Solstice

What better to do on Solstice than go skateboarding? Why? Well, because it's also Go Skateboarding Day. We did!

Important

I was just reading the Daily KOS and came across this little gem. It's very well stated.

Breaking the Law, a rant.

So far there has been very little fall out to all of the lies and deceit that the Bushies have used to not only gain the power of the President, but to inflitrate both the DoJ and the Pentagon. Scooter Libby is really the only one so far to take much of a hit. However, I am hoping that the most recent revelation that MANY top officials at the White House (including Alberto Gonzales who has problems of his own outside of this) were knowlingly (that's key) using outside e-mail accounts supplied by the RNC. Why is this a big deal? Well, because it's ILLEGAL!! Okay it's a little more technical than that. They were not using White House e-mail to do official White House business and not following the rules set down (as explained by none other then A.Gonzales in 2001) that require any official White House business done through an alternate e-mail to either be printed and stored as presidential record or e-mailed to their White House official e-mail account so that it could be maintained as Presidential record. Who was the biggest user of the RNC e-mail system? KARL ROVE!!! Not surprisingly a large number of e-mails have been "lost." Whatever, the fact still remains that this was not allowable under the Presidential Records Act of 1978 and everyone over at the White House KNEW it because it had been the subject of several memos distributed to Staff.

As Fishbone so clearly and wonderfully stated, "Let the Bastards Fall." If you need clarification on who the bastards I'll be happy to name names.

Also, let me whole heartedly thank Senator Waxman for his tireless efforts on the report that was presented on this issue. I hope that the committee (Oversight and Government Reform) will continue it's work to bring the illegal actions of this Administration to light.

Firsts...

There are some weekends that are planned out and seem eventful and big. Then there are others that while you might have plans seem to just sort of meander and happen. This is the kind of weekend that we had. It had a few plans, but it seemed that the plans were part of the natural course of the weekend instead of timed events.

Saturday morning began with a swim meet. Bronte’s first. She was entered in 3 events. The 50 Freestyle, 100 freestyle and the 50 back. She did them all and with fairly good result considering it was her first year actually competing in anything. I’m proud of her because she worked really hard to finish each event. They were all pretty close together so she was beat by the time she was done. Saturday then turned into sort of a lazy time day where we did stuff, but nothing really worth mentioning. It was nice actually.

Sunday was another early morning because of Father’s Day. We’d agreed to drive to Boulder and have breakfast with Dan’s family to celebrate. We met at a small restaurant that I can imagine has been there decades. It’s a good place and we had a really nice time. The children gave Dan his first Father's Day presents. I think he was surprised, but really he's taken that role in their lives in a big way. He loves them. They love him. Equally he takes care of their needs as if they were his own and is involved in their lives and interests as if they were his own. To me that is fatherhood much more than the bloodline. Anything less than active involvement is just being a sperm donor.

Continuing our Sunday we planned on a skate session at the Boulder park and when we got there it was empty. That’s always a pleasant surprise. So, we skateboarded for a bit and then our Sunday turned into a repeat of Saturday. Leisurely and nice. We did take time to make some fresh pesto and that was the first time I’ve ever made it. It was delish.

And now it’s time to start thinking of getting my head back into the game of M-F. Uh…yeah, I’ll do that after this nice bottle of 1554 by New Belgium brewery. ;)

torture...pure torture

Why? Just why are we watching "RV"? Why? Well, because Dan brought it home after a co-worker assured him it was a really good movie and then secondly because Geoffrey and Bronte wanted to watch it. Glad I have the internets to keep me pre-occupied.

This appears to be a continuing issue in Colorado

Police have arrested a 34-year-old man accused of breaking into homes and
stealing women's undergarments, clothing, shoes and pictures.

Wow. So, when I posted the earlier report about stolen panties I thought that would be the end of it. Apparently there are more people stealing undergarments than one might think. Creepy underwear thieves!

Facing Time Away

My children are heading to see their father in a couple of weeks. They’ll be gone for 5 weeks. It’s the longest they’ve ever been away from me. As you might imagine I’m feeling really anxious about them being there for that length of time. Anxiety that is based in both past experience and also in the unknown.

It’s been my experience that anytime my children go visit their father it’s like opening up a can of worms. Each and every day they are monitored to see exactly what I’ve neglected to do in their upbringing. Then when the visit is over every infraction is recounted to let me know what a bad job I’m doing. None of the situations that occur in his care are taken into account for how the children behave or act. It’s exasperating. I try not to accept the invitation to go crazy when it’s presented, but knowing that it’s coming is anxiety making in itself. It’s an exercise in avoiding trying to rationalize the irrational.

It’s hard to be a parent. There are no instructions and even if there were each kid is different so you have to gauge for that. I think that based on my children’s grades, the amount of compliments I receive on their behavior when I’m both present and not, and the knowledge I have of how they act around me is enough to solidify that they are turning out to be pretty fantastic human beings. I certainly can’t take all of the credit and this for at least two reasons- they have great inherent personalities, and the support I get from my mom, Dan, Dan’s family, and my friends. Even with all of this being said, I still know that a silly pre-teen comment made by my son will be judged as a reflection of my poor parenting.

Another fear I have of them being gone so long is the unknown. We all have a natural fear of what we don’t know. It’s part of our instinct to be afraid when we don’t know what is happening. This is especially true when we don’t know what our kids are in for. It’s part of my being a mother to want to know what my kids will be exposed to and where they will be at all times. It’s my right as a mother to be able to have contact with them so that I can know these things. It’s also exactly what I am denied when they are with their father. He sees their time with him as time for them to not have any contact with me. Phone calls, letter and other communication are strictly limited. I think that if I didn’t need his address in order for them to get on the plane that would be unknown to me, as well. Knowing that I will have to go FIVE weeks with limited contact with my children is an unpleasant but real thought.

I know that logically the time will pass and they will come back home to me. Still the prospect of their absence coupled with the fallout of accusations and having to refuse invitations to go crazy is not one I am looking forward to. It’s not really anything I know how to prepare for other than to accept that it will come, and then it will pass and my children will still be my wonderful children and that my love for them and theirs for me is always there: even when they aren’t present.

Nice friggin' socks.

Vote of No Confidence

I'm sitting here listening to the Senators say their yeas and nays on the resolution of no confidence against Alberto Gonzales. I am keeping my fingers crossed that when all is said and done there is a solid vote of no confidence against him. I'm hoping that this will lead to more evidence against Cheney's folks and open up the investigation. One bad seed at a time.

Earlier I was reading Mickey's blog, "1 Boring Old Man" and he had posted a quote by President Bush. While it should be shocking the fact that Bush considers it his government it's not really shocking at all. Frustrating, but not shocking. He's a really cocky S.O.B. and has proven it again and again. Well, it's not his. It's OURS! I hope the Senators that are voting right now can remember that and pass this resolution.

Update: I'm really disappointed. I'll be sure to let Senator Allard know he blew it and let Senator Salazar know that I'm happy he stood by the people instead of by his party. After all, it's OUR government.

Dayum...

Every Word by Sade

You treated me like a stranger
And all the time I was loving you
All your slick moves
They were once innocent moves
I wanted to look up to you
I really trusted you
And every word you said

Completely unapplicable to my current situation, but yet her voice and the knowledge of what she means just grabs me and makes me think, "YES!" And then she sings something like,

When I need to be rescued
And I need a place to swim
I have a rock to cling to in the storm
When no one can hear me calling
I have you I can sing to
And in all this
And in all my life
You are the lovers rock
The rock that I cling to
You're the one
The one I swim to in a storm
Like a lovers rock

And it's completely applicable and I think "Yes!" again. I cannot imagine marking my life the way I have without her music. It's just too clear and dead on. She's one of those artists that touches me through the ebbs and flows.

