i'm honoring christmas in my heart . . .

. . . & keeping it all the year.
or for a month, anyway.

three weeks later, i thought i'd try to brighten up your january midweek
with a couple of musical videos that brightened up my holiday.

video #1: a courageous [albeit rather crass] confession
from a jewish dude who calls himself happyjoel
& earns his living entering online video contests.



video #2: a kinder, gentler performance
from jimmy fallon, the roots, mariah carey & random kids,
featuring all toy instruments. just. so. charming. & happy. & fun.



"blessed is the season which engages
the whole world in a conspiracy of love"
quoth american writer hamilton wright mabie.

why not try to extend the blessing just a little longer?
share a smile — or two — today.


image source: zazzle.com.au.

women's congress?

the good news about the 113th u.s. congress?
a record number of women — 80 representatives + 20 senators —
were sworn in as members earlier this month
as a result of last november's election.

the bad news about the 113th u.s. congress?
i know, i know — there's a saddening bad-news smorgasbord from which to choose,
but the bad news i'm referring to is that despite the above-mentioned good news,
the violence against women act died.

for the first time in 19 years, the vawa doesn't exist
because the u.s. house of representatives failed to pass its renewal.
house republicans, it seems, didn't want to extend protection to
immigrants, the lgbt community or native americans.

co-written by a democrat & a republican, the vawa targets domestic violence.
& though about 85% of the victims of domestic violence happen to be women,
the law protects across the board, regardless of gender.
it includes measures that:

:: support investigation & prosecution of violent crimes;
:: impose automatic & mandatory restitution on those convicted;
:: permit civil redress in cases prosecutors choose not to persue;
:: provide legal assistance for victims;
:: provide housing assistance for victims;
:: fund family shelters & outreach groups;
:: fund community programs dedicated to fighting violence;
:: educate police about the signs of domestic violence,
how to interpret crime scenes & witness testimony; &
:: help prevent elder abuse.

the vawa was first passed in 1994, & was readily renewed in 2000 & 2005.
here's hoping our more-womanly-than-ever congress
gets 'er done — with protection for all americans —
again here in 2013.


image source: the house women democrats, 1.3.2013, via upi.

laugh — it's monday!

all together now: awwwww.

this opposites-apparently-attract pair of pawsome pals
sure are keeewt with a capital Q . . .

but if you've got four-legged friends around your house,
then you know the daily reality of pet parenthood
often features less-than-darling, closer-to-disgusting moments.

this video — which i've watched at least a dozen times &
is still causing me to laugh aloud alone with my laptop —
accurately exemplifies the type of behavior we will tolerate
in our furry wards which we likely would not in our two-legger friends.

bone appetit!!




image source: verba mea vita blog.

are you a fe-man-ist??

a quick little femi-litmus quiz for the boys, courtesy of the frisky
[you might want to imagine your man's answers & ensure he's
the right guy for you]:

sir, you may be a feminist if you . . .

:: are proud and not threatened that your wife, girlfriend or gal pal earns more money than you.

:: wouldn’t dream of having sex with a girl too drunk to consent.

:: are appalled by how many celebrities and professional athletes get away with abusing, sexually assaulting or killing women.

:: even though you believe abortion is wrong, you believe a woman should make decisions about her own body.

:: respect female power and don’t feel threatened by it. [extra points for a Hillary '08 tee]

:: are pretty horrified at the expectation of other dudes that women wax their nether-regions bare.

:: don’t feel the need to qualify people as “a female doctor” or “a female writer.”

:: realize all the glitter nail polish, red lipstick, and stiletto heels in the world doesn’t make a woman dumber than you.

:: pay and promote your employees based on merit — i.e., your female employees can expect to make as much as your male employees — and offer both maternity and paternity leave.

:: love women’s bodies, yet wonder why they are used to sell everything from beer to drano.

:: expect to do as much of the diaper-changing and PBJ-making as the mother of your children because you realize fatherhood is equally as important.

