Monday, November 20, 2006

Say cheese!

I am inspired. This weekend, Chris gave me an early Christmas present, a beautiful full-color book on photography. So we dug out his film camera, and I have been playing with it ever since. Photography has always tickled the one very small creative bone that I possess, largely I think, because of my dad's constant instructions on how to take good pictures with his camera. The goal is to have a decent command of aperture and what not before going to Yucatan next summer. I can't wait!!!

Friday, November 17, 2006

Let the record reflect

The more reading I do for this Family and Society class that I'm taking, the more thankful I am for my hubby. Our relationship is so far out of the average, and he takes such better care of me than the average would predict that I can hardly stand it.

Just for the record, I love him to pieces. He's the best!

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Ah the mountains....



Psalm 98

O sing to the LORD a new song,
For He has done wonderful things,
His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him.
Tthe LORD has made known His salvation;
He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations.
He has remember His lovingkindness and his faithfulness to the house of Israel;
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth;
Break forth and sing for joy and sing praises.
Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre,
With the lyre and the sound of melody.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
Shout joyfully before the King, the LORD.
Let the sea roar and all it contains,
The world and those who dwell in it.
Let the rivers clap their hands,
Let the mountains sing together for joy before the LORD,
For He is coming to judge the earth;
He will judge the world with righeousness and the peoples with equity.


Fair Food

OK, I know it's been forever, but I promised to put up pictures of the State Fair food, and here they are. Don't worry--I kept them in the fridge so they wouldn't get moldy. :-)






I took pictures of the food places we didn't get to, but as you can see, we enjoyed what we did get immensely. :-)

Eaten but not pictured: basket of cheesy fries and one very sugary funnel cake (that one's for you, Becca!)

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

On this auspicious day

Please welcome to the sidebar the two newest members who are also arguably the cutest, Chloe and Eli.

Friday, October 13, 2006

We're going to the fair tonight!!!

I'm so excited! I can't wait to get there. I've only been to a state fair once (maybe?).

I'll post up pictures of the food.....mmmmmmm.

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Hooray!

My MP3 player is finally here!! Major kudos to my bro who found me a 4 gb player for $45. Thanks, bro!!! :-)

Thursday, September 28, 2006

Praise God for Christian schools!

I just have to say that as I am now in the depths of a class at a secular (and rather liberal) institution, that I appreciate as I never have before the chance to learn in an environment that is not hostile to Christianity. There's a lot of pressure that comes with being the only one who is willing to stand up and say that the favored world-view of a class and/or teacher isn't necessarily the right or even the best way to look at life, and I am so glad that I did not have to fight through all of my high school and college classes the way I'm fighting through this class!

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Falling

It was chilly on the way to work this morning. The air had that extra little bit of edge that foretells the end of lush green days and the beginning of nights cool enough to spend with a cup of hot chocolate and a good book.

It was a happy realization. It made me remember how nice it was to snuggle up with my newly acquired hubby on the first cold day after we were married. It's nice to know, going into this winter, that I won't be enduring the cold on my own. I got out my terrycloth robe (that I originally bought for Chris) last night, and we snuggled and watch a little TV. Nice and cozy.

Our new living room is all cleaned up now, and we're starting to feel settled in. We can generally find what we're looking for, and soon we'll get all the books out of their boxes and line them up on the shelves. That's Chris's project; he enjoys organizing them just so. He didn't work in the library for nothing. :-)

Life is happy in our little town house, and we thank God for all of His blessings.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Today be the day!

Arrr! Me hearties!









Take yer pick o' the pirates below, but whatever ye do....











































Be ye piratical!!!





Friday, September 15, 2006

For my wonderful hubby

A happy marriage is a long conversation which always seems too short.
Andre Maurois
I love you!

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Oh happy day!

Rebecca's kitty has a name now! Cute kitty....

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Just for the record...

Putting politics, Christianity, and lots of emotion together is never a good thing.

Ever.

Everybody comes out looking bad.

Argh. Stuff like Jesus Camp makes me so mad! I feel like I need to watch it, but I don't want to. I know I'll spend the entire movie yelling at the screen. People persist in lumping every little group of people that call themselves Christian together as if everything that called itself Christian really was. Even within what could properly be called Christian, there is a huge variety of practices and beliefs. You can't lump us all together! STOP BEING SO CLOSED MINDED!

Sigh. Guess it'll never really stop...

Monday, September 04, 2006

Shoutout

Please find for your continuing edification and general delight new links on the sidebar. My own dearest brother is now at the top of the list, and I have added my good friends from college Tim and Ashley and Lincoln as well. There is also now a special section with breaking News from Abroad.

And of course, now that the school year is back in progress, much fresh meat has landed on the Frittering Away platter.

May a good time be had by all!