Mr. E has gone missing.

Mr. E has not been home in nearly 48 hours now. He's not at the shelters. He's not smushed in the street. The crazy cat lady said she doesn't have him. WHERE ARE YOU, MR. E!?!?

My boyfriend is tiny!!

O.K. so Dan isn't really tiny. He's about 5'11" and pretty broad shouldered. He always makes me feel like I'm little. Look how tiny he looks compared to his boss!! hahaha!! That cracks me up. Even so he looks HAWT!! WooT!

My REAL Life

I had a friend tell me that they hadn't subbed to my skateboarding blog (Smoooochie Skates) because if it was about my "real life" I would put it on this blog and she was subbed here. Well, to that I say, "skateboarding IS part of my real life." I'm on a board every day. I talk about skateboarding every day. I read about it every day. It's even become how I commute to work (more on this later). It's as much a part of my real life as my garden, listening to music, reading books, cooking for my family, cleaning house, folding laundry, going to work, paying bills, and anything else that I do. It's frustrating that people see my life as compartmentalized and that skateboarding is something outside of my "real life." Skateboarding is part of the fiber. It's what helps keep me sane when life is stressful. It's my yoga. It keeps me challenged because there is always more to learn. So, really, I guess it's fine if friends don't want to read about my skateboarding, but it's really not fine for them to think it's somehow outside of who I am.

Just a note

My boyfriend texted me right after I got out of the car (we carpooled in.) It said, "You have nice legs." Yeah, he RAWKS!!

See my other blog re: how the light rail commute is going. I am still doing it on day 4. While I carpooled this morning I am riding back via RTD. It beats traffic. That's for sure!

Happy Birthday to the Sweetest Dan

June 5th, 2007- Dan turns 33!

There are hundreds of little things that I love about this man. Seemingly, I only get one day (his birthday) to celebrate that he is alive, but actually, I get to love him everyday and I'm lucky for that. Cheesy, maybe. True, definitely.



Here are a few of the phenomenal things about him. It doesn't even to the long list justice, but here it is anyway.



1. He let me keep the cat.
2. He gets why I need to work part-time right now and supports it.
3. His amazing sense of humor and wit.
4. He loves that I enjoy giving back rubs nightly.
5. He's one of the kindest people I know.
6. He's obsessed with various projects, but always has time for me.
7. He loves my children as if they were his own.
8. His broad shoulders.
9. His blue eyes.

Dan, I love you with all my heart. Happy Birthday!!

Public Transportation

Tomorrow is my first day of taking the light rail to work. I don't know how long it's going to take. I don't know if it will really save me money, and it certainly isn't going to save me any time. So, why am I doing it? The reasons are fairly simple.
First, I hate the whole idea that the money I spend on gas is helping big oil show their "largest profits ever!" If I were paying $3.50 a gallon knowing that the money was going to help figure out how to find cleaner fuel alternatives or making sure that the oil riggers in Nigeria were getting paid a fair wage then I'd be o.k. with it. However, I know that there are issues with 3rd world labor wages and I don't think that big oil is in it for the environment. I just don't. I'm not a tree-hugging peace child out to save the world. Just a mom that wants a good place for her kids to grow up.
Secondly, I need the freakin' exercise. While I'm not at my heaviest I am heavier than I'm comfortable with so I've decided that the extra half mile here and there walking, kick/pushing, or riding my bike will add up. I've made a few dietary changes as well, so we'll see. I just need to be down about 5 lbs and I'll be back where I am comfy. Yay!
Lastly, I just like cities that have public transportation that works and I want it to work in Denver. So, that being said it's fairly hypocritical for me to not use it often. I love being in cities like D.C. or S.F. where you can hop on a train and get where you want to go fairly quickly. I want Denver to be a city like that so this is my little way of helping and hoping it succeeds. They are bleeding money into it so I'm going to just make it work for me. I live .4 miles from the silly station so I should do it. I"m going to do it. Tomorrow!! I'll let you know how it goes.

Sometimes

Sometimes I don't have a lot to say. It seems that I'm feeling that way right now. Sometimes there is too much going on that requires no thought to really say much. Sometimes life is like a list and you just go through the list until you have something to say.

Continuation

First Day of Kindergarten

Today is my son’s last full day of Elementary School. It’s a milestone. A marker he will remember probably for the rest of his life as moving from being a young child to a young man. The school he goes to has what they call a “Continuation Ceremony.” He will be giving a short speech today at the ceremony, and it says all the things that we know about time moving quickly, how hard work pays off and how giving back to the community is important. I will be in the audience crying, I’m sure.

Just as anyone might expect I’m proud of him. He’s worked really hard this year with a teacher that was hard-nosed and to be honest not always fair. He’s made real strides with his academics. He is headed to a Magnet school that required a lot of him to even get in. He is on the right path to a successful future, and he’s worked really hard to get there. We’ve both worked hard for him to do all that he’s done. It’s been fun and challenging both. I can’t wait to see how it all turns out.

Even so, I feel a little sadness with the excitement. In some way I feel as if I’m losing my little boy. I still have my wonderful son, but he’s not little anymore and this is the marker of that. It is the time where I stop holding his hand and just walk along side him. I will still be there to occasionally help him figure out bumps in the road, but not catch him every step of the way. That’s a silly analogy, but still somewhat fitting. It really feels like the first step of letting go so he can pursue his own life, and that’s hard for any parent. There are a number of steps left along the way before he’s independent and I suppose I can cling to those, but those markers will come and I will have to let go little by little until he’s on his own. It’s hard but necessary as so many of the parts of being a parent seem to be.

I know today I’m going to cry tears of joy, sadness and pride. I just won’t be able to help it, and even though it isn't about me it does feel like it just a little bit.

DPS Shakespeare Festival May 2007 with his sister.

Sadness...

In the past few years there have been a few people that I've considered shining stars in Bush's war (wrongly entitled "War on Terror.") One of whom is Cindy Sheehan. I've never really lauded her endeavors, but have quietly sat by in awe of her determination.

Today I read that she's giving up and saying that her son truly died in vain. This is heartbreaking. She's fought so long and hard to make that not true, but I think in the most recent funding bill the Dems failed her and us.

I hope that she can find some sense of peace to move forward in her life. I hope that others can take up the fight and press on. I hope that we can remove the cancer that is each up our young men and our nation before it's really too late.

Panties in a Bunch over Stolen Underwear

The panty thief is in BIG trouble now. Women who had their underwear stolen are coming forward to identify their stolen drawers! This guy is going DOWN!!!

Selfish, selfish woman

When I first read about the 60 year old woman I immediate thought it was selfish. Then, I decided to read about her reasoning. Perhaps she was having babies for her children or for some other purpose greater than just her own selfishness. Well, I was wrong. She was just being selfish and claiming that her act was for women. She said:

The 60-year-old psychologist who delivered twin boys by Caesarian section
said she was on a mission to let women know they have choices.
"My mission here, the reason I'm doing this is to help other women. It's really
basically about women and empowerment," Frieda Birnbaum said, speaking on
NBC's "Today" show Thursday.

She could have kept her altruism to herself, because quite honestly this doesn't show me or any other woman anything other than you can still make foolish choices that effect the lives of many even when you are a senior.

