What does it say about me that I find this absolutely friggin hilarious? And what of the fact that I can think of at least three people I would love to give this too?



Find it here.

Happy Holidays!
-Ang

happy holidays!

my apologies...

my apologies that this blog has become kind of a grump fest lately! i'm really not an unhappy person, but i've sure come across that way lately. i tend to use the blog as a more of a venting tool than anything. but, i decided i need to post some positives, just to prove i'm not a sour grapes all the time person!

1. the bf came home early (for him) last night bearing gifts (a dairy queen blizzard). we settled in on the couch to catch up on a couple of episodes of dexter, one of our fave shows. (sick, right? i know, but i love it anyway!)

2. i am working through a refinance of my house that would mean a normal, fixed rate 30 year mortgage at a very good rate. i'm keeping my fingers crossed for the appraisal today!

3. i got a 30/20 on a school paper. yes, you read that right. 30/20. that has NEVER happened. never. yahoo!

3. school for this session is over on sunday, and then i have four weeks off! i am sooo looking forward to the break!

4. we found out last week that we are getting paid for THREE extra days off during the holiday that we were originally told would be off without pay. this means i have SIX paid days off over christmas and new years (and two VERY long weekends)! Hurrah!

5. i made it to the playoffs in fantasy football, and i think i have a good chance of winning this week. even if i don't win, i made it to the playoffs! yay!

6. i was able to see my bff from kansas a few weeks ago while she was staying with her parents in iowa. i got to play with her adorable little boy and spend some time catching up with her.

7. had time last night to get a new lasagna recipe put together to bake tonight. also tried out a new sugar cookie recipe. cookies were yum, hopefully the lasagna is just as good tonight!

8. did i mention i have SIX DAYS OFF over the holidays? okay, just checkin.

would you like fries with that? too bad!

i got sick over the weekend. saturday was the day i knew i would be coming down with something. my throat was raw all day. not sore exactly, but raw. and i was SO tired. more tired than usual and not all that interested in shopping with the bf, which is VERY out of character for me.

at about 5:00 am on sunday morning i was awakened with severe soreness in my throat. even swallowing my own saliva made me shudder with pain. i took several rounds of advil to no avail. i was tired and cold and shaking. i waited until about noon and decided to take a trip to Now Care, where after a two hour wait i was diagnosed with strep throat for the first time in about 15 years.

pretty much all i could "eat" was chocolate shakes. last night i decided to go through the drive thru at our local wendy's, because there is nothing quite like a chocolate frosty when battling a sore throat. i also decided to pick up some real food for the kids and the bf.

i don't eat at wendy's very often, so i wasn't sure what i would order and asked the guy for a minute to decide. there was no one behind me on line. i will spare you the details, but the drive thru guy was beyond rude and condescending to me. when i got up to the window, he barked the amount at me and plucked my credit card out of my hands and gave it back without even looking at me or saying a word.

i get to the window to retrieve my food and decide not to complain...it doesn't look like any of these people are going to care anyway, and they might even spit in my food. when i get home i realize they forgot my daughter's chicken sandwich.

now, i know these people don't have the most wonderful job in the world. but at least they have a job, right? and with so many people searching for jobs right now, how can anyone justify keeping on workers with attitudes like that? right?

to relieve the guilt...

okay, so i've been feeling guilty that i haven't posted for two weeks after you all ever so kindly responded to my "quiz" question. and i hate to break it to you but there really was no earth-shattering reason for the quiz. just this:

the bf goes in spurts where he gets home REALLY late. like, after 11:00 late. and not just one night, but several nights. this generally upsets me and depresses me not for any particular reason other than that i enjoy having him around and therefore i hate it when he gets home so late. sometimes i realize it isn't his fault, but sometimes? well, sometimes it is.

thanks again for all of your responses! i have been reading them to the bf to give him an idea of what "normal" might be. (he doesn't understand why it upsets me when he is home late so often.)

quiz of the day

1. what time do you get home from work? (on average)

2. what time does your "partner" get home from work? (on average)


thank you for your participation. (and you better participate, dammit!)

i promise there is a reason for this to be revealed at a later date. bet you can hardly take the suspense!?!?

my thoughts and prayers are with you...

...you know who you are. i'm sorry for what you are going through today, it is completely unfair. i feel for each and every one of you that were affected by this.


i fear that this will not be the last of it, either.

random monday musings

*my good friend bbmg got married on saturday! she was a beautiful bride and all went well. she and her new husband are off for a wonderful, warm and sunny wedding trip. here's to hoping they have a blast!

*went to my very first play at this place last night. the food was good. the play/musical was not my style. apparently i am not a fan of mel brooks humor. who knew?

*new thermostats were installed at work. am wearing my coat and gloves as i type this. apparently our company is doing so shittily that their plan is to either a: freeze us into quitting or b: save a few bucks by keeping the temperature low enough to see your breath. or both.

*more layoffs, closings and other general work rumors have been floating around recently. sometimes i think it would be better to just get laid off than to keep stressing day by day that i will still have a job tomorrow.

*school is hard. i also have a lot to do this week to "catch up" from having a busy week/weekend. i feel like i need to take a day off from work again to study, but don't want to a: draw more attention to myself than necessary b: take off another day without pay since my PTO hasn't caught up yet.

*having a hard time getting much accomplished today. my eyes are burning and tired. really felt like i needed another day added on to my weekend. am starting to go into "hibernation mode" what with the snow and all. winter weight gain, here i come!

