And I feel fine. This REM song has been going through my head through the last couple of days. It kind of started out as a joke between Bill and me. He says I am a right winger, but I am not. I am conservative, but there are many issues I am a moderate. I think that most of the country is in the middle. President Obama was, according to reports, the most liberal senator. Now as he begins his four years as leader of the greatest country on earth, he has been more in the middle. I hope he stays that way. I hope that he doesn’t listen to or bend according to the will of Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid. I know the democrats in Congress were jumping with joy when Obama was elected. I am sure their dreams had come true. They can do whatever they want, but wait there have to be checks and balances and I think Mr. Obama knows this. He may have spoken one way to one crowd and said something different to another when he was campaigning, but that is all over now. He has to be a straight talker and know that American people aren’t going to sit back and let our country become something we don’t want. I intend to continue to stay informed on the issues and I will let my elected officials know what I like and what I don’t like. I hope that you, dear reader, will do the same. Make an effort to find out about your elected officials and their voting records. Let them know how you feel. Just because they were voted into office doesn’t mean they get a free pass when they get to Washington. It’s our duty as citizens of this great democracy we call the United States of America to stand up and let our voices be heard.
Change for the better
I just can’t get excited about the upcoming inauguration of our 44th president. Maybe it’s because I am tired of hearing about it. Every news station in our local area is the Inauguration Station or Inauguration Headquarters. It’s all they report. Road closures, Metro schedules, etc… It’s all too much. I don’t remember any inaugurationwith as many events. I know this is a historic inauguration. I have been trying to ignore that, but can’t. Yesterday, I saw the President-Elect speaking to a crowd in Baltimore. As he spoke, the camera panned out over the crowd and I saw people with tears streaming down their faces. Many had huge smiles and looks of immense pride. It got me to thinking about my former students at Mercer County Community College’s Adult Basic Education program. My oldest student was in her 60’s and from Liberia. I had many students from Africa who came to the US to make a better life for themselves and their families. I had single mothers working towards a GED so they could provide for their children. I had single fathers who were learning how to be dads. Some of my students were ex-convicts trying to better themselves and show others that they were better than the crimes they committed. I can only imagine how they must feel to see a man who looks like them become the next president. How proud they must feel. What a difference it can make in their own lives to challenge them to rise above. How awesome for them to be able to tell their children and grandchildren that they can be anything they want. No limitations. I am a not a fan of the incoming president, however, if we as a country can come together because of this historic inauguration I am all for it. My best friend in preschool was Corey. She was black, but there was no significance. Her mom made the best grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and we had a great time. I have always tried to see a person for who they are and not for the color of their skin. As I have gotten older it sometimes is harder especially in certain areas of the country. I don’t like feeling like this and my thoughts always go back to my students. I was this little white girl in the ‘hood and they accepted me and I accepted them. It is my hope that we can come together as a country and forget about party and forget about race. We must work together because after all we are Americans first.
No more popcorn
I love popcorn. I love popcorn that is fresh and buttery. I usually keep a handle on my love for popcorn and have a handful here and there. It all ended Thursday and thus has ended my love affair with popcorn forever. I took the boys to Target so Billy could spend his gift card he got from his Uncle Jeff and Tia Blanca. I was hungry and the popcorn smelled so good so we got some. As we walked through the aisles leaving a trail of popcorn, I was enjoying the time with the boys. Then we got home and there was still half a bag of popcorn left. Usually Billy will eat the rest or Bill will when he gets home, but not today. No, I ate the rest of the bag. By 5:00 pm, I was feeling it. My stomach ached. I did manage to make it to book club. Friday morning was tough. My stomach hurt so bad. Most of you know that I have Crohn’s disease so eating popcorn is not something I should really be doing, but sometimes you just do it because you want some popcorn. This time the popcorn did me in. I am still hurting as those pesky little kernels make their way through my cobblestoned, scarred intestinal tract. (Pretty picture, right?) After spending way too much time in the bathroom which I already spend too much time in anyway and having my heating pad attached almost the whole day, I have decided to go cold turkey. No more popcorn. I can’t take the agony. It’s horrible. So goodbye Mr. Redenbacher. Thanks for the memories.
Is everyone friends, but me?
I like to think that I have friends, but I don’t know that I really do. There are people that share common interests with me, but are we really friends? Maybe this is a lack of self esteem although I have always felt that my self esteem is intact. Maybe I imagine that everyone is getting together and doing things except for me. Maybe I spend too much time in my own little world and am worrying about nothing. I don’t know. How do you count friends? People that you do things with? People that you know and talk to when you see them? People that read your blog and actually comment? What about people that you thought you were friends with, but then find out that they have a blog, but you didn’t even know. What if the blog is private and you weren’t invited to read it? What happens then? A whole new wrench is thrown into the friendship business. These are things I wonder about especially now that I am going to be moving and will have to start the whole process of making friends again. What are your thoughts on friends?
Musings and Rants
I have another blog which is solely for family happenings, etc… I don’t use that blog as a place to rant and rave about things that I think about. It’s just not the right space. However, I have been thinking about things lately and I since I spend most of my days at home doing domestic duty I feel I need an outlet to vent my frustrations with things, so musings of a banana is born. The name Musings of a Banana just seems to fit since some people have called me Jana Banana on occasion. This blog may feed my “journalistic” need. I was very much into reporting, etc… when I was in high school and college and I am a news hound. I often think that maybe I am a bore so what better way to find out then to start a blog. So here we go…..