Quick Post

Today I am heading to Danbury, Wisconsin for the public opening of a casino to replace Hole in the Wall. The new location will apparently be called St. Croix Casino and Hotel Danbury or something to that effect. Honestly, I am glad that I have an opening to attend. I am not really in the mood to work in the office, so this comes at an opportune time. Since Heather works tonight, I forced myself to not bring my camera, against my better judgment. If I have my camera in hand, I may not make it home early enough for Heather to make it to work on time. I know, I know... but if I see a photo opportunity, I have to take it. If I don't bring my camera, I am absolutely certain I will miss something I want to shoot. On the other hand, traveling for one day without my camera manages my temptation to photograph for hours. It does feel like I left a part of me at home today. [sigh...]

I heard somewhere that if the first thing you want to do in the morning is to grab your camera, if the last thing you want to do at night is to photograph the sunset, then you are meant to be a photographer. The thing is, I don't just want to grab my camera... I have to do it. I just can't help myself. I need to photograph the world!

Thank God I am a photographer!

On the Road Again

I am in a hotel in west central South Dakota. My destination tomorrow is Deadwood where two of my techs work. I can't complain about traveling, because some employees travel more than I do. Further, I do not travel as much as I did when I was a field tech. I miss our beautiful boys when I am traveling. The good thing is that coming home is always a sweet reward. I will see Heather and the boys Friday, so that is cool beans, as Heather would say.


I had a reservation at this hotel. I even contacted the hotel to let them know that I would have a late check-in. When I showed up here, my room was given to someone else. Fortunately, there was a single room still available. Unfortunately for the hotel, it was the king Jacuzzi suite and I got that room for the cheapo rate charged for a standard room. Good for the payer, bad for the payee. For me, this is a "Whoohoo!" moment. I get to enjoy this one facet of being on the road, especially since I was driving most of 12 hours today. The stinky part is that Heather is busy with classes, and the boys are with a sitter during the day while Heather is in class. As a result, I am on the road without my family. But my techs have to be away from their families, so I shouldn't necessarily expect anything different. I manage better by not being too far removed from the things that the techs go through doing their jobs. That is what I think.


That doesn't remove the fact that I am far from my family. I don't like it, but it is a necessary part of the job. I know, I know... homecoming is much sweeter because I am out here on my own.


Time to wrap up my final for this class and call it a night!

The First Week is Almost Over and I am Sticking With It (So Far)

Okay, I know that it has only been six days, but so far I have really stuck with it. Should I be impressed with myself? I think not. In the past, I have tried this and stuck with it for a week or two. This time, I am showing Heather what I am doing and she finds my food intake interesting to see.  Heather is very supportive! The ironic thing is that all the whole foods I am eating make me feel like I never stop eating! I still want to make some changes in my diet, but one step at a time, I am doing that. I look forward to my knees feeling good and being able to keep up with my sons for years to come!

I am heading on a road trip to the Dakotas tomorrow for five days to visit the techs and customers in Deadwood, South Dakota, with a few additional customer visits during the drive. I will be dining in restaurants and from a cooler. I really hope that I can stick with it during this week. I feel like this will be a good test for me. The fact that the program has both a browser-based site and a mobile-based site is helpful.  I can check the food out from a smart phone OR from a computer, before or after I eat.  The plan database is comprehensive, with 50,000 food listings.  I do wish that the database had more foods for Perkins, since I will likely encounter those more than any restaurant. This program forces me to plan ahead so I know what I can eat and remain within my guidelines for that day. I could go over if I want, but I don't want to exceed my program guidelines. I have stayed true to the program for six days, and I don't want to exceed the parameters. I feel that if I do it once, it gets easier to ignore the guidelines in the future, and becomes a slippery slope to failure. I just don't want to go there!

Today, I went out to dinner for the first time since I started the program (to Perkins), courtesy of my mother-in-law for a belated Fathers' Day meal (thank you, Mom/Laura!!!)  I did pretty well, or at least I hope I did. I kept it to 750 calories for the entree (salmon dijon), the bread and rice (I wish it was brown rice, instead of white) and the salad, with dressing. Why do they always serve the refined white rice instead of the vitamin-rich and fiber-gifted brown or wild rice? The funny thing is that about halfway through my food, I started thinking that I had an awful lot of food to eat. I used to live for the Chinese buffet and at least 3 plates of MSG-loaded food. I hope my stomach is shrinking and telling me not to eat too much!

I wonder if I will ever look at buffets the same way again? Honestly, I kind of hope not, though when I go to the store, I see so many food temptations everywhere (mostly the refined sugar junk food, chips, and chocolate) that I really love to eat. I will start eating those foods again, but in much smaller doses, and not for a while, probably not until after the tempting, calorie-intensive Christmas holiday season this year. I know, everyone says that you have to allow yourself to eat junk food or you will want to binge. For me, the best approach is to avoid the foods completely until I get that junk-food mindset completely reprogrammed. That is going to take a while, and I am on-board with this health kick as long as it takes to meet (and exceed?) my goals! Honestly, if I want to really watch what I eat, especially the calories, I have to continue with the program. I am moving in the right direction so I think I am going to stick with it!

To the people who have been positive and supportive, thank you!  This approach sort of reminds me that this is a marathon, not a sprint.  Nobody wins by quitting in the middle! 

On to week two of the program...

Doing Something New and Taking Care of Myself

Today I started doing something new.  I began using this program basead around an online community of people trying to get fit and trim.  You can share as much or as little as you want about yourself.  I am sharing just enough to allow helpful interactions with other users who only know me online. On the other hand, telling a few people in my life about it creates an additional reason to succeed. Who likes to fail at something like this? Nobody!  Telling a few people in my life creates an awareness and a spotlight that creates accountability.  I can work with this, knowing that at least a few people are paying attention.

So, this is the program and how it works, in a nutshell. You keep a food diary, listing every single thing that you eat every day.  The diary breaks down your food intake to include the basic nutrients you are taking in, and details include calories, fat (total, saturated, and trans), cholesterol, sodium, carbs, fiber, sugar, protein and calcium.  The program also makes recommendations for your calorie limit for the day. The site has enough interactions with users that it keeps you focused on where you are going and why.  For instance, to move from the first levels (Bronze 1 to Bronze 2 and 3, and then on to Silver and Gold), you have to complete certain tasks. These tasks include listing barriers to healthy eating and triggers for junk food eating. On the flip side, you create short-term, intermediate, and long-term goals and motivators. The program regularly fires off emails to you to get you to participate so that you can advance and stay motivated. 

My initial reaction is that this really can work.  But it only works if a user commits to doing this, and I mean, really, really commits to it, day in and day out. When you log your food on a diary, it causes you to be accountable and to really think, not just about your calorie count but about how you view food and eating.  It creates a "big picture" mindset and make you consider the food you eat... or overeat.  The program doesn't hound you if you exceed your calorie recommendation for that day. For each participant, it is your program, and your gain or loss if you are not sticking with it. I am trying to view this as the beginning of a new mindset about food.  I want to stick with this for a long, long time... at least until I rewire my mind and body to stay fit and strong.  My sons are growing so fast, I will not be able to keep up, so I need to kick it into gear!

The Political Persuasion of The Daily Show (Part 2)

A classmate stated, "I can definitely agree that he [Stewart] does not have a political agenda, because he spent the majority of his time making a mockery of politicians."  That declarative statement begs for critical analysis:   Are you sure that he does not have a political agenda, despite the fact that he mocks politicians? To answer that question with a degree of veracity requires some study to establish a trend. Watching the show one day probably does not give adequate exposure to the content to declare that he either does have a political agenda or he has no bias. What I would suggest is that to rule out the possibility of a clear bias or to establish the slant of his bias, if any, a quantifying study of content would be needed.

