Things I've Learned from 24 - Part V

As a recompense for having made all you faithful readers wait more than 12 hours for my 24 comments, I thought I'd pass along a bonus feature.

Part V - It's Okay to Hand the President Over to Terrorists

This one is actually a little difficult. But I don't think I can agree whatsoever with Jack Bauer at the end of the 7pm hour (or whatever time it is in 24-world). He yelled at the President and told her his job was to protect her. She yelled back and said she IS the President and therefore he must obey her. Which he did.

I don't think a Secret Service Agent's job is to obey the President. I think his/her job is to protect the President. And sometimes that means protecting him/her against his/her best judgment. Do I want the Pres' daughter to die by mutilation? No. But do I want to leave the safety and security of the lockdown room and jeopardize the President's well-being. Absolutely not.

I don't see how in real life an Agent would have actually done that. But I haven't read the handbook, so maybe there's an asterisk at the end:

" *If confronted with a situation where the President insists on you taking an action that would compromise his/her safety, only comply when the life of an immediately family member is at stake."

ps - I actually didn't see much of 24 last night - I don't think I caught any of the first hour, and maybe only 40 minutes of the second. So if I missed a killer "TILF24" - post it as a comment!

Things I've Learned From 24 - Part IV

Rachelle, Rachelle. I know I'm slacking. I actually almost took my iPhone up to bed so I could tap one out - but I was wiped from 2 hours of non-stop action. So, here it is:

Part IV - Secret Service Agents are Easily Duped.

Seriously, the dialogue went something like this:

General "I've got a freaky, stupid stare thing going on" Juma: "If you do not move your men out, I will kill the President."
Secret Service Agent Stupidity: "I need proof that you have her."
Juma: "The only proof I will give you is that if you don't do what I say, her death will be on your head."
Estupido: "MOVE OUT, MEN!"

Let's analyze this: 1. Demand from terrorist. 2. Show me proof. 3. Terrorist shows no additional proof. 4. "Good enough for me! We're outta here!"

What? And again I say: WHAT? It's a veiled threat. It's completely unverifiable. It's a blasted terrorist in the White House and you're just going to walk away. Jimminy Cricket!

Okay - so enough with the recap. What can we learn from this??

Say you're walking through DC. You're tired of making that round-about bypass like 6 blocks around the White House instead of just walking straight down E St. So you mosey on up to the guardhouse and say: "Let me through, or I'm going to bomb the White House." "What kind of idiot are you," should be the reply (while guards begin to scurry around). "Seriously, if you don't let me take this shortcut, the bombing of the White House will be on your head." "Oh, that changes the situation. Have a nice day, sir."

And there you go. Try it out next time. Really. And if things don't go so well for you, don't blame it on me. Blame it on 24, Kiefer Sutherland, FOX, and Agent Dingbat. I'm sure they'll find a way to break you out of Leavenworth....

Today's Lunch

Fish eyes and seaweed.

Actually, is Quinoa and spinach with feta cheese and sauteed onions!
Yum...

Quote of the Day

"Freedom has a scent, like the top of a newborn baby's head."

[-- U2, "Miracle Drug," How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb]

Part of me wonders, with giving up so many freedoms for the "greater good," and with government stepping in to take over so much of the FREE market, how long will it be until we aren't able to catch a whiff of that beautiful, innocent, unblemished scent of freedom.

For now, I'll cherish Addysen's little baby head. It's starting to become a little girl's head, and nothing beats holding your little one in your lap and just sniffing her head. =D

Unfathomable

I usually don't comment on macabre subjects, especially plane crashes. But the commuter turboprop accident in Buffalo is one that has captured my interest. Partly because of general curiosity. Partly because I've taken (a few) flying lessons and know enough about the physics of flight to understand stalls and losing lift.

It seems pretty obvious, from a common sense review of the situation, that the pilot stalled the airplane. Maybe it had already stalled itself, because of the icing. In fact, that seems to be the indication based on the actions that the auto-pilot undertook - pushing the nose down to regain airspeed, with the intent to regain lift. But the pilot pulled up - they say likely an instinctive reaction due to: 1) because of his low altitude, he didn't want to be going down too quickly; but probably more importantly 2) the plane he flew previously tended to go tail up in icing conditions, and he likely reacted based on that prior experience.

It really is sad, regardless of what happened. The most amazing thing to me is that it landed in a suburban neighborhood, not unlike the one we live in, and only destroyed one house. Neighboring homes were no more than 15-20 feet away, and the only damage was based on the resultant fire. It's just unheard of, what with a plane falling from the sky.

The NY Times has an intriguing interactive graphic about the flight. Slide 4 of the graphic shows the home that was hit, and it's the only way to appreciate how miraculous it is that no one else on the ground was killed.

Link here.

Too hot to touch?

I've debated whether to even comment on this. I'm sure there's a much deeper plane of thought and knowledge that went into the writing of this than I can appreciate. But yet something just keeps nagging at me.

It's from a Post columnist about Tyler Perry's new movie. He plays a fat, old grandma. And this is the columnist's reaction:

"And there I sat, silently ranting: There is nothing funny about this black man in pantyhose. And where is all of this cross-dressing-black-man stuff coming from, anyway? First, comedians Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence star in high-grossing movies as the fattest, ugliest black women that Hollywood makeup artists can conjure up, and now here's Perry with his gussied-up version of the same butt of the joke.

By the way, I don't want to hear diddly about Robin Williams as Mrs. Doubtfire or Milton Berle in high heels. Having a black man play super mammy is not the same thing. Perhaps it would be were it not for America's perverse, systemic and centuries-long efforts to humiliate African men and women and turn them into slaves."

I think possibly my fear is that my ignorance, or my simple comment on the situation, will sound racist or bigoted. Maybe it's that I'm too afraid to touch something so sensitive, and since I don't believe myself to be racist, that I'll end up being insensitive (unknowingly).

But here it is (anyway): For the last 2 years, all we could hear is "It doesn't matter your skin color." "We've broken the color barrier for the highest elected official in America." "We are a nation united." Etc etc etc. Which is great.

So why not now? Why isn't Tyler Perry similar to Robin Williams? Why do we have to keep going back to the "America's perverse, systemic and centuries-long efforts to humiliate African men and women and turn them into slaves." Can we no longer laugh at Chris Rock, for fear that our laughter will be confused as derision?

I realize there's this whole caveat in our view of racism that black people can say things to each other and about each other that we never can do as white folks. I don't really care (although if you ever listen to rap it's amazing the words they use). But I thought we're moving forward in race relations. Not backwards. We can never forget the atrocities of the past and we must vow to never let that happen again. But I also don't think it must cloud our every days lives, nor do I think it prevents us from laughing together, black and white.

Maybe Mr. Milloy just wants to keep bringing it up and continue to point out the sins of our forefathers. Maybe he can't laugh at it and wants to find a reason why. I don't know, and I shouldn't try to figure it out. I just can't seem to get it out my head that there's some kind of double-standard going on. In my opinion, articles of this sort only continue to feed the fire of racism and serve as a roadblock to American becoming colorblind.

[Full column is here. As of the time of this posting, this article was one of the top headlines on washingtonpost.com - which I think shows they think this deserves extra attention.]

The Best Northern Cod You've Ever Had (*)

[*From a fast food restaurant]

I fell for the advertisements. Not sure why. But I had to have Wendy's fish sandwich on the way home tonight.

Let's set the stage: I'm a big Filet O' Fish fan. (Ang thinks I'm nuts. "How can you eat fish from a hamburger place!? Me: "How can you eat yogurt - bad milk - berries and granola from a hamburger place! HAH!) Where were we: yes, Filet O' Fish. And now Wendy's has decided to jump in on the act.

