The Top Ten Travesties of 2012

I suppose I should be more positive about the year, given that my personal life has been going very well. But just because my life is in some kind of order doesn't mean that the world is. A LOT of stuff is going wrong, and not just in the U.S. (though my list will emphasize U.S. stuff, since that's where I live, at least at this point).

Here's my list, from pretty bad to truly awful:

10.  The loss of the Georgia Archives. Every state is having to make up for lost federal money, just as they have for several years now, but this is a really terrible loss. Sure, the state will still be sending stuff to the archives, but there will no longer be anybody to sort through it, file it away, or retrieve it when it's needed. Our history will sift into the great black hole, never to be retrieved until we somehow get more funding for it. And we won't. Some day my kids will want to know something, and they won't find out about it. I'd make this higher on the list, but other states have had to do worse. Washington State has closed a bunch of mental health facilities, and those patients have nowhere to go. Will they end up on the street? Many of them probably will, and I can think of no way to stop it from happening.

9.  The slow shift in education towards non-learning. I have a teaching degree and nearly 20 years of teaching experience, and I am utterly appalled by the way students are taught today. Instead of active learning involving visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning, kids are taught to sit still for eight hours a day, pumping out boring, out-moded ideas onto even more boring worksheets, just so that they have the "skills" to pass a test. What happened to actual learning? What happened to the study of a subject in an illuminating, active way, one that would pull students in with interest and involve them in the investigative process? Why are kids constantly told to "shut up" and "do their work"? Are we just training them to work obediently and silently in future office cubicles? Really?

8.  Les Miserables. Poorly orchestrated and badly directed, the film was trying too hard to be "new" and "edgy" and muffed up the beauty of the play--and the original novel--almost beyond recognition. Sure, other movies weren't great this year, but the hubby and I have been waiting for this film since we were dating, when we sat on the front row of the stage musical and saw it for the first time. Only the film of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was worse, but since it came out more than a decade ago, I can't make it an item on this list.

7.  Lance Armstrong. I'm sure he's feeling more pain than anybody right now, but the whole thing was wrong. It's the worst of these kinds of stories, taking what should have been a heroic rise from cancer and turning it into one of the biggest cheats in sports history. Yet he was just like so many other athletes, in the end. It's just that his fall was the farthest.

6.  The new NFL football pants. Sure, lots of sports enthusiasts would point to Lance Armstrong's decided fall from grace as a bigger story, but those horrifyingly see-thru white pants the teams were told to wear this year make the sport unwatchable. Literally. The hubby thought women might actually make up more of the audience if they could see more of men's unmentionables, but I, for one, did not enjoy the sight of a 400-lb. offensive lineman's derriere, especially when framed with the standard white jock strap. Gross! Even more than my own bleeding eyes, I was offended that these guys had to wear the pants in the first place. I'd show a picture, but it would make your eyes bleed, too.

5.  The fiscal cliff. Really? We pay you guys all sorts of money--hell, y'all earn more during your terms than most people in this country earn in a decade, and some in their lifetimes--and you can't get this kind of thing done? You know what happens in a private business if one doesn't get one's job done? One is FIRED. Why you have years of protection that the rest of us don't have with our own jobs is the travesty. Stop whining, stop in-fighting, and get your job done. Now.

4.  Shootings. I thought no shooting could be more senseless than the one in Arizona, which killed a little girl--until 20 little children were blown away, along with 6 school teachers and administrators. The news is still busy trying to figure out why, but there is no answer. There will never be a reason. That day will never be anything but senseless. The psycho who gunned down four firefighters, murdering two of them as they fought a blaze he set himself, proves even more the senselessness of man's inhumanity to man. We create so much pain for each other, for no reason, over and over.

3. The NRA's "answer" to the incident in Newtown. More guns? Really? Take a look at what Fareed Zakaria said about this answer, and about the prevalence of gun violence in our country. Go ahead, read it. It'll tell you all you need to know. The NRA's answer just makes gun violence MORE likely, and the thought of that makes me tremble. My kids go back to school in just a few days...