A study of this type would consider the political party of all guests who were politicians and all stories focusing on politicians. It would need to be conducted over a period of time, perhaps a month or a season of the show. Maybe Jon Stewart was a bit grouchy one day, and his sarcasm was over-the-top on that occasion. To rule out things like the influence of mood (since Jon Stewart is human and subject to human nature), the study would need to compile this information over an extended period of time, not a single day.

Even one day can help to make a somewhat informed decision in search of a political agenda for the purpose of discussion, but lacks credibility because of the variability of human condition to which Jon Stewart is subject. However, a single day of viewing lacks the content immersion required to establish a trend that lends credibility to a declarative statement that a TV host is clearly pushing an ideological agenda as a deliberate attempt to indoctrinate the viewers.

After the study is completed, it would be instructive to see quantified results. For instance, if Jon Stewart picks on Republicans like Sarah Palin, Bobby Jindal, Haley Barbour, and Michelle Bachmann day after day, month after month, but never gives a modicum of equal time to lampooning Democrats like Barack Obama, Harry Reid, Hillary Clinton, or Nancy Pelosi, can a person say that there is clearly no political agenda because Jon Stewart spent the majority of his time mocking politicians? Does he fairly distribute the mockery among prominent politicians without regard to political affiliation or ideological bent?

To echo a statement from part one of this discussion, the challenge is in judging what constitutes bias. How do a TV host and his viewers collectively establish a centrist perspective that would be completely apolitical? One person’s bias is another person’s reality.

The Political Persuasion of The Daily Show

In my current class focusing on media influence on society, we are discussing sarcasm and irony used by the media as part of healthy political discourse in society. One of the prime examples of irony given by the facilitator is The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. This is part of my discussion with the class about that program. What do you think?

From my viewpoint, it is difficult to dispute the fact that Jon Stewart does have a political bias. I don’t really have a problem with it, because the bias seems clear to me and I can filter my perceptions about the show using my acknowledgement that the program is partisan. On the other hand, it is a comedy show and uses satire and irony for entertainment. The show routinely exaggerates for comedic purposes so I don’t blame the producers and Stewart for creating that bias. The tongue-in-cheek nature of that comedic exaggeration is sometimes evident when you see that Jon Stewart is trying to stifle a grin. The same thing was obvious on the Weekend Update segments with Norm MacDonald. MacDonald's exaggeration was sometimes so over-the-top that it was clear that he was ready to bust a gut laughing at himself and the irony of the stories.

When I read in interviews that Jon Stewart has no political agenda in doing the show, I understand. I believe that he thinks he applies no bias. However, since bias is a subjective perception of self, what may seem nonexistent to him may seem clear to the viewer. The difficulty in judging partiality is that both the host and the viewer have to acknowledge subjectivity, because each person is different. When people watch the Daily Show and get annoyed because of the messages that appear to be part of a political agenda, maybe the viewer misses the point that it is comedy and involves satirical humor and irony. The other challenge is in judging what constitutes bias.

How do a TV host and his group of viewers collectively establish one centrist perspective that would be completely nonpartisan or moderate? One person’s bias is another person’s centrist reality.

This week's classroom discussion: The American Melting Pot

In class, we are debating the "American Melting Pot" versus the Salad Bowl. The idea is that in the salad bowl that they are trying to use as a replacement for assimilating and becoming an American, everyone embraces their ethnic diversity first, and becomes an American as an afterthought, really. That just doesn't work for me and sounds backwards.

All this talk about multiculturalism is so euphorian and politically correct, such nonsense, especially when individual cultures and Americanism can co-exist without the need to erase ethnicity. Some of the reasons that the "Melting Pot" is endangered include the strong emphasis on valuing multiculturalism over assimilation. I see no reason why I cannot celebrate my German heritage at the Oktoberfest back home where most everyone is German, and still be an American. I am not a German-American. My ancestors came from Germany (more or less), but I clearly am not a German! If I must be a hyphenated American, then I am an American-American... I didn't originate in Germany, after all. Whatever my ethnicity, in the end, I am still me, simply an American.

I do not ask others to forget their heritage, but I think that Americans have to remember that they are Americans first. To strengthen the American culture, loyalty has to be to the United States first and with a greater bond than ethnic diversity can ever lay claim. Even becoming a naturalized American, loyalty should be to your new country first, with nods toward the heritage of your origins. I believe that diverse cultures are very interesting and make life more dynamic, but I do not believe that sharing cultural flavor has to diminish the uniqueness of being a flag-waving American. Look at what America offers. There is more freedom to do what you want and to take chances to become who you want here than anywhere else. That is what distinguishes Americans from the rest of the world, the great extent to which freedom of expression and thought sets us apart from most of the world. If Americans of every race, color, and heritage would join together to express pride in being free, proud Americans, that is half the distance to the goal, I believe.

Now, I can see that last statement being taken too far, and that is a danger as well. How far do you have to go toward preserving the American Melting Pot before you become jingoistic or drunk with nationalistic fervor? History has shown countries that started out trying to unite, especially in hard economic times, and then took it too far, when a charismatic leader took the people to nationalism with an eye toward world domination (think of German and Axis powers and a serious superiority complex). So, what do we do, as Americans, to unite and embrace what it means to be an American first? Simple. Celebrate being an American, not a hyphenated American whose ancestors happened to come from some other country! Then, get together with your neighbors who happen to be of a different race or color, and share your cultural experiences and your ethnic cooking. I see this as a raison d'etre that can join people together. Sharing their cultural differences and learning how those things fit together in America can unite people under the banner of American pride. I know that all sounded like a pepfest for American cultural superiority, but America has no originating culture of its own.  At it's core, being American is itself a blend of world cultures, all melted together. That is the essence of the American melting pot.

 

If you are a native-born American, be proud of it and embrace it, because you are mighty fortunate to have been born in this great country. If you happen to be a naturalized citizen, shout out your allegiance to America first! Assimilation is not a curse or a mistake. Be proud to have melted into the stew that is American culture, a mix of the whole world's ethos, only this is better than any individual culture.  Celebrating American cultural pride comes with a great, big helping of freedom on the side. Now what is wrong with that?  

Ethnocentrism: Part 2

I was thinking about ethnocentrism and needed to think of a positive side, because the negative side was making me feel really melodramatic and pessimistic about the human race collectively ever getting it together. I still have big concerns in that regard, but that is what it means to be human, I guess. We make mistakes. But a positive side of ethnocentrism came to me... beer!

Okay, let me explain. I grew up in southern Minnesota. There is a city of about 15,000 people nearby called New Ulm. Sounds very German, and it is very, very German. The people living there could not be prouder about the colorful, festive side of that German heritage. They have a big, old beer party every October and they call it... what else? Oktoberfest. One of the oldest privately-owned breweries in the United States is there, making Shell's beer. They set up huge tents and have ethnic music, people wearing lederhosen are everywhere, and believe me, you have never seen so many yodelers in one place! As a student of history (and communications, of course), it is impossible for me to forget that Germany also had a very ugly period of nationalist fervor that got so far out of hand that it spawned two world wars and tens of millions of people died. I cannot forget the indelible stain that is part of modern history. But living decades later, I can see that there are parts of German heritage that are fun, colorful, and bring people together for good times. That type of ethnocentrism is a positive thing and worth celebrating.

