Where Did I Fail?

I thought I was doing everything right. I made sure that they grew up listening to bands like Styx, The Cure, The Cult, Depeche Mode, White Snake, Guns N Roses, Tom Petty, Toby Kieth, Beastie Boys, U2, Johnny Cash, Weird Al, Neil Young, and even Enya. My belief was that this exposure would prevent them from entertaining themselves with the likes of Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, or God forbid, Justin Bieber. But alas, failure...or is it? Some would say that the music that the boys are listening to is an improvement over what they were indoctrinated with at a young age. Is it music when it's created by a 9 year old prepubescent girl who thinks she's a recording star or some wigger rapper out of Seattle. Eminem is so yesterday I guess and so are my musical tastes.

Irresponsible Book Reviews

Recently I finished the dystopian novel, Far North by Marcel Theroux, which I absolutely adored. Having drawn out the inevitable conclusion of this book by jealously guarding the number of pages read each night for fear of losing that elusive connection with the main character, Sheriff Makepeace, I knew that the end would one day arrive. Like time, there is no stopping it.

Makepeace, is the wraith-like guardian of a town inhabited only by memories. I went where Makepeace went, I experienced what Makepeace experienced, but most of all, I understood Makepeace. I so appreciated the honesty found in the words of this simple and hardworking soul, that despite the hardships encountered, they continued on. Yes, weaknesses are exposed but Makepeace's voice is so directly blunt and honest that when secrets are revealed, they are made all the more shocking along side the beauty of their simplicity. This novel actually caused me to contemplate humanity, mortality, and the nature of man.

So, I read a book that I love, what's my beef? Well, when I went to a co-worker to recommend this haunting book I hopped on line to pull up a review to refer her to but to my horror, the review that I first went to revealed every little nuance including some of my most favorite lines. That's a travesty. I promptly clicked out of it and expressed my disgust that this review was not only a spoiler, it was a stinker. 

I recommend the book, despise the review, and loved the artwork. I would suggest reading the copy shown above to avoid getting a cover that reveals too much about the book before discovering the secrets on your own. Now I'm off to find a copy of The Confessions of Mycroft Holmes: A Paper Chase by Theroux.

Scary Stats

Regardless of which side of the political fence you park your hiney, these statistics are scary!!

Here's an idea of which side I'm parked on...enough already!

Delicious Fish

While I was working Saturday I overheard a co-worker on the phone giving a salmon sauce recipe to her sister-in-law. When she finished on the phone I asked her for more details...it sounded delicious. She said that her mother gave her a recipe calling for mayo and mustard mixed with basil, thyme, and oregano. You then give it a dash of dill to finish it off and barbeque for 30 minutes. I made one slight change and added crushed pepper for a little pop. It was so yummy. I'll definetely use that recipe again!

* To prevent the salmon from sticking to the aluminum foil she suggested slathering on a layer of mayo on the skin side before cooking - it worked like a charm.

Cold Turkey

I did it. I quit Facebook.

Big deal though, right? I didn't want to do to sign-up for Facebook in the beginning but then decided that I'd give it a try and conduct a few experiments along the way. Everything I thought would happen did and more. Today was not only Memorial Day but it was also Quit Facebook Day. So, because of the various things I saw and experienced while using Facebook and the major issues surrounding the lack of privacy with Facebook, I thought that I would participate in this special occasion by doing that very thing, quitting.

Now, if you want to quit Facebook keep in mind that just "deactivating" your account will not really remove your account. In order to actually quit Facebook you'll need to go to this link, scroll down to the short method, click on the link shown, and then indicate to FB that, yes, you really do want to delete your account.

Happy Quit Facebook Day!

Dead Authors

I've just finished another book by a dead author. It wasn't intentional and I didn't realize that this was the case but I found myself puzzling over the back cover of The Glass of Time by Michael Cox and trying to figure out if the date shown on the back was of the book's completion date or...no, it couldn't be the year of his death, or could it? Then I turned around and read, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson and found myself facing a similar truth...these guys were dead!

