Tuesday, September 30, 2008

This Is Why I Live In Utah





Is Autumn not the best season EVER? What's it like in other places?

Monday, September 29, 2008

Tug-of-War

Sometimes I would really love for my life to be like a movie. I would love to have some heart-wrenching scene with soft piano music (preferably composed by Philip Glass) punctuated by whispered promises and a few tears followed by one of those awesome kick-ass scenes with the motivational songs where you watch all the trials and tribulations of the main character as she struggles towards her goal (always maintaining her gorgeous hairstyle) and finally accomplishes the impossible. I want all the months of worry, stress, and mild psychosis when it comes to my writing to be all wrapped up nicely in a two minute song with a great drum beat. I see no reason why it shouldn't work that way.

Real life is so much harder than that though. Those kind of inspirational moments only last a few minutes and then whats left is the actual grunge work that you have to do. There's no fast-forwarding to the end - where the sunsets and the smiles are waiting. You have to wade through all the mud and the muck to get there and when you do there is absolutely no chance that your hair will be clean and shiny. And that's where I am with my book.

There's the excited stage where I have my nifty little idea and I lavish for a few days in the sheer brilliance that exists in ME form (not). Then there's a workaholic phase where all I do is write for several weeks and typically stop changing out of my pajama's (and when I do change, god forbid, its just back into another pair of pajama's). But when that's all said and done I end up here. Trying not to look at my storyboard because I swear its making all sorts of condescending faces at me and avoiding my computers' desktop with the folder that reads "The Book You Have Not, And May Never, Finish If You Don't Get Off Your Couch And Write Faster, Better, And More Than You Currently Are, You Lazy Procrastinating Girl."

It's not that I don't want to write. I do, truly I do. I love telling stories, I love making people laugh, and I LOVE looking at a finished piece and getting that feeling that lets me know that whatever I put down actually does make sense and might also sound nice too. It's just the in between part. The part that rests its furry little butt down just after I open my word document and before I close said document in a mad rush to find out who in my house is making popcorn and if they'll share. It's that part that scratches just below my ankle, nips at the tips of my fingers, mews incessantly and then bats its little eyelashes when I threaten to make a small sacrifice out of it in the fire pit, as if it did nothing wrong. It comes in the guise of parents and teachers, family and friends, and essentially anyone who has ever told me that money cannot be made from writing, that what I'm doing isn't work, and that I'm condemning my future husband (sorry Crayon) to a lifetime of poverty if I continue on as I am. It also rears its head under the day to day pretense of school classes, part-time jobs, scholarships, dentist bills, 401k plans, car payments, gas prices, rent, and - god help me - Etsy. I swear Etsy will be my undoing. But when I'm gone all my friends will have an ENORMOUS amount of cute (albeit somewhat unnecessary) paraphernalia to inherit.

I suppose what I'm really trying to say here is that lately my life has become this awful tug-of-war between the things that I Adore doing (my writing, blogging, taking pictures, reading) and the things that I feel like I Must do (school, work, life planning, career building, happiness ignoring). I'm trying to strike some sort of balance but unfortunately it doesn't seem like the world runs on the idea that we should make time for the things we love now instead of later.

I have a feeling this is going to be a stressful week.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

McCain/Obama Debate

Here's what made me really happy about the debate last night:
  • Obama didn't make a single cutting-down type of remark towards McCain. That is the kind of respect and perspective we need in a leader.
  • McCain did nothing but interrupt and tear down Obama - and it was noticed.
  • Obama did wonderfully at proving that even though he doesn't have as much foreign policy experience as McCain he is just as capable, if not better, at making good decisions regarding such matters.
  • Obama got through the whole debate without a single misstatement.
  • McCain showed great disrespect for not only Obama but the moderator as well while Obama was very well-mannered for the entire debate.
  • Joe Biden was interviewed following the debate but Sarah Palin was nowhere to be found.
  • People polled said that either Obama won the debate or it was a tie. Supporters for McCain seemed to be few and far between.
Overall I was really pleased with the way Obama stood his ground and presented his policies. I actually sort of feel bad for McCain and the fact that he has to pull false statements out of thin air to keep up with Obama. Not to mention that there's a bunch of controversy now over whether or not McCain swore a few times during the debate. It all seems pretty irrelevant at this point as Obama is moving further and further ahead in the polls. We'll have to see how the next month plays out but I have a good feeling that Obama will be our next president.

I'm also really looking forward to watching Sarah Palin trip all over herself during the debate with Joe Biden next week. Sounds like tons of fun to me.

*Obama 2008*

Friday, September 26, 2008

First Blog Award!

Am I loved or am I loved?


