Hannah: Jake! Why do you always have to bother me?
Me: Because he's your little brother.
Hannah: That's why if you take away the "r" it spells bother.
1 year ago
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Discussing politics the responsible way
Me: I just spent an hour writing a long, inarticulate blog posting about politics and then I scrapped it. I then spent another half hour writing a long rant about politics using swear words, capital letters and lots of exclamation points. In other words, I took the high road.
Lincoln: I'm proud of you.
Lincoln: I'm proud of you.
We need a little movie magic
Politics are really starting to disgust me. No one is listening to the other side anymore and everyone would rather shout sound bites and tweet at each other via Twitter than actually get anything done. Politicians tiptoe around each other because God forbid the other side get something they can run on the opposing side's networks on a 24/7 news cycle.
President Obama gave a fairly fiery speech over Labor Day weekend to a union crowd. I didn't watch it but I heard Newt Gringrich talking about it yesterday. He said that it wasn't appropriate for a President to be giving a speech like that anymore now that he isn't a candidate and that the President needs to present a speech that caters to both sides of the aisle before praising Obama's speech to students yesterday for doing just that. (Ironic, really, since the Republicans were screaming that the speech to students would indoctrinate our children to the President's socialist plan to bring down our country.)
Well tonight the President is going to address a joint session of Congress in hopes of getting the health care plan moving. I don't know what he's going to say. I don't even know what I think he's going to say since all the networks, blogs, and newspapers are constantly saying something different but I just hope he says something.
We don't need any more of this wishy-washy political caution. This country needs someone to come in and say, to BOTH sides of the political aisle, "Listen up! You guys are the political leaders of this country. You have been voted into office to help the people of this country. You are not here to cater to lobbyists who line your pockets. You are here for the people who have no voice. You are here for the people that do have a voice. You are here to serve EVERYONE so shut the fuck up and stop acting like children. " And then he needs to lock them in the capitol and take away their blackberries and their computers and their cell phones and tell them no one is allowed to come out until SOMETHING has been accomplished. I don't care what. I don't care which side "wins". Just fucking do something and stop all this "he said / she said / death panels / socialist agenda" crap. They all need to get their heads out of their asses and their hands out of the pockets of whoever pays the most money to buy their vote and get back to RUNNING THE DAMN COUNTRY!!!!!!!
Can you tell I'm fired up about this?
Anyway, here is a cinematic version of what we need from Obama's speech tonight. Someone who is sick of the media spin and the critics coming at him over pointless trivia and not even bothering to debate policy.
President Obama gave a fairly fiery speech over Labor Day weekend to a union crowd. I didn't watch it but I heard Newt Gringrich talking about it yesterday. He said that it wasn't appropriate for a President to be giving a speech like that anymore now that he isn't a candidate and that the President needs to present a speech that caters to both sides of the aisle before praising Obama's speech to students yesterday for doing just that. (Ironic, really, since the Republicans were screaming that the speech to students would indoctrinate our children to the President's socialist plan to bring down our country.)
Well tonight the President is going to address a joint session of Congress in hopes of getting the health care plan moving. I don't know what he's going to say. I don't even know what I think he's going to say since all the networks, blogs, and newspapers are constantly saying something different but I just hope he says something.
We don't need any more of this wishy-washy political caution. This country needs someone to come in and say, to BOTH sides of the political aisle, "Listen up! You guys are the political leaders of this country. You have been voted into office to help the people of this country. You are not here to cater to lobbyists who line your pockets. You are here for the people who have no voice. You are here for the people that do have a voice. You are here to serve EVERYONE so shut the fuck up and stop acting like children. " And then he needs to lock them in the capitol and take away their blackberries and their computers and their cell phones and tell them no one is allowed to come out until SOMETHING has been accomplished. I don't care what. I don't care which side "wins". Just fucking do something and stop all this "he said / she said / death panels / socialist agenda" crap. They all need to get their heads out of their asses and their hands out of the pockets of whoever pays the most money to buy their vote and get back to RUNNING THE DAMN COUNTRY!!!!!!!
Can you tell I'm fired up about this?
Anyway, here is a cinematic version of what we need from Obama's speech tonight. Someone who is sick of the media spin and the critics coming at him over pointless trivia and not even bothering to debate policy.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Deck building weather
Two years ago we built a great big deck on one end of our pool. It was necessary to have a deck of some sort around the pool so we really had no choice but to start on the deck at the beginning of the summer. Our plan was to take the next summer off and then build the rest of the deck (going around the rest of the pool) the following summer. Well that would have been this summer but when the nice weather finally came around we had no desire to be outside working on the pool deck when we could be in the pool itself. We decided to be lazy and push the project off another year.
Until yesterday.....
Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day but it wasn't terribly warm. It was only in the high 60's/low 70's and the pool was definitely too cold to go swimming. Instead we were just sitting out by the pool enjoying the weather and I was having a glass of wine when I decided that this was perfect weather for deck building. Instead of just filling up my glass of wine again and hoping that I would forget the idea Lincoln immediately broke out the measuring tape and graph paper and started planning out the deck.
This morning found us at Lowe's and many dollars later we started working on our deck. Hopefully we'll have a bunch of nice weekends in September and early October and we'll be able to get the whole thing done before winter. The deck isn't nearly as big as the one at the far end of the pool but it will still be quite the project. We're extending the current deck out on either side of the pool so that there is a three foot walk way on both sides. After that there will be a small 6-foot wide deck at the other end making it roughly 6 ft by 24 ft. Next spring we'll start to landscape around the area so that eventually the pool and the pool deck will actually be hidden from view as you come up our driveway. It will be our own nice little hideaway.
