(Blogger seems to be acting up this evening...GRRRRRR...)

Catching up as November draws to a close...GREAT Pats game Sunday night, huh? And I was THERE! A friend was able to snag a couple of tix and asked me if I wanted to go, so...It was a great game, very physical, a few too many turnovers (and injuries, sadly) but a Pats win...tho' I'd been down to Foxboro to watch training camp a few times, I think this was the first time I'd been in the new stadium- as impressive in person as on television (three Super Bowl championship banners don't hurt, either!) But there was something about the old stadium...I spent a lot of time there growing up, saw- and even played!- a lot of football there, some good, some not-so-good...while the complaints about the minor-league locker and press facilites were probably true (and I had occasion to see both numerous times) the one thing that was great about the old stadium, that even the new one can't top, was how close you were to the field; even nose-bleed seats seemed close! But times change, certainly the fortunes of the Patriots have changed (for the better!) and it was a fun night spent watching the Pats knock off da Bears!

Hadda miss seeing a friend of mine who was up in the area this weekend for her high school class reunion- sorry, KC! Time was- as it almost always seems- at a premium, seldom my own...I've been trying to improve upon that a bit of late (hence, my going to the game, and the odd other night/s out) but I still need to manage, budget- and spend!- my time more effectively.

You ever have your past seem to roar back into your life? Recently several friends of mine from college have become quite active in maintaining email threads, some spent catching up on the present, most reminiscing (lying?! ;) about days gone past, escapades, that sort of thing...and often including pics one or another has dug up and scanned to send along...I'm lucky, as I still have more hair than almost all of 'em! But recounting tales and seeing long-forgotten pics of who I was- who we all were- almost 20 years ago...not only wondering "where'd the time go?" but also "was I really that person?" and "Would I be better off being closer to that person today?"

"Like the disappearing dreams of yesterday..."

A rainy, windy, chilly- but still nice!- Thanksgiving! Actually, I met my mom over in the North End (Boston) yesterday to do some pre-Thanksgiving shopping, hit a few bakeries 1, 2, markets, candy & sweets shop, for a few appetizers, breads, nuts, desserts, and the like...it was a bit blustery yesterday, but still a fun day (and I had a nice night, too :) And today's meal was nice...I've probably said it before, but in many ways Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday; family, friends, food, football, and without as much of the commercialization or the pressure of Christmas...and it always seems especially appropriate living in New England, home of the Pilgrims; I grew up in southeastern Massachusetts, less than 30 miles from Plymouth, and still spend Thanksgivings down that way...I hope everyone else who celebrated it also had a nice holiday!

PS: 34-0, good guys!

"It is time for you to stop all of your sobbing..."

Random thoughts...The weather folks say that November is the cloudiest month of the year around Boston. I don't know about that- I always thought March was the truly grayest, gloomiest month of the year, but we have had an extended stretch of gray, damp, rainy, drizzly weather of late, ugh...Wanna know a real annoyance? When the spacebar on your keyboard sticks- ack!...Wolaver's makes a great oatmeal stout (certified organic, too!)...Why do we call a Notary Public a "Notary Public?" Might not a "Public Notary" be just as, if not more, grammatically accurate?...There was a recent story about a local high school football coach who refused to remove his cap for the playing of The Star-Spangled Banner before the start of their games- all I have to say is, it figures he's the coach of Sharon High! (a few of my readers may understand the reference... ;)...Did I mention that I like the Russ Francis Show weekends on AM890?!...There's a new restaurant (The Village Table) hoping to open soon (in the spot of one of my fav former haunts, Dedo) that is doing a unique little thing- for a $5-$25 (or more) donation toward their opening, you get your name on their wall of fame as it were (donators) as well as 25% off on your first meal there; kinda cool!...Why do we favor certain inane things over others? (I know, I know- some wiseguy is gonna say, "I can appreciate both just as much"- Shaddup, you!) Dogs or cats? Coke or Pepsi? Ford or Chevy? Disney or Looney Tunes? McDonald's or Burger King? Beatles or Stones? Mountains or seashore? Walgreens or CVS? And locally- North Shore or South Shore? Cape Ann or Cape Cod? (Cats, Coke, Ford, Looney Tunes, MickieD, Stones, seashore, CVS, South Shore, Cape Cod!)...The Ramones are great to listen to while doing cardio!