My verdict: I'd say Wendy's wins hands down. Bigger, more substantive. More crunchy. Then again, maybe it had to do with the fact that my only dinner up to 9:30 was a cup of tomato soup at 5. It was really good and filling. I'll definitely try it again.

What I've Learned from "24" - Part 3

If you enter a server room, and there are people shot on the floor, and your servers have just been wiped clean, and you're in the middle of a terrorist attack where there might be moles in your organization - don't take the word of the only guy left alive in the server room!!! Of course he's going to blame it on the dead chick. Of course he shot himself. DUH!!

But NOOOO, dumm-o "Agent Moss" was like, "Hey dude (read: terrorist mole), we're down a man and really need your help. Never mind that you're shot in the arm, you killed another agent, and you were the only witness to her supposed treasonous activity. Get back in the saddle. OH, and by the way, why don't we tell you every important classified piece of information while we're at it."

Can you tell I'm disillusioned by this show. Even so, I had to tear myself out of the chair to go check on our screaming 7-month old. Poor thing - she was probably just in pain over the poor acting, writing, and helpless future of this "thriller."

"Women are Dumb"

WAIT - before you flame me...it was just a way to get you to read on. (did it work?)

What I was trying to say is that this episode of 24 (hour 5-6pm) should be entitled: "Women are Dumb." For instance:

In the first twelve minutes, one woman ignores the FBI and agrees to stay with the proven terrorist. DUMB! A second woman, this one an FBI agent, pulls a gun on JB while a car is on fire because he's trying to get her away from a burning car. WHAT??

THEN, a different dumb woman thinks she's all cool for being treasonous. Yeah, got her killed.

AND THEN, the second dumb woman was SUPER-dumb and slapped Jack twice. He laid the smack down with a "Don't ever pull your gun on my again" and she said something really dumb that just doesn't even make sense.

Goodness only knows what will happen in the last ten minutes!!

That's IT!?!?

From the WashPost Editorial Board:

"From the moment that Mr. Burris was selected, he strove to portray himself as a blameless public servant. The sad pictures of Mr. Burris being cast out into the rain by the Democratic leadership of the Senate, which initially refused to seat him, turned public opinion in his favor. Mr. Burris got his seat. But this latest revelation makes a mockery of his professions of no quid pro quo. It is a violation of the public trust. The people of Illinois have suffered enough. Mr. Burris should resign."

It's nice that they come out with this opinion. What strikes me a little strange, though, is that they nowhere blame the Democrat Senators for allowing Mr. Burris to be seated in the Senate. In fact, that should be the real story.

The Senate initially refused to seat him. Surely he'd be tainted, was the cry. Oh, but the public opinion came raining down. "How can you forbid him the opportunity?" Instead of sticking by their guns, the Democrats caved. And now look where it got them.

Sure, Burris is the culprit, and he's the story. But I just have this feeling that if something like this had happened in the previous administration, or with a Republican majority, the WP would be calling for the Senate Majority Leader's head and harping on how corrupt the Republican Party is.

Let's remember that our legislators don't govern by public opinion. Once they do, it all begins to unravel.

Only at an Antique Store

...in West Virginia!!

Check out the critical information disclosed in the second picture.

Old Picture

"Old" is relative, but as I was looking through some pics, I ran across this. I was thinking of throwing Ang over the ledge, but the sign dissuaded me. Amazing what a red placard can do to alter the course of history. =)

7-Month Video

It's been a while, so here's the latest: Link Here

Tutti Frutti Lovesong

Amelia LOVES this poem! It's a must-read every time we open up her 20th Century Children's Poetry Treasury book. When we read it together she cackles and grins and begs, "Read it to Daddy! Read it to Daddy!" So I thought it would be fun to post it here in honor of Valentine's Day (though a day late). Hope you get a laugh! :-)

Tutti Frutti Lovesong
by Mary Grace Dembeck

You are my darling CUMQUAT,
Oh, you're my PEACHy pie,
I think you are the BERRIES,
The APPLE of my eye.

Don't make me MELON-choly,
Please be my HONEY DEW,
'Cause oh, my sweet PAPAYA,
I'm BANANAS over you!

I would be oh, so GRAPEful
If you'd just say you care,
For it takes two to MANGO,
And we're a PEACHy PEAR.

Oh, ORANGE you a little
COCONUTS for me too?
Please say you'll be mon CHERRY,
I'm so GUAVA over you.


~Posted by Ang

Love, Love, Love

Ang is going to post some mushy love poem later today. *gag* =) But here's what I love about her:

Thurs (2/12)
Ang: "If you were wanting to get me flowers or anything, you can just get me some potted flowers, like tulips or hydrangea."
Me: "Hmmm..ok"

Friday (2/13)

Instead of $50+ for roses, I spent less than $10 for beautifully potted tulips. To use an over-used phrase as of late, in this economy, that's a big win!!

Sox Switch

It's almost enough to make me change teams. But, I did say "almost." Hey, if it brings another WS, then I guess who cares!?

Link - Obama, White Sox Fan

More foreclosure moratoria

Seriously, can I stop paying my mortgage now? What makes others "troubled" and not me, when I struggle each month to shell out a mortgage payment? Do I get rewarded for actually paying my bills?

 

If nothing else, news like this just gives people more incentive to stop being responsible. Isn't that when the government has to stop stepping in the way, or else it will end up taking over it all? If there's no consequence to being irresponsible, then let's go for broke!

--------------------------------

 

Citigroup, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley Halt Foreclosures (Update1)

 

By Margaret Chadbourn

Feb. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Citigroup Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Morgan Stanley agreed to suspend foreclosures until next month and signaled a readiness to help the Obama administration craft a housing plan to modify mortgages for troubled borrowers.

Citigroup halted foreclosures through March 12, or when a plan is completed, the company said today in a statement. Morgan Stanley imposed a moratorium for three weeks on loans from Saxon Mortgage Services Inc., a spokeswoman said. JPMorgan stopped foreclosures until March 6, Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon wrote to House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank in a letter released today in Washington.

Frank asked bank executives at a committee hearing Feb. 11 to freeze foreclosures until Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner can set up a program. Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit committed to halt actions. The Office of Thrift Supervision has urged savings- and-loans to suspend their legal actions until a plan is ready.

"Three weeks is adequate time for the Treasury to announce -- and for us to implement -- a new plan," Dimon wrote to Frank. "We stand ready to work with you to put the appropriate process in place, including a national modification standard."

"Citi is taking the necessary steps to help American homeowners keep their homes," according to the statement. The company said it worked with about 440,000 borrowers to stop foreclosures since the start of the housing crisis in 2007.

U.S. bank regulators in December said 55 percent of loans modified during the first quarter of 2008 were 30 or more days delinquent after six months. "Re-default rates increased each month and showed no signs of leveling off after six months," Comptroller of the Currency John Dugan said in a statement.

The Obama administration outlined a plan this week that would provide housing relief, help remove illiquid assets clogging banks' balance sheets and spur lending. Geithner pledged to buy and modify troubled homeowner mortgages, and Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd said the aid could be as much as $100 billion.

He's no Kurt Warner

If you haven't seen it already, the link below should take you to a clip of Joaquin Phoenix on Letterman. It's hilarious. Hopefully it was just acting, and he's not all tripping out (and heading down the road of his brother).

Joaquin was fabulous in "Walk the Line" - and I also thought he acted incredibly in "Gladiator", "The Village," and "Signs."

Check it out - it's a good 5-minute laugh.

