April 2008 - Posts
Justin lost his top, left incisor today. I'll post a picture of him tomorrow, if I remember.
I just checked the weather for my trip to Ontario and Western New York this upcoming weekend. It looks like rain almost the entire time. Bummer.
Well, not even rain can bring me down, because I'm totally excited to eat at the places I've missed, and to see people I haven't seen in a while. I'm totally going to have chicken wings, Michael's lasagna, and Tim Horton's! Woo Hoo!
Now, it's time to go have a hot bath and read it bed...My favorite way to spend the evening.
I made quesadillas for the first time at home tonight. Awesomeness.
I got a new book today. John Adams. I'm on Chapter two. More awesomeness.
I set up my home work space with wireless internet access so I can work from home, in bed. Even more awesomeness.
I am taking my first, albeit mini, vacation in more than 14 months, beginning Friday. I haven't had more than three consecutive days off work since last February. Tim Horton's here I come. Supreme awesomeness.
Stevie is having his surgery on Thursday this week and the economic stimulus checks are being deposited earlier than first reported so I'll have the 50% down payment I needed in time. Priceless.
I went shopping this evening at a different Super Wal-Mart than the one I normally go to. I really need to get a membership at Sam's, Costco, or BJ's. We have all three around here so I need to go check all of them out to see which one of them I like best. In the meantime, the Super Wal-Mart is really hard to beat as far as prices go. I usually don't like shopping at Wal-Mart because it's always crazy in there...Long lines and way too many people. I had a much better experience in this one, so I think I'm going to go there from now on.
Today was a fun day. I made french toast for the kids for breakfast, went for a brief walk, then we went to church. We stopped at McDonald's on the way home for lunch (since I hadn't grocery shopped yet) and then I came home and had a nap (I fell asleep reading). Napping is the best thing ever and something I don't do nearly enough. After my nap I read my super fantasic new book called the Intellectual Devotional. Between this new book, and my Intellectual of Devotional of American History, I have been having the most amazing time reading about so many interesting subjects. It may be old news to some people, but plenty of it is new to me. For example, I didn't know that Socrates never wrote a single book. Everything that is known about him is from second-hand accounts; most notably from his student, Plato. Also, I never knew, or perhaps forgot, that Socrates was sentenced to death for his philosophical ideas. He was convicted for corrupting the minds of his students and forced to drink the poison Hemlock.
Isn't it funny how times have changed?
Last night I watched Atonement for Saturday Movie Night®.
Just thinking about it makes me sleepy and I begin to yawn. It's really too bad because the story line had such enormous potential and some good actors but, in the end, the screenplay was a mess.
Without giving away any specifics (though I would hope to dissuade you from wasting your money on the rental), the movie was about a young girl who tells a lie regarding her older sister's love-interest, that ends up negatively altering the course of all of their lives. It sounds somewhat interesting, doesn't it?
Yeah. Not so much.
I was so excited to watch it all day and, at the end of the day, all it delivered was a non-pharmaceutical equivalent to Nytol®.
The movie was extremely slow-paced, with seemingly irrelevant detours that left you wondering what the heck the point was to the particular scene. The movie also had some chronological challenges where it would jump forward or backward in time, inexplicably, and it would take you a few moments to orient yourself to where you were in the time continuum. That didn't bother me as much because I was able to follow it, however, the problem was that there didn't always seem to be a purpose for it, other than the filmmaker trying to obfuscate the storyline as some sort of attempt at "artistic genius".
The long and short of it is; don't waste your time.
I dropped my kids off for school today and a car in the parking lot was smoking and smoldering. I reported it to the office and by the time I came out there were flames coming out of the grill.
A fire truck came and put out the flames...It was all very exciting.
Stevie has gotten so skinny that it's hard to look at him, or pet him for that matter. The vet called me to see about 4/30 for his surgery but I haven't got the fundage together for it yet and the problem is that he's deteriorating so badly that he may not make it to a surgery date much beyond that. Also, they gave me enough pain killer to last until he had the surgery and I'm starting to run low. My poor kitty is such a mess because he's started pulling his fur out on his tail and his bottom. I'm not sure if that's a stress response, or what???
I know that I can't right now... I'm just ruminating.
For some inexplicable reason, which came as a complete surprise to me, I've become interested in Economics. I'm not suggesting I want to go back to school and get an Econ degree, I'm just saying that this new interest has started brewing.
