30 Days

Have you seen the show 30 Days? I highly recommend it. It's on its third season now, but I've only just found it.

I've only caught a few shows, and they've been incredibly insightful. In one, a fundamentalist Christian lives for thirty days with a homosexual man in a very gay neighborhood in San Francisco. In another, the host of the show lives for thirty days with a coal mining family and works as a coal miner. I'll admit, I learned a lot about coal mining and coal miners that I'm sure I otherwise would not have.

In a truly amazing episode, a Christan man lives for thirty days with a Muslim family. As part of the "rules," he had to spend life living as a Muslim---dressing, growing his beard, and answering every call to prayer. He learned so much about the faith and found a whole new level of respect and acceptance of people who think differently than he does.

Tonight's episode has a former NFL player living thirty days in a wheelchair. He's going to play on a wheelchair rugby team, work with spinal cord patients, and live without any use of his legs. (but he is allowed to stretch them daily to lessen permanent injury/risks of blood clot.) The doctor told him what to expect: you'll live the next thirty days seeing others' belt buckles, and if your wife is with you, standing behind you, anyone you meet will look only at her. wow. Something for the rest of us to keep in mind.

As someone who has been hurt in a major way, with a cast that ran from my hip to my ankle, I can say that finding yourself suddenly unable to get out of bed and needing help to do so much gave me an amazing level of insight and understanding---on the most basic level., only, though, as I healed, relatively, quickly. (okay, so there's been chronic pain ever since, but still, I'm back on both feet.)

Check out the show if you can.

Insightful.

Educational.

Inspiring.

Thought Provoking

Line from Grey's Anatomy tonight:

Don't wonder why people go crazy.

Wonder why they don't.

Um Hmmm.

A Supreme Argument

I am not a regular viewer of Boston Legal, even though I've always been entertained by the show. I guess it's just not one that I ever felt required continual watching, so I catch it when I can. But I missed this particular one last month.

The show recently stepped into the United States Supreme Court--at least that as portrayed on the show. But the show did an amazing job at finding good look-alike actors for the roles of the Justices, even if they did give Justice Thomas a line. (he very rarely speaks.)

Aside: Earlier this semester, I had my Remedies students read the argument from a day before. (it's amazing that you can get a transcript of a US Supreme Court argument the afternoon that it occurs.) The case was the Exxon Valdez case on punitive damages (yes, that long ago and it was just argued this spring.) (interestingly, James Spader's character references that case in the show.) My students were studying the prior case about excessive punitives, and I was able to have them play the roles of attorneys presenting the arguments and the justices so they could see the real arguments as made. It was really cool, if I do say so myself. Anyway, we all chuckled when we realized that indeed, Justice Thomas had no "lines" in the transcript/script.

Back to the show . . . The character, Alan Shore, makes an argument to the Supreme Court, arguing a case interestingly similar to an actual US Sup. Ct. case that was argued April 16 this year, Kennedy v. Louisiana. Now, for show purposes, Shore is quite dramatic. ANd I cannot imagine an attorney before the Court ever saying some of the thing that he says. But man, what an argument! For the times I don't so eloquently state why I care about who our next president is, a lot of this comes up in his argument. It's long, though---about 10 minutes or so.

(And for anyone who had no idea about appellate arguments before and were so confused about my life before teaching, while yes, this is dramatic and the content of the political aspect of what he says is far-fetched, still, it's a pretty good idea of an appellate argument in the sense of what goes on (not what is said). You have one attorney speaking to many justices, begin interrupted on the spot with questions, discussions, etc. It's when the justices and attorney should be able to have a conversation about the issues. At least that's what I tell my moot court students.)

Making Me Laugh

I just saw a commercial that I hadn't seen in a while, and even though I'd seen it before, I giggled again. And now that I've learned how, and you tube has made it so easy to, here it is! (so you can giggle too!) :-)

In Case You Missed It . . .

