Being a mother of five has made my home where everyone in the neighborhood gets together. I’ve seen all these kids grow up, beautiful children that have become independent women and dashing young men. I’ve fed them, wiped their tears, heard their brokenhearted stories as well “approving” their latest love affairs. Through it all, I’ve been honored to be their friends, yet they can still amaze the heck out of me…

We recently got into a political discussion which made me want to pull my hair. Most of us are democrats (pro-Hillary)  and because this is Texas which is a republican bastion, we have a fairly good amount pro-McCain. We also have some that are Pro-Obama and that is where the discussion came from. I asked them why Obama and not Clinton. The answers were varied in this young crowd:

1) He inspires me. Okay, Obama inspired you to what? Wash the car, pay your bills, get drunk, what? Nope, I didn’t get that one cleared. He’s just inspiring…

2) He gives me hope. How? If a politican gives you hope, we are in serious trouble. Because hope comes from within, aka a matter of faith. It is something personal, something that either is or is not because it isn’t tangible or measurable. But shouldn’t we be able to measure how good or how prepared a presidencial candidate is without matters of faith? Shouldn’t we be assured (not hope) that the person we put in charge of that red button is qualified for the most important job of the nation instead of having hope that he knows what he is doing??? Can someone pass me a Tylenol?

3) YouTube. Two of Danny’s friend who are voting for Obama explained to me that they were sold on Obama by YouTube. The ads are cool. It’s like being in a concert. Look at how many hits those downloads are getting…and then we also have the Obama girl. Forget the Tylenol, pass me the tequila.

4) Reason #4 blew me away…Obama used pot and “blow” which I just found out is coke. As you can see I’m not cool. But Obama is. Just lovely. A presidencial candidate which is cook cuz he used drugs. I can use drugs. Anyone can use drugs. It doesn’t matter. We can all be presidents. When I got sarcastic about it they explained to me that Obama used drugs because he had “an identity” problem. Well excuse me…don’t talk to me about identity. I’m a Puerto Rican. We are Hispanics, born USA citizens, but we don’t know if we are supposed to be Spanish or Anglo. From here or from there. Even more serious is the concept that you can escape your problems through drugs and that is okay. I take drugs seriously. This subject is not inspirational or hopeful or cool. Drugs almost destroyed my family.

Now this is the kicker. The same friends who raved about Obama without any reason whatsoever demonized Hillary because she’s: 1)ugly 2)old (heaven help me) 3) a bitch (I’m one too) 4) and a liar. When asked what Hillary had lied about – the number one reason was “about everything.”

I’m sure there are more savvy young voters out there. But I can not tell you the amount of young voters that have fallen for Obama “just because…”

This guy supposedly is an expert on how to turn women on. He even has a “bootcamp” on how to attract women. Right…what makes it even funnier is how seriously the other guys listen to his advice.  In conclusion: 1) Your voice is not sexy. 2) The attitude and script is creepy (can you say stalker?) because any man that approaches a woman at a farmer’s market and asks “is this peach ripe, can I touch it? is going to either get his face slapped or get the poor woman running fast. 3) Mostly, dear clueless, you ain’t getting laid.

Who knew that women sent rabid sexual signals when choosing a peach. Oh I forgot, you have to be “sniffing” the peach…

Yep, Obama comes out looking like an amateur…

Here’s a list of Hillary Clinton’s Achievements:

Education and beginning of political involvement Rodham entered Wellesley, a prestigious women’s college, after graduating from high school in 1965 where she began to blend academic achievement with political activism. Valedictorian at the 1969 graduation, Rodham was the first student to deliver the commencement address, during which she stated, “The challenge now is to practice politics as the art of making what appears to be impossible, possible.” Graduating with a degree in political science, her speech won Rodham a standing ovation and a feature article in Life magazine. After entering Yale Law School in 1969, Rodham served on the board of editors of the Yale Review of Law and Social Action and provided legal advice for underprivileged and abused children at Yale-New Haven Hospital. She also interned with children’s advocate Marian Wright Edelman, received a grant to work at the Children’s Defense Fund in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1970; and worked for Senator Walter Mondale’s subcommittee on migrant workers during the summer of 1971. During her second year in law school, Rodham volunteered at the Yale Child Study Center, where she studied new research on early childhood brain development. She also worked at the city legal services providing free assistance to poor residents. After graduating from Yale in 1973, Rodham began a year of post-graduate study on children and medicine at the Yale Child Study Center, after having written her widely acknowledged thesis on children’s rights. She also became a staff attorney for the Children’s Defense Fund and was recruited to serve on the presidential impeachment inquiry staff for the House of Representative’s Judiciary Committee, investigating the Watergate Scandal. In Arkansas, the elder Clintons’ careers began to ascend, and soon the couple moved to Little Rock. Bill ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the U.S. House. Rodham Clinton joined the Rose Law Firm in 1976. Two years later, Rodham Clinton was appointed to the board of the Legal Services Corporation by President Jimmy Carter, and Clinton was elected to the governor’s office. First lady of Arkansas During Rodham Clinton’s 12 years as first lady of Arkansas, she continued to pursue children and family issues. She chaired the Arkansas Education Standards Committee to improve the testing standards of new teachers, founded the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, and introduced Arkansas Home Instruction for Preschool Youth, a program that trained parents of preschool children in preparedness and literacy. The first lady also served on the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Legal Services board, Children’s Defense Fund board, while continuing to work for the Rose Law Firm. She was named one of the 100 most influential attorneys in America by the National Law Journal in 1988 and 1991. She was also named Arkansas Woman of the Year in 1983 and Arkansas Mother of the Year in 1984. First lady of the White House When the Clintons moved into the White House in 1993, the president appointed his wife to head the Task Force on National Health Care Reform that proposed a national health plan. The controversial plan failed to receive enough support to reach the floors of Congress. But she brought the national attention to the need for a better national health plan. During her eight years as first lady, Rodham Clinton also initiated the Children’s Health Insurance Program in 1997, increased research funding for prostate cancer and childhood asthma to the National Institute of Health, as well as assisted in determining the cause of a mysterious illness affecting veterans of the Gulf War. She also initiated and guided the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. Rodham Clinton has received many prestigious awards, including the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service, the President’s Award of the League of United Latin American Citizens, Role Model of the Year, by the United Steel Workers of America; the Martin Luther King Jr. Award from the Progressive National Baptist Convention, and the National Association of Elementary School Principals Distinguished Service Award. Rodham Clinton also has authored best-selling books, including her autobiography, Living History and It Takes a Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us, which won her the 1997 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for the recorded version.

These are the things we need to remember, her experience and accomplishments:

• Her first cause was children, fighting abuse, and chairing the Children’s Defense Fund.
• She began her career as a lawyer after graduating from Yale Law School in 1973.
• following her career as a Congressional legal counsel; she was named the first female partner at Rose Law Firm in 1979 and was listed as one of the one hundred most influential lawyers in America in 1988 and 1991.
• During 1974 she was a member of the Nixon impeachment inquiry staff in Washington D.C., advising the House Committee on the Judiciary during the Watergate scandal. She helped research procedures of impeachment and the historical grounds and standards for impeachment.
• Hillary co-founded the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, a state-level alliance with the Children’s Defense Fund, in 1977.
• In late 1977, President Jimmy Carter appointed her to the board of directors of the Legal Services Corporation.
  
