Check it out...
http://cityguides.msn.com/citylife/article.aspx?cp-documentid=6274961&page=1
Friday, February 22, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
TrekToday Runs Info On My Upcoming Book...
Here's the link...
http://www.trektoday.com/news/210208_02.shtml
And Trekmovie.com got into the act, too!
http://trekmovie.com/
http://www.trektoday.com/news/210208_02.shtml
And Trekmovie.com got into the act, too!
http://trekmovie.com/
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Ooh-Whee! What a Workout Today!
This morning I located the starting point for the Chambers Bay Walking Path near here. Jackie told me it was a challenging walk for the uninitiated, so I decided to try it out. Glad I did.
The walking path encircles the Chambers Bay Golf Course, which will host a PGA Tour next year or the year after. It's located along Commencement Bay and the terrain is very hilly.
On the way down the first hill (I walked counter-clockwise from the Chambers Bay Restaurant) I thought, "Geez, sure hope the hill [at the other end of this three mile circular course] isn't as steep as this one is!"
I seemed to be descending to the center of the earth for at least a full quarter of a mile. Others, young and speedy, jogged past me, talking. I thought, "If I tried jogging down this hill, my momentum would have me flat on my face -- and skidding -- in no time flat!"
Once at the bottom of the gulch, there was a long span of more-or-less level walking along Commencement Bay. A railroad track between me and the bay kept me entertained as trains passed, nearly every car emblazoned with colorful graffiti.
After about 3/8 of a mile the path started uphill again. At first the ascendancy was slight; it felt good. But not long after there was about a half mile stretch that was Seriously Challenging (probably an 8 or 9% grade). I went up slowly, trying to see if I could make it all the way without stopping. Almost did it. Had to stop once, three quarters of the way up, for about thirty seconds. Well, I didn't HAVE TO, but I wanted to check my pulse to see if I was pushing it beyond what I should to make it up the hills. My heart rate was up around 150-160 beats per minute. (My resting heart rate is around 60 or 65 per minute.) I couldn't remember if that was too high, but I felt it was certainly pushing the limit for my age (57 on March 5th this year), so I stayed put for about 40 seconds, then started out again, slowly.
It felt good and I felt terrific afterward. I even considered going again, but decided that might be overdoing it on the first day, even though I've been very active (walking on level ground and biking) the past three weeks.
This afternoon I did my usual 2.5 mile walk (mostly on flat ground). I plan to go to Chambers Bay again tomorrow and Friday. I'll walk in the morning both times. I need to be at the testing site for the Police Department on Friday by 2, so if I'm back home by noon Friday, I'll have plenty of time to get ready, drive to the Tacoma Dome parking lot and ride the Link Light Rail to the testing site in downtown Tacoma.
I'm on the last half of The Pillars of the Earth, Oprah's last book of the month club selection. It's hard to put down. It's a marathon adventure, for sure. I rarely read non-fiction, but this one is worth the time. And it has taken time. I think it'll cost me 30 hours or more of my life by the time I've closed the back cover! But it will have been worth it.
The walking path encircles the Chambers Bay Golf Course, which will host a PGA Tour next year or the year after. It's located along Commencement Bay and the terrain is very hilly.
On the way down the first hill (I walked counter-clockwise from the Chambers Bay Restaurant) I thought, "Geez, sure hope the hill [at the other end of this three mile circular course] isn't as steep as this one is!"
I seemed to be descending to the center of the earth for at least a full quarter of a mile. Others, young and speedy, jogged past me, talking. I thought, "If I tried jogging down this hill, my momentum would have me flat on my face -- and skidding -- in no time flat!"
Once at the bottom of the gulch, there was a long span of more-or-less level walking along Commencement Bay. A railroad track between me and the bay kept me entertained as trains passed, nearly every car emblazoned with colorful graffiti.
After about 3/8 of a mile the path started uphill again. At first the ascendancy was slight; it felt good. But not long after there was about a half mile stretch that was Seriously Challenging (probably an 8 or 9% grade). I went up slowly, trying to see if I could make it all the way without stopping. Almost did it. Had to stop once, three quarters of the way up, for about thirty seconds. Well, I didn't HAVE TO, but I wanted to check my pulse to see if I was pushing it beyond what I should to make it up the hills. My heart rate was up around 150-160 beats per minute. (My resting heart rate is around 60 or 65 per minute.) I couldn't remember if that was too high, but I felt it was certainly pushing the limit for my age (57 on March 5th this year), so I stayed put for about 40 seconds, then started out again, slowly.
It felt good and I felt terrific afterward. I even considered going again, but decided that might be overdoing it on the first day, even though I've been very active (walking on level ground and biking) the past three weeks.
This afternoon I did my usual 2.5 mile walk (mostly on flat ground). I plan to go to Chambers Bay again tomorrow and Friday. I'll walk in the morning both times. I need to be at the testing site for the Police Department on Friday by 2, so if I'm back home by noon Friday, I'll have plenty of time to get ready, drive to the Tacoma Dome parking lot and ride the Link Light Rail to the testing site in downtown Tacoma.
I'm on the last half of The Pillars of the Earth, Oprah's last book of the month club selection. It's hard to put down. It's a marathon adventure, for sure. I rarely read non-fiction, but this one is worth the time. And it has taken time. I think it'll cost me 30 hours or more of my life by the time I've closed the back cover! But it will have been worth it.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
SciFiReporter Has an Interview With Me Today!
Stuart Blair in Adelaide, Australia conducted an email interview with me recently. It turned out very well and was released today.
To catch the interview, simply email your request (to be added as a subscriber) to the following email address. It's free and a lot of fun to see what's happening Down Under in the Sci Fi world!
scifireporter@yahoo.com
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In other news:
Jackie and I took advantage of the great weather this weekend and rode bikes for 15 miles one day. We walked the next day. Our legs are fine but we have to do something about the saddles of our bikes, for sure!
I have everything memorized for Friday's test with the Police Department (I've applied to become a Communication Officer and Dispatcher) and am waiting with 'bated breath to have it behind me so I can get on to the next step, if next step there be. I had to familiarize myself with "Dispatcher Speak" (Adam, Boy, Charles, David, Edward, Frank, George, Henry.... X-Ray, Young, Zebra, etc) and abbreviations so they won't slow me down during the test.
Bought some plants for the walk-way in front, thinking we'd be having a Broker's Open House today, but the Realtor cancelled until next week. (What we have here is a failure to communicate. Grrrrr....) I hope the plants continue to look as great next week as they do right now!
All for now. I need to get some breakfast under my belt and go get a li'l pencil sharpener. Friday's test requires two sharpened Number 2 pencils and I don't use pencils at all, so the ones I do have haven't been sharpened yet. They will be soon!
Enjoy the interview and please let others know how to access it -- and this blog!
