Dangermond.org

J sent me a video of Palin speaking to the press in front of turkeys getting slaughtered. Yesterday, I went to Rouses and OH MY GOD there were millions of people there and I was standing over the cooler looking at Butterball turkeys (frozen Butterballs are best for deep frying) and all they had was small or huge, and as I went up and down the aisle buying the typical turkey feast ingredients, I looked around at my fellow shoppers and all of them had this glazed-eye look – almost as if we were moving on a conveyor belt towards our own slaughterhouse – lemmings, sheep – I felt like shouting why are we doing this?

But then my attention was turned to the riveting news on the magazine stands – at least three said Jen and Angelina are exchanging barbs.

Gobble gobble

United used to be the big airlines – the one I always wanted to fly – employees owned that airlines – and then. It SUCKS. Bags, not here. Oh now they call and say it is not 6PM to 8PM but 8PM till 2AM and they will call first. And I say, call at 1AM?

I asked the woman if she realized she is working for a moribund company. That UAL won’t make it this way? That they lost all of my luggage in the summer and that they suck beyond compare.

She said, there is nothing she can do. And I said, well, there it is.

I’ve been stressed again, too much on the to do list to be able to take a breath. What are we trying to accomplish? Everything today. More than is possible tomorrow. Super producer – it’s almost a lament now.

Try life.

Wake slowly. Deliberately.

Enjoy who and what you love intensely.

Underschedule.

It’s Thanksgiving – let’s give thanks for our abundance and promise to cut back on it.

Predators from the UK and Germany descended on the Spanish coast and chased out the Spaniards a few decades ago – they built pink stucco condos and basically destroyed the land values and culture of Southern Spain. I heard from someone in New York, they are now descending on Croatia. “Gorgeously unspoiled,” a guy tells me his friend describes Croatia this way and bought a $300K vintage stone house on the Dalmatian coast. “The Germans and Brits buy these houses and flip them,” the guy told me.

My stomach was flip flopping. The natural beauty, the unspoiled coastline, the stone houses. Have they no shame? The one good thing about New Orleans is we probably will never be economically viable enough to attract flippers and investors. We had our moment in the sun when Ann Rice and Linda Ronstadt and others bought old houses here, but most of those have gone now – only our Saint Brad is a stakeholder in our fair city. Absentee landlords are a nuisance.

Croatia – love it or leave it – but don’t buy it and spoil it. Shame, shame, shame.

I walked outside to throw away all the stuff that collected in this house while I was gone for what – one week? – where does this stuff come from? Anyway, Rudy, my mailman, was next door and he hollered over to me, “How ya doing Rachel?” and I said, “Rudy I just got back from Boston and I have to say, I am doing SWELL because it is gorgeous here (the temp is about 68 perfect degrees).” He said, “That’s why we live here, huh, yeah, my aunt and uncle are in from up north for the holidays, they arrived bundled up as if they were expecting 30 below.”

This is us in Boston:

Flew Jet Blue to NY – sit in leather seats, watch all sorts of TV, offered tasty snacks – arrived in a much improved new terminal at JFK – claimed luggage and caught cab with no wait – arrived at hotel.

Okay, flying back on UAL – are you kidding me? What has happened to that airlines? When I lived and traveled out of San Francisco, UAL dominated the air. I had all the perks of a frequent flyer plus I paid to belong to the Red Carpet Club just so I could get a free banana and use a spiffy bathroom before my flights.

Fast forward to now. Checked in and had to pay $15 for baggage. Then the woman who took my baggage said she couldn’t do anything about seats because the huge terminal UAL desk was just for checking baggage. Then get to the flight and it is delayed – no reason, no explanation – simply delayed. Get on the plane and we are packed in like sardines. Arrive in DC late, but we still have 45 minutes till our next flight takes off. Get on plane with seats that are broken while the Exit aisle which you pay extra for is completely empty. Ask to switch – flight attendant first scoffs, but we insist and finally get moved. Arrive, luggage doesn’t.

Really – why can’t all airlines be like Jet Blue?

I was going over in my mind all the ways I am lucky as I walked through City Park this morning. The grass looks like it was mown on the bayou, in the park, on the neutral ground – seemed like a coordinated event but I know how things work here and it was more like serendipity for me returning from a trip to see everything square inch manicured and lovely.

Okay, let’s look at how my day started:
1) woke up with someone I love
2) animals were all in their usual positions
3) bayou was gorgeous
4) saw two pelicans first thing
5) healthy in mind and body
6) looked forward to my work
7) have tremendous hope for a baby

Let’s see how I went to sleep:
1) delayed flight
2) lost luggage
3) urine stench in master bath with the rugs filthy
4) Loca down 3 pounds
5) mom scared because she heard Loca’s squeak toy being stepped on in the yard an hour earlier
6) a daunting to do list awaiting
7) not one prep completed for Thanksgiving

In Boston, and was trying to get home early but alas no flights available. Meanwhile, morning put on pause because:

Nov 24, 2008 … BACK BAY (WBZ) ? Three manhole fires in at Stuart, Tremont, and Boylston Streets have knocked out power in the Back Bay.

The calls home are a little disconcerting – Loca is puking, Arlene is trapped in the bathroom between the toilet and the wall and possibly dehydrated, Bam has escaped. That was just yesterday. Then today, Mom is now puking. T wonders why I get so edgy as soon as I am on the phone. I don’t know who to be more concerned about – the animals, the mother, the unknown.

One of the biggest mysteries in the world is how there are all these children in the world that need a loving home and how unbelievably hard it is get one. Forget about the fact that you are a single mother, a lesbian couple, approaching 50, even the hetero, young, white married couples with strong ties to a church jump through hoops to adopt.

We looked a website today and saw 7 Bulgarian boys and wanted to take them all. We spoke to everyone we came across on this trip about our efforts to adopt and from each person, we heard either a horror or a success story, almost as if it is just the luck of the draw.

I have faith though that our child(ren) is waiting for us because we have a home waiting for him or her.