tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88020311856644342452011-08-02T22:59:48.111-04:00Random thoughts that wander from my head to my keyboard and on to your brain.Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.comBlogger371100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-37362502301699345582011-02-25T09:34:00.000-05:002011-02-25T09:34:37.116-05:00

I wanted to let all my thousands of readers (all 5 of you - whom I love and adore) that I am officially moving / recreating this blog. Slide on over to http://eruditewoman.com and visit my new digs. Yeah!

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-87580324793567938282011-02-07T15:04:00.000-05:002011-02-07T15:04:31.164-05:00

I was standing in my kitchen, cleaning the counters, and talking on the phone with my mom when I found out. She has cancer. Cancer. CANCER. What a gut-punch. What started out as a chronic pain thought to be a muscle inflammation problem ended here. Or maybe this is just the start. Or the start of the end. I don't know. To be continued....

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-48013847381288717862010-11-04T16:52:00.000-04:002010-11-04T16:52:19.227-04:00

I write here not because I fancy myself to be a pundit or excessively intelligent or somehow able to 'read' the voting public better than others. I write this as much to collect my thoughts as to find others who are on the same page with me. So, I start with the basic facts. 2010 mid-term elections were a massive loss for the Dems. Historic losses. But we live in historic times. More on this

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-73572164550598581652010-08-20T16:01:00.000-04:002010-08-20T16:01:37.503-04:00

What a coincidence .. the topic of this week's Feminist Fridays is words! Words. We love them, huh? We sure do. But what about people who misuse our precious words? Like the word 'feminism'. This week, Sarah Palin took to Twitter to pronounce all of us feminists a 'cackle of rads'. She even went so far as to suggest that we hijacked the word feminism. Oh dear, where do I start? Well, let's

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-64567914319676139312010-08-14T09:46:00.000-04:002010-08-14T09:46:05.981-04:00

 Signe Wilkinson, Philadelphia Daily News Once again, some clueless media personality (I use that term loosely), has entered the fray of discussions on race. Once again, there is no lesson being learned. Dr. Laura, a radio talk-show host, started a firestorm on her show while responding to a caller (full audio & text here). Here is the short version: a black woman in an interracial relationship

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-45644355684266778242010-08-13T16:12:00.000-04:002010-08-13T16:12:11.129-04:00

Here is something to confuse you ... I post for Feminist Friday on a different blog, even though I use the Twitter account for this blog in my participation in said meme. Yep, I'm confused too. Here is where I blog for Feminist Fridays (at least for now, I will probably start cross-posting). p.s. thanks for stopping by anyway.

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-88725528037384640722010-07-30T16:15:00.000-04:002010-07-30T16:15:13.933-04:00

cross-posted at TheRantingMommy.com The lovely blogger Transatlantic Blonde has started a new meme called the Friday Feminist Mom Roundup. I found out about this opportunity quite by accident, but in the way I find out A LOT of news … through Twitter.  The idea instantly appealed to me because 1) I feel pretty strongly about feminism, 2) I am a mom, and 3) feminism has traditionally gotten

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-57176428288680012112010-07-23T15:53:00.000-04:002010-07-23T15:53:46.649-04:00

Last night, my husband and I went to a fantastic dinner party with an eclectic, fun group of folks. Multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-talented collection with a varied set of experiences and life circumstances. Married couples with and without children. A gay couple, unmarried, no kids. A just-friends couple (though we may suspect something there). Our hosts, co-habitating parents of one

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-91095629597957556502010-07-21T22:44:00.000-04:002010-07-21T22:44:48.266-04:00

I started this little ol' blog in large part because I sometimes found myself full of emotion or reaction about a particular story or event, so much so that I wanted to write about it. This is where I find myself today. As I put fingers to the computer, I'm wondering where to start with this story. Does it start with Andrew Breitbart's wholly unethical hatchet job of Shirley Sherrod? Well, that

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-27520032529747095082010-05-09T12:05:00.001-04:002010-05-10T10:32:33.435-04:00

