Elizabeth Edwards: Women of the Year 2007 Women of the Year: glamour.com

Elizabeth Edwards: Women of the Year 2007 Women of the Year: glamour.com
I enjoyed reading Elizabeth's memoir, Saving Graces, a few months back. It was inspiring overall, in spite of tedium in places. I admire this sweet, gracious, and forgiving woman. I look forward to reading her recently published book, Resilience, which covers the period of her life when she learns that her husband has not only carried on a sexual relationship with a political reporter, but he has fathered a child by the woman. This -- this nightmare. After burying her 17-year old son, and losing both breasts to cancer, and receiving a death sentence a year later. This -- this betrayal. This public humiliation, this private hell. Heaped upon everything else she has endured in the past decade. She is in my prayers.

Hundreds gather to protest global warming.

Global Warming....bah, humbug!   This scene could have been created in my neighborhood after yesterday's snow storm. Merry Christmas!

Etymology -- don't you just love that word?

"This is the whole ballgame," said Brian Brown, executive director of the National Organization for Marriage, which has spent more than $600,000 in radio and TV ads and robo-calls against same-sex marriage. "If it's signed into law, we have a long hard slog to shift the nature of the Legislature," he said. “If we win this vote, this is dead for the next four years."


Brian, Brian, Brian. Settle down. It seems to me that same-sex marriages are an eventuality. So, why fight it? Save your money for weightier matters. Besides, straight folks have nothing to fear from such legalized alliances. And more power to them – maybe the success rates among GLBT-couples will surpass those of hetero-couples. Now THAT wouldn’t be too difficult! What's the current divorce rate in the US?  According to YahooAnswers (and they know EVERYTHING), 49.1% of all hetero marriages end in divorce (2007). But there are bigger fish to fry when it comes to same-sex marriage. Like, what do they call their partners? Let's take a look at the etymology of Partner-esque terms.


I've had a while to mull this over, and I believe my suggestions might make things easier for all married couples – straight and GLBT. Let’s create new labels for the spouses in same-sex marriages, without calling them “husbands” or “wives.” Heaven knows GLBTs don’t use those terms. Consider the following:

Male partner/gay husband = Gusband or Gife. As in -- “I, Steven, take you, Paul, to be my lawfully wedded gusband…”
It wouldn’t really work to use “gouse” or “douse" or "louse” because those words actually exist and mean something else. But “gusband” and “gife” have been newly-created for the express purpose of clarifying marriage partners in 21st Century fashion.

Female partner = Dusband or Dife. As in – “I, Debra, take you, Phyllis, to be my lawfully wedded dife…”
While “lusband” might work, “life” and "louse" have been overused and already have too many meanings—I’m sure you’ll agree—which leaves us with logical choices: “dusband” or “lusband” for men, and "gife" or “dife” for women. The purist might wish to stick with "partner" but that is just so country-western. And we know there are no GLBT cowboys! Nevertheless, I offer "gartner" and "lartner" for consideration, knowing full well that no one would use those labels.

There you have it! Please leave you comment, expressing your preferences for any of the terms listed here. And by all means, feel free to offer some of your own. (Be kind, please.)

Vote for your favorite:    DUSBAND        LUSBAND         DIFE        GIFE

I'm Blogging of a White Christmas

Check out the totally cool snowflakes falling over my blog! The blogger elves turned me on to ShabbyBlogs. This is a conversation I overheard between an elf and one of my neighbors:

Blogger Elf:  I love the fun stuff ShabbyBlogs provides for free.
Neighbor:  Excuse me. Did you just say "free"?
Blogger Elf:  Why, yes, I did. I downloaded the "Let It Snow" application to my blog page -- and now there are snowflakes everywhere.
Neighbor:  Well, I'm gonna git me some of that!


Today my front yard is buried in two feet of icy snowy remnants from the weekend snow storm. It's fun to watch Molly try to make her way across the snow, in search of a good pooping spot, only to crunch through the crust and sink down to her armpits. Good thing she's spry and adventurous. She seems never to be in a hurry for this ritual to culminate -- so opposite from us humans. Dogs are so much fun to watch, especially when they don't know you're peeking through the blinds to watch them do their doggy-hunty thing.

I couldn't wait for Christmas, so I opened one of my presents tonight: the Beatles remastered collection. I only listened to the first album ("The Beatles"). There are so many albums in this boxed set that it will take me weeks to get through them all. Good thing I got an early start, huh?

And here is a little side note that might interest you: I've decided to wear a wig. Why, you ask, would you WANT to wear a wig? Well, you might want to ask my hairdresser, instead, why she decided that I need to look like a cross between actress Jane Lynch (a.k.a. dike PE teacher on "Glee") and Kate Gosselin, who everyone knows has the most hideous hairstyle in America. So, until my hair grows out beyond its current 1.5- inch length, I will be donning my gay apparel -- an auburn wig that my husband says makes me look 10 years younger. Oh, crap! Now he's gonna want me to do some of the stuff I used to do 10 years ago! I think I'll hide in the basement and listen to more digitally-remastered Beatles recordings...

If you aren't laughing at this, you'll undoubtedly think I've lost my mind. Tell me I'm wrong.

From Stunt Wife to Leading Lady

I just read about a book called Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure (copywright Smith Magazine, 2008). How delighted am I that my own memoir's title is exactly six words?! If you are interested in previewing pages to Stunt Wife..., let me know and I'll send you a chapter, but you must promise to read and respond immediately. The book will be going to print in 2010.

Here are a few more six-word zingers you might enjoy:
"How do we get outa here?" - Joel Frost repeated all the way through the Haunted Mansion at Disneland.

"Revenge is living well, without you." - Joyce Carol Oates, one of my favorite authors, who has obviously been through at least one divorce!

"We were our own Springer episode." - Michelle Hoogerwerf (or could have been written by one of my step children).

"Mom died. Dad screwed us over." - Leslie Kysely (Damn - I wish we'd had this enscribed on my parents' shared headstone!)

"Life is short, so laugh more." -- Kelli Allred

The Value of Time

To realize

The value of a sister/brother

Ask someone

Who doesn't have one.

To realize

The value of ten years:

Ask a newly

Divorced couple.

To realize

The value of four years:

Ask a graduate.

To realize

The value of one year:

Ask a student who

Has failed a final exam.

To realize

The value of nine months:

Ask a mother who gave birth to a stillborn.

To realize

The value of one month:

Ask a mother

Who has given birth to

A premature baby.

To realize

The value of one week:

Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realize

The value of one minute:

Ask a person

Who has missed the a train, bus or plane..

To realize

The value of one-second:

Ask a person

Who has survived an accident.

Time waits for no one.

Treasure every moment you have.

You will treasure it even more when

You can share it with someone special.

To realize the value of a friend or family member:

Lose one.

Not really sure why I keep blogging, since no one seems to be reading these anymore. But Facebook and Twitter are so not me. I like my relationships one-on-one, not a popularity contest. If you stop by, leave a quick note.