The Inauguration

It's been snowing here in Durham since very early this morning. Now, at 1:40 pm, it looks like it has stopped.

I'd already planned on watching the inauguration; in particular, I wanted to listen to Obama's speech; not because everyone was predicting it was going to rival some of the best speeches of newly inaugurated Presidents, rather, because I truly was interested to hear what our new President had to say. I realized, too, that I have not seen too many of these ceremonies. This due to bad timing (being on the West coast and likely at work) and, in all honesty, a bit of apathy.

I didn't think I'd end up watching quite as much of it as I did, however; I guess you can blame that on the snow and the atmosphere it brought with it (play hooky from my normal routine).

Anyway, I started paying attention around 9:30 am to the festivities. Like others, I was amazed at the number of people lining the Mall. The Kid was there somewhere; she said by the MSNBC tent mid-way down the Mall from the Lincoln Monument. I was pleased to see the diversity in the crowds; yes, a lot of people of color but also, cheering along side with them, white people as well. After all, a person does not have to be African American to recognize the significance of this historic election and inauguration (whether you like it or not, it IS significant and historic).

As usual, the inane banter and chatter of the news casters got on my nerves. Their breathless whispers of, "In a mere forty-four minutes, we will have our 44th President" or, "I am so excited I cannot breath. I cannot breath!" Ok, well, so, I've never been one to get overly caught up in drama, but this stuff was a bit over the top!

I thought it was pretty funny when they were speculating on whether the moving van in front of the White House contained Bush stuff or Obama stuff. One news caster said, "D'ya think the van is full of boxes with "Obama" written on them?" Hello? I don't think, like the rest of us when we move, that they had to label their boxes with their name on it!

When the entourage of former Presidents and their wives made their way out to the platform, one commented, "Former President Bush looks OLD!" (I thought that was a bit harsh, but, hey, give him a break, he IS old!) Another said, "Do you realize in twenty-three minutes (they appeared to get a kick out of mentioning how many minutes it would be until Obama was officially President) that we'll have TWO Former President Bushes? How will we handle that? (a good question, I thought; will we refer to the first Former President Bush as "Former President Bush the First"? or, "Former President Bush Sr."? Wow, a lot of firsts this day!)

Another said, "This ceremony is regal without the regalness" (ok, that made no sense; it's not a word, I think they meant "regality"; it still made no sense!) To which someone else replied, "Yes, and it's historical because we have 5 out of (soon to be in twelve minutes) forty-four Presidents in attendance. That's like, uh, 11% or something". Actually, come to think of it, that IS pretty amazing. Could you imagine if all five (if you include Lady Jane Grey) Tudor Kings were present when James I of England was crowned?

I thought, with the exception of President Bush (now Former President Bush Jr.), everyone looked very happy. He just looked relieved and a bit, I don't know, nervous when he was approaching the platform. Thank God those that had been somewhat booing in the background (extremely bad form) shut up. But, it was painfully quiet. I actually felt sorry for him.

I have to admit I did not listen to Rick Warren. I just couldn't bear to. I put him on mute and checked email. But, I listened and watched everything else. I loved the song compiled (not composed) by John Williams. The dumb-dumb news casters had been speculating on whether Obama was really as calm as all of that; I thought it human and telling that he stumbled a bit through his oath of office (nerves, I'm sure, and who could blame him?)

I thoroughly enjoyed his speech. I thought it well written and delivered. And although, like I said earlier, I'm not one to run to turn things such as this into my own private drama, I did feel a bit of a stirring in my heart and a bit of excitement in my veins. Perhaps I am not quite so skeptical as I would have thought. Perhaps now is not the time for any of us to be so. Maybe it is because President Obama is closer to me in age than any President before; he is of MY generation. Or, maybe it's simply amazing to see such signs of support in such here to fore unsupportive times.

I hope it lasts. Maybe I'll step out a bit and say, I think it will.

Mrs. B

Happy 18th Birthday Nigel :-)

...I still miss you. I always will...

Mom

Low-Mo

As in, zero motivation! I don't know what it is, but, I don't feel like doing ANYTHING right now! Could it be the weather? It's been cold and dreary here for several days now. When it's like this, I'd just assume it would snow. Well, turns out it might snow later on this afternoon. Mr. B said he'd heard 4-6 inches, which, for these parts, is a blizzard. This means I should get out to the store (along with everyone else). Seriously, it's that time of the week (menu planning/store run).

Because I don't feel like doing much (including coming up with an original Blog post), I'll just ramble today.

The Kid and her class (11th grade) along with a few teachers headed up to DC bright and early this morning so they can watch the inauguration tomorrow. I'm not sure why they went today and not tomorrow; maybe they figured the traffic would be lighter today. Anyway, historical moments aside and all, if it does snow tonight/tomorrow, they're all gonna be butt-ass cold.

The B's are getting serious about energy conservation/efficiency. We're in the process of replacing our light bulbs with the ones that use less energy/last a lot longer. Of course, this is an initial outlay of money since the bulbs are not cheap. Thankfully, Ace Hardware was having a sale on them this past weekend so we stocked up. Mr. B also installed programmable thermostats which should also help.

