Susie-Do

What? You Don't Like My Nails?

stubbygray@gmail.com (Susanne (and sometimes Marley)) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:42:00 +0000

At the mall yesterday, my mom and I were approached by a young man selling spa products. He offered a daub of hand cream. Normally, I say no thank you and keep walking. But Ma stopped to try the cream.

The guy takes my hand and says, "Those are your natural nails?"

Obviously.

"You keep them short, right, because they're always in the sink, washing, too much trouble?"

Dude, I'm just here to see Santa.

Marley had asked to see "the real Santa." Otherwise I wouldn't go near a mall this time of year. So I wasn't in the mood to rip this guy a new one for assuming that because I'm a woman my hands are "always in the sink." Instead, I offered a lame shrug.

"Oh, but of course, you'd like to have beautiful nails, right? I have something right here..."

I said, "Honey, I really couldn't care less."

You'd think my makeupless face, raggy sweater and blatant lack of primping would have made that obvious. But, apparently, he doesn't meet a wide enough variety of women at the mall.

The guy stopped short at my statement, then shook his head in the funniest, most cartoon-like triple-take I've ever had the pleasure to incite. Ha ha. It made the whole exchange worthwhile.

Strangeness in Suburbia

stubbygray@gmail.com (Susanne (and sometimes Marley)) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:06:00 +0000

So, I've got Marley in her carseat this morning, in the open garage, putting on her sneakers and fighting to strap her in. As you may know, this is a process.

My elderly and unfriendly neighbor, out for her morning walk, thinks I don't see her duck behind the spare car in my driveway.

She's crouched down, lurking there like a G.I. Joe, doing what?

I.have.no.freaking.idea

It took a good four minutes to strap, tie and buckle Marley all up. Four minutes is a long time to hide in your neighbor's driveway and wait.

And it feels like a terribly long time when you're beginning to suspect your neighbor is *spying on you* and you don't know why.

Finally, I pulled my head out of the truck and the neighbor jumped up awkwardly, surprised that I was looking in her direction. I said, "Hi, how are you?"

She pumped her arms and began her daily march, shouting back over her shoulder, "I'm blessed, how are you."

She didn't look blessed. She looked embarrassed, or angry, probably both.

The kicker is that Marley, shocked as I was by her proximity, started yelling, "What was she doing IN OUR DRIVEWAY? Why was she there Mama? WHAT IS SHE DOING THERE?"

The kid didn't need to yell for me to hear her. But she did. It was almost as if she were inspired--divinely or otherwise--to shout, just to make sure Mrs. B knew for a fact that we knew she was *spying* on us--or at least doing something utterly *irregular*.

I still can't get over it. I'm laughing about it, but I really don't know what to think.

Guest Post: 10 things my kids should know in 10 years

stubbygray@gmail.com (Susanne (and sometimes Marley)) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:02:00 +0000

Recently I connected with a fantastic group of active, blogging moms on Twittermoms. Today's guest post is brought to you by Gretchen Cawthorn from Girls Can't WHAT?

I was lucky to get paired up with Gretchen for the TwitterMoms "Blog Swap". So please give her a warm welcome.

Oh, and don't forget to check out my post over on her awesome site.

In 10 years, my girls will be 19 and 21. Adults. That's scary. If I had only 10 things to teach them in the next 10 years, what would they be? This requires some thought. I'm going to go make some tea. Be back in a few...

Ok - I need more than 10 minutes to think about this. Heavy topic,you know. Let's see that would be the year 2018...hmm...will we have a woman president by then? Oh...sorry....back to the topic. I hate when there are blog themes. You would think when there is a topic assigned to you that it would be easy to ramble on about it but I find it much more distracting to have to focus on a single topic, don't you?

Here we go...ok kids...December 3rd, 2018...mommy's in the ballpark of 45 now. I'm NOT old so don't even go there. I can still whip both of you. Here are 10 things you should know by know - assuming I'm doing my job correctly here in 2008.

1. Popularity - Hey do you remember Miley Cyrus? I wonder what she is up to these days? She's been replaced by a new Disney Princess now, you know. Popularity is temporary and grossly overrated. Don't get so wrapped up in how others perceive you. Be true to yourself and the right kind of attention will follow you.

