Your Candor Will Be Missed George!!!

Cartoon by:  Tom Stiglich.com

Well, last night my baby graduated from BCIT Medford! 
<phew!  WE MADE IT!!>

The ceremony was very cool and there was only one boring speaker.  The Burlington County Times story ”Electrifying Night for BCIT Medford Grads” really said it well although, I would have called it “Silly Night for BCIT Medford Grads” because between the 217 kids on the stage, there must have been at least 400 cans of Silly String!!  It was awesome!!  They also brought inflatable beach balls and during the speeches blew them up <brilliant!>

Whenever Mr. Porter, the most loved principal that I’ve ever seen, finished a sentence the kids broke out in cheers and you’d see little shots of string fly out.  I knew that they had them and I even armed Chris with some confetti poppers before she left the house.  But, handing every kid a few cans of silly string and expecting them to be able to hold onto them until the end is like putting a piece of cake in front of my husband and asking him not to touch it for an hour!!  So, there were a few shots between the all-out blow-outs where you could barely see the kids because of the beach balls and silly string!

From the newspaper:
“I look at other schools as thunder,” said Porter, who is retiring after serving 37 years as the school’s principal. “Thunder is great, but lightning does all the work. Our kids are the lightning.”

Both thunder and lightning could describe the electric atmosphere of the graduation ceremony last night in the new Performing Arts Center.

The students threw confetti, shot silly string and volleyed half a dozen inflatable beach balls behind Porter as he wrapped up his speech.

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I personally think that they were just getting one last jab at their VP while telling Mr. Porter how much they loved him…and they do!!  I loved it when the Valedictorian gave her speech and then turned around and shot the entire class with silly string!  That was awesome!!  The last thing you want to hear is a bunch of cliche’s, which last night’s speeches covered at least 85% of every cliche ever said but I thought that it was done with flair and all in all, the graduation ceremony, although a little long, was an absolute blast and caps off <ha-ha, get it?  caps off?> the fantastic memories they’ve gathered during their 4 years there. 

I am eternally grateful that we took her out of the township school and got her accepted at BCIT!  It changed her for the better and she graduates with a lot more than a diploma!  She graduates High School with some college credits, work experience and a whole lot of fantastic memories!!  Because they have the same teachers for all 4 years, she also has a much closer relationship with her teachers which is also very cool!!

Our gratitude to the people at that school could never be measured by words but I’ll try…THANK YOU!!!  You all make the kids want to go to school and you can’t say that about many schools!! 

So Anyway…our job is done…at least the hard part!!  I managed to raise Christie in the exact opposite of how I was raised!  She’s experienced everything I wanted to and nothing that I didn’t. 
 

Oh, Baby Baby it’s a wild world
It’s hard to get by just upon just a smile
Oh, Baby Baby it’s a wild world
I’ll always remember you like a child, Girl

I have so many emotions running through me right now and of course it comes at the peak of my hormonal imbalance season!!  It’s okay, I can handle it.  I’ve handled a lot in the past few years and this is a happy occasion but from a mother’s perspective I think it’s bitter-sweet.

I look back at Christie’s first day of school.  How I dropped her off and couldn’t even make it back into the car before I started crying.  And I mean crying!  Slobbering, hyper-ventilating, snotty crying!!  I did that for 4 hours even after I got back to work!  I couldn’t help it!  It was crazy!!

Then, John came home that day and had his long hair covered with his motorcycle helmet in the house which thrilled my curious nature only to find that he had cut off his hair that day so that when we went to school events he would look presentable!  Do you know how much that meant?! 

The field trips that John and I would take turns going on and he’d always bring a pocket full of Bazooka gum and then challenge the teacher when they said “no gum!” just like he did back when he was in school <God, he was defiant!>.  The first dance in 6th grade which she couldn’t wait to be picked up from and I was just as anxious!  Trust me though, by the 8th grade dance she had that whole thing down pat!  From what I heard, she stood in one spot with her boyfriend’s arms around her waist all night!  The Goth stage!  Oh!  That was horrible but she thankfully didn’t do the make-up deal…just those baggy, buckled pants!  And black!  Everything had to be black!! 