Top Ten Surprising Things about Barack Obama (from David Letterman on May 1)

#8---too funny! :-)



But now I feel a little need to remind anyone that this was on late night television! I have a colleague who apparently took everything Michelle Obama said on Steven Colbert as absolute truth. Oh dear, that's almost (almost) as bad as a relative of mine spouting off about Barack Obama's religion---having heard falsities on the radio.

Sigh.

Can we not find our sense of humor . . . and sensibilities?

It's a Jungle Out There

The show is Lipstick Jungle, and I must say, it sure does make for a fun hour each week. No heavy thinking; no tears or worries, just fun.

It’s about three female friends in NYC—a magazine executive, a movie studio executive, and a fashion designer. Watching it each week, though, makes me miss my friends I saw there in January. It’s odd, too, the ways in which we can match our lives with those on the show. Okay, except for the fact that none of us is a top exec or had a fabulous Manhattan apartment. Sure, there’s that.

But back to those three: two are married, one of those struggling, one of those oh-so-wise. And indeed, I see some of my friends in those ladies. And the third? Well, she’s single and going through a transition time in her career. She’s also the youngest of the three (as I am among my particular friends.) And she’s cute and fun and spunky. Yes, I can say it’s nice to associate with her—the cute, fun, spunky one. See, as a kid, I always had to be Sabrina, you know, the smart one, when it came to Charlie’s Angels. ;-) (Albeit, on the show, the single one on LJ has started dating a bazillionaire. As if. Sigh. ;-) Of course, he’s not all that perfect; he has issues too.)

Anyway, as I said, the show’s a lot of fun. I just watched the latest episode, and a couple of the lines really struck me as gems.

For the first, the magazine exec gal is having a hard day: she’s just learned that it’s her in-house rival who’s behind a bad sexual harassment suit. And so, after the end of the work-day, the movie studio exec drops by her office, finding her at her desk sipping from a coffee mug . . . and holding an open bottle of wine. As she pours more into her cup, the movie exec asks, “What, are we out of creamer?”

Later, the designer, who’s just made the dress for an actress starring in the movie exec’s movie (the premiere is that night), is consoling the actress who’s gotten bad news about her now-ex-boyfriend. She’s gotten into the designer’s liquor cabinet and is having a melt-down at not finding bourbon (although she’s clearly found and enjoyed lots of other things). Pulling more bottles out of the cabinet, the actress asks, drunkenly, “Can I mix vodka with gin?” The designer responds, “Not after Labor Day.”

It’s a great show, and a lot of fun. I miss my friends each time I see it, but I also know I get to look forward to our next book chat. Besides, as I told them, if we all lived in the same city, oh the wine we would go through! ;-)

More Time Lost?

Lost is back. And as the promos say, it is indeed better than ever. After only a couple (has it really been only two?) of episodes, though, I’ll admit that I’m a little lost. I love the addition of the new four characters and their backgrounds; it will be quite interesting to see how this one plays out.

Of course, we will possibly have only a half seasons this year. Half of the sixteen planned episodes had been written before the writers’ strike. I certainly support the writers’ views, but man, it’ll be hard to get just six more episodes.

I’m down to about only an hour of television each evening, though. And I like it this way. With fewer new shows on, my DVR records fewer things, and that means it’s easier for me to watch those things I want in just one hour each evening. When the strike ends (there’s talk of this happening before the Oscars), though, more shows will eventually air new episodes. Pickle: do I give up some shows and continue to enjoy my only one hour per night? Do I add back in a little more tube? Or do I just record certain series and save them until the slower summer television season? (and by the way, how odd to have Big Brother airing in February!)

Indeed: It's a pickle, George. (I said that in class the other day; only a few students got it. Most looked at me as if I'd lost it . . . yet again. ;-) )

Batten Down the Hatches

Back in December or so, when the next-to-last Desperate Housewives episode aired, I got quite a chuckle at the way they portrayed a tornado watch. Seriously? I mean, I’ve lived a good part of my life under a tornado watch, or so it seems. But on the TV show, as soon as they had word of potential tornadic conditions, people were grabbing their children, stocking up on supplies, finding batteries, reserving places (hours before the storm was to hit) in neighbors’ basements—again, all hours before it even started to rain! This was amusing, of course, because most of the time you have a tornado watch, nothing happens. And life doesn’t alter a whole lot.

