Worthy Words

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met....

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord....

The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness....

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned....

[O]ur power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint....

[B]ecause we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace....

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task....

This is the price and the promise of citizenship....

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled....

With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

~Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States of America

Image of President Obama from NPR.org website

Clean your room!

Chores. That's the subject here - you know: laundry, dishes, vacuuming, dusting, toilets, shower doors, and all that other stuff we love to hate.

I have a long-term love-hate relationship with chores. As a child, I was told every Saturday to go clean my room. This was because during the week I did not do those trivial things like put my clothes/books/etc. way in a timely fashion. So Saturdays became the Day of Reckoning, and also became a battle of wills. Mom told me to go clean my room, and so upstairs I went. Except that I generally laid on my bed and read, instead.

I'm still fighting that battle 30 years later. I would rather read than do most anything, and reading these days has been greatly expanded by the never-ending supply of material available on the Internet. Who wants to sweep the front porch, dust the shelves, scrub the shower, or mop the floor when there's so much still to read?

When I actually get around to doing the chores, I have definite preferences: I like clean clothes, and a closet full of stuff ready-to-wear, and the damply-warm-flowery smells that emit from the dryer vent on a cold day BUT I hate folding and putting the clothes away! I did not like it as a kid, I did not like it when I was a nanny and did the family's laundry, and I do not like it as an adult. DarlingMan is good about doing this part of this particular chore when he's home (for BOTH our wardrobes), but as that is not the case at the moment, I am faced with a load in the dryer waiting for me (it's jammie pants and jeans, so not too much wrinkling to worry about).

Vacuuming, on the other hand, is pretty fun. I think it's the "instant gratification" aspect, especially when using nozzles on things like baseboards and windowsills. You can really SEE the difference, and it's rewarding. In the interest of full disclosure I'll admit that vacuums were fraught with peril for me in my youngest years; I was terrified of the industrial-strength/sized "fweepers" [derived from "sweeper," which is what my dad called vacuums] that the maids used in the motels/restaurants my family owned. I don't how this phobia began or how it dissipated, but it's family lore now. So it's kinda funny that vacuuming is a chore that's slightly higher on the current preference list.

The two domiciles I lived in before this one featured master bathrooms with glass shower walls and doors. BAD BAD BAD!!! Do you think I was inclined to clean these regularly? Nooooooooo. I didn't let them get grossly slimy, but there were definite areas of hard-water build-up up that were bitches to clean upon move-out. So when buying this house, a HUGE selling point was the Travertine tile "walk-in"-style DOORLESS shower in the master bath. LOVE IT!!!

Turns out that writing is a good way to avoid chores as well. But maybe I better go get those clothes out of the dryer.

Why "Law and Order" re-runs are essential

Being that it's a holiday for those of us "on the government cheese," as my charming sibling likes to say, I'm at home being relatively loaf-y and non-productive. I actually am doing laundry (productive), but having managed to accomplish one of those once-every-couple-years back strains for which I'm semi-famous (just ask the folks in the ER at Alta-Bates Hospital In Berkeley), I'm also spending a lot of time semi-immobile surfing both the Internet and the multitude of DiSH Network channels at my disposal (there's also a cheesey novel involved as well).

Here's what I have discovered: TV has gone to crap. Aside from sports (yay NFL channel) and news, there are two types of shows.

1. 'Tween programs chock full of frightening wardrobes and snottily precocious singing/dancing/magic-doing "utes" (thanks, Joe Pesci) - to whit, "Hannah Montana," "Suite Life of Zack and Cody," "Wizards of Wavery Place," What a Girl Wants," etc.

2. Absoultely horrific faux "reality" shows that simply boggle the mind with their vaccuousness - "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," "Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy," "Daddy's Girls," "Real Housewives of _______________" (there seems to be several versions of that one), "My Super Sweet Sixteen," and a myriad of other broadcast nightmares.

The absolute drivel that make up #s 1 and 2 above make the endless re-runs of anything from Dick Wolf (the "L&O" franchise) look heavenly in comparison. What happened to characters? Plots? Stories? Writing?

Thank God for re-runs of "Glmore Girls", "The Waltons", and "M*A*S*H". They've kept me sane.

Thre's one other ray of hope as well - "The Electric Company" is making a comeback! Check out this story on NPR's "All Things Considered" for the scoop.