High School brought many changes but she wasn’t the same kid that John and I were in our day…THANK GOD!…but she had her defiant stage which she’s still in but that will change when she’s away from High School. 

She’s really been a good kid!  She’s worked summer vacations since she was 15 and landed a job a few months ago that she could keep for life working for the near-by military base.  Her choice of friends has always been a little questionable but they never last too long and she’s only had a few boyfriends.  She’s got a lot of friends and a lot of confidence which I wish I had backin the day!  But, Christie hung out with John and I 90% of the time until she got her license last year which brings out even more for me to be emotional about!  We hardly ever see her but she’ll come back…

Anyway…I love her more than any words or actions can truly say and I’m proud of her beyond belief!  She frustrates me sometimes but I love her so I let it go.  She makes me sad with her decisions sometimes but she makes good ones on the big things, which is what’s important, but she will come home with her hair died pure white and black and pink sometimes and I just sit and shake my head.  And, although there are days when I look at women with young children with pity knowing what is up ahead for them, I would never have done anything differently, including spoiling her beyond recognition!!  <yes, I accept responsibility>  I’ve loved every stage of it deep down inside but I have to say that they’re cuter when they’re puppies!!  I’m just kidding!!

Here’s a picture of my daughter’s and my graduation pictures.  There would be one of John but he didn’t “do” that sort of thing…

 Me and My Baby 
1982                                                  2008

My husband and I stopped at a diner this weekend for a quick bite to eat and I was absolutely stunned by what this girl in her late teens who was sitting across the aisle from us was wearing!  There was only about 2 square feet of cloth between her tank top and her shorts which, of course had the waist band turned down as most of the girls wear them nowadays!  They’re just not short enough as they are!!!  She was cute and she was with her mom and all but she was a little old to be able to pull off the toddler-style summer outfit!! 

I remember a time when people actually cared about how they dressed when they went out.  I don’t expect anyone to dress up but at least get dressed!!  I don’t get dressed up but I still dress respectively yet cool and I’m not showing my stuff and then complaining when someone gawks!   Yes, it was hot but wearing something just short of a bikini out to eat, shop or anything but pool or beach related activities seems over the top to me!!

I’m not a prude…well, I am but I’m not…it’s really not their fault.  The clothing designers seem like a bunch of perverts, forcing people who want to wear the latest fad fashions and the choices in the junior department are rediculous!  It’s cool these days to be promiscuous which really boggles my mind as I’m sure it does the same to the millions of perverts out there who are loving the whole thing!

And then you have the other end of the spectrum.  The people who go out shopping or whatever in things that look like pajamas but I can’t be sure because the material is so worn that I can’t stop looking at the flubber body underneath!  And slippers that I would have thrown out 3 years ago!  Wait…on second thought I wouldn’t be caught dead in them!  This is no slap on the poor because I see what’s in their freaking carts!!!  Overpriced colored sugar water, chips, pretzels, DVD’s and hair dye!  <suddenly I feel like Lewis Black!> 

I don’t know…I do get a kick out of some of the outfits!  The Goth kids, the Scottish (Irish?) rockers with their plaid pants and leather knee-high boots, and the other individuals who are celebrating their individuality by making sure that they will never get a respectable job because they’ve stretched their ear lobes out 2 inches and/or have 60 piercings of which only 40 you can see!  Kids at 16 with “Love” tattooed real big on one hand and “Hate” on the other <my daughter’s friend> ought to really love that when they go to have their wedding photo’s 20 years from now and can’t have the traditional “ring” shot, huh?

Judge not lest ye be judged though…you can label me as BORING!  It’s okay, I’m used to it.  I’m stuck in a Levi’s and white Hanes T-shirt phase which has lasted 43 of my 44 years.  I just recently broke my habit of only wearing white or light colored shirts but as I look down right now I see that I have on light tan but I do try to incorporate color in now and then!  And my husband and I dread formal occasions <but pull it off well> and sometimes the most I really express myself with is a saying on a T-shirt. Bug off! or something! 

