I've had nothing to say lately. That's why no blogging. I refuse to write just because I think I have to. As you may already know, ramblers bug the crap out of me. But I've got something to say now so lets dig in...

So my husband is in Kansas for two months working on a movie. I miss him a lot, y’all. It doesn't matter that we argue, fight and basically get on each others nerves like most married couples. The moment he's gone for any length of time I start to miss him. Why is that I wonder?

I was sitting here watching some TV the other day when some army wife came on. (She could have been a navy wife or a marine wife. I don't know, I didn't pay much attention until she started talking. You'll see why in a minute.) Apparently she's written a book about her experiences at home alone when her husband is deployed. Her contention is that we hear so much about supporting our troops, we forget that the wives and families left behind need support, too. Given my current situation, I can definitely relate. My man's only gone for a couple of months. Having your husband gone for months or years at a time must be very trying on a wife's spirit to say the least.

And then I thought about that. Its got to be pretty tough. That is, if you love each other. I mean, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but we just assume that every military couple separated by deployments is desperately in love and miss each other terribly. That every soldier’s wife is waiting patiently and lovingly for her husband to return to her open arms. But that's not the case all the time, is it?

I know a navy couple who got married because she got pregnant. They've travelled all over the world together as a family. I was so jealous of that for like a second. But then I learned that when he's gone, she's stepping out on him and he's stepping out on her. And I mean big time. And have been pretty much since the minster said "I now pronounce you husband and wife." How do you have a husband and a boyfriend? And be cool with it like that's how its supposed to be? If they were really ok with this wackness, they wouldn't be hiding it from the world. But, no. To add insult to injury, they front in front of folks like they're madly in love and can't wait to be together again. Come on, girl. Why you tryin' to play a sista?!!?

Then, of course, she wants to call me and complain about his deployments and then talk about her decision to cheat like she wants validation for her and her husband being trifling. (Not gone be able to do it.)

So I'm listening to this army lady talk about her experiences and I hate to say it but she starts getting on my nerves. She's like syrupy sweet with this cheerleader smile while she talks. Everything is said with this way-over-the-top positiveness. I'm just sitting there waiting for her to do a cartwheel and spell out all the great things about her husband using the letters in his name. (Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike. "M" is for mature. "I" is for interesting. "K" is for kind. "E" is for everlasting love.) After a few minutes all I want in the world is for her to stop talking. Ruben can stay in Kansas. Just shut this woman up.

She was so happy about everything that she reminded me of my ho-ish navy friend and her dog-like husband. Could this TV lady be frontin' to hide the real dirt behind the marriage scene? Do the couples that "act" the happiest have the most problems? I don't know about you but it makes me wonder.

Later that same day I watch this Law & Order in which these two wives get together to kill each others' husbands. But that's not the important part. Murder aside, it was interesting to me that when the cops question the first wife, she goes on and on about how happy her and her husband are, how much in love they are, how solid their marriage still is after seven years. And then the second wife does the exact same thing. Syrupy sweet...

Anyway, I wouldn't pay too much mind to any of this. I'm sure most military marriages and marriages in general are happy. I mean look at mine. I really do looooooooove my husband. (Cheerleader smile.) J

Tell me what you think. Til next time...

So check this out. I read a newspaper article not too long ago that talked about the food shortage we are supposed to be having. I didn’t read the entire article but was quite amused by the headline and a few of the opening comments. Apparently because of this food shortage, people are going to have to downgrade their food purchases. And this article was actually suggesting that people who eat steak downgrade to beans.

 

Now at first I didn’t see anything wrong with this idea. But then I started thinking about it. The writer is suggesting that those who eat steak stop eating steak and start eating beans. Because of the food shortage. Steak…Beans…Steak…Beans…Steak…Beans…I don’t think so.

 

As far as I can tell, steak is not a food you buy just because you’re hungry. If you purchase steak, you want steak. We’re not talking about trading your fresh deli turkey for a can of tuna. Or deciding between name bran cereal and generic cereal. I’ve never heard anyone go into a restaurant and say, “I’m not that hungry. I don’t care what I eat. Just bring me whatever steak is lying around.”

 

My dad loves steak. And there is no way in hell you’re gonna convince him that he should stop eating it and eat beans instead. Not chicken, or fish, or even meatloaf. Beans. (“Hey dad, you know there’s a food shortage. Instead of having a steak with that baked potato tonight, why not have black beans and baked potato.” My dad is over 70 but he’d definitely think I was the one losing my mind. J)

 

I don’t know. Maybe its just me. I mean I care about the possibility of there being a food shortage. Seriously, raise your hand if you want to run out of food. But if you’re going to try to help, at least give me some advice that’s actually useful. Tell me how to save on my grocery bill. Which store’s milk is the cheapest. Which store has a sale on bread this week. Which store is giving away a free dinosaur with every purchase. (I just went to a storytime with my son and they read this book titled, When Dinosaurs Came With Everything. It was sooo cute! Check it out if you can.) Otherwise, I don’t want to hear it.