Link

That seals it - I'm not Catholic

So, big news today is that the Vatican is holding a "Conference on Darwinism." This is sponsored by the head of the Church's Pontifical Council on Culture. But, apparently, this isn't a new theory for Catholics. Read below:

"Indeed, he said, evolution could be traced back through Scholastics such as St Thomas Aquinas to St Augustine in the fourth century, who had noted that "big fish eat smaller fish".

Augustine is probably more famous for praying "God, make me good - but not yet." Which also has some evolutionary overtones if you think about it."

Let's clarify something here. I don't think anyone would contest that big fish eat smaller fish. In fact, I don't think anyone would contest the idea of survival of the fittest (natural selection). But where I miss the connection is how they take "big fish eat smaller fish" and turn it into "small fish mutates/morphs into big fish" - much less, "small fish mutates/morphs into BIRD."

And where does "God, make me good - but not yet" have any connection at all to our physical development/creation? I think this author mistakes spiritual growth and health with an evolutionary kind of thinking about man's beginnings.

Finally, they're referring to Intelligent Design as a "cultural phenomenon." Sure, the name ID is new, and there's a lot more force behind it as a movement, but check this out, Catholics - it's been in the Bible the whole time. Yes, really. It's there. In fact, check it out - the first chapter of the first book. Really.

Finally (x2), if you don't believe in God as Creator, you might as well not believe in God at all, or the rest of the Bible, or morality, or absolute truth. It is the foundation of our entire belief.

I'll take half

I've become a HUGE fan of the earbuds that came with my iPhone. It sounds really silly to say that, but for the first 6+ months, I was either using Bluetooth or just the handset. But I have become enamored with the ability to put the headphones in, listen to my music (which is much preferable to the "Top Hits Mix" radio station), and just press a button if I get a phone call.

Here's the dilemma (please refer to a previous post about dilemma vs. problem): I only use the right earbud, on which the microphone also is located. For safety reasons (while driving) and out of courtesy to others (while walking into work or other places), it makes sense to leave one ear "unencumbered." It also lets you enjoy the natural sounds of spring when you're walking through downtown.

So my problem is that I end up with an extra wire/earbud that I have to stuff either in my front pocket or in another stealthy location so as not to pull the right one out of my ear. I think I'll search for a good earbud/mic that is iPhone compatible (has the button for skipping tracks, answering calls, etc) - that has only one earbud. If you have any suggestions, please let me know (since 75% of my readership owns iPhones). And for now, back to Record of the Year - Viva la Vida (or Death and All His Friends).

Fonics is Phun

Especially when you're talking to a 2 1/2 year old. Case in point...

This afternoon I was helping Amelia wash her hands, and as we were working the soap into a rich lather on her hands (reminiscent of the instructions you'd find on a Pantene shampoo bottle), she asked me, "What kind of soap is this?" I get this question a lot, pretty much every time we wash our hands.

I answered, "liquid soap" (as opposed to "foaming soap" or "anti-bacterial soap.") With an impish little grin, she then proceeded to stick out her tongue as if to lick the soap off her hands. Just as tongue was about to touch soap bubble, I intervened and said, "No, honey, we don't lick soap. Yuck!" To which she replied, "But it's liquid soap, Mommy."

It took me about a second and then it happened: that wonderful, sometimes shocking, flash of insight when for a moment you catch a brief glimpse into the mechanics of the toddler brain, the process of information, and the response that inevitably--but always unpredictably-- follows.

I said "liquid," but she thought "LICK-WID!"

Ah, precious girl, evre da wif u is grat!


~Posted by Ang

I've been Chosen!

~Posted by Ang

I received this in the mail yesterday from Biltmore Who's Who, a company I've never heard of in my life. But, apparently, my recent professional achievements have caught their attention and made a deep impression. Yes, just when I thought those homemaking skills had gone unnoticed, that my prowess as home manager, wife, and mother was being ignored by society at large, Biltmore Who's Who has stepped in not only to acknowledge but also to publicize the success I've had as an executive in my profession. After all, I am a home executive, right??

Dear [my full name],

You were recently chosen as a potential candidate to represent the professional and business community of Broadlands, Virginia in the Biltmore 2009 Honors Edition of Who's Who Among Executives and Professional Women. [A stay-at-home mom chosen to represent a community whose career women would gasp at the thought of someone so far removed from their business and, in their minds, the professional sector representing them and their business interests?? Yeah right!! I guess they did just say "potential candidate"...]

We are pleased to notify you that your candidacy was formally approved January sixteenth, two thousand nine. Your confirmation will be validated within seven business days following our receipt of your enclosed Verification. [yes, no typo, the v is capitalized]

There is no cost to be listed. However it is by Committee invitation only. [Wow, I feel so honored. But seriously what is with the Orwellian-1984-esque capitalization of words that really do not need to be capitalized.]

The Publishing Committee selected you as a potential candidate, based upon your current standing as well as criteria from executive and professional rosters. [Hmmm, what rosters would those be...nursery committee?] Given your background, the Publishing Director believes your profile would make a fitting addition to our Honors Edition publication. [Aww, now that's just swell.]

Once finalized, your listing will share prominent space in the Biltmore Registry with thousands of fellow achievers across the nation, each representing individual accomplishment within their own geographical area.

Our Registry confirmation deadline for January candidates is February 27, 2009. To ensure you are included in our next edition, we must receive your Verification mailed back on or before that date.

Ms. Davis, on behalf of our Committee I salute your accomplishments. [If you've missed the r in my title, you have no idea of my accomplishments.] Welcome to the Biltmore's Who's Who roster. [Quite an assumption, there.]

Sincerely,
[Registry Administrator]


Well, thank you, Biltmore Who's Who, but instead of a line in your registry, how about free tickets for 4 to take a tour of the Biltmore?? That would be much more in line with my interests, and any networking I care to do can take place in the halls and grounds of one of the most beautiful estates in our nation. I have no idea how you got my name, and I'm pretty sure it wasn't in any documented listing of working professionals in my community, seeing as how if there were one I'm almost certain I wouldn't make it in there, though I'm flattered by your condescension. My "professional accomplishments" are not generally acknowledged by the powers that be here on this earth, and that's fine by me. Nevertheless, your letter was entertaining, so thanks for a good laugh!

P.S. A quick Google search suggests this company/offer is a scam, but no surprise there!

Problem vs. Dilemma

I walked in the house after work tonight went up to Addy's room where Ang was getting her ready for bed. I said: "I have a slight dilemma," and held up some tweezers.

You see, on the way home, I was using my iPhone's headphones and the right earbud kept falling out. So I just pressed the little earbud in a bit harder. I have "extensions" (for lack of a better word) on my earbuds that let them fit better in my ear with a rubber end on it.

Before going upstairs, I dropped all my accoutrements on the kitchen table. All that is, except for the little rubber end to my right earbud. Ummmm....It was stuck. In my ear.

I found my Leatherman Micra and pulled out the tweezers and then proceeded to find Ang. She shunned the tweezers and just used her pinky fingernail. After a few tugs, it came out. And then she declared: "That was no dilemma!"

Me: "What do you mean?"

Her: "You had a problem."

Me: "Exactly. I had a dilemma."

Her: "No! It's only a dilemma if you have another option. What else were you going to do, leave it in? You had a problem."

To my credit, my other option was to try to take it out myself. =)

Blenders are SOOO 2008

This is for Abby.

Introducing - the Monster Shredder!!

God sent the snow for me...

I don't mean to sound egomaniacal, but sometimes I just feel that God makes things happen just for me. To start off, I have been working on a project for a number of weeks and over the last week had polished off a report/presentation for our Board. Then Ang got sick on Sunday and I worked half a day on Monday.