A Post Driven by My Classroom Discussion of Ethnocentrism

This is one of my posts to my class today regarding ethnocentrism:

 

In 2009, there was a news story about how Congress was debating whether or not to pass a resolution telling Turkey that the Armenian genocide that took place in 1915 was, in fact, genocide and a crime against humanity. The debate centered around several things. I don't think that anyone in Congress really believed that this was NOT genocide, but to a degree that is speculation on my part. I would guess that the debate about whether or not to tell Turkey in a formal resolution that a bad thing happened there over 90 years ago is actually driven by concerns over access to Turkish air space and military staging areas for U.S. military maneuvers in the Middle East, especially in Afghanistan.

Now, to keep this relevant to the discussion of ethnocentrism, why is it so important to put it out there and state, without equivocation, that the Holocaust was genocide, that the KKK committed race-based crimes, that what happened in 1915 in Armenia was ethnocentristic genocide? The debate I mentioned above was also driven by the idea that to turn a blind eye to radical ethnocentrism is to empower it and allow it to continue in the future. I am absolutely certain that is continuing in various places in Africa and other locations worldwide, even in places that consider themselves to be civilized by some definition of their own choosing.

So why is it the business of America to say that the Armenian killings were genocide? I think it is a debate that is important for the entirety of humanity to discuss. If you have a pulse, you are qualified to discuss it, in my opinion, the same way that the Holocaust debate is not reserved just for Germans and the Jews. I think that in the rear view mirror of history, it usually becomes more clear that genocide has happened in the past... it becomes less debateable when respected scholars and historians say that it is an objective historical fact. I admit that I struggle with the idea that some people still debate whether genocides such as the Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide have taken place. How much evidence does one need to understand that radical ethnocentrism never has a positive outcome? Ethnocentrism at its most fundamental happens when one group of people believes that another bunch of people does not have a right to be. It would be nice to pin down a fixed definition of ethnocentrism (though I agree that this is often subjective) so that in modern society, people do not stand by while one race wipes out another.

Gabriel lost his first tooth!

Gabriel lost his first tooth last night as he bit into a nectarine. He was very excited. He had it in his head that the Tooth Fairy brought a "lollipop". I explained to him that the Tooth Fairy was a lot like the dentist: he wanted you to take care of your teeth. He said "A penny?" I said that I was certain it would be something like that. We stuck his tiny tooth in a sandwich bag and put it under his pillow. The Tooth Fairy took the tooth and deposited 4 quarters in the bag. He proudly showed me his bag of loot this morning.

The Job Summit, Adventures with a Babysitter, and Hell in a Dentist's Chair

Can you believe all of this happened in one day? Well, two of the stories are related. The boys had a babysitter because I was going to the 1st annual MNSRA Job Summit at the Mall of America.

First: my fun. I parked in the parking ramp and managed to find my way back to the van at the end of it, but that just means I was smart enough to right down minute details of where I was parked. I got into the mall and had trouble figuring out where I was supposed to go. I figured, what the heck, at least I know it is on the 4th floor. I got on the elevator and pressed 4. Lucky for me, it was such a big to-do that I didn't have trouble figuring it out from there. I went over and wrote my name on a nametag that wouldn't stick to my polyester suit jacket, picked up a pack of stuff, and made my way over to the booth of only temp agency that was handing out plastic bags. I got their info and handed them my resume (lot of good it will do me) and shook hands. I made my way to another booth. All of these booths, except 2, were temp/temp-to-hire/direct-hire agencies that found work for clerical, customer service, technology, light industrial, and some banking and management positions. Maybe I have a shot if they don't require experience for light industrial or I prove that I'm knowledgable enough in Microsoft Office. Too bad I'm not Doug.

I went into one of the first presentations. It was on what employers are looking for on a resume and in an interview. It is a good thing I sat for that, because I didn't make into the LONG list of those getting a resume review. I liked the interview tips, but I can't get that far, so I need help in a different way. During the break, I found a booth of a company called Gradstaff. They place recent grads in entry-level positions. I asked if they would place a not-so-recent social work grad in an entry-level position. They said they would do that, so I gave them my resume. I am feeling slightly hopeful about that, because they obviously are not looking for experience.

They referred me to their presentation, which I didn't make it to because I couldn't figure out exactly where it was. I got caught in another one that was starting. It was kind of a happy accident, though. I ended up in a presentation by a motivational speaker for a company called FISH. This guy wasn't the founder, but he might as well have been. His passion came across to the entire audience. I know...that's his job...but he really did believe the principles. The principles of this company were based on behavior observed at the Seattle fish market, and were meant for helping companies succeed, but he applied them to jobseekers. It was really fun and uplifting. I even scored a stuffed toy fish for laughing at the guy's jokes. I laughed the loudest once. Afterwards, I even got a nice compliment from a guy. He said I had a wonderfully contagious laugh. Every time he heard me giggle, he laughed. :-) I'm glad I made someone happy. I also got some laughs from the people surrounding me when I told an old guy walking over, looking for a seat with a little uncertainty as to where to go, that I didn't bite.

During another break, I walked over to a table that caught my eye simply because of the word "community" on the brochure. I started talking to the employee running the booth. I asked what they do. She was telling me about the programs and I told her what attracted me and why. She said she is there to talk about their men's program but handed me her business card and told me to email her. I felt like I scored as much from that one as the Gradstaff booth. I hope she can help me.

When I got home, the children were sitting outside on the chairs with DeAnn, the babysitter. They seemed to have had fun, and that was confirmed when I heard about them going out for a walk, discovering the cemetery, talking about the crosses on the headstones, conning car salesmen out of balloons filled with helium, and bringing me back some fake flowers found blowing in the cemetery. DeAnn was really cool with them. They hugged her when she left. I'm sure I'll contact her again, especially since she is the closest babysitter I have met so far.

It was about 1 p.m. when I got back. Doug left his office for his dental appointment around 2:30. He told me the work was only supposed to take 45 minutes so he thought he would be home by 5 p.m.. I was waiting. By the time 6 p.m. came around and I didn't hear from him, I started to worry. However, I figured that the dentist's office had my phone number. I would have heard something if there was really an emergency. I finally got a message from him at 6:30 p.m. that he was done and coming home. He arrived in the doorway swallowing blood, swollen, and in major pain. I had to go to the pharmacy near his office to get some prescription pain killers and amoxicillin. (The darn insurance will only let us get medicine at CVS now.) I left right away because I saw the pain. He told me he didn't like being "a learning experience". Though the doctor was not new, Doug was special. The dentist had his assistant. After some struggling, they brought in the dental assistant of an oral surgeon who was a friend of the dentist. When she couldn't help, they brought in the oral surgeon himself. Eleven shots of Novocaine and two shots of some other "-caine" later, Doug was finally done. He was allowed to take a ton of pain killer, was restricted from many foods and any brushing for awhile, and had to chomp on gauze and ice his cheek. That was hell and I know that without even having gone through it. Poor Dougie.

What Comes Next? Longevity of Power Assured

So what is next? Universal voter registration. Before summer is out, this will be proposed and quite possibly will be the law. This will automatically register people to vote, using DMV records, income tax returns, welfare rolls, unemployment lists and government databases, and the CENSUS (counting citizens AND non-citizens). Why? To ensure the controlling party in 2010 remains in control in perpetuity. No ID? No problem!

Jericho picks out his own clothes

Gabriel has been picking out his clothes for ages. That is why he frequently goes places and doesn't match. Gabriel started helping Jericho get dressed in the morning not that long ago. He was even helping him go to the bathroom. Jericho has been getting more and more independent. About a week ago he started getting his own clothes and randomly going to the bathroom by himself. It is funny watching him struggle to get his pants and pull-up or diaper down and then getting on the toilet. He sits backwards so he can watch the pee hit the toilet and maybe aim it right to get lucky enough and make bubbles. When I say random, it really is random. We definitely don't have the potty-training thing down pat. I've decided to try and bribe him with M&Ms now. We'll see if it works.