To say that it's inexplicable is actually not quite true. I just didn't give thought to the explanation until this blog post. I've been reading a lot of history lately, and one of the aspects of my reading has been the economic evolution of the United States, with some history of the European economy thrown in for good measure. That, coupled with listening to Market Place on NPR, has birthed this new interest. I've been listening to Market Place largely due to a desire to overcome, if only slightly, my ignorance on the complex, multi-faceted subject. Ignorance is NOT awesome!
Yeah, I know we can't possibly know about everything, but the economy is kind of "in your face" right now, and so I want to understand the inner mechanics, interdependencies, the various players, etc. behind what is going on, particularly since it is manifesting itself in my wallet taking a bigger hit when indulging in a bountiful kitchen pantry and filling my car with gas, among other things.
If you told me a decade ago that I'd be drawn to either history or economics I never would have believed it. Isn't it funny how your interests can so dramatically change over time?
There's a show on NPR hosted by Faith Salie called
Fair Game. I
love this radio program. The host is very witty (she has performed as a stand-up comedian) and extremely articulate and intelligent (she's a Rhodes scholar, getting her master's degree at Oxford, and also has a degree from Harvard). Even though she's more liberal than I am, I appreciate her brand of humor and the intelligent, yet playful, dialogue she cultivates with her guests. Now, getting back to the book
Bad Money: Reckless Finance, Failed Politics and the Global Crisis of American Capitalism...
Faith interviewed the author, Kevin Phillips, on Fair Game this evening and it piqued my interest in this book. I'm going to add it to my wishlist and perhaps it might turn up at my local library. Phillips talks about the economy being led by financing, and how the
government has decided to bail out things that shouldn't survive, and
that's what getting us into all this trouble. Mr. Phillips made an interesting comment during the interview when hypothesizing about these events that have led to the current economic crisis:
"What gets bailed out gets big. And what gets big when it's bailed out gets reckless. And that's what we've got. Big, fat, and reckless."
Amen.
I saw an interview on, I think, The Today Show about a woman who is a NY Times columnist that allowed her son to ride the subway home after he had been begging her to do it for months and months. She's being skewered in the media, by parents, and being called things like "The World's Worst Mother."
Whether you agree with what she did, or not, I'm predicting right here and now that this young boy is going to grow up to be a well-adjusted and independent young man. As a child, I was given quite a bit of freedom to explore, ride my bike alone, walk to school and to friends houses. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm an independent person and no worse for it.
Society has always had violence, the only difference is that now we have internet sites and television telling us about it every day in our living rooms. The statistics reveal it is highly unlikely our children will be abducted and murdered (particulary since most child murders are committed by their own parents). I admit I can be over-protective too, but the question I ask is this: Is the way we're raising our kids, over-protecting them against a very minute risk, going to be worth the way this generation ends up turning out?
Regardless if I would do the same, I applaud this woman for not caving in to the judgment of other people, and being committed to raising an independent, responsible child, instead of the mass-generated coddled, spoiled, over-protected generation that we're currently cranking out.
"In the good old days nine-year-old baby boomers rode their bikes to
school, walked to the store, took buses—and even subways—all by
themselves. Her blog, she says, is dedicated to sane parenting. 'At Free Range Kids, we believe in safe kids. We believe in helmets,
car seats and safety belts. We do NOT believe that every time
school-age children go outside, they need a security detail.'"
Here's the complete article.
Did you know that in the entire 206 year history of the oldest military academy in the U.S., the United States Military Academy at West Point, there's only been two people that graduated without a single demerit point on their record? They both graduated the same year. One graduated first in class, the other second.
They were Charles Mason and Robert E. Lee.
I actually read that Lee was the only one to receive a perfect record of conduct, but I researched it and discovered, in fact, that Charles Mason had achieved the same.
I found a wiki entry on Charles Mason and it says that six graduates achieved a perfect conduct record, but that's actually incorrect. I found an article that posed the question to the academy's historian and archivist and the response was that there were two, as listed above. The article had some other interesting tidbits to say and you can read it here.
I found out today that a Wonder Woman movie will be released some time in 2009. When I was growing up, I desperately wanted to be Wonder Woman. Heck, I think maybe I still *do* want to be Wonder Woman. I hope Hollywood doesn't complete botch this one up with a stupid casting selection.
I received a call from the oncologist on Friday regarding Stevie's potential candidacy for a glossectomy.
The news could have been worse, and it could have been better. We're somewhere in the middle. The bottom line is that she recommends the surgery for him, but the bad news is that there is some cancer at the back of his throat in his larynx, so the surgery will only prolong his life a bit, but won't cure him. I'm going forward with the surgery because it will remove the discomfort he's currently in, and she told us that we're probably buying him another year.
