Playin' the Name Game with FranIAm and Politits and ...

FranIAm’s name game ... the one she found at Lisa's that she got from Phydeaux aka Bob.

Other Names Meme:
1. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names): Loftus Irwin

2. NASCAR NAME: (first name of your mother’s dad, father’s dad): Thomas Robert

3. STAR WARS NAME: (the first 2 letters of your last name, first 4 letters of your first name): Mokate
4. DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal): Green Giraffe

5. SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you live): Laura Hamilton (I really think that one works.)
6. SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd favorite color, favorite alcoholic drink, optionally add “THE” to the beginning): Purple Sleeman

7. FLY NAME: (first 2 letters of 1st name, last 2 letters of your last name): Kaar
8. GANGSTA NAME: (favorite ice cream flavor, favorite cookie): Caramel Gingersnap (sounds like a porn star name to me)
9. ROCK STAR NAME: (current pet’s name, current street name): Yeshua Cline
10. PORN NAME: (1st pet, street you grew up on): Smokey Hopkins

A Blog Post on Not Being Seen

Well, you haven’t seen much of me recently. That’s because there’s been so much life to live, I haven’t had a lot of time to talk about it.

Some of it’s been wonderful, and some of it’s felt awful. There was the funeral, and other family things, to talk about. Things I’ve learned. Things I want. And, just no time. I’m sorta keeping up with reading other people’s blogs, but a couple of times a week, not daily.

In the meantime, here’s something to help keep you all occupied.

Friday Night Home Alone ... could be worse edition

Early Happy Hallowe'en, Thanks to Tracy K

Always been a Moon Girl, Born Under the Sign of the Crab

The Moon

And Now for Something Completely Different

Got New Jeans While I Was On Holiday

And that seems to me to be a good enough reason to change my picture (just to show you all), and to post something else silly. First of all, I LUVS me my new jeans! They fit the way jeans are supposed to fit (painted on, but not enough to be obnoxious, my landlady said), and my sister-n-law said, “You are SUCH a toothpick!” when I came out of the changing room in the store. Ultra-low rise, because I am not put together the way manufacturers think women oughtta be (I have a narrow, kinda racing-greyhound rear elevation) – two buttons and about a two-inch long zipper in the fly. Sparks should fly.

In 1979, I loved The Monks. “I Ain’t Getting Any” and “Drugs in my Picket”. And this one, which seems most appropriate today. Have fun! I am …

Kinky Boots

Well, if I’m gonna kick ass, I gotta have a decent pair of boots, right? I LOVED the 2005 movie “Kinky Boots”. I love when they make Lola the first pair of boots that’ll bear the weight of a man, and she rejects them as disgustingly ugly. She wants “three feet of red leather tubular sex”.

The movie’s based on a true story, the story of “Divine”; and Wiki says the shoe factory’s story, turning to making fetish footwear to survive in a market dominated by cheap mass-produced shoes from China, was featured in an episode of a BBC documentary series called “Trouble at the Top”.

The factory is staffed by the people who've worked there for decades, some of them, or their parents did. He's trying to explain to them what they're going to be making, and a tiny, elderly Japanese lady says to him: "Look to the heel, young man... Sex is in the heel... Stilettos require constant balance from the upper leg causing the muscles of the backside to tense and appear pert and ready for mating."

You can see the red leather boots on Lola, about a minute into this video – it’s not the whole clip of the walkway scene, and it will likely ruin the end of the movie for you, if you haven’t figured it out already.

I want me those boots.

Goin' on a Lion Hunt; Gonna Catch a Big One

Well, maybe not, but I’d hate for anyone to worry. On Thursday morning, I’m getting in a car with one sister-in-law and one niece, and we’re going to drive about 170 miles north to another sister-in-law, who comes with one nephew, and stay for a week. There will be rocks (the Canadian Shield), water, an unknown number of dogs, snakes, bears, a trampoline … And I’m hoping to get out tomorrow to get a new battery for my camera, so I can share.

I won’t be back til late on the 27^th, and I have to work the next day, so DON’T WORRY. There are no computers or phones where I’m going, and my cell won’t get any signal either.

