Well, Sweetie is making fun of me for this, but I'll share it with you anyway.

I've had three water/flood/wave dreams this week.  Three in one week.  To say nothing of the massively long Noah's Ark dream I had a month ago.  During the first two dreams, I was more of an observer.  I watched as huge waves crashed against other people.  The first was a lake - almost like I was standing at Emerald Bay on Lake Tahoe.  The waters receded in a big whoosh of a vacuum and people were standing at the bottom of the bay.  But the water came back in waves and kept slamming against them. 

The second dream was with an ocean that produced massive waves so quickly the fishermen and boaters did not have time to get out of the water.  One boat was repeatedly swept up against the shore and back out to sea.  One couple was trying to disembark without losing their grip on the ladder they were holding.  It wasn't possible.

Last night I was a participant and watched as people were trying to pile up sandbags underwater.  But their efforts were not good enough and a wave of water came crashing over everyone.  I was swept along and heading towards a huge maelstrom of swirling water.  I reached out to the branches of a tall tree standing above the water and held on for my life.  A giraffe was swept away beside me, but the tree held fast and I avoided getting sucked away.

Last night I was probably influenced by the fact it was raining as I fell asleep.

Finally!  Rain!  Maui has been in desperate need of rain as talk of mandatory water restrictions for Central Maui circulate once again.  The rain and water are a welcome relief. 

So I don't know what my brain is trying to convey with the multitude of water dreams this week.  Maybe I should stop drinking water before I go to sleep??

Here's some music for you.  Flood by Jars of Clay.

Photo Credit:  http://www.dentonbach.com/poems/1.htm

In case you have not heard, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary has released their annual update of new words.  Many words that have been part of the vocabulary of regular folks for years are finally regular enough to be included in the dictionary.

Among the new words?  Texas Hold 'Em.  Welcome Texas Hold 'Em!  Of course, the current definition is about as bare bones as you can get: 

poker in which each player is dealt two cards facedown and all players share five cards dealt faceup.

I was hoping the official definition would include something about the game being a game of SKILL instead of "luck," thereby improving the chances of getting an exception for Texas Hold 'em (and other poker games) from the darn Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (boooooo).  But alas, no such help from Webster's Dictionary.  I say - regulate on-line poker and maybe make some money off it instead of trying to pretend that thousands of Americans don't still play.  Not that I would ever play poker on-line from Hawai'i.  No sirree Bob.

And finally, welcome Mondegreen!!!  This term is all about misunderstood lyrics.  I love it.  From merriam-webster.com:

Mondegreen—a noun defined as a word or phrase that results from a mishearing of something said or sung—was first coined by author Sylvia Wright in 1954, when she wrote an article for Atlantic magazine confessing to a childhood misinterpretation of the Scottish ballad "The Bonny Earl of Moray." When she first heard the lyric "they had slain the Earl of Moray and had laid him on the green," she felt terribly sorry for the "poor Lady Mondegreen."

In honor of this new word, merriam-webster online is asking people to submit their own personal favorite mondegreens.  If you would like to submit, go here: 

http://www.merriam-webster.com/info/newwords08.htm

My sister has commented before on the hilarity of some of her and her hubby's misheard song lyrics.  Personally, I love "You're the weather balloon" for Grease's "You're the one that I want."  I have a bunch.  Probably the biggest doozy was trying to figure out what the heck the line was in Manfred Mann's Earth Band's song "Blinded by the Light."

YOU listen to this song and tell me what the second line is.  I'll tell you what I heard.......after the song.........

............

What did you hear?  I always heard "wrapped up like a douche.....in the middle of the night...." not that that makes any sense, of course.  That is what mondegreens are all about.  Do you have a personal favorite?

There is no rhyme or reason to explain it.

I like this show.  I haven't seen most of the episodes because I don't make a point to catch them.  But when I do, I like this show.  I know - I'm setting back whatever image of strong womankind we strong women are supposed to project and endorse.  I'm a traitor to my own kind.  Especially since I can't explain why.  But these women crack me up.  I like watching Holly, Bridget, and Kendra.  Maybe because, despite all being very blond and occasionally (well - often) ditzy, they each have different personalities.  Maybe because I grew up in an era when owning Playboys was ok and getting into the Playboy Clubs was a big ritzy deal. 