I do believe in live and let live, but I guess that my hippiness has aged because when I see people who are showing more skin than a Playboy bunny or so slovenly dressed that you wonder about their mental capacity, I get worried!  I know that from my own experience that my appearance affects how I feel and how I feel affects how I treat others and the world around me!  I know…it’s wrong to think that what works for me will work for others but that’s me!  Basically, I think people should wear what they want to wear but get back to basics.  Be respectful to others and to yourself!

OK, I’m done ranting…I’ll leave you all with a perfect example of both here with a photo of Gisele Bundchen courtesy of Zimbio.com.

People are complaining about and opting out of the body scanners in lieu of having a stranger pat you down during the screening process.  Don’t people realize that under our clothes everyone is naked?  Anyone with half an imagination can imagine what we look like under these clothes (which can sometimes be used as a diet aid!) so I honestly don’t know what their issue is.  It’s not like the screeners are asking you to strip search and it’s not like they’re posting the pictures on a giant screen in the airport, although that would amuse the many who are sitting for hours waiting for their plane.

Don’t these people realize that there are so many things to complain about when it comes to flying?
Think about it…
You’ve got airline fleets with 40 year-old wiring and gas lines and cracks in various parts of the plane which are crucial, like wings and tails and doors!
Pilots who are alcohol and drug users (not all but some) and are stretched so thin that they’re flying more hours than what I’m sure is recommended.  And recently one was caught actually sleeping on the job!!  The Air Traffic Controller was trying to wake him up!!
Air Traffic Controllers who were caught playing chicken with planes and reporting that they’re hiring them and putting them on duty before they’re even fully trained!
Prices that keep going up and service that keeps going down!  You don’t even get peanuts on some flights now which are awesome to keep your ears from popping on take-off!
Having to pay extra if you plan on bringing anything with you like luggage and soon if you’re overweight you might feel like a deli-meat as they’re considering making you pay more if you’re overweight!
And then just consider how some maniac will eventually try to duplicate 9/11 in order to get into the history books!!

I used to fly all of the time, but I figure that there are enough signs why NOT to fly that it would be silly NOT to listen!!

This is John on July 4th 1990.  His band was hired to play at a party and he looks like he delivered quite a show!!!   

 This is John on July 4th 1996…our wedding day.
<I know, we look dorky…we had to dress up a little, ya know? JK!>

I think it’s cool that everyone has the day off for our anniversary and people shoot off fireworks and have cook-outs and all kinds of stuff!
That, my friends, is thoughtful planning! 

I have a bedroom full of amps and guitars <no room for ”big girl” furniture> and a shed full of dirtbikes, so the guy who’s standing on top of the amp “shredding his Les Paul” as he puts it, hasn’t gone anywhere!
He’s alive and well because his wife is awesome!! 
I encourage him to shred guitars and dirtbike tires because I have no plans of growing up myself (and it’s safer than a barstool) and I am happy to report that we are a dozen times happier now as it will be 12 years this 4th of July!

Our advice is this…marry your best friend but wait until you’re able to be a best friend! 

And I think it’s sinking!  I don’t like to be an alarmist or anything but…

Ed Macmahon, who may lose his home after breaking his neck 18 months ago and not being able to work, shows us that whether you’re a star or “just” an average Joe, we’re all in the same boat!  His home’s been on the market for 2 years with no buyers…such a common story all around, huh?  But, it is strange to hear of the rich and famous going through what we typically think only happens to us “normal” folk!

I wonder if actors have health insurance?  I wonder how many of them don’t insure themselves thinking that they’ll always have work and they’ll always have their health?  I wonder how many of them utilize a good accountant to make sure that they’re never embarrassed by being publicly outed as broke!  There are benefits to being unfamous, huh?  Nobody cares if it happens to “us”! <thank God!>

It has been said that reality shows are replacing those shows who hire known actors, so could actors be facing the same problem such as those who will lose their jobs?  Just in the last few days I’ve heard about GM closing down 4 US plants and Continental Airlines is following suit with other airlines by cutting 3000 jobs!  And those are just the tip of the iceberg!