 

I think I read or heard somewhere that newpapers have to compete now with the internet, bloggers like me, news websites, etc. Unlike 50 years ago when everyone got and read the daily newspaper, apparently, no one being born today will be getting basic information that way. The competition must be real stiff. But if this article were any indication as to how newspapers were doing, (and let’s hope its not) I’d say they were failing miserably. Then again, how do I know? I don’t read the newspaper either. J

 

Anyway, tell me what you think. ‘Til next time…

How in the world  do you reduce someone’s entire life’s work down to a sound bite for the privilege of passing judgement?  This whole Rev. Jerimiah Wright thing has gotten completely out of hand. Everybody needs to calm down. It is so not that serious. I must admit, I haven’t actually heard the original sound bites from his supposed “G.D. America” speech that’s got everybody all up in arms and ready to bust a cap. And I must also admit that I’m glad I haven’t. I wish I would go on YouTube and listen to a single, solitary word of it. This is just another example of the jump-on-the-bandwagon, mob-mentality we tend to adopt at the slightest provocation.

 

This man gives a sermon like a million years ago and now because Obama is running for the democratic candidate for president, this sermon is trodded out and trodded upon. I said it in my book and I’ll say it again (and quote my man 2pac!), though it seems heaven-sent, America ain’t ready to have a black president. And some people will do anything to make sure that doesn’t happen.

 

The media has rope-a-doped Rev. Wright into a corner and now he’s come out swinging. He is literally anywhere and everywhere he can defending himself and his church. Political analysts are warning that Rev. Wright’s new comments will have an extremely negative affect on Obama’s candidacy. I have no doubt in my mind that they will. But is anyone willing to admit that this shouldn’t actually be the case? Tell me, why do Rev. Wright’s comments mean anything to the Obama candidacy? Obama didn’t say these things. Judge Obama on what HE says and does and nothing more. If the good reverend wants to go on a verbal tirade because some media hounds pissed him off, let him. What’s interesting to me is that representatives of the media asked in the very recent past why Rev. Wright didn’t speak out. Now that he is, they’re against him coming out and defending himself this way in so many venues. Now he’s self-serving and grand-standing. But they keep covering his speeches. And not just covering them…analyzing them for days after each speech. Give me a break! Talk about having your cake and eating it, too.

 

And why in the world are we still talking about it anyway?! This all started over a snip-it of some sermon preached twenty years ago!! I don’t know about you but this whole situation is getting on my nerves. Talk to me about the wildfires or about the great white shark on California beaches. (Or about how in the world  Miley Cyrus is making $1 million a week on tour! J) If this isn’t a way to distract people from the real issues of the presidential nominations, I don’t know what is. While we’re so busy focusing on Rev. Wright, if we’re not careful, we’re going to look up one day and have a new president and wonder how he got there.

 

This may come as a surprise to many non-black people but Rev. Wright’s comments are not as far off from the mainstream of thought for black folks as the media would have us believe. I know I wasn’t shocked by his comments at all. In fact, my pastor gave a sermon recently titled “Rev. Wright Wasn’t Wrong.” Every speech I’ve heard him give recently has been met with thunderous applause and standing ovations. Is anyone wondering why that is? Honestly, because he’s not saying anything that blacks haven’t been thinking and discussing for decades. He’s just the first non-Nation of Islam brother to say them and get national attention.

 

If America got a glimpse of the truth of how many black people, some white people and most of the rest of the world really sees it, it might really shake its holier-than-thou opinion of itself. People are glad to be living here but that doesn’t mean they don’t know the truth about what “here” really is. If you’re that bent out of shape about these comments, or if they are a huge shock to you, you’re probably either feeling guilty (what’s the saying, thou dost protest too much?) or you actually were born last night, not just at night.

 

Anyway, I’m bored with all this nonsense. If I never see Fox News or CNN report another Rev. Wright story again, it’ll be too soon. (I’m sure I will though) This could have been a one day, five minute media event. Now it’s a media circus. As usual. So, how do you reduce someone’s entire life’s work down to a sound bite for the privilege of passing judgement? I guess that’s what you do when you’re bored…

 

 

Tell me what you think. ‘Til next time…the topic? Meat. (and if you’re wondering how I can spend five or ten minutes discussing meat, just wait and see!) J

Ok, so gas is like $30 a gallon now. (And yeah, that I care about. Anytime I have to seriously contemplate whether I can afford to take my kids to their gymnastics class because it’s across town, I care.) Who I don't want to hear complain is anyone who recently purchased anything bigger than a Honda Accord. You're driving an '08 Escalade and you want to complain about gas prices? Are you serious?
 
We bought a 2000 Dodge Durango about five years ago right before rising gas prices. Then, I loved that truck. It fit all my kids, all their friends, and all their stuff. But now? I still love that truck but I hate that truck. It gets like 3 miles to the gallon or something ridiculous like that. We need a full tank of gas just to drive to the gas station to fill it up. It’s that serious.
 
