Plants

So, it's begun. The annual planting and insanity of buying said plants. We usually buy our annuals at our local Home Depot, but this year their selection is...well it sucks! Yeah, they have your basic petunias and impatients, but other than that it's no good. The only daylilies they had were HUGE and $15. I'm a patient gardener. I'm happy to pay $5 for a smaller perinneal because guess what? They grow. I guess next weekend I'll be heading to a different store. I did get a few things.
The main thing that I got was my Mother's Day roses. I love getting rose bushes for Mother's Day. That way I get to enjoy the roses all summer. Unfortunately, I think we are about out of space so these may be the last of the new bushes I'll get for awhile. Even so, I have all the beautiful plants to remind me of how much I'm loved.
Alright, I have some holes to dig and pots to fill.

update

I was just sitting here watching "The Highlander" and thought that I should write a blog post. No correlation really. I actually have been thinking I should blog more often. Like weekly or even maybe daily when it occurs to me.
On my way to work this morning I had a number of thoughts on what I should write. Most of them were things that annoy me so I think this time I'll refrain on posting my brains ramblings. (This is such a bad movie. I don't remember it being so bad.)
O.K. Maybe this is a good start. Truman just galloped in and wants to play. Who knew that my new boxer would be a horse in disguise?

sick day

The cat and the dog are sitting close sharing a sunbeam that is streaming through a high window. The cat is perched on a bare spot on the TV stand. The dog sitting next to that. Generally, they don't share space, but on a day where the thermometer has yet to break 0 degrees it seems appropriate that oddities like this will happen.
My daughter is home with strep throat. She's just hitting the 24 hour mark on antibiotics so I thought it best to keep her home. My activity to this point has consisted of folding multiple loads of laundry, helping my daughter pack for her upcoming visit to her dad's house, and half way cleaning the kitchen. The cat and dog distracted me from the last one. And that is my day to this point. A sick day although I am not sick.

I passed!

For a good portion of my working life I've been working in Human Resources on some level. It's been a goal for awhile to get my certification, because as with any profession you can become certified through an amazingly hard test given by the oversseing regulatory body of that profession.
September 3rd I began a class to help me prepare for that amazingly hard test. The class was 3 hours a week for 10 weeks with about 10-15 hours of prep between classes. After the class was over I had 4 weeks to study and stayed on the 10-15 hours a week of study time. Not an easy task with all of the activity that my kids seem to generate. After all of the study and work- yesterday I tested. I'm very, very pleased to report that I passed. At least that's what the piece of paper said. After studying, for what seemed like an eternity, I actually passed! I won't know my score for a few weeks, and really at this point it's just sort of a bonus. The point is I am now a CERTIFIED HR Professional. Woohoo!

Let America Be America Again!

This was sent to me by a very dear friend. I think it really embodies what this campaign was about and what we as a nation need to remember in the victory. Yes, we can!



Let America be America Again
by
Langston Hughes


Let America be America again.
Let it be the dream it used to be.
Let it be the pioneer on the plain
Seeking a home where he himself is free.

(America never was America to me.)

Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed--
Let it be that great strong land of love
Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme
That any man be crushed by one above.

(It never was America to me.)

O, let my land be a land where Liberty
Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath,
But opportunity is real, and life is free,
Equality is in the air we breathe.

(There's never been equality for me,
Nor freedom in this "homeland of the free.")

Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark?
And who are you that draws your veil across the stars?

I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart,
I am the Negro bearing slavery's scars.
I am the red man driven from the land,
I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek--
And finding only the same old stupid plan
Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.

I am the young man, full of strength and hope,
Tangled in that ancient endless chain
Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land!
Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need!
Of work the men! Of take the pay!
Of owning everything for one's own greed!

I am the farmer, bondsman to the soil.
I am the worker sold to the machine.
I am the Negro, servant to you all.
I am the people, humble, hungry, mean--
Hungry yet today despite the dream.
Beaten yet today--O, Pioneers!
I am the man who never got ahead,
The poorest worker bartered through the years.

Yet I'm the one who dreamt our basic dream
In the Old World while still a serf of kings,
Who dreamt a dream so strong, so brave, so true,
That even yet its mighty daring sings
In every brick and stone, in every furrow turned
That's made America the land it has become.
O, I'm the man who sailed those early seas
In search of what I meant to be my home--
For I'm the one who left dark Ireland's shore,
And Poland's plain, and England's grassy lea,
And torn from Black Africa's strand I came
To build a "homeland of the free."

The free?

Who said the free? Not me?
Surely not me? The millions on relief today?
The millions shot down when we strike?
The millions who have nothing for our pay?
For all the dreams we've dreamed
And all the songs we've sung
And all the hopes we've held
And all the flags we've hung,
The millions who have nothing for our pay--
Except the dream that's almost dead today.

O, let America be America again--
The land that never has been yet--
And yet must be--the land where every man is free.
The land that's mine--the poor man's, Indian's, Negro's, ME--
Who made America,
Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain,
Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain,
Must bring back our mighty dream again.

Sure, call me any ugly name you choose--
The steel of freedom does not stain.
From those who live like leeches on the people's lives,
We must take back our land again,
America!

O, yes,
I say it plain,
America never was America to me,
And yet I swear this oath--
America will be!

Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death,
The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies,
We, the people, must redeem
The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers.
The mountains and the endless plain--
All, all the stretch of these great green states--
And make America again!

President Obama

That sounds exactly right. Congratulations, Mr. President-Elect.

Well Wishes

I think one of the things that I recognize in Barack Obama that I see in myself is that we both had grandparents that were key figures in our upbringing. In particular, I was very close with my grandmother. She was, as Sen Obama has described his grandmother, a key element in later success. So when I heard that he was flying to Hawaii to be with her on Thursday I was particularly touched by his action. This late into the election he's decided to do the right thing and go be by his grandmother. Despite what the talking heads have to speculate about the whole deal, I for one am wishing Senator Obama and his grandmother the best. I hope she can recover to see him through the election and beyond.

Redeemed

I used to really admire Colin Powell, and then he endorsed the war and stood up for the false evidence that we went to war on. I am not fully convinced that he knew it was false intelligence, but I have never really cleared my mind as to how he couldn't have known. This clip, in my mind, redeems him a little bit.
Here is the clip from Meet the Press where Colin Powell endorses Barack Obama. I'm not posting it soley because of his endorsement. I'm posting it because at about the 5:10 mark he says something that we all need to take to heart.

A Brighter Day Will Come- please vote November 4th

Obama '08 - Vote For Hope from MC Yogi on Vimeo.

A Reasonable Request...

Guilty by Association? No, just Plain GUILTY!

Ethics investigation finds Palin abused power

"ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Sarah Palin unlawfully abused her power as governor by trying to have her former brother-in-law fired as a state trooper, the chief investigator of an Alaska legislative panel concluded Friday. The politically charged inquiry imperiled her reputation as a reformer on John McCain's Republican ticket.

Investigator Stephen Branchflower, in a report by a bipartisan panel that investigated the matter, found Palin in violation of a state ethics law that prohibits public officials from using their office for personal gain."

Now, I'm gonna make it real simple. If she was willin' to violate state ethics rules as a gov'na, what do you think she might do as Vice President. Can y'all say WATERGATE? What about IRAN-CONTRA? This is down right unethical. A pitbull that's bit someone once WILL bite agin'.

Reject the invitation of fear!

The attempt at character assassination against Barack Obama have hit an all time low and it's disgusting. What it tells me is that the McCain camp has nothing better to do. They don't have to worry about our economy, the war, or anything else of substance because they JUST DON'T GET IT! McCain's plan is to hit below the belt instead of showing us his substance.

Barack Obama is out there talking about the immediate issues and what he proposes to resolve them, and John McCain is out there telling us to be afraid of the candidate with solid ideas. In the words of FDR:

WE HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR BUT FEAR ITSELF



Mr. McCain, I'm not accepting your invitation to be afraid. I am voting for Obama!

