My wife, J, and I are expecting our second child at the end of November. We are very excited by this prospect, as we have been hoping for some time for a sibling for C (who is now 7, and will be 8 by the time her brother/sister is born). C's birthday is in the middle of November, and she treats pretty much the whole month as a time that is all about her. We will have to make an effort to keep her birthday very special, lest she feel neglected.
J has recently left a job in which she was required to work long hours (her shortest shift each week was 12 hours) overnight. During the approximately two years she held this job, a heart arrythmia has manifested itself. We were also unable to conceive during this time. No sooner than she left this position, she got knocked up. Her heart condition has also been alleviated to some degree. Now I'm not blaming these conditions on her previous position and the work environment (though I did often encourage her to file complaints and to leave the position), but I do see the correlation between her resignation and these health events. Now she has taken a position with regular work hours. We didn't realize how lucky we were, not having to make childcare arrangements. We would like to avoid traditional day care if possible, because all of our experiences with them have taught us that even the best ones are less than ideal. If anyone has an idea, feel free to leave it in the comments. If you know some responsible person in the Morristown, TN area who would like to care for a seven year old girl four days a week during the summer, please let me know.
Recent quotes:
J: C, will you please let the dogs in?
C: (a la Rodney Dangerfield) I get no respect around here.
J and Me: ???
C: Hey daddy. . .
Me: Yes?
C: Boys go to Jupiter, to get more stupider.
C: The Easter Bunny isn't real.
J and Me: Oh, really?
C: No. A little bunny couldn't hop around on his back legs and carry a basket full of eggs.
J and Me: OK. . .
C: But let's just pretend I believe in him. And don't tell Santa that I know the Easter Bunny is fake.
Why the hell would Santa care?
-snikta
Friday, April 13, 2007
Friday, March 09, 2007
My legislator
Much like Rachel, I used the NARAL action form to contact my state legislators (John Litz in the House, Steve Southerland in the Senate). I did not alter the text of the letter at all. Much has been made of Rachel's reaction to the "response" she received from Senator Douglas Henry. I fully agree with Rachel- this is not the kind of action we like to see from our elected leaders. Whether they agree with us or not, I feel they should either address concerns, or not respond. I will say that I do understand the time constraints on our part-time legislators in Nashville, who have to be in the capitol for important state business, and also have to hold down a full-time job at home. And they don't have a lot of staff. That's why I so appreciate the pertinent response I received from my Representative.
I would like to applaud Rep. Litz for his timely response, and for taking the time to address my concerns. I am also pleased that he agrees with my position on this bill, but even if he did not, I would appreciate his responding to what I said, rather than just saying "I am on the side of the children". I am glad that I have true representation in Nashville.
snikta
snikta,
Thank you for your recent e-mail concerning your opposition to
HB-982which would require a death certificate to be filed for every abortion in Tennessee. This bill was assigned to the Public Health & Family Assistance Subcommittee, and I do not think this bill will ever get out of that subcommittee. If it does by some slim chance, I will not vote for it.
Again, thank you for your e-mail and input. Please feel
free to contact me anytime I can be of assistance to you.
Rep. John Litz
That was in response to this email:
Dear Representative Litz,
As your constituent, I'm writing to ask you to oppose HB 982, which would require a death certificate be filed for every abortion in Tennessee.
Women who live in Tennessee already face an uphill battle when it comes to their reproductive rights. Anti-choice legislators in recent years have passed biased counseling and mandatory delay requirements, mandatory parental consent rules, targeted regulations against abortion providers, and an unconstitutional ban on abortion as early as 12 weeks in pregnancy.
This bill is not only unnecessary, it is an assault on women's dignity and privacy. Tennessee's Office of Vital Records already keeps track of the number of abortions in the state, but these records keep the women's identities private.
If passed, death certificates would include personal and identifying information -including full name and mailing address - that would become public record.
Women in Tennessee deserve their constitutionally protected right to privacy when they make their personal reproductive decisions. Please help defeat this dangerous bill by voting "no"on HB 982.
