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.