"Well I don't care about history/Rock rock, rock & roll high school/'Cuz that's not where I wanna be/Rock rock, rock & roll high school...."

Well, they're over. What a nasty campaign season, on all sides, nationally and locally. The Dems deserve congrats, they were able to capitalize on significant voter discontent with the GOP and the status quo. If they govern as moderately as, on balance, they presented themselves during the campaign season, the voters will be well-served. If gridlock ensues, well, that may not be the worst thing to happen, either (as we saw throughout most of the 90's, the end result being little activist government legislation...and fiscal restraint.) Worst case: we have two years of non-stop partisan rancor, good for neither party nor the nation. I have some conservative friends who are truly dreading the prosepct of Dem ascendency in Washington; while the Left wing of the Dem Party shares few of my concerns, and while the Dems DID pick up more seats than I anticipated (I thought they would be around 220 in the House, instead it looks like they may be 228, with the Senate, at this hour, still to be determined) I don't see them being able to push through wholesale a Left liberal agenda- many of their new members ran as moderates and will be accountable to their constituents should they veer far Left, there will still be a sizable GOP minority in the House (and perhaps a split Senate) and the President still has his veto pen- Lord knows it has ink left in it! Truthfully, I'm far more concerned about what may happen in Massachusetts. Unlike in Washington, there will be no check on the majority (Democratic) party on Beacon Hill, with Dem candidate Deval Patrick easily winning the Governor's race, Dems holding all six Constitutional offices (and every seat in Washington), and literally a mere handful of Republicans in the General Court unable to counter the- very liberal- Democrats in same. I'm concerned with what this may do to our economy here, very concerned. And I'm concerned that Interest/Identity group politics will be the rule once again. In short, I'm concerned that we will see a return to the worst days of the Dukakis years, unmitigated even by some more fiscally-moderate Democrats that were in the legislature at that time, but no longer. I truly hope I'm wrong, I really do. But hey, I've always said I'd like to move to Nevada...(or I'll hafta settle for New Hampshire!) But congrats to them, they worked for their victories.

As for the GOP...Locally, it's a disaster area. Mitt Romney? Just go away. You wore out your welcome when you started to get Potomac Fever 2+ years ago, badmouthing our state and sticking your finger in the wind and flip-flopping ala John Kerry instead of governing in the effective Republican manner of Bill Weld and Paul Cellucci. You did your Lieutenant Governor no favors in her- weak- quest to retain the Corner Office. Your party has seen it's membership in the General Court, as well as in registered voters, drop even further under your "leadership." Good luck campaigning for the Presidency, I hope your supporters from Utah and Michigan and wherever else like you, because you are not well-liked by much of your party, or Right-leaning folks, here. This gal won't be supporting you. Massachusetts is once again firmly a one-party state, sadly... Nationally, the GOP has to decide just what kind of party it wants to be. No one faction need be read out, not the social conservatives, not the economic conservatives, not the libertarians, nor any others, but does the GOP want to be a party of limited government, of adherence to federalist principles, of fiscal restraint, of individual rights and personal responsibilites, a party whose impulse is to advance and maximize individual freedom and liberty consistent with an orderly society; in short, a positive, Reaganesque party? Or does it want to continue down the path it has sadly taken of late, of expansive government, of Conservative Nanny Stating, making federal cases out of state/local issues (see: Terri Schaivo; see also, attempts to federalize marriage law) of profligate spending on dubious measures (see: the unasked-for bloated Medicare bill) and budget-bloating earmark expenditures, of allowing the PATRIOT Act (regardless of how one feels about it) to be used as a law enforcement tool above and beyond combating terrorism (see: the "war" on drugs) attempts to regulate the diversions of adults (see: the asinine insertion of the Internet gaming restrictions into the recent Port Security bill) attempting to "save" people from themselves, in a manner reminiscent more of liberal Democrats than principled conservatives; in short, a more negative vision of conservatism, of America? And this is a shame- while there are some within the GOP who are negative, who seem to crave the exertion of power simply because they can, who are divisive, I truly do not believe President Bush to be that way; he was, and is, better than that. Over the next two years, they need to decide and define what kind of party they truly wish to be; honestly, I feel little more at home supporting them than I do the Dems.

"God bless America/My home, sweet home."