*am looking forward to going to this guy's concert in 1.5 weeks. am not looking forward to the day after, as i will probably be nodding off at my desk all day.

*now that i have pretty much wasted a good third of my day, i need a break from it all for lunch. happy monday all!

come together

I probably shouldn’t be reading comments on news articles right now, because I am overwhelmed and depressed by the level of negativity that is out there. The non-Obama fans are flocking to the comment boards in droves and they are putting us down left, right and every which way they can. I’d like to think that if McCain had won, we wouldn’t be quite so mean and immature as they are being right now, but I guess I can’t say that for sure. Hopefully they will expunge all of their negativity on these boards over the next few days and then swallow their pride and offer help and cooperation instead of negativity and scorn.

McCain was graceful and positive in his concession speech last night. I’m sure even he would cringe at some of the comments expressed by his supporters right now. I know that they are angry and feel disillusioned, but wow, there is some downright hateful stuff out there. None of it is going to help us bring our nation together for the greater good. Because that’s what we need to do and this would have been true no matter the winner.

Some of the hateful quotes I’ve seen:

“hope this economy collapses and every osama supporter starves.”

“I don't want to make this statement to sound racist, but in Obama's speech his accent sounded a little more like that of one used commonly by African-Americans than the one I believe Obama speaks naturally. After all, Obama did not grow up in the typical African-American community, but was largely raised by white relatives. His father was from Africa, and not a native-born African-American, and therefore did not speak with that accent either. My question is, am I hearing something that is not there, or is his accent affected? And if so, to what purpose?”

“There is no reason to try and defend bush and last republican congress. This drubbing is their own creation. But anytime you see a politician adored and revered the way obama has been, there is no where to go but down. Many (if not most) of the people who voted for him truly have no grasp of economics, wages, taxes, etc. They have bought it all hook, line, and sinker. The welfare check is in the mail, and job killing will begin soon. I hope the top 5% of wage earners are flexible enough to reach their toes while being incessantly raped.”

“Unfortunately the kool-aid drinking and uneducated populace that elected this terrorist loving, tax and spend socialist, in sheep's clothing, don't realize what they've done. At least, I said No to BO. I am the Rightguard against this BO! Long live the USA and not the U.S.S.A.!”

I am appalled at these statements and could write rebuttals to them for hours, but I don’t have that kind of time and I’m not sure it’s even worth it.

As an Obama supporter, I do not expect that he will fix things over night. Or that he can fix things alone. Or that he will be the miracle answer to all of our problems. I have never believed that. And no, I don’t believe he will follow through with everything he has talked about during his campaign, and frankly I wouldn’t even want him to. What I want is for him to do what is best for our country, even if it goes against his original thoughts or plans. I want him to go into this with his eyes and ears wide open. I want him to listen to all of us, supporters and non, rich and poor, black and white. I want him to act for the greater good.

And I really believe that he will.

change is near

Last night, I cried the first tears I have ever cried over politics. (And I’m still a little emotional even writing about this.) They were tears of joy and tears of hope. Tears celebrating the fact that we have finally overcome party lines, race and religion and brought together people from all walks of life to vote with hope rather than with fear. Tears of joy over the fact that I finally feel we have a shot at turning things around for our children and grandchildren, handing down to them a country we can be proud of. This election was historical not because Mr. Obama is black, but because of his message of hope. We may not agree with everything he does in the next four years but I trust that he has in mind the best interests of each and every one of us.

I have seen Facebook statuses in the last 12 hours from conservative Christians implying the end of the world is near. What? The end of the world is near because we elected a black president? The end of the world is near because we elected a sincere and extremely intelligent man to lead our country? How can it be the end of the world when the entire world is celebrating with us? Tell me how this makes sense?

I grew up Christian…both Methodist and Lutheran at different points in my life. But in the last several years I have been extremely disillusioned by the church. I do believe in a higher power. And to me that higher power is about love and acceptance of all peoples and religions. I have a hard time with right-wing Christians who feel their way is the only way and the rest of us are damned. I cringe at bible verses telling us we are evil. And if anyone knows of a Christian church where they don’t try to make you FEAR God but LOVE God please let me know. Because I haven’t found one yet. Oh and P.S.: Barack Obama is a CHRISTIAN, in case you haven’t heard.

Finally, I am not ignorant for voting for Mr. Obama, and I resent those of you who think I am. I did not only vote with my heart but with my head as well. I am very well educated, so please don’t insult my intelligence by insinuating I don’t know what I am doing by supporting Barack Obama. Because you know what? I am proud that I voted out of hope and not out of fear. And I will be proud to call Mr. Obama PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA in January. I can say I am truly looking forward to the next four years. It’s going to be a hell of a ride, but also a good one.

p.s.
i have every right to express my views, political or otherwise on MY BLOG. if you don't like my views, please don't read MY BLOG. thank you.

p.p.s.
i realize my "guest" blogger was a little over the top a few days ago. for the record, i am christian (though a rather disillusioned one). and the person who wrote the guest blog has had people at work picking at him for his views and he finally decided to fight back. it was not a personal attack on anyone and if you read it as such, i am sorry.

Dear Diary,

My daughter told me to vote for Obama this morning. So I did.

Love,
Angie

random thoughts for halloween

1. dogs don't like halloween costumes. ours won't move when we put the costume on.

2. high school girls dressing up for halloween as school girls is a bit redundant, no?