Let's just look at the reality of the situation. She's 60. When her daughter enters kindergarten she'll be entering retirement. When her daughter is learning to drive she'll be having her license taken away. When her daughter is graduating high school she'll be 78! When her daughter finished college she'll be in her 80's. And if she dies before her daughter reaches these milestones then it will be her other (grown) children that step in and take up the responsibility of raising a child they didn't choose to have.

If she really wanted to prove that women can do anything at any age then there were a lot of ways to do it that wouldn't have had the potentially traumatic end that this situation does. Her choice wasn't about what women can do. It was about her selfish want of having another child without thinking of the reality of what happens when she is too old to care for herself, much less the child. Selfish, selfish woman.

Dear Senator...

Alright, so I probably sound like a crazy person in my letter to Senators Allard and Salazar, but I had to say something. I am so sick of the Bush Administration infiltrating the other branches of our government and corrupting the very foundations of our system. They all need to go and Gonzales is a fine place to start! Here's the letter:

Dear Senator ...

I am writing to you today to make a
request. After watching and thinking about the scandal that has arisen out
of the Department of Justice I would like to sincerely urge you to take part in
the vote of no-confidence against Alberto Gonzales. The reasons are
many. I would like to take a moment to share why I feel this is
necessary.

First Mr. Gonzales has a proven track record of not
remembering. He doesn’t remember meetings. He doesn’t remember being
presented with the idea of people being fired without cause. He’s said it
on numerous occasions. While I understand that he’s a busy man I find it
very improbable to remember that he cannot remember being part of discussions to
not only fire 8 U.S. Attorneys, but potentially firing many more. There is
proof that he was in the meetings and was keyed in on the firings. Yet, he
doesn’t remember them. We need an Attorney General that can remember what
goes on under his/her nose and drive the Department to work for the American
people.

When you hold an office of such importance, as you do,
there is a thing call accountability. By simply signing off on a
document that gave Monica Goodling and Kyle Sampson the power to make
hiring decisions for very key positions he was passing the buck to two very
junior people in the department with little or no experience in managing such a
task. He was saying that someone with little experience could do his
job. If he doesn’t want the accountability or the work of being Attorney
General then why should we have confidence in his work?

Honestly, Senator, I don’t understand the language he uses.
On one hand he says that he didn’t do anything improper and that he’s done
nothing wrong but then on the other he claims that not only does he not
remember, but that mistakes were made. I’m sorry, but this is
contradictory and I don’t feel that it’s fair to the American people to have an
Attorney General who is supposed to be upholding the law be so confounded in his
own actions!! This isn’t a mistake that was devoid of harm. It
harmed a lot of people and his only defense was that he doesn’t remember.
That just doesn’t cut it when you are the Attorney General. Or at least it
shouldn’t.

Quite frankly, I haven’t even discussed the shaky
ideology that Mr. Gonzales has with regard to the power of the President.
And that’s the problem. It’s an ideology. In law, in government law,
it’s not about some theory derived from a political think tank. It’s about
the LAW that is based on reasoning and thought. I don’t think that Mr.
Gonzales gets that. He plays dumb half the time and then the other time
he’s being defensive. I do not find any sort of security knowing that this
man is in charge of the Judicial Branch of the United States.

So, with that being said please think about what kind of Attorney
General your constituency deserves and vote against Alberto Gonzales in the vote
of no confidence next month. We THE PEOPLE deserve someone who is not
willing to pass the buck and shun his/her duties, but rather stand with Lady
Justice in defense of the law.

Thank you for your time.

Me, today.

Oh, and since that's sort of boring here's something interesting to read. Well, interesting is probably not the right word. More like odd yet satisfying is a better descriptive. Just click the link already.

Panties Pilfered

Underpants gone missing?

The best part of the story:

Police are offering the opportunity for victims of the thefts to come and
identify which garments are theirs on May 25 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

UPDATE!!!! UPDATE!!!! UPDATE!!!!

For fuck's sake. Don't these police have anything better to do? Do they honestly think that any of these women would want their stolen panties back? GROSS!!

Fruity Pebble Art

A few months ago I took a photo of my daughter at her swim lesson and sent it to Dan's sister, Deana. She was a swimmer in college (and before) and so I thought she'd dig it. Well, she did. Here's what she did with it along with the original! How cool is THAT!? My baby is a Fruity Pebble!!

A Hit Dog will Holler'

Over the weekend Jimmy Carter made a comment about the Bush administration. Now he's recanting after the Bush administration said that he's irrelevant. This has been on my mind off and on all day.

Whether you like Carter or not is irrelevent here. I think he's a mixed bag of tricks personally. He's done good and bad. Even so, I think he was right the first time. The Bush Administration is a disaster. There continues to be more and more evidence to the dispicability and corruptibility of the current Administration. It doesn't take much searching or much brain power to look at the economy ($4 for gas in Cali), the way the war is going (basic failure on every level), and the DOJ scandal to figure out whether or not Carter's allegations are spot on. They are, and now the Bushies are up in arms disputing Carter's initial statement. If he was as irrelevant as they are claiming they could have kept quiet about it and said, "We stand by our record." But they can't. They can't because they know that Carter still has a lot of leverage with the world community. So, they are shouting from the rooftops, and I think they are making so much noise because deep down they know what Carter said is TRUE. Like I said, "A hit dog will holler."

Now as far as Carter recanting I think the explanation is pretty simple. He made a hasty comment and then was either reminded or he remembered that there is an election coming up. I don't think he wants it any harder for his party than it has to be. A call from some Democrat friend probably coaxed the recant from him. Whatever. Whether you want to chalk it up to him seeing and stating what is obvious or chalk it up to an old man getting it right on accident the bottom line is that the Bush Administration sucks and goes into defenst mode when someone points out that very obvious fact.

Me. Today.

Here is what I look like today.

In Front of Me

There are:

- CD-Roms with various things on them
- my digital camera
- Dan's keys
- my check book
- some papers
- some used tissues (that I just used and haven't gotten up to throw away)
- panties that I just bought
- a brand new coffee mug that Dan brought me from Indianapolis
- the monitor
- speakers
- the keyboard & mouse

I didn't mention the safety pin or dime, but they are there, too.

It's DONE!!!

Ten weeks ago, Dan informed me that he was going to tear the deck out. It was a Sunday evening. Since then we have transformed our backyard.

Week One

Week Ten

Interviewed by Mynxie

Sometime back my dear friend Mynx d'Meanor posted an interview on her blog. I replied saying I wanted her to ask me some questions. She did and here are the questions (and answers) along with the original instructions.

THE GUIDELINES:
1. Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.”
2. I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.


1) what's in the trunk of your car? Well, I have a Yeep Wrangler so I don't really have a trunk, but in the very back of my Yeep I usually have my skateboard. You never know when it will come in handy.

2) what shall we do with the drunken sailor? Oh! That's naughty!

3) describe one of your favorite memories of cape town? There are a lot of great memories of Cape Town. I went there for work to evaluate the program that Emory has with the University of Cape Town. I was there with other people from various Universities around the world for a "Come and See" tour. One of the special projects that the kids who went to study abroad would get to be a part of was working in one of the many townships in Cape Town. So, in order to see the work that they would be a part of we loaded up on busses and got to go out into 3 different townships. We met children and women's groups who came to welcome us and show us their library, their crafts, and their community center where they are working hard to make life better for themselves and their families. It was really a profound reminder how unimportant material things are compared to strength of character. It's not really something that you can put words to clearly enough. It was just really an important lesson I think everyone in the "1st" world should get the opportunity to know.

