2008-01-21

tantrums? a.d.d.? and attachment

i am unsure if i just witnessed a tantrum. maybe the fact that i'm asking that q question- answers the question. maybe when you see a tantrum- you just know. back arching, arms flailing and screaming. does this qualify? anyone with kids- please let me know the following:

  • when was the first tantrum you remember?
  • what were the markers?
  • how old was your kid?
  • what did you do?

secondly- i've been thinking lately that i might have attention deficient disorder. either that or i just need to get my shit together. i can't seem to hold a thought in my head. if something requires concentration- i'm thinking about what needs to happen next. then i forget what i was initially thinking of. at the most inopportune times- my to do list crowds out what needs my immediate attention. maybe this is new motherhood. or maybe i need ritalin. i hear it's kinda fun (i'm joking people lighten up).

finally- i would guess they covered this is christianity 101 and i missed that day; but i was reminded today that my role in the lives of those that don't know Jesus is to point them to Him. i like to point people to myself. for real. people need to attach to Jesus. not to me. my bullshit attempt to be cool enough that people who would otherwise not be interested in Jesus; would be interested in Jesus b/c i know times new viking or some other crap is- well... crap. i guess i was reminded today that all i can really give people in need around me is Jesus. and He's way better than the 'right' playlist or reading list or whatever.

that's it.

2008-01-17

10 things i cannot tire of...

  1. lentil soup
  2. morning coffee
  3. morning paper
  4. constance's giggle
  5. muga muga w/ charles (which is not a euphemism- it's a sullivanism for rubbing faces)
  6. deck screws. i know this one is weird- but i love em!
  7. the economist
  8. going to the movies by myself
  9. most any yard work with the exception of mowing the lawn. basically landscaping.
  10. 89.7 wosu- except i'm disappointed they added npr talk to it. even though i love npr.

2008-01-16

top 10s - list making 101- maureen style

i like lists. i used to be compulsive about lists and now i only stalk people who are compulsive about lists. i have lots and lots of sites bookmarked where i look at people's lists. weird- i know. but true. lists make my world make sense. if i get overwhelmed- i make a list. i used to color coat them- but now i don't. progress not perfection eh?

so i'm going to post some lists on here. i've had lists of band names, dog names, kid names, ways i'd hate to die, ways i wouldn't mind dying, greatest human rights leaders, purchases to make, songs that are good to listen to if you need a soundtrack to cry to, books to read if you want to start a revolution, books to read if you want to escape and so on. i think you get the picture. so i'm going to posts some lists on here. soon my lovelies. soon.

2008-01-14

chewable vitamin

"... a humble self knowledge is a surer way to God than a search after deep learning..."

: a'Kempis

2008-01-03

it's finally here. election year 2008

i thought i would catalog the evolution of my thinking and position where politics are concerned.

here's my account:

this is a snap shot of where i was over ten years ago...
between the ages of 19 and 23 i did the following:

  • wore black the day bill clinton was inaugurated.
  • listened to rush limbaugh everyday (for pleasure. without barfing- not the whole five years but many of the five).
  • ask for a subscription to the national review for christmas when i was twenty.
  • i actually remember having a conversation with my mom (a staunch democrat) where i defended cutting all social program funding b/c of the 'survival of the fittest'. i want to puke now and crawl up into a little little ball.
what happened:

between the ages of 22 and 27:
  • i actually met and lived amongst people in abject poverty.
  • i saw the aftermath of communism.
  • i had lots of close interaction with black people and started to learn more about racism and power.
  • i met more people who were poor, whose grew up poor, and whose dad grew up poor and started to learn what are factors involved in 'a cycle of poverty'.
  • i went to a church that talked about the poor and how close they are to the heart of God.
  • and i lived in new york city.

my thoughts on this election:
none of the republicans interest me at all (with the remote exception of john mccain... sometimes). i have o.d.-ed on republicans. some of them scare me- but i will keep it positive.

the primaries for the the democratic party are more invigorating. call me a lemming- but i think it is completely legitimate to want to be inspired by a political candidate. i don't mean to place undue hope in politics as the solution to our world's problems. however, the reality is that politics and economics seem to be a large cause of much of both the desperate and hopeful situations in our world. probably b/c they are the avenue that power is ethier used or abused to change course and really impact history.

with that has my precursor- i will say the following:

i'm an obamaite.

when i think about the future of politics, the tone and pitch- i cringe. i think our country needs someone to lead us to a new path. the stuff we've tried had not only not worked- but in many cases failed miserably. on so many fronts- i am discouraged by what i see in our country and the wrong policies that get passed and the right policies that fail.

but when i hear obama's policies and approach to the things that matter to me (and i believe will influence our country and world for the better)- i am hopeful- infact i get excited for the future. i know that obama doesn't have the experience of some of his competitors. but clearly- experience is not a guarantor of a good president.

i had hopes that bill richardson and joe biden would get some momentum. i know they are candidates with very little real stake in the election and won't win the nomination- but i really like them both and would contend that both have more of the experience i am looking for (on foreign policy in particular) than any other candidates in either party.

* this ends my talk about politics for the year. i anticipate political talk will stir in blogdom and i hope to hold my tongue (as an act of discipline for myself- not b/c those types of dialog/monologue are inherently bad).

* i read a book this summer called tempting faith which was very good. it motivated me 'do' politics differently this season. we'll see if it sticks.