Happy Christmas!
We got a couple of inches of snow for Christmas which made for a beautiful sight and hazardous driving. Our new two-wheel drive Volvo XC90 with California style highway tires has not fared well on the icy hills of F-town. With all of the Christmas festivities, I have gained some additional weight to lose during the new year. My new goal is to lose 30 pounds. My thought is that if I gain a couple over the break, those will come off faster than the others and I will have a good start at the 30 pounds.
At present I am serving as hall monitor so the children won't prematurely see the tree and presents. I hope that all of my dedicated blog followers have a great time opening presents and visiting with family. Don't forget that it you overeat during the season, it will actually help you meet your new years weight loss goals.
Happy holidays!
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Cheese is life
I love cheese. I value the texture, flavor, and nuance of each cheese and its history. (I have often wondered why cheese was not in the cultural heritage of the pre-Columbian Americas, the lowlands of Asia, and Africa.) Each cheese gives clues to the the culture of it's unique region or process.
What does it say about Americans that the cheese named for us is highly processed, sometimes made with oil instead of milk, artificially colored, and individually wrapped?
What does it say about Americans that the cheese named for us is highly processed, sometimes made with oil instead of milk, artificially colored, and individually wrapped?
What's in a lifetime warranty?
I seriously thought about buying a Jeep when I found that they had a lifetime powertrain warranty. One has to ask to which life does it apply... yours, or the company's?
Dilemma
While I disagree with the current government's significant intervention into the market, it provides some of us with unbelievable opportunities. I continue to believe that banks should have been forced to fail, and that American car companies need to go into bankruptcy in order to become profitable. Even a day or two ago, you might have heard me complain about how most Americans were unfairly bearing the burden of corporate mishaps. I have come to believe that corporations and financially responsible citizens (with a good credit score and some savings) are both benefiting from the government's actions. Take interest rates for example. If I decided to (and could) refinance today, my monthly mortgage payment would be reduced by $300. If I refinanced and changed from a 30 year to a 15 year mortgage, it would only cost me $75 more per month. That is $75 more per month to pay off my house in 15 years! Even then, my mortgage would be less than rent on a comparable house in the area.
Unfortunately, most people won't be able to take advantage of the opportunities. Many people will lose their jobs during this economic cycle, and even more will be pushed to or beyond their financial limits. People with average (and worse) credit scores and those who are living paycheck to paycheck are the ones who will be most disadvantaged.
Here is the dilemma. While I disagree with these actions, I can significantly benefit from them financially. The moralist in me wants to reject these opportunities but the rationalist sees all of the benefits and possibilities. Can someone live a congruent life while disagreeing with these government actions and taking advantage of the opportunities while others can't?
Unfortunately, most people won't be able to take advantage of the opportunities. Many people will lose their jobs during this economic cycle, and even more will be pushed to or beyond their financial limits. People with average (and worse) credit scores and those who are living paycheck to paycheck are the ones who will be most disadvantaged.
Here is the dilemma. While I disagree with these actions, I can significantly benefit from them financially. The moralist in me wants to reject these opportunities but the rationalist sees all of the benefits and possibilities. Can someone live a congruent life while disagreeing with these government actions and taking advantage of the opportunities while others can't?
Blepharospasm
For the last two weeks I have had an eye twitch. More precisely, it is a lower-eyelid muscle spasm. Luckily for me, it has a name and reasonable remedy. Blepharospasms are most frequently attributed to stress and a lack of sleep, both of which I hope to correct over the next two weeks.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
I have had wickedness thrust upon me.
I forgot the best part about the last month... Wicked. My mother watched the kids while R and I spent the better part of an afternoon and evening out on the town, in Hollywood. We ate at a shabu shabu restaurant (my fingers are still tired) and went to see Wicked. I have a greater appreciation of storymakers who can see stories within stories and multiple perspectives when none appear to exist.
In response to the question posed by the musical: "Are people born wicked, or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?" I have had this wickedness thrust upon me.
Post Script - The cast was amazing. When Eden Espinosa and Megan Hilty sang together, their voices sounded as one.
Post Post Script - At one point in the production, Fiyero slipped and nearly fell into the orchestra pit, letting slip an expletive. The audience erupted in laughter and cheers which sent the cast into disaster management mode. Both Glinda and Elphaba worked hard to contain their laughter, but eventually succombed, and recovered within thirty seconds via Elphaba's (as Snagglepuss would say... ) exit, stage left.
In response to the question posed by the musical: "Are people born wicked, or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?" I have had this wickedness thrust upon me.