It’s really sad and it’s also scary.  I worry about people who aren’t heeding the warnings.  I’m one of the most frugal, disciplined people I know and even I’m having trouble making ends meet.  It took $33 to fill my gas tank yesterday!  It used to cost $13!!  Thankfully, I get 30 mpg so I’m considered to be doing well.  People like my husband who have to drive trucks that are filled with heavy tools to work are struggling because they can’t raise their prices too much to cover it because then they’re out-bid!  It’s crazy!

I notice that all over the place people have cars and boats and all sorts of things for sale outside on their lawns.  What seemed like a must-have is now practically unable to be sold because nobody can afford it now either. I heard that Hummers might as well become garden planters.  Ha Ha  I love that!  People are forced to prioritize…maybe not just live for today but also think about tomorrow because when we hear about people, even famously rich people, losing their homes………!

And if you’re lucky enough to have money in savings accounts, it’s not making any money!  We’re just letting the banks have our money for nothing!  I don’t think that anyone has all the answers. I guess that all we can do is ride the tide and hope for the best .

OK, I know that yesterday I was talking about the hypothetical love lives of the candidates but today I’m feeling bad for Hillary now that it looks as though she won’t be the Democrat Nominee.  I believe that Hillary was born with the desire to be a political leader right out of the womb and now it looks as though she’ll have to wait at least 4 years to try again. 

On top of that, Vanity Fair has published an article naming yet another of Bill’s indiscretions.  In “The Comeback Id”, Bill’s called a skirt chaser among other things and was linked to fire-ball actress Gina Gershon who vehemently denies the accusations and is suing Vanity Fair.

Hillary should have listened to her inner gut back when she was refusing Bill’s marriage proposals!!  <Why don’t we listen when God is trying to tell us something?  Why do we think that we’re smarter? >

I wonder how she would be perceived if she didn’t quietly take his bullshit.  Would she be more of a hero, more successful if she had kicked him to the curb?  Could she be the Democratic nominee if she stood up for herself instead of doing what is expected of a politician?  I mean…come on!   We don’t expect much from politicians anyway! 

I also wonder if she were more feminine would she have won?  Maybe if she didn’t wear a pantsuit constantly?  I was just saying to my husband that the first thing I think of when I see Hillary’s wardrobe is Ellen Degeneres!  Ellen wouldn’t wear a dress because it’s not who she is, so is Hillary doing the same?  <just pondering> And in all honestly, if Hillary was gay, I would respect her a lot more for coming out and standing up for herself.  I’m not saying she is but…

It boils down to this though.  Whether you like her or not, she is a human-being, a fellow Child who has a dream and makes choices good and bad.  She has feelings and a heart and a chart and because of that I feel for her.  I wouldn’t vote for her for anything but that won’t stop me from wishing her well.  I know that I bust her nuggets but that’s just my childish human side.  Deep down I’m a real softy.

I was wondering yesterday “what if the sex lives of the candidates mattered in the election?  Hmm…what could their sex/love lives be like?” 

I know…I’m a sexist.  I won’t make any apologies.  I am married to a construction worker and although many think that it’s food or something that keeps him going, he and I know what really keeps him going.  <hint…he’d starve himself for this>   I know from my own experience that 1) when he hasn’t had “it”, he can be pretty unreasonable and 2) when he knows he’s gonna get it, he can’t think of nothin’ else!  So, in my mind, this sort of thing matters!

So, just for shits and giggles, lets look at the candidates and ponder what could (or could not) be going on behind closed doors.

