The Lion Sleeps Tonight

I would be completely and thoroughly remiss to have a blog named Preppycrat and not say a few words about a person who more than anyone worked, breathed, ate, slept and existed as the quintessential Preppycrat, Senator Teddy Kennedy. When I started this blog, I wondered what I could say that wasn't being said elsewhere but also who could be the inspiration. The Kennedy family came to mind immediately but especially Mr. Kennedy for his love of the sea, sharp suits, his dogs, the Senate and his country. And for everyone in it regardless of how much money they made, the color of their skin, whether they were well or ill, or whether they lived on the street or on 10 acres in Middleburg Virginia.

My husband was raised by his grandparents and his mother was to varying degrees as he grew up, a practicing Catholic. She hung four pictures on his bedroom wall; one of Jesus Christ, one of the Pope, one of FDR and the last a painting of Jack, Robert, and Ted Kennedy. These were what he saw every night before going to sleep and the first things he saw when he woke up in the morning. I'm lucky enough to live near Merrywood on the Potomac, the longtime home of the Bouviers, Hickory Hill where Ethel Kennedy's parties were legendary - and where summer interns in Senator Kennedy's office were welcome to go swimming one day each week - and yesterday driving home saw a lone American flag outside the gates to Madeira School where Senator Kennedy's daughter went as a teenager. Senator Kennedy will be laid to rest Saturday evening about 3/4 of a mile away from where my own parents are buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

But this isn't the remarkable thing - what is, is in a world where most of us probably truly have 6 degrees of separation from any other person, each of us probably only has 3 or 4 from the Kennedys and Ted in particular. It is amazing the sheer numbers who have met him or who had a friend or relative who met him, or worked for him, or have a story to tell about him and a kindness he did for them. He is our "Uncle Teddy," he is irreplaceable and he will be missed.

The Lion sleeps tonight.

Speaking of Health Care....

I am sorry it's been so long since my last post. As many of you know I'm a union activist and I think a pretty good one. We have had a completely full plate these past few months and this plus my day job and other commitments have kept me away from Preppycrat. I am sorry for the long absence but then again, these are as Mr. Olbermann says below, trying times. Blogging I think is a way for me to make a difference for the better but even more so, is getting out there and working for health care reform through my work as a union activist.

This outstanding commentary should be required viewing for every thinking American. It will be apparent in the first minute alone who is on the intelligent side of the issues here and who's not. I mean, for chrissake's calling Barack Obama OF ALL PEOPLE a Nazi????

A few somebodies need to sit down, shut up and attempt to read the history books and go look up the definition of the word "facsism" in Mirriam Websters.

Then go look in the mirror.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Thoughts on Elizabeth Edwards, From an Ex Supporter of John

Elizabeth Edwards' decision to write a book about various happenings during her life including the cancer that has returned and metastacized, and her husband's affair is certainly getting alot of people worked up and commenting in the blogosphere and places like HuffPo. Many want her to go away, others are supportive. Everyone assumes she doesn't need the money. But I see a few problems with this picture. First, Mrs. Edwards is fighting a horrible and I'm sad to say costly disease - I know, I was paying bills after my Mom passed away from lymphoma and she was really lucky she had two types of insurance that ended up covering most of her care (even then I had to sic my lawyer on her doctor to get him to reimburse me for one bill). Second, the other woman has been supported by parties close to Senator Edwards and who's to say she won't try to get her hands on as much of what he and his wife have as she possibly can? Yes, he may be the father of the other woman's young daughter but questions persist that indicate said woman might want more than is needed and reasonable to raise one child. However he and his wife have three kids - two quite young - who have every right to inherit money and property after their mother is gone. Third, she isn't going away because she wants to hand her husband his arse in public. He deserves it. So does the other woman. They chose to have this affair. Period. Elizabeth Edwards can still love her husband and want to hand him his arse for this horrible lapse in judgment, and she can also feel it should cost him his future in politics. And as for whether she knew about it being ongoing, I think she really truly did not. Love is blind. I've been there.

