Desperately Dirty Housewives...A Repost

*The following is a Re-Post-originally posted on The Daily Dandy on Friday, March 6th 2009. It was one of my favorites then and still is now.

I have led a sheltered, sheltered life. Now bear with me here for a moment and you will understand what I'm getting at.

I stopped by the local quick-mart yesterday to pick up some milk on my way home. The gas station/mini mart is located on the main thoroughfare, no more than .5 tenths of a mile from my street, smack dab in the middle of two affluent, suburban communities. I stop in there regularly; to get gas and last minute items and the staff and I are on a friendly, first name basis. We always take a few moments to chat about daily events, and often times they will share a story or two about what goes on in the quick-mart. Yesterday the story was focused on the amount of condoms that are sold in this particular store. The owner asserted that of the four mini marts he owns; this particular location, by far, out sells the others in condom purchases. He added that the purchases are made mostly by women-who appear to be just like me, apparently-and by that he meant your ordinary, every day mom.

Another staff member then proceeded to tell me about these same suburban women; the ones buying the condoms, propositioning him for a little discreet, extra-curricular activity,*wink, wink*. Now they had my attention. We then discussed it a little more. They said well dressed men in business suits also make numerous condom purchases and we all marveled over the frequency of this taking place in an affluent community such as ours. Who'd have thought? Interesting. Wealthy, successful business men and their lonely, neglected wives.

On my way home, armed with this new revelation, my mind went directly to a memory of a similar sort. About 5 years ago, I was waiting at home for a service man to come to turn on my irrigation system. This is a twice yearly appointment, and the homeowner must be present in order for the service tech to have access to the pump located in the basement. The company always give you a 3 hour window for the arrival of the tech. My window was from 9am to 12. I jumped into the shower sometime close to 9, and sure enough, I heard the doorbell just as I was getting out of the shower. I quickly threw on my bathrobe and slippers, wrapped a towel around my head, and rushed to the door.

I told the tech he was welcome to come in and go find the pump in the basement on his own, but that I would just need a few moments to get dressed before I could show him. The tech immediately put up his hand, beating a hasty retreat from the door and said, "I'll do what I need to do out here first. When you're dressed you can come and get me and I'll come in." OK, fine. I get dressed and go find the guy and walk him down to the basement to show him where the pump is. He then says to me, "I hope I didn't offend you by being short with you earlier. It's just that I have learned the hard way never to enter into a home when the lady of the house is dressed in a bathrobe."

Really. Forever the journalist, I pressed him for more information.

"You're kidding me, right?" I said.
"I wouldn't kid about that," he replied.
He proceeded to tell me the stories about how more often than not, the robe and the towel quickly drop to floor. He said he could write a book about the propositions he's received over the years and that despite his warnings, some of the younger guys he works with have actually messed up their relationships over their indulgence in this offer of an"afternoon delight". I was speechless.

Let me go on record here as being fully aware that this could take place anywhere in the US of A, and it is certainly not limited to affluent communities. I just need to wrap my brain around the fact that it actually does happen in real life and not just in Hollywood.
I have lived a sheltered life, for sure, because this stuff never ceases to perplex me. The service guy? The UPS man? The plumber? Not to imply that there is anything wrong with any of those professions. I just don't equate an afternoon quickie with my major kitchen appliance being returned to working order.
I just don't get it. And I'm glad I just don't get it.
Herein lies the point-these women "just aren't getting it" so they're getting it when ever and where ever they can, on the sly. The allure of the forbidden fruit.

This is just one woman's opinion is all, and to each his own, whatever floats your boat and every other seemingly appropriate cliche. I just think there needs to be some sort of connection, chemistry or history before engaging in the act. Call me old-fashioned, call me a prude even, all I'm saying is that I just think there are better ways to float that personal boat, if that's what you're looking for.
It certainly gives new meaning to the job title, service man.

The Art Of Story Telling

So I watched Lee Daniels' The Butler last night and I give it a Daily Dandy two thumbs up! While I thought the story was compelling and thought provoking, what's really amazing to me is that segregation of that kind took place during my lifetime. It's so hard for me to fathom. I guess it's a good thing that today I live in Dr. Martin Luther King's Dream....

In any case, let's talk for a moment about the acting in this movie.

What I really loved was the who's who game that was played throughout the story. From Mariah Carey, Robin Williams, James Mardsen, a prosthetic nose-wearing John Cusack as a young and old, battered Nixon, it was almost like a Cracker Jack surprise in every box! Then there was Alan Rickman, (Prof. Snape himself), Jane Fonda and a commode sitting Liev Schreiber, (My Ray Donavan) I kept calling out the names of the actors like a rousting game of "who's who?" Lenny Kravitz??? Brilliant casting. Cuba Gooding Jr once again making me fall in love with his talent. Oprah Winfrey was a joy to behold and for someone who doesn't act for a living, she was fantastic. Then there's Forrest Whitaker, who absolutely takes a role and wraps it in his hands like a modern day Rumpelstiltskin then spins the straw into gold. His compassionate portrayal of Cecil Gaines, based loosely on a true story, is a testament to the significance of the subject matter and the moral fiber of the character he portrays.

Now let's talk for a moment about the civil rights movement.

For me, I couldn't help but be enthralled by the character of Lewis Gaines, Cecil's son, the freedom fighter. The courage and dedication of a man to fight for what he believed in almost cost him his relationship with his father. He was a hero but at what expense? The scene in the Gaines dining room when Lewis comes to dinner with his afro wearin' girlfriend was one of my favorites. The moral struggle between father and son played out between blacks and whites and society serves to highlight the courage it took to become a freedom fighter and to stay one. I couldn't help but think about where we would be today if people like the character Lewis Gaines hadn't found the strength and courage to fight to end segregation.

Now I'd like to talk for a moment about Cecil Gaines himself.

Although Cecil Gaines is a character written for the big screen, Forrest Whitaker's elegant portrayal of a man who served eight presidents during his tenure as a White House butler exemplifies that this character represents so much more about being a black man in a white world. The character represents pride. Cecil took pride in his job and his family and while he may not have agreed with the politics that were taking place around him, he continued on. While he served, his goal was to be "invisible" in every room he entered, and he contributed to his world with the best of himself. But that same pride and invisibility later came around to haunt him and the passion he had been suppressing for years by being "invisible" is what ended up saving him.

Of all the questions that this cinematic treat left me pondering, there is one left to ask here:

Who is Lee Daniels?

Homeless Hero

You are never going to believe this one..

Boston Police reported that over the weekend, a homeless man turned in a backpack he found with over $42,000.00 in cash. You read that right. There was over $42,000.00 in cash in the lost backpack. The back pack contained $2400.00 in cash and $39,500.00 in Amex Traveler's Checks.  There were also several personal papers and a Republic of China passport. The unidentified homeless man notified police that he found the backpack outside a mall in Dorchester near the TJ Maxx. 

An hour later, police were contacted by a person claiming to have lost a backpack "containing a large sum of money". The rightful owner was identified by his passport and the backpack and cash were returned to him. I, for one am amazed by the homeless man's integrity. That's not to say that homeless people have no integrity, I mean that even a well intentioned and contributing member of society would have a moral conundrum if faced with the same situation. 

Several of the homeless man's friends claim "he's got a great heart" and even though the man has nothing, he would "still give you what he's got." 

I'm still amazed. 

I mean, what would you do?