Good news ladies, our own little pink pill is now on the market. But, as with most things that involve females, we get the step-child of products.

The daily pill called Addyi will come with a warning that patients combining the pill with alcohol can cause dangerously low blood pressure and fainting. You have to take it for weeks and months in order to see any benefit at all. In the news report announcing the FDA approval, it was explained that trials showed women taking the drug generally reported one extra “sexually satisfying event” per month, as well as scoring higher on questionnaires measuring desire. So ladies, would you rather drink and enjoy life having a glass or wine or two or take this pill? I think most ladies will vote for wine. I’m not trying to make light of a serious condition but it does seem that the men’s version is better.

Did you see the article about how Target is removing gender based signs in its stores? No pink or blue there. I read where they are removing these signs in toys, entertainment and bedding. I didn’t know there was gender specific bedding. I get that toys can be gender-neutral and I was surprised that Target even distinguished between boy and girl building sets.

We sure get crazy over stuff, don’t we? If your boy likes a color of bedding from the girls isle, who cares? If your girl wants the boy blocks, who cares? But remember, if you take the pink pill instead of the blue one, stay away from the wine – red or white.

Tonight I’ve chosen “Red, Red Wine” from my IPod. It’s got a bit of color, booze and romance all in one.

No one will ever accuse me of being Gloria Steinem, but I will tell you,  I’m sick of the disrespectful attitude The Donald has towards women.

Today it came out that he said that sadly Heidi Klum was no longer a 10. Why is is even commenting on her looks? Why is he even talking about her? Why must he always make rude and unnecessary comments about women?

As with the other women he’s recently insulted, Heidi came out the winner in this battle. She made a funny video poking fun at the whole thing. Rosie O’Donnell’s response to his ridiculous comments during the debate showed who is the classier one in that confrontation and Megyn Kelly, marches on, although today fellow Republican Ted Nugent made some inappropriate comments about her.

I haven’t met anyone who is a Donald supporter, even among my most Republican friends. There’s some talk about how he speaks the truth and brings up topics that need tackling, but there’s no support for him personally. So, who is supporting him – who are these people that appear in the polls?

This may seem extreme but I see his tactics of picking on people or groups as a way to alienate them from others so that the ones that hear his message, feel better about themselves. Isn’t this the tactic Hitler used to rally people against the Jews? He used them as scapegoats. His scapegoats so far are immigrants and women. Who is next?

If you have a mother, sister, wife, daughter, female friend or are a woman, wake up. The Donald is NOT on your side.

Maybe it is all a show. Maybe he just wants attention under the idea that any publicity is good publicity. Maybe he really is a disgusting person. Maybe we need to really stop encouraging his run and start thinking about someone who would act in a Presidential manner  – someone with some diplomacy. Someone with some class. Someone who tries to bring people together not pit them against each other. Someone we would be proud to say is our President.

A lot of people don’t like Obama and are looking for something new. Is The Donald really what you had in mind?

A little hard to find a song to reflect my thoughts (rant) today but I did find one:

Today we went to Mt. Vernon. Although Mike and I are both native Washingtonians, neither of us had ever been there. Last night I read through the reviews on TripAdvisor last night. People either thought it was fabulous or noted “George is rolling over in his grave.” My review would be it is somewhere in the middle.

We had an early mansion tour time which was good, given the heat today. In the first room, a gentleman asked whether the floor was original. He asked that in the next room too. Sort of an odd thing to focus on and luckily he decided to ask other questions as we moved through the house. Someone asked about ghosts at Mt. Vernon and the docent blew that off. I’m going to research and see what ghosts are there because there’s obviously something the way the guy responded but he didn’t want to get into it.

After the mansion we wondered around to the outer houses (not to be confused with the out houses) and made our way to Washington’s tomb. We got there in time for the laying of the wreath ceremony. Two young kids were chosen from the crowd to bring a wreath into the tomb. The docent at the tomb was quite the Washington fan. Her speech was informative but it very much made it seem as if she was in love with “the General” as she referred to him. She told us we could pay our respects and then she had to “secure the General.”  It was strange.

Later at lunch I joked that she probably has sexual thoughts about GW and Kathryn suggested she might have a GW blow up doll she sleeps with each night.  Mike made some other inappropriate jokes and I ended up snorted with laughter and blowing soda out my nose. Just a normal conversation/outing with the Motleys.

Back to Mt. Vernon…We went through the museum and I thought it was very well done. There was finally a picture of Martha not looking like a man. At a Girl Scout outing one time years ago, we learned that Martha loved to dance but an ongoing incontinence problem prevented her from participating as she would have liked to. This was not mentioned today and I didn’t bring it up. Just a little historical factoid there for ya.

The museum has interesting information about their lives, the property, the slaves and their release from Mt. Vernon and George, himself. Everyone refers to him as General Washington versus President Washington so I need to research that too to better understand why. Overall, a good time. If you have the chance, I would recommend a visit. The mansion is currently undergoing some work so the scaffolding is up but the grounds are very nice.

I do love the oldies but even I don’t have any music George Washington listened to on my IPod so instead, in honor of Madonna’s birthday today, I’ll pick one of her songs. This one is for the docent and her man, George.