2. Self-esteem - This one is really hard. We all have our days where we don't love ourselves. The media bombarding us with how we "should"look or act does not help. Do your best to shut that out of your life and focus on your gifts and talents. Your happiness and satisfaction with yourself will lie in what you can achieve by cultivating your passions.

3. Beauty - I hate what the media has done to women and impressionable young girls. It's atrocious. We can't airbrush ourselves or survive on salad. And who wants to live like that
anyway? Beauty is subjective and hopefully you are learning to look beyond the superficial and base your judgements and relationships on truth and sincerity. If you can do this, your relationships will be deeper and more meaningful than you ever imagined.

4. Friends - Friends will come and go through out your entire life. The friends you have now and are so attached to at this age may someday disappear into life and you will lose touch. It's sad. But then there is Facebook... where you can find just about any and everybody on earth - even the kids that picked their noses and flung boogers at you in grade school. A few Wall-to-Wall messages and flair exchanges with the booger-flingers and suddenly you're best
friends....I'm kidding. Cyberfriends are fun, but real friends are the people you can physically hug. They are the ones who text you to see how you're doing, spontaneously hug you for no apparent reason and will drop anything, including work, to help you out. Those are real friends. Make note of them and don't ever let them go.

5. Family - Sorry, but you're stuck with us. Come back and visit every now and then. Pets are welcome, grandkids are optional.

6. Boys - Daddy says all boys are bad, but that's just because he was a bad boy when he was little so that's just how he thinks. Take your time finding the right boy. Make sure he sees you for the real you. Make sure he shares your interests, supports your career and loves the
same music you do. But long before you start looking for Mr. Right, make sure YOU know who you are and what you want to do with your life. If that takes another 10 years to figure out, that's ok.

7. Money - You've been very fortunate to live in America with parents who can afford to buy you everything you need and then some. Lucky for you we didn't do that. Ok so we did buy you food and clothes and let you live in our house, but remember when we made you save up your
allowance to buy your own Nintendo DS game systems? How many baskets of laundry did you fold and how many floors did you have to sweep to earn that $2/week? We were such cruel parents back then, but it should be paying off right about now, though, as I'm expecting you to arrive back home in vehicles that you paid for all by yourselves with your fancy new jobs. And yes you can put "Maid" on your resume. I will vouch for that if you need a referral.

8. Music - Don't forget to listen to music and sing every day. Kirstynn - practice that guitar until your fingers bleed....then fetch a band-aid and keep going. Katelynn - keep drumming and playing keyboards as long as the inspiration is there. I do expect front row seats at your first concert. Maybe I can play drums on at least one set...please? Aw c'mon I gave birth to you! How about just one song?

9. Health - The other items on this list can not be fully achieved without good health. Eat your veggies and snack on fruits and nuts. Your body will thank you for it someday. And I know how much you love playing the Sims on the playstation, but put down the controller at least once every day and get out there and ride your bike, kick around a soccer ball or hit me up for a game of catch. I still have my glove.

10. Confidence - All of your life, no matter who you are or what you are capable of, people will tell you that you "can't" do something. Don't listen to them. Did you know that people who say you "can't" are only saying it because they haven't done it themselves? It's true. You can do anything you want to do. I hope I am showing you that on a daily basis. ;)

That Damn Fake Owl

stubbygray@gmail.com (Susanne (and sometimes Marley)) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:52:00 +0000

Over the back wall on our property, we can see the roof of a warehouse. On it's peak sits one of those fake owls, presumably to keep other birds from perching up there.

I am an avidly casual birdwatcher, which means I notice birds. And I am able to recognize at least the genus about 80 percent of the time. Owl sightings are rare.

So that fake owl always gets me. For almost five years, every time I see the damn thing, I stop, "Oh!" then remember that he's not even real.

You'd think I'd have this figured out by now. But my childish delight in anything with wings--or my perplexing thickheadedness--trips me up every time.

Goofy Inspiration

stubbygray@gmail.com (Susanne (and sometimes Marley)) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:16:00 +0000

The muse has not graced me in the past two days, and I needed to get my last depressing post off the front of my blog. So, here's a little something to make you (and me) smile.

And if that doesn't work, there's always this:

"Eeeww, That's Gross!" A Conversation With My Daughter About Childbirth

stubbygray@gmail.com (Susanne (and sometimes Marley)) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 04:25:00 +0000

While dusting the bookshelves the other day, Marley and I came across Lennart Nilsson's A Child Is Born. We stopped our work to look at the amazing in-utero pictures of developing fetuses.