3. tastefully simple beer bread made with bud light lime is rather excellent.

4. it's even better served with tastefully simple spinach and herb dip.

5. spritz cookies shaped like pumpkins are buttery yumgoodness.

6. always have a halloween t-shirt for your daughter to wear.

7. workplaces on halloween can actually be kind of fun.

8. fun but kind of slow. is it 5:00 yet? please???

9. halloween is a dieters worst nightmare.

10. happy halloween everyone!!!!!!!!!

the future of health care?

is anyone else a little bit alarmed about john mccain's health care proposal?

here is a little tidbit from business week describing his plan: if you don't want to read the whole thing, the highlights are this:

McCain wants to do away with the tax exemption on employer-provided insurance. Instead, he would give a $2,500 annual tax credit to individuals, and $5,000 to families, to purchase their own coverage.

McCain's plan is meant to encourage individuals to purchase their insurance and free companies from the heavy cost of providing coverage. His theory is that employees would take their tax credit and flock to the open market, where they could shop around for the plan that best meets their needs. Insurance companies would have to become more competitive to win their business.

A Kaiser Family Foundation survey released last year found the average annual premium of an employer-based insurance policy is $12,000, of which employees pay about one-third.

so let me get this straight...my current individual health care plan is paid partially by myself and partially thorough my employer. under mccain's plan, my employer would probably not cover employees anymore due to loss of the tax credit. and then i'm supposed to go out and shop for private insurance with a measely $2,500? what the? has anyone seen the prices for private health care insurance? do you think $2,500 is going to cover it? did you see the survey they quoted where the average policy is $12,000? not sure if that is family or individual, but either way mccain's tax credits aren't even close to that number.

insurance companies are NOT going to lower their premiums that much just because you let people loose on the market. gah! i don't understand how anyone can think this is a good idea? if i'm missing something here please feel free to comment. but i have a hard time believing mccain's plan isn't going to cost families MORE in the long run, not less. in fact, if you look at the example from the article, insurance costs about $12,000 per year. currently employees pay about $4,000 of that if the figure of 1/3 is accurate. under mccain's plan, if the cost of insurance is $12,000 and you apply the mccain tax credit of $5,000, you are now paying $7,000 per year out of pocket instead of $4,000. That's actually $3,000 MORE! hello????????

try this quiz

http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/obama-mccain-quiz-47091507?click=pp

things overheard at my 7 year old's birthday party

why didn't you invite any other boys? (from the lone boy invited who had only my son and to ally with.)

this is the WORST party ever!! (from a very bratty girl, upon learning she could only choose a wacky bear in a certain price range.)

hey, i thought we were having cake! (from an ungrateful child upon learning we were having cupCAKES instead of a traditional cake.)

this is so unfair! (from yet another child, upon learning that the birthday girl got her choice of animals instead of being limited to the same price range as the rest.)

ky, you can't cut in line! (a child yelling at the birthday girl choosing a place in the game line.)

hey, how come she gets to go first?!? (complaining that the birthday girl was invited to stuff her wacky bear first.)

oddly enough, most of the complaining came from just a couple of the TEN kids invited. there were others that were really quite sweet. there is one girl in particular (the one with the "this is the worst party ever" comment), that will never be invited to another party for my child. i realize she is just a kid, but in my opinion there is just no excuse for that huge of a lack of manners. if i ever learned my daughter had said something so bratty at a friend's party i would skin her hide and never allow her to attend another birthday party.

i was sweating for the entire two hours of the party trying to keep ten children under control with the occasional assistance of the wacky bear staff. the party was deemed a success overall and i am sooooo glad it is over until next year. note to self: cut guest list in half for the next party. ; )

guest blogger and he doesn't even know it...

the bf sent out an interesting email today. it sounds to me like he's getting kind of pissy with some of his uber conservative friends. i'm not sure i agree with every point he makes here, but i'm proud of him for expressing his views anyway. (p.s. though he is quite liberal in his politics, please know that because he is asian i think he sometimes goes a little too far where race is concerned and is definitely not very p.c. at times.)

here is his email:

So I’ve gotten tons of emails lately about Palin and McCain and all the military stuff and crap. Here is my response.


In the early 1980’s the United States government supported the Taliban in their efforts to wage war against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. By 1987, it is reported that the United States was exporting 65,000 tons of US made weapons to help in the war. In 1984, the United States allowed the networking of recruiting offices here in the US by Osama Bin Laden and his contributors. A special agent of the FBI, Ali Mohamed, is actually considered Osama Bin Laden’s first trainer.

Why does any of this history matter? Ronald Regan was President for two terms during the 80’s and during his time, he proceeded to evoke the Soviet Union in an Nuclear Arms race that eventually lead to the INF Treaty in which both countries stated that they would reduce the number of nuclear weapons. Instead of using education and understanding and listening, Mr. Regan used his military background to oversee the military aid to Afghanistan, Grenada, and the bombing of Libya.

I have nothing but the highest amount of respect to those who serve in the military. Anyone who is willing to put their life on the line to save the lives of someone else deserves at the least our respect and undying gratitude. Saving our assess is what they go out and do every single day and they do it because they believe in us and our country. Having said that though, having military background or being in the military does not automatically put you in position to be trusted or in a position to be a leader of any kind. Being in the middle of a war does not teach you how to handle a crisis situation, it teaches you how to shoot before getting killed. Ever wonder how terrorists get all that information to make bombs and create nuclear weapons? They get them from traitors in our own military. Agents of our CIA and FBI have been known to sell high level secure information to the highest bidder. So, it’s great that the Governor of Alaska has one of the “highest” security positions in the US. But then again, so has every other Governor of Alaska and none of them were close to being qualified to run for VP. Matter of fact, every person who is in the running for Vice President is sworn to secrecy or they will not even have the opportunity to become the running mate of any Presidential hopeful.