Lola plays fetch

We took Lola out of her cage to play with her. Gabriel always wants her, but Lola always flies back to me. So I patiently stood in the kitchen with Lola on my shoulder so Gabriel could play with her. He took a clip out of her cage that I use to hang up sprigs of millet. He held it out for her to grab and she took it. The thing is rather chunky and metal and has a tiny whole in the middle of the parts you grab and squeeze to open the grabbing part. She grabbed that and then dropped it. Gabriel thought that was fun and gave it to her again. About the fourth time of doing it, she actually flung it. You could tell. We weren't sure before that if it was just accidental, but that really made it obvious that she was intentionally dropping it. Gabriel rolled with laughter. He said he was training her. On the inside I was laughing. I let him think what he wanted, but I knew the truth: the bird was training him. Our Sun Conure really is smart. I can't wait to do it again. I've never seen her actually do a trick. I usually put on music for her, but I think I'm going to have to put on those training CDs and see if she ever says a phrase. I'm still laughing that the bird trained my son to play fetch.

Jericho says his name?

The kids were outside sledding on the last bit of snow. It really is nice out. They disappeared around the side of the hill and I didn't know where they were. When I called out to them, Gabriel reappeared first and said that they made a friend. He also said that Jericho said his name. I've never once heard Jericho say his name. Many people have asked him, and he always sits there in stony silence. So I didn't personally hear him, but I guess I'm inclined to believe Gabriel. I just wish I could have heard what it sounded like. Maybe I'll hear it some time in the future when someone else asks him his name.

My animals visit zoo animals

Doug had lots of school work to do and the boys were loud and obnoxious. We needed to leave. We hadn't been to the zoo in awhile, so we went. I wasn't excited to visit animals in the cold air, so we hit the indoor stuff, the trails. The first thing you come upon is the Tropics Trail. I like that one. We saw all kinds of stuff: fish, turtles, birds, lemurs, red pandas, a hedgehog, and various other animals. The gibbons were on maternity leave. Then we went through the Minnesota Trail. It is partly open air. We saw beavers, mountain lions, wolves, a bald eagle, otters, more fish, and stuff about owls. They have these papers with squares with the names of certain animals, like the paddlefish, and paper embossers. Kids match up the drawing next to the embosser with the drawing next to the squares on the paper, put the correct square up in the slot, and press the handle as hard as they can. It puts a cool imprint on the paper. The boys had to do it. When we came out of the Minnesota Trail, you end out where you see the Tropics Trail, so I was lead that way again. When we came out of there, we went through the Minnesota Trail again. Of course, they had to do the paper thing again. I guess they had fun.

Jericho is racing a big dump truck across the kitchen floor from entrance to entrance. "One, two, three...'tum" (here I come). He gets to the end and says, "I wose (lose)! Yeah!" I'm laughing my butt off!

Gabriel amazes me again

Sometimes my kid really amazes me. We just finished watching Horton Hears A Who and he asked me: Mom, does the Grinch live on a speck? Not only did he connect the fact that both are Dr. Seuss stories, but he also realized that both main characters are voiced by Jim Carrey.

Busy Week

There is a lot going on this week, not all of which I can go into publicly at this time. So there! We are trying to clean up the house and get organized, but that is kind of a fool's errand, most of the time. The boys tend to scatter the toys as fast as things get picked up. Sometimes I manage to get them to help pick up. I think we need to institute a rule that they have to pick up their toys daily or we will downsize their toy collection (an idle threat... ) Then again, the boys are 4 and 2 (next Sunday) and one cannot expect them to act like little adults. Still, they are interactive critters and we can work to get them involved in the process (sometimes).

Barring awful weather, it appears we are going to the first night of Moondance Jam, courtesy of Raul and Rosalyn. I told him that I wanted to take pictures close to the stage. Not sure if that will happen, and I have a million other things to do, so part of me says that I really don't have the time for that. If/when we go, Raul's two teens would watch the boys. Raul would spend half his time in VIP and the rest of the time with us and the rest of the commoners. The last four shows include Jethro Tull, Journey, Sheryl Crow, and Kansas. The earlier shows are people I haven't heard. I am not sure how that will play out, largely because the last show goes really late. I think it starts at 11 p.m. You have to ride a shuttle back to Northern Lights to get to your car, so that would probably put us home at 2:00 a.m. or something. Heather really wants to go to see Journey, though, so... who knows? Then again, it might get rained out.

Speaking of that, Tuesday night, it rained like mad. We got 3.18 inches of rain in 90 minutes, and according to my weather station at the house, we got 1.98 inches of rain in one hour. There was a car floating in the water on the service road over by Target, so it did rain like mad. We needed the rain, though, so I am not complaining, and I honestly would like to see more rain after this soaker has had a few days to do its magic and get into the ground, so to speak.

I am installing a VPN upgrade at Northern Lights this morning. Time to get to work.

Connection

Gabriel wandered into our bedroom around 6:30 or quarter to 7 this morning, fully dressed, and crawled into bed with us. He started out laying at my feet, but cats kept getting in the way. He wormed his way up between me and Doug. Doug asks him what he is doing awake and tells him to go back to sleep. Gabriel curls up to me, as I expect him to, in a little ball. He's just like me in that way: falling asleep on his side all curled up. Doug asks him if he is cold and covers him with the blanket I always use because I'm cold because Doug wants a window or 2 open and the fan on medium. Doug lays back down, turning towards us, stretching his arm over Gabriel and putting his hand on my back. I can tell it is not Gabriel from the size of the hand, obviously. These feelings of warmth, calm, love and contentment wash over me. I instantly relax more. It is a simple connection, but that is all it takes.

I can't believe it!!!!

OH MY GOD!!!! I get to Prairie Bay and start dishwashing. About 10 minutes into it, the machine runs out of detergent. No big deal; it happens all the time. I go to the rack over where the mop bucket, broom, gigantic floor squeegee and other things are located. There should be some of this stuff there. There is none to be found. I look every place I can think. I ask the cooks on the front line. They can't think of any place that I haven't already looked. I ask Shane, the current bartender, if there are any management-types around. He tells me that he is the only one. I tell him that there is no dishwasher detergent anywhere, unless he can figure out where it went. One of the cooks tell me to just start washing stuff by hand. I'm starting to panic. The dishes are piling up. I fill the sinks with the commercial handwashing detergent and no-rinse sanitizer. I end up having to switch sinks that stuff is in when I realize that one isn't holding water. I use that one for the water rinse before the sanitizer. I start going nuts on sautee pans. The cooks need them. Time keeps passing and there are so many plates and bowls that I have to start handwashing them, too. I'm feeling like I did in school during a very important test or when attempting to start an essay that was worth many points: muscles extremely tense, my heart racing, inability to sit still to the point that I could to sprint 100 yards and MAYBE calm down. K. T., the only female cook and the only female in the kitchen aside from me, tells me that Black Bear Grill and Saloon may have something. She tells me that she would run to check it out but she doesn't have her license. I go as fast as I can legally get away with down the road to the restaurant. I walk in the front door in my men's size large white commercial uniform shirt and an apron tied around my waist and ask the hostess if I can talk to the kitchen staff. She leads me to the kitchen and say that I'm from Prairie Bay and they mentioned that might have some dishwasher detergent I can use. They show me their machine and I recognize immediately that the dispenser is the wrong one. I politely thank them for trying and head back. I tell K. T. that they didn't have the right stuff. I go back to my own version of hell and look at the glass racks that are filling up, wondering how I am going to manage to handwash those. I'm still washing plates when Jeff, this big tall Lurch-type who is constantly teasing me, comes back and hands me the very important commodity. I tell him, with this huge grin on my face, that I could kiss him. Applebee's was the restaurant where they finally found it. They called just about every place in town before locating it there. I stick the stuff where it belongs and load up racks, sending them through the machine. K. T. comes back and helps me out. I finally make it through the night, leaving a bunch of big stuff for the morning. I get off of work still extremely stressed out. That was one of those moments I never imagined I would have to experience.