When we got to the graphic chapter on childbirth, I closed the book saying, "You don't need to see that yet."

"I want to seeeee," she urged, as she so often does.

We are a bit crunchy, after all. Naked is Marley's preferred state, and she is not perturbed by the occasional nudity of her parents. We pride ourselves on being honest with her, so I figured, and may have even said out loud, "Why not?" I had friends who, as children, were present at the home births of their siblings. It's natural, I reasoned, why can't she see it?

The first picture that caught her eye was of a baby's head crowning. Marley said, "Eeewwww, what's that?"

"That's the baby's head."

Wide eyed, "Is it coming out of her bum?"

I shook my head no and waited for her make the conclusion herself.

"It's coming out of her daisy?!?!" (Yes, I know, as liberated as we think we are, my husband doesn't want to hear her discussing her "vagina" just yet. And she discusses it frequently.)

"Uh-huh."

"Did I come out of your daisy?"

"Uh-huh."

"How do you get the baby out?"

"Well, she's pushing. You have to push the baby out."

"Oh, like when I go poop on the potty?" She demonstrated, face turning red.

"Yes, exactly like that."

"Ohhhhh. Did the kittens come out of Bucky's daisy?"

"Yes, all mammals give birth through the vagina." (She does know what it is, of course.)

"And what about chickens? Do eggs come out of their daisies?"

"Um, yeah, chickens have a cloaca, I think. It's kind of like an all-purpose exit."

Then she noticed the pictures above: a close-up of the mother's face, in full pushing agony. I tried to turn the page. I'm not squeamish about birth itself, but I did worry that if she saw that woman's expression she would never want to have kids.

But Marley insisted and turned the page back.

She asked, "Why does she look like that? Does it hurt?"

Ok, here we go. Only now do I begin to question the wisdom of sharing this book with my four year old. "Um, well, yeah, it hurts. Some moms choose to have a natural childbirth, that means without medicine, and, yeah, it can hurt, but it's over soon, and our bodies are designed for it. They also have medicine..."

She didn't even let me finish, "I want to have the medicine."

That's my girl.

We turned the page. "Eeewww, what is that? Why is that baby all slimy and gross?!"

I explained, as best I could, amniotic fluid and the placenta. Then I backed up and elucidated the difference between the stomach, "where food goes," and the uterus, "where babies grow."

"Oh. But then how did the baby get in there?"

Thankfully, I was granted the temporary wisdom to realize the question was coming, so I was prepared. As nonchalantly as possible, I closed the book and said, "We have a lot of books to dust. We'd better get back to work."

Neither one of us are ready for THAT conversation yet.

I'd like to hear other parents' experiences or plans for explaining birth to your children. What age do you think is appropriate? How did you go about it? How did they respond?

How Do You Defend Your Daughters Against The Media Onslaught?

stubbygray@gmail.com (Susanne (and sometimes Marley)) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:02:00 +0000

I saw this video for the first time yesterday courtesy of Tracee Sioux at Empowering Girls (do your girls a favor and visit her fantastic site). Something in it brought me to tears. I'm grateful to have overcome any body issues I had and now am more comfortable with my beauty than ever before. But this video made me wonder how I'm going to help Marley accomplish the same goal, especially with an unprecedented abundance of media and images fighting me every step of the way.

Currently, my approach is pretty basic:

1) I never, ever make negative comments about my appearance. If anything, I do the opposite. I make a point of letting her witness me looking in the mirror and saying, "Damn, your cute!" I've already caught her imitating me, so I know it works.

2) Limit, as much as possible, exposure to unrealistic or overly sexualized images. Although she's currently in the princess phase (to my dismay) she still doesn't know about Hannah Montana. Thank the gods for DVR. On the rare occasions that she watches non-age-appropriate tv, we're able to skip commercials.

3) Discuss, at her level, misrepresentations of women or beauty in media whenever they do get through the censorship wall. She already understands that advertising and commercials are lies. I know it's simplistic, but she's four--I have to start somewhere. She is aware that they are designed to make us feel something so we'll go out and buy the product. Now the challenge is teaching her to differentiate between actual content and marketing--not a simple task, but doable.