Hot Damn!!! I Kick Ass!!!

Gina at Pagan Sphinx is a Kick Ass Blogger, and she says that I’m one too! No-one’s ever told me they thought I kick ass before. I have always been a very good girl-type, who behaved herself. This is so much better! Thanks, Gina!

Here’s the rules for the Kick Ass Blogger Award:

LOVE ON 'EM

• Choose 5 bloggers that you feel are "Kick Ass Bloggers"
• Let 'em know in your post or via email, twitter or blog comments that they've received an award
• Share the love and link back to both the person who awarded you and back to www.mammadawg.com
• Hop on back to the Kick Ass Blogger Club HQ to sign Mr. Linky then pass it on!

And here’s my picks. This was hard, because there are so many kick-ass bloggers in my circle. It was made easier by know that some, like Fran, have already got the award:

Grace, at Jesus Wept, because Jesus surely does, at what she’s been through because of her previous place of employment, and her struggle to find a new church home.

Derek, at 89Days, because I know what he’s been doing for the last couple of years, and I know what changes he’s made, and we did the struggling together.

Mimi, at Wounded Bird, because, among other things, she has a kick-ass fleur-de-lys tattoo on her ankle.

Sherry, at After the Bridge, because I love the poetry – hers, when she posts some, and other people’s when she posts that, and while I’ve had mornings that FELT like Multiple Tweetie Mornings before, I didn’t know what to call ‘em.

And Dennis, at Psychology, Dogs, Politics and Wine, because of the Jazz, the elephants, the homesickness, and Pinkie and the Brain.

Thanks, Eileen and Sharecropper

You are The High Priestess

Science, Wisdom, Knowledge, Education.

The High Priestess is the card of knowledge, instinctual, supernatural, secret knowledge. She holds scrolls of arcane information that she might, or might not reveal to you. The moon crown on her head as well as the crescent by her foot indicates her willingness to illuminate what you otherwise might not see, reveal the secrets you need to know. The High Priestess is also associated with the moon however and can also indicate change or fluxuation, particularily when it comes to your moods.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

And now for something completely different -- Jesus' Brother Bob

Well, trolls, Lambeth, guys who run the red at the last second meaning they’re on the way INTO the crosswalk while you’re crossing through it with the light … We all need a little lightness in our lives.

What we need is The Arrogant Worms! It’s kinda hard to explain The Arrogant Worms, and it’s probably better not to try. You can look at them on Wiki, from which I’ve borrowed this (I think it's SO COOL that the links copy when I do this):

The Worms usually perform the following songs at every show:

• "Carrot Juice is Murder" — a parody of an animal rights protest song comparing vegetarians to murderers, including a line about Coleslaw being a fascist regime.
• "The Last Saskatchewan Pirate" — a ballad about a farmer who takes up piracy on the Saskatchewan River. The song was also covered by Captain Tractor.
• "Mounted Animal Nature Trail" — an audience interaction song about a real place [1] on Manitoulin Island: Terry's Taxidermy and Mounted Animal Nature Trail.
• "I Am Cow" — a bovine anthem.
• "We Are the Beaver" — a tribute song to one of Canada's symbolic animals, the beaver. The song mentions how the peaceful rodent compares to other nations' animals like America's bald eagle, Russia's bear and India's tiger.
• "Canada's Really Big" — A satirical national anthem for Canada.
• "Log In to You" — a love song using computer network euphemisms for sex.
• "Rocks and Trees" — A song describing the distinguishing features of Canada.
• "Jesus' Brother Bob" -- A song about Jesus' brother, Bob, who is always in the shadow of his brother. Bob is seen as "A nobody relative to the son of God", and states that "If only I'd been born just a little sooner, I'd be more than just the brother of God junior."

And, there’s a semi-religious quality to what I’m doing here, so I’m picking one of their best songs. I think this can stand as the Canadian Cultural Icon tonight too, since it’s my landlady and landlord’s wedding anniversary today and I’m invited for Shabbos supper, and then I’m going out to drink coffee on an outdoor patio at 10:30. Don’t know when I’ll get another chance.

My Very First Meme-Tagging!

