Anyone who knows anything about my political beliefs knows I’m a libertarian, but if I had to choose between left wing liberalism and right wing conservatism, I lean more toward the right. So today’s fun dialog:
Coworker: So, are you going to the big rally for Barak in Grant Park?
Me: I wouldn’t go if I got a personal invitation from Barak himself and he sent a limo to pick me up.
Coworker: Oh. I guess you won’t be voting for Barak.
Such astute people I work with.
I taught myself to play the guitar about 25 years ago. I read music, so I learned from a music book. I got pretty good at it, and even learned to pick out a few tunes by ear (like House of the Rising Sun). But when I left my first husband, I sold my guitar for $50 to my sister so I would have gas money to drive from Florida to Michigan. I’ve always wished I had kept up with it.
I told Mac that a few times. So for my birthday LAST YEAR he got me a guitar. I don’t know much about guitars, but Mac’s brother played in a blues band in Toledo during the 70s and 80s and still plays when he can. I asked him about the quality of my guitar and he said the brand (Washburn) was a decent brand – low end professional. I got several books and started trying to play again, but knew that unless I had lessons or something, I would end up letting it collect dust.
I did.
So this fall I signed up for a guitar class at the local community college (no college credit). Turns out the class is all about strumming chords. So we are learning chords and different strum patterns and not reading a note of music. This is very strange to me, to play a D chord and not think about the notes that I have to make sure I’m playing to get the chord (D, F#, A) but instead, just make sure my fingers are in the right position. Now I can see how some guitar players, even famous ones, can play without reading a note of music.
So at our last lesson, we learned a pretty cool “blues strum” so now I can play the blues – simple 12-bar blues using three chords. But with that knowledge, I can play almost any blues tune. Of course, I can only do it in the key of E. But I actually had FUN practicing last night! Woot!
I also bought a new mixer, and an attachment for my guitar (it’s acoustic) so that I can plug into my mixer and record. When I get good enough, maybe I’ll record something and link it here.
Having read Susu’s entry about her husband’s birthday, I’ve done a little reflecting myself.
When I was younger, I though being needed by someone was the way to go. So I always ended up with men that needed me, for some reason. They needed a boost to their self-esteem. They needed someone who could help them in some way. Or were just plain needy. I think I was a “fixer”.
For example: My first husband.
When we got together, I was the needy one. I was struggling to pay my rent and he offered me a room in his mobile home for $25 a week. That was about half of what I was paying for rent, so I thought it was a great deal. Then I found out how needy he was. After moving in with him, I learned he was terrible at paying his bills. To him the due date was the shut off notice date. He had filed bankruptsy after his first marriage ended. His first wife was an alcoholic and his daughter, who lived with her, was so obviously neglected that I think I tried to overcompensate when she came to visit us.
He never had a sense of family, and because I had a big one, I brought that with me. He was amazed that we could get together with my parents and spend an evening playing pinochle, or that I had brothers and sisters that I would go to places like Busch Gardens with. He had no real family. He had one sister, 16 years younger than him.
When he asked me to marry him, I told him only if he would let me take over the paying of his bills, and that they all needed to be caught up before we got married. He agreed, and then became dependent on me to keep us out of debt. (Many many fights over money – mostly about how he had the right to spend as much as he wanted because he made the most – I had a part-time cocktail waitress salary.)
Eventually, that marriage ended because although I “needed” him financially, and he “needed” me emotionally, I didn’t WANT to be married to him, and I’m not sure what he wanted.
Current husband:
I don’t need him (that is – I could live on my own without him just fine, and live well.) He doesn’t need me (same thing). We stay together because we not only love each other, but we LIKE each other and WANT to be in each other’s company. He is the love of my life. We don’t even have to interact. I like being in the same room with him. He is probably the only person in the world I would risk my life for.
It’s so much better to be wanted than needed.
What would be the first thing you would do if you were trapped in a mall?
Buy shoes and a purse then look for the nearest Starbucks. Duh.
I just answered this Featured Question; you can answer it too!
I stopped at a bookstore today at lunch time and the title of this book caught my eye. (What female wouldn’t be attracted to a book titled “Skinny Bitch”?) I gave it a quick glance, and saw that it was a “tough love guide for savvy girls who want to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous.”
Then I turned to the first page of the book (after the mutual admiration society pages) and this is what prompted me to buy the book:
“Okay. Use your head. You need to get healthy if you want to get skinny. Healthy = skinny. Unhealthy = fat. The first thing you need to do is give up your gross vices. Don’t act surprised! You cannot keep eating the same shit and expect to get skinny. Or smoke. So don’t even try some pathetic excuse like, “But if I quit smoking, I’ll gain weight.” No one wants to hear it. Cigarettes are for losers. They are so 1989 and totally uncool…”
I burst out laughing and decided I had to buy the book.
I may not agree with the statement “Healthy = skinny” since I think skinny = unhealthy. But it will be interesting to read this author’s philosophy on the whole idea of weight loss. For the entertainment value, if nothing else.