Sure, tornados hit. Sure, they happen. After all, I remember the one that hit downtown Fort Worth well.

But I thought the TV show really went over the top.

Until today.

Earlier this morning, a colleague invited me to lunch to celebrate Mardi Gras. I knew a Cajun restaurant wouldn’t be the easiest place to make healthy food choices, but I really wanted to go. And so, I said yes. (and I had a teeny tiny sliver of King Cake too.)

Around 11:40, his wife Amy picked us up—Steve, our secretary Linda, and me—and the four of us headed to Bayou Café.

Just as our drinks arrived, Amy’s phone rang, and she got word that Memphis City Schools were closing at 12:30. Closing! Huh? Why? Expected severe weather. Seriously? Seriously.

So darned if Amy didn’t have to leave lunch to go pick up their kids. (She got the daughter and a friend from one school while another parent picked up the son (and friend) from a different school—good teamwork!) We stayed and enjoyed lunch, and Amy returned just after we finished, just to drive us back to the law school.

(By the way, I ordered seafood gumbo and salad with blackened chicken. Who would have expected seafood gumbo to have sausage in it?! Maybe not as healthy as my salad in my office fridge, but I still think I made some pretty good choices.)

And poor Amy, missing lunch. And I had looked forward to visiting with her!

Anyway, upon our return here, we all got the university emergency alert text messages that notified us all university activities and classes were cancelled starting at 2:30 today. Seriously.

Interesting.

Anyway, so indeed, I’m going to gather my books and head home. I’m just hoping this all passes through so I can make it to spinning! I really need it tonight after that secret sausage in the gumbo slipped past me. But it was yummy. But when I realized it wasn’t as healthy as I had expected, I did eat only half. ;-)

Guess I’ll go ahead and secure a few loose items outside too once I get home. Glad I’ve got a basement!

And Now, a Word From Our Sponsors

Super Bowl XLII

Wow! So the Giants pulled the upset! I did watch the last minute of the game, and the best play I saw was when Eli Manning got out the near-sack with having a hold of his shirt then Tyree making the incredible catch in the air almost on top of a Patriot. That set up for an incredible last minute of the game. Hats off to you, NYGiants. (And congrats to the Manning brothers; how cool is that to have two brothers who are QBs win back-to-back super bowls?!)

But this is more than a football game: it's the night that all ad execs must dream of---having their creation watched by millions. I've fast-forwarded through most of the game and hit the highlights. And so, who pulled the advertising win? Before I get to that, my first thought was, "Do all the other stations promote their own shows as much as fox has tonight?" Seriously---it's a bit much. Anyway, back to the real ads . . . .

Right up there at the top were the Bud Light spots---now comes with the ability to breathe fire / ability to fly. Too funny! (but really the only good ones from Bud Light, imho)

Tide-to-Go's spot with the Talking Stain was priceless! how many of us have felt like a stain of our own was that spotlighted?

Of course, the Budweiser one with the Rocky theme was good--mostly for the music. (I have that song on my iPod--wonderfully motivating about 40 minutes into a tough cardio workout.)

And I did like the Life Water commercial--really just for the music and tribute to the Thriller video. I think I heard somewhere this year is the 25th anniversary of that video. Whew, now that's something to make one feel old.

The Chester Pitts/Oboe one was good---made you feel all warm and fuzzy. Okay, and I played the oboe. (“Play,” of course, is relative; my cat Misty used to bite my fingers when I practiced. Now that’s low.) Another warm & fuzzy one was when Charlie Brown got the Coke---good ol’ Charlie Brown.