Oh, BTW, I took a Lortab to try to relieve the extreme discomfort of my back... that might be what inspired this post. Sorry!

[Click here to go to the Temple University page where I got the cool TV image]

Tattoos Redux

This is the anti-dote to the previous post about tattoo-removal - heh, heh! (Click on the link and then listen to the clip from NPR).

Psychotic Cross-Branding

There was just an ad on TV for "Swiffer" (the floor cleaning product, which yes, I do use). The ad proudly proclaimed that Swiffer is the official cleaner of "Hotel for Dogs." This is cross-branding/multi-marketing gone berserk. What a nutso world of rabid, rampant commercialism we live in!

Oh, by the way, I bribed Niece last weekend to do something with the promise that I would take her to see "Hotel for Dogs." Guess I'll get to see the interrelationship of Swiffer and dogs for myself all to soon.

Got un-needed tatoos?

ONLY in Utah...

There is a link on the one of the major network television affiliate station's website for this establishment's contest.

Seriously. ONLY in Utah would this be featured in such a manner. Of course, that particular television station happens to be owned by the church of the dominant religion in this state, and since they won't show Saturday Night Live (you have to watch that on an alternative station), I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

But... *seriously*?!

Laprador Lounging

There was a comment about the picture "Beagle at Rest" wondering if Laprador would get equal billing... well, here she is! This picture is a few years old, but it doesn't show her now-gray face (she's kinda vain about that). She's all settled in with a blankie and pillow (courtesy of Niece), ready for a nap. Only one dog bed in the picture, because this was taken at the old house, before Beagle appeared on the scene.

BTW, "Laprador" is a Labrador that can *almost* fit in your lap!

Mornings just keep getting worse...

Today, I forgot my cell phone. Am I falling victim to early-onset Alzheimer's disease? Are these forgotten items (computer, watch, phone) symbols of a latent desire to abandon my job/career? Or am I just an idiot who would lose her head were it not screwed on? In high school my BFF "Rock" was always misplacing her purse. My mother continually threatened to staple the purse onto Rock's body. Perhaps that is the answer... I'm sure DarlingMan has an industrial strength staple gun somewhere among the many implements on his tool shelves. Of course, I'd never make it through an airport metal detector, but hey, I don't like to fly anyway.

Comments

Okay, I've gotten feedback that people were having difficulty leaving comments. Hopefully I have fixed that problem and now anyone should be able to leave a comments without having to have a Google ID. Try it and see what happens! If you still have problems, email me.

Another SOME PEOPLE

This would be why you ought not to take your gun into the potty with you...

Mornings Redux

So, my plan to lunch with the colleague who's in the training upstairs just went down the tubes, as we have scheduled an interview with a desperately-needed tech intern. WonderBoy, the current tech guru, is overburdened and we need someone to do some basic website-building. He's coming in at 12, which is generally when trainings take their breaks. So much for that plan.

Meanwhile, in the process of scheduling that interview, I looked at my watch and discovered that I HAVE NO WATCH! Apparently, I forgot to put it on this morning (along with my district ID). Now I know that I have a computer, cellpone, and iPod Touch which all prominently feature clocks, but I NEED MY WATCH. I have worn a watch since I was 8 years old, and its integral to my identity. No, I don't wear it when I'm sleeping (same goes for earrings, necklaces, engagement ring, etc.) but it is a REQUIRED daytime accessory.

Meanwhile, I headed out to do the forgotten errands and to replace my dumped dietCoke. I managed to get to the PO and LocalBank just fine, but when I went to BigBank I was forced to hover in the center of the street while a RUDE PERSON straddled the line between the two drive-thru lanes waiting to see which one would clear first. SOME PEOPLE!

Replacement dietCoke was included on this little jaunt, so I went to the Maverick down the street. This isn't MY Maverick, that is to say, the one now at the corner of the highway a half-mile from my house. However, it's my second-favorite Maverick because it's the one DarlingMan and I stopped at all summer during the time period where we could commute to work together. I was very tempted by a foot-long Nerd Rope, but resisted. I'm actually not actively avoiding sweets, though I AM trying vigilantly to abstain from fried foods. I feel like if I could eliminate that source of evilness in my life any number of other things would improve. Had DarlingMan been there I'm sure he would have snatched that Nerd Rope right up, as his sweet tooth is pretty notorious. Lately he's been doing some weight-lifiting, so maybe that will compensate a bit. We really do have to be a little more conscious of these things as our 40th birthdays approach!