After the Onslaught video (which I didn't let her watch) related videos came up in Youtube. She was fascinated by the Photoshop makeovers, and I encourage all of my esteemed readers to take a look as well. While we watched together as the tech turned a real woman into an unrealistic fantasy, we talked. At first she didn't get it and was intrigued by the "pretty lips" and makeup. By the end of my little (brainwashing) session, however, she said, "They don't need to make us prettier, because we're already beautiful enough." Hey, like the video says, "Talk to your daughters before the beauty industry does."

4) I make sure to compliment her on her actions and good qualities more often than on her appearance. And I encourage the same from the other adults in her life. Together we're building a foundation of confidence in her that becomes more apparent every day. When she says things like, "I can do it, I'm strong!" and "I'm a good climber (or kicker, writer, painter, etc.)" I smile and pray that it continues.

5) Get her involved in activities, especially physical ones. She develops confidence every time she learns to do something new with her body. This season she's playing soccer and loving it. That's where the "I'm a good kicker!" comes from.

So, I know these techniques are working here and now, but I worry about the time when I become less influential in her life--those dreaded tweens and teens. I'm trying to build up a rock-solid foundation of self-love to immunize her against the coming onslaught.

I'm curious to know what other moms do. Please share your thoughts. How do you promote a positive body image and high self-esteem in your daughters?

Related Links
Dove Campaign for Real Beauty
Empowering Girls: Media Literacy Resources

This Video Makes Me Laugh Every Time I See It

stubbygray@gmail.com (Susanne (and sometimes Marley)) — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 18:02:00 +0000

Wanda Sykes Comes Out Proud & Strong

stubbygray@gmail.com (Susanne (and sometimes Marley)) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 18:06:00 +0000

I love Wanda. And I love to see her all fired up over something that matters. I found this on NewsOne

"Oh Shit!"

stubbygray@gmail.com (Susanne (and sometimes Marley)) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:16:00 +0000

Marley currently uses two phrases most frequently. The first, "I can do it myself!" is ideal, I know, but often annoying. Even though I'm grateful she's so vehemently independent, waiting for her to pull each little button through the hole in her pajamas when I want nothing more than for her to be sleeping already sometimes gets on my nerves. And understandably so, if I do say so myself.

Her second most commonly used phrase these days is "Oh shit!" In the hotel room last week at Disney she actually said, "Oh shit! I spilled the milk." But we've also heard, "Oh shit, I almost forgot Puppy," and "Ohhh shit! The cat just fell off the table," followed by sinister laughter.

You will think what you will, but I think it's fucking hilarious. And I'm especially proud of her grasp of the variety of appropriate contexts. Including her understanding that saying "shit" is not appropriate at school.

My girl's wicked smaht.

Listen, I grew up in a house where swear words casually hopped and skipped through most every conversation. My mother, the most zealous offender in the family, made one attempt per year to curtail it, during Lent. We kept the cardboard lent bank from church on the kitchen table and agreed to drop in a nickel for every swear we uttered, in honor of God's sacrifice and all.

Clink, clink, clink.

Instead of subduing the scourge, the fine helped us raise much-needed funds for our local parish. By the time Easter rolled around, we always had a shitload of nickels for the priest. One year Ma tried to up the ante to a quarter. "That's bullshit!" my brother and I protested. I think we got her down to a dime.

Do I want my daughter to grow up to be happy, intelligent and indpendent? Of course, just like any parent. And every day of my life I make sure to provide her with the hugs, experiences, guidance and nurturing that I believe will accomplish that goal.

Of course, I am also a relentless censor, weeding out images, attitudes, people, and yes, even specific words that I believe will interfere with that goal. Corey and I have become experts at on-the-go children's book editing. We do our best not to expose her to words like hate and kill (surprisingly common in Disney books) and of course never use language that is derogatory toward a person or people.

And still, I wrack my brain searching for pieces I may have overlooked, double and triple questioning my methods and projections. Conscious parenting is complicated parenting. Occasionally, I long for the "Because I said so, that's why!" days.

Given the amount of time and thought I've spent trying to calculate every possible outcome for each moment of my child's life, I feel sure enough to be comfortable that her use of the word shit will prove insignificant in the long run. If anything, it might end up being useful; for example her learning early how to act and speak in accordance with her environment.