To catch the interview, simply email your request (to be added as a subscriber) to the following email address. It's free and a lot of fun to see what's happening Down Under in the Sci Fi world!
scifireporter@yahoo.com
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
In other news:
Jackie and I took advantage of the great weather this weekend and rode bikes for 15 miles one day. We walked the next day. Our legs are fine but we have to do something about the saddles of our bikes, for sure!
I have everything memorized for Friday's test with the Police Department (I've applied to become a Communication Officer and Dispatcher) and am waiting with 'bated breath to have it behind me so I can get on to the next step, if next step there be. I had to familiarize myself with "Dispatcher Speak" (Adam, Boy, Charles, David, Edward, Frank, George, Henry.... X-Ray, Young, Zebra, etc) and abbreviations so they won't slow me down during the test.
Bought some plants for the walk-way in front, thinking we'd be having a Broker's Open House today, but the Realtor cancelled until next week. (What we have here is a failure to communicate. Grrrrr....) I hope the plants continue to look as great next week as they do right now!
All for now. I need to get some breakfast under my belt and go get a li'l pencil sharpener. Friday's test requires two sharpened Number 2 pencils and I don't use pencils at all, so the ones I do have haven't been sharpened yet. They will be soon!
Enjoy the interview and please let others know how to access it -- and this blog!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
This, From Jaycee of Ventura County...
I’ve been wondering why so many people want to cling so tightly to this notion that Barack is all talk and no specifics, even though there is clearly little difference between the two candidates on policy proposals. It’s campaign spin, obviously, but it really seems to resonate with the uninformed for some reason.
It occurs to me that maybe people are just listening to snippets of their stump speeches, and they hear Hillary deliver her laundry list of proposals while Barack talks more in broad themes and soaring rhetoric. That’s just style, people; let’s not mistake style on the stump for a lack of substance. I suppose it’s just a question of taste, but when I listen to a stump speech I want to be inspired. I want to hear in broad terms where the candidate intends to lead us. If I want policy specifics I read books or policy papers.
The most that Hillary or Barack can say at this point anyway is what they want to do if elected. What they are actually able to do in office depends entirely on their ability to rally public support and play well with others. We aren’t choosing a dictator or CEO here. You can’t simply get elected and implement your wondrous plan. You have to convince a sizeable majority of legislators that it’s in their interest to work with you.
How many Republican legislators are going to think that it’s in their political interest to help Hillary Clinton score a major political triumph like a government mandated health care system? I can say with confidence that the number will be pretty close to zero. Their jobs depend on voters whose knees jerk in unison at the mere mention of Bill or Hillary Clinton. Government mandates aren’t wildly popular with this crowd either. What good is a plan that stays on paper?
Barack doesn’t start out with thirty five years worth of bad blood and a bunker mentality. He respects those he disagrees with and they know it.
We need to decide here what it is we really want.
Are we only interested in chalking one up for our side or are we serious about getting things done for the American people? With little to distinguish between them on policy proposals; the important question is not which candidate has more experience or the better plan. The real question is which candidate can best rally public support and enlist the cooperation of traditional political enemies to address the challenges faced by the American people?
I think the answer to that question is pretty obvious.
From FirstRead http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/02/14/664089.aspx
Superdelegate Dilemma and the Democratic Party
I have just one comment to make to the superdelegates: If you steal the election for Hillary Clinton, when the mood of the country is so obviously for Barack Obama to become the Democratic nominee, you will be stealing the election as surely as Bush did in 2000 and 2008. If you want Democrats to vote, for sure, for the Democratic nominee, you'd best follow the will of the people.
I would be saying this same thing if I favored Clinton and the situation were reversed.
For once let's have a real contest (not a bartered and battered one) and get the person most of us apparently want as the nominee...
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Frankly, I imagine that even the superdelegates are being swayed by the candidacy of Barack Obama, so the above may be a moot point. This is a historic event, no matter which way it works out for the Democratic Party. I just know that, while Hillary can break through the "glass ceiling" for women in this country, Barack can break through it for ALL people -- and that, to me, should happen sooner than breaking through it for one sector of the population. It's time for America to live by its stated fundamental values and ideals. It has been a long, long time coming...
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Response From Alison Winter -- (Senorita Invierno)
Received this lovely email from Alison in the U.K. Her perspective on the U.S. system is worth the read. Many other Brits and a few Aussies, Germans and Japanese have told me they're for Obama, too. So I know the world is watching...
Just a note to say sorry to hear about Poppy. Very sad. I just remember the photo of her in that tree from your book!
Well done for your activism as far as Obama is concerned. The rest of the world is hoping for a Democrat - mostly because we take a beating when the Republicans are in! I have to say I warm much more to Obama than Hillary, but the idea of John McCain makes my blood boil.
The only reason I can understand what is going on is because, like so many Brits, I've watched The West Wing. As fictional as it is, it helps to educate us on the U.S. political system which is vastly different to ours. It looks like a bit of a game show, to be honest! However, if Martin Sheen was president the world would be far more peaceful!
If America is to re-capture it's name built on freedom, diversity and opportunity, then Obama is the obvious choice. I get quite angry with the 'women vote' or the 'black vote' idea - really, if people vote based on such irrelevant detail then they should have their vote revoked!!!! [Emphasis Kris's.]
So much more interesting than British politics. Our parties are the same (our main two, Conservative, who don't care about poor people and any problems in the world, and Labour, who say they do but are actually also conservative when no-one's looking. Privately educated white boys agreeing with everyone else!) The third party - the Liberal Democrats - do care about green issues and are much more open to international relations. I am a member of that party, though they are a minority party. They opposed the war in Iraq, for a start!
Hope springs eternal....
I'll leave you with a hug. Keep up the good work. Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words..... etc xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Don't forget to keep up with Alison's doings and ponderings at
http://senoritainvierno.blogspot.com/
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Washington State Caucus -- What a Circus!
I just returned from caucasing for Barack Obama in my precinct. I was a Precinct Captain --more or less by default; only one of the participants had ever caucased before; I hadn't either. That sweet gal became my mathematician, because I'm an utter failure when it comes to convoluted mathematical formulas.
44 people showed up in our precinct -- by far a record -- and we caucased and garnered 11 delegates for Obama and 3 for Clinton. It was quite a coup, because at first three folks signed in as undecided/uncommitted and one signed in as a Kucinich supporter.
A Clinton supporter was invited to speak first. She said a few words -- very few, perhaps fifteen seconds' worth. I asked for more speakers on her behalf, but no one else came forward (of the eleven who had signed in as supporting her). Then I asked for Obama supporters to speak. When no one stepped forward, I gave about a minute and a half spiel about why I feel he's what the country needs right now and how I felt he was more than an equal match for McCain. I also said that while a Clinton candidacy would break through the glass window for women once and for all, an Obama candidacy would break though every kind of ceiling for everyone whose futures are presently conscripted, not just women.