2.  The cheats who created fake websites and "charities" for us to give money to--both for the hurricane and Newtown and so many other events--who had no intention of doing anything but taking the money and run. I'm sure Dante has a level in hell for you. That anyone would see in the tragedy of others a way to make a bunch of money is heinous in itself. To actually take steps to steal a murdered child's name and create a website, or advertise a bogus charity and pocket the money shows an insensitivity to life and humanity that I simply cannot grasp.

1.  Our consistent inhumanity towards each other. I say this is the worst mostly because it is the basis for all of the other problems (except, perhaps the football pants). Whenever we place anything above people--money, guns, laziness, fear, prejudice, hate, ourselves, fame, etc.--we do evil. We are so quick to blame God for all of this, yet we need to accept the blame. This evil is only tempered by the generosity of so many other people to give to those in need, to help others, to speak the unpopular ideas, to teach us new ways to think, believe, feel, and see. This inhumanity is our worst problem, yet the very problem shows how we can choose differently, if we will only work towards love, mercy, and reconciliation.

So that's it. Far more serious than I intended, except for the football pants, but this year has been a troubling one. Any items you'd put on the list?

The Stupids

They are everywhere
Their thick brains
Firing off
Thicker thoughts

They wander everywhere
Onto TV screens
Spouting inanity
In an inane world

They hurt everything
Killing without any reason but hate
Hating without any reason but fear
Fearing for no reason

They follow us everywhere
Pushing their nonsense on us
Expecting us to act upon
Their nonsense

Yes, we are right
They are everywhere
Zombies out to make the world their own
We are right to be afraid

Yet we are so, so wrong
For we are not more than they
We, too, are stupid in the world
We, too, rationalize our own thinking
We, too, believe that only we are right
We, too, want everyone to act as we do
Where we all go wrong is in
Thinking we know everything.

Sewing Saturday--Making

I meant what I said about making. And if I could find my digital camera, I'd show you the project I started AND finished yesterday--even with watching THE HOBBIT in the middle of the day.

You see, I bought a laundry sorter for my son. Not for his laundry, mind you, but so that he'd have a makeshift toy box for his smaller toys. The frame itself was great--solid aluminum, lightweight, etc.--but the fabric was cheap and ravely, and, well, it lasted a whole couple months before its seams started splitting and the whole thing started falling apart.

A wasted purchase? Not at all. It took just a few measurements and a raid of my sturdier fabrics to find a way to fix the whole thing. I used double strength cotton in blues just like his bedding, and made a whole new bin. This one wraps around every part of the frame, too, in one single swathe, and after reassembling it, I've created something more solid than a suitcase, and longer lasting. And if it somehow gets stained, it can wash in the laundry.

It's not often that a project turns out perfect, but this one did. Even better, it cleans up my son's toys and makes him VERY happy.

Now to make my daughter a bathrobe! And to find my digital camera so that I can update this post with a few pictures!

How is your making coming?

Wanting More?

I can't say whether it's just in the U.S., but it seems like people are compelled to buy more and more stuff in the relentless pursuit of happiness.

Shoppers are rushing back to the stores even as I write--returning gifts they don't want, then spending a ton more on gifts they DO want--as if the stuff will finally satisfy the hole they find in the pit of their stomach.

I don't believe that really works.

The hubby waxed philosophical about this yesterday, shaking his head and saying, "You know, I think I'm happy now. There's nothing out there that I don't have that would really make my life better. I'm content with everything just as it is."

He looked at me for that spousal agreement sort of thing. You know, the oh-honey-I-think-the-same-thing-in-exactly-the-same-way comment. But I realized that I wasn't content with everything just as it is.

Not because I wanted more stuff. Oh, no. I don't like stuff in general, and I'd be more content with less stuff. I'm not content, not because I want more stuff, but because I want to DO more. Looking back over my year, I wish I'd written more, painted more, sung more, played piano more, tried out more new recipes, exercised more, sewn more. And the list goes on.

It probably doesn't make any sense. I just feel driven to do all I possibly can with the life I have. I don't want to waste time on crap. I want to create something real.

So, that's my goal for today--and for every day: Make something.

I plan to sew today--do some mending, but also sew my daughter a bathrobe and my son a toy bin. They'll probably drag on through tomorrow at least, but then I'll have made something. It's a beautiful feeling, too, making something. Better than having stuff. Far better than buying stuff. Creating something may, perhaps, give me the best feeling in the world. It's worth all the work, all the time, all the effort.