The Amp commercial, though, was just plain disturbing. (And a further comment on our need for too much caffeine.)

I actually laughed out loud, I’ll admit, at the Doritos commercial with the giant r vat. I totally didn't see that coming!

But my laughter was loudest based on watching the spots with the E-trade talking baby who bought stock. Now that was worthy of some advertising dollar$! I know, some will say it was creepy, but to me—hilarious!

Most effective? I'm willing to bet the first GoDaddy dot com was huge. How many men do you think won't check out that site within the next twenty-four hours?

The Coke spot with James Carville & Bill Frist, of course, was good. I'd had a preview of that one this morning; Carville was on meet the Press. And did you notice that James Carville was the one who got kissed by the mascot at the basketball game and took the lead over Frist while they were on the scooter-thingies? Guess the spot wasn’t completely unbiased after all. ;-)

As for the Diet Pepsi Max, I just kept thinking what a sad reflection on our society. Gosh, people, go to bed! ;-) Seriously, though, too many people really don't get enough sleep, and I wonder sometimes what sorts of accidents and costs come with that. This is easy, though, for me to say given that I've made a point of working on my sleep patterns. I wanted to start reading before bed. But I love watching Colbert. Well, I could have done both, staying up later. But I didn't--I gave up Colbert. Actually, interestingly, I've even given up more tv watching and am heading to bed a bit earlier than I though I would have.

Frankly, though, the hidden shots of the coaches, considering the Patriots were playing, was most chuckle-worthy in the irony-sort-of-way.

But so, another Super Bowl is over. All you ad folks—you’ve got the next year to create.

Oh, and Cowboys, get to practice! :-)

Super Sunday

Ah, Super Bowl Sunday. Last year I watched the game at home, and I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. I didn't eat a lot of junk, drink too many beers, and I could hear all of the commercials.

This year, I'm probably headed to a late afternoon movie, but I do have the game set to record; after all, I want to see those commercials. And I should be home before half-time, so I'll catch up on everything well before it gets too late.

As for the game itself, I didn't have a true favorite side (once the Cowboys lost). And with the cheating scandal of New England, I wasn't a fan. But I learned not too long ago that one of my student's cousins is the kicker for the Patriots, and he also is a Memphis alum. Okay, so I'll root for New England . . . or at least for their kicker.

But mostly, I'm in it for the commercials. :-)

My TV Tidbits

Ahhh----mid September. New fall TV. We've waited long enough, after all, to find out about Meredith's sister joining the as a new intern! It's about time! :-)

But what about new shows? Well, this year, I''m trying to curtail my TV watching, so I've selected very few new shows to tune into. In fact, I had selected only one---Private Practice, but of course. (the spin-off from Grey's Anatomy) But then I tuned in to All Things Considered this afternoon on NPR and caught an interview with some of the folks from Reaper. So I checked it out tonight.

Ya gotta watch it! And no---it's not too late! The pilot will be rebroadcast on the CW this Thursday at 8pm central.

Why watch? What is it? Well...... First of all, it's directed by the guy who directed Dogma--a great flick. And the devil in the TV show is played by the guy from Twin Peaks (and who also played last season's VP for 24.)

Anyway, it's delightfully refreshing, and it's funny! Sure, it's a little silly, but more so, it's clever. Seriously. But it also has giggle-worthy slapstick that isn't too cheesy. And yes, even a "good" side to the story. It is so not the redone things like almost every other show seems to be this fall. And so I'll set my DVR to record this one regularly.

As for other shows, I ate up every bit of the season-one recap that aired Sunday night for Brothers and Sisters. Truly, that is my favorite show on TV right now. Can hardly wait for the premiere this coming Sunday!

As for my fall reality fix----naturally, I'm tickled with the new Dancing with the Stars and Survivor. Yes, those are my fall reality TV guilty pleasures. What fun to watch!