When she, or we, say "shit," it's not directed at anyone, nor is it hateful or unkind--it's simply an exclamation, albeit a grittier one than some people are comfortable with. Personally, I prefer the lack of passion behind the word shit to the venom, and, well, hatred, that underlies the word hate. While I know she will eventually hear the words we do censor, I'd like to preserve her true innocence as long as possible. Delaying her awareness of humanity's darker side is, I hope, delaying it's existence in her. And when she does learn about the concept of hatred and the reality of murder, I'm banking on her having a solid foundation of love to guide her.

Besides, a four year old exclaiming, “Oh shit!” is just plain funny.

Unnatural!

stubbygray@gmail.com (Susanne (and sometimes Marley)) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:22:00 +0000

For all us lefties out there.

Found this at a really funny blog called LOL god. I'm certain this will become one of Corey's favorite blogs.

Periods. Commas, "Quotation Marks" - Punctuation Rant

stubbygray@gmail.com (Susanne (and sometimes Marley)) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 22:40:00 +0000

Ok, I have to say something because this is driving me crazy. In the past week, I have seen online no less than ten examples of this punctuation error--from personal blogs to the Huffington Post and Fox News (who should know better).

Periods and commas go inside quotation marks. Come on, people. Let's reign this in before it gets out of hand.

For example:

I see so many religionists rant and rave about how Atheists are “not tolerant of believers and have no respect for their faith”.

I'll say it again, the period belongs inside the quotation marks.

As in:

I see so many religionists rant and rave about how Atheists are “not tolerant of believers and have no respect for their faith."

I'm surprised at how many times I've seen this over the past few days.

According to the Blue Book of Grammar,

Rule #1 on Punctuation says, and I quote:

Periods and commas always go inside quotation marks, even inside single quotes.

Examples:
The sign changed from "Walk," to "Don't Walk," to "Walk" again within 30 seconds.
She said, "Hurry up."
She said, "He said, 'Hurry up.'"

Maybe some bloggers and writers are getting it confused with the rule for question marks, which states that the mark can go inside or outside of the quotation marks depending on the context.

For example:

I said, "What is going on with all these misplaced periods?"

"Periods and commas placed outside quotation marks?" she asked.

Do you think we can fix these mistakes before "all hell breaks loose"?

The Blue Book states that "Only one ending punctuation mark is used with quotation marks. Also, the stronger punctuation mark wins."

So in the above example, we do not need a period after loose.

The Chicago Manual of Style Online says:

Periods and commas precede closing quotation marks, whether double or single. This is a traditional style, in use well before the first edition of this manual (1906). As nicely expressed in William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White’s Elements of Style, “Typographical usage dictates that the comma be inside the [quotation] marks, though logically it often seems not to belong there”(p. 36; see bibliog. 1.1). The same goes for the period. (An apostrophe at the end of a word should never be confused with a closing single quotation mark; punctuation always follows the apostrophe.)

In the kind of textual studies where retaining the original placement of a comma in relation to closing quotation marks is essential to the author’s argument and scholarly integrity, the alternative system described in 6.10 could be used, or rephrasing might avoid the problem. In computer-related writing, in which a file name or other character string enclosed in quotation marks might be rendered inaccurate or ambiguous by the addition of punctuation within the quotation marks, the alternative system may be used, or the character string may be set in another font, without quotation marks (see 7.79).

So, unless it's absolutely necessary to maintain scholarly integrity, or very technical computer-related writing, periods and commas go inside the quotation marks.

/rant

Lots of Links to Writing Jobs and Job Boards

stubbygray@gmail.com (Susanne (and sometimes Marley)) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 17:24:00 +0000

Posts With Links to Job Boards

Writer's Manifesto 13 best websites for Freelancing

And More Freelancing websites.

This post at FreelanceWritingGigs.com lists 23 job boards.

Actual Job Boards

Sunoasis.com job board

Online-Writing-Jobs.com job board

BlogHer job board.

Absolute Write job board - very active!

Blogger Jobs

Blogger Jobs job board with many listings.

WritingJobs.com lists lots of fresh blogging jobs too and bid jobs.

Article Submission & Publishing - Residual Income Sites

Helium has a job board and an active article submission board looking for SPECIFIC articles. This looks like a great place to get started. You get paid 50 percent of revenues.

Constant Content an article submission site that sells articles to customers.

This place is called Triond - they also pay 50 percent of revenues so you can build up a residual income using this site.

This is more of a job-job, being a content manager on Suite101.com which is like About.com. You must have two or three 600w articles to submit for the application.