At different points while reading the book I would flip to the back flap with information about this author that I've never read before and thought, is this seriously telling me that he received death threats? That's when I realized that this author was deceased as well. What is up with that? While I really liked the Glass of Time, I did not enjoy the second book, The Meaning of Night: A Confession. It just didn't capture my interest the way the first one did. With Stieg's book, I read it over the weekend but am now on the waiting list and impatiently waiting for the second and third book from the library but I wanted to read at least the first one before I go to see the Swedish film next week. It's supposed to be awesome and I can't wait!

No Truer Words

If you're a mom then I would imagine you could relate to this at one time or another.

You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried

The other day I heard a story on NPR discussing the impact of John Hughes' films. Can you remember the first one you saw? The Breakfast Club was classic with every teen represented and smartass remarks galore. I'll never forget the scene where the obnoxious teacher in the bad suit had the door slam shut on his attempt to prop it open with a folding chair. Classic! I would have to say that my absolute favorite Hughes film was Some Kind of Wonderful. While I am not, nor ever have been a big fan of Eric Stoltz, I totally loved the character of Watts and her unrequited love for her best friend. Music was the other essential component of his movies. Who can not help but think of Ferris Bueller's Day Off when they hear Twist and Shout? Regardless of which one you loved the most, it's hard to deny the impact his movies had on us.

The link below discusses the book, You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried: The Brat Pack, John Hughes, and Their Impact on a Generation by Susannah Gora.

What Is It With Picking Up the Tab?

Here's the problem. I periodically check our checking account balance on-line. It is not with the intent to snoop but merely to verify that things are as they should. They usually are with the exception of the occasional really expensive meal. You see, my husband will go out to dinner while working (he's in law enforcement) and it's not to Dunkin' Donuts.

This week it was to the Mexico Cafe. Okay, fine, he's a big boy and he earns enough to do that on occasion. My problem is when I see the total for $21.45? For one person? Here's where I'm mistaken. It is not for one person, it's for two. The situation is that when these guys go out to eat, one of them will offer to pick up the tab. It quickly becomes a game of tag because then the next time they go out to eat, the other guy will offer to pay.

Here's my problem, why do they do this? They carry their ID with them at all times and I'm gosh darn sure they are carrying their debit card or some cash. This must be a guy thing because anytime I've been anywhere with other women, we make sure BEFORE the meal that the server knows exactly who has what.

It just must be one of those "guy" things.

A Christian First

It caught me off guard the other day when my 12 year old son referred to himself as an Adventist homeschooler. Immediately I understood why he said this but I still stopped and asked him why he said it. He told me exactly what I already knew; it's the only thing he's ever known and he still identifies with that denomination.

He was around 2 years old when we joined the Adventist Church. We attended the same church for almost 10 years, the boys attended the church school during that time, I worked as a secretary at the church for 2 1/2 years before going back to school to get my degree in teaching and then taught at the school for 5 years. So, our life was focused and centered around our church and church family. He has only known himself, outside of our family, as an Adventist.

However, there came a point during which, I became disenchanted with the hypocrisy within the Adventist school system and the church. Specifically, the pastor's refusal to baptize our oldest son, who, after attending baptism preparation classes, twice, was refused this next step in his spiritual life because he played sports on Sabbath. This is despite the fact that there were wealthier families in the church with children in the same sports leagues who were allowed to get baptized. This broke my heart. I had seen first-hand some of the poor decisions and inequities within the church because of the humanness of the members but I also saw the damage it does to individuals and their walk with Christ along the way. In this case it was an opportunity for a young man to make a very special and public commitment to Christ and this man, who was our pastor, crapped all over it. How sad is that?

Having worked for and around the church and school for almost 8 years, I saw these situations on occasion but overlooked them and explained them away as I put my head down and plugged along being reminded that these men were not my boss. I do believe that God worked in incredible ways in my life during this time. However, this particular situation was the straw that broke the camel's back. The other breaking point was when, after expressing concerns with my oldest son's teacher about his grades and performance, she just smiled and told me what a pleasure he was to have in class. At that point I could care less about his deportment, I was talking about his performance academically. So, after being ignored and nothing being done in class to help him succeed I took my concerns to the school board chairman and shared that my husband and I were thinking about homeschooling our oldest as a result of the inaction on the part of his teacher. Well, she blew up and told me that "If the school was not good enough for my son then maybe it wasn't good enough for me." I took her at her word and put my money where my mouth was...I walked. With my husband's support, I quit my full-time teaching job, which I loved, in order to homeschool our boys, whom I love even more.