Me! - From over at Escape From Dullsville being the darling that she is - decided to give me the "I Heart Your Blog" award! This is Just Lizabell's first official blog award and as such we must celebrate with a full on post about why Google should make me the next Blog of Note! Just kidding. We will, however, do as the awards rules state and:
1) Link to the giver of the award (see above - thanks Me!).
2) Nominate seven other blogs you heart and link to them as well (see below).
3) Leave these bloggers comments to let them know they are loved as well!
Soooo - *fanfare* here are the seven blogs that I adore and am passing this award on to.
1) Working Girl - Because they are both an inspiration to us all!
2) Oh! How Lovely! - Because she's a total sweetie, mildy fashion obsessed, and holds fun contests!
3) The Lucky Nest - Because of her charming writing, and adorable Etsy creations.
4) Folding Bike Destinations - Because I'm to much of a wimp to do what he does!
5) Kristin - Because I wish I could take pictures like her (and she's a sweetheart too).
6) Katie - Because she's a great mommy and her blog makes me smile.
7) Escape From Dullsville - Because she was so sweet to give me this award!

Thanks again to Me! for being such a great reader/commenter and congrats to all the other blogs who have recieved this award as well!

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Community College

Ok this was not part of my planned post but when I opened up Blogger I somehow accidentally did something nifty with my mouse (its never on purpose) and this little graphic: Check Spelling - the one we Blogger users all know and love as our faithful spelling-fixer-upper - magicked its way down into my post. And I can't just delete it. Look how cute it is! Plus I cant figure out what I did or how I got it down here with me and thus can't replicate the effect and give my little spelling graphic any friends - so instead of being deleted off to Discard-O-Land he's coming along for the ride. I'm sure he feels very special to be the only one of his buddies that got mentioned/placed in a post. Even if I didn't intend it. I have also saved him to my picture folder soooo be sure to be on the lookout for him again. He's too adorable not to come poking back around, looking for more posts to interrupt. I think at some point we'll have to name him. Along with a few other various characters that are trying to weasel their way into my posts.

Anyways! What I really wanted to share will all of you is how much I absolutely cannot stand when I am on the phone and get put on hold/transferred to 8 or 9 various departments and end up talking to a ridiculous amount of people - none of whom seem to know the answer to my question.

I was calling down to one of the community colleges in my state, trying to figure out why I couldn't log into my little See Your School Shit On The Web If We Feel Like Letting You Today thing. Obviously today was not one of those days. I put in my little user name and request a change of password since its been AGES since I had to log in there and - lo and behold - the evil site tells me that my information doesn't match what they have. Well. Last time I checked I knew how to spell my own name. I also happen to know my birth date. (May 14 for those of you that want to send me presents! Like a Kindle! Ohmigod I would looooooooove a Kindle. Apparently you can read blogs and all kinds of fun stuff on them. Not that I expect you guys to send me one since they're like 400 dollars and....this is so not what I'm posting about right now. Damn.) I typed in my little student ID number right too. I checked. Many times! So finally I get the bright idea to call up the little student help center and after a gazillion rings some lady who is clearly not a student, and doesn't care for the breed either, answers in the most nasally voice I have ever heard.

"Yes?"

Yea - no "Student Help Center this is *insert creepy name here*" Just a "yes?" Great way to start off.

"Um for some reason I cant seem to log into your website. I have all my information and I've tried it several times so I know I'm putting it in right. It says it doesn't match what's in your records. Is there any way you can tell me what information you guys have so I can get it changed?

"Well are you putting it all in there right?

.... Uh...did I NOT JUST SAY THAT?! "Yes. I'm doing it right" (*side note: This is where Crayon would say "That's What She Said!" and get this cute smug look on his ridiculously handsome face.)

"Well I guess something don't match what our Data Center has on ya"

Lady. I just said that. Without a Utahan accent that could make birds fly into walls.

"Yes I'm positive that everything I've entered is correct."

"Well I'ma transfer you to the Data Center now."

"Great. Thanks" *terribly 1990's hold music ensues - please god let me avoid hearing "Holiday" by Madonna ever again*

"Data Center" Wow. A greeting. Must be a normal guy.

"Hi I was having trouble logging into the web page and-"

"OhyouneedtheStudentHelpCenterforthatI'lltransferyou!" I can hardly understand what the dude said because he was in such a rush to spit out his words and get me off the phone that his tongue has probably collapsed like a fat cat on a windowsill after spending too much effort chasing the neighbors canary bird. Had the guy even listened to me he would have known that NO - I do not need the Student Help Center or Ms. Utah Nasal back there who is probably sitting at her desk eating pork rinds while laughing about me, the poor girl who will surely never find her way out of this tangled maze of phone tag.

"Yeeeeeesssssss" She draws it out in this annoyed tone of voice. God forbid we have to answer the phone TWICE in an hour.

"Hi - look its me again, the Data Center transferred me back here. I really need to get that information changed so I can log in to the website."

"Oh. Well how come you didn't say so? I haaave a computer."

Wow. Is that what that big square thing sitting on your desk is? Thank you Nancy Drew now I can return to my life with the piece of mind that somewhere in the world there is a person with the deductive abilities to realize that she, like every other office worker on the planet, has a computer available to use at her disposal. This is the part where I seriously considered reaching through the phone and strangling this woman.

"Lovely." (Which is code in my language for "You stupid stupid person.") "So can we change that then?" I give her all my info, wondering if this woman is smart enough to attempt Identity Theft.