Verdict: Shingles. Yuck. Ouch! She must have had a little something else with it, b/c she had excruciating headaches and high fever (not typical symptoms). Oh, and Vicodin didn't settle well with her body, making Monday night a sleepless one.

So Tuesday night was the day for my presentation. I was scurrying to find a way to be able to leave Ang with the kids, or have someone help out, but it wasn't looking promising (she was really out of it all day). And then, just before noon, we got word that the meetings had been canceled. The snow and ice were too ominous to have the Board/public out late at night. Praise the LORD!

Not that others couldn't have covered for me, but I hate not coming through when asked. So now we'll have it rescheduled, and we'll just pray for the few days leading up that no one gets sick!!

The Little (Wo)Man Wins

I'm happy to see that Caroline Kennedy didn't make the cut for Senator. I know nothing about her, nor do I know anything about Ms. Gillibrand. But it was obvious that Ms. Kennedy was being consider solely because of her name. Her "strengths" were that she advocated for education and those who were needy. Oh wow - you're describing 72% of the American populous.

Ms. Gillibrand may be a worthwhile candidate - but I think her appointment shows that there is a reward to those who work their way up the ranks. And, she's pro-gun. =)

Refresher

Ahhh - there's nothing like the mountains in the winter. Especially with single-digit temps and wind chills. Brrrr!!

Thanks to incredibly generous friends (two of our favorite couples), we had the opportunity to take three nights away over the MLK weekend. Despite our thoughts of warmer climates (Phoenix, Miami, Cancun (!) ), we determined that it would be best to stay a little closer to home. After looking around for ideas, I stumbled upon Berkeley Springs, WV, a spa town about 90 minutes from home. Berkeley Springs (officially the "Town of Bath" - don't ask) is known for its natural springs with supposedly healing minerals/nutrients in the water. George Washington frequented the town and his "bath" is still visible.

We found a wonderful B&B (Highlawn Inn) that offered a very comfortable room and incredibly filling and tasty breakfast. It was just "up the hill" in the heart of town, so we pretty much walked the entire time we were there. On Saturday, we hit the spa for a massage/pedicure (Ang indulged in the pedicure - I read in the corner). The rest of the day we wandered about town, stopping in the antique shops, bookstores, and hardware store (it was like a blast to the past - we need a good ol' fashioned hardware store in Ashburn!).

A quick interruption in the narrative - half of Berkeley Springs shuts down in January. The other half shuts down in February. :-)  So we didn't get to see every wonderful part of the town. This was particularly the case with restaurants, although we managed decent meals at each turn. The prominent restaurant was closed, and the other really good one was a few miles down the road. That evening we found a decent (okay) dinner and then had dessert across the street. Then, like all good fuddy-duddy old married couples, we were back at the Inn just after 8pm (and just in time to catch "Independence Day" from the beginning, which I don't think either of us had ever done).

Sunday started with the aforementioned breakfast, quiet morning, and a 1 1/2 block walk to the local Methodist church. We were going to go Presbyterian, but it was PCUSA, and not to say all PCUSA churches are bad, but we decided to try Methodist. And it was a home-run! We made it to the "traditional" service (because we didn't want to go to church at 8:15!!), but the singing was pleasant, the people were uber-friendly, and the message was outstanding. We were blessed, to say the least!

The rest of Sunday we traveled to Hagerstown (~45 minutes) and ate lunch at Red Lobster (high eating for Hagerstown), shopped at the outlets (spent more money than we should have), watched two movies (Valkyrie and Marley & Me, in that order, on purpose). Not to pass up the opportunity, we made a quick stop at Krumpe's Do-Nuts on our way back to Berkeley Springs - you're not allowed to be in Hagerstown without getting a Krumpe's.

As for Monday, we had breakfast, packed up our stuff, and then walked into town for one last relaxation - the Roman Baths. In short, a really big tub (mini-pool) in a really humid, private room - where the "healing" waters are a balmy 102 degrees. Very, very, very relaxing. Then, off to lunch and off to Frederick to what we thought would be a quick stop and back home. Ummmm - except for that 45-car pileup on I-70 - which was thankfully in the lanes of the other direction, but still brought our lanes almost to a stop.

Being one who would rather drive out of the way than sit on an interstate, we shot down through who-knows-where Washington Co. Maryland and had the most quaint/beautiful country drive I can remember. It had snowed ~1-2 inches that morning, so everything was surreal. We finally made it to Frederick, grabbed a cup of Joe at our old studying spot (Frederick Coffee Co.) and off to Barnes and Noble for a couple of books.

We finally made it home about 4:30. Our girls were ecstatic to see us, and we got to experience Maggie (M&S's dog) and Dido "play" (which you can imagine, is not really playing at all - Maggie barks at Dido, Dido hisses, Dido jumps on top of the chair and hisses, and Maggie keeps barking).

Two of the three nights, Addy had decided not to sleep for our dear friends. But there must be a kind of calming peace about Mom and Dad being back home, because for the last two nights, she hasn't woken up once during the night. Ahhhhh. So thanks to our friends for such a wonderful opportunity to get away. We love our girls, and missed them almost every minute. But there's something to be said for some quiet vacation time where you don't have to worry about nap schedules and feeding times.

Snow in Berkeley Springs

It's the perfect snowy day here, but, alas, it's time for us to go
home. We've enjoyed our weekend away and a big shout-out of gratitude
to T and B, M and S for taking care of our kiddos!

As we're driving out of town and enjoying the beautiful white stuff,
one of Amelia's most recent favorite poems is running through my mind.
Just overlook the punctuation and spelling errors-I'm doing this from
memory. :-)

The More It Snows
By A.A. Milne

The more it SNOWS tiddeley-pom
The more it GOES tiddeley-pom
The more it GOES tiddeley-pom
On snowing.

And nobody KNOWS tiddeley-pom
How cold my TOES tiddeley-pom
How cold my TOES tiddeley-pom
Are growing.

Posted by Ang

Sent from my iPhone

Star Wars in 3 minutes

From someone who's only seen snippets of the original Trilogy. This is great.


Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn't seen it) from Joe Nicolosi on Vimeo.

Things I've Learned From "24"

2) Maybe I've not been paying close enough attention to all the subplots, but it seems like absolutely nothing bad happened in the last 2 years (or was it 3) that Jack Bauer has been out of the country. Seriously. He comes back to face DOJ accusations, and it just so happens that America is about to be strangleheld (?) by terrorists.

So the moral of the story: SEND JACK AWAY! AMERICA IS ONLY SAFE WHEN BAUER IS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND.

Decline - Sharp Drop

Precipitous - I really like that word.

[ps - It's the antithesis of the trend of number of comments on my blog. Amazingly, I just had 3 comments posted in an 8-minute period. It's a record!!]

Stiff

When I came into work this morning, this was the conversation:

People: "How are you?"
Me: "Cold." (I had just walked 5 blocks from the car shop.)
People: "It'll be colder tomorrow."

You see, that's just not comforting. My face is frozen and my legs can barely move. Don't tell me it's getting colder. It doesn't make it any warmer today!!

Things I've Learned From "24"

You can learn a lot of valuable life lessons from "24." Here's the first and most important.

1) When you're captured by a terrorist for your expertise and told, "Do [insert horrible and treasonous act here] and we won't kill you," don't listen to them. They'll still kill you. Might as well die valiantly by NOT giving away national secrets.

Don't Count Your ....

