Dear Charlotte,
Last weekend the weather was so incredibly nice that we couldn't help but to go on a bike ride (much to the dismay of my poor out of shape buttoxide) and have a picnic and spend almost all of Friday and Saturday outside. Today we woke up to about 5 inches of snow and it's still coming down. My neighbor calls it "Sprinter." I call it unacceptable. Don't tease me with good weather! And here I am living in a town where it has been known to snow in the middle of June. Please pass the global warming.
That is all.
Showing posts with label ranting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ranting. Show all posts
March 26, 2009
August 29, 2008
Oy Vey! Politics!
Dear Charlotte,
It's a presidential election year (as I'm sure you well know), and thus far I've been rather underwelmed by the prospects. I'm not so much a party-follower (surprise, surprise). When I look for who I want to represent me, I look for someone with integrity - someone who is honest, hardworking, smart, and willing to challenge the status quo of politics today. Neither Maverick McCain nor The Chosen Obama fits my criteria. But today, oh today, I finally found some hope for our country - Sarah Palin.
From what I've learned of this amazing woman in the last few hours since she was announced as McCain's running mate, THIS is the kind of person we need in the Whitehouse. She doesn't play the political games. She is honest. She does what needs to be done. It doesn't even bother me that she hasn't spent any time "in Washington." In fact, to me, it's a plus. She eliminated Alaska's debt, provided a surplus in the state budget, and cut political spending - including her OWN salary. It's said that, in the end, VP choices don't make much of a difference in presidential elections, except this year I think it will because McCain and Obama are both putzes who will do what they're told to do in Washington. And Biden hasn't lived in the real world since the 70s! Palin, not so much. It's too bad she's not running for president. Really.
It's a presidential election year (as I'm sure you well know), and thus far I've been rather underwelmed by the prospects. I'm not so much a party-follower (surprise, surprise). When I look for who I want to represent me, I look for someone with integrity - someone who is honest, hardworking, smart, and willing to challenge the status quo of politics today. Neither Maverick McCain nor The Chosen Obama fits my criteria. But today, oh today, I finally found some hope for our country - Sarah Palin.
From what I've learned of this amazing woman in the last few hours since she was announced as McCain's running mate, THIS is the kind of person we need in the Whitehouse. She doesn't play the political games. She is honest. She does what needs to be done. It doesn't even bother me that she hasn't spent any time "in Washington." In fact, to me, it's a plus. She eliminated Alaska's debt, provided a surplus in the state budget, and cut political spending - including her OWN salary. It's said that, in the end, VP choices don't make much of a difference in presidential elections, except this year I think it will because McCain and Obama are both putzes who will do what they're told to do in Washington. And Biden hasn't lived in the real world since the 70s! Palin, not so much. It's too bad she's not running for president. Really.
April 17, 2008
Of Shirts, Ambulances and Late Nights Out
Turtle has a shirt that reads "My Parents are Exhausted" and I think we should permanently attach it to his body. We Are! With everything we've got going on lately, we can hardly get a snore in edgewise. We've signed up for a city-sponsored program called Slim Down Sandy (or more affectionately known by our friends Scott and Missy as Fess Up Fatty, Trim Down Tubby and Lose It Lardo). This has added the time-consuming tasks of eating healthier, exercising and a weekly family walk to our schedules. We enjoy it, but it does take time - in fact, last Monday I forgot I was supposed to babysit the neighbor's kids because we were out on our family walk. Yikes!
In addition, we've been rehearsing for our Stake Play - Phantom of the Op'ry - which we're supposed to perform next week and, as a cast, we've not yet run through it from beginning to end. I think that will happen a total of ONCE before we begin performing. This calls for a lot of late nights out in order to rehearse, and today I can feel that it is taking its toll on my body. Regardless of how late we stay up, Ben still has to get up for work at 5:30 and the kids still wake up around 6:30, so there's no sleeping in!