Sincerely,
snikta
I would like to applaud Rep. Litz for his timely response, and for taking the time to address my concerns. I am also pleased that he agrees with my position on this bill, but even if he did not, I would appreciate his responding to what I said, rather than just saying "I am on the side of the children". I am glad that I have true representation in Nashville.
snikta
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Went to meeting
Senator Corker gave a pretty good talk this afternoon. Not much substance except that he feels we should give the President's escalation plan six months. I didn't hear him say what we should do at the end of six months. I also did not have a chance to speak with him one-on-one. I was pleased, however, that there was about 30 minutes of Q&A. Several people had good questions about the war against Iraq. There were a few questions regarding illegal immigration. There was a question regarding the Rules of Engagement for TN National Guard troops on the border, but I think the Senator misunderstood. The question related to the four TN Guardsmen who were confronted by a rather large group of armed men in early January. I think Senator Corker's answer related to the shooting of an un-armed man by two Border Patrol agents. In the Senator's defense, he has been on a whirlwind trip to Kuwait, Iraq, and several US cities over the last few days, and was sleep-deprived. All in all, I feel that he will be a pretty good Senator. Like all of our elected leaders, he will need our input in order to know how we feel. Please visit the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives websites to learn who your representatives are and how to contact them.
snikta
snikta
Goin' to meeting
United States Senator Bob Corker will be at the courthouse here at 2pm for a "town hall meeting". I'm a little skeptical about the true nature of this event. At a true town hall meeting, ideas are brought forth by the public, and everyone there is free to discuss and offer solutions. That is the purest form of democracy. I don't expect that to be the case. I'm sure that the Senator has a speech written, and that there will be no opportunity for the public to comment. There may be a few plants by the local Republican party with softball questions, but I'm a little doubtful of even that.
I disagree with Mr. Corker's stated position on some issues, like abortion and the Iraq war. But he did vote to increase the federal minimum wage, while my representative in the House did not. Shame on you, Rep. Davis. Both TN Senators voted "Yea" on the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007. I am thankful for that. I look forward with interest (mixed with a small amount of hope and a little trepidation) to hearing what the Senator has to say this afternoon. I shall post later with my thoughts on what he says.
snikta
I disagree with Mr. Corker's stated position on some issues, like abortion and the Iraq war. But he did vote to increase the federal minimum wage, while my representative in the House did not. Shame on you, Rep. Davis. Both TN Senators voted "Yea" on the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007. I am thankful for that. I look forward with interest (mixed with a small amount of hope and a little trepidation) to hearing what the Senator has to say this afternoon. I shall post later with my thoughts on what he says.
snikta
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Short post
Thank you, Representative Campfield. While I disagree strongly with most everything you say, you obviously put a lot of effort into your position, and people like you help me practice patience. That said...
What do you support? I see your opposition to the Governor and his policies, and to the Democratic party in general, but I don't see what you stand for. I am not a constituent, so I have no expectation of an answer. (If I REALLY wanted an answer, I would email the Rep. I am just posting it here.) I don't beleive that we need to have an alternative plan in order to complain, but I do kind of expect our elected leaders to go further than just saying "I don't like it." I would like to see his bill regarding issuing death certificates for aborted fetuses pulled. I will be contacting my repsentatives asking them to oppose it if it should ever get a vote. If you don't know about it-this is a bad bill. It's bad because it doesn't do what the Rep says. It's bad because it only divides us from each other. It's bad because it is not a stretch of the imagination to see this being used to harm women.
It is wonderful for people to oppose abortion. They have every right to do so. They need to be honest about their objectives when they do so, however. Stacey Campfield is trying to use his position in the General Assembly to take a sneaky swipe at abortion-and that is wrong.
Abortion is a legal and safe medical procedure. As such, it deserves the same treatment as any other. Leave abortion to those whom it affects. Let's stop trying to reverse Roe vs. Wade, or making thinly veiled attempts to get information about who is having abortions. If you just want to know how many (like you say), that info is available. If you want to know about statistics such as race and age and geography, it's not really your business, but do a study.
For a very good perspective on this issue and other issues facing (mostly) women, check out Women's Health News. The blogger is a friend of mine, and always makes valid points.
snikta
What do you support? I see your opposition to the Governor and his policies, and to the Democratic party in general, but I don't see what you stand for. I am not a constituent, so I have no expectation of an answer. (If I REALLY wanted an answer, I would email the Rep. I am just posting it here.) I don't beleive that we need to have an alternative plan in order to complain, but I do kind of expect our elected leaders to go further than just saying "I don't like it." I would like to see his bill regarding issuing death certificates for aborted fetuses pulled. I will be contacting my repsentatives asking them to oppose it if it should ever get a vote. If you don't know about it-this is a bad bill. It's bad because it doesn't do what the Rep says. It's bad because it only divides us from each other. It's bad because it is not a stretch of the imagination to see this being used to harm women.
It is wonderful for people to oppose abortion. They have every right to do so. They need to be honest about their objectives when they do so, however. Stacey Campfield is trying to use his position in the General Assembly to take a sneaky swipe at abortion-and that is wrong.
Abortion is a legal and safe medical procedure. As such, it deserves the same treatment as any other. Leave abortion to those whom it affects. Let's stop trying to reverse Roe vs. Wade, or making thinly veiled attempts to get information about who is having abortions. If you just want to know how many (like you say), that info is available. If you want to know about statistics such as race and age and geography, it's not really your business, but do a study.
