ERA NOW! Or Maybe Later, Who Knows?

 

"Worse than aborting is birthing in instability."

 

~Abhijit Naskar

Hometown Humans: To Live For Soil And Society

 

I don't feel like blogging today, but in the last 24 hours we have seen a historic decision, by the Supreme Court, so I feel like I must. You will read about it in the history books, but basically, Texas just passed a batshit law that sets back a woman's right to govern her own body back to that time I long for so much... mid-century. You know... there are days that I spend most of my time longing for New York City in the 1950's or early 60's. The time when woman wore lovely little white gloves in the day time, and men wore hats. I want to lunch at an automat, search for nifty sales at Gimbals, and then end my day by making Alan a meatloaf. Unfortunately, hiding in all that post war perfection, and the mellow Dean Martin soundtrack, is the fact that if a woman became pregnant for any reason, and she didn't want to continue with the pregnancy, she had to pay someone, often under horrific circumstances, to terminate it. Even if she was raped. By her father. The circumstances I think about the most are cases of incest and rape, but what about those who live in extreme poverty? Where are pro-lifers on the issue of lifting others out of the very circumstances that lead to the need and decision for abortions? You know by now that I am a Democrat, and therefore a Liberal, but the percentage of Texans that supported this dystopian bill didn't even reach 50 percent. Nationally 79% Americans, male and female, DO NOT WANT TO RETURN TO NEW YORK CITY IN 1960! They want abortion to remain legal. So, will the people of Texas fight back? Will America fight back? Remind me, has the Equal Rights Amendment been fully ratified yet? And I haven't even mentioned the nosy neighbor bounty. You have to look up that element of the bill yourself, it is too horrifying to mention on my blog. I won't give that monster air.

 

 

 

~Me

Stockton, California

September 2nd, 2021

 

 

 

Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz...

 

"Life is a celebration.

Being alive on this earth is a celebration.

Learning new things everyday is a celebration.

Being kind and compassionate is a celebration.

Chasing our dreams and goals is a celebration. 

With the right attitude, every action becomes celebration.

Learn to celebrate each and every moment of life."

 

~Purvi Raniga

 

This is a good day, despite all the uncertainty about moving and other scary things left not spoke about. Today, those things don't exist. Today we celebrate being in our house exactly 6 years. We are celebrating the birthdays of all three of our babies. Dylan and Hendrix were born in 2008 and Joey in 2013. They get so big, so fast. And today also marks exactly 32 years of service for Alan where he works. That's a lot to be happy about, and proud of. We need to move, SOON, but I am a little happy that we can celebrate this day in our home. A lot happened in those six years.

 

For one, I was scared to death I would die in a pile of nuclear ash, under my desk! Those were the Trump years. If you go all the way back to the day when Alan began his job, and just look at that era, it would be called the US years, because he proposed marriage to me, just a month later. But if you just focus on the years beginning in 2008, you have a real look at one of those unconventional families you hear about. A childless couple, who couldn't love their fur baby children more if they tried. 

 

Now, bring them all together, and you find, a happy life that I wouldn't change for the world. It's the story of us, but it's unfinished. There are many more memories waiting to be made. A lot of happiness awaits. A lot of celebratory kisses and kitty snuggles. No matter how bad any particular day has gone, Trump or not, we have laughed at some point. We laugh every single day about something. M any time, our little fellas will be the source of our laughter, and for that I am grateful. 

 

But...

 

I am also grateful for the occasional Alka-Seltzer!

 

I have never had it on the rocks, as this ad I found in the August 1966 edition of Playboy suggests, but I don't see why it wouldn't be absolutely delicious! Perhaps a splash of green apple syrup or maybe even watermelon syrup. Just straight has always worked. All I know is, dad kept plenty Alka-Seltzer around, and if I close my eyes, I can see it in it's cool mid-century packaging. A long tube type bottle, with little tablets inside. Do you remember, that awesome little jingle...

 

"Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is."

 

And it was. And it is. And I celebrate that! 

 

~Me

Stockton, California

September 1st 2021

 

But First, A Word From Our Sponsor

 

 

 

"Time was passing like a hand waving from a train I wanted to be on. I hope you never have to think about anything as much as I think about you."

 

~Johnathon Safran Foer

 

A while back, I had the idea of sharing some of my favorite movies from the 1970's and 80's that I had happily found available on Youtube. Then for whatever reason, I promptly dismissed doing so. I am not sure why I drifted from the idea, because I had recently enjoyed bringing a fairly good horror movie to my blog, that had been produced especially for ABC in the early 70's. When Michael Calls, still gives me chills 50 years later. It had ALL the elements of a good horror movie. Damsel in distress. A ghost (maybe). Eerily effective music. And, of course, it was set in autumn, right around Halloween. Oh my, I was in bliss watching it as a child, and I loved that every time it crossed my mind thereafter, I had to sleep with the light on. I exaggerate, but only a little. Who wouldn't enjoy sharing that on their blog, or anywhere else?

 

But fast forward to the here and now. The movie I am sharing this time around, Compromising Positions, isn't horror, rather it's a nifty whodunit from the 1980's, based on a the book, of the same name, by Susan Isaacs, who just happens to be one of my favorite authors. It stars, Susan Sarandon and Raul Julia, and the supporting cast lead by, Judith Ivey and Anne De Salvo, is top notch! If you haven't seen it, give it a watch, it's one of those movies that really should be on DVD by now, but for whatever reason, remains in the backroom of the great Blockbuster in the sky. And that's a real shame. But first, enjoy a word from our sponsor, Swanson TV Dinners, which I was probably eating the night I watched this cool little mystery on VHS. VHS and tv dinners. Of course it was the 80's!     

 

~Me

Stockton, Ca

August 31st, 2021