I just keep reminding myself that she could have said the cancer was in his bones, or that is was so bad that she recommends putting him down immediately. That makes me grateful at the prospect of having another year with him. And she believes there will be quality of life. One of her own cats has had a glossectomy, and has a feeding tube, she informed me.
So there it is.
I've never posted a seven sevens on my blog, so I thought it was high time. In case you aren't familiar, it's like a top ten list, only it's seven of them, and there are seven topics. I had a hard time with a few of them, because I had way more than 7 of some things.
Seven...
Things to do before I die:
Know that the people I love have all accepted Christ as Savior
Do a competent job raising my kids
Travel to places on other continents (Spain? France? Nepal? Machu Picchu?)
Realize my God-given potential to the best of my ability
Keep learning as much as I can
Visit historic sites around the U.S.
Vacation in Hawaii
Things I cannot do:
Sing like Christina Aguilera
Play the guitar like Joe Satriani
Shoot like Jerry Miculek
Love people like Jesus does
Turn my back on my best friend
Hold a grudge
Say "no" to chocolatey desserts
Things that attract me to my best friend:
Sense of humor
Intelligence
Wisdom
Common interests
Respectfulness
Even-temperament
An ability to put up with large doses of me
Things I say most often:
I love you
That's fine
Don't worry about it
You're my favorite
It's better than a sharp stick in the eye
I'm so excited
I think I have a coupon for that
Books (or series) I love (or loved at some point in my life):
The Book of Daniel (Bible)
The Civil War (Ken Burns)
Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
Lincoln the Unknown (Dale Carnegie)
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret (Judy Blume)
Lord of the Flies (William Golding)
The Stand (Stephen King)
Movies I've watched over and over again:
Shawshank Redemption
The Princess Bride
The Matrix
Pride & Prejudice (2005)
When Harry Met Sally
My Life
Groundhog Day
I totally want to cheat and include Cold Mountain on the list, to make it eight, but I know this is a list of sevens, so I'll refrain. 
Added after original post: Actually, I really should have put Monty Python and The Holy Grail on the list. I've probably watched that more than any other movie. Since I'm such an avid movie watcher, this particular seven was a bugger.
Ways I like to spend time:
Saturday movie night
Taking walks with my family
Reading in bed (especially about American history or biographical books)
Target shooting
Trying new restaurants
Travelling to new places
Taking hot baths right before bed (usually with a book)
I got this email at work today, and thought I'd post it here on my blog.
Me/Myself/I
Use myself when referring back to I when mentioned in the same sentence. Do not substitute the word myself for I in a sentence. Use I when it is the subject in a sentence or a phrase. Use me when it follows a preposition or refers back to a preposition or is the object of a phrase.
Incorrect:
· Please see Ryan or myself if you have any questions.
· Tom, Susan, and myself attended the conference.
· Relatives are coming to Charlotte to visit Tristan, Justin, and I.
Correct:
· Please see Bob or me if you have any questions.
· Tom, Susan, and I attended the conference.
· The payment was late; I, myself, am the only one to blame.
· Relatives are coming to Charlotte to visit Tristan, Justin, and me.
How to use myself:
Do not use myself instead of I in a sentence.
Wrong: If you have any questions, please see Jerry or myself.
Wrong: Tom, Beth, and myself attended the conference.
Wrong: Relatives are coming to Charlotte to visit Tristan, Justin, and myself.
Here is the only correct way to use the word myself:
Only use the word myself when referring back to I in the same sentence. In other words, to use the word myself, you have to also have the word I in the same sentence; otherwise, you are using the word myself incorrectly.
Right: The payment was late. I, myself, am the only one to blame.
Right: I will write her myself.
Right: I found myself the only one in favor of going to the movies.
How to use I:
Use I when it is the subject in a sentence or a phrase.
Wrong: After you’re done reviewing, pass the document back to Renee and I.
Wrong: If you have any questions, please see Jerry or I.
Wrong: Relatives are coming to Charlotte to visit Tristan, Justin, and I.
Right: Tom, Beth, and I attended the conference.
Right: After you’re done reviewing, I will take a look at it.
Right: If you have any questions, I would be happy to help.
How to use me:
Use me when it follows a preposition or refers back to a preposition, or is the object of a phrase, or when it is the direct or indirect object of a verb.
Right: If you have any questions, please see Jerry or me.
Right: Relatives are coming to Charlotte to visit Tristan, Justin, and me.
Right: After you’re done reviewing, pass the document back to Renee and me.
Tip: If you get confused, remove the other person’s name and repeat the sentence to figure out whether “me” or “I” is correct.
Example: If you have any questions, please see me.
By using the tip above, you realize that, “ …please see I” is incorrect.
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