After a long day traveling, Dan and I arrived (late) in Raleigh-Durham to be met and picked up by Steven.  We're safely at Dick and Dotty's and ready for a rest.

Uneventful day other than finding out that my website's acting up.  Bear with me folks!

Having recently encouraged a friend (going through difficult times) to make a list of the things to which she is looking forward--I thought I'd better take my own advice.  Here's 10 in no particular order.

1)  January 22, 2009

2)  Growing old(er) with Dan

3)  Hiking Machu Picchu for my 50th (eep) birthday

4)  Finishing my novel (April 08?)

5)  Golfing with Dad (and the visit with he and Sally that always accompanies the golf).

6)  Cruising the Baltic with Mom

7)  Seeing the East Coast Morefield contingent a few times this year

8)  Chad's first Broadway show

9)  Visits with friends and family

10)  A good night's sleep tonight

What's on your list?

As you've no doubt read by now, Mitt Romeny called it quits yesterday in a speech before the Conservative Political Action Conference (the same group that later booed McCain when he mentioned immigration reform).  I'll be interested to see what his exit does to McCain's positioning for the balance of his nomination run.

Romney positioned his leaving as necessary both for party unity (read: a Republican win in November brought about by McCain's ability to immediately start pounding the Dem's instead of his brother conservatives) and to ensure that we stay in the "war on terror."

To quote:  "Frankly, in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaing be a part of aiding a surrender to terror."  Translation: A vote for either Democratic candidate is a vote for terrorists.

Sheesh.  If McCain latches onto this line of thinking rather than addressing substantive issues for the balance of his campaign, then I won't need to read any further on his positions.  Such brainless pandering and fear mongering is worthy of our current (P)resident.  I'd hate to see it continue with the next President.

On another political note, Congress passed a bill aimed at nipping the fast-approaching recession in the bud.  Unfortunately, the bill relies on tax rebates and business tax incentives to stimulate the economy.  Why unfortunate?  Because even the Congressional Budget Office agrees that the best way (fastest and most return for investment) to stimulate the economy is to provide more and longer lasting benefits to those at the bottom of the economic run.  If you increase food stamps, they'll be spent immediately.  If you extend unemployment benefits, that money will immediately go back into the economy.

If you give tax breaks to businesses, it takes a long time to kick in and produces a much smaller return (27 cents worth of growth for dollar spent) than unemployment benefits ($1.64 per dollar spent). 

Too bad politics and the need for a quick fix trumped economics.  The Dem's may hold congress but they don't have enough votes to force the issue.

Last, but not at all least, a website to share with you that I got through my friend, Bob Clarke.  Sometimes the news we don't hear is the news we most need to hear.  Check it out here.

I heard from Stickman Review, an online journal of poetry and short fiction, regarding the five poems I submitted back in November.  It was a fairly encouraging rejection note.  Judge for yourself:

"Thank you for submitting your work to Stickman Review. Sorry for the long response time. Although we will not be accepting this submission, feel free to submit again."

Something about the "feel free to submit again" felt genuine and reminds me that it's not about rejection, it's about submitting the right poem to the right place.

I checked out Stickman to see what I thought of the poets they published this go round and was pleased to find all but two of the poems to be excellent work.  Nice to be rejected if this is the competition.  Check them out and let me know what you think.

I titled the blog "The Long Lonesome" because that's what writing is some days.  Particularly days regarding the business of writing rather than the actual pen on paper stuff.  You send them out, your poems and stories, as children into the world.  And you watch with shallow breaths and deep hopes as they find their way to their true home.

Here are three of the five I submitted.  (In the Zen Garden, Widow, Al Fresco)  Off to scrounge up some potential homes for the children.

Why is it that we call Hillary, "Hillary" instead of Clinton?  Is it strictly because to say Clinton might confuse folks who would assume we're talking about Bill?  Or is it because she's the only woman in the race?  I'm just asking.

At any rate, it seems these are the final four candidates for the two major parties after yesterday's Super Tuesday.  The conventions might actually be exciting this year--wouldn't that be a change of pace?

