Sunday, January 27, 2008

Now what?

So, Dennis K. has dropped out of the race, Ted and Caroline K. are backing Barak O. (who I think has more potential to become another Jimmy C. than another Jack K.), and Hilary C. is not exactly inspiring confidence, so what's a liberal democrat to do?

Put her head on her desk, that's what......

What are you doing?

Congressman update: Learned that my cousin also inspired a 0% rating from the AFL-CIO. (No wonder mother spoke of him but little!)

Goodbye, Uncle Rich!

Last Wednesday, my Uncle Richard breathed his last. We couldn't imagine Rich without Barb, and apparently, neither could he.

I miss him, and his stack of yet-to-be-read magazines, very much. He was a fabulous uncle, and won me over when I was just a wee one (he did a great duck imitation, let me tell you). He was of the co-conspirator school, and would wink and call you over to discuss "secrets" that were just hilarious nonsense.

Wonderful, delirious nonsense.

He and Barb shared wonderful senses of humor and tremendous style--two things our family did not exactly have in abundance, shall we say.

We'll muddle on somehow, but life is a little less absurd and a lot less tasteful, now that they're gone.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Ah, the shame continues

One of my compatriots suggests that my cousin the Congressman isn't as bad as he could be. Reviewing his record, one wonders what, exactly, that could mean. Perhaps my source is mistooken, but according to this site, the Congressman is a Moderate Republican of the rightward leaning variety, which means he is:

PRO
Death penalty
Gun ownership
Patriot Act
Privatization of Social Security
School prayer
School vouchers
Tax cuts for the wealthy

AGAINST
Abortion
Gay adoption
Gay marriage
Public health initiatives

Of course, he could be for public stonings of gays who have had abortions--that would be worse (certainly for me, his cousin), but good golly, he doesn't look so good from here!

But one site should not be my sole source--I will investigate further, and report back.

Ennis, we miss you!

I strive to keep clear of celebrity gossip (unless I'm in a doctor's office and there are People magazines around; then, I'm powerless), but I can't get enough info about what happened to Heath Ledger.

Linda and I are so sad he's gone--we thought he should have received the Oscar for his nuanced performance in "Brokeback Mountain," but figured an actor of his talent would have other chances.

So much for that, eh?

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

How liberal am I?

I've taken three "Who should you vote for (for president)?" tests and Dennis K. was "my" candidate each and every time.

I think that qualifies me as a liberal.

Or hopeless.

Hopeless liberal?

Family secret NO MORE!

In the church basement set, a favorite expression is, "You're as sick as your secrets." Well, apparently I have been keeping an aspect of my background on the down-low, and it has been suggested to me that I may be keeping this information in the family closet, as it were.

As a person with a comprehensive website, blog and MySpace page, I'm not exactly a closed book. However, there is a part of my family history that I haven't addressed, and well, I guess it's time to address it. My quiet on this issue hasn't been part of some elaborate cover-up--I am not mentally equipped for covert operations, as anyone who knows me can verify--but rather, a family/Midwestern/Catholic tendency to just leave things (particularly unpleasant things) be.

You see, back in Wisconsin, I have a cousin who is--well, there's just no way to sugar-coat this, so I'll just get it out--a Republican. Not only that, he's a member of Congress.

Yes, I, Ann Podolske, life-long liberal and mid-life lesbian, have a card-carrying and vote-making member of the GOP in my family tree.

How did this happen? Well, no one can really say how such things happen, but I do have a theory. The Congressman's father, my uncle and dear mother's only brother, was lost in WWII, and as a result, the Congressman wasn't raised with any Democratic influence at all, poor dear.

I guess he's a Republican because he just doesn't know any better. And while some might think that I, as a member of his family, have the duty to try to help the Congressman see the error of his ways, I know that I am powerless over how he votes on bills (the wrong way, typically), and that all I can do is take care of myself, donate to my favorite lefty causes, vote Democratic, and pray for him.

If there were a GOP-anon, I'd belong, but alas, there is no such organization.

Yet.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Good show, great view from the pews, bad news

Last night's set at The Studio was a "keeper," indeed. Did a mix of bits on drinking, aging and gay marriage--what a combo, come to think--that appeared to keep the packed-in-like-sardines audience laughing. Of course, I failed to ask Rick for a DVD (have absolutely no sense as to when I'll do well, alas), but he graciously offered to make me one afterwards.

And there will be more Studio dates in my future, as well, which, after a show like last night's, sounds just grand. Thank you, Mr. Jenkins.....

As for today, Linda and I also had a good morning at our newly-adopted place of worship--yes, it has come to this.

Good thing, for I came home to learn that my last remaining uncle is now a candidate for hospice, poor dear. Since my aunt died, his health has deteriorated dramatically--this past week he was declared not even fit enough for the Alzheimer's ward, for pity's sake! He's also not eating, which really signals the end for our people. Most people, actually.

We're hoping for a miracle, but the thing is, I doubt that he is. Looks like he's just tired and ready to go home.

It finally dawned on me: I'm in my Loss Years. One has many years where death is but an eventuality, and then, when you're lulled into a false sense of security, the Loss-A-Thon begins.

Oh, I was going to devote this New Year to The Comedy, wasn't I? Sorry about that!

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

For the Linda archives....

My own Ms. Malaprop now has two horse-themed misstatements to her name. To wit:

1) Don't look a gift horse in the house.
2) That was the horse that broke the camel's back.

I anxiously await the third, so I can add it to my "Linda segment" that she has been lobbying so heavily for--yes, yes, be careful what you wish for, indeed.

Now, I don't speak with the precision of a Henry Higgins, say, but Linda makes me feel positively erudite. But when I'm not sure of a quote, I do the rising inflection business--you know, the question-mark-in-the-voice trick--to show my lack of confidence in my speech. Linda, on the other hand, speaks with authority no matter what, and so one hears the mangle, but doesn't quite believe his or her ears.

A talent, that.

Thursday, January 03, 2008

Hasta la vista, 2007!

While I thought 2005 had distinguished itself as a year for the "Into each life some rain must fall" archives--it was the year I lost 70% of my long-term job and had my first colonoscopy, after all--2007 was a doozie.

Linda and I had to say goodbye to our cat Oatmeal, my dear aunt Barb, and, as if that weren't enough for one year, our dear shepherd mix Linus, aka Lamby man. That just happened on the 28th of December, and we're still reeling. (We put together a web site in his honor--it's helped a lot, and I highly recommend putting some sort of archive on your loved one together to anybody who is grieving.)

As you might imagine, The Comedy was not a prevailing feature of 2007, which I now consider the Year of the Loss-a-Thon. However, one of the few bright spots emerging from the death of Linus is that I no longer have the responsibility of being a home health care aid for a dog, so I will have more time and freedom to pursue gigs in 2008. Linda and I will also be able to travel a bit more, and that will be good for us, too.

But who knows what this year may bring? A new dog, most likely. (Even though she's no mere slip of a girl, the house is just too darn empty with "just" Shwea in it.) Otherwise, it's anyone's guess, and I, for one, am full of hope for the New Year.

Yes, some people never learn. ;-)