Absolutely nothing -- kind of like Seinfeld

It's a much calmer day in paradise today, or so they tell me. The sun is shining (there, but not here), the temperature is dry and warm (but not here), birds are singing and flowers bloom... not here. Isn't that a song...? I think it's called "Song of Cynic"...

Here, actually, it is cloudy, unseasonably cool, even for Wisconsin (hovering just above frostbite), and it's damp. I walked about campus awhile ago, starting out with a fleece jacket, and eventually removing it, only to become too cool again and put it back on. "Humid...damp...clammy" is what my grandmother would say. And if it were warmer and humid, and there was no breeze, she would say "it's very close." I'm not sure what was close, but as a child I imagined she meant the AIR was very close, because you could almost feel it, and it was sticky!

It's Friday -- the best day of my life. (I' know there have been and will be much better days, but considering the week...)

Want to greet a few really wonderful people today, before the onset of a quiet, restful weekend...

To AB -- Yes, Alan, I love your comments AND your blog. Keep those cranial words flowing... or is that "brainiac?" Or perhaps, "ethereal?"!

To Billy -- My good friend in the north... Let's go to Alaska. I'm ready to be at one with the moose... or is that "meese?"

To Bette -- When will this rightwing extremism end?! When will we be delivered? When will Tom DeLay (re)turn into a toad? We need Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones to zap the aliens...

To Misha -- It was good to see you yesterday, even if you are a cop!! (But I won't tell anyone....)

To Baby -- Enjoy the snow. It gives you moisture. And as long as it's there, it isn't HERE!! Drive carefully and have a sweet weekend!

To Pip -- Don't.

WAIT! I see sun! I have to go into it and warm myself...

Ticket master be damned.

First, my blog is published in red today because it's the only color I see.

Second, don't ever, EVER use Ticketmaster.

Third, Ticketmaster just erroneously cancelled my sweet, sweet, third-row seats to the Paul McCartney concert in October 2005. I purchased them through Ticketbas---ds last Friday, during one of the only pre-sales arranged by Paul's "people". I received the confirmation and my credit card was charged. Done. Not.

Yesterday, I received a voice message on my cell phone from Ticketbas---ds saying "Since we could not reach you to confirm your credit card billing address, your order has been cancelled."

In fact, they had not tried to reach me by phone at all, though they said they had. No messages, no "missed calls" on my cell OR my caller ID or my office phone. The only email I received from them asked me to return the email confirming my billing address. Which I did. The same billing address, I might add, that I've had for 9 years, and the same billing address which every other vendor I've purchase from has had no trouble in verifying. I actually went home and looked at the most recent credit card bill to be sure I hadn't moved. Nope. Same address. Same card. Same name.

Needless to say, I'm devastated. I've waited 40 -- no 41 -- years to hear this man in concert. Since he first stepped on U.S. soil, when I was a mere tot (okay -- I was 11!) I've watched and waited for the Beatles, or the cutest Beatle, Paul, to show up in the Twin Cities. He finally had a gig here. As a registered member of his website maillist, I got in on one of only three pre-sales for the U.S. tour.

And Ticketbas---ds screwed it all up.

Talk about a really bad monopoly, Ticketbas---ds and their subsidiaries have the market cornered. When I went online to try and find contacts for their corporate offices, what I found was about a kazillion people bashing the company because of the problems they'd had with their ticket purchases. It's about impossible to get through to a customer service rep by phone, and if you mess up on any of the 350 options in their automated phone system, you get sent to Purgatory, where you have to wait for 1,000 years for the next customer service rep. Who is Julio, and probably is sitting in an air conditioned cubicle in Chile, and who could care less if you have tickets or ticks. And probably doesn't know the difference. And forget about talking to a supervisor. And don't even imagine that you could find some contact information for corporate Ticketbas---ds.

I'm going to go lick my wounds and listen to some Beatles ... on CD.

Happy Passover!

This is the weekend of Passover, and to friends who are more Jewish than I, Chag Sameach!! To those who do not understand Hebrew, that means "joyous festival."

