Medford Star News

The world can be a totally crazy place sometimes, right? It’s amazing to think about how much money is spent on political campaigning ($32 million by John McCain and $57 million by Obama) just in July. That’s right, folks. Millions.

What would our world be like if we judged our politicians not on how many ads they ran, but how much money they could raise to actually help our country?  To give money to the people they purport to care about, to eliminate poverty in our country, to make a real difference in the lives of millions?

Well, since that is never going to happen, it’s up to people like you and me to help make a difference. Whether that means lending your voice to one of my favorite organizations, MomsRising.org, donating your time or money, or stepping in to help a friend or family member, each person can make a difference.

And if you’re a blogger, you can help make a difference this October 15th on Blog Action Day. Blog Action Day is an annual nonprofit event that aims to unite the world’s bloggers, podcasters, and videocasters, to post about the same issue on the same day, with the aim to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion.

So, hop online, drop into your local organization, or volunteer at an event of your choice.  Together we can make a real difference - even if the politicians are just going to talk about it.

I’m a little late to the game, but I finally had the chance to watch Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog, and I’ll tell you - it’s Dr. Delightful.

I’ve been a huge fan of Joss Whedon since the very first word of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the TV show - I’m still not a huge Buffy movie fan. Sacrilege, I know). And his musical episode - Once More, with Feeling - is one of the best hours of TV ever (spare me the Jump the Shark narrative - you’ll never convert me). “It isn’t right, it isn’t fair. There was no parking anywhere. I think that hydrant wasn’t there. Hey, I’m not wearing underwear.”

Anyway, Joss is at it again, this time using the fab-u-lous Neal Patrick Harris. If you have 45 minutes to spare, I highly encourage you to watch this and try not to giggle (get through the first 5 minutes and you’ll be addicted, I swear)…

I’m off to buy the soundtrack on iTunes

How do I love thee, Jon Stewart?  Let me count the ways …

Hey! Check it out! I’ve got a new look. And a new post for the new year - only 8 months in. Not bad, right?

I saw this show up on one of my Twitter feeds the other day, and it is so immensely appropriate that now I’m going to make you look at it. It’s a shirt from one of my most favorite sites out there, Despair.com:

So, thanks for bringing my blog view total up to 3! Take that, t-shirt!

In better news, you can now leave me comments - go forth and flame…

Just got back from watching the coolness that is Palm Bay Lights.

Something lovely in Palm Bay, you say?  Can’t be so!  But it’s true. Palm Bay Lights is like a mini-Osborne Family Light Display at Disney MGM studios just a few minutes from I-95.

An enterprising guy took months, a radio station of his very own (91.7 FM for those of you keeping tabs) and millions (ok, not millions, but thousands) of lights to create an animated light show on his house that even kept my 3 1/2 and 2 year old entertained for well over 30 minutes.

The lights “dance” to the music, with all of the decorations timed perfectly to a rotating soundtrack of holiday music (kudos for the new tiny trees that were added this year - my daughter’s favorite!). It’s the kind of thing you expect to find in a theme park, plunked right down in good old Palm Bay.

Actually, we were pretty pleasantly surprised to see the effort people in the area have taken to decorate for Christmas, considering that many places in Brevard County currently look like they’ve been occupied by the Grinch.  But if you’re not one of the ones that “stink, stank, stunk” you’ll enjoy a trip to see these fun sparkly decorations.  Visit palmbaylights.com for all of the directions and stuff.

Oh, and don’t forget to turn off your headlights when you’re sitting there!  It’s so distracting having high beams in your mirror while trying to absorb some Christmas spirit.

Every now and again, I think perhaps I should have pursued a “traditional” career in journalism. I cold have written for the New York Times, been an AP writer … or worked for my favorite news source ever, The Onion.

But I know I chose the correct path when I think about the poor fool who had to pen this article (copied from the AP):

Flatulence forces plane to land

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - An American Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing Monday morning after a passenger lit a match to disguise the scent of flatulence, authorities said.

The Dallas-bound flight was diverted to Nashville after several passengers reported smelling burning sulfur from the matches, said Lynne Lowrance, spokeswoman for the Nashville International Airport Authority. All 99 passengers and five crew members were taken off and screened while the plane was searched and luggage was screened.

The FBI questioned a passenger who admitted she struck the matches in an attempt to conceal a “body odor,” Lowrance said. She had an unspecified medical condition, authorities said.

“It’s humorous in a way but you feel sorry for the individual, as well,” she said. “It’s unusual that someone would go to those measures to cover it up.”

The flight took off again, but the woman was not allowed back on the plane. The woman, who was not identified, was not charged in the incident.

So there’s this mom at my kids’ school that just irks me.

She’s plenty nice, her kid is adorable and she’s never had a mean word for me.

BUT — she brings her son’s diapers, wipes, formula and “little lovey extras” (insert her I’m too perfect giggle after that for the whole phrase) in a basket everyday.

A basket. A blue gingham lined wicker basket. Perfectly aligned. Diapers in a row. With lovey extras.

I, like so many other working moms, can only shout…WTF????????

On the other hand, I have one bottle threatening to fall out of my pocket, a plastic Target bag overflowing with diapers for Kai AND Daphne (hoping they don’t get mixed up and leave one of them with part of a baby butt cheek hanging out) in addition to wipes, a blanket, food for Daphne (because now she refuses to take anything from a spoon and will only eat things she can pick up), and maybe a stuffed animal (wet from someone sucking on it). And I’m frazzled.

I’m frazzled! I haven’t blown my hair dry in over a year. The most makeup I’ve worn is mascara and I don’t wear my Vans as much as I’d like because I don’t have time to find matching socks in the morning to wear with them (sandals are soooo much easier).

And she’s got a perfectly laid out basket. With lovey extras.

Damn. Substitute the tennis shoes for sandals, add a toddler and leave a trail of goldfish behind the picture below and you’ve got me.

I hope her son grows up to be a certified basket case, since I currently hold the title…

Have you ever encountered a mismatched sock and wondered “Is it happy on its own?”

I mean, if you’ve searched and searched for its match and you can’t find it, do you think it just wanted to be alone?

Or is it looking for work as a puppet?

So, Sebastian has a MySpace account. And what my dear husband has, I must also covet (I believe that’s in the vows somewhere…)

So, what the heck, now I have one too. And it is the equivalent of a gigantic horrible high school. There’s this strange desire to find people you used to know, who may or may not want to have anything to do with you.

And that’s where the whole thing starts to suck you in. “Why doesn’t this person have an account?” “Why won’t this person add me to their friends list?” and “What am I doing here?”

Weird how everything circles back to this eventually. It happens with playgroups, moms groups, even surfing circles.

Humans. Bound to always feel like they are 13.

No stories about my own children (for once, right?), but here are some web gems about why kids rock - and why it would be nice to go back to being one sometimes.