I was talking to my (republican) mom today about politics. We both concurred that, though we disagree on other issues, the sudden national spotlight shining on Sarah Palin is interesting and even inspiring to those among us who have never reached high levels in our careers because, for whatever reasons or circumstances, we did not put in traditional amounts of time to climb the ranks.

Mom reminded me, *You know, I was president of the PTA at your high school when your sister was a senior.*

I completely forgot this fact!

I proposed to her, *Mom, you know, with my masters degree in public policy and your executive experience, we should create our own third party ticket.*

*Yeah,* she agreed. *What would our platform be?*

*Well,* I thought, *We can propose that our first legislation would be to outlaw junky pocketbooks!*

What legislation/reform would YOU propose if suddenly you came into a position of political power?

All day yesterday, as I walked past our kitchen cabinet that houses coffee filters, teabags, sugar as well as assorted snack foods, I noticed a distinct odor that can only be described as delicate but distinctively farty.

Up at the cabin, we have a problem with mice, and sometimes other creatures of the insect variety. But here in the *civilised* suburbs of Chicago, we dont have that issue. Just to be certain, I pulled out each item on the shelves, first in search of a dead, rotting critter. When none was spotted, I began smelling each package to see if something rotted. Well, I never heard of rancid tea bags, so my theory seemed unfounded until...

...I cracked open a fairly new box of Kraft Live Active Chocolate Rasperry Granola bars and took a whiff. Whoop, There It Is!!!!

Over the past week or so, I have finished about half of the box of these tasty and intestine-friendly treats. But apparently, they are still digesting - within the wrappers themselves! You see, the granola bars are coated in some sort of *probiotic.* To me that reads as *live culture* - sort of like yogurt. But yogurt goes in the refrigerator. These bars are supposed to be shelf-stable. I dont think they are rotten, per se; rather, that the cultures are slowly eating the sugars in the bars (and possibly that the dried cranberries are fermenting and adding alcohol to the mix) and are, uh, digesting. Which means some sort of farting/pooping/peeing/exhaling but on a microbiotic level. Well, not so microbiotic that it doesnt smell like kitten farts!

Not one to waste food, I sealed up my gaseous treats in a ziploc and relegated them to an open shelf in the basement pantry.

Although, I am tempted to see if the ziploc bag expands over time when infused with the excretions of millions of tiny granola bar *ingedients.*

UPDATE: It appears my theory on the granola bars was incorrect. Yes, they do smell slightly funky but the true source of the sewer-esque odor was a container of leftover chicken marsala that somehow I mistakenly put in my cabinet insted of the refrigerator! So, in a manner of speaking it was microbial critters causing the problem; just different ones. YUK!!!!

...because the culture wars are back on.

I was so looking forward to this election season because our country is mired in a factor that so many of us, across party lines, share: economic hardship.

How anyone can resort to the equivalent of domestic jingoism in our times absolutely boggles my mind.

OK, I do *get it* from a strategic point of view.

I am NOT merely talking about the speech delivered by Sarah Palin at the RNC.

Now the Obama camp is flinging back doses of muck in the form of ads that also resort to scare tactics.

Come ON guys/gals!

I am genuninely interested, and will base my decisions upon, a canditates platform of legislation/programs that stir up the imaginations of entrepreneurs and business leaders; of educators and workers. What can we do together to make things BETTER?

Jumping out and shouting *BOO!* does not create jobs, increase the value of our homes, or allow us to begin to save instead of being both individually and Nationally a country of debtors.

Three words to sum up the speech Palin delivered to the RNC:

Lowest

Common

Denominator

(emphasis on common.)

Yuk.

...and of the *oom-pah-pah-oom-pah-pah* Holy Spirit, Amen!

Since I got good news Friday morning, I headed up with the family to Wisconsin for the long weekend. One of the biggest treats was attending a Polka Mass Sunday morning!

Yes, a Polka Mass. What the heck is that? Well, its a mass (Catholic church service) but instead of a typical organist or guitarist and choir, there was an oompah band (incl accordion) and a Chorale singing group that performed the liturgical music in Polka style. Many of the hymns were tradtional Polish (or German, Czech, etc.) hymns translated to English, while others were sung in Polish. Songbooks were distributed to make things easier for those of us unfamiliar with the tunes.