As much as I hurt right now - and let me tell you, I hurt - I'm glad that we're taking on this project now. I know that we wouldn't have wanted to do it next June when the time rolled around and this way we can go into next season with a great new deck around the pool.
At least that is what I have to keep telling myself.
Until yesterday.....
Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day but it wasn't terribly warm. It was only in the high 60's/low 70's and the pool was definitely too cold to go swimming. Instead we were just sitting out by the pool enjoying the weather and I was having a glass of wine when I decided that this was perfect weather for deck building. Instead of just filling up my glass of wine again and hoping that I would forget the idea Lincoln immediately broke out the measuring tape and graph paper and started planning out the deck.
This morning found us at Lowe's and many dollars later we started working on our deck. Hopefully we'll have a bunch of nice weekends in September and early October and we'll be able to get the whole thing done before winter. The deck isn't nearly as big as the one at the far end of the pool but it will still be quite the project. We're extending the current deck out on either side of the pool so that there is a three foot walk way on both sides. After that there will be a small 6-foot wide deck at the other end making it roughly 6 ft by 24 ft. Next spring we'll start to landscape around the area so that eventually the pool and the pool deck will actually be hidden from view as you come up our driveway. It will be our own nice little hideaway.
As much as I hurt right now - and let me tell you, I hurt - I'm glad that we're taking on this project now. I know that we wouldn't have wanted to do it next June when the time rolled around and this way we can go into next season with a great new deck around the pool.
At least that is what I have to keep telling myself.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
My own little Pavlov's Jakey
I may not be able to get Jake to snuggle with me but I have him well trained that if I'm anywhere within two feet of him and I pucker my lips he'll stop what he's doing and kiss me.
Update: email conversation between myself and the principal
HER RESPONSE:
Hi Diane,
Thank you for your email. At the elementary level, we will implementing the regular curriculum on September 8th. My understanding is that courses that address current events, at the secondary level, will be more apt to show the president's speech on Tuesday. I intend to view the speech and incorporate the message of setting goals and hard work in my "assemblies" with the students on Thursday.
Mrs. S.
MY RESPONSE:
Thank you for your response. I'm disappointed that you're not showing it to at least the older grades because last year the kids were actively engaged in the presidential election - including a mock election and writing essays on what they would do as President - and I think this would be a good opportunity for them to see more about the presidency and its impact on America at a level that they could understand. I fully intend to watch this with Hannah at home on YouTube but unfortunately the content of this message won't be reaching the students at Memorial who might need this most. If parents fail their students the school should be there to fill in the gap. I fear that in this incidence both the parents and school may be failing our children.
I realize that this issue is a landmine of political sensitivity since so many parents are objecting to its content based merely on the messenger and not the message itself, and that there really hasn't been time to get the approval of the parents, but I think that the video should be given, at bare minimum, review and consideration to be aired for the children at a later date with the grade appropriate discussion.
diane
Hi Diane,
Thank you for your email. At the elementary level, we will implementing the regular curriculum on September 8th. My understanding is that courses that address current events, at the secondary level, will be more apt to show the president's speech on Tuesday. I intend to view the speech and incorporate the message of setting goals and hard work in my "assemblies" with the students on Thursday.
Mrs. S.
MY RESPONSE:
Thank you for your response. I'm disappointed that you're not showing it to at least the older grades because last year the kids were actively engaged in the presidential election - including a mock election and writing essays on what they would do as President - and I think this would be a good opportunity for them to see more about the presidency and its impact on America at a level that they could understand. I fully intend to watch this with Hannah at home on YouTube but unfortunately the content of this message won't be reaching the students at Memorial who might need this most. If parents fail their students the school should be there to fill in the gap. I fear that in this incidence both the parents and school may be failing our children.
I realize that this issue is a landmine of political sensitivity since so many parents are objecting to its content based merely on the messenger and not the message itself, and that there really hasn't been time to get the approval of the parents, but I think that the video should be given, at bare minimum, review and consideration to be aired for the children at a later date with the grade appropriate discussion.
diane
President Obama's planned speech to children on 9/8
I will refrain from a long, long, LONG posting regarding the stupidity, hatred, bigotry, partisanship, ass-stupid logic of those opposing President Obama's speech to the country's youth about HARD WORK, RESPONSIBILITY, AND STAYING IN SCHOOL and merely post a copy of my email to the school principal to speak for me.
Has a decision been made whether or not Memorial will air this speech? I, for one, am in total favor of it and I really hope you guys do it. To not air it is teaching children to fear that with which they don't agree and that with enough uproar anyone can have their voice silenced. If the President of the United States can be silenced on a topic as innocuous as hard work, responsibility, and being encouraged to stay in school then what hope do our children have to stand up for what they believe in and make their voices heard?
Has a decision been made whether or not Memorial will air this speech? I, for one, am in total favor of it and I really hope you guys do it. To not air it is teaching children to fear that with which they don't agree and that with enough uproar anyone can have their voice silenced. If the President of the United States can be silenced on a topic as innocuous as hard work, responsibility, and being encouraged to stay in school then what hope do our children have to stand up for what they believe in and make their voices heard?
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