Clay is gay?

What? You're kidding! Next thing you'll be telling me is that the sky is blue or that rain falls down and not up.

Bubba Birthday--In red 'cause it's his favorite color

He's five today. My snuggler, my buddy, my comic relief, my Red Power Ranger, my boy that's really MINE. He's 5.

Bubba Quote of the Day: My name shouldn't be Bubba Giglio. It should be Bubba GENIUS.

Here's my 9/11 post

I don't pretend that the horrible, horrible events on Sepember 11, 2001 weren't felt around our country in deeply personal ways, but I seriously doubt that people outside of the Metro NY area felt it the same way that New Yorkers did. The casualty impact was heaviest here. There was one woman from our city who was murdered that day. In the surrounding towns, there were 5, 6, 8 people (mostly fathers of young children) murdered that day: people who went to work and didn't come home.


I live about 15 miles from Lower Manhattan as the crow flies. I remember that day was supposed to be the day NYC elected a new mayor. It was Rudy's last term and it was a bitterly fought election to see who would succeed him. I was watching the news and they came on saying a plane had hit one of the twin towers. Then the second plane hit and I distinctly remember thinking (Because I am extremely naive), "Boy, someone at Newark Airport really messed up." Then I talked to my mom who enlightened me, "This is no accident." I spent the whole day just walking around in a daze. This doesn't happen in the US. Scott was thinking I should try to get out of town with our 9 month old Primo. Go further west in the state since there are oil refineries in our city. What if those guys hit them next?


September 12 dawned a beautiful day. Except for this haze. This haze that hung over our city was from the still smoldering rubble of the towers I used to be able to see against the sky from the Parkway overpass near our house. This haze had a smell that has burned itself into my nostrils: death. The death of thousands of innocents. Thousands of people who showed up on time for work that day and the hundreds of people who tried to save their bodies and their souls from the fire.


Please remember those who gave so much that day: those who died and those who were injured and those who are still walking around in a daze, all these years later. Please pray for those who are working so that we can once again say,"This doesn't happen in the US."

No Child left behind

Read this today when I should have been making lunches and I thought that all of this education legislation that the candidates are talking about just totally misses the point.  They talk a good game about raising test scores and making American kids more competitive internationally.  But kids whose parents are actively involved in their educations do better than kids whose parents are not involved (by choice, circumstance, whatever).  Kids who have someone home with them when they get home from school do better than latchkey kids.  

You can't reasonably expect teachers to raise test scores all by themselves.  What is taught at school needs to be reinforced through homework and through the parents and teachers working together.  

So, what are McCain and Obama  going to do about making it possible for more parents to get involved??  What will they do to support the family so that more parents can be there for their kids instead of working 3 jobs to pay the bills?

The Great Garden State, part 2

This is my exit. Woo hoo!


I have now lived here in NJ for 9 years. I have driven from one corner of the state to the other: Hudson to Cumberland, Sussex to Cape May. (That sounds like a line from "U can't touch this" by MC Hammer: "I've been around the state, from Sussex to Cape May. It's Hammer! MC Hammer! Yo Hammer! and the rest can go and play. U can't touch this!"--Did I get those words right?)

I have concluded that people from out of state who want to drive anywhere in this state ought really to take a special test giving them permission to drive here. I'm looking at you my Quebecois friend! Two weekends ago, we were driving down US 1 in Mercer County, near Princeton, (a multilane highway with traffic lights, if you've never been) this guy in a red sedan with Quebec license plates tried TWICE to make a left turn when there was no left turn permitted in the intersection. He almost got us killed. It's called a jughandle, Buddy. Surely they have those in Montreal. And if not, well, you shouldn't be driving here if you can't read "NO LEFT TURN" on a big sign hanging over the intersection . And we're not putting it in French for you. I know you learn English in Quebec, jerkface.

And drivers from Pennsylvania, can we talk? I love you. I am a native of PA. It's wonderful. You're just out of your league driving here. First you must realize that everyone on our limited access highways is going at least 10 mph over the speed limit. If you'd like to drive 65 in the 65 mph zone, that's fine. I'm cool like that. But for the love of everything holy, get out of the middle lane. I know your driver's ed teacher probably told you to keep the right lane clear so that others getting on can merge easily (mine did. His name was Mr. Bill. He wore ties with his golf shirts. I don't think he bathed regularly. I wish I were kidding.) Well, New Jerseyans are excellent mergers, so just get in the right lane where you belong. Thanks, hon.

And people from New York and Connecticut should really not be allowed to drive outside of their home states at all. Those people are crazy. If you're on the Turnpike and some guy weaves in between seven cars while doing 85 in a 65 zone, he's probably from NY or CT. Look at the plates if you can. They're the blue and white blur on the back of the speeding car.

I know it can be confusing to drive here. The streets aren't well marked. The signs for the Parkway and Turnpike are approximately 10 inches across, makaing them hard to see when you're trying to keep up with us. The traffic circles that are everywhere are also confusing. And jughandles can be weird, too. I get it. I know you're trying. This is all just further evidence that, for everyone's safety--especially yours, your home state's DMV should offer a "Jersey Driving Certification" for all of you who might like to come and enjoy the wonderful things NJ has to offer you (beaches, mountains, camping, skiing, tomatoes, corn, blueberries). And I'll concede that maybe those of us licensed to engage in combat drive in NJ ought to at least take ettiqette lessons in order to be permitted to drive outside of the NJ-NY-CT area.

Let's just be careful out there.