Okay, Lady, I love you! Buh-bye!

My cousin's two-year-old daughter (henceforth refered to as "NotJohn") cannot remember my name, despite the fact that I spent much of my Thanksgiving letting her pet my nearly-seventeen-year-old cat while making sure she was gentle with him; drawing pictures of Spongebob, Gary the snail, and Kip on her Magnadoodle, which she would promptly erase; giving her my Flexiblocks to play with; reading her stories; and generally keeping her entertained. The first opportunity she had to refer to me by name was somewhat late in the day when my father asked if she wanted to go see the neighbor's horses. She did. She then apparently asked her grandmother (my aunt) if "she" could go with her.

Aunt: Who do you want to go with us?
NotJohn: That lady.
Aunt: Which lady? There are lots of ladies.
NotJohn: (pause) That lady.
Aunt: Which lady?
NotJohn: (pointing at me) That lady.

Then we told her my name and asked her to repeat it so she would remember. We went to see the horses. She wanted to hold my hand going down the steps and walking down the driveway. She enjoyed running through all the leaves in the yard and watching the horses eat.

Later in the evening, she called me "that lady" a few more times. She still couldn't seem to remember, or at least say, my name. She knew my mother's name and my father's name, but I was "that lady". I felt like I was in a Mindy and Buttons cartoon.

NotJohn: Hello, Lady!
SpakKadi: Call me SpakKadi, call me Space Cadet, call me Spak, call me anything! Just don't call me "lady"!
NotJohn: Okay, Lady, I love you. Buh-bye!

Thanksgiving

It's Thanksgiving Day. What am I thankful for?

A steady job - with benefits!
Every job I've every had - even the unsteady ones.
Coworkers that I get along with.
Lifelong friends.
My cats.
My health - currently the best it's ever been.
The hardships that made me a better person.
The relative lack of true hardship in my life.
A stable, loving family.
Independence, self-reliance, and freedom.

What are you thankful for?

The Cause of Global Warming Revealed!

Chris Matthews

Chris Matthews often asks questions like "Do you think this partisianship/bickering/mudslinging/naming-calling is good for the country?" I'm waiting for someone to say "yes".

Guest: Yes, Chris. I think it is. I think it keeps the politicians and the American people distracted from issues that really matter. It thus prevents the American people from thinking about how miserable they are and keeps the politicians from passing laws that will only make things worse.

Would that be enough to shut him up for two seconds, while he contemplated this unexpected answer? Or would he just run right over it? What would it take to make Chris Matthews speechless?

Delta

Seven more days in the hurricane season, and Delta shows up. Thankfully, it's way out in the Atlantic where it won't bother many people.