It looks like, based on a quick estimation, that we'll get approx $2,000 back in our tax return this year. With two kids, real estate taxes, mortgage interest, and no huge capital gains, my taxable income is ... minute. Which is a good thing, when it comes to taxes.

I had reduced my withholdings at the beginning of the year, knowing that Addy would arrive and benefit us greatly (thanks, kiddo!). I'm not sure I can reduce them anymore, but we'll see....

Our iPod Family

Amelia has started saying iPod, primarily because I bought Angela a new one for Christmas. It's one thing to hear your children say the normal words (and sentences and songs), but to hear "iPod" out of the mouth of a 2-year old is pretty funny. That, and "Barack Obama." She could be doing something totally unrelated to the TV and we'll be watching news/Morning Joe, and if she hears it, even in her periphery, she'll smile and say, "Barack Oh-BAHHHM-a." Pretty funny.

But anyway, Angela's new iPod is the 2nd gen iPod Touch - it has all the great cool features of the iPhone without the phone (duh!), camera (bummer), and a few other minor things. Oh, and the $30/month data charge you're required to pay (hence, why she didn't want an iPhone). But the great thing is, it keeps all her contacts, calendar, email, etc. No more 3-inch thick Franklin Covey (b/c who needs a highly effective person, anyway?).

But even GREATER - is that she and I sync to the same computer - the quintessential marital expose. What's hers is mine, and what's mine is ours (thank you, Alfalfa). So all our music is shared - if she buys something wireless over iTunes, it syncs to me. If she adds a calendar entry and then syncs to the computer, it populates that calendar entry immediately/wirelessly wherever I am (the beauty of MobileMe, now that it works). We are truly an integrated family.

Now all we need is an iPod Nano for Mia and a Shuffle for Addy - all proportional. Then again, Mia can have my old 30GB iPod (still works, barely), and Addy can chew on Ang's old Mini (it's green!!!).

Finishing vacation

I'm supposed to be giving Addy her dream-feed right now, but I'm procrastinating. Why, I'm not sure (the football game is basically over - ARIZONA???). Oh, and before the actual post - Ang said she thought she'd take over the dream-feed. You see how that's turned out....but anyway.

We finished our nice vacation with a visit from Angela's parents and grandparents (they came to my folks' house for an evening to have dinner and open presents). I went to bed at 11:30 on New Year's Eve. Then we started packing up, and Friday - after the girls' naps - we hit the road.

Whereas on the trip down the girls did super-great in the hotel room, the return trip reminded us that our angels aren't perfect. I blame it on the fact that Amelia slept for about an hour in the car before we got to the hotel room. I.e. - she wasn't tired at all when it was bed time. And when Amelia is hyped up, running around, and talking - Addy just can't focus or fall asleep (she adores her big sis).

Finally about, oh, 12:30 Addy settled down. And I think Mia finally got quiet at 1 or 1:30 (she was laying in bed, trying to quietly sing "If You're Happy and You Know It" - but she kept clapping her hands and then loudly wispering "HOORAY!" - *sigh*). Of course, they both woke up around 6:30....

A continental b'fast and Starbucks later, we were on the road again (we had stopped in Lake Norman, just north of Charlotte). The girls got a much needed nap and we made it all the way the Christiansburg, VA for a Cracker Barrel breakfast (at noon!).

We got home at 6pm, unloaded, and were just happy to have made it in one piece. Until 2am. I heard a panicked scream from Mia and was on my feet in 1.3 seconds. I paused when she was quite, and then heard another yelp. I ran into her room to find - oh man - she had thrown-up. First time. And she was that combination of scared/upset/hurting/nastiness that comes with throwing-up.

I went and got Ang, and then said, "I don't feel too good myself," although that happens when you jump out of bed in a hurry. She thought, "Yeah, he just doesn't want to deal with it." Except - yeah, I didn't feel too good myself. And so the two of us were sick all night long. I can't complain about Angela not helping me during my turmoil, as she got no sleep and had to change Mia's clothes at least 5/6 times during the night.

I struggled into work on Tuesday because of meetings, but left slightly early. I came home to Ang feeling bad (she had avoided it to this point), shaky, and cold. And less than an hour later she was commiserating with what we had gone through. Hers passed more quickly than mine (though just as violent), but that's b/c I got short bits of sleep between "bouts." She couldn't sleep, so it seemed almost constant. Thankfully, when I watched the girls on Wednesday as Ang got her needed rest, Mia was still really tired and getting over her sickness, so she slept almost all day long. And Addy had her best naps she's ever had for me - so I wasn't too terribly stressed.

We're all better now - just still taking it easy on certain foods. And now we can successfully check that box that says we've survived our child having the stomach bug.

The Non-Blogger Returns

(posted by Ang)

Perhaps it's the new year or --more likely --perhaps it's the fact that both my dear daughters are taking a morning nap, for the first time EVER both asleep at the same time in the morning. (Amelia is sick with the stomach flu, hence the morning nap.)

So I found myself composing, for the upteenth time, a blog in my head after enjoying a little quiet time and prayer after putting Addy to bed. If you faithful bloggers only knew how many blogs I've composed in my head since the creation of this blog that never make it to the keyboard, or, if they do make it past the keyboard they never get into the "publish post" phase. When I do have the luxury of time to sit down and pen my thoughts, I usually turn to journaling in a private journal, as I've done for as long as I can remember since I learned how to write. The difference there is HUGE -no need to worry about my grammar or spell-checking or wondering if every little word I say will be analyzed by someone I don't even know. (Yeah, I think way too much about these things! Hence, the blog once every two years...sometimes!)

Okay, so the real impetus for me posting this morning is really that I read a WONDERFUL devotion and wanted to share it! Emailing is sooo five years ago, I'm told, so I'm posting it here. Read it, don't read it--your call. But whatever you decide, you can thank me later for not cluttering your email inbox. ;-)

Before getting to the meat of the post, a little background...over our Christmas vacation which we spent with Danny's folks, we had the privilege of being part of their church fellowship on Sunday. They participate in a home church with several other families and enjoy an intimate time of worship, prayer, and studying the Word. It's a wonderful and beautiful way of "doing church," and we always enjoy the opportunity to be there for this time. Anyway, during the sharing time, one of the ladies shared a testimony of God's faithfulness in the recent trials of her life and mentioned how He had used, specifically, Isaiah 43:2 to give her hope and peace. I would say "ironically," but I believe it's much more accurate to say that providentially, when I turned to one of my favorite devotionals this morning (entitled Streams in the Desert, if you're interested), the reading for today was based on that very text. After a long weekend spent taking care of a sick daughter and husband and getting very little sleep (about 2-1/2 hours in a 48-hour period which is still EXTREMELY difficult for me despite my experience with sleep-deprivation), I was REALLY encouraged by this and hope you will be too!

"When thou passest through the waters....they shall not overflow thee." Isaiah 43:2

God does not open paths for us in advance of our coming. He does not promise help before help is needed. He does not remove obstacles out of our way before we reach them. Yet when we are on the edge of our need, God's hand is stretched out.

Many people forget this, and are forever worrying about difficulties which they foresee in the future. They expect that God is going to make the way plain and open before them, miles and miles ahead; whereas He has promised to do it only step by step as they may need. You must get to the waters and into their floods before you can claim the promise. Many people dread death, and lament that they have not "dying grace." Of course, they will not have dying grace when they are in good health, in the midst of life's duties, with death far in advance. Why should they have it then? Grace for duty is what they need then, living grace; they will have dying grace when they come to die. J.R.M.

"When thou passest through the waters"
Deep the waves may be and cold,
But Jehovah is our refuge,
And His promise is our hold;
For the Lord Himself hath said it,
He, the faithful God and true:
"When thou comest to the waters
Thou shalt not go down, BUT THROUGH."