Caught me!

OK, Camille. You caught me. :-)

1. One book that changed your life: VanVonderen’s Tired of Trying to Measure Up

2. One book that you’ve read more than once: The Lord of the Rings trilogy (so I was a speech major, not a math major!)

3. One book you’d want on a desert island: The book of Psalms

4. One book that made you laugh: The Paper Bag Princess

5. One book that made you cry: The Atonement Child

6. One book that you wish had been written: Hmmmm... (I may update this later.)

7. One book you wish had never been written: Anything by Robert Rector (grrr...)

8. One book you’re currently reading: Selling Women Short

9. One book you’ve been meaning to read: The Broken Mirror

10. Now tag five people:
Becca
Mel
Ben
Joanna
Laura

Friday, September 01, 2006

Marvellous Miscellany

Well.

Now that I am mostly done tinkering with Blogger code, I can breathe and catch up on posting.

Prais the Lord, Chris has a job! The firm he worked for this summer called him back one week after his internship ended and offered him a spot for next fall. We are so thankful for that offer! It takes a lot of pressure off of this next year, and it allows us to start making plans in advance instead of at the last minute.

Equally exciting is that there is a university about 45 minutes from where Chris will be working that offers a Master's of Social Work. So, Lord willing, next fall I should be able to make some serious progress towards that degree. I'm a long way behind on prerequisites, but I'm taking a class this semester on Family and Society, and I'll take another class next semester as well. Then perhaps I can do the remaining 10 or 12 credits that I need to be accepted next fall, hunt up an internship or some kind of work experience, and then get going full time on the degree in the fall of 2008, with completion in May 2010.

DeWitt is merrily gaining weight. I thought that was a good thing (just a growing boy!), but now the doc tells me that we have a pudgy budgie. :-( I'm not sure what to do with him since he won't touch the food that the vet recommended to replace the seed, but I comfort myself with the knowledge that my family raised four or five birds on seed, and they all did just fine. He has recently recovered from a mite infestation on his beak and feet. Non-transmissible to humans, but they can do some serious damage to a bird's beak. They're all gone now though, and he's going to be just fine.

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Under Construction

Well, I have finally taken the plunge.

After two weeks of tinkering with Blogger code on a test blog, I think I'm finally ready for a test run of a new and improved (I hope) blog.

Please let me know if you run into anything strange so that I can fix it.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Happines is...

...waking up and seeing your husband next to you.

...climbing over all the boxes in your kitchen and being rewarded with a glimpse of your vegetable plants growing serenely on your deck.

...watching your bird hanging upside down on a new toy.

...having a few extra moments in the morning to thank God for a beautiful day.

...seeing your church family after two months away.

...pretending your car is a spaceship.

...going over to a friend's house for popcorn and a movie.

...grilling supper on a huge charcoal grill that God provided for free.

...watching a friend get married on your wedding anniversary.

...finalizing plane tickets to go see your family at Christmas.


For all the beautiful little things in life and all the little things that make life interesting, I am thankful.

Thursday, July 27, 2006

We are a bright one, aren't we?

So.

Pamela Anderson is getting married this month, but she's having four ceremonies to celebrate. (Sounds like fun to me! *roll eyes*). Someone asked her how she's "coping with her nerves," and the Associated Press has kindly recorded her stress reducing remedy for posterity:

I have two words for you: champagne.

Marvelous.

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Remember the workers!

You know, Wal-Mart has been trying hard to look less exploitative in the last couple of months, and I was beginning to think that maybe public pressure just might have worked this time. But here's the ruling that knocks down the Maryland bill that would have forced Wal-Mart to meet a minimal standard of corporate decency, and the news is not good.

Rollback Ruling Favors Wal-Mart

Maryland wasn't asking for much, and they weren't unfairly picking on Wal-Mart. The big box store dumps thousands of workers onto public health roles while other large corporations do their part to take care of their workers.

Friday, July 14, 2006

Excellent advice!

I just got the first of my GRE study materials in the mail. Prominently displayed on the Algebra I review chart is the following:

Stand firm in your refusal to remain conscious during Algebra. In real life, I assure you, there is no such thing as algebra.

Thank you, Fran Lebowitz, for the validation of our educational system. Great. That one really motivates me to study for the GRE.

*roll eyes*

So much for peace in the Middle East

As I got ready this morning, I was thinking about all of the military actions going on between Israel, Palestine, and Lebanon. Without being willing to blindly support Israel in every action, in this case, at least, it seems like they've been aggravated beyond all reason. Kinda reminded me of a cornered animal being poked with sticks. At some point, that animal is going to come out of the corner and inflict some serious damage.