*long awkward pause*

"Um hello?" There is no way this lady hung up on me. So help me god I will drive down to Salt Lake and raise hell in the Student Help Center if I must.

"I'm getting it, hold on." Yea - as if she's the one who should be impatient.

"Well it looks like they didn't have your Social Security number so they made one up for ya and that's why you cant log in. So you WEREN'T puttin' all your stuff in right."

"I'm sorry, hold on. They made up a Social Security number for me? They just made one up?"

"That's our policy"

"Your policy is to make up peoples information if you don't have it? Right ok. Well can you give it to me so I can try logging in with that number."

"I'm sorry I cant give out Social Security numbers over the phone." You have got to be kidding me.

"It's not real! It's not a social - its just made up numbers!" I say in disbelief. "Well can I change it and put mine in there instead?"

"No you have to come do that here in person. I don't do that over the phone." (*Another "That's What She Said" for Crayon)

"Well then how am I supposed to get into my account?"

"Here I'll give you the number." Uh - ok? Did we not just establish that we cant do that? I want to say something snotty but instead I remain quiet in case this lady's bipolar memory starts coming back. She gives me my little number and I hang up, thanking her for some unknown reason, to which she promptly slams the phone down on the receiver, as if I'm some sort of huge inconvenience to her. All this for the sake of viewing my transcripts.

I type my little number in, wait patiently for it to load...and....YES! IGOTONTHESTUPIDWEBSITE-NEENERNEENERNEENER!

Only to find out there's a hold on my account which: prevents me from viewing my transcripts.

So now I have to call the Accounts Department, which I promptly do. Only to find out that Monotone Brittany only works from 9-4. It's currently 3:15. Apparently, since I keep getting nothing but her voicemail - leading me to believe she's gone home an hour early, the entire community college is a magnet for incompetence and anti-work syndrome.

I may have to burn it to the ground. If only to improve the gene pool by doing so.

This is why I'm a writer. So that I don't have to deal with the massive amount of insane people that occupy this state on a daily basis.

Alright. Off to go call them again. *Hums "Holiday"*

Monday, September 22, 2008

Writers & Readers

Someone once told me that writing is about becoming conscious. It's about returning to that place in yourself where you're open to everything the world has to offer, good or bad, and happy to learn your lessons from it all. Writing is about letting people look at the world from behind your eyes. And that's what makes creative writing so personal. It's not a neutral textbook description, a glossed over magazine article, or a monotone news report. It's everything and everyone you know all rolled up into one little marble and flung out on the hardwood floor for whoever wants to pick it up and inspect it. It's every emotion and trial, victory or defeat, that you've ever had - laid out on the table with just a little bit of trimming for everyone else to pass judgement on.

And in many ways, that's what makes it wonderful. Because if you're lucky (and I try so very hard to be lucky) you will get to have those incredible moments when someone reads your writing and smiles, laughs, or tells you that - yes, they know what you mean, they understand how you feel. And that is all the validation that a writer can ever need. To know that maybe some little part of what you've written made someone pause for a second and think about things a little differently. Or that maybe, after a long day, someone will read something of yours that reminds them to be strong, to always pursue what's most important to them, and to never ever give up no matter how hard things might seem. I think that that is what we all look for in good writing - something to connect with, and to take us out of our own perspectives for just a little bit.

Because the best and truest writing is the kind that allows us to see ourselves more clearly through its pages. It's the kind that forces us to look at the issues that we ignore and encourages us to act upon the things we find unacceptable. It a renewer of hope and a light for those that have lost their way. The kindest and most generous of writing is that which doesn't appease us with fairytale endings but instead encourages us be brave even when we feel unsure. It's the writing that entertains while it educates, and teaches while it transports us away from the daily grind. This is the kind of writing I want to do. This is the kind of writer I want to be.

So in light of all of this let me give a little shout-out to all the awesome-ly awesome people that have not only subscribed to my feed and followed the blog, but also endured all the techie work (which never seems to end) and left me some amazingly kind comments. You guys and all your comments are what keep me writing (and this blog going). So thanks a ton everyone - you guys are the best readers a girl could ask for.


Elizabeth Marie

P.S. Since we're talking about the blog I'd love if you guys could show it off to your friends? Hmm? Wink-wink!

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Popcorn Popping

Me: Tell me what my Christmas present is!

Crayon: No.

Me: Come on!

Crayon: Nope.

Me: You better tell me. Or else.

Crayon: Or else what?

Me: I'm going to fill your car with popcorn kernels, roll up all the windows, and let you have a field day watching our 100 degree weather turn your car into a portable microwave.

Crayon: ......

Me: You're car is gonna smell like popcorn FOREVER.

Crayon: ......

Me: And you'll never get all the popcorn out of the seats and the carpeting.

Crayon: ....

Me: Not to mention you'll attract every seagull in the state with that popcorn smell. I can already see you weaving through traffic trying to escape them as they dive through your sun roof in hopes of a beak-full of buttery delicious-ness.

