Day 101 - Woe Is Me.....

 I LOVE Satchel the Pooch because he is so naive and just so lovable.  Isn't that last pane just so dog-like?  "I'll just stand here until you need me"....and so often we do need them.

Today was day 101 and I am starting to worry about what I'll do after the first of the year when the holiday decorating, cooking, partying and gift giving are over.  Gave the old "woe is me" speech to Friend.  I'm pretty sure she is getting tired of hearing it.  Anyway, she told me about Warren Buffett's son, Howard Buffett's plan to end hunger in this country.  Can you believe that we have so much hunger? or any?  Just in case you don't read the article I linked to, read just this:

Buffett in Parade magazine, December 2012:  "Last year I attended a Thanksgiving dinner at Harris Elementary School right here in Decatur, where I learned that 92 percent of the kids are on free or reduced-cost lunches. I spoke with some parents who told me that school lunch is the best meal their kids get all day. That shocked me because the school sits in a community that has the largest food-processing facility in the world for corn and the second largest for soybeans; 1,500 to 2,000 train cars roll out of those plants and through these kids' neighborhoods every day. The irony of that is unbelievable."

Kind of hard to be "woe is me" when we have these kinds of problems.  So, Friend is going to research what she and I might do to serve in some form to support ending hunger.  More on this later.

I'm also going to start "Blackbelt Spanish" in January.  I'm declaring this now and in public because I DREAD IT.  If some one asked me whether I would study brain surgery or a language, I'd definitely choose the brain surgery.  I am just not good in languages, but given that I married the Silver Tongued Latin Lover and live in a very diverse community, isn't it about time?  I'll certainly have lots of opportunity for practice.  More on this later, also.  Maybe I'll be shamed into doing it.

My Techie Friend also reminded me that I had not started on those photo books.  Actually, I've made two - one from my retirement party and one from the trip to Italy, but he is right that I've not started the old photos that need scanning.  Mark that one down for after the holidays.  I need to get a scanner he suggested first.  My excuse is I'm waiting until after all the Christmas expenses to buy the scanner.  Shame may kick me in the butt on this one, too.

Day 102 tomorrow - I think it is going to be a great one.

Day 100 - State of the Union

This shows me how much I learned from civics class.  I thought the State of the Union Address was given after 100 days in office, but having just checked with the authority on the subject - Wikipedia, I find I am wrong.  I'm not changing the title of my blog, though, because I can't think of anything better.

My friend said yesterday that she figures if she does one new thing a month for the rest of her life, she will have 240 things to do.  As I am planning on more than 20 more years (I'm sure she will, too), that means that I have time for maybe 300 new things.  It is overwhelming.  Overwhelming because in my usual way of thinking it means 300 new things like climbing Mount Kilimanjaro   I've been thinking about the retirement years for 100 days and I am no closer to even my list of 100 things to do, much less 300!  Our other friend said that something "new" could be baking cinnamon rolls if you've never done that before.  Somehow, this just doesn't seem like something to which to aspire.  So I baked biscotti this week.  Does this count?

Civil War re-enactments....my new interest is the Civil War and I missed a crucial re-enactment yesterday in Fredericksburg, VA.  Can't believe my friend, The Lass, did not tell me about this, but also can't believe that I did not realize there are all kinds of re-enactments going on this year.  My goal is to get to one of them---maybe Petersburg Battlefield.

100 days - I was hoping it would be a more auspicious day with lots more to talk about regarding retirement, but it isn't.  It has been a great 100 days filled with bathroom renovations, decorating, baking, jewelry making, and lots of time with friends.  On the other hand, isn't this sort of what I said I would be doing the first few months?  It is hard to be an over-achiever when you are trying to scale it back.

Electricity went off last night so I did not get to post this.  

Being truthful about retirment

This will be a short post.  Just got back home from dinner and drinks with old work friends....I DO MISS this part of working.  I love retirement, but will not lie to those of you who are contemplating it... I miss the gossip, the strategizing, the intrigue.  I miss the discussions of how to solve a problem, how to work around those at the top, how to work through the bureaucracy.  It is great being your own boss at home, but very difficult to diss the boss when it is YOU.  I"m giving myself until January to come up with something to do that makes me feel like I am contributing beyond a clean house and pretty decorations.  A great evening.

Becca's Briefs - December 6

Penn State Sorority Mocks Latinos - Really?  I'm just not sure how much more there is to say.  In defense of the "girls" this was a Mexican-themed party [reported the  independent college blog, Onward State] but I am concerned that this is all that Penn State college girls might know about Mexico.  Not much to say for their education.   I wonder if the Asian young lady on the left would have liked it as much if this were aimed at her family and ancestors.  It makes me wonder about holding a Penn State pedophile-themed party.  That would be funny.  Really.

Please Please Please - Purdue and UNC-Chapel Hill - don't do anything like this to embarrass me.

Update on U.N. Treaty on Disabilities

Daily Show  John Stewart had a great segment on the U.N. Disability Treaty vote.  I LOVE THIS GUY and wish I could write 1/10th as well as he does.  You've got to watch this segment as he points out the idiocy of this most recent vote.  

Not to be outdone, if you have the time, watch the Colbert Report segment (towards the end of the episode).  Colbert has a great quote in relation to the vote against the U.N. treaty:  "paranoid fantasy has long been the key weapon to fighting the specter of accomplishment."  I think that just about sums up what we have in Congress right now.  