Israel isn't asking for much. Just give them their soldiers back, quit shooting at them, and take the guns away from Hezbollah. Doesn't seem unreasonble. You've gotta feel bad for the Lebanese people, though. It stinks for the Lebanese to be the ones getting blown up when it sounds Syria and Iran are the ones bankrolling Hezbollah.

It's so sad. There's so much suffering going on.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

BIRD FLU COMES TO FLORIDA!!!!

HEAD FOR THE HILLS!!!



{My thanks to Becca over at The Mercied for this crucial breaking news.}

Sunday, July 09, 2006

Zinedine Zidane

Absolutely unbelievable. I could hardly believe my eyes when he headbutted Materazzi in the chest. Completely unacceptable behavior for any participant in any sporting event, but so much more unacceptable in the captain of team in a sporting event broadcast worldwide. And in light of the extreme liklihood of penalty kicks, his boneheaded temper is incredibly irresponsible. How could he possibly do that to his team?

Friday, July 07, 2006

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrre you ready?

As the commercial says, "Get your booty..."




"...To the theater!"

Absolutely cannot wait to join the unwashed masses in enjoying what should be a delightful little piece of brain candy. :-)

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Homes for the homeless

You know, as much as I would love to be a part of a serious effort that would really get the chronic homeless off the street, I'm not sure that this is the way to do it. Admitting that there are people who are chronically homeless is the first step toward figuring out how to get them off the street, but giving them places to live on the public's tab can't be the answer. Not unless we're going to house all the people who can't find somewhere to live in the same fashion. This is essentially discrimination with vice being the determining factor. What about all the people that can't afford housing but aren't being a public nuisance by being drunk on the sidwalk all the time? Why don't the single moms get free housing too?

Thursday, June 29, 2006

No Mo' Gitmo

Quite a beating for the administration this morning. Can't say I'm much surprised, and I think I'm glad for at least one check on the ever-expanding executive power grab--not sure though completely.

Here's the story.



ETA: All right, so on closer review this doesn't actually close Gitmo. My apologies.

Diet Coke and Mentos

While I'm still working on the new site, I thought I might provide a bit of divertment to while away the time. Take a look at what you can do with enough time, lots of pop, and breath mints. Pretty cool, if you ask me.

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

It's coming...

Very soon. A new blog on a new server. New options. New posts (hopefully :-)).

Stay tuned!

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Pictures please!

I'm working diligently to try to update my blog, but I'm running into a dead end looking for a picture for the header. Anyone have any suggestions that follow the mermaid theme?

Friday, June 16, 2006

Eugenics in America

I just finished reading a book called A Merciful End. It was a very thorough and balanced historical walk-through of the euthanasia/eugenics movement in America, starting about in 1900. I'll definitely need to do some more reading to get a better grip on some of the philosophies that shaped the movement, but I thought it did a great job of chronicling the movement.

I vaguely remember running across a reference to eugenics laws in America sometime in the last year or so, but this fuller accounting just blew me out of the water. Call me naive, but it hadn't ever occured to me that there was a time not so very long ago that a large portion of the American public was in favor of laws mandating involuntary sterilization specifically targeting the mentally disabled and ill.

How can you possibly be so convinced of your own worth to think yourself able to proclaim that "three generations of imbeciles is enough"? Thank you, Oliver Wendell Holmes in the Buck v. Bell case. This declaration in an age where they used such clear-cut definitions of mental illness as "feeble-minded" as a catch-all for anyone just a little bit different. Wikipedia argues that there wasn't anything wrong with Carrie Buck other than that she had been raped by her adopted mother's nephew, that she was put into an institution to save her family's reputation. That may or may not be true, but Holmes declaration is no less obnoxious either way. It makes me sick to think of it.

Check out this article by a U of Virginia prof giving a little more background on the Carrie Buck case.

Friday, June 09, 2006

Off to Charlotte!

Praise God Friday is here, and in about seven hours, I'll be in Charlotte with Chris!! :-) I can't wait. :-)

Unless we find hotspots for an internet connection, I probably won't post over the weekend, but I've got lots of things to chew on until Monday. As an intro to a post that will go up next week, ponder of the fact that Helen Keller was outspoke in support of eugenics and euthanasia. Huh?!

Thursday, June 08, 2006

Please welcome to the stage

Joanna!!

Welcome back out of the bubble and into blogdom. We're glad to have you around.

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Whew

So, now Chris is settled into his internship, and after crying all the way back to the highway, I've settled into a rather more stable emotional state.

I keep telling myself that it could be so much worse, you know? He could be in the military and be gone for indefinite periods of time in highly dangerous areas. As it is, I'm going to see him every weekend, and it's only for 8 weeks, so it could be so much worse. But we haven't even been married a year, and it still stinks. Sigh...

