Just can’t seem to wash that man right outta’ your hair? You’ve got three hours left!

Ladies, if you live on the West Coast, time’s a wastin’!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leap_year#Folk_traditions

In the English speaking world, it is a tradition that women may propose marriage only on leap years. While it has been argued that the tradition was initiated by Saint Patrick or Brigid of Kildare in 5th century Ireland, it is dubious as the tradition has not been attested before the 19th century.^[7] Supposedly, a 1288 law by Queen Margaret of Scotland (then age five and living in Norway), required that fines be levied if a marriage proposal was refused by the man; compensation ranged from a kiss to £1 to a silk gown, in order to soften the blow.^[8] Because men felt that put them at too great a risk, the tradition was in some places tightened to restricting female proposals to the modern leap day, 29 February, or to the medieval leap day, 24 February. According to Felten: “A play from the turn of the 17th century, ‘The Maydes Metamorphosis,’ has it that ‘this is leape year/women wear breeches.’ A few hundred years later, breeches wouldn’t do at all: Women looking to take advantage of their opportunity to pitch woo were expected to wear a scarlet petticoat — fair warning, if you will.”^[9]

In Denmark, the tradition is that women may propose on leap day 24 February and that refusal must be compensated with 12 pairs of gloves.

Okay. Where’s the “something tasteful in diamonds from Tiffany” rule if there’s a refused proposal, huh? I don’t care about gloves or dresses. Fine jewelry’s more my speed!

Happy hunting, ladies, and if you miss the midnight deadline, you’ll get another chance in four years!

-S

My big, bad U2 playlist

My Rhapsody Playlist

The Dauphin and I finally managed to see “U2 3D” last Saturday night. It was excellent! This brought the “what’s your five favorite U2 songs” discussion, so I had to make a playlist of them, and several others.

I hope you’ll enjoy it!

Have a great Friday,

-S

Born-again virginity is the new black

I need to get back to work. At the same time, the following was almost irresistible. Needless to say, the usual rules apply: If you’re under eighteen, step away from the computer, go to the local bookstore, and choose something out of the “literature” section. Read it.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23254178

Across the country, “revirginization” appears to be gaining steam. Spiritual efforts to reclaim virginity emerged back in the early 1990s and now, prompted by abstinence-only school courses taught to thousands of girls nationwide, and by religious teachers, there are reports of more and more young women like Watts attempting a sexual do-over. Other women are opting for a more radical route to reclaim their virginity: surgical replacement of the hymen, the small membrane that stretches from the walls of the vagina and that typically breaks when a woman first has intercourse — or for many other reasons, from tampon use to vigorous exercise.

In the last few years, say doctors who perform the surgery, a steady stream of patients, many motivated by the conflict between mores in this country versus their country of birth, or the country of their parents’ birth, are interested. “The rate of inquiries is increasing,” says Dr. Denise Baker, a Bradenton, Fla., surgeon who performs the procedure on about 100 women a year.

Aside from the usual jokes about horses and unlocked barn doors, the above leaves me mystified. I understand why the women from other countries that practice honor killings are doing this. I don’t understand why women in this society are so ashamed of their own sexuality that they would consider themselves unacceptable to another person as-is.

Maybe the commenters can shed some light on this one.

-S

The estimated cost of gun violence in America: $100 billion

On a day with yet another mass shooting, some food for thought.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2004247675_wounded28.html

Homicides have become the yardstick for measuring urban crime. But the far more numerous cases across America in which people are shot and wounded exact a terrible toll, too — on the victims, of course, but also on their loved ones, the health-care system, the social safety net and the economy.

“We like to think gun violence is someone else’s problem, but it’s everyone’s problem,” says Philip Cook, a Duke University economist and co-author of two widely cited studies about the cost of gun violence in the United States.

I could rant on this one all day long, but perhaps the thing that will finally bring this to an end is the huge financial cost of gun violence in our society.

-S

It’s editing day, kids

Remember when I wrote how much I love classical music? Well, today’s a good day for some grunge. It’s a wonderful thing to do a little headbanging when one’s taking a chainsaw to a recalcitrant manuscript. Soundgarden’s Superunknown is my musical guide today.

I’ll be back later.

-S

Americans are “dropping out” or switching their religious affiliation in record numbers. When you’re not worrying about that, you should be having sex every day for 30 days.

When I finally took a break from singing along to Sarah Silverman and Jimmy Kimmel’s latest video, (who knew Josh Groban had a sense of humor?) I read the following. Americans are skipping that weekly visit to the house of worship, because they’re having sex. Well, not really.

We’re going for the third rail today. You know how your mom always told you not to discuss politics or religion with people you don’t know well? What happens when we discuss sex and religion?