I’ve been tagged!! First time!! By Crimson Rambler, so here we go. Here are the rules:

1. List these rules on your blog.

2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog.

(a) I am very, very nearsighted – in the old days, when we looked at white cardboard eye-charts on a wall, I could only fine them if the wall was painted a colour. And I buy coloured soap, in case I drop it in the white bathtub.

(b) I never learned how to drive. Too chicken. I’m going to this fall though.

(c) And when I do I want a motorcycle. Harley Sportster, 650 cc. That’s for starters.

(d) I have read To Kill a Mockingbird about a million times, and am madly in love with Atticus Finch. Gregory Peck, as he was in 1961, will do just fine.

(e) I keep kosher in my apartment, and I can make a low-carb, kosher Chicken Paprikas you wouldn’t believe. And Pecan Pie with maple syrup for dessert, for those who don’t do the low-carb thing.

(f) I dream of a place to live where there’s lots of windows on the south side, bare pine floors, a dog, rocking chairs, and no carpets but lots of cushions, and a big, wooden dining room table with lots of chairs so people can come for supper all the time.

(g) And I’m too shy for Rule Number 3 – play along if you like.

3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

Yesterday will have been my birthday ...

I was going to say, “Today is my birthday,” but it’s been SO full – by the time I hit “Post”, yesterday will have been my birthday.

I’ll tell you – it’s just been one opportunity after another to see the fullness of my life. A friend in Texas sent a happy birthday e-mail as soon as it was after midnight and my birthday where he is. Oystercard is now in King’s Lynn and sent me a happy birthday song by e-mail. And my friend Robby sent me a happy birthday message too – he’s in San Bernardino. He’s 12 days younger than me. We’ve known each other since June 1962. He was my very first boyfriend, when we were 8 years old. We’re 53 this month. Birthday greetings from three different time zones!

My alarm went off!!! All right, that may not sound great, but it didn’t Sunday or Monday, and I missed church, and the barbecue lunch after. Today, I got to work on time, showered, with makeup on and dressed nicely. I forgot to make or pack breakfast, but I had eggs packed for lunch, so I bought an apple on the way and had that with the eggs and coffee. There was a birthday card on my desk when I got there.

Someone from church called and took me and another friend out for lunch, which meant eating the eggs for breakfast was okay. I got started on a project that’s a little boring, but needs to be done, at work. Made good progress, and was alone most of the day. The J. Geills band, Rolling Stones, Cream and The Eagles, all played loud, helped. Talked to Dad on the phone. Got an e-mail from a friend who trusted enough to tell me and someone else what hurts a lot. My boss came in in the afternoon – she’d made me a really beautiful birthday card.

Three friends went shopping this afternoon, and bought a picnic. We had maple-smoked ham and prosciutto and roast turkey and salami and five-year old cheddar, bocconcini, salad … I’d made gingerbread for a meeting Sunday evening, with lemon icing, and took some – I don’t eat it, cuz of the diabetes, but everyone else did. Fed the end of a baguette to the mallards, Canada geese, red-winged blackbirds and swallows. Watched families with bicycles, strollers and dogs; and adult cyclists, a walking club, and members of the rowing club, single and pairs-sculling. Talked and listened and laughed. I’d known about the picnic; they brought me a present too – a sampler box of Four O'Clock Fair Trade chai teas (I already know I love the rooibos chai), and a book called Solo: Writers on Pilgrimage, edited by Katherine Govier. Then we went somewhere else and drank coffee, and I’d run out of my favourite coffee this morning, so I bought a pound to bring home.

After I got home, I messengered for a while with my son. He’s forgotten my birthday, but I didn’t feel any need to make him feel bad by reminding him. Talked to my friend on the phone. Then I looked at NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day – here’s the picture, and the link, because it’s way better when it’s as big as the screen, and besides, they tell you something about the Lagoon Nebula in Sagittarius. How good is that picture for a birthday present? I’ve checked out a few blogs, but it’s late, and I’m going to go to bed soon – I’ll look at the rest tomorrow.