• She was the First Lady of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and 1983 to 1992, and was active in a number of organizations concerned with the welfare of children, and was on the board of Wal-Mart and several other corporate boards.
• Bill Clinton appointed her chair of the Rural Health Advisory Committee where she successfully obtained federal funds to expand medical facilities in Arkansas’ poorest areas without affecting doctors’ fees.
• One of the most important initiatives of the entire Clinton governorship, she fought a prolonged but ultimately successful battle against the Arkansas Education Association to put mandatory teacher testing as well as state standards for curriculum and classroom size in place.
• She introduced Arkansas’ Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youth in 1985, a program that helps parents work with their children in preschool preparedness and literacy.
• As First Lady of the United States she took a very prominent role in public policy.
• She was the initial first lady to hold a post-graduate degree and to have her own professional career up to the time of entering the White House. She was also the initial first lady to take up an office in the West Wing of the White House.
• She fought hard for Universal Health Care as First Lady, although it wasn’t successful, it’s something she learned from.
• She visited over 80 countries as First Lady giving important speeches, about such controversial topics as human rights/women’s rights in China.
• Her major initiative, the Clinton Health Care Plan, failed to gain approval by the Congress in 1994, but in 1997 she helped establish the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and the Adoption and Safe Families Act.
• As a Senator and after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Hillary worked with her colleagues to secure the funds New York needed to recover and rebuild.
• She fought to provide compensation to the families of the victims, grants for hard-hit small businesses, and health care for front line workers at Ground Zero.
• She is the first New Yorker ever to serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
• She has visited troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and in countless other locations, truly understanding the challenges facing our troops.
• Hillary passed legislation to track the health status of our troops so that conditions like Gulf War Syndrome would no longer be misdiagnosed.
• She is an original sponsor of legislation that expanded health benefits to members of the National Guard and Reserves and has been a strong critic of the Administration’s handling of Iraq.
• She has introduced legislation to tie Congressional salary increases to an increase in the minimum wage.
• She has supported a variety of middle-class tax cuts, including marriage penalty relief, property tax relief, and reduction in the Alternative Minimum Tax, and supports fiscally responsible pay-as-you-go budget rules.
• She helped pass legislation that encouraged investment to create jobs in struggling communities through the Renewal Communities program.
• She authored legislation that has been enacted to improve quality and lower the cost of prescription drugs and to protect our food supply from bioterrorism.
• She sponsored legislation to increase America’s commitment to fighting the global HIV/AIDS crisis.
• She has lead the fight for the expanded use of information technology in the health care system to decrease administrative costs, lower premiums, and reduce medical errors.
• Clinton has successfully worked to ensure the safety of prescription drugs for children, with legislation now included in the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act.
• She has also proposed expanding access to child care.
• She has passed legislation that will bring more qualified teachers into classrooms and more outstanding principals to lead our schools.
• Hillary is one of the original cosponsors of the Prevention First Act to increase access to family planning.
• She fought with the Bush Administration and ensured that Plan B, an emergency contraceptive, will be available to millions of American women and will reduce the need for abortions.
• She introduced the Count Every Vote Act of 2005 to ensure better protection of votes and to ensure that every vote is counted.

 Is that enough for you? For me, it is…,

The quote above was from Richard Neustadt, a brilliant American researcher and author who wrote about presidential power and leadership. He served as advisor to several presidencies.

I’ve been thinking a lot about that simple statement, “the presidency is no place for amateurs,” especially because the primaries have moved to Texas and it is now my time to vote.

 Voting is a democratic responsibility. It should not be impulsive or taken lightly. It should be a conscious decision, choosing the best candidate for the job.  

Crap, I’ve been watching Obama and Hillary Clinton, undecided between the two. Likability factor goes to Obama. He’s a new face, supposedly bringing hope, but then nothing else. There’s just no substance, no experience, no accomplishments. And what makes it more outstanding it’s that nobody seems to care that for the most important job in the nation Obama has no credentials in his resume. Well, he has Oprah, but I’m not jumping on the bandwagon just because she said so.

On the other side of the coin, there’s Hillary. She’s pushy, snobbish, not likable at all. BUT she is intelligent and experienced. She knows Washington inside out and whether I like her or not as a politician she has my respect. If I take seriously the quote by Neustadt, then Hillary needs to be my choice because Hillary is not an amateur at all.

I wonder what is it about ballsy women that we don’t like? For starters, as women we tend to be more critical of our own gender. It is a trend we started in High School, one that follows us through life. We are catty, so critical about women that are in any position of power and I’m not deep or interested enough to analyze where it comes from. It just is.