The three undecided and the Kucinich supporters switched to Obama on the second go-'round, and even one of the Clinton supporters switched her vote to Obama. So all movement at our table on the second and final vote was toward Obama.
It was the same at every other table in the place, apparently -- and well over 4,000 people showed up to caucas. As I turned in my paperwork at the end of the event, the man overseeing the entire event was saying, "Based on what I'm seeing, Obama swept this place today."
Obama is going to sweep more than our caucus location. I believe he's going to go all the way, as he should.
He's the man for these times. People want to feel hopeful again and to know their futures aren't going to remain stagnant under "same-ol' same'ol'" political machinations.
Listen to what people are saying around you. The hope and excitement over this year's Presidential race is palpable.
For good reason!
Friday, February 8, 2008
WOW! What a Turnout in Seattle for Obama!
I drove to Seattle this morning to see Barack Obama in person at Key Arena. The place holds 17,000 people comfortably and 20,000 uncomfortably -- and every nook and cranny was packed beyond capacity. But there still wasn't enough room: 3,000 more people stood outside Key Arena in windy cold and drizzle, but stay they did, for every word, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
The doors opened at 11 but Obama didn't speak until 1:10 or so. At about 12:15 other officials began to file in and take up the microphone to say a few words. A local musician went on and on interminably about a new song he had written for Obama, and then showed a music video of a choir singing it that went on and on and on. We could have done with much less intro and the music video alone... but that was the only missed beat in the event.
Just before Obama came onto the platform, Congressman Adam Smith, one of the first people to start the ball rolling in Washington State for Obama's campaign, was introduced and warmly welcomed by the crowd. He then introduced Mayor Nickels who said a few words.
The big surprise came next. Out came Governor Christine Gregoire, who surprised and pleased the whole place by announcing,then and there for the first time, her support for Obama. Democratic Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell had earlier in the month announced their support for Senator Clinton, so we all were wondering if the Governor would follow suit, but she tickled everyone in attendance with this energetic, skillful and joyous announcement.
When Obama came on, the place roared, stomped, yelled, screamed and chanted, "Obama! Obama! Obama!" and when he said we, as a nation, can reclaim our soul (I'm paraphrasing the content of his messsage), the crowd chanted, "Yes, We Can!" echoing an earlier speech he made that has morphed into a campaign song that's running wild in cyberspace. (It's also available on his website at http://www.barackobama.com/.)
He spoke for about 45 minutes. He had the people in the palm of his hand. I was near tears before he came on as I looked around at the rainbow of colors, creeds, nationalities, and both genders of all ages-- all gathered and with such hope and enthusiasm in their eyes and stances.
I can't even imagine a better way to move forward than with Barack Obama. He has captured our imaginations and has transformed a ho-hum sense of inevitable sameness within the political system into an electric, energetic, hope-filled movement.
He has a very large percentage of the world thinking "Yes, We Can!" again.
And yes -- we can -- with leadership like his!
The doors opened at 11 but Obama didn't speak until 1:10 or so. At about 12:15 other officials began to file in and take up the microphone to say a few words. A local musician went on and on interminably about a new song he had written for Obama, and then showed a music video of a choir singing it that went on and on and on. We could have done with much less intro and the music video alone... but that was the only missed beat in the event.
Just before Obama came onto the platform, Congressman Adam Smith, one of the first people to start the ball rolling in Washington State for Obama's campaign, was introduced and warmly welcomed by the crowd. He then introduced Mayor Nickels who said a few words.
The big surprise came next. Out came Governor Christine Gregoire, who surprised and pleased the whole place by announcing,then and there for the first time, her support for Obama. Democratic Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell had earlier in the month announced their support for Senator Clinton, so we all were wondering if the Governor would follow suit, but she tickled everyone in attendance with this energetic, skillful and joyous announcement.
When Obama came on, the place roared, stomped, yelled, screamed and chanted, "Obama! Obama! Obama!" and when he said we, as a nation, can reclaim our soul (I'm paraphrasing the content of his messsage), the crowd chanted, "Yes, We Can!" echoing an earlier speech he made that has morphed into a campaign song that's running wild in cyberspace. (It's also available on his website at http://www.barackobama.com/.)
He spoke for about 45 minutes. He had the people in the palm of his hand. I was near tears before he came on as I looked around at the rainbow of colors, creeds, nationalities, and both genders of all ages-- all gathered and with such hope and enthusiasm in their eyes and stances.
I can't even imagine a better way to move forward than with Barack Obama. He has captured our imaginations and has transformed a ho-hum sense of inevitable sameness within the political system into an electric, energetic, hope-filled movement.
He has a very large percentage of the world thinking "Yes, We Can!" again.
And yes -- we can -- with leadership like his!
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Poppy and Deaken -- Together Again Across Rainbow Bridge
Sad but inevitable news: I had Poppy, my black-and-white cat, put to sleep this morning. She would have been 17 in April but developed internal tumors over the course of the past several months and started to hurt and yowl, so it was time. This is every pet owner's most difficult decision: When it's time to release a pet from its suffering, it is so very hard to do...
But I take comfort in knowing that she is with her "papa Deaken" again, the serval "dad" she missed so much after he was put down 12 years ago at age 17 1/4. (You can read about Deaken and Poppy's relationship in my book about DeForest Kelley; expect to laugh and cry!) To see the two of them together -- an African serval cat and a domestic short hair a fourth his size -- playing and cavorting together was something I will never forget.
I know they're together again, just across Rainbow Bridge, where Deaken has four legs and Poppy has her health and vitality back. I expect to see them when I get to heaven. If there are no animals in heaven, it won't be heaven to those of us who have an affinity for all of God's creations.
But I take comfort in knowing that she is with her "papa Deaken" again, the serval "dad" she missed so much after he was put down 12 years ago at age 17 1/4. (You can read about Deaken and Poppy's relationship in my book about DeForest Kelley; expect to laugh and cry!) To see the two of them together -- an African serval cat and a domestic short hair a fourth his size -- playing and cavorting together was something I will never forget.
I know they're together again, just across Rainbow Bridge, where Deaken has four legs and Poppy has her health and vitality back. I expect to see them when I get to heaven. If there are no animals in heaven, it won't be heaven to those of us who have an affinity for all of God's creations.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Hey! I'm Working For Barack! (As a Volunteer)
Starting tonight from 5 pm to 9 pm I will be helping "man"the phone banks here in Tacoma for Barack Obama!
I applied to help at his website (http://www.barackobama.com/) and received a call this morning from a lady named Stephanie who asked if I have time to volunteer evenings until the Washington State caucus comes around on February 9th. I'd be happy to do that! I can imagine nothing better to be doing in the evenings, and I'm good on the phone. The call center is just four miles away, so it'll be a breeze to get there and help out. Wish my Obama t-shirt would get here so I could wear it to "work"! Maybe they have one there I can get...