Guilty by association? No.

I've been watching the new, the pundits, etc. and everyone is talking about Governor Palin talking about Obama's association with William Ayers. Two things disturb me about this whole game of playing association.
The first being that Mr. Ayers has become a good citizen since his radical days in the late '60's early 70's. Chicago thought well enough of him that they named him citizen of the year. The University he teaches at has him listed as a Distinguished Professor. The point being that people can make bad choices out of their passions and then live another day to make up for their errors. People should be given second chances to redeem their bad behavior and I think in this case William Ayers has made good. So, while he did some really awful things in the past, his life of education and working for his community has certainly made a positive impact today. If Mr. Obama is guilty of working with Mr. Ayers on education and helping the youth of Chicago so be it. It has nothing to do with the mistakes Mr. Ayers made as a youth.

Secondly, if we are going to make people guilty by association then McCain has a long list of associates that don't reflect well on him. Keating for starters, but it goes farther, and I'm not the only one who is talking about it.

Why Ayers case is risky for McCain-Palin- by Rollin Martin

"Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., a Democrat from Chicago who serves as one of the national co-chairs for Obama, told me on The Tom Joyner Morning Show that if we are to use the association tag as evidence of a candidate being unfit for president, what about McCain serving and working alongside people with virulent bigoted pasts like Sens. Jesse Helms, Strom Thurmond and Robert Byrd?

Do we have evidence that these individuals committed specific acts against African-Americans during Jim Crow? No. But we do know that their hateful words, and willingness to uphold laws that were absolutely anti-American, did not represent the best of this nation.

Thurmond ran for president as a Dixiecrat in 1948 with a platform of maintaining segregation. Based on Helms' policies, he didn't see blacks as full Americans.

Bombing the Pentagon is horrible and indefensible. But declaring yourself a patriot while you speak such hateful and venomous words against your own countrymen, who just happen to be black, and then trying to oppress them, is just as indefensible.

So, did McCain work with them? Did he not speak with them? Should McCain have declared that he would not work alongside these men because of their past? Should the self-described maverick who believes in integrity and character have taken the honorable stance of resigning from the Senate to protest these hateful characters serving in the U.S. Senate?"

So, while Palin is out on the stump trying to use fear to win people over (Rovian tactics at play again) perhaps she should reflect on the associations of her running mate. And by the way, this doesn't even begin to touch on her guilty by marriage association to the Alaskan Independence Party.

The Real John McCain

"John has made a pact with the devil," says Lincoln Chafee, the former GOP senator, who has been appalled at his one-time colleague's readiness to sacrifice principle for power. Chafee and McCain were the only Republicans to vote against the Bush tax cuts. They locked arms in opposition to drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. And they worked together in the "Gang of 14," which blocked some of Bush's worst judges from the federal bench.

"On all three — sadly, sadly, sadly — McCain has flip-flopped," Chafee says. And forget all the "Country First" sloganeering, he adds. "McCain is putting himself first. He's putting himself first in blinking neon lights."

What would you say if there was a whole article of past and present Republicans saying loud and clear why John McCain doesn't deserve the White House? Well, there is one. It's a Rolling Stone article that really lays it out and really deserves to be read from the first word to the last.

So, why are you still reading here?! Go read that article NOW!!! It's really that good.

Do the math.

So, we've all seen the ads saying that Obama is going to create a higher tax burden for the middle class. Well, if you are wondering if that's true then do the math.

Estimate your Taxes has a handy dandy calculator that will estimate how much more or less you will pay under both administrations. Go for it. Test the candidates against what they say.

I did it and based on my current single status and then after the wedding next year I come out better. MUCH better with Obama. Strange how McCain thinks I'll be paying more.

From Golden Parachutes to BlackBerries

From ABC news:

UPDATE: Obama has co-sponsored a bill with eight other Democrats that is currently before the Senate Banking Committee, S.1181, that would amend the Securities Act of 1934 to include a separate shareholder vote on executive compensation. McCain is not a co-sponsor.

I guess McCain is working on that "commission" to evaluate the not so dire economy so he can't help out on that one. In addition to this bill Obama has a 6-point plan in place that you can actually read!! Yes, an economic PLAN!! Even better it's not an economic plan devised by this guy, Phil Gramm. (scroll on down to Enron Loophole, Banking Deregulation and 2008 Financial CRISIS while you are there). But then despite his lack of knowledge about economics McCain is familiar with financial crisis and deregulation.

Just to refrain from being accused of being sexist by Carly Fiorina I do have news on Sarah Palin. Here's the quote:

"John McCain and I we're going to put an end to the mismanagement and abuses and on Wall Street that have resulted in this financial crisis," Palin said Monday. "We are going to reform the way Wall Street does business and stop multi-million dollar payouts and golden parachutes to CEOs who break the public trust."

Would it be hypocritical to say that if your point person on business and economic affairs is one of those CEO's that broke the public trust by taking a multi-million dollar payout? Or since she's a woman is that sexist?

You know, trying to figure out the political ramblings of the Rethuglicans and particularly McCain Palin is like trying to invent the BlackBerry. I'm going to stick with what makes sense and vote Obama.


OBAMA/BIDEN '08

The line was blurred some time ago.

I was just checking my Black Berry to see what messages I had. Yes, it is 8:40 p.m. on Sunday evening and I'm not technically on the clock. That being said having this silly little device helps me gt ready for my days. I know what I'm walking into the next morning. I can communicate in a few minutes information to people so that I don't have a line of people at my door when I show up (hopefully).
The reason I bring this up is because I think this line between on the clock and off the clock was erased for a long time. Even more so for public figures. Celebrities and politicians certainly have not had a clear, set line since I can remember. What they do in their private lives (from checking a BlackBerry on to having an affair) counts. This includes who they marry, how much money they have, etc. I don't know if this is fair or not, but it is what it is. So, when a politician refuses to answer a simple question about his monetary standing by claiming that it's private information I call bullshit. If you didn't want us to know your personal business and how it contradicts with your party line and platform then you shouldn't have thrown your name into the hat. Period.

Fall...

Well, it's definitely fall here in Denver. The temperatures are in the 70's and lower and the chrysanthemums are all abloom. It's really lovely, but I find myself wanting to sleep more and ugh..eat more. Fortunately, despite my inability to ride my bike to and from work now (school schedules don't allow it) a good friend gave me an ellyptical they weren't using. I've been working out every morning on that. Fun!

Bronte and Geoffrey are fully immersed in school and doing great! It's awesome to feel like we are getting into the swing of it all. Although after school stuff starts this week so that might give a bit of a kink in things. We'll see.

We are going to start on the back brick paver patio soon, I think. I told Dan we couldn't until the 18th of September because I wanted that month to get the kids into a schedule. It's going to be right around 400 sq feet more to our back yard. Woohoo! I hope that's enough for our reception. It's going to have to be.

Lastly, I have bony fingers. Bronte wears the same ring size as I do now. No wonder I don't have much strength in my hands...they are the size of a 10 year olds.

Just imagine...

I received some info in my e-mail today about the importance of having leaders with a good education. It wasn't really well written so I rephrased it a bit to better illustrate the point. So, just imagine...

You are the board chair of a major international company that has many specialties- security, contract negotiations, finance, and law. Despite a really solid reputable past your business has really suffered in the bad economy and due to some public relations fiascos fallen out of favor of former clients. Profits are down, costs are sky rocketing and your competition is at an all time high. Even worse, you are looking for a new CEO and their being an intelligent, well respected, go getter is critical or your business is done.
You have two candidates to choose from both of which want to bring one person with them to get the business back in line. Let's look at the educational background of your two options:

Mr. O –
Occidental College - Two years.
Columbia University - B.A. political science with a specialization in international relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

Mr. O’s right hand:
University of Delaware - B.A. in history and B.A. in political science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

OR

Mr. M :
United States Naval Academy - Class rank 894 of 899

Mr. M’s right hand:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in journalism

Now, which team are you going to hire?

