Overheard in the Hallway

"You know what I want? Ghetto boots. Big, huge, useless ghetto boots."

And this was at prep school.

Awash with Embarrassment

Both Lucy and Tiger have a great fondness for running water. They watch the rain fall outside from the window in the living room and they vie for the best seat in the house when the shower is running. Lucy is more fascinated and just a little more brave and tonight it caught up with her. Curiosity didn't kill the cat, but it sure got her sopping wet.

After I tucked JT into bed, I ran a bath for myself. While the tub was filling, I went downstairs for a cup of tea. I returned to the bubble-filled tub, now being supervised by the kittens and JT, the former having determined that there was a danger of overflow. And in that moment when all four of us were in the bathroom, curious Lucy missed her step and fell head first into the tub. Within seconds, she shot back out, now sopping wet and with her dignity rather firmly askew. She flew out of the bathroom, shaking her tail with embarrassment. JT caught up with her and we dried her off as best as we could. Photo evidence was obtained and JT went back to bed, rather thrilled with the whole event.

He will have a terrific story to tell at school tomorrow.

An Unexpected Wave

I was cleaning up the supper dishes tonight and the house was quiet. We've done most of the work on JT's mammal report and so he had gone upstairs to play. The kittens weren't in their usual underfoot position. I'm pretty well caught up on the laundry and the bathrooms don't quite need cleaning yet and so the night stretches in front of me as I load the dishwasher. I've plenty to do, of course. Books to read, some television shows I've been meaning to watch, friends I can call, papers to grade.

But what I really want is to crawl in bed with someone who loves me best. Maybe cuddle and talk about our day, our dreams, the boy that we are raising.

I feel like that's in the distant past now. And I ask myself if it ever really existed. And I plead with the universe to take these memories, these longings and just put them somewhere. Anywhere, really. Just get them out of my reach.

Sunday Scribblings – Chronicle of a Ring

When I was a little girl and would go to stay with my grandmother, we would play cards. And as we played, we would talk and I would hear the stories of her life, stories that we still talk about in my family. She wore an old-fashioned 1930s-era engagement and wedding ring that I always loved and admired. The rings had been separate once, though she had fused them together at some point. Sometimes, she would let me wear the ring as we played cards and drank Coke from fancy glasses. I always felt so grown-up on those days.

My grandmother died nearly seven years ago and her rings belong to me now. Just as we shared a middle name, we now share the rings. When they came my way I had the rings separated so that I could wear them with other rings I then owned. I wear one or both of her rings often these days, as a talisman of good luck and as a remembrance of her. I think of them as holding the essence of my grandmother ---- her politics (oh how she would have loved the Democratic victory last November); her love for a good political debate (the main reason I debate my father about the death penalty is to remember her passion for that issue); the happiness she received from a good book (a trait she passed my way).

When my mother last visited me, she remarked that my hands looked like my grandmother's. I have small hands and the rings always fit me perfectly and until my mother said that to me I never even thought about it. But it makes perfect sense to me now.

Victory in the First Round

JT and I headed over to school tonight to watch our boy's basketball team in their first round of the state tournament. I know all the players and have taught some of them over the past two years. Every time I watch kids I know very well in another context ---- whether it's a play, or choir, or athletics, I'm always struck by how well-rounded and accomplished they are. I love that part of my job.

Plus, it's really unbelievable that young men who move so slowly through the halls of school can move up and down the basketball court so quickly. I needed to see that in person.

Who's in Charge Here?

JT was up one side of me and down the other this morning for an infraction of the system. It would seem that I left the television remote control on the sofa and the cats knocked it down on the floor and under the sofa.

The system is to leave the television remote by the television, so that it's easy to find when the time comes to watch morning cartoons.

I stand corrected.

"There's Bar-b-Que Sauce and That's All You Need to Know"

A few teenage boys in my third period class have taken to eating their lunch during class. As a rule, this is fine with me, providing that the food doesn't stink, an admittedly perjorative standard, but hey, it's my classroom and I have to live there for the rest of the day.

When I walked into class today, something smelled. It was a meatball sub. When I commented that it stank, the student held the sub my way and asked if I wanted a bite.

No.

By then, of course, the entire class is consumed by a discussion of meatball subs, prompting me to say that in 39 years I've never eaten one. Meatball subs are a Jersey thing and this leads to much shock and horror on their part. They demand a class trip for the eating of meatball subs. They want to go eat at the grease trucks at a local university.