I'll take a resume and letters of recommendation along to the Obama station in case there are people looking for a good employee during the day. It would be so great to work with people who share my enthusiasm for Obama, and perhaps even to work in the political arena in some capacity.
What's amusing and exciting is the way even the Kennedy family has been split by the Democratic prospects: Maria Shriver (Governor Arnold's wife), Ethel Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy, and Senator Kennedy have all come out for Barack while I believe all of RFK's kids have come out for Clinton. They must have some interesting discussions around their dinner tables -- as we all should! Good people with good intentions often have differing opinions on who should be the party's nominee. That's healthy as long as we keep it civilized and safe!
This will be a record-turnout year for voting, I believe. People are energized and invested in the outcome in a huge way. It's exciting! I hope all of you who live in the U.S. will get involved in the process in your spare time. I mean in an active way -- helping to get out the vote, encouraging people not to sit on the sidelines. Even if you're a Republican or an Independent or a Greenie or a Whatever, I want to see you out there having your say. That's what makes America great. When we all get involved, we get truly representative government. When we sit on the sidelines, we "deserve" what we get -- and it's usually pretty dismal. BUT NOT THIS YEAR! IN 2008 someone new will be elected President! Who do you think can best energize and redeem our nation in the eyes of the world? If you keep it civil, I'll be happy to publish your opinions here in my blog! Have your say but remember -- one of these candidates will be our next President and I want deference and respect shown within your comments. Civility is the premier sign of civilization. I'm sick of the Circus Maximus, kill or be killed, ambiance that too many "commentators" are using to make their case. It doesn't serve America well...
Let's resurrect Bobby Kennedy's goal: "Some men see things as they are and say, Why?' I dream things that never were and say, 'Why not?'"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6xyhBMMFlY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Bo-LShvZXY&feature=related
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I walked this morning for 45 minutes (fast!) and my Realtor will be by at 3:00 or 3:30 so I can sign papers to lower the price on my condo by $5K. We need to get it sold by March 22nd if we're going to get the house Jackie and I found that we love so much. Please keep me in your prayers for that...
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Happy Birthday, Jackie! And More...
Today is Jackie's birthday. (Jackie is my younger sister, for those of you new to this blog.) She and I had to celebrate it yesterday because she's on her way to a memorial service in Oregon this morning and may not be back until tomorrow sometime. We went to Red Lobster for lunch and had a good time. Then I went to her house and bathed her two wee dogs for her and washed their bedding, to take that task off her plate for the weekend. She said that was the best present of all!
It's cold outside but Pierce County has largely escaped all the snowing and blowing that has been in the news lately. Snoqualmie Pass across the Cascade mountain range has received national attention for its record snowfall over the past six days. It has been closed to through traffic since Tuesday except for six hours, when yet another avalanche put the kibosh on any more travel.
I used to live just on the other side of Snoqualmie Pass. in Cle Elum (klee-ell-um), Washington. Rarely does it need to be shut down. It's a major artery so many of our food supplies come across it. Even the alternate routes across the Cascades were blocked by heavy snows and avalanche danger much of the week, so if vehicles needed to get across, they had to go south and travel along the Columbia River (between Washington and Oregon) to do it. The problem with that was that at 60 cents per mile in gas for the big rigs, it was a route too far and would have caused carriers to lose money instead of making it, so most drivers elected to sit tight and wait for the highways to become passable again... No one could tell, from hour to hour, whether or if the roads would be safe again, so it had to be really frustrating for drivers.
Here in the Tacoma area it's cold and occasionally a little wet, but I've been able to walk outside the past two days. The exercise is keeping me from going stir-crazy while I apply for jobs left and right. That's a good thing!
Jackie promises to be back in town by the time Super Bowl starts. She is the official "game house" for Super Bowl every year. Wendy is taking on the responsibility of gathering the party goods, since Jackie isn't here to do it.
I always go over for Super Bowl Sunday but never watch the game. We gals gather in another room (unless the Seahawks are playing) to talk or do crafts or play with the kidlets. The men are glued to the TV set watching every play and nuance as though the fate of the world rested on what happens there. It always cracks me up -- more than a little. I would run in and say, "Hello! It's just a game!" but fear assassination..
I wish people were as focused on the upcoming election of a new President -- it has far greater consequences -- but that isn't exactly a "team sport" unless the house is filled with like-minded people, and believe me, Jackie's isn't. We're all over the map as far as who should lead us for the next four to eight years, so we steer clear of that topic for the most part (except that I got Jackie an Obama-based birthday card yesterday -- she scowled and then laughed).
It's sad to realize that the issues that most affect us -- our religion and politics -- are two topics most people don't bring up in "polite company." One reason I'm not crazy about one-on-one conversation is that it's nearly always excruciatingly (to me) superficial; no one wants to carefully or seriously discuss (meaning listening carefully as well as talking convincingly) the issues and the feelings we have about candidates, God or anything else that's of such a personal nature. We're fearful of causing someone else to become self-conscious or self-righteous or in any way seriously impassioned, so we don't discuss much at all! That has always bothered me. I remember nights as a teenager when we ONLY discussed the most important things in life as we lay on sleeping bags gazing up at the trillion and one stars in the sky. No one castigated anyone else for believing anything, whatever it was. It was all on the table... we could wonder and compel others to wonder "What if ---" right along with us.
I am compelled right now to wonder what our nation would be like with another President Clinton, with a President Obama, with a President McCain.
My heart utterly sings when I think of Obama as President. The notion makes me feel completely peaceful, as though I'll be able to take a complete breath and feel good about government and getting involved again.
My heart is not as happy (although it's content) contemplating a President Clinton -- not because I don't think she'll do a good job, but because she comes with so much baggage that half of the nation despises her -- quite unfairly, in my opinion. The spin meisters have spun such a web of gossip and innuendo about her that her actual shape and intentions are completely obliterated. That's shameful. It's barbaric. And frankly, it stinks!
But my heart almost stops considering a President McCain. He's thoughtful, caring, and fully capable of presiding over this nation -- as are the other front-runners on both sides. I just sense that he's not on the same page as the rest of the country and that he's dedicated to seeing to it that we "win at all costs" in Iraq. I don't think we'll head in the direction we should, as fast as we should, if McCain wins this election. He's a military man in an increasingly military world. I'm glad he's on our side, but I'm not sure we can afford more militarism at a time when it's so easy to steal, buy, sell and dispense weapons of mass destruction on all sides. I know we need a strong military -- perhaps now more than ever -- but other methods need to take to the forefront if we're ever going to get other nations to stop rattling sabers and hating us. We're viewed (I think incorrectly) as imperialists even by our own allies! America needs to do as much listening as we do talking (and dictating) to others.
