Thursday Thoughts - the new day dawns and I am practicing my purpose once again

Loving that the security guard at the library always chooses one of my book covers or titles to comment on. It makes my day every time. 

Inviting you to MFD's campaign benefit on Friday, April 13. That's right, Friday the 13th. Please come support a progressive candidate if you don't know us and you lean that way and please come support your friend who'd give you the shirt off of his back if you do know us and don't lean that way or don't give a shit about politics. You don't need to live in our district to support him as a candidate or a friend. Thanks in advance for considering it!

Celebrating my birthday all month, starting today. 

Reading some Netgalley book right now but I fucking read a beta copy of a book my friend WROTE. And I liked it so I didn't have to worry about crushing her. Shelby of Big Hungry Shelby, you made me so happy and proud this week.

Watching Gus age and trying to prepare myself for what is inevitably coming in the next year. Of course, you can't prepare.

Considering opening the shore house next weekend. I'm probably pushing it by a week but I need it.

Answering two week old emails or deleting them.

Struggling to keep up with life, retain balance, and protect my peace. I'm asking for a little grace from friends, family, and the universe. 

Preparing for the March for Our Lives on 3/24. I see a lot of people on the Internet also preparing to go to one of these events in DC or closer to home, and for many of them it's the first time they've assembled this way. If you are a first timer and you want to talk it through, email me. There are no stupid questions or fears.

Asking you to contact Amazon if you want them to pull the plug on the NRA Streaming channel and to stop advertising on Breitbart. Two huge strikes. Here's how you can contact them - because they don't make it easy. Thanks to my friend PJ for doing the legwork on the info and sending it to me. Log on to Amazon. Click help on the top nav bar, then Browse help topics on the bottom left and scroll to Need More Help? Then Click Contact Us. At the top choose Prime or Something else. In Section 2 select more non order questions and then under that select Give Amazon Feedback then Opportunities for Improvement. Section 3 choose email. Write your email and let it fly.

Buying something from Dick's for my birthday. Anything. I didn't shop there before. I will now. This is what it takes. Kudos to Walmart for raising their minimum age for gun purchases also. Thanks are in order to both if you have the time and are so inclined.

Avoiding purging the bins around the house that need to be purged.

Reminding myself and you and all of us 

Ecard of the week

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Thursday Thoughts - now she can't be that warm with the wind in her arms

1. I am well on my way to becoming the eccentric old lady I was born to be in this cold but pretty winter.

2. IF we were going to deify any sort of medication,  Elderberry Syrup is the way, the truth, and the light. I take it in water every day all year. I was off it from Christmas Eve on and by NYE I was feeling terrible. New batch, double dose for three days, now I'm much better. It does not get rid of snot but it does help you feel run over by a small car instead of a mack truck. Seriously I rarely get sick, and taking this daily is why. For me it's less effective as a cure than a preventative. 

3. The Goldbergs. I freaking love it like everyone who knows me told me I would.

4. The next Show Us Your Books is Tuesday. That came up fast, no? I finished a book last night and started another but I don't know if it'll last.

5. Meanwhile, in Dog Town...Mae hates the entire world and everyone in it due to the weather. Gus's age shows more and more. Bruce is so full of energy and naughty but also funny and so cute.

6. The President: A Dangerous Idiocy. The North Korea tweet shows his complete lack of foreign policy, diplomacy, and restraint. Posturing over big buttons for your nuclear weapons? Nuclear taunting is what insecure little dictator men do, not capable and powerful presidents of the United States of America. Wait... The other tweets are a domestic terror. NOT NORMAL. RESIST.

7. In the aftermath of #MeToo - #TimesUp. The clock has run out on sexual assault, harassment, and inequality in the workplace. I signed the solidarity letter and donated Tuesday. Read the NYT article here. Ladies and allies - we cannot say we want things to be different and not commit to being a part of the change. 

8. Mmm hmm 

9. Reminder:

10. Ecard of the week: 

Happy birthday to my aunt Sue today! 

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Thursday Thoughts - take a right at the light, keep goin' straight until night

Wishing my Dad a very happy birthday today. Still picking me up 40 years later...not physically because I’m heavy now but in all the other ways that count. As stated many times previously, sorry to the rest of you but he is the very best Dad. I'm also wishing we were in Ireland celebrating it like we were last year. That was awesome. I'm getting the itch to plan the next family trip but it won't be for a while since a newborn is coming in December. 

Raising money for pancreatic cancer research. My family is walking in the Purple Stride walk this Saturday in memory of my grandmother. She lived nine months from her date of diagnosis. I've done many walks for various cancers, and what strikes me at the PanCAN walk is how very few survivors are present. We'd like to do what we can to change that. We are Madeline's Marchers and you can donate to MFD here if you are so inclined - we are only $105 from our team goal! Thank you so much to those who already donated and helped me meet my goal. It's a cause very close to my heart.