Crayon: ......Really?

Me: *feigns innocence* Really. That is - unless you want to tell me what my Christmas present is?

Crayon: I'll take my chances with the seagulls.

Me: Oh. My. God. Fine. I'm so doing the popcorn thing. Just you wait.

Crayon: If you put popcorn in my car you can't have your Christmas present.

Me: *pouts* Fine.

I wont put it in his car. I'll just put it on his sunroof. Nice surprise for when he opens it.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Bug Zapper Racket

Has anyone ever seen one of these?

It is possibly the scariest and most inhumane little invention I've ever come across. So of course my fourteen year old little brother absolutely adores it. He thinks its God wrapped up in bug-zapping form. I think its mildly grotesque.

I didn't even know what this thing was. I knew it sat on the ledge in our exercise room and I knew it had been there for a while. What I didn't know was that this little thing had a button allowing one to send a current of electricity through its metal netting and subsequently kill whatever small winged creature it came in contact with, which vaguely reminds me of a medieval torture device. Fun right?

I might not be so biased against these things if not for the horrific display of bug homicide that was its first demonstration in front of me. The problem with this bug zapper is that it seems to be designed for small bugs. Flies. Bees. Mosquitoes. Well, I live in Utah - land of the ants that could possibly eat your dog for dinner and the beetles that chase you down with pincher's the size of a small crowbar, so the bug zapper is a little bit out of its league here. That however, does not stop my little brother from using it. Not even a little bit. So when a moth the size of vampire bat comes fluttering into my kitchen the first thing he does is book it out of the room in search for any death-by-electrocution-tennis-paraphernalia while us girls cower in the corners of the room, trying to avoid getting the wretched thing caught in our hair, and have completely forgotten the "It's Just As Scared As You Are..." rule. Whatever.

So Little Brother comes back into the room, hauling ass, in hopes that the giant winged bug will still be there. Unfortunately it is. Its landed all carefree like on the fireplace, completely unaware of the chaos its causing, and generally minding its own business except for the fact that its in my house. I can practically hear the thing singing "The hills are alive..." in all its nonchalance. Little Sister and Mom and I are all still freaking out shouting things like "Get it out! Get it out" "Its going to tell its friends to come back here if we let it stay!" "It probably has rabies!" and god knows what else while Little Brother slowly creeps forward, arm outstretched, racket in hand, and finger poised on the button that I'm sure is labeled "Emit Cruel, Unusual, and Surely Fatal Death Shock".

The room gets quiet as Little Brother brings the racket only inches away from the moth which is still perched on our mantle. We're holding our breaths. He fires up his miniature piece of electric sports equipment. And then.

ZAP!

If you've ever lit some of your own hair on fire (yes I've done this - both to myself and other people) then you can understand the horribly disgusting smell that this bug was giving as it burned. And I do mean burned. Because, as boys tend to be, Little Brother was thrilled with his new found power as Bug Executioner, and so even after the moth fell to the ground and was clearly dead he continued to roast the thing with the tennis racket. I am plainly horrified and am burying my head in my sweater to avoid breathing in the dead bug fumes which are now wafting through the house. Little Sister and Mom are egging Little Brother on with the type of chanting one would expect to hear at an ancient Roman gladiator match.

It would be one thing if it had ended there. Instead Little Brother gets down on all fours and presses the racket into the bug on the ground like one would with a spatula to a pancake causing it to not only smoke and sizzle but to emit even more of the awful smell.

"Just wait." Mom tells me.

"It gets better!" Little Sister adds.

Better how? I get my silent question answered when the moth, which is now stuck to the racket - held on by its 9th degree burns- crackles and finally gives a loud pop, accompanied by a small white-ish blue-ish ball of light which apparently means moths have a tendency to spontaneously combust after 50,000 volts. I'm immediately having flashbacks to the first time I saw The Green Mile.

"That was awful" I remark, staring at the mini cremation site our kitchen floor has become. No one agrees with me.

What is our world coming to if we can't be happy killing bugs with acidic spray and blunt force like we used to?

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Feeling Adored

Terribly sorry for the lack of updates over the last few days. I took a mini vacation to spend some time down in the city with Crayon (who was nothing short of adorable the whole time) and somehow managed to ignore both my laptop and cell phone while down there. It was a lovely break from the book writing and I was once again reminded that I'm the luckiest freakin girl in the world (boyfriend wise- that is). Because seriously I had no idea that there were still guys around that would insist on opening every door, holding your bags when you go shopping, and paying for dinner. Crayon, I kid you not, does all of these things and so much more. He's happy to stay home and watch The Office with me (OHMIGODITSALMOSTSEPTEMBER25TH!) or to go see all the obnoxiously girly movies that are playing in the tri-state area and he endures my drunk-sounding-semi-awake-but-still-trying-to-hold-conversations state that inevitably comes about around 10pm. I have this marvelous ability to both fall asleep at the same time that everyone woman over the age of 65 finishes her cross-stitching and decides its time for bed and to believe that I'm still capable of saying immensely profound things while I'm drifting in and out of la-la land. Very attractive I'm sure. And yet this handsome brown eyed guy lets me ramble on about frappuccino's and fire trucks and only teases me the tiniest bit about it the next day. Definitely a keeper.