The United States did not come into being because we decided to wage war on other nations. We won because we defended our country on our own land. Ever since then, we have done nothing but put our big assess into conflicts that have nothing to do with us. We don’t help wage war because it helps protect our nation, we do it for only one reason and one reason only, to gain in our own interests. If we really wanted to stop Osama we could have. If we really were worried about the safety of people at home, we would have killed him already. In reality, our government uses catch phrases such as “war on terrorism” to make us feel good. If it really was a war on terrorism, why are the terrorists still out there running around?

Why is it so hard for Regan backers to see that someone with a Havard degree, the ability to listen, and someone who has an expanded mind about how the world works, could not make a great leader? Should all prisoners of war that have charming good looks run for some type of office? Are we supposed to send all our children off to war so they can become someone someday?

If we want a safer America, get rid of all the f’n terrorist here on our own soil. Get rid of all the rednecks who believe that their way is the only way and that people shouldn’t think for themselves. Get rid of all the Blacks who hate being here and blame everyone else for their shitty situation. Get rid of all the gun-toting arse-holes who shoot things because it’s fun and its’ their God given right (even though most of those effers don’t even go to church). Get rid of all of the humongous turds that call themselves “Christens” and then think that their belief is the only belief because when you think about it, the terrorists have the same way of thinking.

I don’t give two craps if our President is a Muslim or a former Prisoner of War. What really matters is are they smart enough to run the country with respect and honor, are they smart enough to make sure that they take care of the majority of the citizens who are middle income or less, are they willing to look forward and realize that we need to save this weird planet that we live on so we don’t piss it off and it ends up taking us all out, are they smart enough to understand economics and do what it takes to keeps jobs here in America and not send jobs oversees or to effing Mexico, and is that person smart enough to realize that it’s not all about how big our dick is but more about how we present ourselves in a manner that allows communication with those who disagree with us?

-The BF


I'll have to find out tonight what it was that pushed him over the edge today. ; )

quotes from the birthday girl

"if i were a dog mom, i wouldn't lick my butt, would you?"

...to be continued

Obama Tax Plan Truth

Click Here.

i. hate. laundry.

there, i said it. i HATE doing the laundry. what i hate most about the laundry is putting it away. because of this, clean clothes hang out in baskets way longer than they should, and that sometimes causes a backup in the washer, which can cause that lovely "musty" smell and sometimes mean re-washing a load. not exactly a "green" practice.

laundry also gets backed up due to time constraints. by the time i get home at 6:00, make dinner, do dishes, clean up, get kids bathed, read to and down to bed, it is after 8:00. which means i have been going, going, going for well over 13 hours. at this point i like to sit down and enjoy me some facebook, check email and possibly read some blogs. after this i often do homework. homework lasts till 11:00 or 12:00.

i am sick of hearing about how someone has no socks or underwear. i am sooo tired of the overactive nose of the bf whining over clothes that sometimes smell less than fresh. (perhaps a load that sat too long in the washer and wasn't re-washed.)

today an IM conversation went like this:

the bf: did you start using a new type of softener or something?
me: no, same as always, why?
the bf: my sweatshirt that i got out of the dryer smells like wet dog.

eff eff eff eff eff!!!!! do your own effing laundry!!!

but the bf has this complex where he thinks i don't do shit. and he is SOOOOO busy all the time and working SOOOOO hard. which is why he knows the ins and outs of the social life of every one of his co-workers and ends up working past 10:00 on a regular basis to make up for the fact that he chatted and web surfed too much during the work day. gah!!!! just because he is AT work until 10:00 doesn't mean he is WORKING that whole time. i'm smarter than that, bucko.

Pro Life? Yeah, right...

Read the Saturday, October 11th post from Green Tea MN.

More political hypocrisy.

woooooooooohooooooo!

...brown chicken brown cow...brown chicken brown cow...

(it's a VERY rare night of durrrrnkeeedddnesss.) tee hee!

return to sender

please no more mccain palin propaganda, people! nothing you send me is going to sway my mind, it will only serve to annoy me immensely. i promise not to send you politically motivated material (unless i know you are on MY side) if you refrain from sending me yours.

politics is a touchy subject for many of us, and i know many of us are very set in our beliefs. i will sometimes use this blog as a forum for my political thoughts, and if i do so in this very public manner you are more than welcome to comment in any way you choose. please just don't email me your crap. if you do, it's a waste of time, because i probably won't open it/view the material.

thank you.

Bailout Wisdom a la Michael Moore

Love him or hate him, this makes a hell of a lot of sense to me!

1. APPOINT A SPECIAL PROSECUTOR TO CRIMINALLY INDICT ANYONE ON WALL STREET WHO KNOWINGLY CONTRIBUTED TO THIS COLLAPSE. Before any new money is expended, Congress must commit, by resolution, to criminally prosecute anyone who had anything to do with the attempted sacking of our economy. This means that anyone who committed insider trading, securities fraud or any action that helped bring about this collapse must go to jail. This Congress must call for a Special Prosecutor who will vigorously go after everyone who created the mess, and anyone else who attempts to scam the public in the future.