Something a little less dramatic was when I was sharing a panini with my friend Stian on the steps at the wharf. That was an amazing sammich.

4) if you could pack everything you like/love with you (your house, etc.), where in the world would we find smoooochie? Why?

The world is a huge place. On any given day I might choose Stockholm, Cape Town, Grand Cayman Island, or maybe even Costa Rica. However, today I am not choosing those. I might change my mind tomorrow, but since it's just a game that's part of the fun.

I love where I live now because I can be outside a LOT and in all reality I have a lot of great things going for me here. Denver has mountains nearby, lots of fun outdoor stuff, and a good airport to get us out to other places. The drawback is that it's such a small city. I don't like that so much. In light of that, and the fact that I miss my old home town so much, I would have to say you'd probably find me back in Atlanta.

I would move my family, house (and brand new beautiful garden) and many of the local skateparks (Denver, Aurora, Canon City, Montrose) all to Atlanta. Then I would have a gorgeous climate, free places to skateboard and my family with me. The first thing I would do is head down to 5 Seasons Pub and get some grub and a delicious beer. Damn, I miss that place! They also have a great airport so I could visit all my peeps and snowboard now and then, too!

5) do you have any absolute, consumer-whore materialistic guilty pleasure vices? do tell.

Soap. I have no qualms about spending $5-15 on a bar of really nice soap. Some of my favs are:
- origins ginger body bar
- aveda refreshing bath bar
- archipelago organics morning mint
- eskander sandalwood soap
- pre de provence olive oil soap

Congratulations, Street Sense

A beautiful horse wins a beautiful race! Congrats to Calvin Borel and Street Sense.

Cinco de Mayo

It’s a lazy Saturday morning with nothing really on the slate until later. Today is Cinco de Mayo. As a I child I remember all of the festivities surrounding this date. My childhood memories recall the dances being learned, the music playing and the green, white and red being proudly displayed. I didn’t know the history then, and even now that I do I don’t really associate the historical event (the battle against the French at Puebla keeping the French from invading and Napoleon III from becoming the emperor of Mexico) with the cultural pride that it instills. I think perhaps of all the weeks for me to have seen Rodrigo y Gabriella this is the best one because it was just before Cinco de Mayo and it really did give me a renewed sense of cultural pride.

Rodrigo y Gabriella are an acoustic guitar duo from Ixtapa via Mexico City. As told by Gabriella they were in a thrash metal band in Mexico City and working hard to get gigs at all. The band parted ways, but she and Rodrigo decided to go acoustic and move to Ixtapa to figure it all out on the beach. So, they ended up playing acoustic versions of Metallica to dreamy eyed vacationers who found their “Traditional Mexican songs” irrestistable. It’s a funny story, but I can see how the music they play would be interpreted that way. They are simply phenomenal guitar players with a style that really does captivate. I highly recommend to anyone picking up their album. If you like classical guitar, if you like rock, if you aren’t sure if you’d like either get it anyway. It’s really awesome.

And this is where I go back to talking about cultural pride. Seeing this beautiful Mexican woman play the guitar so expertly made me so proud of my Mexican heritage. It helped me remember that the women of Mexico are beautiful, smart and talented. I think in the United States we get so caught up in trying to understand the illegal immigrant issue that we forget that the culture of Mexico is so diverse and amazing. It makes me proud of that part of my heritage when I see a Mexican woman doing her thing and in this case rocking her ass off.

Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone. Have a cerbeza, listen to some Mexican music and celebrate even if you aren’t Mexican. It’s a beautiful culture to recognize.

Thank you, General Eaton

I was reading my daily dose of blogs because I knew there would be some shouting about the veto. What I came across (thanks again, Mickey) was a letter from General Eaton (retired) to the President regarding the veto on the war spending bill Congress passed last week. I think his message is clear. Bush is NOT listening to the Generals as he constantly says he is. Bush does not GET that our forces are spent. They are spread too thin. Our national safety and interest is in jeopardy here on US soil because Bush is just not listening. I think that it bears a reprint on every blog out there. I urge you to send this to your Congressmen and ask them to listen to a man who has been on the ground in Iraq and helped train the Iraqi forces.

Here's the letter (Daily KOS):

May 1, 2007
President George W. Bush The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

Today, in your veto message regarding the bipartisan legislation just passed on
Operation Iraqi Freedom, you asserted that you so decided because you listen to
your commanders on the ground.
Respectfully, as your former commander on the ground, your administration did not listen to our best advice. In fact, a number of my fellow Generals were forced out of their jobs, because they did not tell you what you wanted to hear -- most notably General Eric Shinseki, whose foresight regarding troop levels was advice you rejected, at our troops' peril.
[...]
As someone who served this nation for decades, I have the utmost respect for the office you hold. However, as a man of conscience, I could not sit idly by as you told the American people today that your veto was based on the recommendations of military men. Your administration ignored the advice of our military's finest minds before, and I see no evidence that you are listening to them now.
I urge you to reconsider your position, and work with Congress to pass a bill that achieves the goals laid out
above.

Respectfully,
Major General Paul D. Eaton, USA, Retired

Rodrigo y Gabriella

We went to see them tonight. More details tomorrow. Suffice to say they were phenomenal.

A Response

I've been writing to my senators lately. I'm tired of the situation in our government and I don't know of anyway to change it other than to be a squeeky wheel. Yesterday I received a message back from one of them explaining why he votes and supports things that I disagree with. I wasn't going to post my response, but after reading Mickey's blog post about pragmatism I decided that I would do it. So, for better or worse here it is.

Dear Senator Allard,

First, thank you for your response. I do appreciate your time. I do want to respond because I think it's important that you, as a representative of the citizens of Colorado, know how the citizens feel.

I understand that you feel that it's key that we stabilize Iraq, but where is the proof that Iraq is the headquarters of the threat? As I recall Osama Bin Ladin is not IN Iraq and has never been. On that horrible day when the twin towers fell it was not Iraq that had a hand in the terror. By keeping the number of troops we currently have in Iraq we have weakened our forces here at home. Generals of our military have said that they are afraid that we are not well protected at home on American soil, and quite frankly Senator, I thought that was the whole point. I only need to remind you of the horrible situation in New Orleans that took so many other lives because we didn't have the means necessary to do what was necessary. Where were the troops that could have helped? They were not in the U.S. helping to protect the lives of Americans, but rather risking their own lives to fight "terrorism" on foreign soil.

I hate to say such a cheesy phrase, but the whole situation brings to mind the movie lines "Build it and they will come." Well, we've built the idea that terrorists are infesting the heart of Iraq and by the droves the extremists have come. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy and we need to break the idea now and be done with the idea that fighting over there is protecting us over here. It's not.

Senator Allard, this isn't a win or lose situation. We've lost already. We've lost billions of dollars funding a war that was based on lies. We've lost thousands of lives (3335 to date) of our men and women who have bravely served. Thousands more have lost limbs, self identity and will be mentally scarred forever by the war, but yet we still have no clear plan of when we will require the Iraqi government to take over their own protection. Why? Why don't we have a clear plan when not only was President Bush given a plan (by HIS advisors) and also had firm recommendations by the leaders of the Armed Forces that lead to our withdrawal of troops, bringing them home and securing OUR borders? What is the resistance to taking the advice of the professionals that have said we need a different direction? What is really at stake here? The lives of our troops, our economy, and our role in the world as a leader are what is at stake if we don't change the course and support our generals and the other leaders that have recommended a timely withdrawal. I urge you to rethink your support of leaving our troops in harms way. I urge you to think of how vital our military is to defending OUR borders and not just of this idealized version of the war on terror.

