My husband. Yes, his behavior is abominable at times, and he doesn’t lift a finger to take care of himself; and I’ve had to be his caregiver through cancer surgery and other health scares … but his income has allowed me to be a stay-at-home mom for our two daughters, and that has paid off in spades with two young women we are so proud of. I tend to focus on the negative parts of our relationship, to the point where even past memories that should be pleasant are now tinged with revisionist history. An offshoot of that, I take for granted my own health and need for personal time. I’ve put on so much weight in the last few years, and I’m really upset with myself because of that.

Mom had more impact on me as a kid — and the bulk of my adult life has been trying to undig myself from the emotional hole she dug for me! Sounds like a familiar pattern here, hmmmm … As I have aged, I realize that I am very much my father’s child; and take great pleasure in that. The poor, stolid guy has stayed married to my mom for 55 years, and is now care-taker for her as she slips into Alzheimer’s. No way would she have done the same for him. My mother is wildly emotional, and Dad’s more an analytical type. What is really scary is how many times, with my own daughters, I find myself about to say something that my mother would have said to me — that absolutely devastated my self-esteem at the time. I am so thankful I am more like my Dad in those instances, I am able to take a breath, and shut my mouth.

I started greying at an early age, so I became fatalistic about the whole thing at an early age. So yes, I always tell the truth. (And I color my hair!)

Al Gore had his chance and blew it — because at heart, he is not a politician. I saw him “campaigning” once in New York City, and it was really obvious that he is uncomfortable with the idea of “pressing the flesh.” He is a born wonk and has found a happy place for himself. Let him be!

I would like to see a neither option, too. I’m expecting an Obama-Jim Webb ticket. I don’t think either Clinton/Obama combo works.

Happy Birthday! It only gets harder from here …

I voted for the mayor of Detroit. How DARE he pull out the “race card” in that speech of his to the city council last week! It was a disservice to the African-American community.

McCain would be a battered, mud-soaked Jeep CJ-7. great fun for off-roading and doing donuts on your pretentious neighbors’ lawns, but uncomfortable at cruising speeds, with road noise drowning out meaningful conversation. Very drafty. Hillary would be a Saab. Well-built and thoughtfully engineered, but not flashy. And always seems to be an “also ran” brand name when it comes to customer awareness of higher-level auto brands. Obama is a BMW Z-3 convertible. Agile, powerful, head-turning design.

Lucille, if Jesus Christ came back right now — he wouldn’t finish his first sermon before FoxNews was mocking him on-air for his radical, bleeding-heart viewpoint! I think the Wright-Obama issue has become big because so many of the punditry/media elite are not active members of a community of faith. If they were, they would KNOW that their are plenty of people saying and believing plenty of things you won’t agree with … but the point of a community of faith is that you all put it aside in humility, to act in service to a higher entity. I believe Obama completely when he makes the differentation between a spiritual advisor and a political advisor. In their ignorance of the practice of religion, the media somehow thinks every clergyman is perfect — which is anything but the truth! Going to church every Sunday should not make you feel as though you are better or purer than anybody else; it should make you feel forgiven. From what I’m reading, it sounds as though it’s the Clinton campaign that’s working to keep this issue on the front burner. Shame on them. I think Obama has received better advice on how to act like a Christian father and husband from “wild” Reverend Wright than Bill CLinton got from Billy Graham, or whoever his spiritual advisor is.

The first job I was fired from was at an advertising agency. My creative director had never fired anyone before, and had to get drunk to do it. I was the first one called in after her liquid lunch, and the office stunk of booze. To this day, I WISH I had had a tape recorder with me, because she rambled on and on about how old was I, wasn’t it time to stop and have children, children are so great, your husband, he’s italian, he wants to have kids, right?, oh, do it while you’re young, when you wait you are just so exhausted all the time … yes, that’s what you should do with this oppotunity! Have kids, you;d be a great mother, you just don’t know it yet … so-and-so, his wife just had a baby, you can’t expect us to let him go … I could have gotten a good employment lawyer and made out like a bandit. Mind you, she hadn’t said ANYTHING to me yet about being fired! I was sitting there staring at her; actually, I felt bad for her. “So I’m fired?” I finally asked. “Oh! Yes! I guess I should have started with that …” and then she fell into gales of drunken laughter, deep gasps that bordered on sobs. I can’t say I went on to bigger and better. But I did find a new jobs, and several after that. Whatever. You can’t look back.

My decision would be less about him or me, and more about if we still had minor children living with us. If minor children were still in the picture, I would negotiate some sort of detente — and I wouldn’t want to have unprotected sex with him. If the kids are grown, I would leave him.

We don’t do much with individual stocks; our investments are in funds: healthcare, energy and foreign markets. After great times under Clinton, our holdings have been a roller coaster; but we’re in those for the long haul, so we aren’t dumping them or anything drastic like that. Hubby and I are big believers in real estate, and we’re lucky to live in a part of the country that has risen reliably and steadiliy in value. That’s where most of our wealth goes, such as it is.

The Fed stepped in to keep the whole financial system from going into meltdown — so in this particular instance, I don’t like it, but I understand it. It should not become the modus operandi — a usual practice. But when the Federal government does get involved, as a taxpayer, I demand that complete transparancy should be imposed on the company that’s being bailed out … and where top-level executives can be held responsible, have their assets garnisheed, or at least frozen until the potentiality for criminal or civil charges has past. Most of this mess boils down to the fact that the W administration has been asleep at the wheel; taking “laissez-faire” policy to an obscene extreme. I thought it was disgusting that he gave special praise to the Treasury Secretary “for working on the weekend” to structure the Bear-Stearns bailout. Impeach Bush, while we’re at it! Governing is not a 9-5 job.

I don’t mind “Captains of Industry” taking home disproportionate earnings — WHEN their bottom lines reflect that they have “walked the walk” in terms of ensuring top performance and long-term health for their company and industry. Bear Stearns’ corporate culture long preached risk-taking and pushing the envelope; all their top managers reaped enormous personal profits with instutional gambling on the sub-prime mortgages that are now proving to be a financial house of cards. Not to mention the widespread practice of overstating value of its held assets. I understand why the Fed did what it did, and I expect Wall Street to circle its wagons to protect those parts of American finance and industry that are doing okay. But the individuals who are responsible for LYING to Bear-Stearns investors and partners , and those who helped devise all the clever financial tricks that paved the way for the current credit crunch … and/or enabled them … they should not be bailed out with my tax dollars. Michael Milliken survived, and so can they.

I had to think long and hard (pun, teehee) about this … but I think yes, it should be legalized. When it’s illegal, too much of our collective tax dollars go toward enforcement, investigation and entrapment. I agree with those who look upon it as a potential source for tax revenue. Why should should customers of tobacco companies and liquor companies be levied with “sin taxes”, and not sex customers?