I've moved over from that group of women that pooh-pooh's romantic movies as society's way of sucking our gender in to their if-i-buy-*random hair care product goes here*-then-i-would-surely-be-in-love-like-that bullshit to the quietly happy group that can enjoy the chick flicks without wondering if I'll ever by that happy and simply hopes that every other woman has the chance to feel like I do and be adored like I currently am. I do wish that our culture wasn't so judgemental - be it on the basis of appearance or money or upbringing but fortunately for us there seem to still be a few good guys hanging around that aren't looking for an airbrushed type A model, but rather a real sort of girl that they can try to build a life with.

Also any guy that willingly lets his girl post about him on her blog under the nom de plume "crayon" has got to be one confident dude.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Children

There are certain stipulations by which our society lives. Its taken us time but we've made efforts towards creating a delicate balance of equality between men and women. Women can now hold most of the same jobs as men. We are afforded the same benefits, such as insurance and 401k plans. We are almost compensated at the same level. Almost. However there is one item that tips the scales in favor of men (or women depending on your view). Women are still afforded certain benefits if they become pregnant. And this fact changes the perspective on everything.

Now, even in an era that promotes sexual awareness/education and the ability of a woman to choose when she becomes pregnant, having children is still considered something you're supposed to do. Which becomes a difficult situation for those of us who don't want to.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why don't you want kids?"

".....Because I don't."

It's a conversation that few seem to be able to accurately grasp. Instead they respond with answers like:

"Oh you're too young. You will later." - Is there some specific day on which the "I-Want-To-Have-Children-Now" hormone kicks in? Am I, and educated woman, supposed to simply let my body's hormones control my decision making process. I don't spend three days out of the month gorging myself and hurling insults at those around me - and if I did would society make exceptions for that kind of behavior? The very thing that defines us as being more than simply animals is our ability to make decisions based on logic and reason, not just savage instinct or flaring hormones.

"You aren't mature enough to want children." - I'm sorry but getting married at 18 and popping out 6 children that you have neither the means to support nor the education to raise doesn't seem like a very mature line of thought to me.

"But babies are so much fun!" - Is this the materialist, buying new baby clothes every day, taking dozens of professional portraits, showing off to my friends side that's coming out? If I chose to have a child I wouldn't do so merely to have a new accessory to hang off my hip.

The truly frustrating part of all of this is that people simply don't understand. Now please don't misunderstand. I think it's great that there are women out there who believe that life is a precious gift for them to bring into this world and consider it a blessing that they can have children. That's absolutely wonderful. I have great respect for the women who choose to do so. I watched my mother raise three children (one of whom is hearing impaired) by herself - god knows its not an easy task by any standard. However, even though I can appreciate the selflessness these women show by wanting to take care of another human being, I'm just not one of them. It's nothing to do with a career, or selfishness, or fear. I simply have no desire to bring a child into this world. I don't think I'm qualified to be a parent and given the state our environment is in I can't justify bringing a child into an environment that may not even be habitable for their life span. It just feels wrong.

What really concerns me is that there are other women out there, with the same ideals, who instead of recognizing their choice for what it is -a choice, end up believe that there is something wrong with them because they don't have that maternal instinct whispering in their ear. What I want to know is why we can't let others make their own choices and accept them as they are?

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Teapots!

I know I don't need to spend time on Etsy. I know that. However, god help me, the amount of cuteness that is radiating from Etsy's vintage section makes me want spend ridiculous amounts of money on things I don't need, will never use, and can't afford. But I'll be damned if I don't fill my first house with pretty rugs and wall prints from the eight hundred stores I just bookmarked into my favorites (if Crayon doesn't mind, that is - and knowing him he'll just be excited with me and encourage me to buy everything. bad influence).

The problem with me and Etsy is that we just can't commit. It gets all anxious and starts trying to seduce me withs its colorful mugs and artsy dish towels and then I get all withdrawn and start freaking out over my budget (which does NOT have an Etsy column in it btw) and then it gets clingy and tries to win me back by showing off all its pretty new accessories and the whole thing just starts all over.
Still, here are the results of my mini-afternoon-affairs with Etsy of the teapot variety. Did I mention I collect cute little teapots? I don't actually drink tea or anything I just think they're cute. Yeah, its a problem. They have support groups for people like me.

Ok this first one isn't actually a teapot. It's like a little favor box for parties. Someone please throw me a party or do something fantastic so that I might have an excuse to buy tons of these and fill them with other pretty things. Linkie

Ok this second one is sheer brilliance in a teapot. I mean what is this exactly? I'm thinking a cross between a zebra a giraffe and an an armadillo embodied in a teapot. I love it. Absolutely love it. Someone please buy this for me. Please. I NEED it. ;-) Linkie!