The Gulf oil spill has been front and center in the news, and rightly so. Most of America has watched the spill with great concern about both the impact and how this will affect future energy policy. Predictably, the spill is being exploited from all sides. The Interior Department has temporarily halted new drilling leases; drilling they had recently approved. President Obama has put a 30-day

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-21562353504685534482010-04-22T07:04:00.000-04:002010-04-22T07:04:09.421-04:00

Well, I have woefully neglected my blog lately. But I am posting today, though I will be mostly highlighting other stories/posts that were enlightening and/or entertaining for me. First up, a confession: I haven't paid much attention to the financial reform being pursued by the Obama administration and the Dems. That being said, I really appreciated @ezraklein 's  post explaining the X's and O's

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-5205819852322528742010-02-26T20:52:00.000-05:002010-02-26T20:52:02.909-05:00

(NOTE: I am not a pundit, don't wish to be a pundit, don't call me a pundit. Look at the title of my blog if you are still confused.)  So, I watched most of the health care summit, aka Blair House Project, yesterday. I can't say that I had high expectations. When it comes to politics, I rarely do. Does that make me cynical? Probably. Oh well. But it WAS interesting to watch for several reasons.

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-11578567217985269252010-01-24T15:27:00.000-05:002010-01-24T15:27:19.504-05:00

On the weekend, I try to disconnect a bit. Spend time with the family, laze around and read books, and so forth. I turn on the news or I check my Google reader. But I try not to invest too much energy, for better or worse, into the shitty news of the day. Yesterday, I saw a brief snippet on CNN about a new poll showing that a majority of Americans are now against the health care reform bills

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-54252840699742275442010-01-14T14:59:00.000-05:002010-01-14T14:59:55.449-05:00

Eight years ago today, I woke up to a beautiful, tropical day in the U.S. Virgin Islands. I was visiting the family that would eventually become my in-laws. I had just spent a grand weekend meeting my then-boyfriend's family for the first time. We were scheduled to return stateside that Monday. We decided to spend a few hours at the beach before heading to the airport. We frolicked on the beach

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-77123112214810511142010-01-12T13:43:00.001-05:002010-01-12T13:44:48.808-05:00

Racism, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.  To say, for example, that blacks make better athletes is a racist statement. If you cannot get past this basic assumption, then you should probably close this window and go back to

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-78652083234064564362010-01-11T18:39:00.000-05:002010-01-11T18:39:31.976-05:00

So, today was an interesting news cycle. I got three breaking news alerts. First, Sarah Palin is joining Fox Faux News. WOW. Also, rain is wet. Seriously, who REALLY thought her resignation was anything other than self-serving. It was classic 'I can't take the heat, so I'm getting out of the kitchen.' Couched in 'doing what is best for my state' bullshit. Going out on a limb here, but I'm

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-86901480611179208132010-01-09T10:55:00.000-05:002010-01-09T10:55:25.714-05:00

I just recently returned from vacation. That is not said to show off (I swear). I say that because the Christmas crotch-rocket would-be bomber incident and all it's concomitant fallout happened while I was vacationing. I caught blurbs in the little Times Digest the resort gave us at breakfast, but honestly I was trying to disconnect. The first reports I saw made the incident seem potentially

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-20270450898918855822009-12-08T22:11:00.000-05:002009-12-08T22:11:57.232-05:00

So here's my take on tonight's show. (It's a little over 100 words tonight. Don't give me shit about that, alright?!) First, let's talk about the obvious observation. I mean, really. It is SO obvious that Cat is drinking heavy doses of growth hormones. She has clearly grown 7" in one week, 6 1/2' in her legs alone. C'mon .. don't act like you didn't notice. Too bad because her outfit tonight was

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-55243253175055022302009-12-01T13:04:00.001-05:002009-12-01T13:14:28.636-05:00

The story of Tiger Woods first broke 5 days ago. On the surface, it is a strange story. I tweeted about it, talked with family about it, read about it online. I was curious. I still am. I admire Tiger. But seriously. What the hell has happened to the media in this country? With very little thought or research, I can name many more important stories. Today is World AIDS Day. Which is more

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-4537334581976159782009-11-25T08:33:00.000-05:002009-11-25T08:33:50.209-05:00

I wanted to make a short post in case you were looking for my world-famous *cough* review of last night's SYTYCD. One, I did watch the show. Two, I did not do a post (call the laziness police if you like) Three, I loved the show. Finally, if Karen makes the top 10, I may have to boycott the show. Just sayin'. Will post later! Kisses all.