a crazy dream

Doug reminded me that I forgot to post about, and completely forgot about, (my memory is so bad these days) a dream that I had that was totally off-the-wall. It was right before I woke up and I didn't remember all of it. I remember being in the middle of this Star Wars- type scenario. It was outer space, and we were kind of floating in space. We had the ability to move though, like flying like Superman. The bad guy was firing a laser gun at me. I was defending myself with these huge sheet pans (kind of gigantic cookie sheets for those unfamiliar with a restaurant kitchen). I was deflecting laser shots with them like a knight would deflect sword blows with his shield. When I told Doug about this, he laughed and said that I have been spending too much time at Prairie Bay (a really classy restaurant in town where I am the dishwasher). I suppose I would have to agree. I have fun in that kitchen, though. :-)

Gabriel's prayer

We were watching Horton Hears a Who this afternoon. We, of course, emphasized the pro-life message in it: "...a person's a person, no matter how small." We noted something I don't even remember from the book: the mayor of Who-ville has 98 daughters and 1 son. In fact, I don't think that is in the book. Anyway, Doug, of course, told Gabriel to tell me that he wanted a baby sister. I laughed and thought about my usual comment to that statement: I can only contribute an X. It is up to Doug cause us to have a girl.

Anyway, after the movie, Gabriel and I went to the store to get the milk that always seems to be running low. Gabriel got on the end of the cart. We didn't need one, but he insisted. I pushed the cart through the doors toward the fresh fruit and vegetable section. He was hanging on the end of the cart with his head bowed and his fingers interlaced. When he lifted his head, I asked him if he was praying. He said he was. I asked him what he was telling God. He said he was asking God for a baby sister. I swear to you, I started crying right there, pushing the cart down the isle toward the milk coolers. I told him that God would be the One to give him a sister or a brother. God is the One who gives us life. Maybe He will answer his prayer.

There are times when children can really take your breath away. This was one of those times.

The first dream in a LONG time

This was kind of strange, and that is why I'm sharing. I was a teacher at this school that was an elementary school with a preschool, kind of like what Gabriel goes to, but not religion based and very activity oriented and creative. I was friends with many of the teachers, loved the children, and was really happy there. I think it was in a slightly tropical setting. The grass and plants were abundant and very lush and green. The children spent lots of time outside, learning about botany and other sciences in real life applications. Each classroom was its own little building that was almost like a hut. Class size was small. There were stone paths between the classes and a stream nearby.

One day, as Doug and I were about to go to sleep, the room became invaded by animals that were not usually found in the immediate area: turtles and crocodiles. Even more strange, they seemed to be coming into the room through a drain pipe that was exposed because an appliance was removed and the hole wasn't covered. A crocodile started chewing gently on my arm, though, honestly, it looked a lot like the one Gabriel has that expands in water. We wrote it off in confusion until it started chewing on my arm and I felt that it had small, real teeth.

This was when I woke up because Jericho started crabbing. I wish I could have seen where it would have gone. It was odd and interesting. The scenery is still sticking in my mind.

tongue twisters

Lately, we've gotten into this bedtime routine of lots of books. There are certain ones that are favorites for Gabriel, it seems that we read them every night. The books that top the list are: Pizza Pat, Are You My Mother?, A Fly Went By, and Fox in Socks. See what I mean? Lots of rhythm and rhyme. I'm enjoying it, though. It's fun and a challenge sometimes.

"These are the sausages, spicy and choppy, that sat on the sauce, all gooey and gloppy, that covered the dough, all stretchy and floppy, that lay in the tray that Pat bought."
Pizza Pat by Rita Golden Gelman

Bedtime is fun. I love tongue twisters.

"Socks on Knox and Knox in box. Fox in socks on box on Knox." Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss

Truth is Stranger Than Fiction (And What We are Witnessing with Obamanomics)

"In order to ensure our security and continuing stability, the Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire, for a safe and secure society which I assure you will last for ten thousand years."

Senator Padmé comments: "So this is how liberty dies... with thunderous applause."

I weep for the future of America and for my children, with great justification and disgust at how almost all Americans are sitting idly by as America is becoming the U.S.S.A. Your freedoms are gone. Much of the power grab, AIG and other corporate bailouts, the public school system, the IRS, open borders, the Federal Reserve (which is not even a federal agency, in case you didn't know that), social security, federal government eminent domain, affirmative action, and so much more, NOT CONSTITUTIONALLY ALLOWED. Why are so many people so ignorant, not realizing that this is a nation of states that allows a federal government to exist? Until the Civil War, this nation was called THESE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Why? Because the United States is a nation with a federal government, not the other way around. The individual states are sovereign entities, and the federal tyrannical machine must bow to the rights of the states and to enumerated powers.

These dangerous, pathological winds of change are only temporary, and I can already see that the people are getting angry and dismayed. The pendulum will be swinging back to its proper place, favoring liberty, though even to wait for a few years will be too long, when the constitution doesn't mean a thing to these so-called constitutional experts in Congress and in the White House.

Mark my words... we will regret this vote for change. We already are regretting it. Less than two months, and Mr. Obama has taken more power for himself than any nation's leader since, uh... you figure it out. Think 1933.

Today would be a good day to say some fervent prayers to God for America and for our children. God help America. The U.S. turns its back on Him, and I regret that this nation does not deserve His favor.

Quick Comment on Muslim Claim

I wonder when there will be a response (or more likely, a disparaging retort) from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad regarding a news story that I read today. According to the German newspaper Bild, the original blueprints revealing the ominous 1941 expansion plan for Auschwitz have been found in Berlin. The plans included a room marked 'Gaskammer' (translates to gas chamber) and, according to Bild, "also include a crematorium and a "L. Keller" — an abbreviation for "Leichenkeller" or corpse cellar." The release of the blueprints for Auschwitz prove that the Third Reich planned to systematically kill the Jewish people of Europe. It will be revealing to see what Ahmadinejad has to say in the coming days, given that he has repeatedly stated that the Holocaust never happened. "These documents reveal that everyone who had even anything remotely to do with the planning and construction of the concentration camp must have know that people were to be gassed to death in assembly-line fashion," Bild wrote.

Given that Auschwitz was the largest death camp in Germany, and more than one million Jews were killed there, the idea that anyone who claims to be intellectually honest can deny the Holocaust in this modern age is ludicrous. This newly uncovered documentation proves beyond a doubt that the Nazi's "Final Solution" was underway before the United States stepped in to prevent the genocide of the entire European Jewish population.

Gee, maybe there is a lesson for the future in there somewhere, if we remember that by studying the past, we can prevent a repetition of the same grave errors in the future.