If you want to feel old, consider that this weekend is the 45th anniversary of The Partridge Family hitting the airwaves. 45 years? David Cassidy is 65. Wow.

Songs from the show are guilty pleasures for those of us who grew up during that time. Who didn’t know the songs and hum regardless of whether you thought the show was stupid or not. “I Woke Up in Love This Morning,” “I Think I Love You,” “Echo Valley 2-6809.” and “I Can Feel Your Heartbeat.”

I listen to a lot of books on CD while I drive to work and last summer I listened to Shirley Jones’ autobiography. The book was pretty good although she’s a bit of a kook. I’d forgotten she was a Broadway and movie star long before the TV show. There was a section about the show and how it was working with her stepson David Cassidy. David had a hard time both being on the show and performing in concerts, which was his true interest. Plus he struggled with people believing his character was who he really was and the show ended after four years.

Much to the joy of the rest of my family, I’ve stumbled upon the 45th anniversary marathon on TV today. Sadly, I won’t be able to commit myself to watching it all but that won’t stop me from humming the songs the rest of the weekend. 🙂

Of course, I have Partridge Family songs on my IPod. Here’s one of the most popular ones.

It has been one of those ADHD days at work – a ton of random things to do and then lots of random interruptions so I don’t know if I’ve finished anything or not. I’m filling in for our accounts receivable person while she’s on vacation. Julia is a spiritual person and you might find her at her desk with her head bowed in prayer during the day. I thought this was because she is religious but now I see it is a survival tactic.

A number of coworkers would prefer for you to do their jobs for them. It’s easier that way. As the finance/accounting department is expected to provide good customer service, I can’t say what I’m thinking which is “Why don’t you take this back to your desk and trying using your brain, however underdeveloped it is, to figure this out for yourself?” That’s not customer friendly. Really folks, step up and stop being so lazy.

Julia has software and a scanner to make remote deposits. When it works, it is fantastic. When it doesn’t, it requires the patience of a saint not to go insane. The scanner is something they could have used in an I Love Lucy episode – its scans the checks at about 50 miles per hour and if you don’t pull them out as soon as they scan through, they back up and basically explode all over the place. Sometimes it can read the checks and sometimes it can’t. Then you have to print out the receipt but that’s a crapshoot. Instead of printing it will just freeze up the computer. I broke down and asked St. Jude, the patron saint of lost causes, for help this week. For both me and the computer.

This afternoon I sat in on an interview for a position in another department. My role is mainly to see if I think the person is a nut bag or not. My conclusion was she was borderline but they loved her. Some people are attracted to the energy of the crazies.

I’ve been humming “Bang on the Drum All Day” most of the day so it has to be my pick today. Great Friday song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mf2N08-THQA

Today we celebrate International Left Handers Day. Appears this is not a gift giving celebration as I’ve yet to get anything. I was surprised reading all the things that are apparently made for the right hand world. I knew the obvious ones – scissors, spiral notebooks, and three-ring binders but can openers, the computer mouse and even the driver’s cup holder seem to put some lefties into a tail spin. Refrigerator doors and stick shift cars are a problem too. And most coffee mugs and measuring cups are made for right handed people to be able to see the decoration or writing when the hold the cup.

I don’t write with my hand curved in so that helps to eliminate the infamous ink smears and helps with the spiral notebook issues. I never feel like I’m banging elbows at a table but righties will always ask me if I want to sit on the end. Where I notice the issues are in sports and moving furniture. My sports issues stem from gym teachers explaining how to bat, for example and then telling the left handed kids to “do it backwards.” I could never figure out what backwards meant so I just batted or did whatever like everyone else.

A lesson learned the hard, and sometimes heated way, was that as a leftie, my idea of “this way” and “that way” are the opposite of my right handed husband. This was learned moving furniture although he will still claim that I have more of an issue than just that.

Lefties are said to be more creative than our right handed counter parts. At least 4 of the last 7 presidents have been southpaws. We recover from strokes faster and are better at multi-tasking. With all these great attributes, of course, there are a few things that aren’t so great. Lefties are more prone to migraines, allergies, and more likely to be insomniacs. The good with the bad.

Musical instruments are some of the items most geared toward right handed people. The piano is the most unbiased instrument. Who knew? Tonight I’ve picked a song by a famous leftie, Paul McCartney, in honor of our big day today. I wonder if he got a gift…

Sad news about Jimmy Carter and his cancer diagnosis today.  As a President he may not have been that effective, but as a former President, he’s certainly made his mark. His work in election integrity around the world, Habitat for Humanity and as a human rights advocate will he his legacy. Seems like his Presidency will be the footnote in his biography.

I remember the day Carter left office and Reagan was sworn in. I went downtown for the Inaugural parade with my friend Jan. We were standing waiting for Reagan to come by and a group of Hara Krishnas were dancing around in front of us. It kept us entertained for quite some time.

Then the news came that the Iranian hostages had been released. There was a cheer in the crowd and then when when Reagan came by, there was huge applause and cheers from the massive crowd. Carter had worked endlessly to try and get the hostages out before the end of his term. President Reagan sent him as his representative when the hostages were released. That must have been a tough assignment.