Enough about them. Obama should WIN!

Alright. Enough talking about the competition. Here's why Obama should win.

1. He's smart! He was the editor in chief of the Harvard Law Review based on his grades and his writing. That means he KNOWS the law. In addition he taught the law (constitutional law, actually) so he understands that the Constitution is more than "Just a piece of paper".
2. I believe what he says, because he has a record of doing what he says.
3. He's well travelled and understands that not every country is wealthy.
4. He knows what it's like to not have a lot of money. He grew up in a family that didn't have a lot of money and has worked with folks that didn't have much of anything except their willingness to work.
5. He was a state legislator representing a large district in Illinois. That's right folks- he was RESPONSIBLE to the people in his district. They even liked him so much that they re-elected him as their representative. (population 210K)
6. He's been a U.S. senator since 1/05. That's right. THREE years representing the people of his state and looking out for their best interest on a Federal level. The state of Illinois has a population of 12 MILLION.
7. He's got good plans and he's focused on how to make them work. A plan for the economy, for the war, education, healthcare, etc. and he understands that these are not independent of one another, but rather very much tied together and need to be dealt with as such.
8. He knows how to LISTEN. Not just hear what people are saying, but how to listen to what they've said and ask questions about it so that he fully understands the situation.
9. He isn't afraid to take action. This is who he is. He is a doer. He does stuff. His record proves that he is a doer. That is what we need.

So yeah, you should vote for him. He really is the best candidate. His resume might not have war torn scars all over it or 28 years of inaction, but it's solid in proving that he is the smart choice.

John McCain is a Liar

There I've said it. Check the facts against his political ads and there is your proof. Yeah, his pit bull lies, too. And now a little FACTUAL humor:

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Just a community organizer...

The Maverick and the Pit Bull

maverick- a lone dissenter, as an intellectual, an artist, or a politician, who takes an independent stand apart from his or her associates.

pit bull- One who behaves in a markedly aggressive or ruthless manner.


The whole idea of a maverick means that you go out on your own and do what you want to do. John McCain can tell everyone that he is a maverick, but when it comes down to it he's voted for his parties politics and policies NINETY-ONE percent of the time. 91%!! To me that is a pretty high majority of going along with the crowd. He can say the word maverick all he wants, but the fact of the matter is he is just a Bush/Rove clone.

As far as Palin being a pit bull I believe it. That's probably why there is an investigation against her in Alaska right now. A pit bull bites and doesn't let go. I can see Sarah Palin being the kind of woman who has made up her mind and isn't going to change it.

So, what's the option here? Obama is the option. He's got a plan. He's clearly stated what that plan is and it's NOT the same thing that we've seen for the last 8 years. He doesn't need some snazzy nickname like maverick to prove that he's got a vision and he has the plan to make it come true to the benefit of us all.

I'm just sayin.

And now for some humor...

This comes from one of my favorite blogs. The Sneeze (which by the way The TREE BRAIN IS BACK!! WooT!)


"Reports came in that my 8-year-old was secretly chatting up some ladies earlier in the day. Proud and curious, I summon him to the bedroom for details.
"Mommy told me she took you and your brother to the park today and you were talking to some girls."
"Yeah."
"She said you were hanging out with them on top of the slide?"
"Yeah."
"Nice! What did you say to them?"
"I was telling them that you have a hairy butt."
"..."
This brief moment of silence is broken by the hard laughter of his obnoxious 4-year-old brother.
"And what did the girls say??"
"They said their dad's have hairy butts, too."
I suppose this once again proves the old adage: "The quickest way to a woman's heart is through your father's swampy ass."
I'm not thrilled about this conversation, but I've always had a hard time talking to strange girls. If my buttocks are an ice-breaker, have at it, kid."

Steve is a nut.

Just the facts

The McCain/Palin camp has said a lot of things recently that just didn't add up to me. Particularly about his tax plan. So, I decided I'd find out if what they were saying was legit or if it was a pile of poop. Well, put on your boots folks. Here's what I found at FactCheck.org (a nonpartisan, non-profit "consumer" advocate).

A New Stitch in a Bad Pattern

A McCain ad wrongly claims Obama plans "painful tax increases" for working families. And who's talking about deficits?
Summary
McCain's new ad puts another stitch in what we've called his pattern of deceit on Obama's tax plan. This one claims Obama and congressional Democrats plan to push forward "painful tax increases on working American families" and that they will bring about "years of deficits," "no balanced budgets" and "billions in new government spending." The ad is plain wrong about higher taxes on working families. In fact, Obama's economic plan would produce a tax cut for the majority of American households, with middle-income earners benefiting most. As for "years of deficits," exactly the same claim could be made about McCain's program. It's unlikely either Obama or McCain would balance the budget, and both are projected to increase the debt by trillions.
Analysis
We've already reported on at least three other ads, in both Spanish and English, from Sen. John McCain's campaign that distort his rival's tax policy. The ads claim that, for example, Democratic Sen. Barack Obama would raise taxes "on the sale of your home" and that he has a "history of raising taxes" and that he wanted to raise taxes on "families" making just $42,000 a year.Claims like these have led us to say that McCain's campaign is engaging in a "pattern of deceit" when it comes to describing Obama's tax plan. This most recent ad fits right into the template.Tax Counter-Spin
The ad says Obama and “out of touch Congressional leaders” plan to implement “painful tax increases on working American families,” and it shows an image of a family presumably upset about an impending tax increase. But, as we've reported numerous times, Obama proposes a tax cut for the vast majority of households.
John McCain 2008 Ad:"Expensive Plans"


Crowd: Obama, Obama…Announcer: Take away the crowds, the chants. All that’s left are costly words. Barack Obama and out of touch congressional leaders have expensive plans. Billions in government spending, years of deficits, no balanced budgets, and painful tax increases on working American families. They’re ready to tax, ready to spend, but not ready to lead.
We spoke with Len Berman, director of the nonpartisan Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, which has produced one of the most authoritative analyses of the two candidates’ tax plans. When we asked him if Obama’s claim that he would “cut taxes for 95 percent of all working families” was true, Berman told FactCheck.org that it was “consistent with our estimates.” Overall, the TPC found that Obama’s plan would produce a tax cut for 81.3 percent of all households, and a cut for 95.5 percent of all households with children.Under Obama's plan, the TPC estimates that people (or couples) making between $37,595 and $66,354 a year would see an average savings of $1,118 on their taxes. Under McCain's plan, on the other hand, those same individuals would save $325 on average — $793 less than the average savings under Obama's plan.
Put It on Our Tab
The ad also claims that Obama and congressional Democrats would bring about "years of deficits." But (and we've reported this before, too), the fact is both candidates' economic plans would fail to bring an end to deficit spending, and by that measure, McCain's is worse than Obama's. According to the TPC analysis, Obama's tax plan would increase the debt by $3.5 trillion by 2018, while McCain's plan would bring about a projected $5 trillion increase in the same time frame. The TPC also found that:
Tax Policy Center (Aug 28): Neither candidate’s plan would significantly increase economic growth unless offset by spending cuts or tax increases that the campaigns have not specified.
The Obama campaign maintains that the Tax Policy Center's estimates don't account for Obama's proposed spending cuts, including things like ending the Iraq war. But those cuts will not come close to balancing the budget, and Obama has avoided promising a balanced budget during his first term.
McCain, however, has said he will balance the budget by 2013. Experts remain skeptical. In early July, The New York Times quoted Robert L. Bixby, executive director of the Concord Coalition — a bipartisan fiscal responsibility advocacy group — as saying the claim was "unlikely":
Robert L. Bixby (as quoted by The New York Times, July 8): It’s feasible to balance the budget by 2013, but very unlikely under the policies Senator McCain has proposed. The spending cuts are far too vague to be counted on for significant savings and, even if they were more specific, I can’t see how they would come close to offsetting the level of tax cuts he recommends.
McCain senior economic adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin sent The Washington Post's editorial board a copy of McCain's plan in support of the candidate's claim. But the board concluded, in its July 14 editorial, that the plan was "not credible."
So the ad's claims about deficit spending and "no balanced budgets"? They could be applied just as easily to McCain as to Obama and the Dems. And we're not sure McCain really wants to go there.
-by Emi Kolawole

McCain- the Vet

To hear him tell it being a veteran is what gives McCain the political prowess to lead this country in the time of war. If that's the case then why is he so dead set against helping those men and women who have served this country in the Iraq war? Why has he repeatedly voted against legislation and spending that would assist those veterans with health care, tax cuts and education for reentry into the work force? I don't know, but here's the article that shows that he's not for any veteran except for one- HIMSELF! Thanks to Mickey for bringing this to my attention.

