the peacoat papers

labor day, this year and last

Happy Labor Day!

No Mommy Mondays post today.  We'll pretend Tuesday is Monday this week.

Like most of America, we're taking the day off around here.  Getting things done, taking another turn at de-cluttering the layers of our home, preparing for baby. 

Today is the perfect day to catch up on a few things I've been procrastinating, like organizing my photo library which is full of the thousands of photos from this summer on the lake, and backing up my computer in preparation for the Snow Leopard upgrade.

We had a date last night at one of our favorite restaurants, then watched The Godfather.  I had never seen it.  I didn't expect to like it.  I loved it.  We're watching the the second one tonight.

This morning I'm making my way through my blog reader and listening to The Gorilla make notes on an episode of one of his shows. 

These days of rest and catch-up are always welcome.

**

A lot can happen in a year...this time last year I was with my parents at the Republican National Convention in Minnesota. 

You can read my wrap up thoughts on that trip here, but clicking here will take you to all the posts from the convention (you'll have to scroll down a little) and my mom's commentaries are not to be missed.

I took a quick glance through it, and the only point I can see a year later that I feel differently about is Mrs. Palin.  My opinion has shifted from those initial impressions, although I will maintain that her convention speech was one of the most riveting I've ever seen.

Peacoat is not a political blog, but we are living in fascinating times.  So I felt it was worth a link back.  Last labor day seems so very long ago...

new fans or new anthem?

Last night The Gorilla and I had a date night at the Lakers game.  The Gorilla is a big, big Lakers fan so this is something we do together fairly often.  I have always noticed - and in fact meant to blog about - how disrespectful the fans are during the National Anthem. 

The Lakers are the only professional sports team that I have any regular experience with, since until recently Oklahoma didn't have any pro sports teams.  But obviously I've been to many an event - both political and athletic - kicked off by the National Anthem.  And rightly so, the song is always given a certain degree of reverence.  Even if someone is, say, foreign, and might not sing along, they usually stand out of respect for where they are, which I find appropriate. 

American citizens, on the other hand, should stand, remove their cap, put a hand over their heart and hum along or at the very least just stare at the flag in acknowledgement.  I fully understand one's freedom not to give the flag or the anthem such symbolic reverence, but why would you exercise that right against a country freely giving you that right?  What point does that make?  Except to those around you who will notice, who will glare, or label, or simply be embarrassed for your idiocy.

Then I went to a Lakers game.  We are not all operating from the same grateful mindset, it seems.  Each game I was shocked by the behavior of the people around me.  They weren't sitting in silent protest over some government grievence.  They were simply not paying attention.  They wouldn't stand.  They would talk, drink their beer, holler to a friend ten rows down.  It was bizarre.  I'm not saying I had an emotional patriotic experience every time I heard the first few notes - I'm as guilty of zoning out as the next person - but come on.  Stand.  Wait to see if the singer screws up the high note.  Do something.

Then we went to the game last night.  It was my first in 2009, I'm fairly sure.  I stood, as usual, when it was time to salute the digitally waving flag on the jumbo tron.  The song started and wouldn't you know it, the whole Staples Center started singing and clapping and whooping.  Throughout the whole song.  They whooped in anticipation of the high note, they whooped when the opera singer made the high note, they whooped when the song ended on the word "brave."

I couldn't believe it.  In this crazy economy at this regular season game, it was like a whole new crowd.  Now, I can only think of one major thing that has changed since the last game I went to - in December - and this one.  I can't say for sure that's what put the pep in the Lakers National Anthem, but I know it isn't a coincidence. 

photo by zaphodsotherhead's

hope, hope, hope, hope, change, change, change, change

For the very first time in my blogging life, I have no idea what to say.  Today's the day!  I am...cautiously hopeful.  Even typing it seems generic. 

People are SO excited.  This is good for people to be excited about our country again.  I haven't been disappointed with some of the early decisions of P-BO (and really, having a President with the nickname P-Bo will always be fun, right?).

Earlier today I was trying to think about putting words to how I feel, when I'm not even sure how I feel, besides a heavy dose of relief.  Relief because I'm tired of the dischord.  Over everything - pick your battle, really.   

The one thing I know for sure is that I have the utmost respect for the Office.  He is my President.  Down the line, whether I disagree vehemently or cheer him on, I will always have a certain degree of reverence for the position of the President of our country.  This is to be remembered.   

So today I'm watching mostly with fascination.  A tinge of fear.  And a huge exhale. 

It's a new era.  

praying for rick warren praying

(this post has been updated after the jump.)

I realize this is last weeks news, but I haven't been blogging because of the holiday and I feel this is an important issue.

Let me start by saying I have never attended Saddleback Church, have never seen Rick Warren speak, have never even read The Purpose-Driven Life.  So I cannot say with any degree of certainty what Mr. Warren believes or even espouses from the pulpit. 

What I can say is that I was surprised by Obama's pick to deliver the inauguration invocation.  I don't care one whit that it is (probably) strictly strategic on the President-elect's part.  If his strategy is to unite this increasingly divisive country, than I commend him for actually doing so.  Had he picked a far left-minded person to deliver the invocation, it would have scared the socks off of most of the Christians of the nation.  The underlying fear theories that have been fed to conservatives that Obama has a radical agenda would have been stoked to high heaven (pardon the pun) before he ever even hit the office.  By choosing a very popular and well-known evangelical preacher, with known conservative stances on same-sex marriage and abortion, I believe P.E. Obama might actually mean it when he speaks of "the magic of this country ... we are diverse and noisy and opinionated." 

from a red state to a blue state

I'm back in Los Angeles after my lengthy trip to the heartland.  I can't say it was the easiest two weeks of my life, but I left with hundreds of good memories and the satisfaction of excess time spent with my nieces and nephews.