On a rather lighter note, I planted a sort of veggie garden yesterday. Chris and I got ourselves a sweet cherry tomato plant, a green pepper plant, a yellow pepper plant, a hot red pepper plant, a cucumber plant, and a flowering plant just for fun. :-) We bought them on Friday, but as it was pouring down rain Friday night, we left the planting for after the weekend. So yesterday, I diligently got out my brand new trowel and the big bag of dirt and put all the plants into their respective pots and troughs. The tomato got its own pot (it's already twice as big as when we bought it!!), and the flowering plant came in a sturdy enough pot to be left alone. All the others went into a long skinny trough kind of thing. I have my doubts about whether it's deep enough to let the roots form properly, but Chris insists that it's fine, so we shall see... :-)

I'll try to take some pictures tonight and post them up some time. Does anyone know if veggies will keep producing over the winter if I bring them inside and keep them warm?

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Patience Please

I regret to admit that circumstances have forced me to desist posting for a while. Chris and I are in the process of moving our apartment to three separate locations, so the posting has been sparse and will probably continue to be sparse for another week or so. I may randomly post things up now and then during this week, but please be sure to check back next week when I should be able to resume regular posting.

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Heh

Don't think he's going to get to plead out of this one.

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Sound and Fury

Signifying what?

After all the furor over the book, I expected something rather more than this.

The Da Vinci Code - Reviews - Movies - New York Times

I was too busy being annoyed by the inaccuracies in the book to enjoy the story, and the movie doesn't sound like it's worth paying to go see. Maybe once Netflix has it...

Ducks in a row

Yesterday, Chris took me to the Duke Gardens to feed the ducks (yeah for my sweet hubby! :-)). We didn't get there until about 8:10, and I was afraid that they had all gone to bed already, but the first few ducks that we fed made enough noise to bring everyone else out for a late snack.

When we saw them two weeks ago, they looked like this.


There were nine of them, all lined up behind mama mallard. Last night, they came out again, and while there were still nine of them with mama (hooray!), they looked more like this.


Very, very cute. And lots of fun to feed. The adult ducks would eat out of my hand, but the ducklings wouldn't quite come close enough. Chris got them to brush up against my hand by dropping pieces of bread in the water near where I was holding a piece. They were so soft! (The ducks, not the bread.) :-)

{My thanks to the websites of Illinois Bird of the Day and birdperch.com for the pictures.}

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Got CDs?

Got old CDs? Got some time now that exams are done?

Well, this blog can't think of any better way to burn that time than by performing challenging science experiments.

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Hooray for my hubby!

Exams are over, and they all feel good. Proud of him is what I am. My man is now officially a 3L. Or for the time being, as he prefers to say a "no-L" which means that he can spend all day long lounging about zooming through his for-fun book list.

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Delightful

Here's a collection of Rudyard Kipling's "Just So Stories," which are really positively delightful. If you've never read Kipling, you must. It's wonderful literature (caveat: there are a few of the failings that were common in his day--he uses "nigger" in one story that I know of).

It's all clear now

This is why I hate politics.

A successful campaign almost requires some fibbing -- the candidate is either less extreme than he's telling his party's base, or more extreme than he's telling the general public. The trick is not to get caught -- not to be too obvious in the tactical compromises that are necessary in the marathon race of a presidential campaign.
From A Man Who Won't Sell His Soul

So, will there be anyone to vote for in 2008? Or will it once again be voting against? Sigh...Why can't we just put honest people in office? I know politics is about compromise, but still. I think I'd rather vote for a raving liberal that is up-front about it than vote for a waffling sit-on-the-fencer that stands here, there, and everywhere.

Monday, May 01, 2006

Please welcome

Please give a warm welcome to Barely Legal, a wickedly funny blog detailing law school culture. It's all the fun of law school without any of the work.

(Editor's Note: Please read with discretion.)

Saturday, April 29, 2006

Ahhh, married life...

Ain't it great?

Sometime last week, after Chris and I had tucked ourselves nicely into bed and fallen sweetly to sleep, I awoke to an odd sensation. Something was doing something to my ankle. My sleep-fogged brain wasn't very sure what was going on, but as I moved from comatose to conscious, I realized what was happening--Chris was pinching my ankle with his toes.

Now why he was doing this, I am still not sure, and he denies any memory of such an odd action, but I still have to wonder what he was dreaming about.

Glad he keeps his toenails trimmed. :-)

Friday, April 28, 2006

Where's Waldo?

Can you find the thirsty birdy?



 Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Yesssssssss!!!!!

Aeon Flux came out on DVD yesterday, and it should land in my mailbox today courtesy of Netflix. I can't wait to watch it again! That is one fantastic movie, let me tell you. It's one of the few movies about a girl that doesn't end up making her just a prop for the main guy who shows up halfway through. Don't get me wrong--I don't have anything against movies with male main characters, but a movie that bills itself as about a girl should be about a girl, and Aeon Flux does that well. Props to the director!