I voted early, via mail-in ballot--casting my vote for John Edwards before he pulled out of the race.  I don't feel bad about voting for him.  Certainly I don't feel like I "wasted" my vote.  Rather, I'm proud that I voted for the candidate I felt was the best all around fit and that I'd done enough research to hold that conviction.

Now I'll have to do a bit more research into Hillary, Barack, John and Mitt.  It's fairly certain I will stay with the Democratic nominee...but McCain did interest me a few years back.  Still have that bad taste in my mouth over his pandering for Bush in '04 though. 

Things on the home front are calm(ish).  Had a doctor's appointment today.  Got a window fixed.  Made lunch and dinner.  Hung out this afternoon with my poor sick man, enjoying movies together.  We saw "Elizabethtown" and "Beautiful Girls."  Both great, offbeat movies with strong casts.  But the more I think about Elizabethtown the more I like it.  The message of the movie could have been very heavy handed.  Instead, it's delivered in a whimsical way that says, "Get over your bad self.  Get on with life."

Indeed.

It's Super Tuesday...if you're in one of the states where today is Primary Day---get out and VOTE!

We're home again!  Dan is fighting a horrible sinus infection.  I am catching up on laundry and nursing a sore back.  We're a pair, eh?  The trip home was uneventful, long and tiring.

We loved our last two weeks with Tom and Renee'.  Good friends, good times.  Nothing like travel to cement a friendship.

Tomorrow it's back to life as usual, at least until we head off for North Carolina this Sunday.  One of our family members is having surgery and we're going back for moral support, help, cheerleading, etc.

After that, I intend to batten down the Orange County hatches and get back to priorities--Dan, health, novel.  For today?  Laundry.  Laundry.  Laundry. 

Nice to be back in California (for however brief a stay). 

Had a great (if very tiring) day yesterday as Endymion prepped to ride (and then rolled an hour late).  We met Joe Sensebe, our good friend and host, at the Superdome at around 11, dropping the men off to get ready while he drove us out to Randy and Marie Traylor's house.  We met up with Gina, Miss Barbara and the triplets there and enjoyed typical southern hospitality.

We waited for a few hours in the house and on the neutral ground, keeping track of the triplets in a rapidly swelling crowd.  Then we headed on over to City Park to meet the guys.  There was some trouble with the floats, so the buses with the krewe and the floats were late getting set up.  But a festive mood prevailed and we enjoyed seeing the boys get set up with all their beads (and having the occasional beads or stuffed toys sent our way).

At about 4:30, we walked three very tired children back to the house (by which time we were already tired women!).  The parade rolled by the neutral ground at around 6:00 (for float 8) and we got to be right up front after some shifting.  Dan didn't see us but Joseph (the Traylor's son) and a number of the rest of the krewe did.

We hung out until the parade was past and then went to the Sensebes to watch the rest of the parade on their t.v. while the kids crashed.  Joe took us back to the hotel (he's indefatigable)...and then we crashed out.

Today's schedule includes the Super Bowl and a yummy brunch at Commander's Palace.  (Not in that order, of course.)

On a somber note, one of the Endymion riders on another float was killed last night in an accident as he left the float prematurely.  My heart is broken for his family as they came for revelry, fun and camaraderie but ended up with grief and personal tragedy.  Very sad indeed.

Just a quick update of today's activities.  Up early for beignet at Cafe Dumond.  Then Renee' and I went on a walking tour of the Garden District.  (Lovely!)  We joined the boys for lunch, along with Gina, at a local eatery where Renee' and I had po'boy sandwiches.

Then we hit the school parade where Samantha, Rachel and Jared were in "floats" (wagons) pulled by "upper classmen" (Sixth graders).  Mr. Joe and Miz Barbara were there and we had a grand time catching beads from the kids.

We took a Joe Sensebe tour home, passing by Lake Ponchetrain and the parade route the boys will take tomorrow.  Off to dinner now.

Who is the Mardi Gras?