"McCain's record on veterans' issues is shocking and awful.
At a town hall meeting in Denver in early July, a Vietnam veteran asked presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) why he had opposed increasing healthcare for veterans whenever Congress had taken up the issue over the past six years. McCain virtually ignored the man's question, dissembling his opposition to an updated GI Bill for veterans. After the questioner challenged McCain's response, the senator reacted as he usually does when queried beyond his comfort level: He got visibly angry.
Because McCain is running for president almost solely on his biography as a war hero, he can't - and won't - allow the slightest doubt to linger about his dedication to soldiers both past and present. It didn't matter that the vet simply wanted to know how McCain - himself a former soldier and prisoner of war - could oppose important healthcare legislation for veterans. In fact, he didn't even ask McCain about the GI Bill that he opposed, which had been supported by a bipartisan group of 75 senators, including Republican veterans Chuck Hagel (Neb.) and John Warner (Va.).
Most notably, McCain also testily responded to his inquisitor that he had "received every award from every vets organization."
The problem is, not only is that assertion not true, but McCain's record on veterans' issues paints a picture of a man who has been willfully negligent when it comes to providing for his former brothers and sisters in arms.
As Iraq War veteran and former Democratic congressional candidate Paul Hackett says, "Here is a guy who touts himself as a friend of veterans, but his history shows just the opposite. How can someone who cares about our men and women in the armed services vote against the GI Bill or veterans' healthcare?" Dying on the vine
In 2005, Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii), now chair of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, introduced legislation that would have increased veterans' medical care by $2.8 billion in 2006. He also introduced another bill that would have set aside $10 million for "readjustment counseling services" - a program to provide a wide range of counseling, outreach and referral services for those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, to ease their readjustment back into society. (This program was started in 1979 for Vietnam veterans, so one would think McCain is quite familiar with it.)
But McCain - and other Republicans who are more concerned with using government funds for tax cuts for multimillionaires or for corporate subsidies to oil and gas companies - voted this effort down.
The following year, Akaka requested $1.5 billion for veterans' medical care and an additional $430 million for the Department of Veteran Affairs for outpatient care and treatment for veterans. But, once again, McCain voted against these proposals, while offering no measures of his own, and without pushing his party to help U.S. veterans.
In 2005, Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) saw their respective veteran amendments killed. These amendments would have funded additional medical care and readjustment counseling for Iraq veterans with mental illness, post-traumatic stress disorder or substance abuse disorder. McCain voted "no" on both.
In 2005, and again in 2006, Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) proposed legislation that would have indexed veterans' healthcare benefits to take into account the annual changes in inflation and veterans' population. She proposed paying for the indexing by restoring the pre-2001 top tax rate for income more than $1 million, closing corporate tax loopholes and delaying tax cuts for the wealthy. One guess as to how McCain voted.
In early 2006, Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) proposed an amendment for additional funding to shore up the collapsing infrastructures at veterans' hospitals around the country. The bill would have mandated a minor rollback in the capital gains tax cuts that the Bush administration has given to the richest one-fifth of 1 percent of Americans. McCain, presumably more concerned about the 100-plus lobbyists associated with his campaign than the health of veterans, opposed this amendment.
Not long after, in February 2007, the Washington Post exposed horror stories about the crumbling infrastructure at Washington, D.C.'s Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
In February 2006, Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) sponsored an amendment that would have rolled back capital gains tax cuts so that much-needed equipment for troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan could be purchased. McCain and the Republican leadership made sure those tax cuts stayed in place, and, as a result, the troops didn't get what they needed.
Finally, in June 2006, Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) authored a bill - S. Amdt. 4442 - "to require the redeployment of United States Armed Forces from Iraq in order to further a political solution in Iraq, encourage the people of Iraq to provide for their own security, and achieve victory in the war on terror."
It received 13 votes. Needless to say, McCain's wasn't one of them.
McCain was also noticeably absent on two measures that members of both parties should be able to embrace.
The Homes for Heroes Act - which Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) introduced in April 2007 - would have helped provide housing for low-income veterans and helped tackle the problem of homelessness among America's military veterans. The bill died, though the House overwhelmingly passed a similar bill in July; its companion version still awaits a new vote in the Senate.
The Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2007 - introduced by Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) - restores the old GI Bill and provides returning troops with the more robust educational benefits enjoyed by the men and women who served in the three decades following World War II. Although this bill did not initially make it to vote, it was incorporated into the new GI bill that the Senate - absent McCain, who was at a fundraiser in Caliornia - passed in May. Failing scorecard
The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the country's largest Iraq veterans' group, looked at 155 Senate votes since Sept. 11, 2001, on legislation that "affected troops, veterans or military families." It then awarded each senator a grade by comparing his or her votes to IAVA's view of what constitutes effective support for active troops, veterans and their families.
No senator received an "A" grade. Thirteen senators - all Democrats - received an "A-." The worst grade received by a Senate Democrat was higher than the best grade granted to a Republican. Obama, for his part, got a B+.
McCain received a "D."
In fact, IAVA founder and Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff says that "there has been no bigger obstacle to passage of the GI Bill than Senator McCain. Even though he'd now like to claim credit for it, he didn't even show up. He thought it was more important to be in California for a fundraiser."
In 2007, the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), after surveying McCain's votes on healthcare issues for its 1.3 million members, gave him only 20 percent. By contrast, DAV gave 194 Democrats and 7 Republicans a perfect 100 percent. Even by GOP standards, McCain's performance suffers.
Often times, his is a faithful vote for party above principle. This party-line voting pattern suggests that McCain is a legislative follower - if he bothers to show up at all.
In a 2006 Washington Post column by David Ignatius, McCain described his loyalty to Bush as being so profound that he said he wouldn't rule out giving up his Senate seat to become secretary of defense if Donald Rumsfeld were to leave.
"I would have to assess where I can be most effective," said McCain. "It's awfully hard to say no to the president of the United States."
McCain's record makes that abundantly clear.
--------
Editor's note: This article is adapted from "The Real McCain: Why Conservatives Don't Trust Him and Why Independents Shouldn't" (PoliPoint Press).

Birds of a Feather...

Flock together.

OBAMA 2008!!

Quotes

So, I was reading 1 boring old man (as I do and so should you) and he posted something that Firedoglake posted (which you should also read). It was totally worth reposting. And then reposting. So, I'm doing just that. Enjoy.