I believe that what we don’t like about Hillary is personal. She rubs us the wrong way. Even when Clinton was unfaithful  with Monica Lewinsky the public was not sympathetic toward Hillary. She was too strong, too cold. In what was one of the most humiliating moments of this woman’s life, we as the public, chose to make it a joke, probably because we didn’t see Hillary crying or completely destroyed. Infidelity is ugly. It touches both parties. Clinton was a phylanderer. Hillary had failed as a woman. Which is bullshit. But that’s what comedians said when they mentioned who would want to bed Hillary. I remember all the jokes. I remember laughing and now that makes me ill because I know how much infidelity hurts. At a time when we should have admired Hillary for standing beside her man, we chose to belittle her instead. And if there’s anything from that affair that we must remember is that Hillary is damn strong. She’s ballsy and that’s something that will serve her well in the presidency because a president should have a combination of good professional and personal traits.

“The Presidency is no place for Amateurs.” If we believe that statement , then Hillary is the only choice for a democratic candidate. She gets my vote.

This weekend in Texas the weather was horrible. It was cold and wet. We had quite a storm. I spent the weekend catching up on some reading which I hoped to be able to post a review, but there really isn’t much to recommend. That got me thinking about reviewing and reviewers, the unsong heroes who finish books which most of us would throw against the wall or those that post discreet reviews, hinting that a book is not a good read.

I’ve been a reviewer. I have gushed about books that have touched me, spoken about books that were so genuinely fresh and creative, they were completely apart of the pack. I have also given low ratings when a book deserved it without destroying the author with that same review.

I don’t review anymore. Now I look for review sites that I trust will guide me for new authors or books that I’m undecided about. For ebooks, I go to JERR. For print, I go to All about Romance. These sites have trustworthy reviewers which review the books without giving spoilers (which pisses me off when they do). They also critique THE BOOK without targetting the author if it is a dissapointing book read.

I believe that the first responsibility of a reviewer is the reader. They trust the reviewer to guide them to get value for what they are purchasing. And you have to admire reviewers who can create a sincere review without denigrating an author if it is a dissapointing read. Authors are people too…

I was going to post a review of the three books that I read: The Spymaster’s Lady, Sizzle and Burn and DragonFire (1).  I will post a review of the Spymaster’s Lady. It is a pretty good read. Sizzle and Burn was dissapointing and Dragon Fire I couldn’t even finish, that last one is going quickly to Half-Price books.

In another blog, Romancing the Blog, asks the question if readers are finding what the want to read. It starts by saying that readers are buying for example e-books because they are finding what they want to read. I don’t agree.  Once this used to be so, but not anymore. Maybe the shock value of erotic romance is gone. Maybe the good authors left in favor of publishing contracts by the big  houses or maybe e-book companies are just contracting crap that mainly drips too much sex in lieu of A STORY.

Still that’s just one part of the market. NY is doing the same. I don’t read Kensington’s Aphrodisia. Why pay for what you can get for free at porn sites? As to paranormals it’s become the same situation, an over-abundance of the same kind of stories and characters where authors copy other authors in endless stream of kick ass heroines with tortured warriors who are vampires or werewolves.

That’s not even counting the amount of hero emasculation going on these stories. Maybe it makes sense because most of these stories are written in first person POV, but hell did the hero have to become Robin? The hero has become a prop to our heroine because she’s gonna save the world while having damn good sex, bullets flying, without mushing her hair.

As to humor/spoof romance with a paranormal twist I only read MJD. She still has that corner of the market, though Katie MacAlister and Lindsey Sands have given her a run for her money which incidentally I don’t understand why since I don’t find them funny just silly with MacAlister having the dubious honor of creating the most irritating heroines. Incidentally when did silly become funny? When did humor disregard a well plotted story? I’ll take Jennifer Crusie for $100. She gives me A STORY and a good laugh. Hell of a writer. If I want suspense, I wait for Nora, Linda Howard or Elizabeth Lowell, old school writers who KNOW how to write.

Why are readers not buying as much? When readers found a lack of a story in their books. Simple as that. It has nothing to do with covers, promotion or lack of packaging. As the economy has gone down the drain and money has tightened, especially for entertainment, readers are demanding more. Books are expensive and we are waiting for releases of those authors that compose our keeper shelf because we are so tired of being dissapointed with wallbangers.