G. W. Exotic Animal Park (part 3 of 3)

This morning, Josh and I went back to see the ligers and tigers again. We went earlier, so that we could get in the cage with the 10-week old cats. The ligers were really wound up, but we managed to get them to lie down near us. Mostly, the cats crawl up on your lap and then start chewing on your shoes or each other. I got some pictures of Josh, and of the ligers chewing on my shoes, or just lounging beside or on us. This is the information I was given by the handlers: Even though they are small cubs now, these are still wild animals, and will some day be huge cats that weigh in excess of 1,000 pounds. The liger shares the characteristics of both the lion and the tiger. Because of its hybrid characteristics, the liger can be larger than a lion, and is possibly the largest cat in the world! Amazingly, while standing on its hind legs, a liger can stand approximately 12 feet tall. That is a big cat!

Okay. Here are the pictures of Josh and I, and the 10-week old liger cubs.

This was a very cool experience! Maybe next time, I can get some pictures of the adult cats, but not quite so close without a zoom lens!

G. W. Exotic Animal Park (part 2 of 3)

To continue my thoughts and our family experience with the G.W. Exotic Animal Foundation, let me spend my efforts posting pictures. Today, we saw the tigers and ligers that travel in support of the foundation. To be accurate, there was only one white Bengal tiger. All of the other large felines were actually ligers. We spent our time with the ligers, as the Bengal was six months old, and much too large to be in close proximity, on the same side of the cage walls, unless you don't value your safety.

What is a liger, you may ask? Putting on my Animal Planet hat for a moment... ahem. (In an official, Don LaFontaine-like, Marlin Perkins-esque voice): The liger is a large feline that results from cross-breeding a female tiger with a male lion. This hybridization produces cubs with more lionistic features than if the reverse pairing had occurred. That would produce a more tigeristic creature known as a tigon. Go here for more information. http://www.liger.org/

We spent time inside the cage with the two-week old liger cubs today. Jericho sat on Mom's lap, and he watched the action, but he didn't become too interactive. Gabriel was timid, but he did bottle-feed a couple of the liger cubs. The little guys are not very steady on their feet yet, and their eyes have not been open long. If you sit down and don't move around too much, within a moment or two, the cubs crawl over and snuggle up against you, just like you are a member of the pride. It was a very cool experience for all of us.

Okay. Enough jawing! Here are a few of the pictures of the 14-day old ligers and Gabriel.

G. W. Exotic Animal Park (part 1 of 3)

We took the G-Man and Jericho out to DQ. I didn’t realize that there was something very cool for us to see in town this weekend. There was supposed to be an illusionist, but he apparently had a medical emergency. However, we did get to see some tigers that travel with the magician. The idea behind the traveling showcase of tigers, ligers, and other animals, is to educate the public and to raise funding for the park where the tigers are based, in Wynnewood, Oklahoma. The park is called G.W. Exotic Animal Park. It is associated with the G. W. Exotic Animal Foundation, an educational zoo that “rescues” tigers and other exotic animals from well-intentioned by ill-prepared owners.

The animals in the park roam free and semi-wild within the park. Species include tigers, lions, parrots, monkeys, panthers, and many reptilian species such as turtles, lizards, crocs and gators. I found out that the park was named for G.W., the son of the founders, after he was killed by a drunk driver. The owner, Joe Schreibvogel, frequently takes in additional large and exotic animals that need expert care and protection from the likes of PETA and casual exotic animal owners who really cannot provide decent care for the animals. I agree with the sentiments of Mr. Schreibvogel, who says "If we don't care for God's most beautiful creatures He is not going to care for us."

The website address for the G.W. Exotic Animal Foundation and affiliated park is http://www.gwpark.org/. The park is an accredited member of the United States Zoological Association. I wish I could afford to help them out, but since we can’t do much in that regard, I thought I would give them a mention that is well deserved.

Back to this weekend, since I digressed from the point. We went to see the tigers and other animals that the G.W. Exotic Animal Foundation had in the entourage. We got a chance to see some of the animals up close. I took quite a few pictures, and in the next several posts, I will show some of the pictures. I hope you enjoy my efforts. Thanks for reading. Feel free to share the photos if you so chose.

Last Political Comments of 2008 (From Me)

To anyone who actually knows anything at all about me, this is not a news flash: I am not thrilled about the results or the integrity of the presidential election. Hell, I do not even think that there is much integrity remaining in the process after this election. I really do not want to dwell on that today. Other than to say that I do not trust either Saddam Hussein Osama Obama or Joe “Hair Plugs” Biden whatsoever, I am giving my mind a rest from the political discussion for a little while. I am sure that some of the folks who occasionally read this thing will be relieved to NOT discuss politics after this ridiculously long presidential cycle.

I have only two comments regarding politics and then I will give it a necessary respite for a time of my choosing, determined by the moment I feel it is time to write about politics again, whenever that may be. It just won’t be in the next week, and likely not much of anything before the swearing in on the Koran, so help Obama, in Allah’s name, actually takes place. My two comments then: I plan to emulate the main-vein biased media in one way for the next four years, until our socialist president-elect is voted out or he buys the presidential office for another four years. He will be referred to as Mr. Obama, NOT as president, just as the mainstream parrot press corps has referred to President George W. Bush as Mr. Bush for the last eight years. As a renaissance "enumerated powers" conservative, I will be the first to admit, to my chagrin, that Bush has stumbled plenty of times and made many missteps. President Bush is NOT A CONSERVATIVE. What did you expect but wandering from conservativism? Duh! However, all of the blame does not belong with Bush, and MOST of the blame falls on Congress, which, I might add, has been under the control of the Democrat Party for two years. Have you noticed that the economy is falling apart on the Democratic Congressional watch? Coincidence? Yeah right!

In any case, President George W. Bush has earned my respect, for putting up with all the bullpucky from the biased mainstream media with class and dignity, despite the fact that the media certainly do not deserve any respect at all. What a bunch of utopian, euphorian, socialist-leaning, big-government loving, constitutional originalism-hating liberal anti-American hacks!

My second and final political comment for awhile: I received an email discussing the 2012 presidential election. Geez! I will only say that we need a breather from presidential electioneering for at least a year, and that my favored choices for candidates are Bobby Jindal and Sarah Palin, two conservatives with a bit of Ronald Reagan’s values. That’s it. No more politics until… sometime later, in 2009. Thanks. Over and out.

Quick Comment on Work in the Dakotas

One of the techs servicing South Dakota properties left the company recently. It looks like the result will be that both I and the other remote for this side of Minnesota will be spending more time in the Dakotas. So far, that rings true. The other tech spent a week in North Dakota. I worked at the casino right on the North Dakota-South Dakota border, and this week, the other tech will be in North Dakota. All of next week, I will be in a hotel in South Dakota and working in North Dakota (long story, short drive). My studies will be starting again very soon, so I am hoping that I do not start the next class until the week after next. I will work around whatever the conditions are at that time, but I prefer to not spend my first week in a class stuck in a hotel. On the other hand, what else am I going to do in the hotel, but focus on homework?I am not aware of a lot of photo opportunities that suit me in that area of the Dakotas. I am sure I can find something interesting to shoot anywhere I happen to be working. I may not post the pictures here, but I have my photography sites and I will post photos I really like at those websites.

Quick Observation

Take a look at this picture. The race is not decided yet, but again, God help us here... please! Even though that irrelevant dufus, Dean Barkley, pulled enough votes from Norm Coleman to make it possible for that quixotic, loose cannon liberal, Al Franken, to be a contender in the voting, at least Barkley is follicly honest. There is a lot of weaving going on here. Can you say "Hair Club for Men"? Cy Sperling would be so proud.