Oh, and another "morning issue" - I need the 51 participating educators in my program to complete a 2-question survey via SurveyMonkey. This is VERY important for the legislative report I have to have prepared THIS WEEK. I sent the link via email to all the participants, but a CERTAIN school district in the far northern outback of this state has a server that routinely and randomly rejects my email. I have 15 participants in this district alone, so I REALLY need them to be able to do my tiny survey. Grrrrrrrrr!

Mornings

Considering that this is what my car looks like most mornings lately, is it any wonder that it's a struggle to get to work in one piece? It doesn't help that I'm usually heading out between 6:30 and 7:00, and while I would generally characterize myself as more of a "morning person" than a "later in the day person" (about 5:00 p.m. and I'm hitting a wall at my desk... better to get stuff done in the morning), I really don't like having to scrape ice off the car on a routine basis.

Yesterday morning I arrived at the office right around 7:15 only to discover that I have LEFT MY MACBOOK AT HOME. For me, no computer pretty much equals DEATH since everything about my job is technology-dependent. Now it just so happens that have about 30 brand-new and ready to use MacBooks sitting in a cabinet right behind me, anyone of which could have easily provided me with the internet access that is the ganja-juice of my very existence, but... I wanted MY 'puter. I really can't function or do ANYTHING without it, expect MAYBE go pee, and even that is doubtful. So I quickly and anxiously called PseudoBoss in the hopes that she had not already zoomed down Highway 9 past the turn-off to my house. Happily, she could still see my beloved Maverick sign in the distance and so was able to make the turn and fetch my poor computer. We were reunited shortly thereafter and all was well.

Today posed a different set of challenges. I've been having a lot of trouble sleeping, so the last two nights I helped myself to some of DarlingMan's Ambien tablets. They don't do a thing for him (hence why there's a nice supply laying around) but they definitely send me into a fairly restful sleep. The problem is, I then don't necessarily want to get up in the morning. Today in my stumbling and bumbling I managed to spill the entire ginormous cup of dietCoke I had just purchased at Mavrick - fortunately, not all over myself, but I did create a nice little lake on the back floorboard of the car. In my fluster of that I completely forgot to go to the post office and the two banks I needed to hit before pulling into the parking lot at work. I wasn't planning to leave the premises for lunch today, as a former colleague is upstairs for a training and I was going to scam some food from her event while we chatted. May have to sneak out later to take care of the forgotten errands.

Relaxation

Beagle at rest...

Resurrecting the Blog

I'm resurrecting the blog... I started this last summer after I had to do a project for work involving blogging. It was fun, but after about five posts I didn't keep it up (not surprising; consistency is not always one of my virtues). However, I've become a huge consumer of OTHER people's blogs (I subscribe to about 30 RSS feeds and read them all compulsively), and the urge has been building to return to writing my own again. Not that I really have anything profound to say, but in this era of constant communication - well, why not?

I am making some changes, though. I had to think carefully about issues of privacy, given my status as an educator and certain other factors in my life. As such, I will mostly be using pseudonyms for the "characters" in my life, and while I won't conceal every single identifying detail about where I live, work, etc., I'm going to be a little more veiled in my references. Because of these considerations I have pulled the posts that I wrote last summer - too many revealing names and images. So I'm starting anew... check in once in a while, and make a comment if you want.

Some people!

Wombat (my mom) and I were standing in the prescription drop-off line at the pharmacy in our local Wal-Mart last Saturday. We had to tell three separate geezer-line-cutters who brazenly marched up to the window exactly WHERE it was they should be - behind us, IN LINE. These clueless folks were in clear violation of the HIPPA-mandated no-fly zone between the special painted red line and the clerk's window. I am well acquainted with this sacred line, because DarlingMan inadvertently crossed it one day, earning a stern reprimand from the Wal-Mart drone. Somehow, in his sweet innocence, DarlingMan thought that the clerk was joking around with him, which earned a SECOND reprimand. Needless to say, DarlingMan was quite cowed and has been ever-vigilant of the red line since then. But I digress... I suppose the line-cutting (or, BUTTING as my students in LA used to say) coule have been much worse, as this article describes. Jeez, SOME PEOPLE!