The movie is worth watching for its acting (Charlize Theron, come on!) and special effects, but the philospohical take on life intrigued me the most. It walks the line between the price of perfect safety and the value of life as it comes with all its inherent risks. I like it a lot. Definitely worth watching more than once, and really pretty clean (violence and a few skimpy costumes, but no profanity--a welcome change).

Who are you?

With a nod to Camille's site, this is rather a fun little test.

I came up as Caspian: "As Prince Caspian you are a noble, goodhearted but mischievous scallywag! Fun loving, you are admired for your easy going nature."

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Please welcome the latest addition

This blog has undertaken the reorganization and updating of the sidebar. Please note that the wedding pictures have been moved to the brand new Fun Links section (because this blog thinks that being married is fun and also that speaking in the third person is amusing to this blog and probably annoying to everybody else) and that links have been added to The Button and Homestarrunner, each of which this blog considers to be a fantastic way to waste time. The musically inclined portion of this blog's audience will appreciate The Music Genome Project.

(OK, so this blog has been reading too much Dave Barry, but this blog thinks there are few people more amusingly addictive.)

We hate billboards, but...

It could be worse, folks.

Saturday, April 22, 2006

Word of the Day

In light of Hu Jintao's recent visit, I found Ambrose Bierce's definition of interpreter particularly apropos.

Interpreter--One who enables two persons of different languages to understand each other by repeating to each what it would have been to the interpreter's advntage for the other to have said.

ETA: While I typically decry the source, here's a rather amusing interpretation.

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

What if everybody did?

Reminds me of that kids book designed to get us to stop picking flowers and jumping on couch cushions.

Really, though what would happen if everybody had one?

Monday, April 17, 2006

Don't like your government?

Protest

A Little Monday Humor

After such a raging discussion on gender, I thought a little humor might be in order.

Law School Timeline

As law school exams approach, the time that you could spend studying would surely be spent most profitably in a look at your course throughout history.

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Friday, April 07, 2006

Haircut and The Michelangelo Bird

I did it!! I chopped it all off, and I love it.





















Woo-hoo for short hair!










Take a look at DeWitt's new cage and perch. Many, many thanks to Kyle for the new perch. DeWitt thinks it's the best thing since Romaine lettuce (which he can't seem to get enough of--it turns his beak green *giggle*).

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

So...

A Feminine Mystique All Her Own

What do we think about this?

Ye be warned

Just thought I'd post this up for general edification...

It is important for men to remember that, as women grow older, it becomes harder for them to maintain the same quality of housekeeping as when they were younger. When you notice this, try not to yell at them. Some are overly sensitive, and there's nothing worse than an over-sensitive woman.

My name is Ron......Let me relate how I handled the situation with my wife, Julie. When I took "early retirement" last year, it became necessary for Julie to get a full-time job, both for extra income and for the health benefits that we needed. Shortly after she started working, I noticed she was beginning to show her age. I usually get home from the golf course about the same time she gets home from work. Although she knows how hungry I am, she almost always says she has to rest for half an hour or so before she starts dinner. I don't yell at her. Instead, I tell her to take her time and just wake me when she gets dinner on the table. I generally have lunch in the Men's Grill at the club so eating out is not reasonable. I'm ready for some home cooked grub when I hit that door.

She used to do the dishes as soon as we finished eating. But now it's not unusual for them to sit on the table for several hours after dinner. I do what I can by diplomatically reminding her several times each evening that they won't clean themselves. I know she really appreciates this, as it does seem to motivate her to get them done before she goes to bed.

Another symptom of aging is complaining, I think. For example, she will say that it is difficult for her to find time to pay the monthly bills during her lunch hour. But, boys, we take 'em for better or worse, so I just smile and offer encouragement. I tell her to stretch it out over two or even three days. That way she won't have to rush so much. I also remind her that missing lunch completely now and then wouldn't hurt her any (if you know what I mean). I like to think tact is one of my strong points.

When doing simple jobs, she seems to think she needs more rest periods. She had to take a break when she was only half finished mowing the yard. I try not to make a scene. I'm a fair man. I tell her to fix herself a nice, big, cold glass of freshly squeezed lemonade and just sit for a while. And, as long as she is making one for herself, she may as well make one for me too.

I know that I probably look like a saint in the way I support Julie. I'm not saying that showing this much consideration is easy. Many men will find it difficult. Some will find it impossible! Nobody knows better than I do how frustrating women get as they get older. However, guys, even if you just use a little more tact and less criticism of your aging wife because of this article, I will consider that writing it was well worthwhile. After all, we are put on this earth to help each other.....
Signed, Ron

*****EDITOR'S NOTE******

Ron died suddenly on May 27th. The police report says that he was found with a Calloway extra long 50-inch Big Bertha Driver II golf club rammed up his behind, with only 2 inches of grip showing. His wife Julie was arrested and charged with murder; however, the all-woman jury found her "Not Guilty", accepting her defense that he accidentally sat down on it very suddenly.