The whole day has been one opportunity after another to see how blessed I am, and how much I’ve been given in life. When I was on the phone a little while ago, I said, “I didn’t know it was possible to have any other kind of life than the one I did. [The one where I was stuck in my own helplessness and unhappiness, and couldn’t see any hope of change.] I never imagined this happiness was possible, let alone that the change could be this fast. I’m SO happy.”

Loud Music

MadPriest, Pagan Sphinx, PJ, Dennis have all been posting or talking about loud music this week. Dennis SAID he was going to post at his place, but he hasn't yet -- you'll have to read the comments thread at PJ's -- and she answered all his questions in a newer post too. I’ve been listening to a lot of loud music (except NOT what’s at OCICBW) – this week cuz I’m happy. Then I sing it all the time and drive everyone else nuts. Here’s ONE of my favourites this week – there might be more later on.

What Famous Work of Art Are You?

I went to read poetry over at After the Bridge, and wound up playing silly, happy blogthings as well. I love this painting. I was visiting friends at L’Arche tonight, and they showed me certificates they’d been given with this on them.

You Are Best Described By...

Petite Fleurs By Pablo Picasso

What Famous Work of Art Are You?

Happy Birthday!!!

It’s Dennis’ birthday!!! Since he reminded me, a few months ago, of something I’d loved and lost, I’m posting it again, for a present.

Don't blame me ...

You know why women often seem to be more in touch with God?
Because they ask for directions.

Gee, I wish I’d thought to do that sooner …

Blame Wendy H. of Massillon, OH, who sent it in to “Nothing Like a Good Joke” at A Prairie Home Companion on NPR.

Friday Night Canadian Cultural Icon -- Rick Mercer at the Arctic Winter Games

Okay – it’s Saturday morning, not Friday night. I went out with friends tonight and saw the 9:20 showing of the Sex and the City movie, which takes two-and-a-half hours. It was Saturday by the time I got home.

Tonight’s Canadian Cultural Icon is Rick Mercer. He’s a political comedian out of Newfoundland. He used to be in a group called CodCo; then most of them started a show called “This Hour Has 22 Minutes” on the CBC. It was a take-off on a news commentary show from the ‘60’s, called “This Hour Has Seven Days”. “22 Minutes” satirizes Canadian life and politics. One of the best segments was Rick Mercer’s Rant. It was so good, he got his own show. It started out as “Rick Mercer’s Monday Report” or RMMR – but now it’s on Tuesdays.

He does more than satire now. There are a lot of different Canadian cultures, and he introduces us to ourselves. In this segment, he’s in Yellowknife, covering the Arctic Winter Games. He doesn’t just show you people doing the sports and cultural activities – they try to teach him how. This is a double-dose of Canadian Cultural stuff tonight – you get the Games and Rick Mercer.

One of the things I really like about living in Canada is that our tax dollars, through the CBC, have always funded really good political satire, and it’s widely heard (on CBC Radio) or viewed. Free speech in action.

PJ's "Song that makes you go Yeah" Meme

PJ has a stay-at-home meme, the “post a few lines from a song that makes you go yeah” meme. Pray ‘em if you got ‘em for her – she has a birthday party full of seven-year olds and a visit from in-laws in the near future, and an article that’s not been going well.

My 22-year old niece was here today, helping me out with a big stack of clothes that needed sorting through. Basically, this meant I tried things on and she watched YouTube videos and was the talking mirror – yes, keep that; no, that doesn’t do anything for you; no, you must never, ever wear that colour; that’ll work again if we take in the side seams …

She left this video up when she left and I just love it. So I watched it three times, and found the lyrics via Google. Here’s the lyrics:

That life is too short to be unhappy
And since I know what I'm worth there'll be no settling for dirt
Not when what I deserve is gold
If I want diamonds then I can't settle for coal and

Maybe I was just too strong to let go
Maybe I was just too weak to let it show
Maybe I was just too stubborn to say "No"
But whatever the case I can't take it no more

And here’s the video. If anyone had ever told me I’d be posting a video by Fatboy Slim, I’da said, “Who’s Fatboy Slim?” But, VIOLA!!! The video’s really great – pretty girl; happy things going on. Enjoy!