Wednesday, November 06, 2024

shell shocked




 Mr. and Ms. Blogmaid were kind enough to invite me to a slumber party in Half Moon Bay so we could watch the election results and celebrate Kamala's victory. Argh. I am trying to stay positive and I know that SOMEHOW we will make it through the next four years but sheeeesh, it won't be easy. Feeling despondent this morning. Also, Mayor Breed came in second. WTF?

Tuesday, November 05, 2024

election day 2024

 Thanks to my neighbor, Heidi, for this poem. Yes, we are all on pins, needles, chads.

Alison Luterman

HOLDING VIGIL

My cousin asks if I can describe this moment,
the heaviness of it, like sitting outside
the operating room while someone you love 
is in surgery and you’re on those awful plastic chairs
eating flaming Doritos from the vending machine
which is the only thing that seems appealing to you, dinner-wise,
waiting for the moment when the doctor will come out 
in her scrubs and face-mask, which she’ll pull down
to tell you whether your beloved will live or not. That’s how it feels
as the hours tick by, and everyone I care about
is texting me with the same cold lump of dread in their throat
asking if I’m okay, telling me how scared they are.
I suppose in that way this is a moment of unity,
the fact that we are all waiting in the same 
hospital corridor, for the same patient, who is on life support,
and we’re asking each other, Will he wake up?
Will she be herself? And we’re taking turns holding vigil,
as families do, and bringing each other coffee
from the cafeteria, and some of us think she’s gonna make it
while others are already planning what they’ll wear to the funeral,
which is also what happens at times like these,
and I tell my cousin I don’t think I can describe this moment,
heavier than plutonium, but on the other hand,
in the grand scheme of things, I mean the whole sweep
of human history, a soap bubble, because empires
are always rising and falling, and whole civilizations
die, they do, they get wiped out, this happens
all the time, it’s just a shock when it happens to your civilization,
your country, when it’s someone from your family on the respirator, 
and I don’t ask her how she’s sleeping, or what she thinks about
when she wakes at three in the morning,
cause she’s got two daughters, and that’s the thing,
it’s not just us older people, forget about us, we had our day
and we burned right through it, gasoline, fast food, 
cheap clothing, but right now I’m talking about the babies,
and not just the human ones, but also the turtles and owls
and white tigers, the Redwoods, the ozone layer, 
the icebergs for the love of God—every single 
blessed being on the face of this earth
is holding its breath in this moment, 
and if you’re asking, can I describe that, Cousin, 
then I’ve gotta say no, no one could describe it
we all just have to live through it, 
holding each other’s hands.
  

Monday, November 04, 2024

almost to the finish line


 I'd like to say that I'm feeling positive about this election, but that would not be true. Well, sometimes I feel like we will win but then I watch yet another poll result on tv and I am filled with worry. I know I live in a blue bubble and for that I am more than grateful. And thanks for the artwork, Blogmaid.

Sunday, November 03, 2024

sweet goodbyes


 My new friend Lana and I were busy saying farewell to each other and the other volunteers yesterday morning. Yes, I sometimes did not want to be there so early on a Saturday morning, but it was a really great experience for me and I am so glad that I did this. Fingers crossed for Mayor Breed as we head into Tuesday Election Day. 

Friday, November 01, 2024

Halloween 2024 = over




 Well, we can see why the Blogmaid won "most creative costume" at her work party yesterday! My day was quiet as I finished a book (The Vegetarian) and then a tv series (Only Murders) last night. November is already looking busy and that is how it should be. Constant overall worry, of course, about the election on Tuesday. Four years of the Orange Tyrant would be unbearable.

Thursday, October 31, 2024

an unusual road trip



 For her birthday Amy requested some famous Tony's pizza and a Netflix movie here in my home.  Door Dash delivered a yummy vegetarian pizza and a caesar salad and we thoroughly enjoyed this documentary about Will Farrell and his close friend of 30 years who had recently transitioned from a man to a woman now named Harper Steele.  I so recommend Will & Harper because it is funny and yet poignant and helps us all understand why people change their sex, even when they are older and how they just want to be comfortable in their own bodies.