Richards: “A woman voting for John McCain would be like a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders.”By: Blue Texan Wednesday August 27, 2008 9:50 am

You probably didn't see it, but that line was delivered by Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood and the daughter of former governor Ann Richards.
Not to state the obvious, but the cable news networks suck. I did my best to flip around during the speeches, and at one point, David Gregory and some other air talking head were babbling about the Democrats not attacking -- while on PBS (and right behind them), Kathleen Sebelius was attacking McSame. Unreal.
Here's a few of the best moments that the corporate media didn't bother to cover.
Napolitano:
There’s a pattern here. Barry Goldwater ran for president and he lost. Mo Udall ran for president. He lost. Bruce Babbitt ran for president. And he lost. Speaking for myself, and for at least this coming election, this is one Arizona tradition I’d like to see continue!
Sebelius:
I'm sure you remember a girl from Kansas who said there's no place like home. Well, in John McCain's version, there's no place like home. And a home. And home. And home.
Pena:
For eight years now, President Bush and Dick Cheney have rubber- stamped an energy policy written by big oil companies and their lobbyists in Washington. And what does John McCain want to do now? The same old things that keep on failing: more of the same tax breaks for big oil companies making record profits. More of the same roadblocks in front of fuel-efficient vehicles. More of the same refusal to support advanced, renewable energy. Americans who had to pay $4 dollars a gallon for gas this summer know we can’t afford more of the same.
Patrick:
The same folks who say they believe in small government and fiscal restraint are responsible for the biggest expansion in the size of government and the size of the federal deficit in American history. The same folks, with John McCain leading the charge, who say they support seniors, want to privatize Social Security and put corporate pension funds up for grabs. The same folks who call themselves “compassionate conservatives” are the folks who abandoned all those people not only after Katrina, but before that storm. The American people have had enough.
Rendell:
It’s clear: the only thing green in John McCain’s energy plan is the billions of dollars he’s promising in tax cuts for oil companies. And the only thing he’ll recycle is the same failed Bush approach to energy policy. We can’t afford more of the same.


By the way, did you notice my cool new schwag to the side? Yeah! I'm for Obama! Vote for him.

Updates:

Job- going amazingly well. I still really love it, but at times it's a bit overwhelming. I really could work 40 hours a week and still be busy. I'm hopeful that when I'm ready to go back full time there will be a full time opportunity for me.

Kids- how in the world do I have kids in 5th and 7th grade? And how in the world did I get so lucky to have such amazing kids? Well, it's just luck. That's all.

Dan- he's fantastic. He's been riding his bike a lot and being just his normal awesome self. We pushed our fence back so we can have our wedding reception at home and now he's itching to finish the brick paver patio extension. It will be nice, but oh...ANOTHER project. *sigh*

The wedding- plans are being made. I ordered my dress. A destination wedding still sounds divine, but it's not going to happen...so yeah, I'll just have to dream.

Skate Tour

We are headed out on skate tour for a couple days. Photos to follow.

helicopters

Living about 3 miles (as the crow flies) from where the Democratic National Convention had proved to be an interesting event. We've had helicopters flying through our neighborhood for the last month. At first it was training exercises. Men sitting in the helicopter doorways holding what appeared to be weapons as the choppers went slow and low. Low enough to count the legs and feet and guns. It has progressed into them buzzing through more quickly.

It all makes me wonder what we are in for. Hopefully not much more than the inconvenience of me not being able to ride my bike to work. I guess we'll see.

That brings up another challenge that I'm facing right now. School starts in 10 days and I don't have it figured out about how I'm going to ride my bike in at least 2 days if not 3. It's not just a matter of saving gas, although it does, but rather it's an easy way for me to get some good exercise in a fairly quick and easy way. I know I won't be riding when it gets cold, but I need to figure out how to ride until then. The other thing about riding my bike is it makes my day go better. I'm always in a better mood from the ride to or from than when I drive. I ride along the Cherry Creek path and often get to see some really cool birds, interesting people, and just sort of get into a zone.

On another note, wedding planning is going. I'm not enjoying it. I am excited about my dress, but other than that...yeah...destination wedding is looking better and better although it's still not likely since we have to "have a party". blah...who needs a party when you can have a BEACH!?

The helicopters are back over head.

It's amazing how quickly life can sweep you up and whisk you off onto things that you feel you have to do and not allow you time for the things that you mean to do. I always mean to come onto my blog and write about the things that are going on. And then someone spills the milk. Or the cat throws up all over something. Or friends invite us over. So, yeah, it's not all bad stuff that just comes up, but stuff comes up indeed. Especially when the kids come back. I'm just saying.

I've been really trying hard to get more exercise in. Riding my bike, doing yoga, walking, skateboarding, etc. I have even been trying to keep my calories down. So, do you think I can fit into my shorts? Yeah, not so much. WTF? I think it's the loratadine my allergist put me on. I need to stop taking it and just go w/ the flonase, because seriously! Five pounds in 2 months...no good. No good at all. At least the flonase is working and I can breathe and man- my legs muscles are like ROCKS!

By the way, Mr. E brought a live little bird into the house today. That was fun. I took it back outside, but I'm not sure it's going to make it. He's such a mean little cat.

Day 4- Mesa Verde

When you look at dioramas and photos of the Native Americans that inhabited Mesa Verde invariably they are scantily clad. When you think of the American SouthWest in June you think of hot, dry weather. Neither of which would be accurate representations of our trip to Mesa Verde.

We awoke on the 4th day of our trip to a fine rain. So much for one last hike at Arches. By the time we got there it was actually pouring down. We were in the desert where it was pouring down cold rain on our vacation in June. Alas, we decided that rather than prolong the road trip we'd just hit the road and hope it cleared up by the time we got down to Mesa Verde.

It was actually a quick drive. Not more than two hours from Moab to Cortez. We didn't lose the rain. We had booked reservations at the lodge that is actually on the park site rather than staying in town and driving up the next morning. We paid our park entrance fee and headed up, and up, and up. Little by little, unbeknownst, to us we lost cell service. Fortunately, the misty rain stopped. Upon our arrival at the lodge we checked in and went right to our room.

The room. There is so much to say about this neverbeenremodelledcoldassfuckingdump of a room that I probably summed it up just then. It was frightening. The one good thing about the room was...hmmm... No TV, no cell service, no internet, and NO HEAT!!! WTF? We paid $130 to not have heat on probably one of the coldest JUNE days in recent record. Equally as bad it was Deana's birthday and we couldn't call her since we didn't have a calling card and NO CELL SERVICE.

Undeterred by the less than stellar conditions we went off to see some of the dwellings. We just wanted to peek over the railing at them because we would be going on a tour the next day. We hiked a little and took some photos and then visited the museum. Yes, they DID have several dioramas with the Native Americans scantily clad. Trust me, in reality they were wearing a lot more than a loincloth because it was COLD!

O.K. so the best part of the Mesa Verde lodgings was the dinner we had. The restaurant is actually pretty good for the captive audience that they have. It was pricey, but really delicious. Especially the black bean hummus "pizza". Yummy! After dinner we got to see some deer up pretty close. Then we went back to our freezer room. We did call the maintenance guy, but he didn't fix the heater. We spent a cold, cold night snuggled together. At least there was that.

DO NOT STAY AT THE FAR VIEW LODGE ON MESA VERDE!! You have been warned.

Day 3- vacation

I think Moab is most known for it's mountain bike trails and specifically Slickrock. Being a novice rider I knew that I wasn't going on Slickrock, but Dan hadn't ridden it in a few year so wanted to go. So, after breakfast on the 3rd day we headed over with the promise that after that we could go on a trail that I could ride. I played around riding the entry part and just past this big effing hill that takes you to the practice loop while Dan did the practice loop. I was getting pretty good at riding on the rock and going up not super steep stuff. It was really fun. Dan came back and he watched me do stuff that a 3 year old could probably do and then we left.