No, I'll just shut up.  There's no good excuse.  I don't even have a girl-crush on any of them.

I don't watch The Bachelor.  I've never chosen to watch Survivor.  But I heard that the girls were going to be on Celebrity Family Feud tonight and I ran to the TV (late, of course. I missed them completely).  Is there something wrong with me?

Previously, I introduced you all to Yeti vs. Gnome: a bunch of silly short animations about a bumbling Yeti and his arch enemies, the yodeling gnomes.  I mentioned how these characters are a little similar to Sweetie and me.   Well, now I found the perfect short: Yeti vs. Gnome, Hawaiian Holiday!  How funny is that?

Here it is.  If you've never seen any of the other Yeti vs. Gnomes, it probably doesn't seem that funny.  Actually, even if you've seen all the other Yeti vs. Gnomes, it may not be that funny.  But they are in Hawai'i!  Just like us.  It's perfect.

Check out more at http://yetivsgnome.blogspot.com/

So I am currently listening to My Boys.  For those of you who don't know, when I refer to The Boys, I mean only two possible groups.  Not like my Sweetie who seems to exclaim "It's my boys!" with every other song in his repertoire.

No, for me, it is either Tears for Fears or A-ha.  Yes, I am a child of the 80s (and 70s).  Back off.  These were my two favorites back in high school.

The beauty of A-ha?  They are still making great music.  I know most people haven't kept track of them since Hunting High and Low was released in 1985.  But I did.  From Stay on These Road through Memorial Beach to Lifelines.  And onto the release of Analouge, which is a fantastic album.  How many of your old favorites still release good music?  I can tell you Tears for Fears' last album was a big letdown.  Just heard the latest B-52s.  Good but not great.  Moby.  Disappointing.  Scorpions?  ok  - I admit I haven't heard their new release.  Crap.  Excuse me.........gotta update my Amazon wish list.......ok.....done.

Anyway, back to topic. I love these guys.  Producing good music for over 20 years. 

I am listening to this album tonight.  It's one of those rare albums that works with whatever mood I am in.  Happy.  Morose.  Just works.  Just what I needed this evening.

The first song is Celice.   WARNING: Yes, it's a little risque.  Not something they would show on MTV.  They are European.  What do you expect?  And yes, he means it literally: "It's in the way you hurt me."  You may want to skip to the all-age-friendly second song....

Analouge.....

It is 1:20 a.m. and I should be asleep.

I should be asleep, but I am sad.

I read THIS yesterday, and it made me sad.  Hurt-to-my-bones sad. 

I watched THIS tonight on the NBC nightly news, and it made me sad. It made me remember almost every moment of my father's own cancer diagnosis and death.  And it made me remember good things along with the bad things.  But it made me sad.  Crying sad.

I barely had a few minutes to talk to my husband today because he is on Oahu working.  And he had time to work from dawn to dusk and have dinner and beer, but only a brief moment to talk to me.  And I really do appreciate that he called me earlier in the day for a quick "I love you."  And I know he is tired at the end of the day, but it made me sad.  Frustratingly sad. 

I hear that Hawaiian Airlines raised their fees on all their flights again, and it made me sad.  Annoyingly sad. 

I can't even think of a good song I'd like to include in my blog to express how I feel.  How sad.  I suppose all I can do is go to sleep and greet tomorrow with a better attitude than I have right now.  Because, ya know - it's too late for me to start watching Moonlight and Valentino.