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-71112084409565342242009-11-23T18:29:00.002-05:002009-11-23T18:33:47.507-05:00

So, last night I watched the American Music Awards along with the world of Twitter. As usual, it was waaayyyyy more entertaining sharing it with the Twitterati. Here were some of my favs from the show and Twitter: The show opened with a Janet Jackson medley of tunes. It was a mess, in my opinion. Most of the tweets I saw thought her get-up was a little too MC Hammer-ish. Daughtry started the

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-40707863488580876102009-11-18T20:51:00.000-05:002009-11-18T20:51:18.094-05:00

I didn't think I would do Sarah Palin posts back-to-back. Alas, I should have known better. Could not resist this story. The Caribou Barbie apparently told People magazine that the job she would most want right now in the White House is the Chief of Staff. GOD.DAMN.HILARIOUS. It gets better. Here's a direct quote: "It would be chief of staff, so I could start appointing people who would

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-51951530105643360972009-11-17T22:48:00.000-05:002009-11-17T22:48:25.398-05:00

Cat was fabulosity again. Nigel was less grumpy. Adam was subdued. The top 3 and full of awesomeness: Ryan & Ellenore - graceful, beautiful, passionate (yeah Travis!) Noelle & Russell - WOW. A foxtrot that was fun to watch? Hu nu. Kathryn & Legacy - shocking, I know. All kinds of good. VERY good, with a little something missing: Channing & Viktor - loved the piece, love the dancing, thought

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-48250502420607020792009-11-17T14:32:00.000-05:002009-11-17T14:32:04.246-05:00

Soooooo, since the whole of the world is focused on Sarah Palin, I thought I would jump in here and give my little ol' opinion (check the title of my blog). First, I point to the definition of ad nauseam - 'to a disgusting or ridiculous degree; to the point of nausea'. Yep, that is EXACTLY where I am. Why, you ask? Thanks for asking, here's why (with a little background). I remember when John

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-29477351865130466432009-11-13T13:10:00.000-05:002009-11-13T13:10:45.468-05:00

So the story broke recently that the Republican National Committee provides insurance to it's employees that covers elective abortions. There is not a word in the English language that can properly describe the hypocrisy in this load of shit. The Republicans, especially the neocons, having been trying for YEARS to strip away a woman's right to choose. Yet, they use contributor's money to buy

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-44045920639644995752009-11-11T17:48:00.001-05:002009-11-11T17:49:21.548-05:00

My take on last night's episode in 100 words or less ... Cat = HAWTNESS defined (no doubt she has a new stylist) GREAT performances: Jakob & Ashleigh's jazzy number (hot costumes, hot 'ography, hot music) Channing & Viktor's contemporary number (see above) Good performances: Peter & Pauline's quick step (mostly because it was unexpected) Karen & Kevin's hustle (close to great) Noelle &

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-76624118473913924252009-11-11T10:13:00.000-05:002009-11-11T10:13:30.919-05:00

Still a heartbreaking story, but now with a silver lining. Remembering Maddie.