For a very good perspective on this issue and other issues facing (mostly) women, check out Women's Health News. The blogger is a friend of mine, and always makes valid points.
snikta
Thursday, February 15, 2007
commentary
**Note: this post is in response to a comment I read on Cup of Joe Powell. I was going to leave a comment of my own, but it just kept getting longer and longer, so I made it a post of my own. I do recommend this blog, though he occasionally gets his info from a biased source. So, without further ado, my post. . .
When will they learn? There is no way to defeat terrorism. The very act of fighting terrorism creates terrorists.
This is a problem whose only solutions are through words. The way to resolve this issue is through some combination of diplomats, civic organizations, and religious leaders. One of the biggest hurdles on the path to peace is the attitudes we all bring to the table. We cannot approach this issue with a closed mind (on either side), or failure is emminent. A fanatic CAN be reasoned with, but only when you and he both realize that you were created by the same God (or Allah-just different names for the same figure) with the same care and love, and that He doesn't favor one person over another. We need to come to the realization that we are not fighting Islam, we are fighting people. To claim that we are fighting Islam leads to the conclusion that this is another Crusade, and I think we all agree that the Crusades were not in accord with Christian beliefs.
Like many Americans, I was in support of the war before it started. I believed that the government in Iraq was actively seeking to do harm to us, and I was a little excited (I'll admit). Since then, though, we have learned so much:
We have learned that Iraq had no capacity to harm us or their neighbors. We learned that Iraq was not engaged in a program that would give them that capacity. We learned that there was no connection between Iraq and al-Qa'ida (though there is now-thanks to us). So we waged war based on contrived "evidence" that we were to be attacked again one of these days. What we don't hear enough of is that this war was waged in violation of international laws.
We invaded a sovereign nation, that had neither harmed nor threatened to harm anyone. Then we removed a democratically elected leader and arrested him for crimes that he did not commit. Yes- the election was rigged, and there was no chance of Saddam losing it, but our own elections are also corrupt. Yes- Saddam did commit horrible crimes against many thousands of people, and he stood trial and paid the price for those crimes. But what have we gained from this flaunting of international law?
Nothing.
We are not safer. So we haven't had a terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11/01. That's 5 years and change. When was the last foreign terrorist attack on U.S. soil before that? Wasn't it in 1993? We didn't go on a global rampage after the WTC was attacked then, and we went 8 years without a foreign attack. And to say that the U.S. hasn't been the victim of an attack since 2001 is just inaccurate. We are attacked every day in Iraq.
To say that the terrorists will follow us home if we leave Iraq is nothing more than fear-mongering. I think we've had enough of that; what we need now is honest discussion. We need facts-not rhetoric.
We got off to a good start in Afghanistan, but we didn't finish. We just moved on to Iraq, and now Afghanistan faces a real threat from the Taliban. We overthrew the Taliban (which WAS a dangerous government) five years ago. Shouldn't Afghanistan be better off by now? Afghanistan has virtually no capacity to ensure public health, and medical care is almost non-existant. But what are we doing about it?
Also nothing.
Just like the Iraqi people, the Afghani people are worse off since our "help". Let's look for a diplomatic solution to Iraq, because there is no military one. Let's take care of the people we can take care of. Let's start here at home. Let's finish the job in Afghanistan. Let's finish the job in New Orleans. Let's fix our health care system. Let's fix Social Security. Let's urge and help our southern neighbors to create good-paying jobs, so that their citizens can stay at home and still make a living. Let's do something about global warming. Let's legislate higher CAFE standards for cars AND trucks. There is no reason that we should think of 20 mpg as good, even for a pick-up truck. Let's increase funding for embryonic stem-cell research, because that science has the possibility to cure diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and Diabetes. Let's do something about the ongoing genocide in Darfur, or the AIDS epidemic in Africa. Let's work to end hunger and poverty.
The war in Iraq is a waste of our resources. The last thing we should be doing is sending more of our brave soldiers to fight in a civil war. We certainly cannot cut off funding for our troops who are there right now, but I would like to see Congress refuse funding for any escalation of the war.
snikta
When will they learn? There is no way to defeat terrorism. The very act of fighting terrorism creates terrorists.
This is a problem whose only solutions are through words. The way to resolve this issue is through some combination of diplomats, civic organizations, and religious leaders. One of the biggest hurdles on the path to peace is the attitudes we all bring to the table. We cannot approach this issue with a closed mind (on either side), or failure is emminent. A fanatic CAN be reasoned with, but only when you and he both realize that you were created by the same God (or Allah-just different names for the same figure) with the same care and love, and that He doesn't favor one person over another. We need to come to the realization that we are not fighting Islam, we are fighting people. To claim that we are fighting Islam leads to the conclusion that this is another Crusade, and I think we all agree that the Crusades were not in accord with Christian beliefs.