Oh, and as long as I'm checking in on the tube, if you didn't catch Damages or Saving Grace this summer---you should sooooo watch them when you can. Damages is a delightfully dark and twisted drama. It's still running new shows, though. Best to catch it on FX when it starts over or catch it on DVD. It's one you need to watch from the start.

My other summer fave was Saving Grace. what can I say? This is it: wow. Holly Hunter, I must say, is phenomenal in this role. And the depth and issues of her character are amazing. A-Ma-Zing. Her issues will turn a lot of viewers off; I realize that. But to me, they are portrayed so fabulously and earnestly and bitterly to the core . . . . Earl, the angel (hmmmm---just realized I'm plugging one show with an angel and one with a devil. Interesting.)---anyway, Earl the angel is a hoot. I must say, if an angel ever revealed himself to me, I'd want it to be someone like Earl. He cares. He's honest. He likes good food and spices. And he has a great sense of humor.

Ahhh. Fall TV. What else is on my list to watch? I adore the sitcom How I Met Your Mother on Mondays on CBS. And of course, I still keep up with Desperate Housewives on Sundays, Grey's (of course), and last year I reconnected with ER. I'll wait for 24 and Lost, naturally, but I gave up on Heroes. I just got bored with it. Sigh. I've set my DVR to record Criminal Minds--cause it's just so ickishly great and psychological. But beyond that, I think that's it. (other than a nightly dose of Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert.)

Like I said, I am trying to curtail the viewing, and with limiting myself to only two new shows, giving up the CSIs (unless it's an episode about the miniature killer), and deciding not to watch those things that really don't hold my interest---maybe I'll eventually make it through the backed-up stack of magazines on my desk. :-)

Something I Heard

I just heard a great line on a TV show:

"If I'd shot you when I met you, I'd be out of jail by now."

Oh my, now that's a good one. (not that I'm bitter...well, that's for another blog. ;-)

No, the show (State of Mind on Lifetime) didn't give the source---the show's characters referenced country music. Go figure.

That got me thinking about some of my other favorite lines. Most, I must admit, are from Sex in the City.

“When you're young, your whole life is about the pursuit of fun. Then, you grow up and learn to be cautious. You could break a bone or a heart. You look before you leap and sometimes you don't leap at all because there's not always someone there to catch you. And in life, there's no safety net. When did it stop being fun and start being scary?”

And having moved away from everyone I know---especially with a birthday looming, I must admit, this one's been in the back of my mind:

"Maybe mistakes are what make our fate... without them what would shape our lives? Maybe if we had never veered off course we wouldn't fall in love, have babies, or be who we are. After all, things change, so do cities, people come into your life and they go. But it's comforting to know that the ones you love are always in your heart... and if you're very lucky, a plane ride away”

Oh no----not that this move is a mistake! It's anything but that! But it is hard sometimes not to have those fabulous friends you could always call on to be there---in person. That part is hard. Fortunately, I'm used to being very (too?) independent. :-) But I know that my loved ones ARE merely a plane ride away. And that, indeed, is quite comforting. I am NOT alone---just several hours away. :-)

Not all the show's quotes are past looking. Not all are from tough times. Some are quite, to me, positive:

"Later that day I got to thinking about relationships. There are those that open you up to something new and exotic, those that are old and familiar, those that bring up lots of questions, those that bring you somewhere unexpected, those that bring you far from where you started, and those that bring you back. But the most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you find someone to love the you you love, well, that's just fabulous."

Indeed.

And having gone shopping recently, I must admit, I thought of this next quote while I was out. (yes---several of these I do have committed to memory.) See, I really needed to spiff up my wardrobe and get some good suits. But for the most part, and for what I needed, suits are a little boring. Hello? I don't consider myself boring, so not only did I buy some new suits; I bought some new shoes. And let me tell you, I bought FUN shoes! I figure I can wear a basic black suit, and even if I put a colorful top with it, well, still---yawn. So I finally got some shoes I love. And for once, I didn't get the bargain shoes. Oh heavens no, I didn't go designer. But still---these are great. And as I was trying these shoes on, and every sales person in the place was oohhing and aaahing, I couldn't help but remember this line that Carrie said in one episode of Sex in the City (and if you're single and never watched this show, you're missing out. If you're not single, sorry, but you might not totally get it. Being single is something different. Something unique. It's fabulous. It's challenging. It's up. It's down. It's exciting. It's depressing. It's, well, it's the same as all other life, but it is simply different.):

"It's really hard to walk in a single woman's shoes -- that's why you sometimes need really special shoes!”