Good Idea

Massachusetts Sets Health Plan for Nearly All - New York Times

Granted that I haven't read the bill itself, but this sounds like a great idea. I'm curious as to what a "stripped down" plan would actually cover, and what incentives they're going to give to insurance companies, but hey--what if it works?

Monday, April 03, 2006

Announcing

Another blog, located for your convenience on the right sidebar. Please visit early and often. Ben is a classmate of my husband, and Chris and I appreciate his friendship. Best of luck, Ben, on your upcoming wedding! Married life is great. :-)

Ending the Music Wars

Now it's my turn to poach theology. (See Becca's blog for the first poaching.)

Mel posted this article up on her blog a few days ago, and I couldn't resist putting it up here. (Have patience--it loads slowly.) This one issue that has divided so many people and hurt so many young Christians. It really needs to stop. There's no reason to argue over this, and there's equally no reason to cut ourselves off from enjoying all of what God created.

Saturday, April 01, 2006

BULLETIN! BULLETIN! BULLETIN!

On this very auspicious occasion, I wish to announce the addition of a link to a site of highest quality. Take a look at got me a college girl. Come, read, be enriched.

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Pig

Thank you so much, Mr. Martinez. I'm glad that you feel so validated.

It's always so nice to hear that esponsibility, strength, commitment, courage, dignity, service, fitness, self-reliance, duty, honor, brevity, and respect are all antithetical to the state of being female.

Friday, March 24, 2006

Wouldn't that be nice...?

Don't we all wish we could do this?

Thursday, March 23, 2006

Now this I find interesting

The Doctor Will See You for Exactly Seven Minutes - New York Times

And why not? If the medical profession is moving inevitably towards a more consumer-driven model, why shouldn't we adjust our behavior accordingly? I love it that this opinion came from someone immersed in the medical profession.

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Sobering and disturbing

I found this in a newspaper that we get at work, and I thought it was significant enough to post up for comment:

(Navy Times, 2/6/06 ) "[New defense measures] are intended to sharpen the military's focus on the war against terror, which the Pentagon has relabeled 'The Long War.'"

This military action isn't going to end any time soon, and they are finally admitting it. That admission ought to have a serious impact on how civil rights issues are dealt with. Infringements aren't just going to be the temporary muting of a trumpet; if war justifies infringing rights, what's to stop them from being infringed forever in a war that goes on forever?

Thursday, March 16, 2006

So Sad

Every time I hear a story like this, it tears me apart on the inside.

Since I can't seem to get the link function to work, this is the address www.newsobserver.com/102/story/418676.html.

Bird Brains

Last night Chris was working on a Sudoku puzzle from a Sudoku book that I got him for his birthday. So DeWitt thought he would wander over and check it out...





After carefully assessing the situation...














DeWitt decided that Chris needed a little bit of help.






(The conversation was fast and furious.)
"No! That's a 9 not a 2."
"Don't poop on my book, bird!"
















As it turns out, DeWitt has quite a brain in that little bird body of his, and Chris caught on pretty quickly.



And as they say...

"A good time was had by all."


Friday, March 10, 2006

Just look at him go

The other day while we were home fighting off a stomach virus, we had DeWitt out to play, and lo and behold, this is where he snuck off to.

 

I tell you--does it get any cuter?

:-) Posted by Picasa

I give you the Founder of the Feast!

Here's to my parents! :-) Thanks, Mom and Dad, for a great dinner. We have eaten until we can eat no more, and it was all excellent. You couldn't have given us a better birthday present.

  Posted by Picasa

But does it taste good?

For all of you without plans for Spring Break, may I suggest a little ice cream? After all, what better way to spend money than on ice cream, chocolate, caviar, and edible gold leaf?

:-)

Craziness, sure. But I would eat one if you bought it for me. :-)

Monday, March 06, 2006

Ugh

While Chris was in Atlanta last weekend, I watched Miss Congeniality since it's supposed to be funny, and I'd never seen it. I didn't know anything about it, so I was absolutely blindsided. I guess I probably should have been able to see it coming by readying the back cover, but I wasn't paying that much attention.

Icky.

I haven't seen that misogynist of a movie in a long time (although I'm sure that's not for lack of them). I knew there was going to be trouble the minute Sandra Bullock clumped on stage sans makeup or manners, and all the butt-slapping only made it worse. The theme song made me want to throw stuff at the TV. Thank you, Tom Jones, for such uplifting lyrics as:
"Well she's all you'd ever want.
She's the kind you want to flaunt and take to dinner.
Well she always knows her place.
She's got style. She's got grace.
She's a winner. She's a lady.
Talking about that little lady. And the lady is mine."