Enough blogging. I'm off to MAKE.

A Few Disappointments

Christmas morning was great... and Christmas dinner turned out better than I could have expected. The food all turned out well, and making the casseroles the day before turned the whole cooking experience into a relaxed sort of dance. I even managed to play a few Christmas carols on the piano at one point. When does THAT happen?

But then the day turned not so wonderful. We went to see Les Miserables, and the hubby and I were both itching to be impressed. The film did not fulfill my expectations. I can't claim to be devastated, but the director was so fixated on facial expression that he filmed nearly everything in tight shots centered on each actor's face--to the detriment of any cinematography that might illuminate gesture, setting, etc. And his methods for filming meant actors could act--though Russell Crowe decided not to--but only a handful of them actually sang well, and I don't count Hugh Jackman among them. His voice was reedy and annoying, and his rendition of "Bring Him Home" made me positively cringe. Anne Hathaway was absolutely brilliant--truly--and many of the young students and both little kids could also sing--but otherwise the music was gritty and unlovely.

That was not the lowest point of the day, though. My little boy writhed through much of the film, complaining of a stomach ache... which wasn't fake, since the hubby ended up running out of the theatre with him so that he could heave up everything he'd eaten that day. I should have taken care of him, too, considering that I wasn't enjoying the film and I think the hubby was far less exacting than I and had been, up to that point, having a fantastic time.

We made a few hurling stops on the way home, and then my son fell asleep, emptied at last. I watched him overnight, to make sure I was there in case any last bit decided to come up on its own. Nothing did, and this morning he seems okay.

I just hope the hubby finds a time to go back to the movie and see it again--without anything to hinder his enjoyment of the film. Including me. Except for my criticisms here, I don't intend to say a single negative thing about the film to him--especially if he loves it. But I do not want to see it again.

Happy Christmas!

I know "Merry Christmas!" is the standard greeting in the U.S., but I've decided that, for this year at least, I prefer the British version. The term "merry" can imply that we're making merry, and that could mean we're just putting on a brave face, digging a bit too much into the egg nog or cinnamon schnapps, eating too many stale cookies, buying too much stuff, and falling into excess in an attempt to "look" happy.

Thanks for the photo, Microsoft Office!

"Happy" suggests a very different emotion. It's one of bliss, of warm fuzzies as one walks through a normal day. Of skipping a bit more, of going about one's normal life with a permanent enigmatic smile, a smile that brightens everyone's day without one even realizing it. Happy is a state of being that transcends the ordinary life, imbuing everything with a bit more sunshine.

So I'm raising my coffee this morning--and to every morning from now until next Christmas--to just being happy. To living with a little quiet joy every single day. To doing something truly beautiful with at least a few of the moments we are given. To fitting beauty and happiness into our daily lives, despite family obligations, work, and other have-tos. To feeling blessed with a bit more sunshine on our hair, despite the rain outside or the cold wind blowing.

Happy Christmas, everyone! And a lovely New Year, too!

Advent Calendar--December 24

This is the last one... and that means I managed to blog 24 days in a row! Thanks for sticking in there with me, Walking Man... how's it feel to be my most faithful reader?

I'm the wee one
The conundrum
The irony

I'm the "reason"
But those who spout
About
Me
Are just as bent on buying
As those who trim Thor's tree

I'm the life
The breath that started breathing long ago
That breathes now
But I don't breathe of judgment
I don't bring war
I don't cause the hate
I am not at all
What I am painted to be

Please don't judge
Don't assume you know me
Your limits
Box me in
And cover me up

Just listen
To the snow outside your window
Sifting through tree branches
To the padding feet of pjs
To the softness of prayer
To the feel of poinsettia petals
To the whispers of love
All around you

Only then will you find me.

Who am I?

Advent Calendar--December 23

I move like a flash
With a shush of snow and ice
Better than a Zamboni

Need to get around
In the frozen tundra of winter
Without the hassle of tires?

With a horse, some reins
And a glossy me
You can travel like the wind

With a little help from Santa
And a team of magic deer
I even fly.

What am I?