We headed straight for the "Monitor & Merrimac" trail. It was one of the "relationship proof" rides the girl at the bike shop had mentioned. It was pretty easy to find. We parked and started down yet another gravel road. Fortunately this one was short and not up a long, gradual hill. Well, the gravel road wasn't up a long hill. Then we got on the trail and started the real climb. It's about 7.5 miles round trip. What the lady didn't say is that it's uphill one way and then a really fun ride back down. We did the uphill and then we took it as a loop and on the way back we ran into...SAND!!! EVIL SAND!! Initially it didn't seem that bad until I fell. Yeeaahhh...that sort of sucked, but whatever. I just got some bruises, a scraped knee and covered in sand. There was just enough rock to skin my knee. Damn sand. We slogged through it and made it back the car. In retrospect I think we somehow missed our turn and ended up on the wrong trail. Next time (yeah, there will soooo be a next time) I'm doing this one as an out and back and not as a loop.

We got back to the b&b and got cleaned up and then just chilled with a couple beers in the lovely garden. We snuggled up on the hammock and watched birds and chatted about who knows what. It really was relaxing and lovely.

For dinner we ended up at Pasta Jay's. There is one in Boulder, too. It was alright. Dan saw some lady get her toes broken when her S.O. pulled his chair up and landed right on her. We took a pretty good walk around town that night just because. It was warm and nice. I love that kind of weather.

Oh yeah! This was the day that I bought the new Weezer CD, which I highly recommend getting.

Day 2- vaca

Before I start with Day 2 I just want to say that I think Sen. Kucinich rocks the poo for introducing the articles of impeachment against Dumbfuck Bush. I'm ashamed at our "free speech" media for not picking up the story, but whatever. It happened and it's important. Read about it in detail here or a summary here.

Day two- We woke up early, as we did most days of the vacation. I am not sure why we woke so early, but I think it was about 6 when we woke and then about 6:30 when we got up and moving. Breakfast was part of our stay at Cali Cochitta so we went over to the outside garden table at 8:00. There were a few folks already eating and chatting. The food all of the days we were there was phenomenal. I love good food and this was the tops.

After breakfast we headed out for our first mountain bike adventure. Dan had chatted with a local when picking up a patch kit and got a few recommendations. I guess the conversation went something like this.

Dan- "So, what are some good novice trails?"

Local bike shop lady- "You here with your girlfriend, huh?"

Dan- "Yeah."

LBSL- "Do you want to keep her?"

haha!! So after finding out the trails that wouldn't create a rift in our relationship we decided to take the Bar M Loop. The first part was my hell. Why? Because it was a slow long climb up a lame gravel road. I hate that. So, freaking hard and boring! Give me something fun! Finally when we got to the top we got to see some great views and it was a bit more up and down and technical. We could look over the valley and see Arches Nat'l Park. After a good bit of fun terrain we headed down only to have to get back on the stupid gravel road and climb back up. I want it to all be down! Or at least short, steep ascents. None of that slow, long bullshit.

After our morning bike ride we got cleaned up and had a fairly forgetable lunch. Then we headed to Arches National Park. I don't think I've ever been there. When I was a child my grandparents took me on a lot of trips, but this isn't one I recall. We could see a lot of the rock formations that we saw from a distance earlier in the day.

We got out at Park Avenue, but decided to forgo that hike. Then we drove down to the Windows Arches. We hiked around to the Arch that's just south of the window and then headed to the South Arch. When we got there I sat down on a rock and asked Dan to take my photo. He sat down on a lower rock and obliged my request. Then as he was getting up he acted like his back was hurt. I asked if he was alright and about then he went to one knee and said, "Will you spend the rest of your life with me?" As he said that he held out my ring! Then he said, "Will you marry me?" I was grinning like a moron, and said, "Yes!!" We decided to continue on our hike after some hugging and kissing. I nearly tripped a few times because I was looking at my ring instead of on the path.

When we got back to the B&B we decided to do this hokey riverboat cruise thing. Obviously, it's not billed as being hokey, but it most obviously is. It's called "Canyonlands by Night." You have a Dutch Oven dinner. Having a 12 year old in the house makes anything called 'Dutch Oven' a lot funnier than if you think about the food made in a Dutch Oven. Anyway, it was basically pot roast with various side dishes. It was tasty, but I'm sure not low fat. Then after the dinner you get on this flat bottom boat with 40 or so other people and go up the Colorado River. Our guide told us about the geology of the rocks and pointed out some fun features in the rock. He gave us some interesting trivia about the area, etc. That part was pretty enjoyable. Then we got to a spot in the river just as night fell and he stopped talking. The "real" show began, or should I say that's when we entered "Hokeville, USA". Honestly, this was a program out of the 70's. It began, "In the beginning God created the earth and sky." or something ridiculous. The description of how heroic and brave the white men were as they settled the area, and of how cruel the Native Indians were to settlers made me about want to jump off the boat and swim ashore. I tried to tune out the "formal program" and focus on how pretty the stars and just floating back down the river was. At one point they said something about God and Dan started whispering loudly, "GOD IS GREAT!! GO GOD!! WOOHOO!!" in my ear. He's a kook. I was sorry the whole program wasn't the old guy telling us stories about the area. He was much more engaging than the other.

It was 10:30 by the time we got off the boat, so we went back to our room and crashed. It was a long, but fun day.

Vacation- Day 1

Our first day of actual vacation was spend, for the most part, driving. After sending the kids off on their annual journey to Loganville, GA we hit the road. We headed west on I-70 and saw a lot of beautiful mountain scenery. It wasn't anything new, but it's still beautiful.

Our plan was to stop at Edwards and ride at their skatepark. We did so, since it was the plan, after all. They have an amazing skatepark. It's unfortunate that it's probably covered in snow a lot of the year. We are definitely going to have to get the kids up to ride it. I know G will love it.

After stopping there we decided to venture on to Glenwood Springs to grab a bite to eat. I'm glad we did. We stopped at "Charcoal Burger" and oh man! It was so yummy. It's just a small mom and pop that looks like it's been their forever. The food was excellent though. The weather was holding out for our journey so we sat outside and enjoyed the sun.

Venturing on we kept heading west. Dan forgot the directions but swore that he remembered where we turned onto this little tiny road in Utah that would save us an hour. We turned on UT-6. It was this itty bitty sort of paved road that really was not meant for anything but local traffic. I kept waiting for that guy from "No Country For Old Men" to try and pull us over with his cow killer thingy. Well, we lived to make it to Hwy 128 which is this really beautiful (and still a little scary) road that winds along the Colorado river. I say scary because the riverbank is starting to eat away at not just the shoulder, but the highway itself. Dan has a love for riding the shoulder, which I very kindly and emphatically told him to avoid practicing.

We headed straight for our B&B upon getting into town. We stayed at this place called the "Cali Cochitta Bed and Breakfast". It was really a treat and I do highly recommend anyone heading to Moab that isn't camping staying there. I'll say more about how great it was later. After getting settled in we walked to Eddie McStiffs and had some dinner. That was about it for our first vacation day. The trip only took us about 6 hours including the stops for skateboarding and eating.

It's Official!

Dan proposed, and I said, "Yes!" This isn't the best photo of my hand ever, but it was taken right after at the South Window at Arches Nat'l Park. I almost fell a couple of times because I was looking at all the sparkly and not where I was walking. haha!

No date yet. We have plenty of time to figure out the when and where.

I'll post more info about our vacation over the next few days, but this seemed the most significant occassion.

Sick dog and then some

I came home to a poop covered dog yesterday. The poor thing had diarrhea and it got all over her, her crate and the general vicinity. Ain't dog ownership great?! After I got the mess, the dog and myself cleaned up I called the vet and she's going in later today. We need to get this straightened up before we leave on our vacation and our housesitter has to deal with it. That would just be cruel and probably end up without a housesitter.
Anyway, I'm home today with her since I didn't want a repeat of yesterday's mess. I've been using the time to clean the house, do laundry, pack the kids up for their big GA trip, garden and yes- even check my work e-mail. Oh yeah, I'm loading up Bronte's ipod with some new tunes so she can listen on the plane. She wanted Lupe Fiasco and the newest Feist on there.
On a more political note I've been reading about the whole Scott Mcclellan book situation. While I'm glad he's coming out with some new details on the inside of the White House and all their dirty dealings I wish he would have done something about it way back when it was happening. I hope that he doesn't hide when the Senate asks him the details.

today

Today I cleaned house (moving furniture, cleaning out cabinets kind of cleaning), finished putting mulch throughout our garden, went shopping for summer clothes for the kids, went for an 8 mile bike ride (and did not get tired from it, thank you very much), and went for a walk. So, yeah, it was a busy day, but a good one. After all the work Dan and I headed to the Irish Rover (fav. local pub) for a couple beers (Smithwick's for me, of course). Their Hurling team was celebrating so it was quite packed, but fine. Then we came home and shot the 3-man winger we got Dan for Christmas. Fun times.