Sea of sorry, seas of trial,
Bitterest anguish, fiercest pain,
Rolling surges of temptation
Sweeping over heart and brain--
They shall never overflow us
For we know His word is true;
All His waves and all His billows
He will lead us safely through.

Threatening breakers of destruction
Doubt's insidious undertow,
Shall not sink us, shall not drag us
Out to ocean depths of woe;
For His promise shall sustain us,
Praise the lord, whose Word is true!
We shall not go down, or under,
For He saith, "Thou passest THROUGH."

Annie Johnson Flint.

Did I mention? (redux)

Sunset.

Did I mention?

How much I enjoy vacation at my parents' house???

Playoffs??

Ed Hochuli is the happiest man in the NFL. The San Diego Chargers just
c-rushed the Broncos to make the playoffs.

Bottom story of the day: bengals beat the chiefs.

Sent from my iPhone

Driving Tips with Impending Winter Weather

From: Loudoun Sheriff

---------------------------------------

Loudoun County, Virginia- Loudoun Sheriff Steve Simpson is advising motorists to make sure their vehicles are equipped with a well-stocked winter driving kit. "By ensuring their vehicle is properly maintained drivers can keep safe this winter by driving defensively and always buckling up," said Simpson.

A winter driving kit should include the following items:

• Properly fitting tire chains
• Bag of sand or salt (or kitty litter)
• Traction mats
• Snow shovel
• Snow brush
• Ice scraper
• Booster cables
• Warning devices such as flares or emergency lights
• Fuel line de-icer (methanol, also called methyl alcohol or methyl hydrate)
• Extra windshield wiper fluid appropriate for sub-freezing temperatures
• Roll of paper towels
• Flashlight and a portable flashing light (and extra batteries)
• Blanket
• Extra clothing, including hat and wind-proof pants, and warm footwear
• First aid kit
• Snack bars or other "emergency" food and water
• Matches and emergency candles - only use with a window opened to prevent
 build-up of carbon monoxide.
• Road maps.
• "Call Police" or other help signs or brightly colored banners.

The Sheriff's Office recommends not forgetting to pack your wife and kids, too. Should the winter driving kit impair your ability to safely fit all members of your family in your vehicle, leave one or more family members at home. Start with the oldest and most capable, as the Sheriff's Office never recommends leaving young children alone at home.

Finally, the Sheriff's Office reminds citizens that sleeping in one's car is a violation of Ordinance 480.02 (Parking Restrictions). Although your winter driving kit may afford you all the necessities for multiple days of "camping out," such action is inadvisable and illegal. "The purpose of the winter driving kit is not to encourage the enjoyment of driving or family activities," Sheriff Simpson declared.


[Okay, so the last two paragraphs were editorial in nature; although I submit that one could easily infer such sentiments from the actual press release. We're driving to GA on Tuesday night; rest assured we will NOT have kitty litter in the car with us.]

Morning Joe

During the campaign, a co-worker of mine got me hooked on watching "Morning Joe" on MSNBC. I hesitated at first, due to the network's leaning toward the left. But this is different. Unlike the yelling of Chris Matthews, the antics of Keith Olbermann, and the sarcasm of Rachel Maddow, "Morning Joe" with Joe Scarborough is actually a very level, informative, and enjoyable morning show.

I was never a fan of "Fox & Friends" - to me, it was shallow and silly. But I'm really impressed by the lineup of guests on Joe - both left and right. Pat Buchanan is a regular, Harold Ford shows up, Dillon from CNBC, etc etc. Joe is a former Congressman (R) from FL, lives in DC, and seems awfully level-headed.

You should check it out. Oh, and Mika was staying at the Ritz in Georgetown (supposedly) when the following occurred. The Ritz is where Ang and I took a little 5-year anniversary weekend before Addy was born. It's hard to imagine something like this happening at a hotel like that, in a decent part of the District.

The answer...

Previously I asked "The Critical Question" about what happens to UAW workers when a plant is "idled." The answer??

"The more than 30,000 Chrysler workers in the United States represented by the UAW receive nearly full benefits and wages during plant shutdowns, but labor costs represent only about 10 percent of the total cost of the average vehicle."

Oh, so since it represents only about 10 percent of the total cost of the average vehicle, it's okay TO CONTINUE TO PAY THEM WHILE THEY'RE NOT WORKING??!!?? Wow. Some kind of contract. Tell that to the PG County staff who are mandated to take 2 weeks of furlough (ie, unpaid leave) because of the economy.

Congrats - You now have Auto-Tithe

Tithing. I grew up Southern Baptist, so it was a given. My parents were faithful in giving; they made sure my brother and I tithed out of everything. (And I appreciate them for that, and for the example).

Our church up here in NoVA doesn't take an offering, which I think many might say is more Biblical (don't let your left hand know what your right hand does), doesn't pressure someone to give, and lets you give out of your cheerful heart.

Except it's easy to forget. Especially when you're juggling two kids, a car seat, bible, coffee mugs, and coats into the service. And chatting (fellowshipping) with friends. So I seem to get to the end of the year and need to catch up for the past 8-10 months. What to do?

The auto-tithe. Set up an online, recurring payment using the church's easy website. Put a certain amount to be debited from your account weekly, monthly, however you like. You don't have to forget, because it remembers for you.

Except I seem to think you lose the "cheerful giver" part of the whole process when it's simply an online transaction. Where is the recognition of sacrifice (besides looking at your bank statement after the fact)? Where is the decision that this gift takes precedence over a new tv, that piece of software, that nice dinner in Georgetown (that trip to Italy!). I just haven't been convinced.

So for now, Ang is my auto-tithe. Not that I don't want to do it, but I'll likely continue to forget. If nothing else, she'll remind me, or I'll remember to remind her. And I think, sitting in the service during worship, it will tweak my attitude just a little bit to remember whose I am, and who it all belongs to.

Shout out to Atlanta

This post, for no particular reason, is about two Atlanta companies. The topics have nothing to do with each other, and the thoughts came entirely at different times. But I'm online, the kiddos are asleep, and I just had two pieces of pizza (relevance?).

1) Coke - have you ever noticed how the price of one size Coke vs. another at the grocery store can be vastly different? You have to check each size/type/style to find the best deal. Case in point - the 12-pack of 12-ounce cans was on sale for $4.99. Not bad. But the 6-pack of 1/2 liter bottles was buy-one-get-one-free - for $4.19. So 12 bottles, with over 12% more Coke per bottle, was in fact almost 20% cheaper. Sweet (but be careful, the won't be on sale next week, and it'll be 33% more expensive than the cans!).

2) Delta - just read about them putting WiFi on their airplanes. Nice move. Filtering out VoIP, bad sites, etc. Nice move. Network utilizes cell-towers?? What? I thought we had to turn our cell phones off because it could *cough* "interfere" with the navigational equipment of the airplane (and surely lead us straight into some mountain in Florida). But now, we can use those exact.same.cell.towers to send a mysteriously innocuous signal to the airplane to then - WHAT? - distribute out via WiFi to all our comfy friends. I dunno - seems like it's gotta be double-standard. But when you have the threat of a "federal offense" to back you up (for not listening to a flight attendant), then I guess there's no chance for the people to revolt.

Something's not right

DeMarcus Ware (Cowboys) has 19 sacks on the season. The entire Redskins defense? 21.

Sigh.....