From our friends at CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/02/25/religion.survey.ap/index.html

The U.S. religious marketplace is extremely volatile, with nearly half of American adults leaving the faith tradition of their upbringing to either switch allegiances or abandon religious affiliation altogether, a new survey finds.

The study released Monday by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life is unusual for it sheer scope, relying on interviews with more than 35,000 adults to document a diverse and dynamic U.S. religious population.

While much of the study confirms earlier findings — mainline Protestant churches are in decline, non-denominational churches are gaining and the ranks of the unaffiliated are growing — it also provides a deeper look behind those trends, and of smaller religious groups.

“The American religious economy is like a marketplace — very dynamic, very competitive,” said Luis Lugo, director of the Pew Forum. “Everyone is losing, everyone is gaining. There are net winners and losers, but no one can stand still. Those groups that are losing significant numbers have to recoup them to stay vibrant.”

I never knew America had a religious economy, but read on for more.

More than one-quarter of American adults have left the faith of their childhood for another religion or no religion at all, the survey found. Factoring in moves from one stream or denomination of Protestantism to another, the number rises to 44 percent.

I’m just one of the numbers – just another slightly confused American. My religious history is the most convoluted thing EVER. (Shorter Strategerie: I was baptized a Catholic at birth. I ended up in the Assembly of God church, and went to Bible college. I left the church. I married a Jewish man who doesn’t practice. We formerly attended a non-denominational church. We’re currently “unchurched”, and will most likely stay that way.)

Here’s the thing: Ultimately, I don’t trust organized religion. Plus, I just don’t fit in any of the neat little religious boxes. Is it possible to be an agnostic and still believe?

While we’re mulling over that conundrum, the following is from Florida:

http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=37450&cat=14

Pastor Paul Wirth issued a ‘30 Day Sex Challenge’ to his congregation. Wirth said the challenge is designed to help couples as many let jobs and daily life get in the way of intimacy.

Really? There’s more.

He says the single members of the church are challenged to abstain from sex for 30 days.

Oookay. I’m not Dr. Ruth, but I feel somewhat qualified to chime in on this issue, being a female and all.

First of all, I know the good pastor thinks the above is going to fix everything, but I can unequivocably say that He Doesn’t Get It. Sex is not going to fix everything in a troubled marriage. (It might help, but it’s not a cure-all.) Women especially aren’t too interested when things aren’t going well in the first place. These people stopped talking with each other among the diapers, the bills, the in-law problems, the bills…I could go on. It’s become one more item on a to-do list. My suggestion? Start small and work your way up. I suggest making out for starters. It’s free, it’s fun, there are no calories. Also, the smartest guys know that sex starts in the kitchen.

The good pastor’s suggestion that single people should just be celibate? At the risk of TMI, that was one of the reasons I left my church. The married people couldn’t wait to tell the single people what they should not be doing in their bedrooms, only to discover that most of those married people were doing the wild thing at every opportunity with others that were not their spouses.

I believe there’s some Bible verse about removing the log from one’s own eye before removing the splinter from someone else’s.

-S

The sweetest moment on last night’s Oscars telecast

Congratulations to nineteen-year-old Marketa Irglova. She and her co-writer won the Oscar for “Best Original Song”, and she was cut off by the orchestra while attempting to make her acceptance speech. This is what happened as a result.

She’s right: Dare to dream. No matter what it is, someone has to win, don’t they? Why shouldn’t it be you?

-S

It’s Oscar day!

I realize that there are those in the world that just don’t care about the Academy Awards. I am not one of them. I will be knee-deep in the hoopla for most of the rest of today. After all, the pre-game show red carpet commentary starts in an hour or so, and I have to see it.

I’ll be rooting for “Juno”, and Diablo Cody, a woman who truly deserves to win Best Original Screenplay.

Enjoy the show!

-S

Jane Porter’s new book, Mrs. Perfect

 

I’ve been thinking on what I was going to write about “Mrs. Perfect” for more than a week. The book won’t actually be at the bookstore until May 5th, but Jane sent me an ARC (advance reader’s copy), and I polished it off in less than 24 hours. Let’s just say I can’t put her books down, and this is the best book yet. The writing sparkles. I love Jane’s characters, and this time she’s written one that initially, I didn’t want to love. At the same time, the more I read about Taylor’s life, the more I saw we had in common. By the end of the book, I loved Taylor, too.

Before I talk about Jane’s book, I have to tell everyone about the night I first met Jane. Believe it or not, there’s a parallel to the subject matter of the novel. I was at a Romance Writers of America chapter meeting, and Jane came flying in. I had no idea who she was. All I saw was this gorgeous, smiling, self-confident woman. The first thought in my head? “Oh, God, I’ll bet she’s a snob.” Yes, it’s true.