We withdrew our membership 2 years ago and have not joined another church since. We've visited a couple but have been faced with the mega, fast-food version of church or the small congregations where nothing will happen unless you're doing it. It is a huge investment of time and energy to find a church, join it, and become a part of it. I don't know when we'll be at that point again. In the meantime, we have to contend with family members who tell us that their salvation is secure despite the fact that they've not been to church in the last 20 years and then bop in and out of church on occasion and ask us why we aren't going to church. Sheesh...some people just don't get it.
 

Having grown up in a home divided by parents who attended different churches, priests that have acted selfishly and only considered their ego rather than the best interest of their members, or the hypocrites who judge others but are unwilling to look at themselves, make me want to throw in the towel on "church". In the end I just want my sons to embrace the idea that they are a Christian first, regardless of denomination or how often you step inside a church.

Take a Proper Leak!

Living in a household of men, I have, on occasion, experienced the agonizingly disgusting situation in which I park my backside on a toilet seat sprinkled delicately with urine. Yuk! Almost nothing hacks me off more than this scenario. It usually ends in my yelling loudly that no one with a penis is allowed to use that bathroom, ever!! This lasts about 7 hours until I and they forget. Is lifting the toilet seat really that difficult?

But, if you will notice that I said "almost" nothing hacks me off more and that almost is when women, who, when faced with the reality of being unable to find any paper toilet seat covers in a public restroom, then pull a Lady Gaga on unsuspecting women everywhere. We (women) naively assume that we can go into the "Women's" restroom and park ourselves on a public toilet without sitting in urine but I have been mistaken on a number of occasions. So, the next time you feel that your ass is too delicate to actually touch the plastic of a public restroom toilet seat, take your squatting, urine-spraying self into the men's restroom and piss in a urinal!

Wow, Where to Start?

Well, it's just over a month later since my last post yet so much has been going on. Our 16 year old son got a job at the local golf course, our 12 year old son is busy with AAU basketball practices during the week and tournaments each weekend and got his sports goggles, my husband got his custom made longboard, my father-in-law has been dating, breaking up, and dating again (same lady), my puppy Tillman has been growing and thriving (last check put him at 23 pounds), Leno stole the Tonight Show back from Conan, there was a devastating earthquake in Haiti with estimates of up to 200,000 dead, and the US federal deficit is expected to reach 1.267 trillion dollars by 2011.

Sheesh...I'm worried about what life will look like in a month from now, a year, a decade, let alone tomorrow. Everything is so fragile and I'm afraid that we, as Americans, are learning this lesson a little too late. Yet, the media, Hollywood, and our artificial world around us continues to distract us from what really matters. We're like a bunch of ADD kids at the circus without our parents.

I'm just as bad. I can tell you which movies are nominated for an Oscar (did you realize they're nominating 10 instead of 5 this year?). I could tell you about some of the concerns that Heidi's gone over the top with all her plastic surgery (but no I don't watch The Hills). I'm concerned that Brad and Angelina are going to break up, (NOT!). What about all those kids? They're worse than that Octo-mom. We could talk about Travolta taking his plane into Haiti loaded with a bunch of Scientologists and rice. Yesterday I learned that Lil Wayne is going to spend a year in jail. How's he going to get the weed that he loves? I'm worried. Or, looking a little closer to home, perhaps you've heard about the case in Thurston County where prosecutors charged three teenagers with Class C felonies for allegedly texting a naked picture of an underage girl. Did I mention the underage girl is the one who originally sent the picture? Sad.

So, what does this all mean? I have no clue but the information is coming in more quickly than I can process it. The whole thing makes me want to grab a copy of Thoreau's, On Walden Pond with a bag of peanut m&m's and hide out in the woods!

Happy 20,009!!