The critical question

So according to this story, GM will cut production significantly in 1Q 2009. Great. But where does it mention anything about: furloughs, staff cuts, cost containment measures, or the such. What does the "idling" of plants mean? Will the UAW employees still get paid, just not to do anything? Please, if you want my money (yes, it's my money being doled out), do your part. Don't stick with the status quo.

Thank you.

Boo-yah!!

What did I say (or "report"): "Emanuel caught on tape"

Passengers Stranded as Ferry Gets Stuck in Potomac River | NBC Washington

Powered by    * Please note, the sender's email address has not been verified.       Reason #1 not to take White's Ferry....             Click the following to access the sent link:       Passengers Stranded as Ferry Gets Stuck in Potomac River | NBC Washington*                 Get your EMAIL THIS Browser Button and use it to email content from any Web site. Click here for more information.   *This article can also be accessed if you copy and paste the entire address below into your web browser. http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Passengers-Stranded-as-Ferry-Gets-Stuck-in-Potomac-River.html

Meatloaf

I realize that meatloaf strikes fear in the hearts of many people. I like the dish; and Amelia used to devour it. Yes, used to. But, some background....

Yesterday was crazy. I ended up having to work late (last minute). Ang came into Leesburg to pick up meals to take to a family (and one to keep for ourselves!). Then, she had to teach piano at 7. I got home at 6:40. You see where this is going.

Oh yeah, and I had to run to Sterling to pick something up before 9pm in order to open the doors for our 8:30am meeting today. So I got home, Ang ran out the door, Addy had just finished a bottle, and Mia was not wanting to finish her meatloaf. Fine, I thought, we'll save the last two bites in case she's hungry later.

It wasn't until I was putting her in the car that I realized she still had meatloaf in her mouth. We made our "quick" errand (it's amazing that it can take 20 minutes to get to the Cascades Library - although it is 9 miles away), got back home, and she needed to go to bed (she didn't sleep during nap time).

I gave her some milk, and when it was almost time for bed I said, "Amelia, you have 1 minute to swallow your meatloaf. If you do not, we will not brush your teeth (a favorite thing to do), I will not tuck you in and say your prayers with you, and you will go straight to bed." Wanna guess what happened?

Yeah - still meatloaf. Amazingly she didn't fuss when I left her in bed (she was soooo tired). We were a bit concerned about leaving her in bed with food in her mouth, but it was very much chewed up (I knew that for a fact), and couldn't choke her. So this morning when she woke up, I thought surely she'd have just swallowed it during the night. Nope. Still meatloaf. In the mouth. A few pieces had fallen out and were in her bed, but most of it was still in her mouth. Probably a tablespoon full.

We finally just let her spit it out in the sink (didn't want her swallowing 12-hour old meatloaf!!). I almost took a picture, but that would have been gross.

It's a Bonus!

If you had asked me yesterday who Blagojevich is, I'd have guessed he's one of the new breed of Hungarian/Serbian basketball players making an impact in the NBA. Ummmm, guess not.

Just so happens he's the governor of Illinois. Just so happens he got the benefit of choosing the person to fill Obama's Senate seat. Just so happens he...WHAT??...tried to "sell" this slot. $500,000 here, $150,000 there, and BOOM - you're a Senator. Suh-weet!

I've already heard one political pundit state that Illinois politics is incredibly intertwined and corrupt, and that Rahm Emanuel can't be too far separated from this incident. In fact, said person stated that Mr. Emanuel should have to resign as Chief of Staff before even taking the position.

Remember, people. This is change we can believe in.

Christmas first

We decided to buy a real tree this year. And yeah- it's cold out. 24
right now with a stiff breeze.

Sundays

The picture says it all!

A post only a grandparent* will appreciate

*and Aunt Abby (!)

My iPhone has been *ahem* enabled to turn the camera into a video camera. Nothing spectacular, but pretty decent video. And it's actually the perfect size for posting on the web.

So I took a bunch of videos over Thanksgiving. Some in the airplane (it's short). And one today. So here goes - now Google Video has compressed them, and actually tries to make them bigger than they are - so be sure to choose "original size" if it looks too pixelated.

Addy on the play mat:


Laughing in the Bouncy Seat:


Happy Thanksgiving!


Mia falling asleep in the car seat:


Monkey Mia:


Mia on the Bouncy Castle ("Castle Playground" as she calls it:


Bouncy Castle 2 (wait for the end on this one - it's great!):


Singin' with Granddad:


Sunset from 12,000ish feet:


Addy's first..."conversation":

Our new fav way to sleep

She usually wakes up with it completely over her head!!

Almost 5 months

Time is flying. Our little baby is sitting up very well (with help
from the bumbo, obviously).

We got a great video of her talking. If anyone can translate "squeak"
please let us know.

In celebration...

...of my sister turning 14, here's a pic from 10 years ago.

"Regret" is all you get

"In 1970, I co-founded the Weather Underground, an organization that was created after an accidental explosion that claimed the lives of three of our comrades in Greenwich Village. The Weather Underground went on to take responsibility for placing several small bombs in empty offices — the ones at the Pentagon and the United States Capitol were the most notorious — as an illegal and unpopular war consumed the nation.

"The Weather Underground crossed lines of legality, of propriety and perhaps even of common sense. Our effectiveness can be — and still is being — debated. We did carry out symbolic acts of extreme vandalism directed at monuments to war and racism, and the attacks on property, never on people, were meant to respect human life and convey outrage and determination to end the Vietnam war.

"Peaceful protests had failed to stop the war. So we issued a screaming response. But it was not terrorism; we were not engaged in a campaign to kill and injure people indiscriminately, spreading fear and suffering for political ends."

These, obviously, aren't my words. They're the latest from William Ayers. I don't see how he can say this with a straight face. Seriously.

Perhaps bombing the Capitol and Pentagon went against common sense? Yes, perhaps, indeed.

Because the attacks were against "empty" offices, consisted of "small" bombs, and were merely "extreme vandalism," they don't constitute treason? Sure, putting explosives within the buildings that define the fabric of a nation, that's not a big deal.

Now, I actually do commend the guy for not jumping in the fray during the election, because (regardless of what he did/didn't do) trying to clarify comments or take any position would have just devolved into greater confusion and hype. But seriously.

(Op-ed is here: Link

Speaking for God

There's an interesting dialogue going on at washingtonpost.com - basically, a humanist group has placed an ad on a bus saying "just be good for goodness's sake" - not because you believe in God. Another group is wanting to place a counter-ad - believe in me because I created you and love you - signed, God. The blog post is here. (NOTE: I haven't read all the comments to know if there's any language, etc.)

What's struck me is that in the first 5-10 comments on the posting, at least 3 or 4 people have argued that signing the statement from "God" is actually blasphemous. Who can speak for God, they say?

I don't think they get it. It's not that someone is trying to put words in God's mouth. Actually, it's much simpler than that. God has already told us exactly what that back-of-the-bus advertisement would say. It's in the Bible. But I guess people forget that that book is still around, not to mention that it is the Word of God.

Civic Duty??

I was summoned for jury duty late in October. The dates I was called to serve were the week of Thanksgiving and the week after (this week). Oh, did I mention it was US District Court....which is in Alexandria....and that it was THANKSGIVING WEEK!!??

Yeah - my reaction, too. First off, I got Wed the 26th deferred because I was traveling for the holiday. But I had to sweat it each night until I called in to see if I was needed.

Not that I minded serving on jury duty. In fact, I was really looking forward to it. US District Court, trial jury, in Alexandria. Some of the cases are high profile (although I've heard the court referenced as the "Rocket Docket" for how quickly cases get through it). It would have been a great experience, not to mention my civic duty.