I Didn't Vote For Obama Today

stubbygray@gmail.com (Susanne (and sometimes Marley)) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 01:51:00 +0000

A TPMCafe blogger confesses that he didn't vote for Obama. This is a tear-jerker of a post, and connects to my own posts over the past few days. Click the link below to read the whole article.

read more digg story

700 Covers For Obama From Around The World

stubbygray@gmail.com (Susanne (and sometimes Marley)) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 00:26:00 +0000

700 newspaper front pages from all over the world, the day after Barack Obama was elected 44th president of the United States. Awesome.

click here to see them all digg story

Oh, Blogger? I'm Back...

stubbygray@gmail.com (Susanne (and sometimes Marley)) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 19:10:00 +0000

Moving this blog back from Wordpress and gave it an exciting new name. Well not really, but that's the best I could come up with in the few moments I have to myself. Feel free to send me suggestions, God knows I could use them. Now I just wish I could move my Wordpress template over... If you know how, please, please let me know. I'll buy you a coffee.

Besides, all my other blogs are right here on Blogger, which, btw, I really like. And it's just easier to keep them all in one place. Ahh, it's good to be back.

Out of Fear and Back to Greatness

stubbygray@gmail.com (Susanne (and sometimes Marley)) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 19:08:00 +0000

This post is a continuation of my post Inspiring Word on an Inspiring Day.

Many of the comments on this tampabay.com thread are decidedly uninspiring and reflect the reality here in deeply divided (and sometimes very, very stupid) Florida.

However, there are a few worth noting. My favorite quote is from Helene. She wrote:

It's odd.

I am not (at all) sold that Obama is going to be the country's savior. And it's not like I'm some gung-ho liberal. ... I've never been one to single out one party and demonize them...I've always been a crotchety "I hate them all" independent. (And I still am.)

But last night, when I cracked a beer and settled in to watch Obama's electoral landslide, something rather unexpected happened. I felt...not quite glee, but a warm, smug satisfaction. I was enjoying watching the numbers tick in Obama's favor, watching the map turn blue, watching him rack up the states, one by one.

I was seeing America collectively flipping the GOP the bird, and it was so richly, gloriously deserved that I couldn't help but get an immature, knee jerk kick out of it. Face it folks: Dubya & Friends have spent eight years making an utter mockery of the GOP's mantra of small government, fiscal responsibility, and personal accountability. Then the party nominates an aging, erratic Senator that nonetheless could have appealed to independents and moderates--only to inexplicably push him to run a dated, cookie cutter, Us vs Them campaign that he was clearly uncomfortable with. They not only deserved to lose, but to lose BIG. And if nothing else, I salute the Dems for picking a guy that was able to hand them their butts on a platter....

I think she nailed it.

And Duane wrote:

This race was never about "issues" for me. It was about having someone in the Executive office that is a better statesman than what we've had in the last 8 years. Someone that inspires not only our own nation but all nations. Hope needed to be re-established for all Americans before anything within the economy would begin to rebound.
To see Hope in the faces of all MY people (Black, white, young, old) made me very proud again.
The Conservative base has not had this kind of a effect on a nation in a long time. The Republican party must aspire to do better, not as a party but as Americans in general. Stop the fighting and negativity and raise your standards and make me proud to be a Republican again please?

I agree 100 percent that "hope needs to be re-established" before we can improve the economy and conditions in our country. The truth is that our thoughts create our reality. So if millions of Americans are worried and fearful, those thoughts inevitably translate into more to worry about. Many of us are tired of living under the flag of fear and cynicism. It's crucial that Americans have hope, that Americans believe in our country again before we can actually move forward and make changes.

We've been kind of like the walking dead. These past eight years have been the worst in my lifetime in terms of the country's morale and discourse. How could we possibly make things better while we are feeling so down, so angry, so fearful? And if it were up to the Republican party, we'd stay right here, fighting each other with shallow and angry regurgitated nonsense and acting the bully on the world stage.

America and Americans need and deserve better than that. The Democrats saw a need and they filled it. They saw that many of us were starving for change. They saw us degenerating into a nation of closed-minded, greedy, fearful slanderers and bullies practically incapable of any type of intelligent discourse regarding politics (and religion). The Us vs. Them mentality has literally been killing us.