I’ve been a reader my whole life. Maybe I read one fairy tale too much, but I always believed that one day my prince would come and I’d have my happily ever after. Valentine reminds me of that. I was one of those that married a Valentine Day many, many years ago. Though I had dated a lot, had a crush or two it was not anything remotely to what I felt when I met my ex. He literally swept me off my feet. He was the air I breathed, my reason for living and I loved him with all that I was and all I had in me. I was vulnerable and defenseless against him. I wanted him to be happy. I wanted what he wanted and I lost myself in that wish. It took me years to discover the person I was before I met him, before I made my mission in life to be the kind of woman who would be perfect for him. Big mistake, nobody should lose their identity to the person they love because if you do, they never really loved you.

Valentine makes me moody. Not everybody has a happy ending and a day like today brings it to the front. But though I am sad, at the same time, I am content. I know that once long ago he loved me. We are friends. We talk every day and that’s more than enough for me. More than anything, I know that I have the best of him, his sons who accept and love me just as I am.

So these songs, which are in my language, are those songs that you play over and over when a love has gone wrong, my tear jerker songs. I promise you it does get better. May you find joy and love wherever you go. It is out there, waiting for you.

Yesterday I posted the songs that I thought were the top sexiest songs ever. Today for young and not-so-young lovers I want to post a song in Spanish which makes me cry and smile. I have beautiful memories from this song. I danced to it. I would do the house chores while singing it, driving my kids nuts because I would sing it over and over. That’s how “catchy” it is.

So happy St. Valentine. May your loved ones give you a hug and a kiss, some chocolate, diamonds would be nice, too…

This one is especially for you, Mireya. Te quiero mucho, mi amiguita.

Naturally Valentine makes me all fuzzy and warm. So for those of you who have a lover and a sex life…I’m going to post what I believe are the sexiest songs of all times so that you can huh “get it on.” Now most of these are oldies, but IMO they are still the best.

1) Lets Get It On by Marvin Gaye

If that song doesn’t get you in the mood, there’s something seriously wrong with you. Get help! The way Marvin sang this song was just plain sex. Hear that song, look at his face, I tell you it’s better than viagra.

2) Closer by Nine Inch Nails

The first time I heard this song on the radio I almost crashed on LBJ. I couldn’t believe what they were singing. I was both, shocked and amused. But this song was so damn catchy and the beat so raw it made you want to find “an animal” of your own. Made me miss the men back home. Texas cowboys were tame by comparison…

3) Can’t Get Enough of Your Love - Barry White

Come on, that beat, that deep voice, those hips are a-movin’ ’nuff said.

4) Whole Lotta Love – Led Zeppelin

Best rock band EVAH. This song makes me melt in a puddle.

5. Try a Little Tenderness – Otis Redding version

Oh the 60’s…this song started slow, then built into a frenzy. It was great for dancing. You would slow dance with your “crush”, then shimmied and shaked your bootie beside him. It was not “approved” for socials at St. Anthony’s, the Catholic school I went to, but we always had it in parties at home. Several camaros and mustangs got a lot of action thanks to this song.

6. I Want Your Sex – George Michaels

When George Michaels sang this song you would be compelled to move shoulders and hips, then the words would hit you, especially when he would whisper “I want your sex” and you’d be a gonner. It’s natural….let’s do it…sex is one on one…OMG!

7. Lets Stay Together – Al Green

This man had/has the sexiest voice. Pity he went all religious. He was the man. Love this song.

8. The Girl from Ipanema – Sergio Mendez

Sexy and slow, for those days you just wanna make love.

9. Leave Your Hat On – Joe Cocker

Best strippin’ song – I don’t care if your over-weight or shy this song gets you in the mood. I adored Cocker’s rugged voice so much I would have done him.

10. Bolery by Ravel

When the movie Ten came out this classic melody became a hit and everybody bought it for their bedroom.

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I live to serve, hope you have a good time in Valentine’s. Let me know.

10.

It finally happened. I found a book trailer that I liked… Watch the oh-so-passionate, tender romance between a Wannabe Harlequin author and a boyfriend with a buzzer at the trailer park.  I peed on my pants.