Ladies first.
Hillary Clinton(age 61, married 33 years) was working at building her political career in 1974 when she first met Clinton.  Bill repeatedly proposed to her but she refused “concerned that her separate identity would be lost and that her accomplishments would be viewed in the light of someone else’s”  They finally married in 1975 in her living room.  She used her maiden name, Rodham, until 1982…even after the birth of Chelsea because she was still concerned with losing her identity. (Wikipedia)

Now, I honestly believe that Hillary would have never married but maybe Bill’s political desires convinced her that together they’d work well together.  I believe that they had sex once in 1980 as that is when Chelsea was born, although we all know that there are other methods of conception.  Maybe her and Bill make a pact regarding what they do behind closed doors but I think that Bill’s indiscretions make me wonder.  Then again, maybe she’s a fireball in bed!  I’ve been shocked before…I’ve also noticed that she used Hillary Rodham Clinton quite often now that she’s branching out on her own.

Barack O’Bama (age 46, married 16 years) met Michelle when she was his advisor at a law firm he was working at (an office romance, how exciting!).  She denied his wedding proposals much like Hillary did in the beginning but Michelle finally said yes and they were married in 1992.  They have 2 children, both girls ages 7 and 10. 

I have seen that Barack’s physique is pretty good, considering what I’ve seen when he was photographed on a beach but something tells me that he’s probably boring in the bedroom, maybe more concerned with other things.  Michelle seems to be the old-fashioned kind of wife who takes care of her family well but I don’t know…something tells me that there is a bit of blah in the bedroom.  But, then again, this is only a pondering and I have been shocked before.  Small children do hinder sex lives but for some, but they can also make it exciting as creativity is required in order to pull it off undetected. 

John McCain (age 71, 2nd marriage 28 years) met Cindy who was a teacher in Phoenix even though her family was loaded.  The love was instant and his first wife, who he married prior to going to war, agreed to a divorce and he and Cindy were married soon after.

Okay.  Here’s where you’re really going to be offended if you are easily offended. 
I think that John is a man’s man.  He needs more than meat and potatoes to keep him running and Cindy looks more than willing to make sure he’s happy.  Although he has physical restrictions as a result of his torturous 5 year stint as a POW, I don’t think that gets in their way at all.  And the outfits that Cindy chooses to wear to public functions tells me that she’s probably got even frillier things in the top drawer.  <it takes one to know one>  I don’t see John suffering from sexual frustration should he win the biggest pain-in-the-ass job in the world and as a woman who’s not a lesbian but adores God’s artwork, 4-8 years of looking at her won’t hurt.

So, there you have it.  My political ponderings of what really matters most…the candidates “state of their union”, or at least my take on it.

My daughter graduates from High School in a few weeks, God willing, and I have found that the closer we get to the date, the more I am reflecting on my own high school years…or what I can remember from them.  The thing is, my memory has never served me so well as it has in the last few weeks!  I am suddenly able to recall names of the faces I remember from days gone by!  I have been known to forget what we had for dinner last night and here I am pulling names out of the air as if it was just yesterday but it wasn’t.

I graduated from Maple Shade High School here in New Jersey in 1982!  That makes me feel so old, which to me really isn’t a bad thing. 

I decided to check out Classmates.com and apparently others who may be in my shoes are doing the same as myself, reflecting backwards as their child goes forward, because there were tons of people that I actually recognized who had also signed up!  I filled out my info and all but I don’t plan on getting too involved.  It’s probably as neat for others to see where I ended up as it was for me to check out how their lives turned out. 

I also checked out the High School’s Alumni page and posted my info there but I’m not a reunion type of person so I hope I don’t get bombarded.  The truth is that when I was in high school, most of my friends were in the grades above me so by the time I graduated, I felt pretty insignificant…actually, that describes my entire teen years…I felt insignificant. 

I think about the boys that broke my heart and vice versa.  The girls that snobbed me.  Whatever happened to them?  Are they okay?  Do they miss me?  I had a good time back then and I have few regret but I do wish that I had the confidence back then that I have now!!    What I could have been if I had applied myself in all aspects…educationally and friend-wise!!

I didn’t do too badly, though.  I did great!  I love my life!!  All of the choices I made led me here, and it’s a good “here”!  And my daughter, although not driven, isn’t “floating”!