Like many Americans, I was in support of the war before it started. I believed that the government in Iraq was actively seeking to do harm to us, and I was a little excited (I'll admit). Since then, though, we have learned so much:
We have learned that Iraq had no capacity to harm us or their neighbors. We learned that Iraq was not engaged in a program that would give them that capacity. We learned that there was no connection between Iraq and al-Qa'ida (though there is now-thanks to us). So we waged war based on contrived "evidence" that we were to be attacked again one of these days. What we don't hear enough of is that this war was waged in violation of international laws.
We invaded a sovereign nation, that had neither harmed nor threatened to harm anyone. Then we removed a democratically elected leader and arrested him for crimes that he did not commit. Yes- the election was rigged, and there was no chance of Saddam losing it, but our own elections are also corrupt. Yes- Saddam did commit horrible crimes against many thousands of people, and he stood trial and paid the price for those crimes. But what have we gained from this flaunting of international law?
Nothing.
We are not safer. So we haven't had a terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11/01. That's 5 years and change. When was the last foreign terrorist attack on U.S. soil before that? Wasn't it in 1993? We didn't go on a global rampage after the WTC was attacked then, and we went 8 years without a foreign attack. And to say that the U.S. hasn't been the victim of an attack since 2001 is just inaccurate. We are attacked every day in Iraq.
To say that the terrorists will follow us home if we leave Iraq is nothing more than fear-mongering. I think we've had enough of that; what we need now is honest discussion. We need facts-not rhetoric.
We got off to a good start in Afghanistan, but we didn't finish. We just moved on to Iraq, and now Afghanistan faces a real threat from the Taliban. We overthrew the Taliban (which WAS a dangerous government) five years ago. Shouldn't Afghanistan be better off by now? Afghanistan has virtually no capacity to ensure public health, and medical care is almost non-existant. But what are we doing about it?
Also nothing.
Just like the Iraqi people, the Afghani people are worse off since our "help". Let's look for a diplomatic solution to Iraq, because there is no military one. Let's take care of the people we can take care of. Let's start here at home. Let's finish the job in Afghanistan. Let's finish the job in New Orleans. Let's fix our health care system. Let's fix Social Security. Let's urge and help our southern neighbors to create good-paying jobs, so that their citizens can stay at home and still make a living. Let's do something about global warming. Let's legislate higher CAFE standards for cars AND trucks. There is no reason that we should think of 20 mpg as good, even for a pick-up truck. Let's increase funding for embryonic stem-cell research, because that science has the possibility to cure diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and Diabetes. Let's do something about the ongoing genocide in Darfur, or the AIDS epidemic in Africa. Let's work to end hunger and poverty.
The war in Iraq is a waste of our resources. The last thing we should be doing is sending more of our brave soldiers to fight in a civil war. We certainly cannot cut off funding for our troops who are there right now, but I would like to see Congress refuse funding for any escalation of the war.
snikta
Thursday, August 31, 2006
QUIT MONKEYIN' AROUND
While surfing the web this morning I came across an ad for the site CareerBuilder.com. It was a banner with a picture of a chimp and the copy read "Only zookeepers should have to work with monkeys." Now, I've seen this ad campaign before online, in print and on TV, but this time it made me mad (well, it bothered me a little). Maybe it was because I was online and could let them know how I feel about their ads easily that I decided I would tell them. I mean, come on! I'm not gonna get up off the couch, go to the computer, dial up (I know, I know), open a browser window (Firefox, of course), go to their website, look for the number, log off, and then call them when I see one of those commercials on TV. That's a lot of trouble for something that really doesn't matter at all (plus they are kind of funny). But it was easy here at work with a high-speed connection and a fast computer to go to their page, click on the link to leave a comment and give them a piece of my mind. They actually responded (now I'm getting to the point of my story) to my comment! They didn't just send an auto response to say "we got your comment, thanks a bunch!", but they ADDRESSED my comments in their email. This is the email I got:
A Better Job Awaits indeed! Calling things by the wrong name and writing smart-assed emails to people you don't know.
Did you know that I got stung by a yellow-jacket Sunday? I sure did. I was mowing the lawn, and one of them stung me on the back of my left leg, just above the ankle. He didn't fly away after, either. I looked down and there he was, on the back of my leg with his ass stuck in me. So I smashed his head and pulled the stinger out. Now the back of my lower left leg is all swollen and ITCHES. Damn!
snikta
PS-Blogger's spell-checker didn't recognize the word monkeyin' and wanted to replace it with monogamy. I think that's funny. It also wanted to replace fuck with Fuji, but that's not humerous.