The Republicans, on the other hand, didn't really see a need for change, even though they tried to portray that (with the Maverick thing) once they saw how Obama's message was resonating. It wasn't genuine. And they didn't respect our intelligence enough to think we wouldn't see through it. Although we have been numbed by their rhetoric for the past eight years, so it's not surprising they would try to continue pulling the wool over our eyes.

I, for one, am looking forward to actual discourse again. I've been re-reading Obama's speech on Religion and Politics and am looking forward to a President that thinks. And that encourages Americans to think, to discuss our differences in a civil manner, and to treat each other with compassion and respect--two crucial virtues that have been misplaced, and that will raise us up out of fear and back to greatness.

Inspiring Words on an Inspiring Day

stubbygray@gmail.com (Susanne (and sometimes Marley)) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 19:07:00 +0000

A collection of inspired and inspiring blog posts to preserve forever the power of this great day.

Somi's new mornings and the audacity of hope

FitwithAndrea's Drunk With Happiness

Chrissey on Hope

Spice with Tys posted Obama's Victory Speech here. Thank you.

Rob Kall at the Huffington Post - The World Breathes a Sigh of Relief

Our Future is Bright

stubbygray@gmail.com (Susanne (and sometimes Marley)) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 19:06:00 +0000

Jubilant this morning, I'm feeling generous, even with the bitter naysayers trying to rain on this brilliant moment in our country's history.

I thought fitwithandrea said it well. She wrote:

Message to the other side: Stop the hate and appreciate the awesomeness of this historical moment. And after deep soul-searching, please join us and let’s work together. Barack will need all of us to support him in finding common sense solutions to the enormous problems we are facing.

It's time to come together as a nation and remember what makes us great. Some of us have been disheartened, others hypnotized, by the last eight years. We have seen a proud nation deteriorate into a cynical, angry, selfish place.

It's time to put all that acid aside and look to the future. It's time to rejoice in being United.

This is a proud moment for our country. And a happy moment for the world. Let's sit in awe of what has been accomplished.

The first president my four-year-old daughter remembers will be President Obama. Wow. That is awesome in the true sense of the word. To these children, the backlash fear and racism we're dealing with now will seem silly and oh-so old-fashioned. They are growing up in a different, truly multi-cultural country.

The face of America is changing and that is good. This new world is going to be more inclusive. And that is good. My daughter refers to all doctors as "she" because that's all she knows. And now, when she hears President she will think Obama. It's amazing to me that someday I will have to explain to her that this was a momentous occasion. Because in her mind, it will always have been possible. And that is the world I want her to know.

"Ahh, There's the Pride"

stubbygray@gmail.com (Susanne (and sometimes Marley)) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 19:02:00 +0000

My free Starbucks coffee in hand, I write having just voted in the most historic election in our lifetime.

This morning I realized that one of many reasons I want Obama to win is a purely selfish one:

I want very much to feel proud of my country again.

The last eight years have been so long, and so embarrassing.

I would vote for whomever I feel is the best candidate, no matter his or her gender or race. That Sen. Obama happens to be black, on a personal level, means, well, nothing. He is a man like any other man who puts his pants on one leg at a time.

What it does mean, however, is that we get to be a part of history. We get to (hopefully) elect the first African-American president of these United States. And that, of course, means so much, to all of us. It feels as though hundreds of years of history have led us to this day, this very moment in time. Maybe I'm being too gushy and dramatic (Who me? Never!) but it makes me emotional.

When talking to my daughter, I never describe people by their physical characteristics. I might say, "Look at the man in the blue shirt," or "the woman in the yellow hat," but I don't say, "Look at the fat man" or "the black man." It's been kind of an experiment. I wanted to see if she would notice differences if we didn't point them out. Well, as you can imagine, she hasn't. She meets all kinds of people and has never once appeared to see anything but a whole person.

So, on the one hand, I want to tell her about this historic day. But on the other hand, I don't even want to point out the fact that Sen. Obama is black, since I never have before. All she knows is that we're going to have a new president. And, at least for now, that's all she needs to know.

~~~
I dedicated my vote to my mom. Who are you dedicating your vote to?

~~~
For a more lighthearted (and decidedly less emotional) look at our voting experience, check out Corey's Election Day post.

Yes We Can - And We Did!

stubbygray@gmail.com (Susanne (and sometimes Marley)) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:04:00 +0000

WTG America! Congratulations to us all and Congratulations to the Obama Family.

I am grateful to be here to witness this historic event and the coming of a new era in America.

