Nice day. Jack B. stopped in at exactly the right time: about 3:00 when Pat had eaten breakfast and was washed, dressed and settled in his easy chair. We laughed when he told us he had just played a round of golf. Snow was coming down--just a dusting--and even he knew he was possessed.
Ray came in while Jack was here to get our picks for the Super Bowl (we kick in $5.00). Naturally, this isn't simply who's going to win or by how much. Ray had made up a big, intricate chart and tried to explain it. You write your name on 4 or 5 squares and winning depends on what the score is at what time or if the Jupiter and Mars are in alignment or something--have no idea. Anyway, Pat added his name and the four of us sat and chatted for a half hour or so. It was very enjoyable, although it pointed up how much I miss company.
Earlier, Anne Mary called and we talked--rather, she talked, I listened--for one hour and six minutes by the clock. She needed to tell me what happened to Eddie,who died in her arms last week. Never one to leave out the most minor detail, she filled me in thoroughly.
Okay, we laugh over things like this, but Eddie meant the world to her, especially after Carlos died 18 months ago. I wasn't so crass as to ask how much the services they received cost her, but it must have run into the thousands. She finally had him "put down," as the saying goes.
Yes, that's right, Eddie and Carlos were doggies--pure white miniature poodles and if I say it myself (just as I often say, "A good dog is a stuffed dog"), they were very cute and playful animals.
I'm afraid of big dogs, but small ones are okay as long as they belong to somebody else.
Later: Went to Weight Watchers and was pleased to be down by 1.2 for a total of 71.6 pounds off and a current weight of 128. Want to get down to 125.
Wider: There's a remarkably clear and well-written treatise on various "wars" the government promotes, especially the so-called "war on terror." See http://www.campaignforliberty.com/article.php?view=6 for this.

Well, the snow is gone and the rain has stopped and it was a pretty nice day yesterday. Went to B.J.'s and stocked up, then discovered I had left my wallet home. Had to pay by credit card. Later, went to Acme to pick up some stuff for Pat. Yep, those were the high points.
But I still have the life of the mind, so...
Wider: Great hosannas from the denying democrat crowd on O's "outlawing" torture. Directly by us, yes, but I understand the ugly "rendition" practice hasn't been touched. In other words, we can still send suspects--or those who might become suspects, or those who look as if they have a tendency to be suspects or the guy down the street whose looks you don't like--to other countries to be tortured.
Maybe this is actually worse than doing it directly. If you arrange an evil, and pay somebody to commit that evil, and forcibly put a victim in the hands of the evil-doers, yet don't participate yourself, you can pretend you've "outlawed" the evil. Torture by hire is still torture, but it's more politically comfortable to have it at a remove.
It seems there's NOTHING concerning our government that isn't subject to spin, misdirection, sleight-of-hand, and all other forms of falsehood. The road of deceit, mapped out by Orwell, might not have been completed on the day the Department of War was labelled "Department of Defense," but it was already cut into the forest of the national landscape.

For all my rapturous comments on the snow yesterday, the slushiness and slight slipperiness ("slushiness and slipperiness!") of it persuaded me not to walk. It rained later and is now all washed away.
Used the new carpet cleaner and was pleased at the results. Did other stuff not worth mentioning.
Barb H. came last night while I went to the acting workshop. That was enjoyable. There's a big variation in degrees of aptness or suitability or whatever you want to call it in the participants. One of the guys seems to have had some experience and is good as Popoff (?) in The Boor with a Russian accent. He also tends to be kind of full of himself and lets others know their deficiencies. One woman has a monologue in which she's a nagging wife. She talks in an absolute monotone and really needs work. The others vary, but I guess aren't bad.
We had been asked to flesh out our characters and do a little research and I found the delightful book Synge wrote called The Aran Islands. Also found the play itself and printed it out. I was surprised, considering the availability of material on the Internet, that several people in the group had very little to offer in the way of background.
Next week: gestures!
Later: Was just happily surprised with a web cam call from precious four-year-old Vivian in Singapore. She got a computer of her own for Christmas and the camera is built in; picture is much clearer than Mike's. We talked for a few minutes, then she had to take her bath, as it was evening over there. I'm so glad to have the web cams so I can see my darlings from so far away.