I came back mainly to vote and to see my husband, whom I (still) haven't seen for 16 days.  Two weeks is supposed to be our personal limit, so we'll be breaking that by three days when I throw my arms around him tomorrow. 

Turns out I needn't have rushed back to vote, since the crotchety old lady at the polling place informed me that I was supposed to have voted by mail.  Was I?  What are you talking about?  How would one know that?  I guess I received something in the mail (but, um, I've been out of town).  So far as I know, I have never requested to vote by mail.  They let me vote, thank goodness, at our quaint little neighborhood realtor where there was no line at any time of the day that I noticed.  A woman about my age that signed in ahead of me had a little yappy dog with her that she claimed was "wearing her blue today."  So much for neutrality at the polling place.

As I punched in my choices all I could think about were hanging chads and how this little machine is a bit confusing.  I know if I got a little confused, that the semi-senile Americans among us have a real argument.  But I double checked my work on the votes that were important to me, and I feel confident that I completed my civic duty.

I wasn't at all surprised by the outcome last night and, truth be told, am a little relieved.  Because I simply couldn't take another four or eight years of listening to people whine and stomp their feet about how the Republicans "stole" the election.  Now people can feel their hope and their elation and attitudes and passion that strong can only be good.  Great things come out of those emotions.  So I'm interested to watch and wait and see.  As my dad so eloqently put last week over bbq when I was complaining about my utter lack of Sooner football enthusiasm this year, "With so much going on in our family, everything else sort of pales, doesn't it?"

I have a lot on my mind right now, almost more than I can process.  And while my sister and her situation are a big part of that, I'm also spending a lot of my brainspace re-evaluating a few priorities and relationships and taking ownership over some of my own actions from the past few years.  There are going to be a few changes around peacoat that reflect this and while I'm excited about it, and challenged, it may be a bit before it's steered in the direction I desire.  More on that to come. 

This beautiful little tree stood loud and proud in my parent's backyard while I was there.  In the afternoon the sun would hit it just right so that it glowed.  This image stilled my heart a little.  I pray that on this post-election, beautiful fall morning, we all have sense of peace.          

you can vote however you like

A little smile in these last 48 hours before we're all glued to election returns...

quotations from "Geek Love" by Katherine Dunn

I just finished the book Geek Love by Katherine Dunn and it is excellent, though definitely not for everyone.  I probably only read a couple of books a year that absolutely knock me over, and this was one for 2008.  (So far, the only other one this year was Personal History by Katharine Graham, a recommendation from my sister.  A seriously amazing autobiography). 

This vulgar and fascinating novel about a family of carnival "freaks" is not for the light-hearted.  There are now many lines and paragraphs underlined by my thin black pen, but this one struck me as particularly appropriate. 

" 'Only a lunatic would want to be president.  These lunatics are created deliberately by those who wish to be presided over.  You've seen it a thousand times.  We create a leader by locating one in the crowd who is standing up.  This may well be because there are no chairs or because his knees are fused by arthritis.  It doesn't matter.  We designate this victim as a 'stand-up guy' by the simple expedient of sitting down around him' "

discouraged conservative

republican?, originally uploaded by NCinDC.

Over the past week, I've gone from being mildly amused by this election cycle to sincerely sad.

Of course a good source of it is this immense financial crisis. I can recite all the good arguments: It’s the stupid borrowers faults! They bought way over their heads! It’s the stupid lenders fault! Greedy corporations knew they were lending to people who couldn't pay! It’s stupid Bush’s fault! Doesn't the responsibility to regulate land on the president?!

And then we have the two candidates releasing statements on who called whom first, in their phony attempt to look more presidential. McCain "postponing" debates because who wants to stand on the national stage representing the Party in charge during the last disastrous 4 years? And yes, I meant four and not eight.

What's a conservative girl to do right now? I don't even know what we're voting for anymore. Obama will have to concede his national healthcare plan, McCain can no longer promise any tax cuts. Any hope or change or maverick-ness, if it was ever real in the first place, seems to have flown out the highrise window.

RNC - final day, final thoughts

The final day of the convention is supposed to be all about the presidential nominee.  The entire week is built on a crescendo to his acceptance speech.  But this year, for the obvious reasons, Governor Sarah Palin was the force that drove the week, so after her phenomenal speech on Wednesday, we were all emotionally and physically weary.  She had done so well, and the buzz so high, that there was still a renewed energy, but I do have to admit that everything Thursday was a bit anti-climatic. 

RNC - prayer, praise, and pastries

I was signed up for the Wednesday morning Prayer Breakfast, but when the alarm went off mere hours after I had crawled into bed, I had second thoughts.  These thoughts sounded suspiciously like the ones I tell myself on Sunday mornings when I lay in bed and weigh the pros and cons of church attendance.  But lately I have been making more of a concerted effort to attend Sunday services, and I knew that if I made it to the Prayer Breakfast, I would be glad. 

It was the best event of my week. 

I went with my dad, and we signed up because former Congressman JC Watts was the featured speaker, and, as already mentioned, he is a dear friend.  The Prayer, Praise, and Pastries breakfast was held at a church called 3 Degrees, which is a church by day, club by night ministry.  So it’s not churchy.  It sort of feels like an uber-hip coffeehouse. 

The worship was lead by two members of the group Sonic Flood, a popular Christian band that I had heard of but wasn’t overly familiar with.  They were incredible.