Praise Jah!

86-Year-Old Volunteer Meets Obama, Talks About the Future

stubbygray@gmail.com (Susanne (and sometimes Marley)) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:01:00 +0000

Found this video on the Huffington Post.

Jesus & Socialism on WeNeedThisNow

stubbygray@gmail.com (Susanne (and sometimes Marley)) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 18:59:00 +0000

On WeNeedThisNow there is a terrific post about Jesus and Socialism. It's balanced and well thought out. And the author is funny. This is one of the most sensible things I have read throughout this entire election season.

Therefore the best thing to do is eat your Oreos and share with your friends. Children are taught this yet we adults think it’s childish? Do you actually think that the need for socialism or class struggle would be necessary if we shared FREELY (That is the most important part, the word freely). Does it mean that there would be a Utopia? No. Does it mean that there would not be the poor? No, but there would most likely be less poor. Does it mean that we would live happily ever after? No. Does it mean that there would not be wars? No, but maybe less wars….maybe. Does it mean that our friends and we would enjoy each other more? I think so. Does it mean it would end greed? No, but it might lessen it. Does it mean that we would have all that we ever wished for? Nope, but we might have more of what we wished for.

I agree that a generally more generous attitude would do much to alleviate the tension and stress in our lives and in our country. Our greed and lack of any sense of responsibility for each other is callous and self-defeating. We'll never have "enough" if we don't open our hearts, minds, and sometimes even (God forbid!) our wallets to one another. Most people are decent human beings who would not take advantage. There is plenty to go around. Give and it shall be given unto you.

Click here to read the rest of the post on WeNeedThisNow.

Families Come in All Shapes & Sizes - Vote No on 2

stubbygray@gmail.com (Susanne (and sometimes Marley)) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 18:56:00 +0000

I don't normally tell people how to vote, but I just have to throw this out there, on the slight chance that someone from Florida happens upon this blog. Please vote No on 2.

Amendment 2 doesn't do anything to "protect" marriage, but it will remove important family protections for all unmarried families, gay and straight. Here are ten ways Amendment 2 would hurt families from Mean Queen's Weblog.

I've seen so many Yes on 2 signs and bumper stickers around here and it surprises me that people are so willing, seemingly proud, to proclaim their bigotry. I just don't get it. I don't get any of the arguments against gay marriage.

If you are against gay marriage, please enlighten me. How does it "hurt" or "threaten" your family?

There are more divorces and adultery in the Bible Belt than anywhere else in the country. That is a cold, hard fact. So please don't tell me that it's because of the Bible. Just don't.

Where is the logic? My husband says it's simply a matter of people being afraid or uncomfortable about seeing same-sex couples holding hands and kissing in public and not wanting to have to explain that to their children. Could that be true?

If so, then I have a simple solution: Tell them it's two people in love. See, I told you it was simple.

The fact of the matter is that this is a fight you cannot win. It's called "Progress" and it's happening whether you like it or not. I, for one, will not impede Progress by filling my child's innocent mind with restrictive nonsense regarding who she can and cannot fall in love with. As the mother of a little girl in this day and age, her turning out gay does not even make my list of Things to Worry About. And neither should it worry you. The bottom line (heh) is that most gay people are born gay, so there's nothing you can do to change it anyway.

And what consenting adults do in the privacy of their own home is none of your concern.

Why insist that EVERYONE live by your rules? Isn't it difficult enough for you to live by your rules? Why take on the added burden of enforcing your rules on ALL OF SOCIETY? It just seems like a waste of time and energy.

Ok, rant done. Peace.

Obama on UNITED America from "Meaningful Distractions"

stubbygray@gmail.com (Susanne (and sometimes Marley)) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 18:54:00 +0000

I saw this on Meaningful Distractions and wanted to preserve the video for my own selfish reasons, mostly to hear Sen. Obama's inspirational orating over and over. I didn't know how starved I was for an eloquent and intelligent President--I thought I'd just become apathetic.

Shadow Campaigner writes:

Maybe when this whole thing is over, someone can explain to me how the McCain-Palin ticket — which has gone around the country demarcating “real America” from “fake America” – someone can explain to me how this is the ticket that supposedly puts “Country First.” They’ve put certain parts of the country first, sure, but not country as a whole.

Definitely check out the rest of the post. It's so worth the read.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfe9hNxWXVw&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&fs=1]