Post Script - The cast was amazing. When Eden Espinosa and Megan Hilty sang together, their voices sounded as one.
Post Post Script - At one point in the production, Fiyero slipped and nearly fell into the orchestra pit, letting slip an expletive. The audience erupted in laughter and cheers which sent the cast into disaster management mode. Both Glinda and Elphaba worked hard to contain their laughter, but eventually succombed, and recovered within thirty seconds via Elphaba's (as Snagglepuss would say... ) exit, stage left.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
What happens in the middle
It has been a long time since I last posted. I apologize. With the launch of my facebook campaign for President and other miscellaneous items, I have had little time to submit material to the blogosphere. So one must wonder, what happens inbetween posts?
In the last month, I cooked the thanksgiving meal for nine people, finished all of the preparations for the semester, stained, finished, and installed a new front door, replaced our sliding glass rear door with a winged french door, trimmed-out both doors, wrote two final exams, graded 90 papers, went to Disneyland, remodeled my kitchen, planted the major plants of our front yard, harvested some carrots, played co-host to my mother's visit, played Dad quite a bit, and tried to conduct class as if everything were normal. It seems like there was more, but I can't remember that far back.
Obviously the most prominent was the kitchen, of which I am most impressed. We bought cabinets and appliances on Wednesday and Thursday and started the demolition on Friday night around 6pm. My good friend did a couple hours of demo work and left around 8:30pm. I worked until around 3:30am, then showered and went to sleep. I was up around 7am to help with the kids, back to work at 8am, out the door to take advantage of the free bulk disposal service provided by the city. I made two trips in a borrowed truck. I finished installing the cabinets and counter tops with the help of the same good friend. We finished around 6pm so the we could eat some dinner. I was back to finish the plumbing around 8:30pm. Around 9:45pm I realized that I didn't have all of the necessary pieces, and all of the stores were closed. I tried to finish what I could. (It turns out later that I did have the right pieces to finish the kitchen drain.) I don't shop on Sunday, so the kitchen had to wait until Monday after work. On my way home from work, I bought all of the necessary pieces and had everything except the range hooked up by 9pm. I called a friend to help with the gas line and it was all completed by 5pm on Tuesday. Had I had some guts and an all night hardware store, I think that I could have had it all done by Saturday night. I only really got frustrated with the lack of pieces, a small leak that promptly went away, and the incompatibility of our old gas line with new hookups. After retelling the story, I never want to do that again. Alas, knowing me, I probably will.
Yesterday we received a box from Justin's Nut Butter. While the company may be favoring a highly pragmatic description of their products and services, I can't get over the sophomoric references that are requisite to be made. Having said that, I think I need to stop.
In the last month, I cooked the thanksgiving meal for nine people, finished all of the preparations for the semester, stained, finished, and installed a new front door, replaced our sliding glass rear door with a winged french door, trimmed-out both doors, wrote two final exams, graded 90 papers, went to Disneyland, remodeled my kitchen, planted the major plants of our front yard, harvested some carrots, played co-host to my mother's visit, played Dad quite a bit, and tried to conduct class as if everything were normal. It seems like there was more, but I can't remember that far back.
Obviously the most prominent was the kitchen, of which I am most impressed. We bought cabinets and appliances on Wednesday and Thursday and started the demolition on Friday night around 6pm. My good friend did a couple hours of demo work and left around 8:30pm. I worked until around 3:30am, then showered and went to sleep. I was up around 7am to help with the kids, back to work at 8am, out the door to take advantage of the free bulk disposal service provided by the city. I made two trips in a borrowed truck. I finished installing the cabinets and counter tops with the help of the same good friend. We finished around 6pm so the we could eat some dinner. I was back to finish the plumbing around 8:30pm. Around 9:45pm I realized that I didn't have all of the necessary pieces, and all of the stores were closed. I tried to finish what I could. (It turns out later that I did have the right pieces to finish the kitchen drain.) I don't shop on Sunday, so the kitchen had to wait until Monday after work. On my way home from work, I bought all of the necessary pieces and had everything except the range hooked up by 9pm. I called a friend to help with the gas line and it was all completed by 5pm on Tuesday. Had I had some guts and an all night hardware store, I think that I could have had it all done by Saturday night. I only really got frustrated with the lack of pieces, a small leak that promptly went away, and the incompatibility of our old gas line with new hookups. After retelling the story, I never want to do that again. Alas, knowing me, I probably will.
Yesterday we received a box from Justin's Nut Butter. While the company may be favoring a highly pragmatic description of their products and services, I can't get over the sophomoric references that are requisite to be made. Having said that, I think I need to stop.
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