We're left wingers, far left wingers, and so it makes me very sad that some of the people who bug me most in this world are the Democratic and left-leaning groups that I support now or did in the past. I'm not talking policy here, I'm talking phone calls. Ever since we put our phone number on the do not call list years ago, we have had delightful, precious silence from aluminum siding companies, hot water heater companies, long distance service providers, and all the other phone solicitors, fly-by-nights, and those looking for a sucker willing to buy a satellite dish over the phone. We had uninterrupted dinners for several years after the do not call policy was put into place.
But about two years ago, the political calls started: Emily's List, League of Conservation Voters, the Democratic Senate this and the Democratic House that. I hate these calls. They're annoying! They come at all times of the day and night (we are on the west coast and sometimes get Sunday morning calls). The people on the other end of the phone are often paid employees, not actual zealots for the cause. They are pushy. They want me to know how important it is that I send money NOW! By credit card. Over the phone. Just give us your numbers and we will a) stop the Republicans, b) save the environment, c) save the world.
So my big question is: why money? Why is it always money that is needed to a) stop the Republicans, b) save the environment, c) save the world? Why do 'my' Democrats need so goddamn much money to be lobbied into voting the way they should have in the first place? And why does my money need to be sent right now, number over the phone, the security code on the back, expiration date please? Why not an old fashioned check?
These should be the good guys. They are my team. Why do I hate when the phone rings? If I'm one of the good guys, shouldn't I be trusted to send that check? Why do I wish I'd never given to a single thing I believe in?
It ain't right. It just ain't right.
Jan 24, 2011
Jan 18, 2011
Things Add Up
Do you keep a mental list of everything you get done in a day or a week? Does your head keep track: five loads of laundry, three loads of dishes, one trip to Safeway, one trip to Costco, a stop at the vet for cat food, wrapped two packages, took them to Fedex, searched for daughter's car registration, made turkey meatloaf, and on and on. Obviously, I make such lists.
Sometimes, I keep an actual, on-paper, list. On a slow day, I keep track of everything. "Made the bed." Making the bed takes ten seconds but if the list is thin "made the bed" goes on the list, even if I write it in at night, long past the actual making of the bed and as obvious filler. Sometimes "called the plumber" goes on the list, as does every call I made that day. A list of five phone calls looks like five actual tasks, whether the call was five seconds or twenty minutes, whether the call accomplished anything or not. I imagine if I had a very, very, slow day "brushed my teeth" would make the list but I've never fallen that far. I'm wimpy but not that wimpy.
Sometimes, when I make an actual, physical, list and I look back at my week's accomplishment, I am actually impressed. I did get the car serviced, plan the vacation, arrange to have the trees trimmed, take the old clothes to the Goodwill, design a rooftop windmill, make bread, cook three dinners, pay all the bills, cure cancer, and cut up the boxes in the garage for recycling. Whew, what a week.
Now that I'm in an MFA program, I imagine that "read five pages of poetry" will make my lists on slow days, and "wrote five poems" will go on the list in full weeks. Maybe I should vary the type? Sixteen point bold for big jobs, 14 point for medium jobs, ten point for my little fake jobs like making the bed? Would creating the system make the list? You bet.
Sometimes, I keep an actual, on-paper, list. On a slow day, I keep track of everything. "Made the bed." Making the bed takes ten seconds but if the list is thin "made the bed" goes on the list, even if I write it in at night, long past the actual making of the bed and as obvious filler. Sometimes "called the plumber" goes on the list, as does every call I made that day. A list of five phone calls looks like five actual tasks, whether the call was five seconds or twenty minutes, whether the call accomplished anything or not. I imagine if I had a very, very, slow day "brushed my teeth" would make the list but I've never fallen that far. I'm wimpy but not that wimpy.
Sometimes, when I make an actual, physical, list and I look back at my week's accomplishment, I am actually impressed. I did get the car serviced, plan the vacation, arrange to have the trees trimmed, take the old clothes to the Goodwill, design a rooftop windmill, make bread, cook three dinners, pay all the bills, cure cancer, and cut up the boxes in the garage for recycling. Whew, what a week.
Now that I'm in an MFA program, I imagine that "read five pages of poetry" will make my lists on slow days, and "wrote five poems" will go on the list in full weeks. Maybe I should vary the type? Sixteen point bold for big jobs, 14 point for medium jobs, ten point for my little fake jobs like making the bed? Would creating the system make the list? You bet.
Jan 15, 2011
A fun site to check out
Hello all:
A fun site/blog to check out is Catalog Living, the creation of L.A. based Molly Erdman.
http://catalogliving.net/
Erdman has created two characters, Gary and Elaine, and uses home furnishing catalog photographs as backdrops for their lives. Gary and Elaine are never seen but you will learn all about their lives, their disagreements, their tastes, through catalog living. If you've ever wondered who places a giant wooden pear on their dining room table as a centerpiece, you have to meet Gary and Elaine.
Enjoy,
Cathy
A fun site/blog to check out is Catalog Living, the creation of L.A. based Molly Erdman.
http://catalogliving.net/
Erdman has created two characters, Gary and Elaine, and uses home furnishing catalog photographs as backdrops for their lives. Gary and Elaine are never seen but you will learn all about their lives, their disagreements, their tastes, through catalog living. If you've ever wondered who places a giant wooden pear on their dining room table as a centerpiece, you have to meet Gary and Elaine.
Enjoy,
Cathy
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