Feeling colder than I usually feel. I've always been a very hot blooded person. I have the chills a lot now. Is this getting older syndrome? Yesterday it was my own fault, I looked at the weather before I got dressed and looked at the wrong fucking day. 

Hearing MFD on the phone for three hours in a row some nights and I know, I know, it's his job, but it drives me fucking insane because he doesn't stay in one spot - he paces and he's loud. I can't get away from it.

Sharing what the hell else but dog photos. Oh. And I had MFD take the top right photo, which is terrible...he says I posted that on Instagram. I said are you fucking serious. Then I go on and I can't find it. But I see in my messages that Marla and Sara commented on it. I was like where the hell is this photo? Here he posted it as a fucking story - I've never posted an Instagram story...on purpose. I hate them.

Perusing Christmas card designs. Ho ho ho motherfuckers.

Reading Daisy in Chains by Sharon Bolton

Watching Stranger Things Season 2 like most of the world. Halloween night we were up until 12:30 watching it. Too late!

Wearing a cardigan. It's my uniform. 

Following Amy Siskind's weekly authoritarian list, being archived by the Library of Congress each week, now has its own website and is easier to find and follow than ever. Here's the site and here's October 28th's post. 

Loving how the light hits the buildings when I'm coming up out of the train station in the mornings now that the sun rises later. 

Hating General Kelly showing his racist ass for everyone to see; everyone throwing shit against the wall to distract from the first two Mueller indictments on Monday;  the voting data with irregularities from the special election in Georgia being wiped off the server; the imposter president tweeting erroneous  partisan bullshit instead of doing anything about the 600 shot in Las Vegas/the 1000+ dead in Puerto Rico/providing calm leadership to NYC/any actual presidential work; Kevin Spacey being a fucked up pedophile trying to play it off as something else; and Notre Dame no longer allowing faculty, staff, and (in 10 months) students to get birth control through their insurance plan.

Reminding you to be a ripple, every day. The smallest act of kindness or bravery from you can improve the life of someone else immensely. 

Sharing an e-card like every Thursday

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Thursday Thoughts - even the losers get lucky sometimes

Thinking I have soup phobia. I swear to god every time I make soup I avoid eating it and I don't know why. 

Wishing I could get a grip on the state of my house. It is fright fest in there this week. There is shit everywhere. 

Hoping you've heard the Tom Petty song Walls (No. 3), and if you haven't, that you'll listen to it now. It's my favorite. Rest in Peace.

Wondering if people against common sense gun legislation recognize how circular their arguments are or how hypocritical they sound. Guns should be owned by people trained to use them, people who respect them, people who took courses and paid money to hold licenses. If you think for one second the 2nd Amendment is still about the ability to arm yourself against your own government, you are a lunatic, my friend. You and a few of your buddies with rifles are not going to defeat the tyranny of a war machine with a $600 billion defense budget. This is not Red Dawn. Why does anyone who opposes gun owner regulation never hear that I don't want to take their guns? I don't want to take your guns...until you act like a nutter in your insistence that ZERO additional legislation will help prevent mass shootings from occurring. Then I want to take your guns because you're mentally ill and shouldn't have them. Oh wait, trump overturned a mental health regulation on gun purposes back in February. Never mind. You're right! Nothing left to be done except send thoughts and prayers. Or you can call your representative and ask about what can be done to keep weapons designed to kill out of the hands of nutters and angry white men with a misplaced rage problem and a heap of insecurities. And I'm sorry, the NRA does not exist for you, they are not your tribe. They exist to protect and promote gun manufacturers. Gun users are pawns. Can someone start an organization for responsible gun ownership of people who don't fetishize guns but respect them and know their place? Can people also stop taking photos with their guns like they are toys or new shoes? They're not either. They are serious business. See also: how to call your representative about gun control reform (thanks Tiffany for the link). Things I would read again: No More Shootings That Follow the Rules (op-ed in the NYT), 15 Things that are Harder to Obtain than a Gun (blog post), and finally images from the Internet that unfortunately resonated this week:

Dreaming of a world where the interest in legislating guns was triple the interest in legislating women's bodies. If you don't think politicians have the right to legislate vaginas, please call your Senator about this bill. It passed the House. 

Raising money for pancreatic cancer research. My family is walking in the Purple Stride walk on November 4th in memory of my grandmother. We are Madeline's Marchers and you can donate to me here if you are so inclined.