Except, this is still one of the best songs ever written, and I love it when I am sad so I'll throw it in another blog here:

The wind is howling right now.  Howling.  Screaming, if you will.  Wind tends to last a few days over here in Maui, so I am hoping it will blow itself out quickly this time.  Especially since I am supposed to fly this week.  The only good thing about wind right now - it will hopefully blow away all the vog that has settled over all the islands this week.  Lots and lots of vog from the Big Island the last couple of weeks.  *cough* *cough*

There was another car accident behind our house this past Friday.  Yes, for those of you counting, that makes Crash #7 since I moved here.   This one was worse than most I've seen so we called 911 to hurry up the police.   There was only a quick moment of brakes squealing, so we knew the impact was pretty hard.  The ambulance came and pulled one passenger out of one car, but it didn't take off quickly with its sirens screaming.  So I assume - either the person was not too badly hurt or dead.  I'm going to guess "not too badly hurt" because I didn't see anyone wailing with grief.  All the folks in our neighborhood, including one dog, were standing in my neighbor's yard looking over the fence.  Which just goes to prove that Dane Cook is right about car accidents:

Is that a question along the lines of "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"

For those of you who tend to worry about my sleeping habits, let me start by assuring you all - I have been sleeping quite well lately.  Honestly.  I've probably gotten more sleep in the last four months than I have in the last five years.  I don't fall asleep instantly, but I am almost always alseep by 2 a.m. (believe me, this is good).  I usually wake up before the alarm goes off.  Sometimes I get up.  Sometimes (ok, quite often) I let myself sleep until after Sweetie leaves for work. It's been fairly nice.

I've had a few bumpy nights the last couple of weeks.  Some bad dreams.  Some extra tossing.  It's always a given that I lie in bed awake longer than Sweetie.  He is amazing.  He can fall sleep faster than my male cousins watching football on a couch during family get-togethers.  Which means I sometimes toss quietly as I try and get my brain to shut down (when am I going to find that off switch??).  Or I sometimes toss as I poke him onto his side during the loudest of snoring.  Or I sometimes fall asleep only to wake with a bad dream.  Or, worst of all, a bad bout of sleep paralysis.  That happened last night.  Perhaps explaining why I'm still sitting in front of a computer tonight. 

Last night, I knew I would have a hard time falling asleep since Sweetie is out of town.  Much as his snoring can keep me awake, I prefer his steady calming presence.  I'll take the risk of being sleep punched in the face* for the company. 

So, what do I do when I know I will have trouble falling asleep?  Do I go to bed early to make up for the hours spent not sleeping?  Do I go to bed at any decent hour of the night just to relax and try and get some brain benefits of not staring at my computer?  No.  Of course not.  I avoid the bed and waste time until the wee hours of the night when I am sure to panic about the fact that I am not asleep yet.   This is a bad habit.  This is a habit I started when my insomnia was more chronic and I would spend nights on end tracking back and forth between bed and couch and bed and couch. 

And you know what?  I don't think I am the only one with this bad habit.  I think a lot of insomniacs try and distract themselves away from the whole ordeal of bedtime when they can't sleep.  Why bother? I guess.  It doesn't really make sense.  But we do it.  Counter-intuitive and  counterproductive?  Yes.  Somehow instinctive and unconscious?  Yes again.  I don't know why I do it.  I just do. 

I would advise people who have trouble sleeping to get to bed early to give yourself time to relax and fall asleep comfortably.  But what do I know?  What do you do when you can't fall asleep?

*Speaking of being sleep punched in the face, this has to be one of my favorite Dane Cook bits.  Sweetie showed this to me after he sleep punched me, and we laughed so hard we cried.  We still laugh about it.  If you ever hear one of us randomly shout out "JOHN!" - this is where it comes from.

P.S. - No joke.  Have I mentioned that, - over here in Maui, the roosters start crowing at 2:00 a.m.?  Uuugggggg!! There are roosters and chickens all over the island.  And they are dumb as rocks apparently.  As if my brain, Sweetie's snoring, and wind storms aren't bad enough.  I have to try and sleep through crowing roosters in the middle of the night!

You know, I've been a fan of some well-written television shows in the past.  Most notably, The Twilight Zone and MASH. 