Advent Calendar--December 22

Creamy and delicious
(Or maybe not--
It's up to you)
Spiced with nutmeg
And thick with eggs and milk
I'm not for children
(Especially when laced with rum--
The BEST way to enjoy me)
But just a nip of me
And the holidays begin for real.

Haven't tried me?
Really?
Well, what are you waiting for?

What am I?

Advent Calendar--December 21

Only a few more days... I'm just glad I've actually kept at the writing (even if I did only because my kids would be disappointed otherwise):

I'm the present nobody wants
The heavy concoction of
Fruited nuts
And nutted fruits

Solid enough to be a doorstop
Ugly enough to make one gag
(Before one even takes a taste)
Able to last from one holiday to the next

What am I?

I'm betting my kids won't get this. I've never made one of these, and I never will. Thankfully, I haven't been given one in years.

Advent Calendar--December 20

I drift into your ear sometimes
At first a beat, or tinkling tune
Some somber notes, some silly rhymes
The words some famous people croon

I stick without throughout the day
Humming in your head a bit
Accompany you on your way
To shop, to drive, to talk, to sit

I'll never leave your head, you know
Through seasons' changing, on and on
You'll hum me fast or sing me slow
The whole year round, at dusk or dawn.

What am I?

Advent Calendar--December 19

All by myself
I'm spiced with sweetness
Crispy and ready to eat

But you don't eat me

You cut me
Into fat pieces
Frost me up with icing

And this suits me just fine

So go ahead
Decorate me with those gummy drops
The spicy ones in green and red

I like those candies best

Or licorice, or lollipops
To line my windows, doors, and roof
The frosting adds some needed snow

And then I'm ready for display

But pretty doesn't really suit me
Looking isn't quite enough
I sigh for little sneaky fingers
To pull off pieces, nibble up

After all, I'm really meant for EATING.

What am I?

Advent Calendar--December 18

It obviously does no good to schedule a post, since they just sit around in draft form anyway.

Here's December 18, which should have posted at least 24 hours ago (though the time stamp says yesterday):


I'm not meant for naked toes
Though I might seem the softest sight
Put on boots before you go
To tromp along my mass of white

You'll leave big footprints everywhere
Or make a man of some of me
I'll mark your cheeks, but you won't care,
I've blessed your world, and you've blessed me.

What am I?

Advent Calendar--December 17

By now I am covered with flour
Frosting
Sprinkles
The wipings of little hands
And big ones

Don't fret--it's what I was meant for
The drips
The smears
To protect a person's clothes
In a pinch

And with a good washing I'll lose
The stains
The mess
But I'll keep the memories
Of yearly Christmas cookies.

What am I?

Advent Calendar--December 16

Perhaps I'm just old-fashioned
Or a little past my prime
I sure don't last forever
Snuffing dark when out of time

But I'm better than a light bulb
For I shine the perfect light
Soften up the hardest edges
Gentling in the darkest night.

I myself am not important,
Yet illuminate the truth.
Take a long, good look around you
And you'll see the living proof.

The caring in a loved one's eyes
The grief of shedding tears
Holding hands, soft singing, crying
Pain, forgiveness, mercy, sighing
Lighting up this world for years.

What am I?

In solidarity with those grieving in Connecticut and around the world, I light mine. I will light one every day in the memory of those children, parents, and educators until something is done to stop the senselessness of our country's belief that only guns can bring safety. Until we start to see each other as human beings, not bullet receptacles.

Guns bring death. That's all they are for. They can only do what we created them to do. They'll only fall out of favor when we find a more efficient way to kill people.

So I will light mine, every day. And hope.

Advent Calendar--December 15

Think I'm a skinflint, do you?
Think I'm the worst of the worst?
More devil than human?
Beyond recall?

Don't be fooled
Don't believe for a moment
That I'm the only one
For Dickens designed me from you

I'm the you that won't give
The you that seeks money more than meaning
The you with no time for others
No mercy, no sympathy, no sacrifice

I am Everyman
With one exception:
I have learned my lesson in the end
Learned to let go of avarice and love my fellow man.

Have you?

Who am I?

Advent Calendar--December 14

Soft and white
As snow
Peacefully
I go

Warm as hearth
Not cold
Calm as peace
Not bold

Fly with me
Some day
Serenely
His way.

