Bfth's Boring Blog

It's the first Sunday in Advent.  It's hard not to think of this time as "Christmas Season", but officially it's "Advent Season."  (Or should that be Advent Time?  Does it really matter?)  What it really means for me is that I should (and hopefully will) wear more of my favorite color:  purple.  Purple or sometimes blue (which is a runner up when it comes to favorite colors) is the color of Advent. As far as I know (and I'll admit I'm not the most learned person when it comes to Advent), each of the four Sundays in Advent represent a theme:  Hope, Peace, Joy and Love (respectively). Hope.  What do I hope for this advent?  I hope for all the things that the following Sundays will bring:  Peace (not just for the world, but for my own inner kind), Joy (in my life and all of those who I love), and (continued) Love.  To bring it down to a more personal level, I hope that this season will be peaceful with bring the end of the dra...

I'm blessed to have many different friends.  I have friends on the extreme right, extreme left and somewhere in the middle.  I have friends who are gay and friends who are straight.  I have friends who have strong religious beliefs in a wide variety of religions and I have friends who shun religion all together.  I have friends who I communicate with nearly every day (in some form or another...the internet can be a wonderful and powerful tool when friends live across the globe) and friends I don't talk to/hear from as much as I would like.  I love them all in my own way. My way is often to be quiet. It's not everyone's way and it some may not understand it, but it is my way and I do it out of respect and love. Sadly, recently, several of my friends have had crises in their lives.  Sadly, over the past few months, my life has been filled with some chaos and crisis as well.  And while I may have had to focus on my own problems and issues, it doe...

According to my calendar, winter isn't "due" for about another month.  Yet my front lawn (where I've seen bits of snow...not big globs, but bits) and the thermometer tell me otherwise. Yes, I realize that autumn is coming to an end.  That December is right around the corner.  But I am NOT ready for winter yet. I know, I shouldn't be complaining.  The Midwest and New England have seen their share of snow and cold.  But I am not ready for this! Yes, we’ve had snowfall earlier in the season.  (I'm still trying to block out the Halloween that was "cancelled" due to all the snow.)  And yes, we've had colder temperatures, but after the LAST winter we had (which I realize was NOT the coldest OR the snowiest on record, but it sure felt like it) I think we deserve a little break. Obviously Mother Nature does not agree with me. In my mind, winter should start on December 21st and end somewhere in early March.  Snow is fine for Christma...

Thanksgiving is just a little over a week away.  You wouldn't know it if you entered any shopping mall.  It's all about Christmas.  In many cases it's been all about Christmas since September.  I know the day before Halloween I was driving by the local garden center and there was a Giant Inflatable Santa on the front of the building and off to the side, but still visible were haystacks, pumpkins and other assorted "Halloween" items...I was wondering if I'd missed the memo on a new holiday:  Hallo-mas or maybe Christween??? Now I realize retailers need to make money and hopefully a holiday push will mean more seasonal jobs.  (I hear employment is up, but I'm not convinced...it seems like the "traditional" job market is long gone and has been replaced by "contract" positions, part time positions and "seasonal help," but that's a blog for another day.)  But it would be nice if we could celebrate a holiday on its own with...

Veteran's Day was yesterday; 11/11, a reminder of the end of World War I.  (Supposedly the war to end all wars, but as we know that was sadly not the case.) So today is NOT Veteran's Day.  There will be no parades today.  There will be no special services.  There will be no wreathes or poppies.  Today is November 12th and it is not Veteran's Day. But why do we have to wait until a date on the calendar to say thank you and show our gratitude?  Of course there should be a day set aside to honor those who have served our country.  Not a day for special retail sales, but a day to truly show our appreciation for the sacrifices our service men and women have made.  But we do not have to wait until next November 11th to say thank you or to show our gratitude. So while there are no public ceremonies, when you see a veteran or someone who has or is serving in any branch of the military, why not take a moment to say thank you?  There are other th...

to Sesame Street? Where would I be without Sesame Street ?  Where would countless people be without Big Bird, Ernie & Bert, Oscar, Grover, Cookie Monster, etc.?    And I can't forget Bob, Gordon, Susan, Maria, Luis or Mr. Hooper. The show premiered 45 years ago today and I was watching.  I just about the right age.  I may not remember the details of that first show, but I have it on DVD and when I watched it again it was charming (and a little dull too, but then things were different in 1969).  If I recall, the show aired twice a day on our PBS station (channel 13) and I watched the same episode in the morning (10 AM?) and afternoon (4 PM?).  I can vaguely recall watching on the television in my parent's room, so Sesame Street was black and white to me most days.  I did watch in the living room some times, which meant it was all in glorious color.  Those were definitely different days! Sesame Street shaped my childhood and ...

It's Election Day and if you think your vote doesn't count for much, talk to the man in my town who lost his bid for town council by ONE vote.  (And he did so with so much grace that the leaders of this nation should take note of.) But it was only town council, that doesn't count for much, right?  WRONG.  Every election, nationwide, statewide or small little town DOES count.   The people YOU vote for determine how your town, your state and your country is run.  (Ok, so that is oversimplifying it, but you get the idea). So get out there and cast your vote today (unless you've already voted by absentee ballot; in which case kudos to you for thinking ahead!)  But don't vote because I'm telling you.  Don't vote for the Democratic Party OR the Republican Party (or any party in between).  Don't vote because a candidate is the same race as you or the same religion or the same sex (or sexual orientation).  Vote for the person you believe in....

Facebook reminded me today that it is my friend's birthday.  I'll admit, I forgot.  Heck, I already forgot my mother in law's birthday last month, so I'm not doing too well on the birthday front.  But at least my friend is on Facebook so that I can get a friendly reminder about birthdays and at least post a quick "Happy Birthday" on a page. But for this particular friend, that's not enough. I haven't physically seen her in at least 20 years (although she can correct me if I'm wrong on that front).  We didn't even get to know each other until the middle of our junior year of high school when she and her family moved back to town.  (Her family lived on the opposite side of town than my family which meant we wouldn't have met up in elementary school either.)  If my fading memory is correct, we met when she joined the drama department's spring musical production.  (If you could call it a "department.")  It was during those lon...