There are so many reasons why Battlestar Galactica may have percolated up to become my favorite series of all time (it's pretty close to Twilight Zone).  Fantastic writing with some very complex and usually-untouchable themes of war, politics, religion, and human nature.  Some very dark moments.  Complex characters and incredibly strong performances every week.  It would take too long to explain every reason it's worth watching.

The only thing that absolutely SUCKS is - this is the last season.  Why ER is still on the air, yet I have to say goodbye to Battlestar at the end of this season is beyond me.  I understand the writers have a plan, but hell - couldn't that plan have been dragged out just a tiny smidge longer??  Maybe?

Fine.  At least I have one last season to look forward to.  *sigh*

This is a question I will probably come back to from time to time.

What do you think is/are the best song lyric lines?  Not a whole song.  Not all the lyrics. 

What are the best lines from songs you've heard?

My favorite, for a long time, has been:

"We had a little son and we thought we'd call him Sonny."

Paul Simon.  "The Obvious Child."  I can't explain it.  I love this line.  It brings a smile to my face.  Actually, this whole song may be on my top 20 of all time.  Look out for the line here:

As my CD player randomly shuffled around tonight, I was reminded of another doozy of a good line.  I would also like to nominate -

"Well I feel deep in your heart there are wounds time can't heal."

Tears for Fears - "Woman in Chains."  Definitely one of my top ten groups of all time.  You can listen for the line here:

So.

What do you think are some of the best music lines of all time?

My friend, ANCSweetNSassyGal over at 360 has a post up with some ponderous** questions after the first two new episodes of "Lost" this season.  If you watch Lost, you probably have many of the same questions.  And maybe you have some answers/speculations for her.  I was thinking of many of these same questions, so it is kind of fun for me to work through them with her.  If you want to give it a shot, her "Lost" entry is HERE.  One word of advice if you want to respond - given all the bugs that still plague Yahoo, I would compose your answer somewhere else (Word, or something) and then cut and paste into the comment box.  More often than not, I type a long comment, hit "Post Comment" and whoosh! the whole thing disappears.  Frustrating.   hmmmm.....reminds me of a show I know.

** Speaking of "ponderous".........

So,

How is a bottle of Merlot like the blues?

Which brings me to the Blues.  It is not one of my favorite music genres.  I don’t really own any. But it is one of my Sweetie’s favorite genres.  He loves it and has enjoyed many live Blues performance.  Which is why, last Friday, I surprised him with two tickets to go see James Cotton and his James Cotton Blues Band perform live here on Maui.  I heard that they would be playing at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center.  I knew that Sweetie is a fan of Sonny Boy Williamson.  I know that Sweetie has been working many long hours.  So, I thought I would force him to take a little break. 

Cotton had some gargantuan shoes to fill when he stepped into Little Walter’s slot as Muddy Waters’s harp ace in 1954, but for the next dozen years, the young Mississippian filled the integral role beside Chicago's blues king with power and precision. Of course, Cotton prepared for such a career move for a long time, having learned how to wail on harp from none other than Sonny Boy Williamson himself.

Cotton was only a child when he first heard Williamson’s  fabled radio broadcasts for King Biscuit Time over KFFA out of Helena, AR. So sure was Cotton of his future that he ended up moving into Williamson’s home at age nine, soaking up the intricacies of blues harpdom from one of its reigning masters. Six years later, Cotton was ready to unleash a sound of his own.

Last Friday night, James Cotton and his band were amazing.  James Cotton, of course, on his harp was amazing.  The guitar playing by - I think it was Slam Allen - was fantastic.  Allen’s vocals were powerhouse. It is hard to find recent footage, but here is James Cotton and his band performing "Sweet Home Chicago" in (I think) 2007.

We were also treated to an opening performance by Willie K and the Maui Tribe Blues Band.  Willie K is a well-known Hawaiian singer from Maui His Blues performance on Friday was out of this world.  His voice and guitar playing were spectacular and his energy was infectious.  I knew, when they started playing, that I was going to enjoy the evening.