Gag.

So at the end of the movie, women are left with two options, both bad. You can be a rather incompetent denizen in a male world, ugly, ungraceful, and unmannered. Or you can be an air-headed, shallow beauty queen, beautiful but incapable of anything but the copious application of makeup. At the end of the movie, when you're supposed to feel good about the "heroine," it's not because she became more competent or got the job done or saved the day, it's because she went from tromping to "gliding," from ugly to made-up, and from reeking stereotyped testosterone to rolling in equally-stereotyped estrogen.

Waaaaaay too many stereotypes and hormones for me.

Thursday, March 02, 2006

On a more positive note...

Today has been absolutely beautiful! It reminds me of all the things that I love about the Carolinas. Warm and balmy on the second day of March. How much better can you get, I ask you? :-) It's shorts and t-shirt weather, folks, and I am loving it. In just a few minutes, I'll be home, and then I can open up my windows and just enjoy the air. I can't wait.

Take a look at this web site. This is the new and improved website for my place of employment. We just went live a couple days ago. Cool, huh?

Gotta run.

Over and out.

Unbelievable

I'm so mad right now, I'm spitting. This is one of the most horrendous things I've ever heard of. I can't believe that this actually happens here! Why in the world would you ever EVER think that a prenant woman in labor could possibly be a flight risk?!? What kind of idiot actually does this to someone?!

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

PILF

Here we are at the Public Interest Law Foundation Auction and Gala. Kind of like Artist Series except that the ushers wouldn't throw us out for holding hands. :-) It was fun, and we bid for and won dinner with a former judge.

The event was held in the Nasher Art Museum on Duke's campus. Not quite the same as the M&G, but impressive nonetheless. There were some very beautiful (and some very odd) pieces. And no, that doesn't refer to the attendees, just the art. :-) Posted by Picasa

Very exciting news! (and some more exploring)

DeWitt is finding his voice!! Today was a beautiful spring-ish day, so when Chris came home, he opened up the sliding door near DeWitt's cage. DeWitt, upon hearing the outdoor birds, started warming up his own chirping! :-) I'm just sad I wasn't here to hear him. Hopefully, soon he'll be comfortable enough with us that he'll sing when we're around.






Here's a picture of DeWitt figuring out exactly where his favorite perch is.


Just look at them--my two favorite men! Posted by Picasa

Thursday, February 23, 2006

For all of you singles out there

Disclaimer: I have no idea who Rita Rudner is, but I just couldn't pass this one up. And marriage really is awesome. But it's funny too. :-)

I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life. ~~Rita Rudner

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Proud parents are we!

Here's DeWitt with his new toy right behind him.






And here he is doing a bit of exploring. Posted by Picasa

Please welcome....

The newest member of our family--DeWitt!




Have you ever seen a cuter bird? He's still just a baby, only three or four weeks old, but we can already tell that he's going to be a colorful and dignified fellow, hence the name. If you look closely, you might even see little bits of bow tie on either side of his beak. He still thinks that every time we move, we're going to eat him, but he's a little less paranoid now than he was when we got him on Saturday. He isn't singing yet, but we're hoping he will find his voice very soon.

And I can already tell that we're going to be extremely picture-happy parents when that day comes. :-) Posted by Picasa

Saturday, February 18, 2006

To catch up a bit...

It's been a month since I've posted, and it seems like it's been forever since Chris and I got to breathe. The last four weeks have been crazy, but I think it might slow down as we get into March. At least I hope so...

Just to catch you up to speed a bit, I've been getting into the swing of things at my new job. I'm still working temp to hire, but the decision to hire or not should be coming up in the next month or so. My employer is the president of a non-profit attached to UNC. It's called the Institute for Defense and Business, and basically they work to get the military, the private sector, and the academic world together in a non-sales environment. I guess you could call it facilitated networking. But the idea is to let all three groups exchange industry best practices so that everybody can improve their processes.

Chris has been insanely busy at school. He finished his article for the Duke Law and Technology Journal, and you can find his iBrief here. Yeah for my husband, the published author! His final for his trial practice class is one week from today, and this week he was immersed in the Dean's Cup rounds and the Duke Mock Trial Tournament. He participated in the Dean's Cup (Moot Court), advanced to the quarterfinals, and is now an official member of the Moot Court Board. (I'm awfully proud of him). He's running the Mock Trial Tournament, so he's done all of the scheduling and tabulating, really, most of the organizing, with me pitching in for the food. Next weekend, he'll wrap up his Trial Practice class with the exam/trial on Sunday afternoon, and the next weekend he'll be off to Atlanta to participate in a Mock Trial tournament. Busy, busy, busy, but we're hoping it will slack off once the last tournament is over.