I'm just not sure McCain is the man for the hour we're now in. I honor him as a human being and as a war hero. I like him. We need him in this struggle. He provides balance and wisdom and substance. But the perceived "imbalance of imperialism" at the moment can, in my view, only be off-set by someone with fewer ties to the old regime, to the earlier thought processes that brought us to where we are now: as a nation under a cloud of suspicion across the globe. Much of the suspicion, I hope and pray, will clear when Bush goes, but it will still take some doing to remove the tarnish from our nation's honor. We're a good country, one that shows people that living together despite differences is not just a dream, but a quantifiable reality.
I think we need a peacemaker, a diplomat, someone who will get America back on track with our original purpose and direction.
I think Barack Obama is that man.
It's cold outside but Pierce County has largely escaped all the snowing and blowing that has been in the news lately. Snoqualmie Pass across the Cascade mountain range has received national attention for its record snowfall over the past six days. It has been closed to through traffic since Tuesday except for six hours, when yet another avalanche put the kibosh on any more travel.
I used to live just on the other side of Snoqualmie Pass. in Cle Elum (klee-ell-um), Washington. Rarely does it need to be shut down. It's a major artery so many of our food supplies come across it. Even the alternate routes across the Cascades were blocked by heavy snows and avalanche danger much of the week, so if vehicles needed to get across, they had to go south and travel along the Columbia River (between Washington and Oregon) to do it. The problem with that was that at 60 cents per mile in gas for the big rigs, it was a route too far and would have caused carriers to lose money instead of making it, so most drivers elected to sit tight and wait for the highways to become passable again... No one could tell, from hour to hour, whether or if the roads would be safe again, so it had to be really frustrating for drivers.
Here in the Tacoma area it's cold and occasionally a little wet, but I've been able to walk outside the past two days. The exercise is keeping me from going stir-crazy while I apply for jobs left and right. That's a good thing!
Jackie promises to be back in town by the time Super Bowl starts. She is the official "game house" for Super Bowl every year. Wendy is taking on the responsibility of gathering the party goods, since Jackie isn't here to do it.
I always go over for Super Bowl Sunday but never watch the game. We gals gather in another room (unless the Seahawks are playing) to talk or do crafts or play with the kidlets. The men are glued to the TV set watching every play and nuance as though the fate of the world rested on what happens there. It always cracks me up -- more than a little. I would run in and say, "Hello! It's just a game!" but fear assassination..
I wish people were as focused on the upcoming election of a new President -- it has far greater consequences -- but that isn't exactly a "team sport" unless the house is filled with like-minded people, and believe me, Jackie's isn't. We're all over the map as far as who should lead us for the next four to eight years, so we steer clear of that topic for the most part (except that I got Jackie an Obama-based birthday card yesterday -- she scowled and then laughed).
It's sad to realize that the issues that most affect us -- our religion and politics -- are two topics most people don't bring up in "polite company." One reason I'm not crazy about one-on-one conversation is that it's nearly always excruciatingly (to me) superficial; no one wants to carefully or seriously discuss (meaning listening carefully as well as talking convincingly) the issues and the feelings we have about candidates, God or anything else that's of such a personal nature. We're fearful of causing someone else to become self-conscious or self-righteous or in any way seriously impassioned, so we don't discuss much at all! That has always bothered me. I remember nights as a teenager when we ONLY discussed the most important things in life as we lay on sleeping bags gazing up at the trillion and one stars in the sky. No one castigated anyone else for believing anything, whatever it was. It was all on the table... we could wonder and compel others to wonder "What if ---" right along with us.
I am compelled right now to wonder what our nation would be like with another President Clinton, with a President Obama, with a President McCain.
My heart utterly sings when I think of Obama as President. The notion makes me feel completely peaceful, as though I'll be able to take a complete breath and feel good about government and getting involved again.
My heart is not as happy (although it's content) contemplating a President Clinton -- not because I don't think she'll do a good job, but because she comes with so much baggage that half of the nation despises her -- quite unfairly, in my opinion. The spin meisters have spun such a web of gossip and innuendo about her that her actual shape and intentions are completely obliterated. That's shameful. It's barbaric. And frankly, it stinks!
But my heart almost stops considering a President McCain. He's thoughtful, caring, and fully capable of presiding over this nation -- as are the other front-runners on both sides. I just sense that he's not on the same page as the rest of the country and that he's dedicated to seeing to it that we "win at all costs" in Iraq. I don't think we'll head in the direction we should, as fast as we should, if McCain wins this election. He's a military man in an increasingly military world. I'm glad he's on our side, but I'm not sure we can afford more militarism at a time when it's so easy to steal, buy, sell and dispense weapons of mass destruction on all sides. I know we need a strong military -- perhaps now more than ever -- but other methods need to take to the forefront if we're ever going to get other nations to stop rattling sabers and hating us. We're viewed (I think incorrectly) as imperialists even by our own allies! America needs to do as much listening as we do talking (and dictating) to others.
I'm just not sure McCain is the man for the hour we're now in. I honor him as a human being and as a war hero. I like him. We need him in this struggle. He provides balance and wisdom and substance. But the perceived "imbalance of imperialism" at the moment can, in my view, only be off-set by someone with fewer ties to the old regime, to the earlier thought processes that brought us to where we are now: as a nation under a cloud of suspicion across the globe. Much of the suspicion, I hope and pray, will clear when Bush goes, but it will still take some doing to remove the tarnish from our nation's honor. We're a good country, one that shows people that living together despite differences is not just a dream, but a quantifiable reality.
I think we need a peacemaker, a diplomat, someone who will get America back on track with our original purpose and direction.
I think Barack Obama is that man.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Early A.M. Ramblings....
Drove to the gymnasium for Casey's game at 5:45 p.m., but there were two strange teams on the court warming up for the 6 p.m. game -- with Casey's gang nowhere in sight, so came home again. Don't know what happened; the schedule must have changed this week. Didn't want to wait around an hour to see if she was in the 7pm time spot...
Tonight at 7 I will be trying out to see if I can become a contestant on Jeopardy (unless I forget to logon and try out at the proper time)! There's an on-line test to take at that time for folks living on the west coast. I really enjoy Jeopardy and can usually do a pretty good job playing it. Some categories are beyond me by miles -- I'm not much into popular culture the past thirty years or the sciences, but even with those, many of the clue-driven answers are often so obvious that I can guess the correct questions based on those alone. It's worth a shot. I'd also be a good Wheel of Fortune contestant -- and maybe even a pretty decent ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A FIFTH GRADER contestant... but that's dicier!
I have submitted my resume for a couple of freelance copywriting gigs in the area and am waiting to see if I get either or both of them. Just read another book on starting and running a copywriting business. It doesn't look like rocket science and I'd enjoy 95% of it (that's a very high percentage). It's just scary to think about doing! I would love it, though -- being my own boss, working from home... I'm disciplined enough to do that, and there are no distractions here. I bet I could do it. I just need to develop a client list, so have registered at Elance and Guru.com and at other freelance websites hoping to get a few gigs and some buzz about my abilities from new clients. If you hear of anyone needing web content or brochures, flyers, newsletters, or other copy-heavy projects, please keep me in mind. I'd be happy to quote a price after I hear the scope of the work...
