Finally!

...as promised. A more in-depth Barack Obama post.

I've always been puzzled by the way people speak about JFK. Their voices and faces reflect a reverence bordering on awe- a feeling I'd not experienced with regards to a politician, nor did I ever expect to. That's all changed since I saw Obama speak.

We arrived about 30-minutes early and stood a mere 10- or so feet from the entrance of the old Muelbach Hotel. Our proximity to the front doors led us to believe we were all but guaranteed a good spot once inside. I admit that was a pretty dumb notion! People of all shapes, sizes, ages and races lined up behind us on the sidewalk, past the end of the hotel and around the block. We began shuffling inside promptly at 2:00 and at once realized our lofty aspirations of looking Obama square in the eye wouldn't be realized. There were hundreds of people in front of us. I'm guessing some of them had been there, waiting, for several hours. We wound our way through imaginary velvet ropes in the huge lobby. The sheer number of people made the calm, orderly, quiet way in which we moved astonishing. A few people mooed jokingly, some chattered excitedly about the man of the hour but most just shuffled along quietly.

The grand ballroom was opened to its full size. A press platform was stationed in the middle, platforms with chairs on the sides. We found a place a few feet in front of the press- a fine spot, especially when you consider that people overflowed into the hall- but it was standing room only and an inordinate number of tall people were standing between us and the stage, forcing yours truly to stand on her tiptoes with neck craned in order to see. While waiting we were treated to a wide selection of music. Two weeks ago I could've recalled the songs and artists. Now I can only tell you that if Obama played any part at all in the selection he has excellent taste.


Obama emerged onstage after a few words from a man I didn't recognize (probably in the Missouri government), the reading of a letter to Obama from an 11-year old girl and a sweet rendition of the National Anthem sung by a couple (cute) gradeschoolers. He was dressed in what has become his signature style- khakis, an open collard white shirt and navy blue blazer. He's tall- much taller than I expected- and his eyes sparkle when he speaks. His conviction and enthusiasm is not limited to his voice but shows in his whole body. He walks on stage with purpose and a sense of urgency.

The content of his speech was exactly what you would expect of a person seeking to win the Democratic nomination: he denounced the war in Iraq, lambasted Bush for his "efforts" in New Orleans, blasted the administration for the deplorable treatment of Veterans, encouraged efforts to make this country more environmentally conscious and reduce our dependence on foreign oil, pointed out that the No Child Left Behind Act is little more than pointless rhetoric, Darfur, health care (or the lack thereof). Those aren't the point, not really. The point is that Mr. Tonks and I believed him. We believed that he wanted to make this country better than it is. Better than it has been for a long, long time.

I want so badly to believe in Obama. So, so, so badly. As of yet, he's not let me down. His speech in Detroit didn't go over so well...good. McCain is ripping him because he didn't vote for that ridiculously lame Iraq withdrawal bill. Good. Good. Good. Good. Maybe, just maybe, there is a politician out there that can actually stick to his (or her) convictions. At least I hope so. My God I hope so. For once I would like to feel good about being an American- instead of feeling the need to apologize for it and if Obama is half the man he appears to be, that might actually happen in the near future. Right now I believe he could be the next Truman or the next JFK or the great president that this country desperately needs.

Barack Obama- short version

I went and it was awesome. No, I didn't meet him but I did get within eight or so feet of him. Yeah! Pictures and details will come soon.

Variety

Lots of stuff on my mind and not a heck of a lot of time to devote to several posts so here's a jumble of my thoughts:

Mrs. Lucas
I received word today that one of my very favorite high school teachers died yesterday morning. This is bewildering beyond words (she should've outlived us all) and I find myself monumentally saddened by the loss. She was a fantastic honors English teacher (I compared every professor to her and only one met the Mrs. Lucas Standard), a strong woman and just a really wonderful person.

My children
...are driving me up the wall. Summer will officially start at our house on Tuesday and I'm just not ready for it. If JP and SG don't kill each other before September it will be no small miracle.

Emergency room visits?
It's also no small miracle that we haven't been frequenting the hospital. JP bashed his chin with a drawer and is sporting a goatee looking scab. SG did a face plant into the sidewalk and damn near broke her nose. Yesterday JP tried to surf on his firetruck and split his leg open when he fell (smallish cuts, minor bruising) then SG tripped and fell over the same firetruck about two-minutes after I got him calm. I have an unsettling feeling that one of my little monkeys is going to need an ER visit and it's going to be for something ugly.

The Royals
No, not the Queen. We went to a KC Royals game on Tuesday night and saw, firsthand (11 rows from the 3rd base line), just how much they suck. Come on, guys! We're trying to believe!

Things that are lost that I'd really like to find
1) The battery charger for our camera.
2) The battery for our old camera (I can find the charger).
3) My favorite ring (small gold band with tiny but exquisite diamonds).

Zoie
My dog is still far too furry and far too smelly.

Barack Obama
The rally is two-days away. I might wet my pants I'm so excited.

Weight
I've started losing weight finally. It feels good. I'm guessing I only have a few more pounds to go to get where I was this time last year. That may take a few more weeks as I'm shoveling a lime custard sundae down my throat while I type.

A third?
A friend wants to buy our crib mattress but I'm reluctant to make the deal. The debate rages in my head: do I want another baby*?

Sleep
I need to get some.

*Mr. Tonks, I'm fairly certain, would say he's 90% sure he doesn't want another child. I'm on the fence.

