What I Heard On My Winter Vacation

Not that I went anywhere over what is lovingly called "Winter Break;" I was at my desk in the office every day except Christmas and New Year's Day when the office was closed. Back in olden tymes, when we were open 7/24, I always used to volunteer to work Christmas since it's not my holiday, and I thought it would be nice to give someone else the chance to have the day. These days, I just work as late as I can on Christmas Eve, again so someone else can split early. But that's not to say I didn't enjoy the relative quiet.

But the holiday week is interesting all on its own. People "wrap up" the past year, talk about big events, and some write about it. Others stand in public places and talk like they're in their own homes. And let's not forget the alcohol-driven yakkers who just say seriously weird stuff to anyone who is in earshot. If you hang around any place where people are present, you definitely hear stuff your brain tells you can not possibly be said anywhere but Comedy Central. These are just a few snippets of what I heard/read during my winter vacay:

At a birthday brunch this past weekend for one very sweet and darling 18-year-old, one of her relatives said two income families were the cause of the degradation of the American social fabric. In the strictest confidence, he told me:

It's really all about greed. One salary should be enough to put food on the table. People just want too much. They should be satisfied with what they have.

I actually had to go shopping for a gift and as long as I was in Hugedale, I decided to just take a walk. Yes, it was crowded, but if you're not necessarily interacting with sales people, it's not bad. I did, however, find this really cute little outfit for my granddaughter while wandering Nordstrom's Rack. Standing in the check-out queue, I listened to a fascinating discussion between a middle-school girl and her mother:

Daughter: It's not like she has anything to put in her bra. 

Mother: She stuffs her bra? 

Daughter: Yeah. You mean you couldn't tell? 

Mother: No. I mean, I don't think I noticed. 

Daughter: (rolling eyes) Well, you must be like the only one.

I thought this might have been considered a bit precocious, but I am assured it is not. 

At the local Michael's Craft Store, two women were discussing in-laws. 

Lady #1: I am always careful about what I say around him because it always gets back to her.

Lady #2: So what are you giving her? You are giving her something, aren't you?

Lady #1: A giant can of macadamia nuts.

Lady #2: I thought she was allergic to nuts.

Lady #1: Exactly.

I combed the newspaper for days after Christmas looking to see if some poor woman died from macadamia nut poisoning. 

From the "if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes," category, Roger Cohen, the New York Times columnist who usually sends me to the edge with his self-hating view of the Jewish world, wrote a column taking Hamas to task. It included the following:

Gaza is shameful.

The enclave is a thorny quandary. Hamas has a vile Charter, a goal of destroying Israel, and it fires rockets on Israeli civilians from among Palestinian civilians. But it is not monolithic. Putting Gaza first would have several merits: forcing Palestinians to unify their national movement and hold long-delayed elections; averting yet another war with its heavy toll in human life and negative impact on Israel’s international standing; ushering a large group of Palestinians out of radicalizing misery; obliging the peacemakers, so-called, to get real or go home; stopping the distraction at the United Nations.

A few days later, the NYT ran an editorial entitled Stop Giving Palestinians A Pass . It's an interesting enough piece, but the comments are another story. The hatred of Israel is palpable, and it's not just Israel. No one is denying there are real issues that must be addressed, much of the so-called commentary is just plain screed....written by people who have no idea about the history or the reality of the region. Fadia from California,
with a NYT Pick ribbon, writes:

The title should be "Stop Giving Israelis a Pass". The Palestinians have been negotiating in good faith for decades and all they got is more occupation and illegal settlements. The Palestinians have already offered Israel a very generous deal, they want a state in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. This is 22% of historic Palestine and less than half of the land given to them by the UN partition. The world must hold Israel accountable for it's [sic] ongoing violations and the U.S must stop supporting Israel's crimes against the occupied, oppressed and horribly abused Palestinians. 

I wonder how the air is on her planet....and in the NYT's OpEd department. Palestinians negotiating in good faith? Yeah, sure...if that means you accept the notion that Hamas' charter pushes all Jews into the sea. That their version of the land is Judenrein. I read that and I go nuts...not because she has the opinion....but because the NYT sees fit to endorse her distorted view of history as fact. The Palestinians OFFERED Israel a deal? Is that woman on drugs???????????????????? Then I have to stop and think....This op ed piece isn't about Israel's right to exist. It's about giving the Jew haters another forum from which to preach annihilation. And that's exactly what Hamas says it wants. Read the charter. Roger Cohen was right about that much; it is vile. 

And to end this little adventure on a high (as in Rocky Mountain kinda high) note, we cannot omit even a small mention of the Queen of Quirky, Madame Bachmann. She has left the building in a non-dead way, which means she can return.

Seems while running for POTUS, she predicted that gas would be $10 a gallon if President Obama was re-elected. Now, she is taking credit for the low price of gas. I'm going to miss Michele Bachmann. To be fair,  Madame B. provided some pretty good fodder, and there is something to be said for comic relief when Congress is run by a bunch of clowns. Somehow, I don't think she's done. I'm not sure about which incarnation she'll use when she comes back, but whatever it is, it'll probably be pretty interesting....and that's a Minnesota kinda interesting.

I am going to try to enjoy the calm before the political storm, but I'm pretty sure the kick-off to Happy Hour is going to be the State of the Union Address. I predict that the rebuttal comments will signal the start of an all-out war of word that will dovetail right into the Presidential elections. 

It's gonna be a painfully long two years. 

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

NBC would do well to make that Todd fellow on Sunday mornings go away.

He is undermining their entire news team with his inability to process information