OK. Is Kelly a bitch, or am I taking her the wrong way? You know, Kelly, this didn't cause me any inconvenience. I didn't wreck my car over it or anything. And what's with the capitalization of "Chimpanzees" and "Apes" in her response? What, are we writing in German? (All nouns are capitalized in written German) And it's not just the chimps used in the ads that are apes, but ALL chimpanzees are apes. And if I hold a focus group, can I call anything whatever I want just because that name tested to be more popular than the real one? I drive a Toyota, but I now call it a Bugatti. I held a focus group (just now) and Bugatti tested to be more popular than Toyota. You (I'm addressing CareerBuilder now) "commend" me on my "knowledge of primatology"? What-the-fuck-ever.
This email is in response to a question you submitted to CareerBuilder.com. Please do not consider this email as spam. To respond with further information, please click the link at the bottom of the email. On 8/30/2006 you posed a question to CareerBuilder.com which was noted as inquiry 322680. The question you posed and our response are listed below. Your Question, Comment or Feedback: Feedback: I am sure this is not the first comment regarding this issue, but...THOSE ARE NOT MONKEYS IN YOUR ADS!!! Chimpanzees are apes. Monkeys have tails; apes do not. Response: Dear snikta, Thank you for contacting Careerbuilder.com. I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. We are aware that the Chimpanzees that we use in our advertisements are actually Apes. We call them Monkeys instead as that name was tested to be more popular even though it is incorrect. We do appreciate you taking the time to write us however and commend you on your knowledge of primatology. If you have any additional questions or comments, please let us know. We are available on the web at http://www.fuzeqna.com/careerbuilder/consumer/question.asp or by phone at 1-866-438-1485, 8:00 am to 9:00 pm Monday through Friday and 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm Saturday and Sunday (Eastern Time). Good luck with your search! Try our new automated online assistant! Available 24hrs a day, 7 days a week! To Ask Careerbuilder, click here: http://www.careerbuilder.com/cbchat/redirout.aspx Do you want to learn how to navigate our site better? Take a look at our Jobseeker Online User Guide: http://www.fuzeqna.com/careerbuilder/consumer/search.asp?catID=44 For additional free career related information please click on the following link: http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobseeker/careerbytes/
Sincerely, Kelly (I deleted her last name)
Customer Service Representative CareerBuilder.com
A Better Job Awaits!
(I deleted her phone number, too.)
Customer Service Please use the link below to respond with further information if applicable. You may need to cut and paste the entire link (it may span two lines) into the address line of your web browser. http://www.fuzeqna.com/careerbuilder/consumer/clarify.asp?-
incidentID=%7BC80C862A-6877-4929-8907-8642E507FF2C%7D
A Better Job Awaits indeed! Calling things by the wrong name and writing smart-assed emails to people you don't know.
Did you know that I got stung by a yellow-jacket Sunday? I sure did. I was mowing the lawn, and one of them stung me on the back of my left leg, just above the ankle. He didn't fly away after, either. I looked down and there he was, on the back of my leg with his ass stuck in me. So I smashed his head and pulled the stinger out. Now the back of my lower left leg is all swollen and ITCHES. Damn!
snikta
PS-Blogger's spell-checker didn't recognize the word monkeyin' and wanted to replace it with monogamy. I think that's funny. It also wanted to replace fuck with Fuji, but that's not humerous.
Friday, July 28, 2006
That's a bunch of hooey...
I just overheard that phrase (just now) and decided it would make a good title-not that this post is just a bunch of hooey. Well, then again. . .
THINGS I LIKE ABOUT TENNESSEE
1. Trees. There are lots of trees and grass and flowering and non-flowering plants that grow very easily here-I guess I should have said green plants instead of just "trees."
2. The cost of living is VERY low. I live (with J and C, of course) in a 3-bedroom house on a 1/3-acre lot, and pay only $550 per month for rent. By comparison, my brother lives in a 3-bedroom house on less than 1/4-acre in San Diego, and pays $1885. And his yard is dirt, just dirt. My yard is lush green grass (too lush-I need to mow it).
3. I don't know. There is more, but I have to go. I'll finish this list later.
4. Three Presidents have been from TN (see, this page is educational, not just my incoherent babble) : 1) Andrew Jackson, who was a hero of the War of 1812 (actually he was a hero of the Battle of New Orleans, which took place after the war was officially over) but then made a historical ASS of himself by marching the Native Americans (Indians, American Indians-whatever you call them) to Oklahoma to get rid of them. 2) Andrew Johnson was also from TN. He was Lincoln's VP, and helped "put the country back together" after the Civil War. For his efforts, he was almost impeached. God! aren't we on a roll. 3) James K. Polk, whose Presidency was far less controversial, and much more productive, than the other two, brought Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona and New Mexico into the United States. All three of them were born in North Carolina-of course, only Andrew Johnson was born after there even WAS a TN to be born in.