We should all have the chance to reinvent ourselves as President Carter has. He could have easily gone back to Georgia and stayed out of the spotlight but he’s taken a number of chances and risks to improve the world. His cancer, based in the liver, does not sound like it can be treated successfully. I wish for him peace and comfort as he faces this challenge.

I looked to see what songs were popular during his presidency and surprise, surprise, I have a few on my IPod.  I thought “Don’t Stop” was a good choice.

Tonight I had dinner with friends and we were discussing their recent travels. One just finished a marathon honeymoon trip and the other a marathon trip in South America. Another friend was headed to CA to travel that state.

Maybe it’s their age or as Europeans, they have a more adventurous view on traveling but it doesn’t seem like Americans take or make the same type of opportunities to travel. Sure we’ve all looked at the book about the places we should see before we die, but how many of us will see even a portion of them? Of course there are Americans that travel extensively and see the world as their playground but from my vantage point, there aren’t that many.

I’d like to see more of Europe, Canada and the US. I’m starting with these three places because there’s plenty I’d still like to see. Once I’ve seen what I want to from this short list, I’ll think about going other places. So many places to explore.

Tonight I’ve chosen “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes” from my IPod. I think it captures the travel spirit.

When I was little and my grandmother would come visit, the first thing I would ask if “What stupid things have you done lately?”  This was an ongoing joke with us because she was always doing some sort of nutty thing. She would wear two different shoes to work or think she looked fantastic since everyone was looking at her only to realize when she saw herself in the mirror, she’d left curlers in her hair.

One time, she was in a boutique with a friend looking at purses and they thought the sales lady was being pushy. When the woman went in the back to find something else for them, they took the opportunity to leave. My grandmother was walking along looking in the store windows when she realized she had one of the purses on her arm and had to go back.  Another time we were walking down the street to go to lunch at Red Barn and go to the Grand Union (really dating myself here with these places) and as we walked along we kept finding change on the sidewalk. I was excitedly picking it up and finally ask my grandmother to put it in her wallet. That’s when we realized the change portion of her wallet was open and as she swung her arm as she walked, she was sprinkling the change on the ground.  She went to see Last Tango in Paris which she expected to be “a nice dance movie.” It was dancing – just horizontal dancing.

Today I did my own stupid thing. I thought I was wearing black pants but actually had blue ones on. They really didn’t go great with the tops and shoes I was wearing. Would have been a fine outfit had I been wearing the black slacks. I didn’t notice until after work when I was in better light. Cripes, I thought, I’ve become my grandmother but then I laughed. Actually she’s exactly who I want to be as I age. Full of life, humor and kindness.

Tonight, I’ve picked “Black Slacks” as a reminder of today’s events and of my grandmother and all the “stupid things” she did. We shared a lot of laughs over those things.

So, the One Direction concert was just fine. I survived. The day started with it looking like Mike, Kathryn and I would be heading to the concert. Despite numerous attempts to find someone to go, we still had one ticket and I thought Mike should go. He was super excited but sadly for him, Kathryn found a friend to go when she was at the barn for her lesson.

We had planned to go early and eat around the Inner Harbor and so Mike actually came with us for that part.  That’s where we ran into the Bronycon group. It started with seeing a woman on the corner who appeared to be in a zebra outfit. I don’t know if she was with the Bronies or not, but that’s when we started looking around. If you are not familiar with Bronycon,  it is the world’s largest My Little Pony convention. Yep, you read that right. And guess what? There are mostly adults attending. We saw unicorns, ponies, princesses etc. There were some good sights.

In the midst of the Bronies we saw a number of other One Direction attendees with the same idea we had to eat near the Inner Harbor. After a non-eventful dinner,we headed off to the concert and Mike headed home. Our seats were good,. Honestly, with those big screens, it almost doesn’t matter where you are if you aren’t on the floor.  There was a family in front of us – Mom, Dad, daughter and the daughter’s friend. I would have put the girls around 8 or maybe a bit older. When we sat down they told us they would be doing a lot of dancing – “We can’t help ourselves.” Kathryn told them to go for it.

The opening group started pretty much on time and while I couldn’t understand the words to their songs, except the one that I heard on the radio before, I enjoyed them. They played for maybe an hour and then we had the hour break before 1D came on. Turns out 1D needed it to be dark for the fireworks that started off their show.

The parents in front of me bought themselves a two-foot long margarita. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous but I refrained given I was driving. When 1D finally came on, I have to say the show was pretty good. Harry/Hairy could use a bit of a wardrobe upgrade from his white t-shirt and Louis could upgrade from the wife-beater, but their showmanship was good. They had a lot of energy and engaged the fans. They did ask a number of times “How are you doing, Baltimore?” and I wanted to yell back “Nothing has changed since you asked 7 minutes ago – we are still fine.”

After a decent concert and encore, 1D was over. We managed to get out of Baltimore without incident (like getting lost) and all in all, it was a good night. Today I’ll pick a 1D song form my IPod. When this came out, Kathryn said I could probably relate. The first line is “When I’m old and fat, and my kids think I’m a joke..”    That’s my baby.