As Black as I Am

Barack Obama is like me in only one way: NOT BLACK. He is of Muslim descent, and happens to be half-white and half-black. His family was never held in slavery. His ancestors were Muslim slave-owners, but the media will never tell you THAT truth. Do not believe the propagandist garbage that you hear and see in the media. I am in shock that Americans are so incredibly naïve and stupid. Hussein Osama Obama played the race card, because he is the epitome of racist. I can't wait for the conspiracy mills to get going, and I can't wait for that to bring out the truth. Even with the return of the so-called Fairness Doctrine (and the end of free speech against the machine), the truth is a virus. The truth will not be silenced. Some are already calling for an untimely end to Obama. I do not believe that is right. It is not our place to make such a call, even if you call it free speech. God help him, because free Americans will not stand for Marxism stealing the fruit of our labor. It may sound trite, but I am afraid for my children's future, especially with this lying non-American in office. He managed to steal yet another election for himself. God help us.

America the Free, Home of the Entitled

I need to be at Mille Lacs at 7 a.m., more or less. I couldn’t sleep, so I got tired of tossing and turning and decided to get out of bed. My inability to sleep was caused by the obvious, the death of free America being at-hand. So many people are getting so much from the government (also known as confiscatory Marxist economics, the Robin Hood-esque collectivism that unconstitutionally drives our federal government to steal from hardworking people to give the fruits of our labor to the shiftless and the weak-minded, who now believe that they are entitled to a handout). Economic justice? A buzzword for Marxism, collectivism, socialism, the end of free America where the American Dream is based on the hard work and drive to succeed on one's merits. Removing the ability to fail means that truly succeeding becomes nearly impossible.

This is the nightmare scenario. The only good thing I see is that Obama will have one term and be gone, because he is going to royally turn the screws on hard-working Americans and he is going to destroy the economy. George W. Bush is largely responsible for Obama being elected. Bush took us down the path to socialism with his ill-conceived prescription drug program. He reached across the aisle to work with the liberals at every turn, but that was not enough power for the Democrats. They and their media lied to us and the American people stopped thinking for themselves. We have been spoon-fed stupidity, and I am ashamed that we collectively fell for all the lies being spread. The media didn’t help us, but did help Obama. They and Obama together bought the election. The truth will come out about the tens of millions in foreign donations and the stolen election. How many people voted multiple times? How many absentee ballots from illegals and ACORN were forced into the system, and PAID FOR BY TAX DOLLARS (This means you, ACORN).

We are America, and the march towards Marxism has been happening under our indifferent eyes. We just were not willing to call it what it really is: This is the beginning of the end for a free America. God help us. This is the time for a renewed call to action and desperate prayer for deliverance through God's power over humanity. This is not the time to be a meek Christian who hides his faith. It is time to proudly wear that Christian faith on one's sleeve, before that, too, is illegal. Abortion on demand will not end now, ever, until God gets tired of our sin and messing up His creation. Within the next month or so, a number of Supreme Court justices will announce their retirement. Why? Because now, they can retire, knowing that radical anti-life judges will take their place. Roe v. Wade will stand with a renewed vigor defended by a culture of death, despite the fact that Roe is plainly unconstitutional.

Elderly people will face a change toward blatant medical duty-to-die when their usefulness to society is judged to be gone. Under socialized medicine, even if you have paid into the "system" for decades, if you are in ill health, who is going to be deemed worthy of treatment, the 25-year old who earns minimum wage but has a lifetime of work ahead of them, or the elderly person who has supported the system for decades, but is near the end of their life expectancy? I think the answer is obvious. Duty to die. Think about that. It is coming. God help us. God forgive us.

I am going to take a page from the main vein parrot press corps, an unrepentant arm of the true socialist, er, Democrat Party. As they never called George W. "President Bush", so, too, will I never allow myself to give Hussein Obama that honor. As the propagandist media disrespectfully called W only Mr. Bush, I will return the favor to Mr. Hussein Osama Obama. I will always respect the office of the presidency and its noble underpinnings. I will never give undue honor to a Muslim anti-American traitor in hiding. Mr. Obama, you may have stolen the title, with the help of ACORN and your racist anti-American politics, but you will never be my president.

We need prayer more now than ever. Free America, it was nice knowing you. Will we cave to the pressures of Mr. Abomination and the future of a mediocre nation, under a Marxist administration? We do not need to rename this once great nation to know that the reality has been done. Today, we took an irretrievable step down a path toward becoming the de facto United Socialist States of America. This is a tragic error and we shall never turn back toward the freedom we lost today. Fervent prayer is in order today. I weep for my children, for the future, and for an America that lost its soul forever. God help us.

From Each According to His Ability, to Each According to His Need?

What if Obama wins the presidency? Will ACORN get the credit for stealing the election? There are countless witnesses who can attest to the fact that Democrats stuffed ballot boxes in 2000 and 2004, using the names of dead people and absentee ballots to follow their long-held mantra (spoken quietly in public) "Vote early, vote often" as if it is their birthright to rule the average American and rob us of our liberties. One example was the college student from Madison, Wisconsin, who bragged about voting 13 times for John Kerry. The Democrats are, as we speak, trying to steal another election that does not belong to them by birthright or anything virtuous. My dad said that Democrats have always tried to steal elections and have always stuffed ballot boxes, but that conservatives do not do that, because they (we) do not believe in winning elections by cheating. Is it scary that the Democrats offer freebies to garner votes, but in reality, would strip American liberties in the name of the common good? What's even scarier than Obama winning is the phony sense of a mandate, when he will claim that the people have spoken, a statement he is certain to make. The Abomination will say that this is a mandate on his policy plans, if, God forbid, he does win.

The reality is that what would have elected Hussein Obama would be a blatant despotic brainwashing of the public, using an amalgamation of media partiality, and an electorate tired of Bush, again because of the misrepresentations and outright lies by the main vein media. Using this Marxist and propagandist tripe as his directive, Hussein Osama Obama would misconstrue a win as America agreeing with his radical, anti-free market, anti-American leftist ideologies.

A triumphant Obama will misguidedly consider that America believes as he does, that you strengthen the fragile, by weakening the strong--or that you enrich the underprivileged by bankrupting the wealthy.

When Democrats in the House created the monstrous Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, John McCain spoke out against this nationalization of mortgage underwriting. And yet, the Democrats and the disinformation machine known collectively as the mainstream media transferred the blame to Republicans and conservatives who tried to stop the financial bleeding--this false accusation caused the Obama surge in the polls--consequently, Hussein Osama Obama will certainly misinterpret this to mean that America is tired of free market capitalism and is ripe for socialism, something that he believes in and calls "the change we need". Yeah? Says who?

If the media were actually unbiased, if Congressional Democrats admitted their financial illiteracy, if Loren Michaels and Saturday Night Live made fun of Joe “Plugs” Biden the way they mocked Sarah Palin, if Letterman was fair to John McCain instead of blatantly biased, America would have had a clearer, more evenhanded representation of the candidates in this presidential election.

As it stands, if Barack Hussein Osama Obama wins the presidency, it will have been a dishonest and unfair undertaking. America will slip down a path to collectivism from which she can never return to the liberties that we are about to give up. Why Americans would ever be dumb enough to vote for this poor excuse for a leader is beyond me.

Though Obama says he is not socialistic, when he says he will take the hard-earned dollars from every Joe the Plumber and every John the carpenter, to give that money to another who has not earned as much, that IS socialism, by any name.