Roaring with laughter that stirrups are back. Fucking stirrups you guys! I wore these in 1986. Stop it. They look terrible and it constantly feels like you're pulling your own pants down but not of your own volition.

Getting sick of the let them eat cake reaction to natural disasters in this country. Are you kidding me with the goddamn towel throwing in Puerto Rico this week? Disgraceful bully toddler impotent man. The best way to combat soulless life suckers is to donate - money, time, resources.
Evacuees of the Keys helps FL Keys residents, this is my first time sharing this link
Links to donate to PR in this post
Links to donate to TX & USVI in this post

Reporting in from Dog Town. Bruce is really good. He pees and poops outside and sleeps most of the way through the night. Any accidents inside have been because humans have not been paying attention. Mae is very pleased to have someone to growl at and lay with, but she prefers Bruce lay with her without walking near her so it's a delicate balance. Many people were asking about Gus's reaction to him, and the truth is Gus doesn't need anyone but Gus, so Gus does not feel left out or anything like that. Gus tolerates him which is all we can ask of Gus in any situation. LOL Humans are fighting over who will get up with the puppy in the middle of the night and happier than ever in their decision not to have human children. Excuse these photos, who knows what is going on with the camera on my phone.

Trying to get my shit together to put a blog together for tomorrow about the Pennsylvania Women's Conference I attended on Tuesday. Few words might be the best way to go.

Reading Poison by Galt Niederhoffer. Show Us Your Books is Tuesday! Third anniversary edition, which means prizes.

Reminding you 

Sharing an e-card like every Thursday

Happy happy birthday to Aunt Carrie today! 

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Thursday Thoughts - What's new with you?

I'm reading: This Place Holds No Fear by Monika Held. This is the first book relating in any way to WWII I have read since finishing Lilac Girls in March 2016. That one wore on my soul for a long, long time. Tuesday is Show Us Your Books. Be there or be square. 

I'm dancing: on the first of the month every month. I get a free copy of a not yet released book from Kindle First and it's the day I can pick my Book of the Month Club book pick. This month I chose Woman No. 17 by Edan Lepucki and as a bonus the much anticipated Into the Water by Paula Hawkins, which was free since I had a credit. Holler. 

I'm buying: Too many pairs of athleisure shoes. I'm sure I'll be photographing all of them for IG at some point even though they are purchased to be comfortable for old ladies, not stylish. On a related note I got this pair of Sanuk flip flops from REI for 79 cents after applying REI points I didn't even know I had. Hollerrrrrrr. They provide a little more support than the regular yoga mat flip flops. Old bitches can't be wearing thin flip flops anymore. 

I'm dreading: I have a dentist appointment this afternoon. It's been too long in between appointments for a genetic trash tooth mouth like mine and I know I'm going to need major things. I fear a root canal is coming. Hold me, mummy.

I'm recommending: you attend a panel of candidates running for any local election if you get a chance. I went to see Philly DA candidates speak at an event sponsored by the Northeast Times, Greater Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, and Northeast Victim Service on Tuesday night and it was great. They are similar on paper, and the way they answered the timely questions really differentiated them. It's also helpful to me at least to see someone's demeanor. Out of the eight candidates in attendance, I had a favorite but would have been fine with three others filling the spot. That's always a good feeling.

I'm thankful: That we cancelled our vacation. I know that seems like a ridiculous statement. If we went, MFD would not be able to keep up with his busy season and I would not have been able to get everything done at the shore before Memorial Day. Being stressed the fuck out on your trip is not a good way to go into it.

I'm reminding: you of this momentous occasion and I'm pretty sure I use the same image every year.

I'm hating: My eye is twitching this week, this could be its own post. In short: injustice and the murder of Jordan Edwards; the POTUS continues to attempt to re-write history with alternative facts; instead of concentrating on protecting our right to clean air and water the EPA is now in the business of corporations over people, ignoring asthma, and reviving coal; an anti-contraception wingnut is now running a family planning program that provides funding for poor Americans; the fact that people like Congressman Brooks exist period and as an extra rageful bonus that they serve as elected officials in this country; the fact that Pennsylvania is home to some of the largest groups of white supremacist motherfuckers like Keystone United. And the big mama, they are planning a vote on the newest iteration of trumpcare today - where Congress is exempt from the shitty stuff and C-sections, postpartum depression, sexual assault, domestic violence are all now pre-existing conditions. It is disliked by most Americans and opposed by nearly every major healthcare group. Oh, and they haven't scored it...so they don't know how many it will cover or how much it will cost.   Light up that Congressional switchboard.

I'm asking: you not to let anyone make you feel bad for saying something.

I'm laughing: at poop. Always.

What's new with you?

Linking up with Kristin & Joey and Kristen & Gretch