What am I?

Trying to keep it different here... if you're one of the four people checking this out every day, thanks for reading!

Advent Calendar--December 13

I promise, I had the 12th finished early... but I scheduled it to be published, and I guess it didn't go through.

Now it has.

Here's the installment for today. It's later than I'd like, and the kids have noticed! Darn!


A red and white
Curve of sweetness
Fit for children

If adults let them eat me
On their own

Hook me on a tree branch
Or into a stocking
Or on a little finger

Or break me into pieces
And share me

Who am I?



I won't put the solution to the 12th in yet, since I just noticed the Blogger error. This one's pretty easy, though...

Hope your holiday shopping is finished by now. If it is (and it is for me, thank God), that means you are part of the 18% finished. Supposedly 60% still haven't started.

Then again, it's never been about the shopping for me. I'm off to play some piano Christmas carols!

Advent Calendar--December 12

All is not quite dead outside
For I see that am here
Happy in this winter-wide
Snow wonder world of cheer.

I flit from branch to branch by day
A blot of red on white
The others have all flown away
No other bird in sight

Yet I am here, content to be
The only one to stay
To make my home in winter, me
The faithful bird always.

What am I?


It's the best I could do, given what little time I had. Hope your holiday season is less hectic than mine!

Advent Calendar--December 11

I can't believe I didn't get this done earlier, but I've been running since 4:30 a.m.

Here it is, the riddle poem for today:

I'm an evergreen welcome sign
Friendly to Thor, to winter,
To visitors, both friend and foe alike

I might be plain old needles
Or dressed up with a bow
Lights
Pine cones
Tinsel
Tiny presents
Or anything human imagination
Can divine.

But know, if me you see,
That you are welcome, one and all!

Who am I?


(Yesterday's answer--bag of toys)

Advent Calendar--December 10

Hidden in the dark of our magic bag

We whisper to each other 

In expectation

We've been carefully made with one child in mind

And artfully wrapped and labeled

But with speed

Now we feel the rush of wind outside

And our collective excitement grows

As we make the journey home

Who will open us on Christmas morning?

Who will give our short lives purpose?

Who will love us as our maker intended?

We await the rush of joy

The solitary journey down the chimney

To reach our good boy or girl.

What are we?

(Yesterday's answer: Angel)

Advent Calendar--December 9

Floating on the sea of night
I seek out mortal men
To tell them of a wondrous sight
Within the dark, a guiding light
Awaiting all of them.

"Be not afraid!" I softly call
"The Son of God is born!"
Then turn to listen, one and all
And to their knees they softly fall
Before the break of morn.

I'll guide them, and the Magi, too,
The star will light my way
They'll gasp to see the infant coo--
As any who might see would do--
The Savior born this day.

Who am I?

(Yesterday's answer: Christmas Tree.)

Advent Calendar--December 8

OMG, I'm still posting! Eight days in a row! When have I ever managed that?

Here's the verse clue for December 8:

See me from a distance
And I look as soft as fur
But touch my top, for instance,
And I'll poke you like a burr.

Don't fret about the way I itch
Just dress me up with lights
And garlands, balls, assorted kitch
In reds and greens and whites

I love it when you ooh and aah
When I am lit, you see,
And keep the kiddos filled with awe
When they sleep under... me.

What am I?


(Day 7's answer: Poinsettia.)

Advent Calendar--December 7

I grow against all reason
Against all odds
I am nothing
That you believe me to be.

Red as a rose
But not even really a flower
Though I seem to bloom
In the dead of winter

I don't obey the rules
But I don't care.
I choose my own time to shine
My own way to express myself

I am a lovely Christmas beauty
Blooming in the snow
The perfect sign of hope
When all around seems dead and gone.

What am I?


(Yesterday's answer: A teddy bear.)

Advent Calendar: December 6

I'm fashioned after wild fur
And ferocious growls
But teeth and claws
Have been replaced

Now I'm all stuffing
Fluffed fur
And glassy eyes
Made for snuggles

All the fight in me is gone
I've moved from den
To Christmas tree
To child's bedroom

The perfect companion
Rounded ears and all
For a sleeping boy
In train pajamas.