I went to bed at 9 and slept like a log 'til about midnight or a little after.. awoke in prayer! I really did! I came awake praying for a number of concerns and people... That has happened a couple of times before. They weren't frantic or anxiety-driven prayers at all.... they were mostly thanksgiving and affection-based prayers for friends or family members going through an uphill struggle on some level. I'll menton a few of them so you can join me in prayer:
My sister Jackie lost one of her long-time friends this week: Bruce Lindoff, who she went to school with. Bill, Bruce's twin, was actually closer to Jackie, but Jackie always told me what a treasure both Lindoffs were to her when she was in school. So my heart and prayers went out to Jackie and to the Lindoff family. Bruce was in Hawaii having the time of his life with his wife -- snorkeling, playing golf -- when he just sat down in a chair (after snorkeling) and was gone. Even though sad, Jackie said, "What a way to go -- in Hawaii, in the midst of doing everything he loved -- and without a struggle." We should all be that fortunate when it's our turn to go -- but not at age 53! That's just too sad. Bruce and his wife have a son and a teenage daughter. Please keep the Lindoff family in your prayers.
I also prayed for my own situation, asking God to keep me strong and positive and to not allow Satan to mess with my feelings of self-worth during this period of unemployment. I also asked that He would keep me focused on attaining the kind of work He placed me here to do, using my pen (er, keyboard these days!) to persuade, encourage, guide and entertain people. My best suit and greatest passion has always been the written word. There's a place in this world for people like me, or God wouldn't have given us the drive to keep at this day-by-day since childhood the way He has...
What else? Wish there were more. I'd like to keep writing, but don't want to bore you, so will hush now until something else crosses my mind that seems worth sharing.
The one-year anniversary of the launch of this blog is right around the corner (February 23rd). Time sure flies when we're having fun! I hope these effforts are keeping you entertained and informed . Sure would love to hear your appraisal of how I'm doing "so far" and what else I can do to make our time together here even better! Let me know. That's how I grow!
Tonight at 7 I will be trying out to see if I can become a contestant on Jeopardy (unless I forget to logon and try out at the proper time)! There's an on-line test to take at that time for folks living on the west coast. I really enjoy Jeopardy and can usually do a pretty good job playing it. Some categories are beyond me by miles -- I'm not much into popular culture the past thirty years or the sciences, but even with those, many of the clue-driven answers are often so obvious that I can guess the correct questions based on those alone. It's worth a shot. I'd also be a good Wheel of Fortune contestant -- and maybe even a pretty decent ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A FIFTH GRADER contestant... but that's dicier!
I have submitted my resume for a couple of freelance copywriting gigs in the area and am waiting to see if I get either or both of them. Just read another book on starting and running a copywriting business. It doesn't look like rocket science and I'd enjoy 95% of it (that's a very high percentage). It's just scary to think about doing! I would love it, though -- being my own boss, working from home... I'm disciplined enough to do that, and there are no distractions here. I bet I could do it. I just need to develop a client list, so have registered at Elance and Guru.com and at other freelance websites hoping to get a few gigs and some buzz about my abilities from new clients. If you hear of anyone needing web content or brochures, flyers, newsletters, or other copy-heavy projects, please keep me in mind. I'd be happy to quote a price after I hear the scope of the work...
I went to bed at 9 and slept like a log 'til about midnight or a little after.. awoke in prayer! I really did! I came awake praying for a number of concerns and people... That has happened a couple of times before. They weren't frantic or anxiety-driven prayers at all.... they were mostly thanksgiving and affection-based prayers for friends or family members going through an uphill struggle on some level. I'll menton a few of them so you can join me in prayer:
My sister Jackie lost one of her long-time friends this week: Bruce Lindoff, who she went to school with. Bill, Bruce's twin, was actually closer to Jackie, but Jackie always told me what a treasure both Lindoffs were to her when she was in school. So my heart and prayers went out to Jackie and to the Lindoff family. Bruce was in Hawaii having the time of his life with his wife -- snorkeling, playing golf -- when he just sat down in a chair (after snorkeling) and was gone. Even though sad, Jackie said, "What a way to go -- in Hawaii, in the midst of doing everything he loved -- and without a struggle." We should all be that fortunate when it's our turn to go -- but not at age 53! That's just too sad. Bruce and his wife have a son and a teenage daughter. Please keep the Lindoff family in your prayers.
I also prayed for my own situation, asking God to keep me strong and positive and to not allow Satan to mess with my feelings of self-worth during this period of unemployment. I also asked that He would keep me focused on attaining the kind of work He placed me here to do, using my pen (er, keyboard these days!) to persuade, encourage, guide and entertain people. My best suit and greatest passion has always been the written word. There's a place in this world for people like me, or God wouldn't have given us the drive to keep at this day-by-day since childhood the way He has...
What else? Wish there were more. I'd like to keep writing, but don't want to bore you, so will hush now until something else crosses my mind that seems worth sharing.
The one-year anniversary of the launch of this blog is right around the corner (February 23rd). Time sure flies when we're having fun! I hope these effforts are keeping you entertained and informed . Sure would love to hear your appraisal of how I'm doing "so far" and what else I can do to make our time together here even better! Let me know. That's how I grow!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Veddy Interesting!!!
It's week three of my unemployment adventure. I've lost six pounds by exercising a lot, and have rested and have applied for upwards of thirty jobs that are listed in this area (or are for telecommuters). Nothing yet, but have a few bites and some interest.
The race for the presidency is becoming veddy interesting. Of course you already know I'm for Obama, and was happy to see so many Kennedys come out for him. That was a relief for me; I was worrying that perhaps I was "wishful thinking" that Obama was a worthy heir to the legacy that was cut short by assassination (twice) over forty years ago, but after hearing Caroline Kennedy say she wanted a President who would inspire her own children, and that Obama is her choice for the next President, that felt good. I was also glad to see Senator Kennedy endorse him, but more wary than with Caroline. Senator Ted brings baggage and a lot of anti-Kennedy sentiment with him, and the last thing I want to see happen is a rift/chasm develop again between people of differing opinions. I want our next President to bring people together and create the kind of America that knows we're all interlinked, that when one American suffers unjustly, we all are diminished by that suffering. I think Barack (Barak means "bless" in Hebrew -- interesting, huh?) Obama is just the man for such a time as this. Senator Clinton, bless her heart, brings too much vitriol and animosity into the mix, and her husband is being crass and clueless as far as what he has been saying to try and turn the tide back to Hillary. I wonder if his heart bypass has affected his reasoning abilities. (Not an uncommon side effect of heart surgery.) I still think Bill Clinton's presidency (notwithstanding Monica) was one of the best and most representative of all of them, but the winds of change and the urgent desire among Americans for a new kind of hope are just palpable. I haven't sensed this kind of anticipation since RFK's candidacy. I'm totally jazzed.