It snowed last night! How lovely! I got up at 4:30 and saw a beautiful blanket of white covering the lawn, the trees, the pavement--
Wait a minute. I'm an old lady and I'm supposed to think snow is a nuisance at best and a menace at worst. Guess I forgot to whine and complain about it. Okay, it'll be annoying when Susan and I go for our walk, but for now--
it's beautiful!
Last night, I idly asked Pat about some background on his parents and he was vague about it. Called his brother, Bill, talked to SIL, Regina, and was delighted to hear they had just been contacted by their elderly cousin, Eileen. She sent them pictures of Mr. and Mrs. M., wearing medals they won in a dance contest. Bill and Regina's daughter, Amy, will duplicate them and send us copies. Pat then remembered his parents had been in a dance club that met every Friday night in Philadelphia. I knew Mrs. M. played the organ in Wannamaker's in Philly and that Mr. M. played the violin, but didn't realize they danced. Looking forward to the photos.
Wider, Sort Of: Drove to Ace Hardware in Pomona yesterday to buy Resolve, the "dry" carpet cleaner recommended by Good Housekeeping. (In front of Pat's chair in the living room, the light grey carpet is badly stained. He can't make it into the kitchen to eat, so I give him his and dinner there.) The article in the magazine said it costs $6.99 and on-line, it was listed at the same price; however, you spend an equal amount on postage, so forget that. Couldn't find it at Acme or Shop 'n' Bag, and discovered it's sold at Ace, about 15 miles away. Got it, but when I went to pay, found they were charging $8.99--with tax, it came to $9.62! That reminded me why I quit going to the Ace Hardware that used to be nearby: Their prices were ridiculous. Hmm...maybe that's why they went out of business a few months ago.
I actually want to wax philosophical about this. People often bemoan the disappearance of the "little" stores, shut out by the biggies. Ace is a worldwide chain (I saw one in Singapore) and hardly a mom-and-pop, but I guess it's the neighborhood hardware for some. I'm sure The Home Depot and Lowe's underprice it, and boo-hoo about that, but why should I pay considerably more for the same damn thing at Ace? I complained to the cashier--and was met with utter indifference, of course--then to the manager. If possible, he was even more utterly indifferent. He listened, looking right at me, and simply nodded twice. If a head can shrug, his did.
This, it seems to me, illustrates our whole economy and our media-shaped conception of it. Business are in business to MAKE MONEY. How come we can't seem to understand that? They don't give a rusty nail about whether I'm happy with their service, or if I drive a total of 30 miles to Ace Hardware just to be ripped off. All those ads and commercials that show a kindly, helpful employee whose day is made if he can assist in meeting your needs--are crafted by highly paid ad execs and psychologists who know just what buttons to push to separate you from your money. They love you to believe Ace Hardware cares about your satisfaction--or if you live or die, for that matter. However, once they tear the money out of your hands, you could rot in the gutter for all they care.
Okay, Ace, you got your extra lousy two bucks, but I'll never walk in your door again.

Can barely remember what went on yesterday--it sure as heck wasn't anything exciting. Went to Acme, did wash, performed my caregiving chores, and so on and so forth. Had enjoyable calls from sister Betty and darling bro ans sis, Frank and Marybeth in California. I had called MB because she was born in Ireland and still has a strong brogue. I left a message on their machine in my contrived Irish accent and was delighted when they called back to tell me they thought it was her sister in Dublin! However, I have to keep trying as I find it hard to sustain it over the full monologue.

Took a long-overdue trip to Santori's and stocked up on yams, lettuce, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, zucchini, and feta cheese. Thought Pat wouldn't be up yet by the time I got home, as he's been sleeping so late, but he was. Luckily, I had the coffee maker ready to turn on and he didn't have to wait too long before I got his breakfast.
Very nuthin' doin' day otherwise. Lazed around a lot, bored out of my mind, and actually over-indulged in food I don't usually eat. This is the first time, aside from celebratory meals, I've done that since I've lost the seventy-some pounds, and I'm not too concerned--but want to nip it in the--uh, body.
Wider: On the blog, "Sans Everything," Ian Mason writes about the recent increase in military recruits because of the tanking economy. His quick history of armies is enlightening, and so is his concluding paragraph as he discusses all-voluntary military service:
"An army must give its loyalty to someone, and if by paying it well we ensure that this someone is not the generals, then we should be glad of that; but we should also consider that by exempting ourselves from service, the army has been left free to give its loyalty to the state rather than to us. We shouldn’t be surprised to find it engaged in war after war, defending “interests” we don’t quite understand, and fighting ever longer and ever farther away from home. What is there, after all, to hold it back?"
Note closely that sentence about the army and its loyalty. It's essential for citizens to acknowledge the divide between "the state" and "us." We are not the state! And we should be aware when the two are confused, as they routinely are by media "echo chambers," as Justin Raimondo calls journalists.

Nephew Wes posted a fabulous video on Facebook from 1970 of a party at my twin, Betty's, house in Margate. His father, gone so many years ago, took it with his movie camera. My sibs and I, now the older generation, were young marrieds in our thirties--all so animated and so happy and so beautiful! Our mother is shown, younger than Betty and I are now. Our children were there, just little kids and now they're approaching middle age and at least one is a grandmother. Of course, none of us were thinking of who would be alive in 2009. And there were some--all laughing and talking like everybody else--who wouldn't live to 1980, although the matriarch had almost 40 more years of life to go. We were all there except brother Larry and his gang and Jay, not yet born. What a wonderful gift for Wes to give us--and what a wonderful family in which to belong.
Aside from that--went to the library and picked up a CD of Frank McCourt reading his book, 'Tis, so I can work on my Irish accent for my monologue in the acting workshop.