But, what to set them at? It's funny (not in a ha ha really funny way but ironic way) how I'm the one who is usually hot now and he's the one who is usually cold. It used to be the other way around. I'm still in the throes of hot flashes (the herbal remedy I'm taking has not yet kicked in; I can only pray to God that it does soon) so, for the most part, temperatures about 5 degrees lower than usual is what is now comfortable for me. Yeah, I still get chilly, but, it's easy enough to throw on a fleece jacket or sweatshirt (only to throw them off again when a hot flash hits). "They" say to always dress in layers, including at night. You'd think sleeping "au natural" would be the best thing, but, believe it or not, although I do experience multiple hot flashes during the night, when I'm not having one, I'm freezing. Be that as it may, Mr. B says he never knows where he'll find my night clothes the next morning (usually they are strewn all over the bedroom/bathroom; tee-shirt one place, socks another, etc.)

Not to digress too far away from the original ramble (setting the thermostat), I've realized that Mr. B (who runs, by nature, hot (so why is he cold all the time now?)) can immediately bring on a hot flash. Get your minds out of the gutter! What I mean is, if I'm cold at night and cuddle up next to him, within two minutes, I'm having a hot flash. You can imagine how miserable this is for both of us; and, throw in the situation of Mr. B on one side of me, Lucy on the other and the cats on my feet, well, I feel TRAPPED!

So, again, let's pray the Remifemin (or whatever the heck this stuff is) starts to work soon. The package said up to 60 days. Crap. It's only been 30!

Regarding the thermostat, we finally settled on: 65F from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm when it will go up to 68F until 10:00 pm when it will go down to 62F until 6:00 am, etc. etc. This probably seems REALLY cold to most people, but, we're also, of course, trying to conserve energy/save money like everyone else.

I think when I go to Florida in March, I'll need to find one of those combo fan/water spritzer things to hang around my neck! I don't even want to think about life this summer if these hot flashes are not yet under control.

Exercising helps, I've noticed. So, in a bit, I'll be heading up to that elliptical machine to sweat it out some.

Regarding our dinner menu for the week, I asked Mr. B if he wanted anything in particular and he replied, "meatloaf". You know, just about every time I ask him this question, he says he wants meatloaf! So, I guess I'll add meatloaf to the menu! Maybe also white chicken chili (that would probably be a good one for tonight, come to think of it), lasagna (I am starting to cook in bulk so that Mr. B has stuff to eat when I'm in FL for two weeks), and a new recipe I saw in Gourmet for rosemary scented beef.

Last night we tried an interesting recipe from Cooking Light; sweet potato and pecan "burgers" with caramelized onions and chili sauce. I have to admit, they were a hell of a lot of work and I don't think I'd make them again (for that reason) BUT, they were not half bad. Good thing; we have four of them left.

We started watching Season Two of "The Tudors" this weekend. Yey! I love that show (even if quite a bit of it is not historically accurate). Man, this period of history really is in vogue right now. I was at the bookstore the other day and ran across what I thought was a new series about the Tudors. Turns out the book was a regurgitation of a series written by a (now dead I think) author named Victoria Holt (who also wrote under Jean Plaidy and Philippa Carr). As cool as I think it is that folks are digging the Tudors, I can't quite figure it out, either. BTW, turns out the author's real name was Eleanor Burford!

I've been plodding through the book I'm reading for the book discussion group I joined, "The Zoo Keeper's Wife". Not that it is a bad book, it isn't, it is quite interesting and well written BUT, being that it is about a zoo in Warsaw, Poland that, during WWII helped to hide Jews, you can imagine that it is not always the easiest subject to read about. As I'm reading it, I sometimes want to close my eyes (like I did through about 1/2 of watching the movie "Schindler's List".)

Ok, here it is 10:10 am; time to get my butt in gear!

Mrs. B

Pete and Lily Are 6 Months Old Today!

Mrs. B

Mrs. B's Book Reviews 2008 Part Two

Yeah, yeah, it's taken me awhile to get back to this, sorry. I've been distracted by stuff to do with The Kid, some work, and my Board activities. Oh, and it's just butt-ass cold. I have a difficult time concentrating when it is like this. I just want to curl up in bed and, well, read!

Following are a few reviews from the "3 Star" group:

Strip Tease by Carl Hiaasen (Listened To/Read)***

From Publisher's Weekly: Inventive blackmail schemes, grisly murders, power politics, greed, revenge and sex all figure in Hiaasen's...comic crime novel. At the Eager Beaver, a topless bar in Fort Lauderdale, former FBI clerk Erin Grant dances nightly to pay for legal fees in her custody fight for her young daughter. There David Dilbeck, a poorly disguised, somewhat kinky and imbecilic U.S. Congressman owned by the state's sugar interests, is recognized by a sharp-eyed regular who, infatuated with Erin, initiates a blackmail plan meant to influence her court case. The resulting mayhem, occurring in an election year, involves machinations up to the highest state level, most of which are orchestrated by Dilbeck's arrogant, sleazy lawyer, and leads to an escalating body count that ends in a frenzied revenge caper arranged by the resourceful Erin deep in some sugarcane fields. Dead-on dialogue (``My boots are full of Vaseline,'' says Dilbeck one night, his only other clothing a black cowboy hat) and clearly limned characters from society's fringes--notably the taciturn, inventive Eager Beaver bouncer; a Cuban cop who works the case off hours; Erin's psychopathic ex, and his sister who raises hybrid wolves outside her double-wide trailer--round out this somewhat coincidence-ridden but consistently entertaining, warm-blooded tale.