Despite what sounds like a raucous good time, it really was moving, and I found myself dabbing at my eyes at times! I am of Polish-American heritage, so this was meaningful to me. But it should be noted that a number of Polish immigrants - likely from the Chicago area as I see them driving cars with IL plates - vacation in the area and often attend mass at this parish, as well. So needless to say, when the communion meditaion hymn (a prayer to the Blessed Mother) was sung in Polish, I thought the roof was going to fly off, the churchgoers sung so wholeheartedly.

This is one time I am so glad I got a low score!!

My blood test was normal (12) so the next step is to get another ultrasound next month. as it could be a type of thing that could resolve on its own (sort of like a big pimple.) Or if it is the same or larger, then we will schedule a laproscopy to investigate it, try to remove it or, if necessesary, remove the whole ovary.

Either way, its a matter of discomfort and inconvenience, not anything dire.

Thanks to all for your prayers!

I am hoping for a low number.

I took a test yesterday and I hope I do NOT get 100 on it. In fact, a 35 would be fantastic.

It was not a classroom-based test. It was a CA-125 - the ovarian cancer screening blood test. After some painful moments last week, as well as other symptoms, I went to the gyne yesterday and ultrasounds revealed an enlarged ovary (*very enlarged* according to the Ultrasound technitian) with irregular shape and solid masses inside it.

I am 39. The odds of it being benign are roughly 80%. But I still have a number of meetings with doctors and tests to go - plus it most likely will have to be removed in its entirety. That doesnt bother me, since I am done making babies and already have been dealing with hormonal change issues for some time now.

I just am hoping its benign. Not knowing is really bugging me right now.

I am procrastinating on a major closet overhaul I need to do in my daughters room. Her room is tiny -  one dresser, one bookshelf and a bed are about all that fit in there - so a functional closet is a must-have. I promised her I would get it done before tomorrow afternoon. And I am sure I will.

I am just hung up (pardon the pun) on what format to use. It is a square shape, so I was going to to do a wire shelving unit that wrapped around the corner and across one side, but now I suspect that her clothes would not fit well in the corner space, so why hunt around for that piece of the puzzle?

I may buy a pre-configured system with hanging space and some shelves, but she REALLY needs the hanging space, as she is not of an age yet where she can/will fold sweaters or other knit tops to put on a shelf.

I guess I will just have to measure twice and go to home depot to see what is available and then do my best. I may splurge on some huggable hangers, though as I can testify: THEY ROCK THE CLOSET!

I am back from the white sands of NJ (we had a great time) and tomorrow we head up to the cabin for one last trip before school starts. My mother-in-law is flying in on Saturday for a visit, but I have so much to do, I wont be staying up there for her entire visit.

I will head up tomorrow for a mammoth cleaning to the cabin, then head back Sunday to continue taking care of  the landscaping in the yard but mostly to embark on a maor closet re-org for my daughter, who has really outgrown the current configuration of her room. Over the next few months I hope to sell, donate, or toss out as much unneeded stuff in our closets and attic as possible.

Tonight I have a meeting at Church that, for some reason, is making me nervous. Perhaps because my friend/neighbor and I have decided to eschew the religious ed program the parish offers and instead try to partner together to create a homeschool (just for religion - our kids attend the local public school) program and teach our *class* twice a month. I dont plan to announce my personal plans to anyone but if they ask, I hope I dont become defensive. My friend and I have legitimate reasons for doing our own thing this year - some of which are as basic as logistics: the times the parish offers for classes conflict with our schedules. Plus its expensive. But...the reason she and I really investigated going on our own is that we felt the kids we not getting anywhere near enough content covered through the program they had last year. Our kids are both in the gifted programs at their school; thus, they enjoy being challeneged and can move through material at a fast pace. So instead of paying nearly $200 for a watered-down program, we will be using the classroom workbook and teacher guides that the parish used in their previous classroom setting for religious education.

I know my daughter and there is NO WAY she would ever allow just ME to homeschool her. However, having a peer and another adult in the mix should create a productive environment for all of us (fingers crossed.)

Im off on *vacation* - this time to Brigantine, NJ (adjacent to Atlantic City!!!) to visit with family, boogie board on the beach, and play the slots.

Ill be back in 10 days.

:)