Amen. And I have some really special---and really cute---shoes now. I learned from an inside source students thought I was a really hard professor---some even said I was mean. (what?! Moi?!) (No, that didn't hurt my feelings. I also have heard time and time again that although I was the hardest prof many students had, they learned the most from me. And that, after all, is my job.) Anyway, maybe I'll still be the hard professor. And maybe even the mean one. But I'll also be the one with the really great shoes. :-)

All that aside, though, in closing, I must admit, one of my favorite lines from the show is this one:

"Maybe some women aren't meant to be tamed. Maybe they just need to run free til they find someone just as wild to run with them.”

'Nuff said.

Happy Mom's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!! ---the other reason for the drive down south for the weekend.

Mom and I made the drive back to her place Saturday night after dinner, and Clay (my older brother) joined us there too. We were all quite tired from the day's events, though (and Mom & I from staying up too late on Friday!), so it wasn't too late of a night. (However, I did stay up a while blogging about the day---finally got pics up with that today.)

And even though we'd been gone all day, the critters were tired early too. Sophie even retreated to her carrier---for the first time EVER! They say (whoever "they" are) that cats have a hard time with change and with travel, but Sophie really does wonderfully at Grandma's house. She adjusts almost immediately upon our arrival and settles into her routine without incident.

You may be wondering why I would take Sophie for just a weekend. Well, I didn't. Sophie went to visit Grandma for an extended vacation. With the house on the market, I didn't want to scare away any prospective buyers with a litter box. My house smells great, but you never know what might put someone off.

Sophie's visited Grandma's twice---both other times for three-week visits. And they get along splendidly! Sophie tends to follow Mom around just like a little kid, tailing her from room to room. And during this last visit, Sophie began to visit Mom in the middle of the night, enjoying curling up in bed and watching late-night tv.

Anyway, back to Saturday night---Howard just went to bed without me. He did not care to wait for me to finish writing. On Sunday, Mom's Day was nice. We had a relaxing morning, tending to some things around the house and getting Mom's pics from Final Review uploaded and shared. We filled her bird feeder too and enjoyed the back yard. (we both love watching the birds in our feeders---something that always makes me think of her mother and her bird houses she had out at the farm.)

Mom's got a gorgeous backyard---very lush and green. She's always worked really hard in the yard. (When my neighbor told me he'd never seen a woman work so hard on her own on her house, I though "you haven't met my mom.") Alas, as age creeps up, she still has a great place, even if that's accomplished with a little hired help.

The pecan tree that my grandfather planted provides ample shade for the huge wooden deck she now has---one ideal for evening meals outside. The tree leans quite a bit, and it leans toward the house, but to me it seems like it's leaning over Mom's house as if it's a sign that her dad's looking over her.

Her squash and tomato plants are doing wonderfully; she picked the season's first tomatoes while I was there! And even the pepper plants have itty-bitty peppers.

While outside Sunday morning, we enjoyed watching a busy hummingbird travel among the many red salvia plants, drinking up lots from each one before it paused to rest on a clothesline. The bird was so tiny, but its wings beat so fast. Amazing little creature.

Howard, of course, kept quite busy checking out the backyard. Mom's yard backs up to a heavily wooded area, and she has a wire fence along the back of the yard. You can hardly see the wire fence, and so it feels like there's open forest out there. (the fence is behind other plants in the yard, so you really cannot see it---great design.) But the fence does keep Howard in the yard---and sometimes the deer out of the garden.
Howard also relaxed sometimes, but usually he'd stay at least a little on alert.