Well, it's officially here, 20,009. Yes, you're reading it correctly, 20,009. At least that's what the woman newscaster on the radio announced from Time's Square tonight . She announced to the world that we are ushering in 20-10 as 20,009 exits through the back door. Really? Hmmm, I'm beginning to wonder if these types of misspeaks are becoming more acceptable and that perhaps proper english, utilizing spell check, and punctuation are indicators of old age and if so, then that is me.

I've been told by my husband that I should try not to draw attention to myself when making comments on blogs, on-line newspaper stories, and Facebook by simply not using the above indicators. Suggested techniques would be randomly caPitalizIng letters, uzing incorect spelingz, and throwing in the occasional abbreviations for frequently used phrases. Yeah, right, LOL! So, I will make my one and only New Year's Resolution for the new year 20,009 right here and now. I resolve to embrace my oldness through the rogue and rather old-fashioned use of correct spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. Although, I reserve the right to occasionally utilize acronyms when I'm busy ROFL. Happy New Year!

My Kind of Teacher

At the website, "The Friendly Atheist", I found a great example of a great teacher, even if he is an athiest...did he mention he's friendly? Hemant Mehta is also a math teacher and this is what he found on one of the tests he was grading this week. The ol' Elephant Excuse. Pretty clever.

So, how does an educator of our youth respond to such a a feeble attempt at avoiding the question? Well, "If you're going to throw a Hail Mary Pachyderm on your final exam, you damn well best get your artwork correct." My admiration for this type of teacher is exponential!

It's Official

Without a doubt, my life has turned a corner. On this day, my oldest child got his driver's license, discussed dating, and turned 16 years old all on the same day. It was only after this had all taken place that I think that the message got through my thick skull. My biological purpose is almost complete and it's in this realization that I've come to understand that my life to a certain degree has become that of a spectator. I am now completely secondary to what is happening around me. It is no longer 'I got my driver's license', 'I got married', or 'I gave birth to a child'. It is now, 'My son got his driver's license', 'My son is in high school', or 'My son has a crush'.

So, I guess as I enter this new stage in my life I will have two choices. Either I can do it gracefully or I can do it kicking and screaming. I've never really been very graceful...

Bad Timing

Obama really needs to consider getting some new advisers. The day after the news about Tiger's affair broke we got the latest edition of Golf Digest with Obama and Tiger on the cover. Uhhh, kinda awkward. In turning to page 76 I read the subheading, 'What President Obama could learn from Tiger Woods-and vice versa.

Here's the run-down:

10 Things Obama Might Learn from Tiger

1.   The Quick Recovery
2.   The Cold Ferocity
3.   How to Step On Their Necks
4.   The Trouble With Compromise
5.   The Value of a Few 'Majors'
6.   Controlling the Message and Spending
7.   The Swing Change
8.   Clothes the Deal
9.   You've Got to Deliver
10. The Danger of Looking Ridiculous

10 Things Tiger Might Learn from Obama

1.   Lighten Up
2.   The Art of Grace
3.   Crush Your Foes, Not Your Fans
4.   Save Some for the Losers
5.   Dial It Back a Little
6.   Less Robot, More Warmth
7.   At Least Look Like You're Having Fun
8.   Sharing a Personal Moment
9.   A Trio of Essential Moves for Tiger (Dance move references)
10. Keep Your Day Job

The way I see it, I think both of these men have issues with the very things the magazine thinks of as their strengths. If you'd like an example just see #10 on Tigers. I think in light of recent events you understand how this is not as true as we'd like to think. Also, #7 on Obama's list is kind of funny when you think about how much fun Tiger was actually having. All in all these two are both suffering in the opinion polls. My advice? They need to both take a look at a different role-model. The one I'd recommend is John Daly. Now, that guy is real.

Buckle Up Buttercup!

I constantly see people driving around with dogs loose on their lap or in their car. I am assuming that they love their pets dearly, so dearly in fact, that they'd risk the animal's life and possibly the life of others in order to enjoy their pet, even while driving. Now, correct me if I'm wrong but there are laws requiring adults to secure not only their children, but themselves as well. Why would this not apply to people's pets? Thirty years ago an elderly neighbor was driving down the road when his little dog got down on the floor and got entwined in his feet. This caused him to slam his foot into the gas peddle and, then in turn, slam into our mailbox. Living in a rural part of town, we had cemented our mailbox deep into the ground so as a result, he really messed up his car. Now, if we or someone else had been walking alongside the road or checking our mail, it would have been a little bit more involved than replacing a mailbox and making a claim on his car insurance. People, it is not cute, it's not even a good idea...secure you're pet. So, even if your dog's name is not Buttercup...buckle up!