Catching up...

I’ve been avoiding posting anything about the Virginia Tech shooting/shooter. I’m not exactly sure why because I’ve had a lot of thoughts and have been keeping up with it. I suppose there is enough out there being said. My heart does go out to all the parents. I cannot fathom the heartache. So, that’s what I have to say about that.

On a more positive note I’ve been very busy doing stuff and not very busy writing about it. I’m not really sure how to talk about what I’ve been doing for a week and not make it sound like a list. I can tell you that I’ve had some great Indian food, seen a baseball game (for free) and welcomed my son back from camp. See, it’s listy.

Speaking of the game we were in our seats eating cotton candy (my weakness) and I happened to look over to the section next to us. The crowd was sparse (and that’s being generous) so I noticed a man I thought I recognized. I did a double take and I was certain that I knew this person, but it was one of those situations where you think, “How could HE be HERE?” I told Dan and he encouraged me to go talk to the guy. I did. Sure enough he was a friend of mine from Atlanta. He was a PhD student at Emory when I was working there. And there he was at a Rockies game in Denver! He got a job here after he finished his dissertation, and is living about 3 miles from us. The world is such a small funny place.

I'm hooked

Will Ferrell. Pearl. I love it!

Fire them...

Alright, so if THIS were to happen in corporate America at the executive level the executives would be under federal investigation and would more than likely be fired. I propose that the same thing happen here. Fire Bush, fire Cheney, and first and foremost FIRE ROVE! Write your representatives and demand action. Do it! Do it now!!

Quick Trip

This image and this blog post have nothing to do with one another.

The yard has come to a stand still. It’s been cold. It’s too early to plant. And quite frankly, we have been having fun instead of working.
Last weekend we went to Winter Park, CO for a little Spring snowboarding. Danimal’s parents rented a large condo so his sister flew in from Brooklyn, his brother’s family, and we all drove up Friday for a nice weekend getaway.
Per usual we rushed out of the house hoping we hadn’t forgotten anything and feeling very much under the gun. I don’t know why vacations or weekend getaways always seem to start like that. The point, after all, is to relax. Even so we were rushed. Even worse I was starving because I’d been so busy trying to get us out the door I’d not eaten lunch and it was 6:00. It was nothing a good candy bar wouldn’t take care of, but that would have to wait until we’d been on the road an hour.
We did eventually stop after we’d left the cold and fog of Denver behind. We all got snacks and felt much less hurried to get up to Winter Park. Dan, Deana and I all talked about grown up stuff, Bronte chilled and Geoffrey played his Gameboy. Then about ½ up Berthoud Pass we noticed how we were rising slowly above the clouds. When we got to the top we stopped at the old ski area parking lot to take photos. Dan got out of the car and Deana poked her phone out of the window. Then Dan saw a GIANT snowball. He started messing around with it so Deana got out to take photos of her crazy brother. It was getting dark and cold so that didn’t last as long as it might have. Once back in the car Deana realized her phone was missing. So, back out of the car we went to search in dusky and eventually dark conditions for her phone. No luck. Really. Just no luck so back down the other side of the pass and to the condo where dinner was waiting.
The evening was a good one full of catching up, telling stories of when the 3 kids were kids, and playing with Lilianna, Dan’s 9 month old niece. Eventually, we all decided it was time for bed. Dan and I were headed down the stairs when Dan gasped and turned to look at me with a startled look.
“Did you grab the luggage?” he asked.
“No, you said you were getting it.”
“I got the kids, but not ours!! OH NO!” Yep, that’s right. We’d left all of our clothes in our luggage in our bedroom in Denver. Woooops! Fortunately, we could buy underwear and we were near the size of other members of the better prepared part of the group. More fortunately we keep our boarding gear separate from our clothing.
The next morning we got up and were ready to go hit the slopes. It had snowed the day before so we were hopeful of somewhat decent conditions. Just before heading out we discovered that we weren’t the only forgetful ones. Dan’s brother had left his pass and ski pants at home. We worked it out and went up to the mountain.
I have to say that I’ve “gotten” it. I’m not great and regular blues still intimidate me a bit, but I can carve like nobody’s business down a blue-green slope. It was so sunny and beautiful I was just loving it. We got in about 5 runs and then took lunch. After lunch we took a different lift and went down a blue. Yeah, I should have worn my knee pads because I took a hard fall and bruised my knees up pretty badly. I made it back down the hill, but that was it for me.
Easter Sunday we woke up to 6 new inches of snow. I can’t say powder because it was so heavy and wet it was more like snow soup. I chose to stay at the condo and relax in the hot tub. It was a good choice. I got to know Dan’s parents even better and I got to play with Lilianna and watch Bronte play with her as well. When the others came back soaked from their 3 or 4 runs we got packed up and headed home.
All in all the trip wasn’t so relaxing, but I did learn a few things. Getting ready for a little trip is just as hard as preparing for a week long trip. Dan’s parents are really nice people. I am actually going to get good at this stupid snowboarding sport so the pain I’ve endured might actually going to pay off.
It’s always nice to be home. The dogs, the cat and I were happy to see one another. Now if I could just catch up on all the house work I’ve been neglecting…

TOMORROW!! TIARA AND LEI DAY!!

Background
In the spring of 2005, Libra, the bartender at the Mars Bar in Seattle, wanted to do a luau night. What was created was “Tiara and Lei” day. At the time, Annetastic (Seattle) was very active on tribe.net and decided to share the event with her friends. The first “Tiara and Lei Day”, April 10, 2005, was celebrated in Seattle, San Francisco, Denver, and Memphis mostly by member of tribe.net in addition to the celebrants at the Mars. Celebrants dressed up in tiaras and leis. Fruity drinks were drunk and many photos documenting the various parties were taken.
April 10, 2006 saw the 2nd Annual celebration of Tiara and Lei day celebrated across the country. Again, celebrants donned their tiaras and leis and partied with their local friends, sharing the various events across the internet with friends afar.

How to Celebrate-

It's really as easy as it sounds. You make plans with friends and put on a tiara and a lei. You can wear them to work, out on the town, or just acting silly at home. The point is to put on a tiara and a lei, submit pictures with a brief description to:

Tiara and Lei Day Flickr Group
External Links:
Historical evidence of the founding
First Tiara and Lei Day as celebrated by Smoooochie
First Tiara and Lei Day as celebrated by Mynx d’Meanor
Second Annual as celebrated by Annetastic!
Tiara and Lei Day at the Mars- Year One

Second Annual as celebrated by Mynx d’Meanor
Second Annual as celebrated by Smoooochie and Danimal
Third Annual Announcements:
Annetastic!

Rememberance

I haven’t forgotten the day that I walked into Wax Trax and this loud music was screaming at me. I loved it! The record was “Bleach” and it had just come out that very day. I bought it then and there and have been a fan of Nirvana’s ever since.
I don’t know why we mark the day of someone’s death to remember them more than we do the date of their birth. Today marks the 13th anniversary of the day that Kurt Cobain chose to end his life. We didn’t find out until days later, but it was such a sad day. In some ways it’s hard to believe it was that long ago. Time again working it’s odd way of altering things. I think for many people of my generation Nirvana was a marker in our lives, and thus the day he died became a marker, too. He was the voice of our angst, of our youth, and of our figuring “it” all out. Maybe I’m projecting, but so be it.
I have wondered what he would have done if he lived. He may have become even bigger than he already was or maybe he would have just faded into a shadow. It doesn’t do much to speculate because he chose not to do either. So, we are left with his work and the effects of his legacy. Thanks, Kurt.