:: tell your buddies to quit it whenever you hear them talk degradingly about women.

:: understand that lesbians were not put on the Earth for “Girls Gone Wild” videos.

:: wouldn’t dream of criticizing a black woman for rocking her natural hair.

:: give as good as you get [sometimes better?] in bed.

:: are open to the evolution of your own gender identity/expression, i.e., you don’t tell yourself or other males “a real man shouldn’t” or “a real man can’t.”


image source: rupaul "foxy lady" doll @ logo tv.

slammin' women.

last month, the universe slid the following video
of poet mindy nettifee performing
"for young women who don't consider themselves feminists"
in the autumn at the west side school for the desperate
across my laptop, & i loved it.

now, i've discovered ms. nettifee is the headliner for
the women of the world poetry slam finals,
being sponsored by austin poetry slam & being held
here in the atx next month.
$5 admission? seriously?? i'll be there.



according to her bio, mindy "believes poetry should
hammer all the nerves & swell the heart & shake the sleeping.
she believes we need it like we need clean air & people to smile at us every once in awhile.
she sincerely hopes that this whole getting-to-do-what-she-loves-for-a-living thing
isn't a fluke. but if it is, well, there's always peaches & bourbon."


image source: austin poetry slam.

amy & tina's golden globes.

yes, i am a pop-culture junkie.
i always earn the pink trivial pursuit pie piece first.

but i do try to stay toward the top of the entertainment-news fray . . .
i sometimes buy people magazine, but never other supermarket tabloids.
i watch et, but not tmz.
i dvr the academy awards, but just glance at reviews of the golden globes.

until this year.

this year, i will be watching the golden globes
from red-carpet coverage to closing credits.

because this year, the magnificently hilarious tina fey & amy poehler
will be teaming up to host oscar's 70yo boozy little brother.

in advance interviews, tina has outlined the hosting job description as
keeping things moving, & getting the movie stars drunker so
hopefully someone's boob will fall out of their dress.
amy has promised to wear an all tear-away wardrobe throughout the evening.

&, as if all that is not enough, they've created a drinking game
especially for the event for at-home viewers.
i've already posted the rules up on our fridge:

::any time an actress cries in a speech, drink.

::any time you see a person actively not listening to someone onstage, drink.

::any time someone says, “i didn’t prepare anything!” drink.

::any time anyone thanks harvey weinstein, eat a meatball sub.

::any time they show judi dench, take off an article of clothing.

::any time maggie smith wins, take off an article of clothing.

it's gonna be a night to remember — or try to, anyway.
go, team fey-ler!! wait . . . that didn't come out the way i meant it.
anyway, can't wait for sunday.


image source: huffington post united kingdom.

now or never.

elvis presley celebrates his 78th birthday today . . . somewhere.

elvis was & is the hip-swiveling patron saint-slash-guardian angel
of my & my husband's courtship, especially while we lived
a couple of thousand miles apart.

it's a long story. but trust me, the king was there.

so we thankedhimverymuch by having an acoustic version of
"it's now or never" played just before "here comes the bride"
at our wedding. we knew E'd know it was intended in gratitude for him.

but all that is beside the point.
the point being, where have i been for two months?!?

here in the states, it's called the holidays.
mine were full. & joyful. & non-bloggily creative.
& for about four days, edgy.

like the edge of a file folder that just sliced your thumb.
or the sort of edgy that promotes eye-twitches.
& that segment was rough.

but the rest was rather merry, really.
& now i'm ready for bright.

so to 2013,
i extend a warm, open-armed, open-hearted welcome.
& i say, bring it.

bring the bright. the lucky. the shiny.
bring the creativity. the opportunity. the abundance.

bring it all. because i'm ready.
ready to love it all. ready to release the little
& embrace the big.

dreams. realizations. kudos.

ready to shine. ready to do. ready to blog.

it's not really now or never.
but i intend to make it now.
2013, i've got a feeling. & i feel good.

so happy birthday, elvis, wherever you are.


image source: joni james @ calligramorama.