Ok this one last one appeals to the more hippy-esque side of me. I could never have the heart to actually put water in this. I'd feel bad and probably end up crying and assuring it that I meant no harm. Love the sun theme going on here. Linkie!

Ok that's all for tonight. More Etsy addiction to come soon!

9/11

I like to consider myself somewhat informed when it comes to the events and issues that are prominent and pressing in our nation. I have a fair list of various news websites I keep track of, I keep an eye on Google Trends, and I follow Google News on Twitter. What's disturbing about all of this is that not from any of these various sources did I come across any articles or feeds relating to the preparation for, or remembrance of 9/11 until this morning. Now maybe I wasn't looking hard enough, or in the right places, or maybe its become our custom in America to make speeches first and amends later. It's frustrating because while the higher officials of our government are waving flags and standing at podiums, the people of America are sending flowers and visiting graves. The speeches and the services are nice but they don't fill the gap left by those that were lost on this day seven years ago. The effects of such tragedy are spread far and wide - and even those of us that didn't lose someone that day are not removed from the responsibility to respectfully honor the sacrifice that so many people made for their country as well as their family and friends that day.

In many ways its a blessing that this reminder should fall so closely to our presidential election. It's an opportunity for the people of America to remember what was lost and also to remember that we must hold our government responsible for its negligence and its carelessness with the lives of our fellow citizens. We cannot allow our country to be run by another man who will sit quietly by in a classroom while our nation falls under attack. We cannot allow our leaders to do nothing in the face of natural disasters in which many lives might have been spared. We should not be forced to suffer the consequences of selfish, greedy men, that take advantage of our nations trusting people in an effort to dissuade us from the truth. The most important thing we can do now is to hold dear the memory of how our country came together in the aftermath of 9/11 and realize that this election is an occasion that calls for such unity amongst us.

Regardless of age, race, or income there are issues that we should all be able to agree on. Health Care should not be an opportunity for the wealthy to prey upon the poor. The citizens of a free nation shouldn't have to make a choice between seeing the doctor and putting food on the table. Quality education should be provided at no cost, in safe - healthy - environments for every child. Women should have the right to decide what happens to their own bodies. Anyone should have the right to visit their loved ones in this hospital - regardless of their sexual preference. And above all we must all come together to protect our planet from the dangerous effects our technology has on it. This earth is our home - and it's the only one we have. All talk of economy and expense must be put aside because without our planet we wont have a place to hold those discussions, let alone a place for the children of this generation grow old.

On this, the seventh anniversary of 9/11, I urge everyone to be just a little kinder to those around them, to our planet, and even to those they may not agree with. I hope that you all take a moment today to remember those that are no longer with us, those that are that have suffered from the events of that day, and those that are currently fighting for what we hold most dear here back home. Let us all show our gratitude for the courage of those at ground zero by ensuring that no American life is ever spent again without dire need and virtuous reason. If there is one thing, more than any other, that we might to do to honor the memory of 9/11, I believe it would be to make good use of the processes set up by our forefathers, and to elect a man that can lead us out of the mess that has been made of our country these last eight years, and hopefully, that will be enough.

*Remember 9/11*
*Obama 2008*

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Sammy Joe














Everyone: Meet Sammy Joe. Sammy: Meet everyone. I assure you that even though he can't read he checks the blog updates just as avidly as I do. Sammy is a Shih Tzu (try to hold back the "shit" jokes please people - i know its tempting, albeit, unoriginal), a lover of the rain and fleece blankets (pictured here). He's eight months old, prefers his hair up in a little palm-tree-like ponytail on his head (also pictured here) and is already a great dancer. Welcome to the blog world Sammy.

P.S. Sammy also enjoys poetry, jazz music, and long walks on the beach. ;-)

Pigs In Lipstick

Here's my favorite bit of controversy from the last few days. Obama was quoted saying:

"You can put lipstick on a pig. It's still a pig. You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change. It's still going to stink after eight years."

Sounds like a pretty straightforward message regarding the need for change and the idea that the GOP is merely dressing up old policies with campaign jargon stolen from the Democrats, hoping to win over more votes with empty promises. Unfortunately for Obama, who is still struggling to get the Republicans to stand up straight and have some serious debate on the most pressing issues our nation faces, McCain has decided to misunderstand the comment as a personal, sexist, attack on the Vice (Pit bull) President nominee Sarah Palin, who -lets not forget- reminded us that the difference between a "Hockey Mom" and "Pitt bull" is, of course, lipstick. What impressive rhetoric from the person who could be second in command at the white house and has confessed to her adoring public that she doesn't actually know what the vice president does.

I also loved what Obama's camp returned with upon McCain's accusations. Not only did they rehash their frustration at the lack of serious politics they also reminded McCain that he himself used the exact same phrase to describe the health care plan of Hillary Clinton. Still sexist is it?

*Obama 2008*

Monday, September 8, 2008

Frank

Me: So what are you up to tonight?

Crayon: Heading up to Mel's place to work on the car. I miss it. And the bunnies.

Me: The bunnies?

Crayon: Yeah. The ones that run around in Mel's backyard. I've named them all.