I not only support Mrs. Edwards, I picked up her book today and other customers were waiting for the book to be put out on the shelf, taking it out of the sales associate's hands. He even asked me if I was waiting for it and I said yes. Makes me think other people who were there earlier had been taking it right out of his hands too. Which might speak volumes - no pun intended - of whether people really want Elizabeth Edwards to go away. I don't really think they do.

Thoughts on Various Footwear

About those sneakers that seem to have alot of people crying foul over whether the first lady is going overboard with spending money on clothes and shoes...one angle I have heard little of is the possibility that they were a gift. If so, the Obamas will have to make it public and I have faith that they will.

I heard from an insider involved with Imelda "5000 pairs of shoes" Marcos' racketeering trial in New York City that she didn't buy all those shoes herself. Rather, they had been given to her by the Filipino shoe manufacturers who wanted their first lady to promote their shoes and wear them. I'm in no way, shape, or form excusing the things she and her husband did while he was in office, but given the source I heard this information from, I believe she had all the shoes given to her.

Sometimes appearances are deceiving. But speaking of footwear and having multiples of footwear, I'm inclined to hoard my latest favorite shoes. A couple of weeks ago, I ran across a Lands' End online shoe sale and picked up shoes for my eldest who needed a new pair. While I was at the site, I grabbed these for me:

I fully expected to have to return them because I have a sad history of falling for driving mocs and finding them just too narrow for my wide-ish feet. But no, I am nearly living in these and am happy that my size got back in stock in the last 24 hours, yayyyy. What's more, I got stuck in a downpour on Monday and had to make a dash for my car, pushing a fully loaded grocery cart while I ran. Again, I fully expected the worst, a wipeout. Didn't happen. And the shoes made it through the soaking without falling apart or getting otherwise ruined. So if you need shoes that look good in a preppy meets fashionable kind of way, aren't pricey and won't hobble you when keeping up with kidlets or dodging rain bullets, these may be a good bet for you.

In re Torture

The controversy remains over how far to go with release of classified material and impeachment, or prosecutions of those involved with torture in the previous administration. On the one hand, there is as much of a need to know from taxpayers and citizens in this country as there has ever been with any other issue, maybe even more so in this case than Watergate or Iran Contra. But on the other hand, the President has an ambitious agenda and how much of that could be derailed by hearings a la Clinton Lewinsky? When those were held Congress barely got anything else accomplished, the 103rd Congress aside from the hearings and investigation was basically a wash. In my opinion, the country is still weary of what happened that year, remembers it well and doesn't want it replayed.

But this is different. Why? It has to do with how Americans' tax dollars were spent, not private conduct of an elected official involving an unpaid intern. And it goes beyond how tax dollars are spent, it goes to the very heart of principles on which this country was founded, specifically those outlined in the US Constitution's Eighth Amendment on cruel and unusual punishments. Our founders, wanting to separate from England and be distinct from it in so many ways, didn't forget its history of torture and coercing admissions of guilt from people it wanted them from. OK, one could argue, the torture that took place in the Tudor era involved citizens of England primarily. True, but what is the US if it condones methods of torture for foreign born peoples it outlaws itself? And what if those methods violate international human rights agreements?

This isn't what our founders had in mind during the Continental Congress and in creating our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution. But our tax dollars were spent on it. And that's why it does need to be investigated, as fully as necessary.

What I Want to Look Like When I Grow Up

For several reasons I've decided to let my hair go grey. First, though I have little grey at this point, I have enough to know "my" grey is a light, cool silver. This will work with the colors I live in anyway, jewel tones, light clear colors, black, various shades of denim - and my Mom's diamond wedding band. Second, nearly every time I've spent considerable time or money on my hair, I've been disappointed. Styling products from high end to low fry my hair or dull it. Ditto curling irons. Most perms I've had were history 3 days later, regardless of what I paid for them - and I did wait to wash my hair. Third, I know if the grey looks frumpy, my posse will tell me starting with my 5 year old who does not mince words. Ever. But fourth and maybe the most important of all - my Mom, who faithfully went to the salon each month for color and touched it up at home in between salon visits lost her life to lymphoma when she was 85. It's true the older you get the likelier you are to develop lymphoma and not survive. But I have great aunts who lived into their 90s and one who lived to 103. I will always wonder if toxins in hair color took her life. Especially when each time I was pregnant my doc told me not to color my hair. If I end up needing to color my grey it will be with henna or something safe.