Time flies when you're having fun...or not.

It’s funny the way that time works. Each second is the same measure and all of these add into minutes that are all the same length and eventually you get enough of these little equal measurements and it adds up to a year. It’s all very measured. While this is all very logical it’s not really how time works. Time works this way. You look back and some things that were a very long time ago and they seem like they happened very recently. Then there are other things that happened very recently and they seem distant.

Time itself has definitely not been a good measure to use when talking about how long it’s been since we moved into our house. The process of moving seems ages ago. Perhaps I have distanced myself from the event because moving is not something I relish. I can say that I’m happily embedded into this neighborhood and house. I’m staying place and that makes me really happy. The idea that it was only a year ago that I lived elsewhere is absurd. It had to be much longer ago, but it’s not. I mean we have a completely different yard than when we moved in! That can’t happen in a year.

All of that being said how can I have possibly lived here for a whole year?! We still have boxes that have yet to be unpacked. Granted they are all in the basement and are mostly boxes of books that I still need to buy a bookshelf for, but they are still packed boxes. I have only JUST met some of my neighbors. I don’t even have curtains on one of the bathroom windows yet!! This is ridiculous. There is no way I could have lived here for a whole year.

Yet, we have. We have lived in our house for a year. A year ago we were still surrounded by boxes in every room and were still dealing with our old landlord. A year ago we had a deck, and a lot of not so good landscape. A year ago we had just gotten the dog from hell, and now we have Lily Lucifer, a much calmer version. A year ago I didn’t know any of my neighbors, much less really enjoy some them as much as I do. A year ago the only plan was to find the basics among the boxes, get our refridgerator to fit through the door, and not kill the newest dog. Now the plan is to fine tune all the details that will make this really and truly our home. Well, until we can afford to remodel....

Newt Gingrich for Office...NO!!!

Why speak a second language? According to Newt Gingrich it’s not necessary if you are a resident of the United States. In fact speaking a language as base as say Spanish is like “living in the ghetto.” First off I think he might have said “barrio” since he was talking about Spanish, but since he only speaks English it’s clear why he made that oversight. Anyway, those Spanish speakers (and their ghetto language) he was referring to are a varied bunch. I’m sure that the wealthy Floridians who hailed from Cuba and now are a key factor in the economy there are shocked that the language they use daily is so base. I’m also certain that the ancestors of the Spanish who settled and thrived from coast to coast will be happy to know that Newt Gingrich finds their mother tongue inferior. I’m certain too, that the thousands of Mexican laborers that built Atlanta, GA (his home state) up for the ’96 summer Olympics appreciate his candor in letting them know where their fellow Georgian stands. In addition to the referral of Spanish as “ghetto” talk Newt Gingrich also had this to say-

"Citizenship requires passing a test on American history in English. If that's true, then we do not have to create ballots in any language except English," he said.
Yeah, so go ahead and run for President, Mr. Gingrich. We’ll look at our U.S. history books and see where you had a secret affair while accusing President Clinton of doing the same and then use our citizenship (whether it be by birth or naturalization) to keep you out of office, you hypocritical racist bastard. By the way, for the record the word “No” is the same in Spanish as it is in English.

What I've been doing...

Three weeks ago my boyfriend (seen to the right) decided that it was time for our deck to go. The reasons were many. From the very large and very dead racooon we discovered a month or so after moving in (warm weather and the dead don't make for a good odor) to the skunk that decided to set up house last September to the fact that we could very easily peer into our neighbor's backyards and vice versa. The deck was an eyesore and a hazard. It was time for it to go. At 5 p.m. March 4th he began tearing the deck apart.

After a week of clearing out the debris (the old owners of the house threw a significant amount of brick, concrete and beer cans under the deck during it's construction) this is what it looked like:

We were facing a lot of work and planning on being done sometime in mid-May so that we could have a nice June party on our new patio. Well, my boyfriend Dan (see above) is obsessed. He's been working night and day and having me help out some, having friends and family over to help, and basically being a slave driver. Even so, his hard work and obsessing have paid off. We still have to finish up with the edges along the border, some along the side of the house, and then planting the beds, but it's amazing what's been done in just two short weeks.

I didn't know it was possible!

I really didn't know it was possible for me to be even more disgusted by the state of affairs in Washington, but I am. And here's why.

Alberto Gonzales is a big friggin' LIAR!! There is now more proof and soon to be sworn testimony that he knew the whole time and that his fishy statements of last week were exactly that. Fishy. I'm not calling names here. I'm stating a fact. He told an untruth a.k.a. a lie.

This administration has got to go! When the President is afraid for his "closest advisors" to give sworn testimony and the attorney general is proven to be a liar IT IS TIME FOR THE ADMINSTRATION TO GO!!!

This is not a political theory experiment in a vacuum. These people are making devestating blows to the foundations that our form of government is built on and THEY MUST GO! Write your Congressmen, your Senators and be LOUD about it! Do it now!

A. Gonzales has to go

Thanks to Mickey for posting this link. Mr. Robinson has made a very clear statement about the whole situation. Talk about hitting the nail on the head! Mr. Gonzales is a product of an out of touch, greedy and dangerous political theory, and along with Cheney, Rove, Bush and all the other Bushistas he must go!

happiness

Happiness. It’s a word that encompasses something different for each person and in varying degrees. I’m not setting out here to discuss deep or profound happiness, but rather something that can give perspective on the things that make us unhappy or something that makes us smile or feel good. Oddly enough I’m not talking about sex here although the last sentence might give that perception.

For me this happiness is skateboarding. I’m on the couch with my boyfriend and we just popped in a skateboard video. And as I was sitting here mesmerized by these pros skating happiness came over me. No, I can’t skate like the pros, but I don’t have to. I see them just doing a push and kick and I know how it feels to be on that board. I know the feel of the board, the way the wheels feel as they roll along the pavement, and the way my feet feel on the board. I know that is what happiness feels like.

When I see guys skateboarding it makes me want to get out to the skate park immediately. I want to try to bump up what I can do and try some new stuff. I’m not that good, but it makes me want to be that good. When, and this is unfortunately very rare, I see women skateboarding it makes me proud and makes me KNOW that I can get better. While I’ll never be a pro that’s hardly the point in me being on a board. Skateboarders get on a board over and over because it’s our happiness. When that stops for me then I’ll know it’s time to quit. Until then this is my happiness.

quickly

What he said. Read it.

Hearts and years...

I'm in bed at 9:28 p.m. I feel like a child who has been sent to bed with the threat that Santa won't show up if I don't get right to sleep. I can hear my boyfriend downstairs shuffling paper and moving things about, but I know I can't go downstairs until tomorrow morning to find out what all the commotion is about.

Tomorrow is not Valentine's Day for me. Tomorrow is my 38th birthday.

Tonight I sit in bed with the laptop and wonder what surprises await me in the morning. I have time to think about what being 38 is supposed to mean, what goals I might want to associate with my year of being 38, etc. I am excited to see what prezzies I'm getting, but I am pretty excited with the kind words and funny things my friends will say to me. I already got this one.

