Way too auld lang syne

Count me in as one who didn't find 2008 to be all that horrendous. I moved to a great small town in a gorgeous part of the country, I started school and love it and finally see a definite light at the end of the horrible Poverty Tunnel, I logged another year of a happy marriage, and met some cool new people. Sure, the economy went to shit, but we never had any money anyway. And sure, we're living with my parents, but only til next fall and they're actually pretty good roommates. Really, I don't have much to complain about. That being said, I'm always excited for the start of a new year. I know it's really just an arbitrary line, but it always seems like such potential--fresh start and all of that crap.

Our trip to Minneapolis last week was fine. We went to a show at the Triple Rock, which was okay, I guess, except I'm realizing that when I'm sitting at a punk show at 11:30, freezing and tired and fantasizing about my fleece pants, I'm probably too damn old to be there. I think someone needs to start putting on punk shows that start at 7 pm for all of the aging people who don't enjoy themselves when they're out past their bedtimes. God, how sad is that?

People Who Get Paid to Say Stupid Shit

So I was reading the paper today, minding my own business, when I came across this little editorial by Kathleen Parker. In case you don't want to bother with the link, she was essentially discussing the people who have their collective panties in a bunch over the prospect of Caroline Kennedy being named to the Senate because they think it's unfair that she might get that job while Sarah Palin, who does have actual government experience, was considered unqualified to be Vice President. As Parker (more diplomatically) points out, it's a stupid argument, and I highly doubt that anyone who supports Kennedy for the senate seat would claim that she had the background to be one metastasizing melanoma away from being President of the United States. Senator does not equal Vice President on the scale of importance, symbolic though it may be.

In any case, I don't really care all that much whether Caroline Kennedy gets Clinton's Senate seat, and I was reading along with only mild interest until I got to this:
Suffice to say, she (Palin) worked hard to get from Wasilla High to the governor's mansion.
Not so Kennedy, who, upon her marriage to Edwin Schlossberg, never changed her name. The girl-child of Camelot, Kennedy was to the political manner born and heiress to a famous brand.

Oh. I didn't realize that married women who don't change their names automatically have ulterior motives! Silly me! And here I thought I chose not to change my name because it was the name I grew up with, the name I had for close to thirty years, and I felt really uncomfortable with the idea of a new name. If Kathleen Parker hadn't informed me otherwise, I would have made the same assumptions about any woman who kept her "maiden name" (and gag to that phrase, by the way), Caroline Kennedy included. I wish I'd known it was such a subversive act at the time; I would have made a really big fucking deal about my radical street cred.

Going into town

We're going to Minneapolis today, and I'm excited. I may suffer some culture shock due to the reduced ratio of pickup trucks and encountering more than four stoplights, but it will be fun to be back in the city. See some friends and family, sit in traffic, get a little punk rock in.

I'm asking Santa for two things: 1., to make it without encountering any truly horrible weather, and 2., for the knot in my shoulder to go away so I can regain range of motion in my neck and not have to do an impression of Joan Cusack in 16 Candles every time I'm trying to look at someone. Having my head bent over books for the last two weeks paid off (straight As!), but I feel like a robot. And not a fembot, either. More like one of those robots with the square head and the wild slinky arms.

Holiday "Cooking" with Sandra Lee

I'm not much of a Food Network follower. When I watch TV, it's usually something like The Daily Show or Colbert Report, or else Man vs. Wild, because Bear Grylls has been showing an increasing tendency to strip down and that's just damn good TV. But I've been hearing about this Sandra Lee character and the hideous concoctions she tries to foist on the American public, and I just had to check out her website.

I give you Holiday Wreath Cupcakes, which feature store-bought chocolate cupcakes or muffins, cherry pie filling, peppermint frosting, and green fruit roll-up. They probably taste absolutely delicious after 6 or 7 Sugar Plum Fairies, presuming one hasn't choked on the gumdrop garnishes. "Nauseating" doesn't even begin to describe these abominations.

Sandra Lee recipes. When you want to tell your guests to get the hell out without saying a word.

It's a nice cut, but do you have something that says "I'm going to kill my date tonight?"

What the fuck, huh? I mean, what the fucking fuck? What kind of smug little wiener thought this would be a fine image to sell an ugly-ass suit?

I'm not really sure what is up with people who find depictions of murdered, tortured, brutalized women sexy. What, exactly, are the douchebags over at duncan quinn trying to say here? That you too can put on a plaid suit and strangle a woman with your tie? Hey, you've got a date and you don't even have to buy her dinner or listen to her yapping! And you'll get to wear an expensive suit, which you will remember fondly later on, when your choices are limited to denim jumpsuits.

This shit pisses me off. What pisses me off even more is that when someone speaks up and says "That is a seriously fucked-up ad," we all have to listen to jackass ad executives and commentators defend it and call those of us who find it offensive a bunch of humorless feminists. Because if we just had a sense of humor, we'd see it was hip and edgy to sell clothing using images of murder.

Jeez, lighten up, ladies! They don't really want to kill you, they just think it's sexy when you look like you've died a violent death. What's your problem, anyway?

I'm thankful this is my blog and I can be late if I want to.

I actually worked on Thanksgiving Day, so I didn't spend much time thinking on gratitude, because my job kind of depresses me and it was just like another day. But here is what I'm thankful for.
I'm thankful for the people in nursing school with me, because they are funny and supportive and warm and it makes a full day of classes enjoyable.
I'm thankful for the return of the Jell-O Pudding Pop.
I'm thankful Em and Ike came up to visit, because I hadn't seen them for four months and it was great.
I'm thankful Ike is fun and happy now instead of a screamy bundle of torture.
I'm thankful for the opportunity to live in a small town in such a beautiful area.
I'm thankful for the awesome bakery in this small town and the fact that I can get the best bagels I've ever eaten in far northern Wisconsin.
I'm thankful for my family, who are awesome and help us out as much as they can without making us feel bad about it.
I'm thankful for our new president.
I'm thankful for my friends. I'm not one to collect large numbers of friends, and the ones I do have are really important to me.
I'm thankful to be almost a quarter of the way through nursing school, and I'm thankful that once Kevin and I graduate, we'll never be desperately poor again.
I'm thankful for Kevin, because he is cute and charming and makes me laugh every day and has a strange fascination with the show "Bridezillas" and I can't imagine my life right now without him.