The above review is spot-on (which is why I decided to include it rather than write one of my own (which is especially hard to do a year after I listened to/read the book!))

I popped this into my car's CD player where it got me through a dreary January of driving around wherever I was driving around to. I really enjoyed listening to it and got a huge kick out of the weird characters and what they were up to. I thought the story line regarding the custody case was a bit tired, but, other than this, I found it highly original. It was so engaging that, when the CDs crapped out on me about 1/2 way through the book, I actually went to the library to borrow it in hard copy so I could finish it up. This is one of the few books that I've listened to (so far) that was just as fun to read-read as to listen to.

I think a movie version of this book was made many years ago with Demi Moore in the role of Erin and Burt Reynolds as the sleazy Congressman. I'd skip the movie and go with the book, instead.

Cesar's Way*** and Be The Pack Leader by Cesar Millan*** (Read)

I know there are some people that absolutely LOVE Cesar and his methods and others that find him overly harsh. One thing that everyone agrees with, though, is that, in likely 99% of cases where dogs are behaving badly, it's somehow the owner's fault. Mr. B (who also read the books) is one who is somewhat skeptical of Millan. I have to say, though, being a newbie dog owner, I found his books/methods logical, easy to understand, simple and reassuring. He's also consistent (if, by the time you finish reading even one of his books you don't take away "Exercise. Discipline. Affection"; then you were definitely NOT paying attention!) After I finished reading these books, I certainly felt a lot more confident about working with Lucy.

If you have ever watched his show "The Dog Whisperer", then the books won't be anything new to you as, the majority of the dogs he discusses in his books were featured on his show at one point or another. Of course, he does spend quite a bit more time on background and technique in the books than he can manage in a 15 minute episode.

Both books are written in the "as told to" style (although his command of spoken English is very good, I doubt he can write it as well as he speaks it) with the woman who does much of the writing for his show getting credit for the books (Melissa Jo Peliter). They are easy to read and are interesting reading (if you like dogs and/or are trying to train one). Oops! Cesar is not a dog trainer, he's a dog psychologist (or so he says).

The emphasis in both books is on the owner being the pack leader, being calm, being consistent, and providing the all important exercise (Cesar is very big on walks and lots of them), discipline (not to be confused with abuse) and affection (only when the dog is in a calm-submissive state).

I'd definitely recommend these books, especially to someone who is new to dogs. However, I would not take them entirely as gospel because the dude obviously has a special gift with dogs that the rest of us don't. I gave both books *** stars mostly because I liked the first one about *** and the 2nd one was somewhat of a repeat of the first one with a bit more information about different breeds and their specific needs thrown in. If you will only read one, read the first one.

Mrs. B

Mrs. B's Book Reviews 2008 Part One

This will be the third year that I've shared with my readers the books I read/listened to the prior year and my (humble) opinion of them. I've learned, though, that this particular series takes forever to write; and, I read/listened to 35 books last year! So, in consideration of getting this done in a more timely manner, I'm no longer going to review the books that I thought stank and almost stank (Ho Hum and Throw It Away). I'll just let you know which ones they were so you can either avoid them or read them and challenge me. The rest I'll assign a rating and provide a brief review.

As a reminder, here is my rating system:

Mrs. B’s Rating System

*****Absolutely Fantastic; one that I looked forward to reading and found every opportunity to do so. Was almost depressed when I finished it; I think most people I know would enjoy it.

****Really Good; but might have had some sort of disappointment to it (flat ending or cliché), or, the topic might not be universally appealing, that kept it from being Absolutely Fantastic.

***Interesting Enough; a good “vacation read” but not something I’d go out of my way to recommend; sometimes a “What was all the fuss about?” book will get this rating.

**Ho Hum; nothing great, nothing bad. Yawn.

*Throw it Away; made me want to scream and throw it across the room, it was that awful; one of those books that you get mad at yourself for wasting your time reading it when there are so many other books out there to read.

Here are the ** and * star books:

**

Blue Diary by Alice Hoffman. I usually like her books but this one did not grab me at all. In fact, I can't even remember what it was about; something about a murdered girl's diary, I think.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Horse and His Boy by CS Lewis. Lame horse!

*

Roses are Red and Violets are Blue by James Patterson. Two separate books. Two separate journeys into literary hell. What was I thinking?

So, this leaves thirty-one books to review. I will say the majority of them are *** so I'll be able to keep it short and sweet on those!

Mrs. B

What the...?

What is going on with the counter on my Blog? I've noticed that it is not working on several other blogs, either.

Anyone know?

Mrs. B