Who am I?

Advent Calendar--December 5

Now that we're five days into this, I thought I'd let you know how the kids are responding. 

THEY LOVE IT!

They especially like the idea that each one is a riddle, though they've easily guessed all except Day three (that took a bit of thinking, even with the Clara clue). 

More than likely, y'all are checking out the poetry and gagging (I read the verses through, and I know they aren't great, believe me). Then again, you aren't the intended audience. My kids are. And they like goofy words and phrases--and rhyme--so I'm writing in a style that is unusual for me, for the most part. 

Besides, I'm in a rush each day. And the poem today reflects that feeling, I think. It's also the easiest poem yet. Here's what will be waiting in the drawer for my kids today:

My work is finally winding down

(Believe me, I can't wait)

I'll soon be done, be on my own

Relaxing with my mate.

My bags are almost fully packed

We're all a little tense

To see the stockings stuffed and tacked

To give out all the presents.

But I still have my tasks to do

I cannot rest quite yet:

Mend my suit and shine each shoe

And get my beard curls set

I'll polish all the jingle bells

And feed the reindeer eight

End up the list--which elf can spell?--

And ready for the date.

It's such a rush this time of year

But I don't mind at all

For I'll be eating brauts and beer

Before the New Year calls.

Who am I?

Advent Calendar--December 4

These humans rush around me

Running, yelling, buying, wrapping

What must all their rushing be

Mailing, panic, shopping, yapping

Yet I know where the magic is

Sitting in my bed of snowflakes

In skies so blue they’re hard to miss,

In sparkling snow, in icy bough breaks

Crackling up around my head.

I listen with my frozen ears

To softest music, kinds words said

If one is silent, then one hears.

I may be frozen, but I feel

My woody arms touch chilly sky

My senses know the world that’s real

While most ignore it, seeking lies.

The music of the universe

Of God and heaven, all around

It finds me on its soft disperse

And vibrates through my snowy ground.

Who am I?

December 3 of My Advent Calendar

So far the poems have gone over pretty well. My two kids pulled them out of the drawers while I was gone to the beach, and with each one, instead of putting in a title, I just gave them the poem and asked, at the end, "Who am I?"

They guessed correctly both times--though with the first one they guessed "Rudolph," so I gave it to them--and they are looking forward to poem #3. If you like, I can list it the same way I do with them, but I doubt any of the poems will be too cryptic for you not to know what the object is...

Still, I'll try it for today.

Even better, if you can guess the positive attribute I'm trying to identify through the object, that would earn you even more points. Feel free to try the same with the first two poems, as well. Each one is dealing with a (very gentle) message. My kids tend to like those, and my son got the second one right away, though the reindeer one from Day 1 didn't occur to either one.

Here it is, #3. Let me know what you think it is. (I warn you now, though, this poem is for my kids, so it won't be hard in the slightest).

I am more than wood
And bright paint
More than trims
And fur
And buttons
Glued on my glistening jacket

I am not a mere peacock
All for show

Look beyond the foppish braiding
Past decoration
My use,
Too long neglected,
Can break what you cannot.

I am stronger than you think
Even as Clara discovered.

What am I?


Did I tell you it would be easy? That last part gives it away completely. (Funny how I act like you are responding, though I'm still writing this post and haven't yet published it. I am so silly!) Beyond the item, what is its message?

December 2: Gifts

The prettiest ones lurk under the tree

Dressed in the latest style 

Awaiting the morning when children will see

Will open, will glow, will smile

But do not be fooled by the glorious wrapping

Or the price tag, or glittery glow,

The best ones aren't good because of their trappings

The good ones have much more, you know

They come, not in ribbons, or fluffity fluff

But in handholds, in soft, kindly words,

In giving what truly is needed, not stuff

Like the toy of the year, how absurd!

So do not be fooled by the fanciest paper

Or give only stuff you can buy

Reach out and give truly, and be a good neighbor;

The warmth in your heart will show why.

Courtesy of Freestockphotos.com

December 1: Reindeer

My coat has been brushed over 

And over

For days

Harnesses checked

Bells re-stitched

Onto newly shined leather

My hairy master

Has shown us our path

Again and again

No time to get lost 

That night

Preparation is everything.