It was a great night, and I’m glad we made the show.  Here's another thing about the Blues.  I told Sweetie that seeing The Blues played live is a contradiction.  The contradiction of the Blues.  Fact is, I was toe-tapping happy all night.  Watching those guys on stage was a joy.  Willie K was smiling and nearly dancing with energy.  James Cotton, with his fist-pumping, leg-slapping enthusiasm, was just contagious.  I smiled.  I danced.  There was nothing blue about it.  I savored the flavor and felt giddy afterwards.  Just like a nice glass of superb Merlot. 

You wouldn't believe me if I told you, but my CD changer and I have a unique relationship.  Unique being that we have a "relationship" at all.  I recognize it is an inanimate object.  Rectangular, black, with 51 lovely slots for my favorite CDs, whichever they happen to be at the moment.  I've had it for years.  Years.  It knows me pretty well by now.  I think we are psychically linked. 

Tonight, for instance.  Out of 51 CDs.......say.....maybe 561 tracks in all.......the "shuffle" function has managed to capture my mood with every song played.  No heavy rock.  No peppy dance tunes.  No long instrumentals. 

What is my mood?  I couldn't even tell you, but it's somewhere between Vienna Teng, Conjure One, and the soundtrack to Monsoon Wedding.  It's currently playing an Aretha Franklin version of "Bridge Over Troubled Waters."  Shazam.

I know.  I've stretched the bounds of credulity and entered the world of the strange.  But if you really get to know me, or want to - you will realize I sometimes enter the world of the strange and unusual.  "Because I myself am......strange and unusual."

As are many people I know, actually. Here's part of the mood. A good sample from Delerium.

Or how about this one from My Boys.  Love them! Plus, this is a pretty cool video.

OK - for something a little lighter than yesterday's rant, I will share something my Sweetie just shared with me.  A little site called "Yeti vs. Gnome" filled with little shorts about a bumbling Yeti and yodeling gnomes. 

I know.  It's silly.  But I needed silly this evening.  And this is so perfect for the two of us.  I partially come from a yodeling heritage.  My hubby, being well-follicularly endowed is sometimes mistaken for a Sasquatch.  Who else in the world would put such things together?  Unless.....do they yodel in the Himalayas????

Anyway - check this out.

And even though it is not Valentine's Day, I dedicate this next one to my Sweetie, for finding this site for me:

Stop reading now if you are offended by bad language.  Or if educating yourself offends you.  Or if you don't want to know that other peoples' lives are actually worse than yours.

When the fuck are people going to wake up!?  Does anyone even read a newspaper anymore?  Watch the news?  Look at pictures of the news in their tabloid magazines?

I've read one blog about Benazir Bhutto's assassination.  One.

I won't get too political about this.  About that fact that Pakistan is already a nuclear power.  With warheads and the missiles to use them.  Or the fact that Secretary of State Rice (and others in this administration) thought they could really manipulate things to their advantage in that roiling country by going to Bhutto in October and helping convince her to go back to Pakistan now.  No - it's not their faults alone.  It was Bhutto's decision, and if you listen to what she has said before she died, it was her decision to go back to Pakistan.  It's not their fault, but just another example of international ineptitude. 

If you give a shit at all about the the Presidential candidates are saying, you can move your mouse and click on what they said when Katie Couric asked 10 of the leading Presidential Candidates "What country frightens you the most?"

Every single Republican candidate followed the lead sheep to say "Iran."  Bahh bahh bahhhhh.  Not that Iran is not dangerous, but how long can they use the same rhetoric to scare votes their way?  How long?  We shall see in 2008.  Scare. Scare.  Scare.  Does what happened this week scare you? 

The politics of Pakistan is complex.  And Bhutto's own reasons for seeking power are complex.  But when someone takes the time (and her life) to stand up for democracy, can those of us who say we enjoy the freedom (do you vote?), stand by and say nothing?  Even if she had other ambitions?  Can we say nothing about a so-called "War on Terror" that never ever ever finished the job in Afghanistan, but ending up spreading the terrorists to more ports and swelling their numbers?  I'm sick and tired of hearing people assume that people who were always against the Iraq war are just pacifists or don't support the troops.  If we had finished the job in Afghanistan, instead of using it as an excuse to try and exert power in another nation (NOT fight terror), then no one would have cheered louder than those of us so angry over the billions of dollars wasted.  Billions.  Care about U.S. education?  Your roadways/infrastructure?  Our own defenses?  Our ability to respond to natural disasters?  How much could we have done with that money (OUR taxpayer money) for OUR OWN country?  How much?  Who the hell knows.  It's gone now.