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-88018591662985422522009-11-09T14:09:00.001-05:002009-11-09T14:10:18.919-05:00

I always get a little chuckle over the 'liberal media' argument, especially when someone tries to make that argument during this reign of Rupert Murdoch. But wingnut-mania is seriously making me guffaw ... loudly...over their latest freak-out. It seems that liberal bastion 'Sesame Street' has offended the *cough* senses of the far Right. In a skit that first ran TWO YEARS AGO, Oscar the Grouch

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-60454140825087914732009-11-06T10:38:00.000-05:002009-11-06T10:38:44.244-05:00

Yesterday's tragic massacre at Ft. Hood has me thinking about many things: the horror our soldiers endure, the reality of mental health problems in all segments of society, and the clusterfuck that is the reaction to the whole event. I'm sure I will post more feelings about this later, but for now I want to say two things: First, I cannot begin to imagine the horror the entire military

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-86995291417373197672009-11-04T13:05:00.001-05:002009-11-04T13:07:44.617-05:00

So, I took a welcome break from watching election coverage to revel in last night's episode of SYTYCD. Good news: I didn't watch election coverage. Bad news: didn't love the show. I'll start with the good parts: Cat was fabulously hot. Shoes = yummy, dress = perfection. Adam STILL rocks as a judge. Nathan (disclosure: I have a big 'ol crush on him) and Mollee were fantastic in the Bollywood

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-29903393411997926882009-11-02T16:47:00.001-05:002009-11-02T16:49:24.340-05:00

See Cartoons by Cartoon by John Trever - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon You're not going to catch me calling myself: 1) an expert on Afghanistan, 2) a policy wonk, or 3) vastly qualified to blather on about the 'true' problem of Afghanistan.  That being said, I'm deep in thought about this: There is much gnashing of teeth lately over President Obama's supposed

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-39931250699814753622009-10-31T14:18:00.002-04:002009-10-31T14:20:09.414-04:00

Now I love a hot guy as much as the rest of you do. I have a finely tuned appreciation for a man's well-conditioned body. (that's bloggerese for hot bodies get me HAWT). Who am I to mock a man with a big johnson and a rock-hard set of buns? You must not know me very well. Commence mocking... SERIOUSLY... what was dude thinking? Moreover, who painted that thing on him? Better yet, what the hell

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-39293731282902727112009-10-27T18:17:00.000-04:002009-10-27T18:17:42.595-04:00

  Salon: An interesting post on the history of Presidents warring with the press. TPMDC:  Joe Lieberman throws a wrench in ... again. Bluefly: A cool contest to find the most stylish fashion blogger. (my vote is for Celia). My Brown Baby: A sweet, important post about the importance of self-esteem for brown girls. USA Today blog: Sex for World Series tickets? Seriously? Um... yeah. Salon

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-68199086921526481202009-10-27T14:22:00.000-04:002009-10-27T14:22:00.002-04:00

I want to say thanks to a few of my tweeps for the following: @GStuedler - one of my first favs on Twitter. A politico through and through. I was never technically invited into his harem, but I butted my way in anyway. @colombiancoffee - who was crazy wise nice forgiving enough to let me post to @amrup. @Shoq - for inspiring the political stirrings that have been dormant in me for a time. @

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-83342694517532697932009-10-27T13:20:00.002-04:002009-10-27T13:30:11.860-04:00

It was genius... genius, I tell you. Whomever decided to do the Top 20 feature show, you RAWK! It is the perfect answer to the obvious disadvantage that the dancers have on the 1st performance/elimination round. That is, some dancers draw a style that is similar to their own, while other dancers pick ballroom when his/her style is krumping. Having this introductory show evens the playing field

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-77156170848561424192009-10-25T13:16:00.000-04:002009-10-25T13:16:57.044-04:00

ZOMG! Have you seen this?

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802031185664434245.post-43758591968400453382009-10-25T11:32:00.000-04:002009-10-25T11:32:12.596-04:00

So, yeah. Who knew? I talk a lot, tweet a lot, so I figured why not blog a lot, too? That's right, like you don't have enough to read in that massive RSS feed of yours? Look... just add me right in, click that little follow button down there on the right side, subscribe, whatever.  Some days will be better than others. I make no promises. I love love love to hear comments, so join in. Back

Jewelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073864982668279897noreply@blogger.com0