Honey, let me tell you.....

Public service announcement- for all of you who insist on running around in hose with open toed shoes- just stop - it's a horrible habit. Your friends won' t tell you but I will. For further such tips, check out The Etiquette Girls.

I know that's bit harsh and a bit of a rant, and I'm not THAT shallow; however, everything tacky and ill-refined in the human race emerges on the two days after Thanksgiving. And you know I'm right.

It's the Great Turkey Charlie Brown....

...thoughts from my head...in no particular order....and this is high rambling, let me tell you....

Why is it when I drive, I come up with all these things I want to write about, and then, when I get in front of my screen - I go blank...sigh...I'm old...and that's ok....

oooh - speaking of old....I visited the Biltmore House, home of Cornelius Vanderbilt, in Asheville, NC. If you ever saw "Private Eyes" with Tim Conway and Don Knotts - THAT'S the house. It's amazing, opulent, turn of the century. The first thing Nathan and I did was to come up with "vanderbilt names." His was Augustus, mine was Cordelia. We toured the house with the audio (highly recommended) AND did a rooftop tour. Since I have this thing about gargoyles, this was a plus -they were everwhere. This is definitely a day/weekend that everyone should do. In the wine shop, there were the "Red Hat Ladies" all over the place. I ADORE these women, they seem to be everywhere I go... based on that poem, "When I am old, I shall wear purple.." they have resurrected a old South kind of charm when ladies wore hats and gloves...be on the lookout for them at events, such as expos, fairs, shows and such - it's a TREAT. Of course, for me, when I'm old, I'll be a Sweet Potato Queen, I'm not genteel enough by a long shot to do the red hat thing.

Funny story - had lunch with some college friends yesterday and one of them was sporting BB's IN his arm - told his parents that someone put one of those things loaded with BB's in a bonfire, when in TRUTH, he and a buddy were boosting Kerry signs and got shot!!! Is that insane or what. Free elections in Iraq - get ready - Blount County has NOTHING on you guys.

Today's weather was the BEST - gloomy, drizzly, and grey making what's left of the fall colours apprear richer against the grey.

Let's just take a moment and be THANKFUL -for eggnog, Thanksgiving movie releases, people who go to massage therapy school and do their job WELL, and flavored cool whip....that's just the tip of the iceberg baby.

But moving on to my Christmas music review - I KNOW - Gretchen and Jackson are laughing at me doing a music not movie segment, because besides running around with random musicians, BUT I got out my Christmas CD's and have picked up a few new ones, and just wanted to share the love so you all can be driving around with good Christmas tunes....

Firstly - the Blind Boys of Alabama - WOW!!! GET THIS CD - right now - even if you're in your PJ's - their "Little Drummer Boy" blew me away.

Second - Barenaked Ladies - Barenaked Holiday - a nice compilation of traditional Christmas and Hanukkah.

Third - not for the faint of heart and I'm going to burn but I can't help it - Larry the Cable Guy's Christmas - only get this if you're of the True South - because that's the only way you won't find it offensive.

Honorable mention - Jimmy Buffet Christmas, and Lou Monte's "All Because It's Christmas" - which is a must-have, only for the song "Dominick the Donkey"

Ok - at this moment - I'm out of stuff to say - and mostly because West Wing is coming on in a few.

It's the New Zoo Revue....

.....coming back to you...." Does anyone else remember that show?? PBS? Mid to late seventies?? Right up there with Sesame Street, ZOOM, and Electric Co? (Does anyone remember that Morgan Freeman was on Electric Co?) It was one of those typical cheesy learning show - there was Freddy the Frog, Charlie the Owl and Henrietta Hippo and OH MY GOSH - I'm now certifiable with this long-term memory thing. The whole reason I bring it up, is that I went to the zoo last week.

Now, if you've never been to the Zoo in the winter, by all means GO - there aren't any crowds and it's colder so the animals are more likely to be out and playful. Maybe you northern people don't have that problem, but in the south - zoo animals are quite sluggish in the summer, as they should be. But it was FANTASTIC!!! I spent at least 15 to 20 minutes per exhibit. They all had such animated personalities - sometimes I just thought I just might be in Narnia and they were going to start talking. There's a new baby rhino named Mayor Bill. He was hilarious- just wanted someone to pay attention to him or play with him, so he kept butting his little horn against the legs of one rhino, then another - no one wanted to play (sad face). But he didn't give up- just kept at it. The chimp preserve was precious -there were two chimps right on the glass, doing the grooming thing. One chimp had a severly hurt wrist - hair and skin off and it was raw. This girl chimp just kept on him, you could tell it hurt and she just kept licking at it, comforting him, staying with him. I just sat at the glass right there - I just wanted to reach in there and fix it. There was some kind of serious alpha-male thing going on in the Macaw cage, something about the new guy on cell block one. And I tried to organize a prison break in the South-American bird exhibit - they ignored me. Bottom line- people - get off the web and go to the zoo!!!

Sometimes, there is no place like home..

Only I'm fortunate enough to get to have several places in my heart that feel like home. I took a hiatus from my Orlando hiatus, to come back home to Knox. Reason being I had Dr's appts (yeah, they Do get tiring, but hey - they're less and less these days!) So far so good with all the follow-ups.

It's the little things one notices. Not to have the classic "Castaway" syndrome, but driving one's car is a marvelous thing, especially when it's fall, leaves are changing and falling, it's crisp in the air and there are mountain roads to be driven. I'm one who can sleep anywhere and goodness knows this whole journey has involved lots of sleeping - but my bed at home sleeps sooooooo well.

It's been such a switch -usually, I'm with my friends and visit my family. I've been with my family for a couple of months, so being back with my friends is wonderful, especially, now that I've had the reflective time to really understand more how much time and effort they put in to taking care of me all those weeks and months. Family kind of has to sometimes, and my friends chose to. What could I possibly add to say more than that.

So, yes, there will be more to understanding where I am now, who I am now - who I always was that I'm only seeing now...that kind of thing...and it will come...as my voice did...in time.

Four More Years!!!!

Yeah baby! That's all I'm going to say. We do not gloat and we do not strut- ever.

But besides the fact that I am a strong supporter of President Bush, I got the oh-so-very cool op to see him in person the Saturday before Super Tuesday. He was in town for a rally and I went down the local GOP-HQ for tickets -I had to do a song and dance to get three for pity's sake. It was just incredible. If I lived in DC, I'm sure I would take Presidential sightings more in stride. But apart from President Bush Sr, using our high school track for morning runs when he was the Vice-President, (it was a very nice, secure campus) my love of politics and such has been from afar.

So - we're at Tinker Field, home of the Orlando Rays (Manta rays, not sun rays. I thought it was sun rays at first and then thought that was really lame.)Senator Mel Martinez is right at the gates, shaking hands with people. Secret service are around, and yes, since I'm a West Wing addict - I'm already a Secret Service groupie - they are just so cool!!! Volunteers arm us up with Bush stickers and signs - VIVA BUSH. We hear various Florida Republicans speak. Finally the motorcade pulls in and they start the music and the President and Mrs. Bush come through the tent, down the ropeline and up on the stage. I would love to say that I had a vantage point, but I was technically at center field. Wisely though, I had manuevered us right behind the press scaffolding to have breathing room. (I have crowd issues after being in the middle of a gang fight in Santa Fe, New Mexico, during Fiesta de Zozobra). PLUS, one could clearly see the podium if you looked through the scaffolding just right. It was an electric night, one of those nights that I wished I worked in Washington, then I realised that moments like that are more special when they are moments.