and embarrassing moments and all. I was very pleased to find a hardcover edition on Amazon last week, and it was only .99 cents + shipping! 

It's healthy to turn off the noise from time to time.

Right?

I think I will be doing a lot of reading in the near future, but one sure bet... I won't be reading the Art Of The Deal anytime soon. 

Mood: Contemplative

~Me

 

 

My Desk... 2017 Edition

"My ideas usually come not at my desk writing,

but in the midst of living."

 

~Anais Nin

 

 My ideas come to me under many different circumstances. My artistic ideas happen, oddly enough, when I already have a camera in my hand. Some of my best creative ideas, happen on the spur of the moment. I can't even count the number of times that I have planned, down to the very last detail, a particular photo jaunt, only to find multiple other ideas and sparks of inspiration either along the way, or while photographing the original people, places or things that brought me to that destination.

 

My desk is where all the serious stuff occurs. I pay bills. I edit photos. I read the New York Times, Huffington Post, Time, The Hill, CNN, National Geographic. You get the idea. I Tweet sometimes from my desk, but most of the time I Tweet from my phone while on the go. My desk is also where I tend to fret. I fret about Trump. I fret about bills. I fret about owning a home. I never realized how stressful a mortgage is! Yes, I do some fretting there, but I also play some Wordbird there, and I enjoy my office as my girl cave, so all isn't lost.

 

Although as I look around my office, I wonder why in the world my office isn't finished yet! I have been here almost 18 months, and it still isn't finished. I haven't chosen a color for the walls, I haven't gotten my chair for reading. I always wanted a cozy chair for the corner of the room, to curl up in with Dylan and a book. I love his snuggles, and right now the couch does nicely, but one day I would like a chair for the office. All things in their time I guess.

 

It's hard owning a home. You worry about the roof. You worry about the mortgage payment. You worry about the jerk up the street who loves to turn the corner going like 80 miles per hour. I just know one day he will run through the front bedroom! You worry about aphids. You worry about buying earthquake insurance. YOU WORRY!

 

Buts it's nice to know, when you have a cold, and a fever of 103.3, that you are sick in your own home. Your bedroom is yours. Especially when you have bonded with the four walls and the roof like we have. Once you bond with a house it leads to worrying about all the responsibilities, but it's a little easier to take because it's home. A refuge from the angry, sad world. LOL. It's a lot, and I don't know that we will always be here, but Alan and I decided a long time ago, that if we couldn't make a go of it here, we would be adults and sell, and I am okay with that.

 

Mostly.

 

But for now we are making it all work. That man and I are unstoppable. He really is THE ONE. And with the fur babies, we are a family. And then there is Elvis, gone but never forgotten. He is in Alan's office, on his desk, in the perfect little box. Elvis always sat next his daddy when he was alive, so I know he would be happy to be next to Alan now. When all is said and done, we are a family, and we are at home no matter where we put a key in the door.

 

 But truly... I need to get my office finished!

 

 

Mood: Greatful

 

~Me :)