Think hard about what international battles you want the next President of the United States to fight.  Real battles?  Or battles as excuses to exert power over others who are NOT controllable. 

Oops. I guess I am getting more political.  I am sorry that the extremists won this round.  I am sorry there is more chaos now.  I am sorry that the Prime Minister daughter of an executed Prime Minister has died in a terrorist attack.  I am sorry that the future is completely uncontrollable, US international diplomatic credibility is even more in the toilet, and we probably won't get any help from any other country next time we need it. 

This about sums it up.  The music is actually from the musical Jekyll and Hyde (which has some awesome music).  Someone came up with some pretty bizarre images.

There is no good lesson I can come up with.  Sorry to be so ranty.

Well, since today’s Holidailies writing prompt was supplied by me, I guess I better step up to the plate and use it!

 What are a few songs that would provide the soundtrack to your life and why?"

Hmm.....given that this question came from me, you would think it would be easier to answer.  I think I'm having trouble narrowing it down to just a few picks.

I am a musicaholoic.  I’m not the only one, I know.  Music is constant in my days and nights.  I don’t have nearly the collection that my Sweetie has.  But I prefer it that way.  I like to savor my music.

Now, for my soundtrack, I want to avoid the obvious picks.  Songs such as “Highly Strung” by Spandau Ballet, or “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cindy Lauper.  Or even the accolades of “Unbelievable” by Diamond Rio. 

Yes, most of these songs are dated.  But it’s because they have been in my Stone Girl playlist for a long, long time.  They are on the soundtrack to my life because they have, in the past, present, and future, spoken to my psyche.  They say what I have felt.  And they have, quite literally, played for hours in my rooms, depending on where I am in my day.....my life.

These songs don’t necessarily represent a specific point in time in my life.  They don't tell a narrative such as "When she was young, Stone Girl did this....."  then ".....and Stone Girl did this."  Rather, they contain certain themes, moods if you will, that have consistently been part of who I am my whole life.  Or at least - my whole music-appreciation life.

I've narrowed down the core list to three songs.  There are several that get honorable mentions, and they are listed below.  I will try and explain these three.  In a nutshell, the songs are:

“Live Happy”  - C & C Music Factory

“Fear” - Sarah McLachlan

“Speaking Confidentially” - Cowboy Junkies

Live Happy is obvious.  This is for the optimist me.  The me whose favorite Far Side panel is a penguin among a sea of penguins singing "I gotta be meee!"  The me who wants to live for today and appreciate all I have.  I'm not always this person, but I try to be.  I can't seem to find the lyrics on-line, so I posted my own version below.

The next is Fear.

This is a biggie for me.  For the unhappy me.  For the insecure me.  For the part of my life where I question my own direction and contribution.  Not the favorite part of my soundtrack.  But an important one.  And I love this song.  You can read the lyrics here.  One of the most thrilling moments for me was seeing this live.  How good is it?  How powerful is it?  Check it out:

 And then, there is "Speaking Confidentially."  I don't know if I can explain this one.  This may be one of the best-written songs ever.  This song says a lot.  A lot more than I can say.

Speaking Confidentially Lyrics

Honorable Mentions

Dream into Action - Howard Jones

Footsteps - Alison Moyet

Nothingness - Living Colour

That's it for now.  I have more, and perhaps I'll add some posts in the future to introduce you to more songs in my soundtrack.  If you've stopped by to read this blog, from Holidailies or elsewhere, I'd love to hear others' songs.  I know non-Multiply folks probably can't comment without signing up.  I'll try and add a Linky here.  If you've been lurking, de-lurkify!, drop a note and let us know what's playing in your soundtrack!