All women have a dialogue in their head when they’re in a roomful of other women, especially if it’s women they don’t know. Who’s the prettiest? Who’s the thinnest? Where does she get her hair cut/Where’d she get the cute shoes/bla, bla, bla. It’s reflex to think that the very beautiful aren’t nice people. After all, they get all the male attention, right?

Jane sat down in the chair a short distance from me, and began to chat with another woman at the meeting. If I remember correctly, the woman in question complimented her on what she was wearing; Jane was gracious. Okay. There was a little more conversation on appearance. She then told the woman that when she was young, she wasn’t pretty. She said that she wore Coke-bottle-bottom glasses, braces, and she was too thin. I think my mouth dropped open. Was she kidding?

This is Jane…

She introduced herself. We talked a little. A few weeks later, I had tea with her at a writers’ conference. The more I spoke with her, I realized I’d made a snap judgment. I couldn’t have been more wrong about her. I know we’ve all heard the cliche a million times, but in Jane’s case, it’s true: She is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. She is funny, caring and kind. She taught me a very valuable lesson, just by being her sweet self. If I’d gone with my own flawed beliefs, if I had just assumed that she wasn’t nice and rebuffed her efforts to talk, I would have missed out on one of my favorite people.

Jane’s new book is all about those kind of judgments. After all, a beautiful woman with a handsome, successful husband, three wonderful children, and living in a five million dollar dream house on the shores of Lake Washington has no problems, right? There’s nothing wrong in her world. She’s putting on those Jimmy Choos, getting into the driver’s seat of the Lexus, and going off to start what must be a fabulous day. Everything is beyond wonderful for Taylor Young until the bottom drops out of that perfect world with a resounding “thud”.

Without spoiling the book, Taylor’s back is against the wall, and she’s smack in the middle of a nightmare that she can’t quite wake up from. She’s surrounded with people who’ve made those snap judgments, too. What does any woman do when she realizes everything she’s based her life on is a lie?

Taylor ultimately finds herself alone. She’s shunned. After all, she’s done the unthinkable: She’s dispensed with the surface relationships that pass for “friendship” in her world. Luckily for Taylor, she finds a friend in the most unlikely place. She finds strength she had no idea she had. She finds a way to rise from the ashes. There are millions of women who do this every day, and sometimes, they walk alone, too. They’re too afraid or ashamed to let anyone see behind the mask they present to the outside world. When they finally let their guard down, though, they find out there’s support there they never even realized.

Again, Jane’s written another wonderful book. I can’t wait till everyone gets a chance to read it. If you’d like to pre-order, please go to http://www.amazon.com/Mrs-Perfect-Jane-Porter/dp/0446699241/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203838617&sr=1-1. If you’d like to visit Jane’s website, please go to http://www.janeporter.com/.

-S

Lions and tigers and shirtless NFL players, oh, my!

 

Julian Peterson, My Favorite Seahawk, who evidently voluntarily posed shirtless for the Seattle Times several months ago.  I wonder if he’s going to get a memo…

The Dauphin and I just returned from the bacchanal that is Costco. His laptop is on the kitchen table, so I just HAD to check my e-mail, and I was more than a bit intrigued with the following.

NFL Network won’t show shirtless players

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7833062?GT1=10856

Television viewers hoping for some beefcake at the NFL Scouting Combine will be sorely disappointed.

Player weigh-ins will no longer air as part of the NFL Network’s Combine coverage, FOXSports.com has learned.

“There was concern from current NFL players that the participants would be more comfortable if they were not paraded around without their shirts on,” combine director Jeff Foster said Saturday. “It was an entirely appropriate suggestion. The weigh-ins should never have been televised.”

Oh, I get it: They want to be romanced first. They have feelings. It is NOT okay to treat them like a piece of meat!  Of course, the NFL cheerleaders are expected to parade around in an alarming state of undress on live national television in all weather conditions, but they’re WOMEN.

Here’s the best part of the article. Wait for it – wait for it –

There are modesty issues as well. A photo of Tom Brady wearing only gray gym shorts from the 2000 Combine was shown during the NFL Network telecast of December’s regular-season finale between New England and the New York Giants.

Oh, my GOD! I’ll bet nobody has ever seen Mr. Brady in a state of undress before. This is an outrage! To quote an oft-used phrase at The Little Pink Clubhouse, oh, the humanity!

“I am so happy they didn’t videotape my Combine,” NFL Network announcer and former wide receiver Cris Collinsworth said as Combine footage of Brady aired.

Frankly, Mr. Collinsworth, I am, too.

I think my head just exploded.

-S