2. THE RICH MUST PAY FOR THEIR OWN BAILOUT. They may have to live in 5 houses instead of 7. They may have to drive 9 cars instead of 13. The chef for their mini-terriers may have to be reassigned. But there is no way in hell, after forcing family incomes to go down more than $2,000 dollars during the Bush years, that working people and the middle class are going to fork over one dime to underwrite the next yacht purchase.

If they truly need the $700 billion they say they need, well, here is an easy way they can raise it:

a) Every couple who makes over a million dollars a year and every single taxpayer who makes over $500,000 a year will pay a 10% surcharge tax for five years. (It's the Senator Sanders plan. He's like Colonel Sanders, only he's out to fry the right chickens.) That means the rich will still be paying less income tax than when Carter was president. This will raise a total of $300 billion.

b) Like nearly every other democracy, charge a 0.25% tax on every stock transaction. This will raise more than $200 billion in a year.

c) Because every stockholder is a patriotic American, stockholders will forgo receiving a dividend check for one quarter and instead this money will go the treasury to help pay for the bailout.

d) 25% of major U.S. corporations currently pay NO federal income tax. Federal corporate tax revenues currently amount to 1.7% of the GDP compared to 5% in the 1950s. If we raise the corporate income tax back to the level of the 1950s, that gives us an extra $500 billion.

All of this combined should be enough to end the calamity. The rich will get to keep their mansions and their servants, and our United States government ("COUNTRY FIRST!") will have a little leftover to repair some roads, bridges and schools.

3. BAIL OUT THE PEOPLE LOSING THEIR HOMES, NOT THE PEOPLE WHO WILL BUILD AN EIGHTH HOME. There are 1.3 million homes in foreclosure right now. That is what is at the heart of this problem. So instead of giving the money to the banks as a gift, pay down each of these mortgages by $100,000. Force the banks to renegotiate the mortgage so the homeowner can pay on its current value. To insure that this help does no go to speculators and those who have tried to make money by flipping houses, this bailout is only for people's primary residence. And in return for the $100K paydown on the existing mortgage, the government gets to share in the holding of the mortgage so that it can get some of its money back. Thus, the total initial cost of fixing the mortgage crisis at its roots (instead of with the greedy lenders) is $150 billion, not $700 billion.

And let's set the record straight. People who have defaulted on their mortgages are not "bad risks." They are our fellow Americans, and all they wanted was what we all want and most of us still get: a home to call their own. But during the Bush years, millions of them lost the decent paying jobs they had. Six million fell into poverty. Seven million lost their health insurance. And every one of them saw their real wages go down by $2,000. Those who dare to look down on these Americans who got hit with one bad break after another should be ashamed. We are a better, stronger, safer and happier society when all of our citizens can afford to live in a home that they own.

4. IF YOUR BANK OR COMPANY GETS ANY OF OUR MONEY IN A "BAILOUT," THEN WE OWN YOU. Sorry, that's how it's done. If the bank gives me money so I can buy a house, the bank "owns" that house until I pay it all back -- with interest. Same deal for Wall Street. Whatever money you need to stay afloat, if our government considers you a safe risk -- and necessary for the good of the country -- then you can get a loan, but we will own you. If you default, we will sell you. This is how the Swedish government did it and it worked.

5. ALL REGULATIONS MUST BE RESTORED. THE REAGAN REVOLUTION IS DEAD. This catastrophe happened because we let the fox have the keys to the henhouse. In 1999, Phil Gramm authored a bill to remove all the regulations that governed Wall Street and our banking system. The bill passed and Clinton signed it. Here's what Sen. Phil Gramm, McCain's chief economic advisor, said at the bill signing:

"In the 1930s ... it was believed that government was the answer. It was believed that stability and growth came from government overriding the functioning of free markets.

"We are here today to repeal [that] because we have learned that government is not the answer. We have learned that freedom and competition are the answers. We have learned that we promote economic growth and we promote stability by having competition and freedom.

"I am proud to be here because this is an important bill; it is a deregulatory bill. I believe that that is the wave of the future, and I am awfully proud to have been a part of making it a reality."

This bill must be repealed. Bill Clinton can help by leading the effort for the repeal of the Gramm bill and the reinstating of even tougher regulations regarding our financial institutions. And when they're done with that, they can restore the regulations for the airlines, the inspection of our food, the oil industry, OSHA, and every other entity that affects our daily lives. All oversight provisions for any "bailout" must have enforcement monies attached to them and criminal penalties for all offenders.

6. IF IT'S TOO BIG TO FAIL, THEN THAT MEANS IT'S TOO BIG TO EXIST. Allowing the creation of these mega-mergers and not enforcing the monopoly and anti-trust laws has allowed a number of financial institutions and corporations to become so large, the very thought of their collapse means an even bigger collapse across the entire economy. No one or two companies should have this kind of power. The so-called "economic Pearl Harbor" can't happen when you have hundreds -- thousands -- of institutions where people have their money. When you have a dozen auto companies, if one goes belly-up, we don't face a national disaster. If you have three separately-owned daily newspapers in your town, then one media company can't call all the shots (I know... What am I thinking?! Who reads a paper anymore? Sure glad all those mergers and buyouts left us with a strong and free press!). Laws must be enacted to prevent companies from being so large and dominant that with one slingshot to the eye, the giant falls and dies. And no institution should be allowed to set up money schemes that no one can understand. If you can't explain it in two sentences, you shouldn't be taking anyone's money.