Me: You've named the bunnies? Let's hear it.

Crayon: Furry One, Furry Two, Momma Furry, Baby Furry, and Frank.

Me: Ummm....Frank?

Crayon: Yeah. Frank. He's the fearless one. I've caught him chasing the deer twice!

Me: Frank. The bunny. Chases deer?

Crayon: Yeah. Duh.

Me: *I'm-not-buying-this-pause*

Crayon: He tackles them too....

Sunday, September 7, 2008

A Better Way Of Living

Sometimes I wonder how we got to this point in our society. I wonder how it is that our whole lives came to be built on what seems to be a never ending cycle of stress, worry, and fear. I look around and all I see is how trapped we seem to be. How many of us have to sacrifice things we love, want, or need because our lifestyles, and the methods provided to maintain such comfortable lifestyles, dictate that we must do so. The binds that prevent us from experiencing many of the truest joys of life and continue to push us out of bed to our 9 to 5 jobs each morning are spread far and wide, undeterred by age, race, income, or hometown. They are the school loans, the insurance premiums, the mortgages, the cars, the interest rates, the credit cards, the ever out of reach promotion, and without fail the very comforts of life that we strive so hard for that ultimately end up making our lives uncomfortable.

I have friends that wanted to travel. I have friends that wanted to volunteer, teaching children in impoverished countries. Friends that are now, working part time, trying to put themselves through school. My mother wanted to be a nurse, to own her own home, to retire comfortably, without worry. She's now just barely going back to school, over forty, without any real estate to her name and without a retirement account to fall back on. My father wanted to make his living writing music. He currently works in electronic marketing, writing songs at night, and flying to Nashville in pursue of a dream that's slowly become a hobby over the last twenty years. One of my best friends from high school wanted to be a make-up artist. Now she works at a dealership, selling cars for sixty hours a week. What is it that allows us to write off the things we want, as later dates in our calendar, and things to do - but at the bottom of our list. How is it that we let the most important things fall through the cracks for the day to day sake of "making it", of "surviving"?

I wonder if college tuition was free, if health care was provided without a second thought, and if banks and credit card companies were regulated more closely, would the average middle class worker stand a little more of a chance when trying to build a life? If hospital bills and co-pays didn't force people to sell their homes would it be easier for someone to finance a small business? If not for student loans that keep us tied down and credit cards that never seem to get paid off would there be more people taking a year to go travel and see the world? Is it a lot to ask that we be free to move about and create the lives that we truly wish for? Should our society not be built on the ideas of lifting up its citizens instead of chaining them down for the sake of profit? How did we get to this point? And more importantly, is there a better way of living?

Lizzy

Friday, September 5, 2008

Palinsanity

One of the most frustrating aspects of politics is that we, the general public, are in this constant struggle to sift through the propaganda, the cover-ups, and the flat out blatant lies that we're delivered through not only sickeningly biased media sources (read: FOX News) but from the candidates themselves. However the one aspect of all of this that I find particularly infuriating is when through sickly sweet public statements public figures reveal themselves to be nothing more than brown-nosing, deceitful, hypocrites.

Take the newly nominated GOP vice president candidate, Sarah Palin, for example. This lady, the farthest from being considered feminist you can get while still having ovaries, has proved herself time and again to be uneducated, misinformed, and shows blatant disregard for anyone who's political agenda does not match her own, but this time she has really outdone herself. We recently discovered that Gov. Palin, recent mother of four month old "Trig", her down syndrome baby, took a blood test during her pregnancy to screen for such anomalies as down syndrome and various other birth defect. *Gasp* What?! How could she? A blood test?! How dare she take a doctor advocated, obstetrician encouraged, blood test that had she refused would have landed her in a counseling session and allows her to make an informed choice. We all know how firmly Anti-Choice Sarah Palin is. So what was she thinking when she told her doctor that yes, she would like to have this blood test done to see what defects her baby might have, given the fact that she's 44 which puts her odds of having a down syndrome baby at roughly 1 in 30. How wonderful for her that she was given the opportunity to make that decision and to be an informed mother. And its so thoughtful of her to be a strong advocate of the groups and ideals that would see to take that choice away from women. Because not only is Palin a die-hard Anti-Choicer she's also against abortion without an exception for rape or incest. Expert lawmakers have confirmed that if, as Palin advocates, Roe Vs Wade was overturned it would also make it illegal to have an abortion for down syndrome or other birth defects. If Palin is such a strong believer in denying abortion in any and all circumstances, be it birth defects, rape, or any other undesirable situation why didn't she refuse any kind of testing thereby denying herself the same choice that she would deny the rest of us women. Her choice to raise and attend to the needs of her baby are admirable but it must be remembered that its only admirable because she chose to. Had it been mandatory that she carry her baby to term there would be no fanfare, nor parading of her "motherly ideals" because it simply would have been something she had to do. She might even be deemed reckless for having a baby at such a late age in life when the chances of the child being born with defects are so high instead of being glorified as selfless because she chose to have the child as she is now. The fact of the matter is that its incredibly hypocritical of Palin to take advantage of the choices that other women before her, with whom she has little more than a chromosome in common, fought so hard to have and then turn around and try to take those same rights away from the rest of us.