But the catch - there could not have been a worse two weeks for this to come up. I had to take Ang and the gals to BWI on Monday. I had three major projects for work to complete on Tuesday. The following week (after Thanksgiving) - I had two meetings, two more work projects, and the girls came back home on Tuesday. Oh, and all the normal work stuff that comes up during a day.

So I wasn't too upset when I kept getting "You have not been selected for jury duty at this time." And then "The time commitment for this jury pool has been completed. Thank you for your service." Whew!

Maybe next time I'll get summoned during the summer - when work slows down at least a little.

Sorting mail

After not checking the mailbox for a week. The pile on the right is
trash; the left is catalogues for Christmas (with Arby's coupons on
top).

Road trip

The highway sign just told me I'm 1700 miles from Denver. I'm not sure
what good that does me. I'm in Baltimore.

Sent from my iPhone

Questions to Ponder

I know you get a rainbow when it rains. Do you get a snowbow when it
snows?

This waste of your time brought to you by my freezing walk to the bank
during lunch.

Sent from my iPhone

Sleeping in the car 2

I think we wore her out

We are usually very careful about getting home in time for Mia's nap,
not later than 1:30 or so (normal nap time is about 1). But this day
my flag football ran late, we had a great lunch, and then drove the 15
minutes home.

She literally fell asleep with the sippy cup in her mouth. Once we got
home, she had a little milk, put on pjs and a pullup, and she was out
for another 2 hours. Whew!!

Dichotomy

Something seems ironic about reading the Wall Street Journal in
McDonalds. But I had to get my 99 cent filet-o-fish.

Sent from my iPhone

Addy learns to read

This is how Addy spent her time in church - reading the 20 ways to
pray for missionaries.

Comfy 2

Comfy

Here's Mia in her "comfy pjs" watching mickey mouse clubhouse on a
relaxing morning.

Cohen and Cohen

"Steve, Steve and I have something to tell you."

BenJarvus Green-Ellis (seriously, that's his name) is the latest running back for the New England Patriots. He's pretty good. And since his name's so long and takes forever to say, apparently his teammates just call him "Law Firm."

I need a good nickname. Unfortunately, my name is too easy to say, so there's no real motivation. I did get called Boy Wonder one time, but I think that was more of a "Boy, wonder what we were thinking when we hired him??!!"

Why Republicans are getting trounced

Dr. (Senator) Coburn lays it straight again...

"Therefore, what led the Republican Party to this day was not the application of conservative principles but the abandonment of those principles while hypocritically appealing to those tenets. The past few years have shown a strong correlation between electoral success and fidelity to limited government conservatism. The more Republicans abandoned conservatism, the more voters abandoned Republicans."

Link here

How to make it through the day

The magic formula....

Take advantage of every opportunity...

Matt Cassel, highly acclaimed out of high school, sat on the bench for four years at USC, behind Carson Palmer and then Matt Leinart. But who is the only one actually playing in the NFL right now? Yup - Cassel. Palmer is hurt, Leinart is benched (too many off-season parties), and Cassel is leading the Brady-less Pats to a 5-2 record (fighting with the struggling Colts right now).

Let that be a lesson to all you little boys and girls out there - never give up, even if you always seem to be playing second fiddle.

The Politics of Crowds

"The political genius of the man [Barack Obama] is that he is a blank slate. The devotees can project onto him what they wish."

"Ambiguity has been a powerful weapon of this gifted candidate: He has been different things to different people, and he was under no obligation to tell this coalition of a thousand discontents, and a thousand visions, the details of his political programs: redistribution for the poor, postracial absolution and "modernity" for the upper end of the scale."

It gets even scarier:

Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the late Democratic senator from New York, once set the difference between American capitalism and the older European version by observing that America was the party of liberty, whereas Europe was the party of equality. Just in the nick of time for the Obama candidacy, the American faith in liberty began to crack. The preachers of America's decline in the global pecking order had added to the panic. Our best days were behind us, the declinists prophesied. The sun was setting on our imperium, and rising in other lands.

The rest is here: Link.

Nice story

Here.

For those who haven't seen...

...this is great. Yes, I think the grace of God is much more generous than the admissions standards of PHC. Pretty funny stuff.

Farm trip fun

Two weekends ago we took a trip to a farm for pumpkin picking, animal petting, and all out harvest fun. We had quite a blast.

The pictures at the end are from the property across the street, which is up on a hill (about 1000 feet above sea level, not sure how much higher than the farm). The view is spectacular.

Symphony

Our local symphony orchestra is performing Dvorak's cello concerto and
Brahms' symphony no. 4.

Hot dog, I'm excited!!

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Attention

So A-Rod can buy an $80 million penthouse and no one says a thing, but
Palin spends some money on her image and wardrobe and all of a sudden
the world collapses. Where is the real excess here???

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Question of the Day

Which is harder to get out of on a cold morning: the warm covers with
two pillows, or the hot shower with water streaming over your head??

I vote for the bed. Although as Angela so wisely said at 6:55 (while
nursing the baby in a half-stupor) - it's not going to be any easier
to get out of bed at 7:15 than it is at 7:00. So practical at such an
early hour.

Oh, and we finally turned the heat on - we made it til Oct 19, but it
was getting down to 28 degrees last night.

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Family Pics

Amazing pictures of our beautiful little family. Credit to our next door neighbor for his photography skills (shout out - if you need a good photographer in the NoVA area, let me know and I'll give you his info).

And now.....

Miss Independent

Amelia decided to talk for 2 hours in bed before finally taking her nap. As of 5pm, she was still asleep. Well, a lot happened between the time I left work and the time I got home.

Apparently, in those first 2 hours, Amelia took ALL of the clothes out of her top two drawers, decided to take off her pants and pull-ups, and put on a pair of big-girl panties (she only wears pull-ups for nap/bed, for reasons which you'll understand in a moment).

When I walked in the door, I realized there was quite a commotion upstairs. The wash was running, Mia was a little upset, and Ang was trying to reassure her. I saw the huge mess on the floor, thinking that was the extent of the problem. But then I noticed the sheets stripped off the bed, and Ang revealed what our little non-napper had decided to do. Well, it came back to haunt her when she ended up wetting the bed.

Thinking I had an opportunity to teach Mia that she can learn not to wet the bed, I said, "Do you want to be able to wear big girl panties in bed?" Once the question left my mouth, I realized there was no way it would be answered favorably. Having just been traumatized, she gave a shaky, "Noooo." I tried to smooth it over by saying that will come as she gets older. Nice timing, Dad.

Anyway, if nothing else, this experience may at least curtail the latest trend of playing/taking out clothes when she's supposed to be napping.

How the mighty have fallen

Bad news: The 'Skins lose a dumb game to the weak and incompetent Rams. Ugh.

Good news: The Cowboys (the pundit-ordained Super Bowl victors) lost to Cleveland Arizona. Lost Tony Romo for 4 weeks. Lost Felix Jones for 2-4 weeks. And, oh yeah, lost Pacman for an "indefinite" 4 weeks+.

There is still hope for a playoff spot.

BREAKING NEWS!!!

In the spirit of FoxNews, where everything is an "Alert" or "Breaking News" ....

COLUMBUS FOUND AMERICA!!

(Enjoy the day off, fellow gov't workers)

For my left-brained sister

Looks like you'll have to stand on your head....

Proof

See posting below.

Dirt

It's funny that Amelia will fuss over the tiniest piece of dirt being
on the slide, and then once she slides down she proceeds to grab
handfuls of dirt and throw them on the slide.

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I missed September

I just realized my desk calendar has been on August for the last two
months. I somehow missed September. Where did it go??

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