And what of the ambulances in the title, you may ask? Well, last night we were a half hour late for rehearsal because we couldn't get out of the parking lot of our condo. An ambulance, a fire truck and two police cars were blocking us in. So, like all good neighbors, we stood and stared as they took care of business. Ben had heard a loud pop a few moments earlier and was wondering if it were a gunshot. A life-flight copter landed on the street next to the condos, and then a man in a stretcher was brought out and rolled down to it. This morning we found out that a man and a woman were cleaning a condo that had been foreclosed. The woman found two rifles under a bed and as she was moving them, one went off and shot the man in the stomach. She called 911 and I already told you what happened next. We could see the woman and she was frantic. The man was flown to the U of U Hospital, and later pronounced dead. I feel horrid for that woman and the man's family. My heart goes out to them and I am praying for them. I would take exhausted over that any day. Any Day.
In addition, we've been rehearsing for our Stake Play - Phantom of the Op'ry - which we're supposed to perform next week and, as a cast, we've not yet run through it from beginning to end. I think that will happen a total of ONCE before we begin performing. This calls for a lot of late nights out in order to rehearse, and today I can feel that it is taking its toll on my body. Regardless of how late we stay up, Ben still has to get up for work at 5:30 and the kids still wake up around 6:30, so there's no sleeping in!
And what of the ambulances in the title, you may ask? Well, last night we were a half hour late for rehearsal because we couldn't get out of the parking lot of our condo. An ambulance, a fire truck and two police cars were blocking us in. So, like all good neighbors, we stood and stared as they took care of business. Ben had heard a loud pop a few moments earlier and was wondering if it were a gunshot. A life-flight copter landed on the street next to the condos, and then a man in a stretcher was brought out and rolled down to it. This morning we found out that a man and a woman were cleaning a condo that had been foreclosed. The woman found two rifles under a bed and as she was moving them, one went off and shot the man in the stomach. She called 911 and I already told you what happened next. We could see the woman and she was frantic. The man was flown to the U of U Hospital, and later pronounced dead. I feel horrid for that woman and the man's family. My heart goes out to them and I am praying for them. I would take exhausted over that any day. Any Day.
September 27, 2007
Vouchers Schmouchers
A big issue around here these days is the school voucher bill. Supporters on both sides of the issue claim that the other side is being supported by out of state organizations, which is true. On both sides. I'm not sure whether I'm for or against them , but I'm SICK of all the flaming! Also, my husband is a teacher here in Utah. And a good one at that, if I do say so myself. He cares about his students - he wants them to succeed in learning and he wants them to have fun doing it. But he can't do this without parental support. In the classroom, it quickly becomes obvious whose parents are invested in their education and whose parents are not. Most often, it is those students whose parents take no interest in their education that have trouble and cause problems in the classroom. If the voucher bill is passed, in reality only those parents who actually care about their child's education will take advantage of the scholarships offered. Parents who don't take note of their kids before the vouchers certainly aren't going to change after the vouchers. This leaves a greater percentage of students with no support in the public schools, creating an even greater achievement gap between the students in private schools and the students in public schools, not a bridge between the two because of greater competition (not to mention more work for the teachers who are overworked and underpaid as it is!) wow. can you say run-on sentence? This is just one side of the issue, but who knew that by adopting the voucher program we might actually be thwarting one of its very goals? Well, my husband knows, and I think most teachers do too.
September 19, 2007
Not Just Luck
So lately I've had a number of people tell me how lucky we are that I get to stay home and be with my kids all day. What I say is, "yeah, we are." But who knew that what I've been wanting to say is that I DON'T feel lucky to stay home with my kids. Are you crazy? you may be asking, Are you admitting you don't want to be home with your children? The answer is no, that's not what I'm saying. I don't feel lucky; I feel blessed for a commitment that my husband and I made before we were my husband and I. To me, LUCK does not play a part here. We decided that it was important for our children to have a mommy and not a babysitter long before we decided to even have children. It is not something that fell from the sky one day with a note saying, "IT'S YOUR LUCKY DAY!!! NOW YOU, TOO, CAN STAY HOME AND BE A MOMMY TO YOUR CHILDREN!!!" Is it easy? No. Most of the time my kids go to bed early because I'M tired. Do we have everything we want in life? No. We have one car. My husband rides his bike the two miles to work. (Well, he used to until last week when he rendered both himself and the bike inoperable - but that's it's own story. Now he walks.) Do we wear designer clothing? No - unless it came from a thrift store! The point is, we give up a lot, but we get a lot in return. Lucky? Nah, I call it blessed (and planned, too).
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