So, what does 38 mean. It means there are still tricks to learn, friends to discover and enjoy, and smiles to be given. It means that I will get another day (hopefully) of giving to other people because it makes me happy. It means that I've been lucky enough to make it this far. It means that I get more chances to learn, forgive, laugh, love and partake. It means that my children are getting older and will soon be taller than I am and figure out that I don't know a lot of things. It means I get fruit tart for breakfast!! Being thirty-eight is just like any other age I've taken on- fierce and amazing.

still around

Yes, I am still around. It's been a huge adjustment to move from full to part time. That sounds really strange. I think that I have been doing more with the kids though. It's really awesome. I've been taking gobs of photos, but they aren't posted here. Hmmmm...maybe I should do more blogging.

Happy Birthday is in order

I have 100's of photos of myself, and Mynx probably has more than that of herself. Unfortunately, I can't find even one of us together. We need to remedy that soon! In the meantime, this is the best I could do to wish my dear friend a lovely birthday.

Couch sitting

I wrote this a couple days ago. I’m still sick, but I’ve been off the couch doing things. Like interviewing! The interview yesterday went very well and I have a second interview with them next week. I’m keeping hope alive on this one. It would be great.

I’m stuck on the couch today. I’ve been battling a cold for 3 weeks now and I’m finally giving in and taking a day to rest. Well, not do as much as I’ve been doing. Here’s a rundown of the holidays, the vacation, and the job search.

The Holidays-

I’ve often felt that a lot of the holiday spirit died with my grandmother. The careful and creative wrapping of gifts, the excitement of decorating the tree, and just the general joy were altered in some indescribable way that horrible November day. I have tried hard to make my children holiday’s happy ones full of all the dreams, lights and wishes that it should be and with that effort it has changed into something different, but special. My holiday season will always have a certain element of missing my grandmother, but I think building memories and traditions with my children is the focus that has changed it into something special again.

The Vacation-

Five days away from home doesn’t sound like very much time, and really I suppose that it’s not that long. It’s the same number of days in a basic work week. So, how can that time be effectively used to create a fully relaxing vacation? I suppose with unlimited funds that would be an easy task, however unlimited funds were available the question would be if one even needed a vacation. Well, despite the Danimal and I not having unlimited funds (remember I quit my job) we took a five day vacation that was actually long enough. We took two days to travel casually to and from our destination. During the first of the travel days we stopped at the Great Sand Dunes and took some fun photos. We also got more information so we can have a weekend camping trip there in the future. Our destination was Pagosa Springs/Wolf Creek ski area and we made it about 2 hours later than we’d planned, but the springs were hot and ready when we got there. They were a lovely après ski each of the 3 snowboard days, too!
What can I say about snowboarding? With crash pads and knee pads it’s a lot less hurty than without. Also, with a lot of powder the falls are a lot easier. :D We snowboarded for 3 days. The first was groomed conditions, the second full on fresh and falling powder, and the third a lovely mix of the two. Each day ended with food I didn’t have to cook or clean up after and then the hot springs. Our drive home was quite simply evil. The snow we had enjoyed on the slopes had turned the roads into a completely icy and windy way home. Seven hours after we left we were home. So, that’s how we had a 5 day vacation that relaxed us. (Notice how I left out the cursing, crying and whining the first morning back on the board?)

The Job Search-

What can I say? I’ve looked at a lot of job boards, read a lot of job descriptions and applied to a number of positions. I have an interview tomorrow so we’ll see how that goes. I’m taking my time in finding just the right fit. I am not taking the first thing that comes along unless it’s a good fit and fulfills more than just the need of a paycheck.

2007

MERRY NEW YEAR!!!! wOOt!!!!

impending death

Somehow THIS seems a lot more relevant than THIS to me. The constant deaths of innocent people is a lot more important than this one man who has ruined so many other lives. When will it end? That's all.



The means of defense against foreign danger historically have become the instruments of tyranny at home.
– James Madison

Dear Snow,

Dear Snow,

Thank you so much for your recent appearance at our home. We really enjoyed your visit. However, we really were not expecting you back so soon. And while we enjoy short visits this is entirely too much. I'm afraid I am going to have to ask you to leave for a bit. You can come back for a day or two at a time, but you are starting to effect our ability to work, play and live life normally. I can now snowboard in my front yard, but I would much rather be skateboarding. Thanks for your understanding.

Best regards,

Smoooochie

You can see photos of it all HERE. I'm sure there will be more after this current blizzard is done.

What Abby Said...

READ AND LISTEN!!

If anyone is in the area I highly suggest checking out this band. They are really quite enjoyable and yet another reason for me to take a trip to the SouthEast.

My Elfster!!

I just got this awesome CD from my sweet friend Mynxie. She got my name this year. She is the bestest EVAR!! Thanks, Mynxie.

I'm a quitter

I quit my job. My last day of work was today.

BUH BYE NASTY MANAGEMENT!!! SO LONG AND FAREWELL!!!

WooT! I'm taking off the next 3 weeks to chill and figure out what's next.

2006- a summary

A shout out for Mynxy for reminding me about this meme. This is a good one to do each year, compare to the last, and plan for the next. So, here is my list.

What did you do in 2006 that you’d never done before? I learned to carve both front and backsides in a bowl. Visited Seattle. Deskunked my dogs. Snowboarded. Cooked a Tandoori Turkey.

Did you keep your new years’ resolutions and will you make more for next year? Yes. I did. Yes. I will.

Did anyone close to you give birth? A LOT of people did. What was in the water? I think the count is up around 10 at this point with still one on the way.

Did anyone close to you die? Thankfully, no.

What countries did you visit? I only traveled domestically.

What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006? A really decent ollie. A maid.

What date from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? January 19th, 2006. We drove through a blizzard to Casa Bonita to celebrate Bronte’s birthday. April 1st we moved into our beautiful house.

What was your biggest achievement of the year? I paid off both my credit cards and my car. That’s pretty big.

What was your biggest failure? I bought Dan a kilt that he looks super sexy in, but he doesn’t like it because it’s still stiff.

Did you suffer illness or injury? Nothing major. I nearly broke my tail bone snowboarding and then got pretty banged up skateboarding. It was worth it.

What was the best thing you bought? My skateboard. Definitely my skateboard.

Whose behavior merited celebration? The American people for kicking the Thugs out of office. IMPEACH BUSH NOW!!

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? The Bushistas

Where did most of your money go? My children. I suspect it will remain that way for years to come.

What did you get really, really, really excited about? Paying off my debt! WoooooT!!!

What song will always remind you of 2006? Transformer by Gnarls Barkley

Compared to this time last year, are you:
happier or sadder? Happier
thinner or fatter? Fatter
Richer or poorer? Richer

What do you wish you’d done more of? I’m a broken record. I would have skateboarded more. I can’t skateboard enough. I need MORE!!!

What do you wish you’d done less of? Putting up with morons, both personally and professionally.

How will you be spending Christmas? With my boyfriend- he’s my sexy Santa. WooT!

Did you fall in love in 2006? Nope. I stayed in love!

What was your favorite TV program? The Deadliest Catch, Top Chef, Project Runway

Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Yes. I do.

What was the best book you read? Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Offce

What was your greatest musical discovery of 2006? Lupe Fiasco

What did you want and get? My house! I love it!

What did you want and not get? A different job.

What was your favorite film of this year? Little Miss Sunshine!!

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? My Hootie took me to my favorite restaurant.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? A job where I am appreciated. That’s the one thing missing in my life right now. Well, and a maid.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006? Nice jewelry is key.

What kept you sane? The Danimal and skateboarding. No joke.

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Keith Olbermann. GO KEITH!!!

What political issue stirred you the most? The B.S. in Washington.

Who did you miss? My grandmother. I always do. I always will.

Who was the best new person you met? I finally met Annetastic in person.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006: Listen to people when they tell you who they are and believe them.