Can't seem to find a link to lyrics for this one, so this is my best guess. 

"Live Happy" by C & C Music Factory.

Gotta live happy.

Some people say how can you live this way,

Living only for today

Tomorrow may never come our way

So I’m gonna try to live happy

Living happy, happy.

living happy, happy.

Gotta live happy.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not a fool

I know there are things that I must do

I’ve got my responsibilities

But still I can try to live happy

Living happy, happy,

living happy, happy,

Gotta live happy.

Some people say I’m full of myself

but that is nothing I can help

because I was taught to believe in myself

and the right to be ____ and happy.

Gotta live happy

My friend, Thankfulrunnergirl, reminded me of one of my favorite groups of the past.

Sadly, The Housemartins were defunct after only three albums (I think. That's all I have), but they made some great music while they were together.

Watching a British music awards show in 1987 on my telly in California, I heard about 15 seconds of the following song and was enamored. 

I went in search of this song and bought their first album.  Alas, the song was not there. I bought their second album. More good stuff, and I heard this:

All good, but no "Caravan of Love." BUT - there was an offer for the free single by turning in some proof of purchase. I wrote. I received my record (45) in the mail. Record! Remember those? I almost wore the grooves off that thing. Alas, you can see the group's sentiment about their own band at the end of the Build video ("RIP Housemartins). They were separated soon after. They went their separate ways. And, until my Sweetie told me a couple of years ago - I had no idea Norman Cook ended up as:

My favorite of his (Fatboy Slim, by the way) is this track - I could listen to it on a continuous loop for a long, long time:

And that's that for tonight's musical installment.  Enjoy!

...wooooooo!

This is fun and slightly hilarious.

In light of my upcoming nuptials, some of my dearest friends decided they would organize our very own Bachelorette Party. Wheeeee!

I gotta hand it to my gals - they know how to organize a fantastic getaway. We had the most decadent, fun, relaxing weekend. We shared dinner. We went dancing. We shared lunch. We went to a spa. ahhhhh!!

I have to make one funny observation from our jaunt out on the town last night: I am soooooooo very very unhip. While I sit in my car and listen to NPR, the young folks of the urban lands are listening to music like I've never heard before. I admit it - I haven't been out dancing in a real club for........when was the last bachelorette party I went to?......well, it's been years. And it's been over 15 years since I went out dancing more than once a year. And my friends and I are stuck in the 80s during our own private dance crazes.

But out we went, my brave friends and I. One of whom actually goes out on a regular basis. And one of whom listens to MTV on a regular basis and recognized most of the songs being played.

Me? Pretty clueless. The kids on my street are all under 13 or so. I don't work with 20-somethings anymore. I don't watch MTV because I was under the impression they don't actually play VIDEOS anymore. *sigh*

Never a good dancer to begin with, I was somewhat grateful for a packed dance floor to hide my stumbles while I stared up at video screens showing videos of songs everyone else seem to know. Lil Mama. huh? Lady Sovereign. ehh?? Bob Sinclar. wha?? Justin Timberlake. Oh!! I've heard of him!! Sweet. It was pretty funny. I was probably the oldest person in the room, but hey - you know what? I’m only getting married once, and if my friends and I want to use the opportunity to dance ourselves to exhaustion like we used to, I say “Yea for us!!” Although it seems that exhaustion came a tad bit faster than I recollect it did 10 years ago.

It is also interesting to note that the age-old Club behavior still applies. For me it is "DO NOT make eye contact with anyone for more than 2 seconds." I love to look around at all the people, and it's fun to see how people dance and it's just nice to see people having a good time. BUT, inevitably, if you make eye contact with a guy for more than 2 seconds, he takes it as an invitation to come over and dance with you. And I use "dance" loosely. It's more - his own private grope fest. My friends and I had to rescue each other a couple of times during the night. Ug.

I was pretty excited when I heard Bob Sinclar’s song sampling that good ol’ dance staple of my youth - C & C Music Factory’s “Everybody Dance Now.” Nice to see the kids acknowledging the classics. Ha! I’m classic (that’s one word for it).