Here's my front garden a couple of days ago. I need new photos because the mulch is complete now.

Herb garden w/ ice plant in the foreground.

The view from my porch.

And one of my beautiful pink roses w/ some snapdragons in the background. Really, I'm loving my garden this year.

Stuff 'n Things

I keep telling myself that I'm going to blog more. And then I don't. I think I spend a good deal of my blog energy on a private forum that I belong to with a number of my other friends who live far away. It's not the time really, but more that once I've said stuff there or commented there I just don't come over to my blog and post. I want to, but I don't. Sort of like moving the TV on a weekly basis and sweeping back there. I want to, but I don't so it ends up being a monthly thing rather than a weekly thing.
So, what's new?
Well, it's nearly summer. The garden is coming along quite nicely. We are at the point of putting down mulch to help retain moisture and retard the weeds. I need to find something that's o.k. to put in my herb garden (and in the basil plot) because somehow putting red hardwood mulch doesn't seem like it would be a good idea. I think most of the seeds I put in have popped up and are growing quite nicely. Our clematis that performed so poorly (first year it sleeps, second it creeps, third it leaps) is leaping, but it's only the second year sooooo... Anyway, I promise to post photos soon.
We've been skateboarding as much as possible. I got new trucks for Mother's Day and they are so freaking smooth. I'm actually getting pretty high up in the bowls now and carrying my speed a lot better. I still love the way skateboarding feels. Why didn't I start earlier?
New sport- mountain biking. No, not just riding on a gravel path, but really doing some fun single track stuff. Right now my biggest hurdle is figuring out my clipin thingies. I got the new pedals and the cleats installed last night and I practice a little getting in and out stopped and while going. Yeah...about that... So, I had just started actually trying while riding and a car came up on our street so I sort of moved over. I wasn't panicked, but I couldn't get my cleat undone. So, I fell over...in front of the car! Fortunately they were barely going and I got my foot off just as i was going down. My knee got a little skinned, but I lived and I got better as the evening progressed. I have a few days before I actually need to be good at it. I do have to take my bike back in after just getting it back. I'm so pissed. The bike shop dorks changed out my rims (factory warranty covered, thank ra) but then they didn't bother to tighten up my back brake when they were done so it's really loose. Dan picked up my bike so didn't check it out until he got home and then I was like..uh, this shouldn't hit my handlebar! grrr... bike fixer dorks do your job!
The kids are out of school next week. Geoffrey is moving on to 7th grade and Bronte into 5th. It's hard to believe my babies have grown up so quickly, but I guess that they do that. They both have busy summers ahead. um...well, they will once I start planning our activities. I have time, right?
Lastly, I think once the kids are back from Georgia I'm going to start looking for another little boy boxer. I miss having a boy who likes hugs around. Lily isn't nearly so snuggly as Max ever was so I have to be sure to get one that likes them. Besides, she loves Dan WAY more than she loves me. I need some puppy love! haha!

O.K. How was that for a post? Not to bad for being away for so long.

100 years in Iraq...

If the idea of voting for McCain has even crossed your mind, read this:

"Maybe 100. We’ve been in South Korea, we’ve been in Japan for 60 years. We’ve been in South Korea for 50 years or so. That’d be fine with me as long as Americans are not being injured or harmed or wounded or killed. Then it’s fine with me. I would hope it would be fine with you if we maintain a presence in a very volatile part of the world where Al Qaeda is training, recruiting, equipping, and motivating people every single day."- Senator John McCain

If you want proof that this is the NeoConservative agenda and that he goes a long with it read THIS.

Whatever you do, just THINK ABOUT IT!

Full Steam Ahead

You know, I haven't really been focusing on politics much this primary season. I have listened some and followed some, but not really decided who I really would like better as a candidate. That is until this morning when I was reading 1BoringOldMan and read what Barack Obama had to say about "ticky-tack". Here is what he said:

"If you watched the last few weeks of campaign, you'd think all politics is about is negative ads and bickering and arguing and gaffes and sideline issues," he said at a town hall meeting in this struggling manufacturing town. "There's no serious discussion about how we're actually going to bring jobs back to Anderson, that's not what's being debated. That's the politics we've gotten used to over the last 20 years, and I'm tired of that politics because it doesn't solve problems. One of the things we've got to do is bring this country together and stop being distracted by back and forth ticky-tack. I've resisted that in this campaign and I will continue to resist it when I'm president of the United States of America."

What I got out of this is that he believes we as Americans are all smart enough to know that the problems are and he's tired of bickering about that. He's got solutions and wants us all to move forward on those solutions. I like that. Don't bring me the problem, bring me the solution. So, full steam ahead, Mr. Obama. You've got my support.

Spring Fever

For many people the need to be outside this time of year is intense. Spring fever kicks in and we all feel a little more distracted while inside on a nice, warm spring day. For me, it's not the being inside that is hard, but the not being able to really do anything in my yard that does it. I sit on my front bench and stare at the dirt that is just begging for seeds and young little plants to be popped in the ground. But it's not time! No, it's not time yet here in Colorado because it could still snow! We have a couple more weeks and then I can beautify this dirt canvas I call a garden. It's driving me CRAZY!!! See, that's what spring fever does. It makes you crazy.

So, in my craziness I'll sit and have a beer and make plans for all the plants that I'll buy and where they will go. And it better not even freakin' snow and kill the stuff that is coming up from last year!

In Our Hearts

We had to say goodbye to a member of our family tonight. Our sweet boxer, Max. He was an amazing and loving boy. He will always be loved and in our hearts.

Vote G.I. Joe

"Hillary is a woman. I'm a woman. I'm going to vote for her."
"Obama is good looking. I will vote for him."
"Obama is black. I'm black. I'll vote for him."

If this is your logic in picking a candidate then I have a recommendation. Vote for G.I. Joe. He's a good solid American with a military background who looks amazing in photos. That's all you need to know. If you aren't going to THINK about what the candidates abilities are, listen to what they say, and use your cognitive skills to assess whether they would make a good President then just vote for a plastic action figure. After all, that's exactly what got us in the bind we are in now.

"Dull Women Have Immaculate Houses"

I was talking to my friend AbbyLadyBug today about the wonder of people who have clean houses. We are perplexed by the phenomenon of people who's houses look like showrooms all of the time. How do they do it? I'm not saying that I don't clean my house. I do. A lot. Between laundry, picking up, doing dishes, etc. it easily is an hour a day and then on the weekends it's even more. So, why is my house always messy?! I know it's possible for people with kids to have neat and tidy houses, but how? HOW? My only answer is that they don't have anything else in their lives but cleaning. That IS their hobby, their pastime, their exercise, their entertainment. It's the only conclusion I can come to. Honestly, I love having a clean house, but having it clean 100% of the time is not worth the sacrifices I'd have to make elsewhere. You will never hear me say, "Sorry, I can't go skateboarding today because I need to mop my floors."

Mama said there'd be days like this...