7. NO EXECUTIVE SHOULD BE PAID MORE THAN 40 TIMES THEIR AVERAGE EMPLOYEE, AND NO EXECUTIVE SHOULD RECEIVE ANY KIND OF "PARACHUTE" OTHER THAN THE VERY GENEROUS SALARY HE OR SHE MADE WHILE WORKING FOR THE COMPANY. In 1980, the average American CEO made 45 times what their employees made. By 2003, they were making 254 times what their workers made. After 8 years of Bush, they now make over 400 times what their average employee makes. How this can happen at publicly held companies is beyond reason. In Britain, the average CEO makes 28 times what their average employee makes. In Japan, it's only 17 times! The last I heard, the CEO of Toyota was living the high life in Tokyo. How does he do it on so little money? Seriously, this is an outrage. We have created the mess we're in by letting the people at the top become bloated beyond belief with millions of dollars. This has to stop. Not only should no executive who receives help out of this mess profit from it, but any executive who was in charge of running his company into the ground should be fired before the company receives any help.

8. STRENGTHEN THE FDIC AND MAKE IT A MODEL FOR PROTECTING NOT ONLY PEOPLE'S SAVINGS, BUT ALSO THEIR PENSIONS AND THEIR HOMES. Obama was correct yesterday to propose expanding FDIC protection of people's savings in their banks to $250,000. But this same sort of government insurance must be given to our nation's pension funds. People should never have to worry about whether or not the money they've put away for their old age will be there. This will mean strict government oversight of companies who manage their employees' funds -- or perhaps it means that the companies will have to turn over those funds and their management to the government. People's private retirement funds must also be protected, but perhaps it's time to consider not having one's retirement invested in the casino known as the stock market. Our government should have a solemn duty to guarantee that no one who grows old in this country has to worry about ending up destitute.

9. EVERYBODY NEEDS TO TAKE A DEEP BREATH, CALM DOWN, AND NOT LET FEAR RULE THE DAY. Turn off the TV! We are not in the Second Great Depression. The sky is not falling. Pundits and politicians are lying to us so fast and furious it's hard not to be affected by all the fear mongering. Even I, yesterday, wrote to you and repeated what I heard on the news, that the Dow had the biggest one day drop in its history. Well, that's true in terms of points, but its 7% drop came nowhere close to Black Monday in 1987 when the stock market in one day lost 23% of its value. In the '80s, 3,000 banks closed, but America didn't go out of business. These institutions have always had their ups and downs and eventually it works out. It has to, because the rich do not like their wealth being disrupted! They have a vested interest in calming things down and getting back into the Jacuzzi.

As crazy as things are right now, tens of thousands of people got a car loan this week. Thousands went to the bank and got a mortgage to buy a home. Students just back to college found banks more than happy to put them into hock for the next 15 years with a student loan. Life has gone on. Not a single person has lost any of their money if it's in a bank or a treasury note or a CD. And the most amazing thing is that the American public hasn't bought the scare campaign. The citizens didn't blink, and instead told Congress to take that bailout and shove it. THAT was impressive. Why didn't the population succumb to the fright-filled warnings from their president and his cronies? Well, you can only say 'Saddam has da bomb' so many times before the people realize you're a lying sack of shite. After eight long years, the nation is worn out and simply can't take it any longer.

10. CREATE A NATIONAL BANK, A "PEOPLE'S BANK." If we really are itching to print up a trillion dollars, instead of giving it to a few rich people, why don't we give it to ourselves? Now that we own Freddie and Fannie, why not set up a people's bank? One that can provide low-interest loans for all sorts of people who want to own a home, start a small business, go to school, come up with the cure for cancer or create the next great invention. And now that we own AIG, the country's largest insurance company, let's take the next step and provide health insurance for everyone. Medicare for all. It will save us so much money in the long run. And we won't be 12th on the life expectancy list. We'll be able to have a longer life, enjoying our government-protected pension, and living to see the day when the corporate criminals who caused so much misery are let out of prison so that we can help reacclimate them to civilian life -- a life with one nice home and a gas-free car that was invented with help from the People's Bank.

(Copied from an email created by Michael Moore.)

leg

so i ended up canceling the doctor's appointment for kolby on friday and scheduled an appointment with a chiropracter instead. we waited for about 45 minutes to be told this:

1. she would not do an adjustment because she didn't want to flare anything up.
2. if kolby got any worse over the weekend, we were to take him to the emergency room.
3. if kolby developed a fever over the weekend, we were to take him to the emergency room.
4. she wanted him to see a medical doctor and get x-rays.
5. she wouldn't charge us for the visit. (thank GOD.)

my little gimpy boy limped all weekend long. he seemed to be improving yesterday though and today woke up with no limp and no pain. i did schedule an appointment for him with my family practice doctor at the smaller clinic on wednesday for a physical. we will of course tell her about the leg but i don't know if she will be able to tell much now that he is feeling better. but, at least she will meet him and we will begin to acclimate him to the new clinic.

i am hoping this was a fluke and the pain won't flare up again. keep your fingers crossed for us!

mothering

so...gimpy is at work with me today. i was awakened at 6:30 this morning by the sound of his crying at the top of the stairs. crying because his leg hurt. it was very alarming. i gave him some tylenol and had him lay down for a while. i made the decision not to take him to daycare today.