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
“And so they kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, kick push, coastAnd away they rolledJust rebels without a cause with no place to goAnd so they kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, kick push, coastSo come roll with meJust a rebelLooking for a place to beSo let's kick...and push...and coast”

Recently Said in My House

"Dan! Stop skateboarding in the house!"

"Geoffrey, Stop skateboarding in the house!"

"Bronte! Stop rolling through the house on your Heely's."

"Don't tell that I was just skateboarding in the kitchen."

Proclamation of Thanks!

I’ve been trying all day to decide if I would post about the various things that I’m thankful for. It seemed a little cheesy to talk about all that I’m thankful for, but even though I am thankful everyday for these things I don’t really share it with the general public. So, rather than just saying these are things that I’m thankful for in my life I’m proclaiming my thankfulness to the world.

WORLD, LISTEN UP! I AM MOST THANKFUL FOR THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE AND THINGS-

1. My sweet children. They are the light of every day and the motivation behind most of my determination.
2. My most amazing boyfriend, Dan. He’s without a doubt the most perfect person for me to spend my life with. He is my echo and partner in all things. Quite simply, I love him.
3. My dogs. They (like my children and boyfriend) keep life very interesting. And unlike my boyfriend and children give the best puppy love evar!
4. My dear friends, both near and far. I never would have made it this far without them. I hope I tell them all enough that they know who they are and how much I love them.
5. My beautiful 1886 Victorian house.
6. My debt free life. O.K. nearly debt free. I still have that darned student loan, but the auto and the CC debt from the ex are GONE!!!
7. My skateboard. It gives me hours and hours of joy. It’s my zen.
8. My mother and my father. In their own crazy ways they love me and let me know that I matter. It’s important to know that you matter.
9. A Congress that has a Democrat majority. While the Democratic Reps and Senators might be just as big of assholes as the ones they replaced at least King George and the Bushies don’t get a free pass anymore. Now if we could just get that fucker impeached I’ll have that to add for 2007.
10. Dan’s family.

The Word

One of my favorite blogs has something to say. READ IT.

Cape Town would be a lovely place to get married, actually

South Africa has given gays the right to be married. In most American states domestic partners, regardless of the length of time together, can't even get insurance benefits on one other the others plan. Good job America. Way to lead us into the future! :P

My NeeNee

It’s the ninth anniversary of my grandmother’s death tomorrow. This occurred to me regularly over the course of the last few weeks, but today is the day I realized it. There is a difference between having the knowledge of something and actually realizing it. Today I realized it. It hit me full force and I’ve been fighting tears off and on all day.
I don’t know what to say really. What is there to say about someone you loved as dearly as I loved her? There is no words that are adequate. She was my mother, my best friend, and my echo. I will miss her always.

Answer for Kirrrrt

Geoffrey and Bronte in their helmets


Kirrrt was asking me about skateboards for his boys in a comment down below. I started typing out an answer, but it got long enough I felt like it deserved an entry of it’s own. His question was:

“I have a question about skateboards. The ones I bought my boys have crappy little white wheels that barely roll. Do I need to upgrade the boards (better than the Wal-mart el-cheapo model) or can I upgrade the wheels?What should I be looking for in skate wheels for a 6 and 7 year old?”

As a mother who skateboards I have a little experience with this. The answer actually involves a few questions, but really it’s important to buy the best board for your child, yourself, or anyone that is going to really ride. After all, it’s your money AND it’s your loved one.

1. Have your boys worn out their skateboards? This is a pretty easy question to answer. Are they chipped up on the nose and tail? When you spin the wheels do they stop spinning or not spin at all? If the answer is no and the boards aren’t being ridden you aren't going to want to get anything other than a Wal-Mart board. Why pay money for something that is going to sit in the garage most of the time? If they are using them and having a lot of fun riding then invest in a good solid board. You can get a good blank deck at most skate shops for about $25-30. You can get away with fairly generic trucks, but make sure that the bushings are swapped out for something soft. Bushings are CHEAP (maybe $3) so it’s worth it. Also, make sure that you have some decent bearings. They don’t have to be the top of the line, but bearings are what make the wheels roll smoothly so they are important. Now, on to wheels.

2. With regard to the wheels the most important question is what surface do they skateboard on? You are going to need to get wheels that match the surface because if you get a soft wheel on the street you will need new wheels every two weeks. If they are in a skate park (Atlanta is about to get a new Woodward park!!) and the surface is "wood" then you are going to want to get a wheel that works for that surface. Here we need soft sticky wheels for the park because it's like ice. So, when you are at the skate shop ask them what they recommend for the surface that your boys are skating.

3. How much do you want to spend? You can get blank decks at your local shop or even on eBay for pretty cheap. Then build it up. The good thing about a skateboard is you can swap everything on it out if you wear it out or it doesn’t fit your need anymore. If your kids really like skateboarding invest a little bit upfront and then you can upgrade as they get better.

4. What are you riding? I’m not joking. Get yourself a board (longboards are really fun and super easy to learn) and go out with them. Skateboarding is a very bonding sport. I feel like I am a lot closer with my kids since we started boarding together. Trust me on this one.

Lastly, and MOST IMPORTANT start this rule right now while they are young.

NO HELMET, NO PADS, NO SKATEBOARDING!!

EVERYONE falls and at some point everyone hits their head and it can be very serious if a helmet doesn’t take the majority of the blow. Whether they are on a $15 skateboard from Wal-Mart or a $175+ custom board do not let them ride until they have on their gear. My eleven year old knows the rules and he’s take a number of falls where when he got up said, “I’m really glad I had on my pads/helmet.”

Well, what do you know?

All I can say is "It figures." This doesn't surprise me. It just gives further proof that the agenda was there well before the war. WELL before the war. It also confirms that for the entire Bush administration the neocon 'theories' have overshadowed reason, logic and most importantly FACT. Great. That's just great.

WHOA!

Ted Haggard. Alright, let’s examine his statement here briefly. He was merely contacting Mr. Mike Jones for a massage and for meth that he threw away. According to the reports that I’ve read this is what he’s admitted. He admits that he purchased illegal drugs from a male prostitute that he contacted after getting the prostitutes number from a website that advertises gay prostitution. First of, WHOA!! Is this covered in Sunday School under the section about repenting for your sins? Never the less let’s get back to the facts.
This man is a minister of a 14,000 (that’s THOUSANDS) person church and somehow the general populace is supposed to believe that not ONE of them is a massage therapist? Or knew of a massage therapist he could go to if he was legitimately interested in a massage? And by my recollection of growing up in Colorado Springs there are MANY licensed massage spas in the city. In fact it’s home to one of the best in the country (and it's AMAZING!!) So, rather than spending some of what I imagine to be a pretty hefty salary at a spa near his home he drove for over an hour to meet with a male prostitute he found on the internet for a massage? I don’t know about anyone else, but I call bullshit on that defense.
Secondly, crank is not pot. It's not something you just purchase on a whim. You don’t go from being a Christian fundamentalist role model who has never done drugs EVER to purchasing methamphetamines with no intent to use them. Why would you? Why would someone who is “model Christian” even think it would be alright to purchase an illegal substance from a prostitute secretly? What part of that is even remotely something a good citizen would do much less a holier than thou evangelical leader? Again, after weighing the basics against common sense I’m going to have to call bullshit on the defense.
Shadenfreude indeed, my friends. Shadenfreude indeed.

O.K. This wsn't really taken on 1/7/04. It was taken last night. I have BANGS!! Yay!