Do They Really Need One?

The first cell phones were not necessarily a convenience. They were not readily available to the public let alone children. Times have changed though. Super computers no longer need an entire room to function and cell phones no longer require you to use both hands to dial. Times they are a changing and fast! So, by the mere essence of this post, I am dating myself when I say that I do not understand why teens view cell phones as a right.

A friend of mine has a son who does not have a job, potential prospects for a job, nor any immediate plans to get one but he does have a cell phone. In fact, he has a very nice cell phone. So nice that in a room full of adults it was the fanciest one there. When asked how much his service costs per month, he very matter of fact stated that it was around $76! Okay, lets get this straight, for 12 months this comes to $912. Let's then consider that for a standard 2-year contract this will amount to $1824!! This is more than what my car is worth. Yet, for this teen it is not a luxury but a necessity and somehow he convinced his mother of this? I do admit that there are fewer and fewer payphones around but guess what? For every 10 people you ask, 8 of them are sure to have a cell phone!

The Collective Moan

History was written on Friday, November 20, 2009, when 20, 30, and 40 something women everywhere sighed a collective moan. The room was dark, sitting elbow to elbow, each anxiously anticipating the moment. Then the moment came. In wicked fast motion that seemed to make time stop, Jacob did it. He took off his shirt. He took off his shirt to care for Bella's bleeding forehead. With no thought of himself, he shed his t-shirt with only the intention of caring for her and in doing so he caused (most) women everywhere, regardless of age, to swoon.

I will deny a similar reaction on my part until the day I die. I was simply an observer at that point and took notice. There is something sorta creepy about the whole thing. Yes, Jacob is gorgeous and is an example of perfection in the male species but when you have a son that is the same age of that character... yeah, gross.

I Have To Ask...Yes Ma'am

At the library where I work, I am available at the information desk for most of my shift. Inevitably, people come up asking to use our computer lab. Great, no problem, certainly, BUT I have to ask if you are over 18 years of age. This is simple for the most part and very logical because our internet is not filtered and minors need the permission of their parents before going any further.

As a side note, we do not allow people to look at pornography or anything along those lines since it is a public place, and yes, I have had to ask a gentleman to leave for that reason. When he was asked to leave because of the content he was looking at (pornography involving young girls) he acted like he couldn't understand what the problem was. Did I mention that he is/was a substitute teacher at the local high school? Did I also mention that his privacy is protected by law? I believe it is protected under the 4th Amendment which covers the privacy of personal property and your use of the library is an extension of that.


Now, getting back to the point I was originally going to make. For people under the age of 18, they must have a parent signature before gaining access to our unfiltered internet. So, anytime their age is questionable, we have to ask for ID showing that they are over 18 yrs old.

Well, it is not normally an issue for me to ask people this question but I knew as soon as he spoke that he would be over 18 although he did not look over 18 and the reason for this was the language he used. He was one of those young men who are overly polite with the "Yes, ma'am" this and "Yes, ma'am" that...yep, military kid. The reason I am so uncomfortable with this particular scenario is that I have to ask this person, who has pledged to defend his country and her people, even to the death, if they are old enough to use an unfiltered internet. Do you see the 'wrongness' in this?

Perhaps I am overly sensitive to it right now because my oldest is about to turn 16 years old and I can not imagine putting him in a position where he would be expected to defend life and liberty. The world and its' wars are such a sad thing. When I think of George Bernard Shaw's famous quote, "Youth is wasted on the young." I have to disagree and think what a terrible thing it is that the youth of our young is wasted on the wars of their seniors.

I will also mention that I fully support our troops and pray for their safety but I have to agree with Ernest Hemingway when he said, "They wrote in the old days that it is sweet and fitting to die for one's country. But in modern war, there is nothing sweet nor fitting in your dying. You will die like a dog for no good reason."