currently the clinic i take him to is quite large. he sees a different doc every time we go in, and i don't remember the last time he saw "his" doc. i've never even heard of the doc we took him to see yesterday!

i recently started seeing a new doc at a much smaller clinic in town. the clinic is affiliated with mayo and i know they are good. the are part of a larger network of several clinics as well as the hospital in town. there are only a few doctors there. i called this morning and got him an appointment there for this afternoon. my hope is that we can actually get some consistency in his medical care. i'm tired of explaining things over and over to different doctors. (prior to the leg issue i was taking him in all the time for respiratory issues which he seems to be growing out of, knock on wood!)

so i am trying to get in a few hours of work this morning. thankfully gimpy is fairly easily entertained and hopefully won't bother my co-workers too much. i plan to leave around lunch time and then take him to his 2:30 appointment. i don't know that this doc will find anything either, but i think it will be a step in the right direction. i think i am also going to set up a chiropractic appointment. we have had luck with that for other things in the past.

please send your positive thoughts my way today as i try to muddle my way through this mothering business!

to believe or not to believe...

i had to go and pick my son up from daycare today. they called me in the morning to tell me that he was limping and had leg pain. i knew this, since he started it last night. i knew this, because i just took him to the doctor for the very same thing six weeks ago and it turned out to be NOTHING. i reminded daycare of this and got off the phone.

at 2:00 this afternoon i received an email from daycare, saying my son had woken from his nap and still seemed to be in a lot of pain. they listed out their evidence and i knew i'd have to end up going to get him. i also knew i'd have to take him to the doctor again or risk being called a crappy parent or worse yet, have them scream child abuse.

we waited in the doctors office for over an hour before being seen. the diagnosis? nothing. my son actually giggled when the doc squeezed different parts of his leg to see if it hurt. when he walked down the hallway for her it looked contrived. once again i left the doctor's office feeling annoyed at my child.

the bf and i are arguing over it. he thinks my son is manipulative and should be punished. i do believe my son is quite possibly faking it, but also feel there has to be a meaningful reason why. either his leg really does or has ached, or there is something else bothering him. i got the doc to say that he shouldn't do anything for the rest of the day but lay down. even playing legos would be bad. my son was visably upset at this pronouncement.

when we got home, i made him lay in bed. i let him know i was not happy about the situation. he cried for a few minutes and then fell asleep. i made the decision to miss my daughter's open house at school and her dad took her instead. i didn't want to lug gimpy all over the school. i also decided he would not participate in swimming lessons tonight. i had him go to the daycare room alone while i worked out on the elliptical and ky went to swimming lessons. he cried when we left him and i felt horrible, but i wasn't going to give in. by the time i came to pick him up he was playing happily with another boy, so hopefully i didn't do too much damage.

i really don't know what to think or do. the bf thinks i should be harder on him. we fought on the phone after the doctor's appointment and i hung up on him i was so mad. he called back later and seemed to want to make up, but then proceeded to go off again and said something to the effect of "you've been played by a five year old." so i hung up after uttering some "choice" words.

i am not coddling my son, but i am also not going to be overly mean. what if there really is something wrong? i'm not going to give him special treatment, but i'm not going to yell at him either. it's not my style and i think it does more harm than good. still, it is a frustrating situation and i'm just not sure what is the right thing to do!?!?!?!

stuff and things

is it the weekend yet? cuz i am sooooo ready for it. it will be semi-busy, we have a baptism for my niece on sunday. which means getting up gosh damn early to drive the 1.5 hours to be at church at 9:30. but it will be a lovely time of hanging out with family, so i won't complain. ; )

i also have to study stats this weekend. i've pretty much been slacking off on it this week, and i'm pretty sure i will regret that if i don't make up for it. but for some reason the last two nights i have been so incredibly tired...and i'm not sure why. we've had a really busy week but i have been ready for bed at 9:30 the last couple of nights, and that is unusual.

fitness update: i weighed myself on wednesday morning and i am down 7 pounds from when i started trying three weeks ago. i have been eating very well during the week and keeping track of my calories. i have also been exercising a lot: walks at work, biking with the kids, walks with the bf, elliptical at the gym...it feels really good and i am hoping i can keep it up. three weeks builds a habit, right?

National "Talk Like a Pirate Day"

did you know that today is national talk like a pirate day? me either, until the end of the day yesterday when one of my co-workers suggested we celebrate it. we've had quite a lot of fun with the whole thing, even though the rest of the building thinks we are nuts. (well, okay...they already thought that anyway.)

happy birthday kolby!

today my sweet little boy turns 5. oh how the time has flown! and next month my little girl turns 7. i swear just yesterday they were 2 and 4. absolutely amazing how quickly they grow up.

it was funny dropping kolby off at daycare this morning. apparently one of his best buds turns 5 today too. they both were wearing paper crowns and grinning like crazy. kolby's friend kept hugging him and they were both so incredibly excited! i wish i could bottle that and save it for rainy day. there is nothing more healing than the laughter and excitement of a child!

i will be eating lunch at daycare with kolby and his crown today. i think it's something really delicious like ham pot pie? (gag!) but the kids love to have their parents come and eat with them...makes them feel like a star for a day. the less than gourmet food is worth seeing the happiness on his face.

parenting is a funny thing...some days you can't wait until they grow up...and others you are tearing up at the thought of them leaving some day...

the politics of a 6 year old girl...