According to this wonderful website I found a long time ago, Judaism 101, www.jewfaq.org, even non-observant Jews will attend a Pesach seder. Passover is a wonderful holiday, and even for those of us who are not Jewish but were exposed to the Bible as we grew up, we all understood that Passover was a good thing! This biblical event led to the release of the Jews from slavery.

Because I am such a soft touch for animals, I have a little problem with the historic slaughter of the sacrificial lamb, but understand the intent! But Passover, like so many holidays and celebrations in every other religion, centers around tradition and food. Who could find a problem with that? Where there's food, there am I!! The unleavened bread signifies the removal of arrogance or puffiness from the soul, and also originates with the fact that the Jews had no time to allow their bread to rise as they fled Egypt. Perhaps if I attached even a fraction of such significance with every bite of food I take, I would be much slimmer and healthier!! The point is that the every aspect of the celebration holds some thoughtful significance and reminder. A very nice way to celebrate, I must say.

To my good friend, AB, Shalom! And have a wonderful celebration!

The Pharmacy Morality

So.... this is the response I got from WalMart regarding prescription-control, and the petition I signed. Just one more reason to boycott WalMart. The way I look at it, if the company is allowing their pharmacists to refuse prescriptions for birth control, then pharmacists have carte blanche approval to refuse anything. Even though they must "find another pharmacist," how much time will that take, and how much inconvenience will patients need to endure before that is done?

This is much bigger than just prescriptions -- this is about personal freedoms. And this one even affects the doctors you and I trust to do what's best for us. Why should anyone else have the right to veto that?

Following are my original message to WalMart and other pharmacies, and the WalMart response.

-----Original Message-----
From: Walmart.com Help [mailto:help@walmart.com]
Sent: Monday, April 18, 2005 7:13 AM
To: Mounce, Sali
Subject: Re: Please protect women's access to their prescriptions

Dear Valued Customer,

Thank you for contacting us at Walmart.com regarding women?s
prescriptions for birth control. Your comments and concerns are very
important to us as we strive to meet your needs.

Wal-Mart does not carry emergency contraceptives. Our pharmacists may
decline to fill a prescription based on personal convictions. However,
they must find another pharmacist, either at Wal-Mart or another
pharmacy, who can assist you by filling your prescription.

Again, we thank you for your comments regarding this issue.

Sincerely,

Customer Service at Walmart.com

My Original Message Follows:
------------------------

March 31, 2005

Dear WalMart Pharmacy,

All over the country I have noticed a disturbing trend of
pharmacies refusing to fill women's prescriptions for birth
control. When a woman and her doctor decide that a
prescription for contraception is in the woman's best
interest, a third party has no right to override that
decision. Pharmacies must ensure that patients get their
doctor-prescribed medication without delay or
inconvenience. I ask that your company assure me and your
other customers that no woman seeking prescription
contraception will be turned away by your company's
pharmacies.

As a customer, I want all of my prescriptions to be filled:
I don't care what you believe, you should not care what I
believe. But if you're going to become a service person,
such as a pharmacist, then you should determine before you
go the distance if you can fulfill the requirements of the
job. Or don't TAKE the job.

No doubt a majority of your customers take for granted that
women should be able to receive their birth control despite
the personal beliefs of the individual pharmacist. Timely
access to contraception is central to women's health,
autonomy, and equality. We must trust women and their
doctors to make their own reproductive health decisions.

I thank you, in advance, for protecting your customer's
health by ensuring your pharmacy will guarantee women have
unhindered access to their prescribed medications.

Thank you for your attention and support.

Sali Mounce

April Showers and Overflowing Band Rooms

It's amazing how quickly the weather changes in Wisconsin! It's a well worn cliche, but basically if you don't like the weather here, just wait a minute, and it will change.