I hope that won't be necessary. And more and more, there are great muses for those of us who don't want to cover our grey. Consider Kathleen Sebelius (I am since she's being picked on by Sarah Palin, and since she is having to wait and wait to be confirmed HHS Secretary).



The Obama handbag might look wrong on someone else but on her, it works. It picks up the colors in her hair and she keeps the rest of the outfit vibrant red. Of course wearing a big smile helps the overall look too.



Another red outfit - what I love here is no brass buttons, hers are black and shaped like flowers. I wanted a full head to toe shot of this outfit and alas, couldn't find one but this is another look that's just a bit different from the usual red jacketed female politico.



Here she is at the Governors' dinner in January. January. And looking great in a sleeveless and daringly low cut for DC, evening gown. Her hair is done without looking helmet-ish and the gold jewelry is just right for the forest green of the gown. Did I mention she's a grandmother?



Finally, we see Ms. Sebelius in a blue violet suit the day President Obama nominated her to be HHS Secretary. I think this is the perfect female equivalent of the men's power suit. It's blue, but a more vivid color. It stands out but looks strong too. Her jacket is fitted, a nice change from the overly boxy suits many women in DC have worn up until very recently and a nod to fashion. She keeps the jewelry understated - a wise move with a vivid color like cobalt, and at a press conference that's announcing her nomination for a cabinet level position.

No frumpy here, anywhere. I had a tough time limiting it to just four outfits of hers because when I looked around the internet, she is wearing clothes that are alive with color, and she isn't shy about accessorizing but doesn't overdo it either. I hope those Obama handbags don't go away anytime soon. I might want one of my own one day.

Preppycrat to a T, or a Polo

Over the years, I've wrestled with the question of just what style I prefer - how does one reconcile loafers and twinsets with vivid 80s colors, neon, and black, black black?

Finally I've stumbled upon it. I've been more or less looking for a good raincoat the past few months. My old Merona standby in cranberry red is giving up the ghost. A friend gave me her old Burberry and thrilled, I took it. Burberry for cryin' out loud! But not only did it not fit, it was too...beige. I do feel I'm as preppy as the next Muffy or Buffy but problem is alot of colors traditionally associated with prep totally wash me out - navy and beige in particular. Other 3/4 length raincoats weren't quite right either, black/white giraffe print is overwhelming on a woman of average height like yours truly, yellow, pink, orange might well look out of style next year or the year after and besides, I'll probably get sick of them.

Then this week's rains made the quest more urgent. Finally I found it yesterday, plainer than I was looking for initially but I feel right in it and it will last. A London Fog 3/4 length trench in black. Search over. What's telling is I didn't go for the beige, it was the shape of the preppy option but in black, not the first choice for preppy color but the choice I look alot better in. Then I saw the shirt above at one of my fave places to look for shirts American Apparel. Don't know if Muffy or Buffy ever even walk past AA but then again, this prep also has one foot in the 80s and never quite left. Though this shirt is neon purple, it's a polo shirt. I don't own it...yet.

Then there are the shoes - a pair of Sesto Meucci black loafer mules. Preppy shape yes. But in black patent leather with a graffiti print on them that's gotten alot of comments (and compliments) each time I've worn them. The pattern is in shades of green, turquoise, red, and white, and reminiscent of something Stephen Sprouse may have dreamed up and created. I can't for the life of me find them online but will take a pic asap and post it here.

And if any of y'all are curious, I will elaborate on my style journey and how prep wound up coexisting with 80s chick in a subsequent post. All I can say is it can work. Really.