5. Tennessee has been fairly prominent in our nation's history. Beside the three presidents, that is. I'm not going to go into it, though.
6. This list is starting to bore me.
hi ho hi ho, it's back to work I go
snikta
THINGS I LIKE ABOUT TENNESSEE
1. Trees. There are lots of trees and grass and flowering and non-flowering plants that grow very easily here-I guess I should have said green plants instead of just "trees."
2. The cost of living is VERY low. I live (with J and C, of course) in a 3-bedroom house on a 1/3-acre lot, and pay only $550 per month for rent. By comparison, my brother lives in a 3-bedroom house on less than 1/4-acre in San Diego, and pays $1885. And his yard is dirt, just dirt. My yard is lush green grass (too lush-I need to mow it).
3. I don't know. There is more, but I have to go. I'll finish this list later.
4. Three Presidents have been from TN (see, this page is educational, not just my incoherent babble) : 1) Andrew Jackson, who was a hero of the War of 1812 (actually he was a hero of the Battle of New Orleans, which took place after the war was officially over) but then made a historical ASS of himself by marching the Native Americans (Indians, American Indians-whatever you call them) to Oklahoma to get rid of them. 2) Andrew Johnson was also from TN. He was Lincoln's VP, and helped "put the country back together" after the Civil War. For his efforts, he was almost impeached. God! aren't we on a roll. 3) James K. Polk, whose Presidency was far less controversial, and much more productive, than the other two, brought Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona and New Mexico into the United States. All three of them were born in North Carolina-of course, only Andrew Johnson was born after there even WAS a TN to be born in.
5. Tennessee has been fairly prominent in our nation's history. Beside the three presidents, that is. I'm not going to go into it, though.
6. This list is starting to bore me.
hi ho hi ho, it's back to work I go
snikta
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
I'm getting ready to go vote. I SO like early voting! It's wonderful to be able to walk right up, check in and then go vote. No waiting on a machine, no making sure you're in the appropriate line for someone whose last name begins with the letter yours does and then going back to the end of the other line because you were in the wrong one. Now, voting here on election day isn't all that bad- this isn't one of the places you heard about in 2004 where people would wait in line all day to vote, only to have to go home because the polling station closed before they got to the front of the line. All the same, it is a lot more convenient to early vote. I would recommend that anyone who lives in an area where it is an option do it (vote early). You know what they say: "Vote early, and vote often!"
BACHELOR PAD
My wife (let's call her J) and daughter (we'll call her C) and mother-in-law (we'll call her Mother-in-law) are going to Atlanta on Thursday to visit the aquarium. That should be fun. I think they'll have a nice time, too. They are going down on Thursday (as I said three seconds ago) and coming back Friday. Not a long trip, but still...
I don't have any plans. Maybe there's a decent band playing somewhere in Knoxville that I can go see (hear? Not much point in going to SEE a band, is there?). I found a cool site that lists the happenings and other thing to do in K'ville, so I will look for something to do. Or, maybe I will sit at home and update this. No, I won't-I'm lame, but not that lame.
BOOKS
I am right now (not actually this second) reading Travels with Charlie in Search of America, by John Steinbeck. (I know, I know. It's nice to be at the leading edge of American literature.) I'm enjoying it enough. It's certainly more sane traveling with John than Jack (Kerouac). I wonder if Steinbeck read On the Road and thought "That is not the way to travel at all. I think I'll show 'em how to take a trip across the US." It's easy to see the differences in the two. Kerouac set off with what, no money? Very little, anyway. Steinbeck prepared for months: he ordered a custom-made vehicle and outfitted it against all foreseeable obstacles. It would be very safe to go somewhere with Steinbeck, but how much fun would Jack Kerouac be? Man!
TRAVELS
I've been a few places in my lifetime. I was born in Chicago, but left there to move here when I was two years old, so I don't remember it. "Here" is Backwards-Red-State-Conservative-Heaven, TN (real near Knoxville). My mother grew up just south of Atlanta, where her mother lived until the mid-nineties, so many a Thanksgiving and Easter and spring break were spent there as a kid. My father grew up in Cleveland, OH, and we made a few trips there, as well. His parents moved to south FL eventually, so many a spring break have I spent there as well. My brother lives in San Diego, and we went there in May. God, that is a NICE place. Don't get me wrong, this is a beautiful area. Lots of green in the spring and summer, fall leaves, mountains, lakes, streams and the like. But the people here. It's not like there are a few people I encounter with whom I don't see eye-to-eye. I disagree deeply with most everyone around here. You hear about "southern hospitality," but you don't see much of it anymore. Sure, people are nice if they know you; but if they don't-not so much. California is where I want to be (so why don't I load up the truck and move to Beverly (Hills, that is)?).
digression--C, who is 6, likes to watch old TV shows. I Love Lucy is her favorite, but she's OK with The Beverly Hillbillies. She calls it the "Bubbly" Hillbillies, however. Say that out loud to yourself a few times: bubbly hillbillies, bubbly hillbillies, bubbly hillbillies...