Sunday afternoon, we all went for our Mom's Day lunch at Archie's---a local place owned and operated by one of my high school friend's family. Not having the opportunity often enough for really good catfish, Mom and I both had that. And indeed, it was tasty & perfectly cornmeal battered. Clay enjoyed the frog legs.

But poor Mom. She said she wanted to sit in the middle, but she didn't know how literally "in the middle" that'd put her. I suppose my brother and I couldn't be more different when it came to political opinions. And he wanted to talk politics. Honestly, after a gross misstatement of fact he made (where do some sources get their info?!), I didn't have a lot of patience to participate. And as I said, it was sticking Mom right in the middle. Bless her heart---she does have to listen to each of us espouse our (strong) opinions separately. She didn't need to hear 'em together.

Don't get me wrong---a good debate is indeed healthy and can be quite thought-provoking. But I also recognize a twenty-year-old argument when I hear one, and I am not interested in debating how things used to be when those things have been changed dramatically since then. For example, if you want to argue about welfare, then don't complain about the system that existed in the 80s. Let's talk about it after the reforms of the 90s. And when I know I've gotten into a conversation with someone who won't admit error, I don't see an upside to that conversation. Or when you're in a conversation with someone who's in it "just to win" and not actually to exchange ideas and really provoke thought, well, that, by definition, is not thought provoking to me. And through the years (and oh my, yes, in law school), I've figured out many of the signs of these types of arguments. (and throwing in unfounded accusations about a political party's dirty secrets is just silly to me; don't we all know that BOTH major parties are accused of dirty work? Oh, goodness.)

Not that everything from above was going on during lunch, but enough was that I did not see a benefit to any debate. And more importantly, I also know that Mom doesn't want discourse. Thus, we moved the conversation to topics a little lighter, a little less controversial, and a little bit better for the Mother's Day lunch table.

And to clarify, while I may disagree with most of my brother's political views, I recognize that he is fascinatingly educated about histories of war, battles, and such world events. (Although, the awful misstatement of fact that was made---apparently gotten from some sort of political gossip made by someone who was unbelievably uninformed---put up a slight barrier to listening for a while.) Now does that mean I'm interested in hearing about every war that's ever occurred? No. But he's a great source to chat about those that I am.

And back home for Sunday night---the night I enjoy settling in for a little good TV. Tonight was a little different, of course, because I had to record the regular stuff while I watched the Survivor finale. Enjoyable! I wasn't at all shocked of Earl's landslide victory, but it was sad Yau-Man didn't win. But what I respected most about the producers of the show was that not once did I hear anyone reference the race of the final three. Bravo, Survivor! (Maybe something was said, but I didn't hear it, so it wasn't a big deal if it was mentioned.) (I've always thought it was such a shame when a person's race is mentioned as if it's important to know in a conversation when it has absolutely nothing to do with the topic.)

But I did manage to also catch up on my favorite Sunday night show: Brothers & Sisters. It's funny, it's sad, it's thought-provoking, and it's poignant. It even has a brother and sister with polar opposite political views! (And a mom who tries to play peace-keeper...sometimes. (Sally Field is excellent in that role, and too often I see glimpses of my own mother in her (and glimpses of all of my family in combinations of the other characters.) The character, Nora, loves her children (all adults) so much, but she also gets frustrated with them, angry with them, can laugh and joke with them too---the full spectrum, acted out wonderfully.))

Here's a line from Brothers & Sisters Sunday night: "Sometimes being a good parent is knowing when not to parent. You have to get out of the way and let life happen to your kids."

I think that's sage advice. Although mine is not a family that's always there for all the occasions, and a big part of me thinks that's unfortunate, we tend to raise relatively independent folks. I was so raised---to be independent and to make my own decisions. I've also always known that advice---and help---is just a phone call away. So thanks, Mom & Dad, for knowing when---and when not to---parent, and for letting life happen to me. :-)