I like McCain but see in him a continuation of policies engendered by the current President...and frankly I don't see much worth continuing from the Bush administration. I especially wonder what McCain would do about Iraq. Warriors are warriors, and it's hard to get them to consider options that don't require weapons. To a hammer, everything else is seen as a nail, something to be pounded.
Think about the Cuban Missile Crisis and how President Kennedy's military advisers were itching to engage Khruschev, which could have touched off a nuclear war. I think we're best de-escalating provocative actions. We have made our point -- that attacks on America will not be answered with a whimper, but with muscle: military, financial, ideological and practical. With boycotts, financial seizures, embargoes, measures and other methods of retaliation. But when we respond "in kind" to insane acts, the hatred burns that much hotter and the gulf separating ideologies just gets wider. Fight fire with fire and eventually both houses will burn down -- and all sense of proportion and justice will go right out the window...
On other subjects...
I went to Wal-Mart this morning and saw a slew of new STAR TREK (original generation!) greetings cards and some wonderful wacky, wild, very funny political greeting cards. Jackie has a birthday coming up (Groundhog Day) as does Margot Worthington (Feb 12th), so of course I had to get cards for them. Jackie is a Republican to the core, so I got her an Obama-based birthday card that will crack her up! (We agree to disagree on politics; we're both peaceable about allowing others to make their own decisions on who should be President). Margot is an original generation fan, so I got her a card with Spock on it, only because it was perfect!
I have registered to help the Obama campaign in Washington until the caucus late in the second week of February; haven't heard back yet, but just registered last night, so it would be pretty freaky to hear back this soon. But time's a 'wastin' and I have the time, so I hope someone calls me soon and gives me some marching orders!
My car might have a transmission problem, so I may have to get a new (or used) one very soon. I'll probably get a Kia Rio. They get 41 mpg and only cost $8K new and have a good warranty and good reviews. I'll decide on that when I get my next work... sooner if the Saturn craps out!
(Nice Saturn.... sweet Saturn.. I need you right now... please hang in there until I have a job again!) I have the money in savings -- I just don't want to use it, in case I need it, before I get a job.
Tonight is another basketball game for Casey's team, so I'll be there at six.
I jumped on a mini-trampoline for 35 minutes yesterday while watching Oprah (after spending 35 minutes earlier in the day walking "with" Leslie Sansone on her DVD) and did a number on my left hip; it's aching in a tiny spot this morning, so I'm foregoing exercise today to allow it to recover....
What else?
Oh! Billie Rae Walker just interviewed me again (for an update on my new De book) for a STAR TREK newsletter. If it's accepted, and she gives me permission, I'll include a link to the newsletter when I get it.
Stay tuned! If you can't wait that long, you can always access our FIRST-ever interview at STARTREK.COM. Here's the URL to take you directly to the interview:
http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/features/specials/article/30875.html
And here's a link to a Treks in Sci Fi podcast I did with Rico Dostie at about the same time during STAR TREK's 40TH anniversary:
http://www.treksf.com/podcast/Treksf.com_79_Real_McCoy.mp3
Hey, Rico, it's about time for a follow-up podcast interview, isn't it?
The race for the presidency is becoming veddy interesting. Of course you already know I'm for Obama, and was happy to see so many Kennedys come out for him. That was a relief for me; I was worrying that perhaps I was "wishful thinking" that Obama was a worthy heir to the legacy that was cut short by assassination (twice) over forty years ago, but after hearing Caroline Kennedy say she wanted a President who would inspire her own children, and that Obama is her choice for the next President, that felt good. I was also glad to see Senator Kennedy endorse him, but more wary than with Caroline. Senator Ted brings baggage and a lot of anti-Kennedy sentiment with him, and the last thing I want to see happen is a rift/chasm develop again between people of differing opinions. I want our next President to bring people together and create the kind of America that knows we're all interlinked, that when one American suffers unjustly, we all are diminished by that suffering. I think Barack (Barak means "bless" in Hebrew -- interesting, huh?) Obama is just the man for such a time as this. Senator Clinton, bless her heart, brings too much vitriol and animosity into the mix, and her husband is being crass and clueless as far as what he has been saying to try and turn the tide back to Hillary. I wonder if his heart bypass has affected his reasoning abilities. (Not an uncommon side effect of heart surgery.) I still think Bill Clinton's presidency (notwithstanding Monica) was one of the best and most representative of all of them, but the winds of change and the urgent desire among Americans for a new kind of hope are just palpable. I haven't sensed this kind of anticipation since RFK's candidacy. I'm totally jazzed.
I like McCain but see in him a continuation of policies engendered by the current President...and frankly I don't see much worth continuing from the Bush administration. I especially wonder what McCain would do about Iraq. Warriors are warriors, and it's hard to get them to consider options that don't require weapons. To a hammer, everything else is seen as a nail, something to be pounded.
Think about the Cuban Missile Crisis and how President Kennedy's military advisers were itching to engage Khruschev, which could have touched off a nuclear war. I think we're best de-escalating provocative actions. We have made our point -- that attacks on America will not be answered with a whimper, but with muscle: military, financial, ideological and practical. With boycotts, financial seizures, embargoes, measures and other methods of retaliation. But when we respond "in kind" to insane acts, the hatred burns that much hotter and the gulf separating ideologies just gets wider. Fight fire with fire and eventually both houses will burn down -- and all sense of proportion and justice will go right out the window...
On other subjects...
I went to Wal-Mart this morning and saw a slew of new STAR TREK (original generation!) greetings cards and some wonderful wacky, wild, very funny political greeting cards. Jackie has a birthday coming up (Groundhog Day) as does Margot Worthington (Feb 12th), so of course I had to get cards for them. Jackie is a Republican to the core, so I got her an Obama-based birthday card that will crack her up! (We agree to disagree on politics; we're both peaceable about allowing others to make their own decisions on who should be President). Margot is an original generation fan, so I got her a card with Spock on it, only because it was perfect!
I have registered to help the Obama campaign in Washington until the caucus late in the second week of February; haven't heard back yet, but just registered last night, so it would be pretty freaky to hear back this soon. But time's a 'wastin' and I have the time, so I hope someone calls me soon and gives me some marching orders!
My car might have a transmission problem, so I may have to get a new (or used) one very soon. I'll probably get a Kia Rio. They get 41 mpg and only cost $8K new and have a good warranty and good reviews. I'll decide on that when I get my next work... sooner if the Saturn craps out!
(Nice Saturn.... sweet Saturn.. I need you right now... please hang in there until I have a job again!) I have the money in savings -- I just don't want to use it, in case I need it, before I get a job.
Tonight is another basketball game for Casey's team, so I'll be there at six.