Narf

Apologies for the title of the post. Every time I think of what's whirling around my brain that's the first "word" that comes to mind.

Ever since I had SG (not quite 27-months ago) I've been off hormonally- mood swings, tiredness, general emotional funkiness. It's hard to explain. When she was around six-months old (after a particularly disproportionate breakdown at the doctor's office) I was put on Zoloft for postpartum depression. It helped a lot and I figured that by the time I weaned SG, I'd be ready to wean myself from the medicine.

Not so much.

Fast forward to today. When I had the miscarriage in December everything, and I mean everything, got all kinds of nutty. I gained weight that is just now starting to come off. I started lactating again which has only recently (as in the last week) started to calm down*. My cycle went ballistic. My body went haywire but I'm starting to get back to normal- almost. The things that aren't abating are my moodiness right before my period and my exhaustion level.

A friend suggested that I have my estrogen and progesterone levels tested. I'm wondering, though, if anyone else has dealt with a similar situation and, if so, what did you do? Our insurance sucks so I'm hesitant to do anything that's going to result in serious bills (especially since we just got out of debt) but I'm really sick and tired of being moody and tired.

See what I mean?

Narf.

*Anytime SG started to cry (real crying, not a tantrum) I would have a let-down. Nothing huge or noticeable to anyone but me, just a little leakage and it drove me crazy!

Vet vexation

I'm completely irritated with Zoie's vet.

Mr. Tonks took the little furball in this morning for a grooming appointment. He returned home with her about 20-minutes later. She was still stinky and overly furry.

Our vet insisted that she be given a bordetella shot, a fecal test and something else (can't remember what). That'd be fine- had all of it not be done eight or so months ago. Mr. Tonks and I refused to go-ahead with any of it so they refused to groom her.

Had they given us a definitive reason as to why (other than a very pithy, "It's for the health and well-being of your dog."), I might have considered it. All of my research on the subject tells me that it's not necessary more than once a year so why should a $35 groom turn into a $200 visit? I kind of started to feel like I was being taken.

She's still funky which means that this weekend I'll have to bathe her, cut her nails and cut her hair. The last time I did that the poor dog skulked around the house for days afterward because I did such a terrible job, unintentionally of course, but terrible nonetheless. Truly, it was awful. My neighbor, upon seeing the dog, said, "Did JP do that?"

Maybe if I let JP do the trimming she'd look better.

Does Baskin Robbins know this?

Last Friday we took JP and SG to Baskin Robbins to have ice cream with JP's buddy, Sophie. We all had something different but Sophie opted for an electric blue raspberry sherbet (I think that was the flavor) concoction. Sunday evening I received an e-mail from Sophie's mom that read:

Tonight before falling to sleep Sophie had a #2 in her diaper. I changed it as usual but was totally taken by surprise because her poo was bright, and I mean bright, electric blue-green!! I was like what the &*^%,and then I remembered her blinding blue ice cream from the other night!! I had a flashback of her bright blue mouth and face and then it all made sense!

Yesterday several of the neighborhood kiddos and their moms ended up at our house where we were discussing the blue poop. Lo and behold another mom experienced the exact same thing with her little girl.

So, if anyone feels up for an experiment, go to Baskin Robbins. Get a scoop of the blue stuff (you can't possibly miss it), eat it and see what happens a few days later.

By the way, this evening is "Scoop Night" and you can get an ice cream cone for less than a nickel.

Excitement

On May 12 Mr. Tonks and I are going to hear Barack Obama speak at a rally in town. I'm beside myself with excitement. Will I get to shake his hand? Get an autograph?? Perhaps, just maybe, get a picture taken with him??? My head might just explode if the latter happens.

Ten more days...

Meatloaf

Over at Unfogged the discussion thread to this post mentions meatloaf several times.

I make a mean meatloaf. It's seriously good stuff. I'm always surprised, though, when people turn their nose up at the mere mention of meatloaf. Clearly, they've been served a greasy flavorless lump sometime in their past. Here's how to make a good meatloaf:

1 lb. ground turkey*
1 med. onion, chopped
1 egg
1 packet Lipton's Onion Soup mix
1/2 cup (more or less to taste) Heinz 57 sauce
1/2 cup+ breadcrumbs (I like to use seasoned)
Ketchup

Preheat oven to 375.

Mix egg, onion, soup mix and 57 sauce in a bowl. Plop ground turkey in and mix well. I find the only really effective way to do this is to use your hands. Ew, I know, but one must sacrifice for a good meatloaf. Once it's all mixed up, add the breadcrumbs. Add enough that the mixture will hold a loaf form.

Instead of using a loaf pan for cooking, I use a silicon jumbo cupcake pan. Individual loafs not only look nifty on a plate, it ensures that the meat will cook evenly. Fill each cup about 3/4 full with the meatloaf mixture. Squiggle ketchup onto each mini loaf. Bake for around 45 minutes.

I serve with green beans and roasted red potatoes (I quarter the potatoes, toss with a tablespoon or so of olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt).

*Using the ground turkey means that the meatloaf is virtually greaseless but, if you must use ground beef, try half turkey, half beef. If you insist upon only using ground beef use one that's at least 90/10 in terms of fat content. Less is preferable. To help soak up the grease, line the bottom of the pan with one or two pieces of bread. The bread will absorb the grease. Be sure to cut the bread off the pieces before serving. No one wants to eat straight fat.