Actually, Europe is the nicest place I have been. Amsterdam was nice, but I don't speak Flemish, and they didn't seem to speak too much English. Germany is nice, and I can carry on a conversation auf Deutsch. Paris is great (and the people were really nice), London is a really cool place (Londoners were not as nice-but for someone, like me, who loves punk, London is Mecca), but Switzerland was AMAZING. It's got it all: scenery, German-speaking people, great skiing and BEER, lots of it! My German came in quite handy one day in Paris (where one would think being able to speak German would be rather unnecessary). I went down to the hotel bar, and the bartender spoke only French (great! I know like 10 words in French). The man next to me turned out to be from Belgium, so he spoke French, but not English. It turns out he did speak German, though. So, through this stranger, I was able to converse with the bartender and get pretty drunk on creme de menthe (it took a LOT of creme de menthe, but he was drinking it himself, and poured it free for me. I'm not one to turn down free alcohol all that often.)
I also traveled with J to visit her parents when they lived in a little town south of Mexico City (they are divorced now, and her mother lives here-he got transferred to China a couple of years ago). Mexico was alright, but it's very poor. That's one reason I don't have a huge problem with illegal immigration. Mexico is sooooo poor, and there is no opportunity there to better oneself. Sure, we send our factory jobs down there, but the reason we do is to pay them $100 a month to work in our factories, and their government does nothing to help improve things. I can't find fault with a person who, faced with a future so bleak and fruitless, sneaks across the border in hopes of finding a job where he can make enough money to get a little bit ahead, and his kids can get educated, so that they won't have to work all their lives for next to nothing. I know it's illegal, and we need to respect the laws we have written, but this is a country of immigrants. Native peoples are now minorities in the US. I know there are people here who are unemployed and need jobs, but I truly believe that illegals take jobs Americans won't. Some argue that they pose a public health problem with all their diseases, and that one is simply not true. They are not a disproportionate strain on the economy. Many of them pay social security and Medicare taxes that they can never hope to recoup, and all of them pay sales and use taxes when they purchase goods and services. In short, there are many more urgent problems facing our nation right now.
Look at that. I squandered my whole lunch hour. Oh, well. Let's go vote!
snikta
BACHELOR PAD
My wife (let's call her J) and daughter (we'll call her C) and mother-in-law (we'll call her Mother-in-law) are going to Atlanta on Thursday to visit the aquarium. That should be fun. I think they'll have a nice time, too. They are going down on Thursday (as I said three seconds ago) and coming back Friday. Not a long trip, but still...
I don't have any plans. Maybe there's a decent band playing somewhere in Knoxville that I can go see (hear? Not much point in going to SEE a band, is there?). I found a cool site that lists the happenings and other thing to do in K'ville, so I will look for something to do. Or, maybe I will sit at home and update this. No, I won't-I'm lame, but not that lame.
BOOKS
I am right now (not actually this second) reading Travels with Charlie in Search of America, by John Steinbeck. (I know, I know. It's nice to be at the leading edge of American literature.) I'm enjoying it enough. It's certainly more sane traveling with John than Jack (Kerouac). I wonder if Steinbeck read On the Road and thought "That is not the way to travel at all. I think I'll show 'em how to take a trip across the US." It's easy to see the differences in the two. Kerouac set off with what, no money? Very little, anyway. Steinbeck prepared for months: he ordered a custom-made vehicle and outfitted it against all foreseeable obstacles. It would be very safe to go somewhere with Steinbeck, but how much fun would Jack Kerouac be? Man!