I jumped on a mini-trampoline for 35 minutes yesterday while watching Oprah (after spending 35 minutes earlier in the day walking "with" Leslie Sansone on her DVD) and did a number on my left hip; it's aching in a tiny spot this morning, so I'm foregoing exercise today to allow it to recover....
What else?
Oh! Billie Rae Walker just interviewed me again (for an update on my new De book) for a STAR TREK newsletter. If it's accepted, and she gives me permission, I'll include a link to the newsletter when I get it.
Stay tuned! If you can't wait that long, you can always access our FIRST-ever interview at STARTREK.COM. Here's the URL to take you directly to the interview:
http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/features/specials/article/30875.html
And here's a link to a Treks in Sci Fi podcast I did with Rico Dostie at about the same time during STAR TREK's 40TH anniversary:
http://www.treksf.com/podcast/Treksf.com_79_Real_McCoy.mp3
Hey, Rico, it's about time for a follow-up podcast interview, isn't it?
Friday, January 25, 2008
The Cost of One Day Of War In Iraq ... What Else Could Be Done That Money?
Thanks to my big sister Laurel for sending me this link...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wnq6cD5jk1Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wnq6cD5jk1Q
Thursday, January 24, 2008
What's A'Happenin'
For an unemployed person, I sure have been busy lately! Today I renewed my driver's license for another five years and walked an aerobic three miles (so far) in my house (to the accompaniment of the first of Leslie Sanson's Walk at Home Walking Slim DVD) ... and it's just past noon in my time zone.
I went to Torchbearer's (the elder set at Church ForAll Nations) yesterday from ten to noon for the first time, but not for the last time, unless I get a job right away and can't go again. Tonight I plan to go to church for the women's ministry get-together, and tomorrow night I'll go to a potluck at Pastor and Mrs. Wuerch's in the evening.
The spiritual support I receive right now (from both heavenly and earthly realms) is very helpful. No matter how "worthy" a person feels on a regular basis, when they lose their job it can be more than a little depressing! I'm fortunate to have lots of emotional support from all around the globe at a time like this. It keeps me feeling more peaceful than I would otherwise, for sure! And hopeful. I know I'm in God's will for this time in my life. So whatever happens next will be a definite step forward in my ability and willingness to "let go and let God" direct my steps.
This week I also attended Casey's basketball game. Last week I attended both games she played.
It's a heap of fun to watch seven year olds play basketball... and to see how quickly they improve over the course of just a few games. This year the teams are co-ed, so the girls are getting a dose of male competitiveness. It has kicked their own adrenaline into high gear as well, making them much better than I think they would be otherwise.
The weather outside my window is downright frigid. It drops into the low twenties (Fahrenheit) at night and rarely gets above freezing in the daytime right now. This is unusual for this neck of the woods.
The interesting thing to note is that there are buds on trees and bushes already, and ducks and geese that should be flying south are flying north again -- so even before Pauxatawny Phil pokes his head out of his burrow in Pennsylvania on Groundhog Day, I am going to prophesy that spring is on the way. My cats are shedding again; that's a dead giveaway too.
There isn't a lot else to report, which is why you haven't heard much from me lately. I was very sad to hear about Heath Ledger's death... I didn't know a thing about him before he died, never having seen any of his portrayals, but Hollywood is really down-hearted at the news in a way I don't often see, so he must have been quite the actor with decades' worth of potential. It's always sad when a young person dies... and it seems to be happening so often in the Hollywood crowd these days. I surely anticipate more, unless the drug culture there is vanquished.
I'm pretty ticked off at what lengths the Clintons are going to in order to discredit Barack Obama. I think it's going to backfire on them. They need to lighten up. I like both Hillary and Barack, but think Hillary is too divisive a person to lead as well as Barack might. Too many people really find her repulsive. Again, I don't understand why they do; I just know they do. Barack doesn't have that kind of baggage. He has given people real hope. He's a tipping point candidate.
I continue to pray that the best candidate will get into the White House, whoever God deems the best candidate to be. Only God can see into candidates' hearts and minds, and only God knows what will be coming against the U.S. during the next decade... I just hope that whoever the candidates are on both sides will be someone we all, as Americans and as citizens of the world, can be proud of. It has been far too long since that has been the case...
Monday, January 21, 2008
Martin Luther King, Jr. -- He Had a Dream...
Today we remember Martin Luther King, Jr., a Baptist preacher who changed America in myriad ways but did not live to see his dream become as much a reality as it has. Today a black man, Barack Obama is running for President -- and is winning races and offering hope to millions -- red, yellow, black, brown and white citizens all over the world -- as he goes along.
I remember the days before Martin Luther King Jr was on the scene. I was a white kid in a white bread world living in the Pacific Northwest. Black people were rare up here back then. The first two black people I knew were my Sunday School teacher and her son Walter, who was in my class. I adored them, so had no "racist" baggage weighing me down -- and wasn't aware anyone else had any, either. I had never heard the "n" word uttered. Kids have to be taught to hate and to fear and to have an "us versus them" perspective; they aren't born with it.
It was during the school integration era when police were setting fire hoses and German Shepherds loose on "Negroes" that I had my first look at the way racism can disfigure an otherwise attractive white face. I watched on television as white people shouted, screamed and belittled school-age children whose only "crime" was being sent to a school that hadn't accepted black children before. I remember asking my mom, in horror, "What country is this happening in?" I was horrified when she responded, "It's happening in America." It was beyond comprehension to me. "Where?!"
And I began to feel, palpably, on the side of the "underdogs" in the fight. Even when H Rap Brown or Stokely Carmichael would get in-our-faces and scare us with words of revolution and "taking what is rightfully every American's to have", I would think, "If I were black, I'd probably be feeling exactly the same way. Racism is unfair and it's cruel and I'd be mad as a hornet if I were black."
Then along came Martin Luther King Jr., a man of peace and love, a man of the cloth, and I knew instinctively that racist white people would have to take a step back and listen to him instead of becoming more afraid and defensive as they were doing with other spokesmen. Like coming to Christ, a call to conscience cannot be compelled -- it can only be gently offered if it is to achieve a desired goal.
Martin Luther King Jr was the way forward. Because he lived and gave his life in the cause of making sure all Americans were "free at last," today we are a better nation in this regard. Still not a perfect nation... equal opportunity is still a goal to be achieved... but would any of us who were there at the time want to go back to the way it was then?
My friends are now a rainbow of colors, nationalities and creeds. I can't imagine life any other way. When we see all people as fellow sojourners along life's road we realize that everyone wants the same thing: to be loved, respected, and given the same chance to provide for themselves and their families as everyone else. When we deny this to anyone, we deny ourselves all the creative, positive contributions those denied would have given to the world -- and that's a crime beyond measure.
It all comes back to the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
What a concept! Why O why haven't we tried this one concept all over the world? Just once, for perhaps a decade? We'd be utterly transformed... and would never want to go back.
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