I can't wait for the day when I can trade that sucker in for a Nissan Sentra. I don't even care about space anymore. The name of the game is MPG. I just want to stop putting all that money in the tank and it only lasts 5 hours. So to that end, I am perfectly willing to squeeze my big @#% family into that tiny @#% car. (Isn't that crazy? I have three kids and that's a big family. My grandmother had 16 kids and that was average.) But if it’s just you, no spouse, no kids, and you're driving a Suburban you just bought last year? I'm telling you right now. You are not allowed to fuss about how expensive gas is. You're gonna mess around and pull up next to a family of six squeezed into a Toyota Prius and catch a beat down.

I’m tired of listening to this whole "gas price" debate anyway. I actually heard some politician promise to work on getting prices lower. What??!! How in the world are they going to “work on” lowering gas prices? I'm not buying it. Everybody took economics in high school. The last time I checked it was still supply and demand running things around here. And these good for nothing SUV's demand the hell out of some gas. So it’s supplied. You just have to pay the price. Unless Wal-mart buys up some oil fields and sends in the big yellow smiley face to rollback prices, I just don't see it happening.

Of course, some optimistic, look for the silver lining, do-gooder always tries to make me feel better by telling me how expensive gas has always been in other countries. I don't want to hear that either. That doesn't make me feel better about how much of my income is going to gas. It just tells me the likelihood of prices going back down is slim to none. If some folks have been paying $4 or $5 a gallon for decades, you think anybody's gonna cut us a break? Misery loves company. Now I'm not saying that's why our prices are so high but I bet very few people anywhere else feel too bad for us.

Plus the do-gooder always forgets to mention all the other things that go along with those high prices in other countries. Like the fact that most people ride bikes or most cars are compacts or smaller or you can get everywhere by subway. If I didn't have to drive, I wouldn't care about gas either. Tell me:  how am I supposed to get a newborn, a 4 year old, a 10 year old, and me across town to gymnastics class in the dead of winter in the snow on a bike? L

 

Tell me what you think. Til next time…

Is it me or is there a commercial advertising a pill for every ailment under the sun now? Drug companies must be making out like bandits. Got a problem? Take a pill. Pump a spray. Legs won't stop moving? Skin won't stop itching? Eyes won't stop blinking? I mean the list seems endless. If you’ve ever been up after 11pm, you know what I mean.
 
I'm not saying these conditions don't really exist. Honestly, I'm quite sure most of them do. I just don't want to hear about every single one of them during the midnight showing of Law & Order: SVU. (I don't know about you but THAT IS MY SHOW! Talk about good TV.) J  The human body is on its way out from the moment it comes in so I can believe that all kinds of stuff can go wrong. But first, I do not want to hear about them all. I mean, can we pick like the top three of the year or something? (They could do an "Illnesses Awards" show. The top three illnesses of the year are nominated and get to do commercials. Then the winner gets the top commercial spot at the Super Bowl or something and all the proceeds go to help people with that illness. Wouldn't that be cool?!!?) And second, I'm not sure the "just take a pill for it" approach is the best answer.

I've got a tendon in my right foot that I injured years ago while learning to drive a stick shift. (Yes, that's right; I tore a tendon learning to drive. You can stop laughing now.) To this day, anytime I walk more than 30 minutes it blows up and my foot looks like someone shoved a banana up the side of it. It hurts like hell afterwards and takes hours for me to be able to walk again without pain. But I don't want to take a little blue pill twice a day for the rest of my life to treat "swollen right foot tendon syndrome," or SRFTS. J So instead, I try not to overdo it when I walk. I wear the right kind of shoes. I get off my feet as soon as I can when I'm done. And I live with whatever pain comes with a torn tendon.

A couple of you with some pretty serious ailments are probably mad at me right about…now. Your pain is something you can't simply live with. And no amount of proactive preparation seems to ease it for you, right? See, I get it. And I believe you. I'm just questioning how quick we are sometimes to look for the answer that puts billions of dollars in the drug companies’ pockets and keeps us permanently dependent on a pill or a spray. If I'm totally honest, I can admit that I have no idea what a person should do if they have chronic dry eyes. But I do wonder what people were doing to cope with it and other problems back in the day before there was a pill for everything. I mean I remember my grandmother and her heating pads and Epson salts and hot teas with honey that we used to make fun of when we were kids. It took her forever to get ready for bed but she swore it cured whatever she thought she had and let her sleep.

Anyway, whatever the answer is, I know one thing. Those commercials are putting some very suspicious thoughts in my head. Now I'm lying in bed at night wondering if my legs are restless because a muscle jumped. I can't get to sleep for worrying if I'm coming down with some incurable disease that's eventually gonna kill me because the skin on my knee looks a little too ashy. I don't need that in my life, for real. So please drug companies, cut back on the pill-popping ads. Do it for me. Do it for all of us worrywarts calling our doctors at 3am with "torn cuticle syndrome" or TCS. (Hey, that could be a real problem. You don't know.) J

Tell me what you think. ‘Til next time…