Wanna know what the kids are dancing to these days?

Check it out.....

Lil Mama - Lip Gloss

Bob Sinclar - Rock This Party

Lady Sovereign......

I don't think I can post anything and not have to change this entry to "Mature Content."

And, if you are like me, here is one you may know.

I’m reading this week’s (December 4) issue of Time magazine, and cleaning up K Street in Washington.  There’s been a lot of talk by politicians about the need for lobbying reforms in Washington D.C.  It must be quite a conundrum for all politicians who receive hefty amounts of money donations from lobbyists and their associates.  How do you rein in potential favors-for-money transactions without jeopardizing your own future war chests?

I’ll leave it to the folks in Congress, both new and old, to see if they can really create any reform in the system.  My hope is that people understand why such reform is needed. 

We all know (right?) that while the United States of America is a democratic country, our government is not run as a pure direct democracy.  We are, instead, a constitutional republic.  National law and national policy is not decided directly by the voters, but by our representatives.  That’s the way our government works.  Ideally, voters have done their research on candidates and candidates have represented themselves honestly, and we stand in our voting booths and vote for a representative that we feel will best speak for us in Congress.  That’s what we get.  We get one vote for each person, and then we get to sit back and hope they represent us well.

What happens when a Congressperson gets one vote from me, but then also gets $10,000 from another guy?  $10,000 can pay for a lot of campaign material come the next election.  Maybe someone could win 10 votes if they had $10,000 to spend on a commercial, or colorful flyers.  And maybe, just maybe, someone could win 100 votes if they used their position in Congress to spend $100,000 in their jurisdiction in such a way that would benefit a specific group of people.  If that person who hands my Congressperson $10,000 says “Do something for me when you win, and I’ll deliver more money and maybe a good block of votes.” 

Hey then.  What happened to *my* one vote?  What happened to my opinion on issues in my congressional district?  It’s probably not as important as the interests of the lobbyist in Washington D.C. who has the direct ear of my Congressperson.  A lobbyist who, by the way, may not even *live* in my congressional district.  Suddenly, while I and my neighbors are sitting around and talking about how we would like to see money for our public schools, a decent public transportation system, and  clean water, our Congressperson is slipping high-dollar “earmarks” into the legislation they are passing in Washington.  In case you didn’t click on that link above, this is what happens with earmarks:

In the United States legislative budget process, Congess has the power to earmark (designate) funds it appropriates (revenue) to be spent on specific named projects. This differs from the normal practice where Congress grants a lump sum to an agency to allocate entirely at its discretion, according to the agency's internal budgeting process. Earmarks tie the hands of agency bureaucrats, obliging them to spend a portion of the budget on special projects chosen by politicians.

So, my local transportation agency may have a long list of priorities to fix existing roads with big potholes and build a new light-rail system.  If they were given federal money to do their jobs, they chould choose which projects to spend the money on.  But with earmarks, our Congressperson designates very specific projects, and the federal money goes to that project. 

With a fixed federal budget, what happens to lump sum budget allocations when there are a ton of earmarks?  They go down, I think.  And if you think that earmarks aren’t taking a lot of money away from our local agencies, total earmarks in 2005 were about 47 billion dollars.   That’s 47 billion dollars that were chosen for just 15,000 earmarks.  To me, that sounds like 15,000 projects at over $3,000,000 per project.  How many things could your State Department of Education do with $3,000,000?  Or your Transporatation Department?  Who knows, because they won’t get to use money at their own discretion. 

I know, most of you folks reading my blog probably already understand this. And I hope that our Congressfolks will take the recent voter discontent as a sign that there are several things that need to change in Washington.  They are being sent to Congress to represent a whole group of voters back home, not just a few people with a lot of money. 

If they spent more time listening to their constituents and doing things we need them to do, maybe they wouldn’t need a huge war chest to buy our votes in the next election.  Maybe they could earn our votes by representing our needs and serving us honestly.  Wouldn’t that be a refreshing change?