Because nothing says yummy like grease trucks, another Jersey thing. Grease trucks are movable food vendors located in public places. There is an assortment near my school and it's a popular place for the Seniors to eat their lunch.

Legend has it that if you can eat three grease truck sandwiches in 30 minutes, they will name the sandwich after you. So now they are talking about their favorite sandwiches ---- featuring fried mozzarella sticks and all manner of heart clutching ingredients. And I hear one student describe his favorite sandwich by saying, "there's bar-b-que sauce and that's all you need to know" which makes me laugh out loud.

And then gears abruptly change and now we're talking about political socialization. But my tummy is rumbling and a little bar-b-que sauce is sounding pretty good about now.

Signs of Our Continuing Decline

Earlier this week, the heads of a number of major corporations called on President Bush to take action to curb global warming. I'm all in favor of that, of course, because I am a good liberal. But it occurs to me that when our nation requires large, stolid corporations to take the lead on talking about tackling our problems, we're in really big trouble.

Live Blogging the State of the Union

8:55 pm

It's just me and Alberto Gonzales sitting home watching the speech. I've got my jammies on. What about Al? Is he wearing his favorite sweats? Has he popped some popcorn? Gotten out the ice cream? I assume he's sober because jeez, they left him home in case disaster struck.

Decision time is upon me: which channel to watch? I like Bob Schieffer of CBS but I cannot stand listening to Katie Couric. Sure, she's America's sweetheart, but she's not so bright. And for as much money as she makes, you'd think she could get a better cut and color job. CBS is out.

I'm over to NBC. I like Brian Williams but I cannot stand Tim Russert. He's forgotten that he's a journalist here to tell us what's happening, not what to think about what's happening. So unless Williams is going to tape Russert's mouth shut, I can't stay here.

Off to ABC. Still showing America's Funniest Home Videos. Does anyone really watch that show anymore?

Fox? No.

CNN it is, though I have a long-standing objection to watching The Situation Room because, well, it's called The Situation Room. And the fact that Wolf and Paula had a huge diagram of the House chamber where the big event happens, showing us where all the politicians will sit, bored us all. Sadly, I enjoyed the conversation about what Nancy Pelosi was wearing because, well, I'm shallow like that.

9:02
The members of the Supreme Court who drew the short straws have arrived, in their freshly ironed robes: Roberts, Kennedy, Breyer, and Alito.

And now the Cabinet.

Mike Johans is as big a dork as ever. And here's a trivia question: which member of the Senate is Elaine Chao, the Secretary of Labor, married to?

9:13
Very gratifying to hear all these men -- even the president -- refer to Nancy Pelosi's historical presence on the stage tonight. Good for women and damnit, good for little boys to see a woman in this position. Though my boy will have to watch on You Tube tomorrow morning. Madam Speaker sounds good.

9:18
Cheney looks so annoyed. Has he got some place better to be? Has he got a few L-Word episodes on tape that he wants to watch?

9:27
Just caught a glimpse of John Kerry. What I would give to hear his internal dialogue at this moment......"I lost to this moron? Unbelievable."

9:34
Any chance we will reduce our gasoline use by 20% via the method used by every other democracy? Rigourous MPG standards and an increase in the gas tax? Because it's hard for me to see how a bigger emergency petroleum reserve is going to do the trick.

9:39
I like her, But Hilary Clinton has a mullet. That's not very presidential.

9:53
Everyone opposes terrorism and no one thinks that crazed nation states should have nuclear weapons. Got it.

Could George W. Bush find Darfur or Burma on a map?

10:06
All over now. It was a fine speech and he clearly gets the need to reach out for some political compromise. But I don't think these folks will stand by his side for his Iraq plan.

Congressional Trivia

I am not speaking here of the institution of Congress as trival. That is a different topic.

It's the State of the Union tonight, the president's annual, Constitutionally-mandated address to the Congress discussing, you know, the state of the union. In honor of that, I thought it would be fun to serve up some Congressional trivia questions. Cookies (winner's choice) will be made for the person with the most correct answers.

Answers will be posted on Friday, January 26.

1. James Madison High School in Brooklyn has graduated three men currently serving in the U.S. Senate. Who are they? Hint: None of them are in the same political party.

2. Three states have only women representing them in the Senate. Name the states and the women.

3. Two sisters currently serve in Congress. They represent the same state. Name the state and the sisters.

4. There are ten declared 2008 presidential contenders sitting in the audience tonight who are current members of Congress. Who are they? Hint: Each party has 5.