It's absolutely appalling.

Vote Obama 2008

Thursday, September 4, 2008

King Of The Flip Flops

Dont you just love being right? Or, for that matter, who doesnt love when they get to tell someone that may or may not have been teasing them about something that they themselves were in fact RIGHT? And even better than being right is when, on the rare occassion, something percieved to be odd, different, or just plain out of the ordinary - is actually THE COOLEST THING IN THE WORLD.

J (the boyfriend/fiance - who will henceforth be known as Crayon) has, since we started dating, been teasing me because of the fact that my second toe (the one normal people wear toe rings on) is slightly longer than all my other toes. However, today I have news for him, and anyone else that might have been subject to this form of discriminatory prefrence when it comes to toes.

Stephanie Klein (of the blog Greek Tragedy - see the blog list ---->) has not only mentioned this affliction/talent. She has given it a name.

*ahem* Royalty Toe.

Brilliant isn't it? SO HA!

No longer will my Royalty Toe take any negative criticism, or poking fun at. It will stand proud - nay King-Like, to be compared with all the other nifty body anomalies such as joint dislocation, ear dancing, double-jointedness, and all varieties of tongue origami.

And since I can do none of the above I am quite proud of my Royalty Toe.

I will be spending the day wearing new flip flops as a reward for my Royalty Toe's modesty in light of this new discovery.


Lizzy

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

The Crazy Ones

Parents are such interesting creatures. I'm not really sure when parenting became a hobby/pastime in our society, but I'm going to assume it was around the same time that the breed of psychotically obsessed, my-child-will-win-the-beauty-pageant-damn-it, crazymommybloggers developed. Now I have nothing against the mommy-blogging culture. In fact I think its great that there are families out there that get along well enough that they can stand still for pictures and find time to post said pictures on sunflower decorated blogs without taking any form of cheeriness-inducing medication. I'm also jealous of the constant stream of writing material that a hyper four year old must provide. However, that being said, its the crazy mommy bloggers that scare me. The ones that update every fifteen minutes, and write eerie posts about how much they loooooooooove their kids. First of all taking pictures of every-single-thing your child does all day long is such a ridiculous waste of camera space that it should be banned completely. No one (not even the fake-ly adoring, well-manicured, botoxed mother in law) cares quite that much, that we need a constant stream of information regarding Jane's new habit of eating the fridge magnets, or Robbie's recent taking to gift-wrapping the cat. Secondly, if you really do love your children to that extent shouldn't you be spending time with them instead of typing obnoxiously long paragraphs, filled with aggressive run-on sentences, explaining that yes you do love your children, as evidenced by all the photographs, new presents, and lengthy posts, - regardless of what child services has to say. It's the creepy stage mothers like this that give all the well meaning, family oriented blogs a bad name.

Lizzy

P.S. I'm doing some techie work on the blog so if anything looks weird or doesn't work right please let me know! Thanks much.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Palin?

I don't make it a habit to write about politics on my blog but this time I simply had to say something.

Sarah Palin? Come on. Seriously?

Ignoring the fact that she's been in office for a grand total of five minutes, that she's younger than Obama(thus nullifying the "young and impressionable" card the Rep's keep playing), that she is extremely unqualified and inexperienced especially when, if (god forbid) McCain were to win the presidency, she has the very real possibility of having to take over upon his death, the real issue I have with her being named as McCain's running mate is that I simply cannot see it as anything other than a bid for the pro-Hilary voters. Is that really a move that the Republicans believe will sway Hillary's almost-demographic (which consisted mainly of young college students, the elderly, and middle class women)? It's frustrating that the GOP seem's to be harboring the belief that those of us that supported Hillary did so merely because of her possession of ovaries - and will settle for anyone else that just happens to fall in that category. Ms. Palin is anything but adherant to even the most basic of feminist principles, and frankly its rather terrifying to have a woman who returned to work just three days after having her child making decisions about the rights and choices other women have over their own bodies.

Palin is, time and again, introduced as a "mother of five" and a "mother to a down syndrome baby" which, once again, makes me wonder what the party is aiming at by touting all these motherly ideals. Has it not occured that the last thing the pro-choice, pro-gay, pro-health care women of this country are looking for is an anti-choice, pro-drilling, anti-health care governer who, instead of shielding her daughter (and said daughters' pregnancy) from the media, seems to be hoping it will cast her family into a We-Are-Noble-And-Self-Sacrificing-Light. Unfortunately for our Red party, there are too many voters who believe that women are not interchangable and that it actually does matter what their positions, beliefs, ideals and ethics are - not just their gender. I am, however, still appaled that someone out there seems to think that having a woman in office, any woman as it were, will appease us (watch out for the scary word --->) feminists.

Just because she's a woman, doesn't mean she has a feminist agenda.

Lizzy

P.S. Sorry for the rant - politics drive me crazy.