I'll be posting more later about the newest member of our family...

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Comments anyone?

Wow. Not sure what I think about this one...It's such a painfully thorny issue.

Thursday, January 12, 2006

So that's what his secret is

"I am sure, Mr. Holmes, that we are very much indebted to you for having cleared the matter up. I wish I knew how you reach your results."

"I reached this one," said my friend, "by sitting upon five pillows and consuming an ounce of shag [tobacco]."


Quite a system, I'm sure...

So much for admirable literary figures

Sherlock Holmes was a crackhead.

From the first chapter of The Rule of Four:

Sherlock Holmes took his bottle from the corner of the mantelpiece, and his hypodermic syringe fom its neat morocco case. With his long, white, nervous fingers he adjusted the delicate needle and rolled back his left shirtcuff. For some little time his eyes rested thoughtfully upon the sinewy forearm and wrist, all dotted and scarred with innumerable puncture-marks. Finally he thrust the sharp point home, pressed down the tiny piston, and sank back into the velvet-lined armchair with a long sigh of satisfaction.

Three times a day for many months I had witnessed this performance..."Which is it to-day," I asked, "morphine or cocaine?"

He raised his eyes languidly from the old black-letter volume he had opened.

"It is cocaine," he said "a seven-per-cent solution. Would you care to try it?"

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Here's your sign

This is such a classic piece of comedy that I couldn't resist posting it up. Far too few people have heard of this, and it's so appropriate in so many venues.

Enjoy!!!

In memory

I'm reading a book about Alger Hiss, and this is the description that I found of his wife:

"People remembered her...as slim, pretty, with long hair, talkative, opinionated. Men rather liked her, women often found her a little scary."

:-)

NEWS FLASH! NEWS FLASH! NEWS FLASH!

Philosophy classes must now included ever possible variation on any given stream of thought, or else it's unfair and biased.

Puh-leeese.

How I wish I had a rolling eyes smiley to insert here.

Here is an article about introducing intelligent design to a school system by means of a philosophy class. Now why, pray tell, is that a problem? Are we going to outlaw religion classes next unless they explicitly compare all religions? And then maybe we should get rid of any class that focuses on a particular period of history or a particular group of people because that neglects the broader scope of history. So much for Early British Lit and African-American Studies.

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Judicial hearings...

...are far too tedious for their own good. And just for the record--since everything this week is for the record--I'm really getting sick of senators carrying on for half an hour under the guise of asking a question. Don't they stop lawyers from such posturing in court? Why can't we put a check on the verbosity in the Senate?

And I'm still more than a little sketchy on how Alito can justify not recusing himself from the Vanguard case. Anyone care to explain his answer today? It seemed like he was saying that because he admitted that he should have recused himself when someone pointed it out that he was innocent of any ethical squirming in the first place.  I'm not convinced.


Amended to add: Several hours farther into the hearings, he finally went into a full explanation of what happened with the Vanguard case. His explanation was that it was an issue that hadn't come up for 12 years, and by the time the case finally happened, he had forgotten that he had made that extra promise during his initial hearings. I think I can buy that. I mean, how many of us could remember a promise that we made 12 years ago, especially if it hadn't been required. So it's not quite so shady as it sounded.

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Since I usually post on legal issues...

I thought I'd try my hand at science for a change.
----------------------------------------------------

A new element has been discovered to be added to the
Periodic Table!

This hurricane mess and gasoline issues are proof that
it exists.  A major research institution has recently
announced the discovery of the heaviest element yet
known to science.  The new element has been named
"Governmentium."

Governmentium (Gv) has one neutron, 25 assistant
neutrons, 88 deputy neutrons, and 198 assistant deputy
neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312.

These 312 particles are held together by forces called
morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of
lepton like particles called peons.  Since
Governmentium has no electrons, it is inert.

However, it can be detected, because it impedes every
reaction with which it comes into contact.  A minute
amount of Governmentium causes one reaction to take
more than four days to complete, when it would
normally take less than a second.

Governmentium has a normal half-life of 4 years; it
does not decay, but instead, undergoes a
reorganization in which a portion of the assistant
neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places.  In
fact, Governmentium's mass will actually increase over
time, since each re-organization will cause more
morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes.

This characteristic of moron promotion leads some
scientists to believe that Governmentium is formed
whenever morons reach a certain quantity in
concentration.  This hypothetical quantity is referred
to as Critical Morass.  When catalyzed with money,
Governmentium becomes Administratium -- an element
which radiates just as much energy as Governmentium
since it has half as many peons but twice as many
morons.