TRAVELS
I've been a few places in my lifetime. I was born in Chicago, but left there to move here when I was two years old, so I don't remember it. "Here" is Backwards-Red-State-Conservative-Heaven, TN (real near Knoxville). My mother grew up just south of Atlanta, where her mother lived until the mid-nineties, so many a Thanksgiving and Easter and spring break were spent there as a kid. My father grew up in Cleveland, OH, and we made a few trips there, as well. His parents moved to south FL eventually, so many a spring break have I spent there as well. My brother lives in San Diego, and we went there in May. God, that is a NICE place. Don't get me wrong, this is a beautiful area. Lots of green in the spring and summer, fall leaves, mountains, lakes, streams and the like. But the people here. It's not like there are a few people I encounter with whom I don't see eye-to-eye. I disagree deeply with most everyone around here. You hear about "southern hospitality," but you don't see much of it anymore. Sure, people are nice if they know you; but if they don't-not so much. California is where I want to be (so why don't I load up the truck and move to Beverly (Hills, that is)?).
digression--C, who is 6, likes to watch old TV shows. I Love Lucy is her favorite, but she's OK with The Beverly Hillbillies. She calls it the "Bubbly" Hillbillies, however. Say that out loud to yourself a few times: bubbly hillbillies, bubbly hillbillies, bubbly hillbillies...
Actually, Europe is the nicest place I have been. Amsterdam was nice, but I don't speak Flemish, and they didn't seem to speak too much English. Germany is nice, and I can carry on a conversation auf Deutsch. Paris is great (and the people were really nice), London is a really cool place (Londoners were not as nice-but for someone, like me, who loves punk, London is Mecca), but Switzerland was AMAZING. It's got it all: scenery, German-speaking people, great skiing and BEER, lots of it! My German came in quite handy one day in Paris (where one would think being able to speak German would be rather unnecessary). I went down to the hotel bar, and the bartender spoke only French (great! I know like 10 words in French). The man next to me turned out to be from Belgium, so he spoke French, but not English. It turns out he did speak German, though. So, through this stranger, I was able to converse with the bartender and get pretty drunk on creme de menthe (it took a LOT of creme de menthe, but he was drinking it himself, and poured it free for me. I'm not one to turn down free alcohol all that often.)
I also traveled with J to visit her parents when they lived in a little town south of Mexico City (they are divorced now, and her mother lives here-he got transferred to China a couple of years ago). Mexico was alright, but it's very poor. That's one reason I don't have a huge problem with illegal immigration. Mexico is sooooo poor, and there is no opportunity there to better oneself. Sure, we send our factory jobs down there, but the reason we do is to pay them $100 a month to work in our factories, and their government does nothing to help improve things. I can't find fault with a person who, faced with a future so bleak and fruitless, sneaks across the border in hopes of finding a job where he can make enough money to get a little bit ahead, and his kids can get educated, so that they won't have to work all their lives for next to nothing. I know it's illegal, and we need to respect the laws we have written, but this is a country of immigrants. Native peoples are now minorities in the US. I know there are people here who are unemployed and need jobs, but I truly believe that illegals take jobs Americans won't. Some argue that they pose a public health problem with all their diseases, and that one is simply not true. They are not a disproportionate strain on the economy. Many of them pay social security and Medicare taxes that they can never hope to recoup, and all of them pay sales and use taxes when they purchase goods and services. In short, there are many more urgent problems facing our nation right now.
Look at that. I squandered my whole lunch hour. Oh, well. Let's go vote!
snikta
Saturday, July 15, 2006
I'm in awe! One can actually grill things in the microwave!
I just made one of those Stouffers Corner Bistro paninis, and it actually has grill marks. It didn't have grill marks before I cooked it. I checked. (In case you're wondering, I didn't decide to start blogging because of this new technological advancement-it just happens to be sitting on my desk, so I am writing about it.)
A little about me:
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Brown
Height: 5'10"
No, I'm not reading my driver's license. Hair color and age aren't listed on TN licenses. My God! Am I boring or what? Let's see...I am a liberal who lives in the Bible belt, and works in a county government office. My boss is a Republican. All my co-workers are Republicans. And Baptist. The conservativism in here is palpable.
Someone asked me today if I really believe in gay rights. (This is someone I work with, not some random person asking random questions of random strangers.) "Of course," I said. "God makes people gay-who are we to take their rights away?" I didn't intend to be poetic, it just came out that way. Anyway, his look of complete shock (shock and awe in the same blog post! (see above)) was priceless. He didn't respond, just walked away. I assume he was speaking of marriage rights for gay people, not voting and free speech.
POLITICS
I guess partly because of my particular affiliations, we don't discuss politics much at work (yes, my boss IS a politician). Well, we don't discuss national politics very much. People who disagree--strongly--on political issues really shouldn't discuss them. I'm pro-choice, for example, while my co-workers are pro-life.
digression- What poor labels those are. Because I'm pro-choice, I should not be thought of as not pro-life. Is not a person who is on the opposite side of an issue from those who are pro-something logically anti-something? I am not anti-life at all. I rather enjoy having life. So, then, shouldn't we call it pro-choice and anti-choice? That's much more accurate. What about anti-freedom?
I'll talk (write, type- whatever) more about my personal politics later.
Right now it's raining like a bitch and I need to get back to work.
snikta
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)