A week ago, we had cold, dreary, dirty, piles of snow/ice/road dirt laying all over the parking lots, yards and ditches. The temperatures were wintery and the wind bitter. It felt like early February. All of a sudden, we were bailing/pumping/squeeging water out of our 50x80 foot shed. The shed houses, among many other "treasures", a "band room" where my son's band practices every week. It had gotten to be a small joke among the members -- one would call each Tuesday to see how if there would be practice that week. Subliminally, the question was "how much water is in the shed?" Even though they're guys, they understand the importance of not standing in water while playing electrical instruments trailing electrical cords through the same water. They like things that go "boom" and "sizzle" and "crash," but generally shy away from things that fry your hair from within.

Every year in the spring, snow melt and rain runs down the hill and through the shed. Every year we vow that next year will be different, that there will be major landscaping done to prevent this next year, and that we will be in touch with the township to see if they can deepen the ditch. Every year we say this during the early spring thaw. Then, as quickly as the water came, it dries up, we resume the music in the band room, the marsh which is our driveway dries solid, and we leap into the outdoors to enjoy the "warmth" (generally anything over 32 degrees).

When I got home late last evening, I noticed that the driveway/watershed that had been created by runoff-then-hasty trenching, was level and graded smooth. No sign of quicksand anywhere. No piles of dirty snow, no kids on four-wheelers using the driveway for a mud-bog; just serene nighttime over a solid driveway. I could see all the landscape lights, the shrubs, the steps (without ice). The Christmas lights are gone from the house and shed (and it's only APRIL!), and the garage door glides up and down smoothly without straining against ice at the bottom.

So now begins the annual Wisconsin ritual, "awakening the land." We'll see how much grass the road salt has killed, and we'll vow not to use any of that next winter, as well. We'll rake the gravel out of the lawn and back onto the driveway, from which it was snatched and scattered by a manic guy on a John Deere lawn tractor/snowblower. (Every year the driveway gets wider, pushed by a guy who loves to plow snow. And every year I threaten to put up posts at the edge of the actual driveway to prevent him from widening it every winter. )

We'll clean up the cans and trash that has flown in the ditch and yard, cast off by careless passers-by. We'll rake, and plant, and trim trees, and mow, and rake, and fertilize, and grill, and clean the shed, and basically get ready for fall.

It is a beautiful season in Wisconsin. Many people say fall is their favorite Wisconsin season, and it's certainly a beautiful time of year. But I love the rapid and drastic changes that come with spring, and the sights, sounds and smells that come with it.

I'm not sure if we'll ever get the time to relandscape to divert the flow of melt and rain from the interior of the shed. But we're sure to talk about it heatedly again next spring!

Identities

My friend AB broke his paw a couple of weeks ago, while doing something he says he's been doing for 30+ years--running. It defines him, he says. So I feel bad that he has a broken ankle and angst along with it. It reminds me how hard it is to get back into something once we've gotten out of it. Like running. Especially when he will need to relearn, or at least rededicate, that skill once he's back on both feet. I have no doubt that he'll persevere, because that's the kind of guy he is. I, on the other hand, am a hopeless procrastinator and cynic.

I've been meaning for about, oh, say 100 years, to work on my girlish figure--but I cannot for the life of me find it. Which is what happens when you plan to work on something but never do. I've also been meaning to join the gym just up the street to get in shape. I get sidetracked so much during the day with menial things like WORK, that I cannot seem to set a time to go join. So, because I always allow other things to get in the way of my time, I'm neglecting my health and certainly my waistline, wherever it is. Which leads me to my cynicism. Hmph.

I can generally be pretty upbeat about things. After all, I have a good job that I love, around people I enjoy being around, on a campus and in a town that are charming, have a roof and a car and almost enough money to buy gas :•) So what's to be cynical about? Let me think on that one and get back to you...

I find that cynicism isn't always about having a negative outlook, but can also mean having a frustrated recollection of what you haven't done.

Okay, now I've worked myself into a funk. So, to salve my ego and my outlook, I'm going to a friend's house to help her with some beer and chips. I think we can figure out what to do with them!!

Daylightly

And as we begin another week, I have to complain bitterly, partly because I have a complaint, and partly because it's in my nature.