“Mom, dad still wants John McCain to win. Why do we want “Brock O Bama” to win? Cuz he’s taller? All John McCain does is talk, talk, talk, talk, talk. He’s a chatterbox. He just chats and chats and chats. Brock O Bama has plans. John McCain just talks and talks. Doesn’t he mom? And he doesn’t have any plans. He’s just a chatterbox. Brock O Bama has plans. That’s why we want him to win, right?”

How can you argue with that logic?

minnesota nice?

the bf and i spent some time in the lovely city of grand marais today. the weather was absolutely perfect. sunny with a slight breeze and about 70 degrees. love. it. we took some time to do the tourist thing and visit the local shops. i bought an awesome necklace from one of the vendors at the local "farmers" market. (they might as well call it a flea market or craft fair, but that's another post.)

so, bf and i were relaxing on the rocky beach looking out at the lake. it was so calm and serene there today. absolutely gorgeous. unfortunately there were of course quite a few people around us sharing the experience. noisy kids throwing rocks in the water, asian tourists snapping pics and angry looking locals trying to avoid the throng of tourists invading their city.

i was sitting on a bench with the bf, soaking in the glorious sun and watching the ducks and geese float around close to the shore and eating an ice cream. yum. total contentment. and then we saw her: plunk, plunk, plink, a little girl throwing rocks into the water and AT the duck. wtf? are you kidding me? and her parents were nearby just watching the show. n and i grumbled about the people and i narrowly avoided his going up to the family and giving them a lecture. though they definitely would have deserved it.

we grumbled a bit more and settled back into relaxation for a few more minutes until we saw them: another family a little further down the shore, throwing rocks AT some geese. wtf is the matter with people? as we watched them in total disbelief and disgust, one of the rocks hit its target. the poor goose honked and fled the rock throwing idiot family.

tell me, what the hell is the matter with people? how is it okay to throw a rock at the wildlife? and it's not like it was a mass of naughty little boys, looking for trouble. these were families. with very young children. THROWING ROCKS at the birds! unbelievable. as we picked up our things and packed up to head back to lutsen, i was a little bit confused and saddened by the idiotic actions of those horrible families with no respect for nature.

top secret

i have added yet another blog to my list...this one is private but i will invite you if you email me and let me know you want to read my pathetic words. ; )

the new blog is called The Real Me. it's sure to be a barrel of laughs. or something.

p.s.
for those of you who just aren't interested in anything beyond this lovely public blog, no worries...i plan to try to keep this one updated as well.

one last hurrah...

Just under 72 hours and counting until we hit the road…I am SO looking forward to our mini vacation trip coming up this weekend! The bf and I are heading to the MN North Shore, my favorite place on earth! After a five-ish hour drive, we will be arriving in the Northland on Friday night for some hiking, biking, lake viewing, shopping and relaxing. We will make the trip back “down south” on Monday. My only lament besides the short time frame of our trip is the fact that I have to bring my laptop along: I am in the first week of my Statistics class and will need to do some homework while we are there. Ugh.

The problem with having a vacation to look forward to is that in my mind I’m already there. I have am really not accomplishing much of anything besides daydreaming about our trip and thinking about what to pack. It also sucks to know this is really the last time I will have vacation until the holidays. Due to the all too frequent illnesses of myself and the kids as well as an overabundance of time off for sanity sake I have burned up my vacation time already. NOT GOOD.

So…I will savor this time of looking forward to one last vacation for the year, productivity be damned!

The next President of the United States of America

Click here to see the video!

olympic conversations

on beach volleyball:

why are they wearing swimsuits mom? cuz they might fall in the water? or maybe cuz the ball might fall in the water? where is the water mom? is it under them? what are they standing on mom? sand? oh...i thought that was cookie dough. mom, why do people have whistles? go, go, go american! you can do it! yeah! mom, look how much points we have! mom, why do we have 7 points? we aren't supposed to have that much! we're supposed to have 21 points. what happened? oh...did we start over? mom, do we 'merican have ten points?

on their olympic futures:

i think i'll be in track or gymnastics in the olympics. gymnastics is only for girls. oh for the love of paint, i didn't know boys could do olympics too. i can't do volleyball. maybe i can do swimming. do you think swimming is better for me mom? you need to wear a head thing. for swimming. in the olympics. i am going to be an american. i don't want my brother to be in the same thing as me. but he can be an american. but i don't think they will allow me to do the olympics. what do you really want me to do in the olympics? for real? no, i'm serious on this mom.

on olympic softball:

is this the olympics? i thought it wasn't. why is it baseball olympics? why is it softball olympics? i know red is china. it looks like baseball, why is it called softball, because they have helmets on? why do they have helmets on? why does the pitcher have no helmet? because the pitcher wants to get hurt on its head?


on handball:

isn't that just for woman? it was just for woman last time. then why was it man? boys aren't supposed to be in the girls zone. this is the boys zone? it's not a girl zone? why is it a boy zone? what happened to that guy? probably got bonked his forehead. why are a lot of people getting hurt? why are the people getting hurt? they're playing soccer. soccer throw ball. i think it's kind of like volleyball except don't go like volleyball, you just throw it. you pass it to people. mom, did you see that guy? he was funny! there was fuzz all over his face.


on being olympic fanatics:

when does it end mom? i think it never ends. it probably ends some time, but i'm going to stay awake till the end. i'm going to watch it until i fall asleep. until i have to go potty and poop in my pants.

on a band-aid commercial:

why are those so special?