Please excuse the movie trailer that accompanies these two clips!  

It is Day 97 of retirement - cleaning the house and putting final touches on my Xmas luncheon tomorrow.  The biscotti from yesterday are in the freezer, I'm making labels for the canning jars, and life is good.  I am hoping that my Zumba partner sticks around for a while after she retires this month so that we can get back into it!

Becca's Briefs - December 5, 2012

Notre Dame!  Don't you remember Penn State?  I was blown away this morning by an article in the Post - Why I won’t be cheering for old Notre Dame.  Can it possibly be true that two separate incidents involving FOOTBALL players and rape have been swept under the rug at this prestigious Catholic university?  Say it ain't so.  Read it for yourselves and if you know something that isn't in this article that makes it better, PLEASE tell me.  This is so upsetting.  

Senate rejects treaty to protect disabled around the world  Another article I just don't understand.  The vote was to sign on to the United Nation's treaty that is modeled after the Americans with Disabilities Act.  We are the model for the world on treatment of people with disabilities!    HOW can we be afraid that the United Nations will limit home schooling through this treaty?  Really?  

"He (former congressman Rick Santorum) and other conservatives argued that the treaty could relinquish U.S. sovereignty to a U.N. committee charged with overseeing a ban on discrimination and determining how the disabled, including children, should be treated. They particularly worried that the committee could violate the rights of parents who choose to home school their disabled children.

“This is a direct assault on us,” Santorum said."  [Is the man paranoid or what?] 

No less than Senator Bob Dole and George H.W. Bush showed up for the voting to encourage approval of the treaty to protect the rights of people with disabilities around the world, and the right wing still voted against this treaty.  PLEASE tell me something that will make this article not so upsetting!

Pope gets a Twitter Account.  So now the Pope has a Twitter account - "Pontifex" is his handle.  A representative said that he would not be following others on Twitter, "he would be followed."  That make sense.

I spent the rest of the day trying to get it all out of my mind---cooking biscotti and making jewelry.  Day 96 of my retirement.

Becca's Briefs

This is my second post today.  That's just how it goes when you are retired.  Maybe you do nothing for several days, then two or three things pop in your head.  The Post had lots of articles that interested me and I must share.  NOTE:  Never go round to posting the blog yesterday.  This is also something about retirement....la di da...I'll wait until tomorrow.

Navy Dolphins Lose Their Jobs to Robots  I love dolphins, I hope that PETA doesn't have a stand against them working for the Navy, and I found this article so much fun.  The Navy has 80 dolphins trained to track down mines.  Isn't that mind-blowing?  Now, 24 of them are losing their jobs to robots!  Don't worry, they are not going on un-employment, but will be guarding our ports instead.

US Military Academy’s main chapel hosts 1st same-sex wedding; senior chaplain leads ceremony

My how times have changed and for the better.  I hope the rest of the U.S. can catch up with the military!

A promise to a friend.  Michelle Singletary's column today was terrific.  I'm not suggesting that all of you run out and try this, but it is sobering to think about what will be left behind when you are gone.  I know one of my friends visited an elderly lady's (she was a retired government employee) apartment years ago and was horrified that the woman had stacked everywhere the mugs and other handouts we all get (or used to get) from conferences.  She pretty much vowed then not to let her place get cluttered.  I think Michelle's friend had the right idea.  Read the article.

Kaiser Permanente - This was not an article, but an ad in the Post.  KP was awarded five stars (out of five) by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid for its medicare program.  I love Kaiser and have been a member for almost 20 years.  Can't say enough good things about my care and my doctors.  Good going KP!

  

Four Star Movies - Avoid Them

I really hate to do this because I know it makes me sound like an old curmudgeon with nothing to do but complain, but I am beginning to think that we should avoid all four star rated movies.  Case in point - Anna Karenina.  Friend and I went to see the film at Shirlington, our local "art film" theater and it was packed!  In the audience were mostly grey haired retirees (my opinion) who had probably read the book (Confession - I've never read the book).  We were both psyched to be there, but that didn't last long.  

For some "artistic" reason, the director of this film decided to stage many of the scenes ON A STAGE.  I don't mean that it was a film of a play, what I mean is that action may be taking place in the bedroom and then move to the living room---but the characters would walk behind the stage to move from place to place.  Unlike the wonderful Dr. Zhivago of my younger days, the scenery was just that -- scenery.  It wasn't real.  The train rolling through the Russian snow was a toy train and was staged to make that clear!   Dr. Z would roll over in his grave!

It was difficult to take something seriously when I was watching it, but so were the people on the screen who were in the audience watching the characters on their stage.  Sounds confusing, doesn't it?  At least I had read about it before I went in.  Had I not done that, I don't think I would have figured it out at all.

Other reasons the movie failed for me:

1.  The Count, who is the illicit love interest of Anna looks like he is about 14 with a very skimpy fake mustache pasted on his upper lip.
2.  The romance between Anna and the Count never seemed to light up in my opinion.
3.  Anna's husband, who I understand was a rotten guy in the book, comes across as a saint compared to Anna.

The costumes are fabulous, the jewelry out of this world.  Anna is beautiful.  That's all I can say.

As we left the theater, I told friend, "Let's discuss this when we leave."  I didn't want the other theater goers to know how un-cultured I was to not like this film.  Friend said she would have walked out but she thought I liked the show.

You are forewarned.