I slept lousily (new word) last night, and find that many others within earshot did so, as well. We're blaming daylight savings time. Could it be that it's so light at midnight that it's impossible to sleep? No. It was dark by 8. Could it be that we went to bed way to early because we had gained an hour early that morning? No. Most of us went to bed later than we usually do, because we'd been screwed up by the gaining of that blasted hour. I contend that we all slept like caffeine riddled zombies because we were all terrified of oversleeping into that stupid hour we'd gained.

So today, we are all tired, and irritated at having to change the clock (not because we gained an hour of lovely spring weather yesterday, but because we'll begrudgingly lose it later, during that miserably depresseding time of year we call "fall".) Spring seems to bring out the cynics...!

Yes, the Pope is still Dead.

On Friday, which was also incidentally April Fool's day, I was on the phone with No. 2 when a line appeared at the bottom of CNN: Pope John Paul II has died. So, I told No. 2 what had happened, and we both expressed belief and non-shock, as the Pontiff has been quite ill and this was an expected outcome. Another person in my office also commented on the Pope's death that afternoon, and so it was on April 1.

Now, imagine my DISbelief and SHOCK on Saturday, April 2nd, when No. 2 said to me, "Oh, look! They're keeping a watch on the Pope's health." To which I responded, "Well, they can stop. He's dead." To which CNN responded, "Pope John Paul II stable, but health is failing fast; prayers are being offered outside the Basilica." To which I responded, "HUH?!" Then I proceeded to shake my head and babble for the next couple of hours about how I was losing my mind, or that it was a truly cruel April Fool's joke CNN had played on me, personally. I prefer to think the latter.

So, you can imagine my skepticism when the news of His Holiness's actual death emerged. I looked at No. 2 and said, " I told you he was dead." My smartass No. 2 reminded me several times throughout the weekend, that in fact, the Pope was still dead.

I hope they don't make this a Weekend Update bit on Saturday Night Live... (See Chevy Chase, "Francisco Franco Is Still Dead," ca. 1970-something!!)

Short and Stout

Now I have my chance! I can talk as much as I wish, and if no one else wishes to witness it, they don't have to... it just seems so appropriate for a fool to begin this blog on April Fool's Day! And those who know me will completely understand the meaning of "Short-Stout."

To know more about neighbors

Studying International Business this semester, I've become more acutely aware that we all need to become more global. There are many people who will argue with me, because I believe they are scared to death of the inevitable -- the advent of technology and travel has brought us ALL much closer together. As far as I'm concerned, it's a good thing. Perhaps it will make us better stewards of the earth, the skies and each other. It's a bit harder to blast away at your neighbor, at least that's the way I see it!

But then comes an observation of recent events. The BTK (Bind, Torture, Kill) serial killer was someone's "neighbor" for a long, long time. He was BTK'ing people thirty years ago, and no one seemed to notice that this guy was a raging lunatic. To be cliche'ic, "what's up with THAT?!" We seem to have lost a lot of our "village" mentality. I attribute much of this to insurance. Yes, that's right.

Insurance, in my opinion, is legalized extortion. Anyone who know's me has been exposed to that likeness for a lot of years! Think back... what were those nice, friendly, mobsters doing in Sicily a hundred or more years ago? They were offering protection for a price. That mentality has grown into a multi-kazillion dollar industry called "insurance." For a price, they will take care of you "theoretically," and if you miss your payments, you may not get your kneecaps busted, but you'll get your chops busted and your insurance cancelled. You cannot buy a house or a car without the promise of insurance. Many lending institutions won't give you a loan without insurance. And most importantly, your neighbors won't come to your rescue or watch out for you or your kids because we now have "insurance" to take care of us in case something happens. So, we stop watching each other's backs, and choose instead to "not get involved" when something happens to our neighbors.

The Amish have barn-raisings when someone in the community needs a barn. We have gallon jars on a fast-food-restaurant counter into which people can ANONYMOUSLY drop a few pennies without any commitments. Nice.

We may all feel very sad for the people left behind following the Terri Shiavo death. But I feel more sad for the communities of people left behind that don't have a clue who the people are around them, nor do they care what happens to them. Unless it gets political. Then a bunch of people come out of the woodwork to voice their opinions. Hmph.