When I got into work I had an e-mail waiting for me that began "Oh My God!" Following the internal link I discovered that somehow we had received 33 new resumes over night for a position we've been trying to fill for what seems like an eternity. We are into second interviews, but quite frankly haven't found "The One." I headed over to the resumes and the first one I read had this in their signature line:

"There is no compromise or negotiation when it comes to who will run your life. Either you take charge and live a productive life of your choosing or you allow yourself to be ruled by circumstances. But there will inevitably be setbacks. In the old West, a cowboy expression went: "there never was a horse that couldn't be rode, and there never was a rider that couldn't be throwed." Like everyone else, you will have days when everything goes right and you are on top of the world. Relish those days enjoy them, and remember them. Recall the euphoria that accompanied them when you need an extra measure of positive thinking to get back in the saddle after you've experienced an embarrassing and painful fall. ~Napoleon Hill"

Maybe I should have taken it for a a sign and taken stock of all the awesomeness in my life. It's a pretty good list to be honest and I don't really take the good for granted. However, you just never know when you are going to need to recall the good to help you overcome the bad. Today is one of those days. It's not the big stuff that does it, but the minutia that adds up. So, rather than eating my lunch that someone stole from the fridge I am here, eating a banana that I fortunately didn't eat yesterday, looking at the beautiful smiles of my children.

Now, what's next?

Happy Birthday, Mynxie!!!

All I can say is that I love this woman! She's amazing. I hope her birthday is all that she needs it to be.

Happy Birthday, NeeNee

Today is my grandmother’s birthday. If she were alive she would have been 88. Today is a day to celebrate and a day to mourn. I cried today and laughed today thinking about what an amazing person she was and how lucky I was to have her raise me. I love you, NeeNee. Happy Birthday.

On the Children's return

Today you come home.
A little holding my breath.
Old fears come forward.
There you are. I sigh.

No Trying

I’ve probably quoted this here in another post, but it being January 1, 2008 I’m going to repeat it. A successful year is one where when you look back you can find tears and laughter both. I think 2007 was a year like that for me.
In 2007, I fell in love with my boyfriend again and again. He is such an amazing man. I was proud of my children time and time again because they are phenomenal kids. I love them so much. I cheered my family and friends on in their various endeavors watching them succeed and fail and always trying to be there to support them either way. I accomplished some minor goals and stuck to my guns to do the right thing. In turn I cried at my failures, I worried over things that I couldn’t change, educated myself about some important matters and I felt the loss of loved ones deeper than expected. My 2007 wasn’t an apparently ground breaking year, but for me it was a foundation for amazing things to come. It was a wonderful year.
I think 2008 will be just as good for some of the same reasons and some totally different reasons. I don’t have any resolutions really. I need to lose a couple of pounds. I have some financial and educational goals. I’d like to get better at a few things. And of course there are things that I’d like to help my children accomplish and things I’d like to do for/with them. You see, to me a resolution is a promise to myself to do something. I don’t need to promise myself. I just need to do them. It’s like that cheesy “Star Wars” quote, “There is no try. Do or don’t do.” It’s true though. Either do it or not. So, I’ll just follow my plan and see how it goes.

Way to go wOOt! Now you're defined!

Remember back when School House Rock was popular? One of my favorite episodes was the interjections one. Well, I'm happy to note that my favorite interjection has been named Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year 2007.

wOOt! (expressing joy (it could be after a triumph, or for no reason at all); similar in use to the word "yay" "w00t! I won the contest!"
Submitted by: Kat from Massachusetts on Nov. 30, 2005 23:18

I can't take any credit. WooT is just a cool freakin' work all on it's own, but I'm glad it won.

By the way, thanks to DRS3 for clueing me in on this fact. She rocks.

What? Work?

"I have many friends in the position where they have to work night jobs or work weekends, trying to do what they can to make some money," he said.

Oh my GAWD!!! Someone has to work to afford to get a college education?! They have to spend some of their free time to help pay for something that will get them a significantly better pay check? Heaven forbid! Can you even imagine having to WORK while going to school? What is the life of an over-priviledged, entitled frat boy come to?!

I agree that state colleges should be more affordable. Parents work hard to make sure that their children have the grades to get into a college and it's often hard to find the money to get them there. States should try and do what they can to keep tuition at a reasonable rate so that their citizens can afford to go. Having an educated workforce is key to a states economy in many ways. More economically stable people mean more income tax, less drain on state resources, etc.
However, I think arguing the point that they are actually having to work for tuition is absurd and hardly a college level point of debate. That which is free is rarely ever valued. If you don't believe me take a look at how many students lose the Georgia HOPE scholarship because they can't maintain the B average that full ride requires. I'm not sorry that these kids have to work a part-time job when their friends are partying it up. Part of being an adult is working for the things in life that you want, and if it has to start for some people in college then so be it. I did it. My boyfriend did it. Lot's of people I know had to do it. Deal you big friggin' CU whiners.

Why I love Keith Olbermann

Deceiving the U.S. on Iran

Well Said

I have been somewhat quietly following the national political scene of late. Not my usual M.O. by being quiet. I've been reading a lot and saying very little. Why? Because there are other people who are just a lot more eloquent than I am about this stuff.

A prime example is here.

Check out Dan Froomkin on the Washington post for the full story.

Really, can anyone really take Bush seriously anymore?

R.I.P Evel

When I was a kid I loved Evel Knievel. He was a true 70's idol. I even had the cool Evel Knievel motorcycle that you'd wind up on the base and then it would shoot off down whatever crazy ramp set up a kid could devise. He was a one of a kind and will be missed. Rest in peace, Mr. Knievel. Rest in peace.

Way To Go, HARRY!!

"Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, said he would schedule "pro forma" sessions during the two-week break..."


I would just like to say thank you to Senator Reid for giving us all something to be thankful for with regard to our government.

Happy Birthday, Abby!!

THIRTY-EIGHT!!!! Feelin' GREAT!

Days like this.

You know there are days that are just rolling along fine. You might be waiting for the outcome of something or just doing your normal routine. Whatever. Then out of the blue something comes along to complicate and annoy. Yep. That's the kind of day this is. It's the kind of day I'd like to win the lottery so I just don't have to work anymore.

Farewell, Mr. Goulet

r.i.p.

Lars

The main thing that drew me to this movie was the name "Lars." It's always been one of my favorite names. In fact it was one of the name choices I was thinking of before I had my son. I have to say that this movie completely lived up to the name. I loved it. Ryan Gosling is adorable and amazing in this role. Yeah, go see it.

Peers?

GNP of:

Liberia is $2.821B
Swaziland is $5.936B
Papua New Guinea is $15.41B
United States is $13.13 TRILLION

What could these countries all have in common? Of the 177 countries worldwide these 4 are the only nations that do not guarantee paid leave and/or a substantial birth payment for parents to care for their newborn babies.

It's time for the United States to start matching their 1st world peers in taking care of it's workers. Find out more at www.9to5.org on how we can be leaders in promoting the family value of having time from work to take care of your family.


Statistics taken from "Family Values at Work: It's About Time" found at the www.9to5.org website.

GO Rockies!!

Since the Braves are out of it I am free to root for my home team. Woohoo!!! So, GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ROCKIES!!!!

Know when to take your own advice

Today's quote:

"In any country, if you don't have countervailing institutions, the power of any one president is problematic for democratic development," Rice told reporters after meeting with human-rights activists.

I think the Bush administration that she (Rice) represents needs to take these very same words to heart. Executive priviledge is a falsehood.

Quote of the Day

I haven't felt like writing much lately. I bit overwhelmed I guess. So, in my absence here is a quote of the day. I always thought A. Bourdain a bit of a pompous ass, but he's right on target here.

"The crotchety cook made it clear he’s not coming from some moral high ground. “I'm not a very ethical guy,” Anthony said. “I don't have a lot of principles. But somehow that seems to me over the line. Juvenile diabetes has exploded. Half of Americans don't have necks. And (Rachael’s) up there saying, ‘Eat some [bleeping] Dunkin' Donuts. You look great in that swimsuit — eat another doughnut!’ That's evil.”