When you give your dollars freely to less privileged folks, it is charity. When you are forced by collectivist autocrats to give to others with no regard to what is in your heart, is that really living in a Christ-like fashion? Seriously... Is it? When the government forces you to give for the greater good, whatever that might be, when Obama confiscates the dollars you worked hard to earn, it is not only Marxist, socialistic, anti-American, and unfair, it is slavery. Are you truly free today? If Hussein Obama wins the presidency, you will never be free again. Talk about un-American. God help us, and by the way... Why should God bless America when we damn Him and kick Him out of our lives?

Gabriel at the dentist

Gabriel had his first ever dentist appointment yesterday. I liked it because he is now more interested in brushing his teeth. The hygienist who cleaned his teeth couldn't believe that he was only 3 1/2 and had never been to the dentist before. He sat very still and was remarkably cooperative. They found that he has a small cavity on a front tooth. The dentist decided that he is cooperative enough that he is willing to try to fix it. I don't think he usually does that on children Gabriel's age. It makes me happy to know that he was such a good boy.

Special friend?

Gabriel's teacher told me that he did something really cute today: he was tattelling for his friend. There is a little girl in class with whom he is friends. I believe her name is Haley. Some kids were taking things from her or something and Gabriel would go to Mrs. Fundanet and tell about this. He did it in a way that confused the teacher, though, and he had to explain to her that it wasn't something happening to him; it was his friend who was experiencing this. She just thought it was so cute. This was the first day I heard that he was friends with a girl. It caused me to wonder how much he plays with her and what he really thinks of her since she isn't mentioned. He talks about Gretchen, a girl from church who is also in his class, but he has never talked about this girl. We will have to see what happens and if he talks about her.

(Not a) Newsflash: Vikings Play Like It Doesn't Matter

Fourth quarter. Vikings are not in the lead. Well, duh. At least the Vikes are only down by one.

Private message to Childress. Let your offensive coordinator call the plays, or you are going to get fired.. finally. Geez. Childress is not going to be the head coach after this year anyway, thankfully.

I imagine that old Brad is in panic mode by now, knowing that he is toast. At least Jackson is out for awhile, or the Vikings would not have won even a single game. Frerotte is not flashy, but he is at least somewhat consistent out there. Oh, if only we had a team full of Adrian Petersons, eh, Childress?

It looks like Longwell is going to win this game for us again. Winning is always a good thing, but winning by a fieldgoal (when the Vikings actually manage a win) is B-O-R-I-N-G!!!

The Countdown

I haven't decided what to do with the countdown clock for the expiration of the ban on offshore drilling. I guess that depends on what the originating source of the timer does after the ban expires later today. I am sure that the Marxists in control of America's Congress will pull some trick and spin it in the media, giving themselves all the credit, while demonizing conservatives and Republicans and conservative Republicans for acting in America's and your true best interest.

Remember, the government is here to help. Big government is your friend.

If you believe that statement, you scare me. Belief in such things is a threat to the future of America, land of the free and the home of the brave. God help us. We need it!

The Real Inconvenient Truth

Despite all the gloomy news and yellow journalism from the left, there is a light at the end of the tunnel! If conservatives get their way, God willing, the market will be forced to fix itself without taxpayers footing the bill. Further, and this is almost certainly too good to be true (at least for long), the libs in Congress are not renewing the ban on offshore drilling, a ban that is set to expire tonight. I believe that the plan is to let the ban expire and then, when Obama wins, God forbid, the libs will rush in and do an end-run to kill any hopes of looking for oil here at home. They claim they want energy independence, but the costs of the pipe dreams of wind energy actually generating enough power to pay for the wind generators is far-fetched. It's a fairy tale! It's all about keeping Americans under the thumb of a domineering government, a de facto fiefdom, with socialist liberals in charge of YOUR life.

For today, though, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We can only hope this isnt just a trick, but I am confident that this is just political posturing from the left, as always.

For the truth about offshore drilling and shale exploration, click here.

The Young Viking

With enthusiastic fans like this, how can the Vikings lose (again?)

The Jedi Padawan: Anakin Skywalker

Gabriel in his Halloween garb for 2008.

Playing With the Camera (part 4) - Dandelions

Gabriel, busy re-seeding dandelions.

Playing With the Camera (part 3)

A close-up of Jericho, lounging around on the floor and enjoying his sippy cup.

Playing With the Camera (part 2)

Gabriel is 3-years old. He was clowning around last week, and I guess, figured a Frisbee made good head gear. It is rather stylish, isn't it?

Playing With the Camera (part 1)

Jericho at 1-year old. Taken last week. Jericho was deep in thought, from the look of this photo.

PHOTOGRAPHY IS LIFE

I have been giving consideration to what I really want to do in the next five years in my life. Or ten years. Or twenty. Whatever. I have been considering what I truly enjoy doing. I really take pleasure in my job and think that I have the best employer I could ask for, and the ideal fit for me. In the future, that may no longer be true, but today, this is good for me. My real passion, aside from Heather, Jericho, and Gabriel is photography.

I have investigated the idea of taking photography classes, but haven’t made up my mind if there is something out there for me yet, something that can make the spark of inspiration grow ever more stimulating. I considered the New York Institute of Photography, but am not sure if it is reputable or not. NYIP has been in business for 99 years, so it has staying power, but what will it do for me as an aspiring photographer? I do not know yet, but it is a consideration. This is the site, if you want to see what I am seeing: http://www.nyip.com/

Another site I have investigated, though not a formal photography training organization, is the Nikon User Community. It is a forum for photographers who happen to think that Nikon cameras are great tools for the photographic vision. I am not a site member, but am mulling it over. The site is http://www.nikonians.org/ in case you are interested. There are sites out there just like it for Canon users, but the D300 has made me a true believer in the quality of Nikon cameras. Maybe someday, I will graduate to a D3, but if I do that, it will be funded by a reinvestment in a photography business or profitable hobby. We will see if it is in the cards.

I have been investigating another site called Part Time Photographer. The idea is that the forums on the site encourage aspiring photographers to develop their craft, while helping to see if the individual could become a paid shutterbug. The last post I read has hints about a ready-made business plan, not a full-blown document, but the guidelines that would allow a part-time photographer to see how feasible it will be to conduct their business for profit. I am not there yet, but some day, anything is possible. If you are curious or interested, the URL is here. http://www.ptphotographer.com/

I have a couple other URLs to share, but I will do that shortly. The one I have hinted about in the past is a photography site that I am developing. No one but Heather and a couple of her friends have even seen the site yet. I do promise that one of these days, I will publish the site. I am just trying to be sure that only my very best work is on display. I think that it drives Heather mad, but maybe not, that when I go to work at Lake Vermillion or Grand Portage, I may take 500-700 pictures in one day, and when I return, I sort through the pictures, and I decide that two or three are good enough for public consumption. To be honest, I hope that I have set my standards high enough, so that when I put my site online, it doesn’t disappoint. I am being off the wall with that comment, I admit, but it is not meant to be avant-garde or pretentious. I just want to put my best work out there and I don’t want to disappoint with what I hope is an engaging photographic vision. If you are interested, stay tuned and I will tell you more, as soon as the site is ready. I know, I said it would be ready months ago. When it is ready, you will be the first to know.

Looking back to when I got the D300, I had a post or two here about how the capabilities of that camera really energized my enthusiasm for photography. Each new day is like that, and it just keeps getting more exciting. I see photographic possibilities everywhere.

Photography is life.

Life, Death, and Accountability

Mom told me that a classmate of one of my nieces committed suicide yesterday. Barring severe psychosis, it really makes a person wonder what is wrong with people, both kids and adults, when taking one’s own life seems like a viable or effective solution. While nobody asked for my opinion, I am giving it anyway. Why does this happen? The average teenager knows right from wrong, but sees no consequence of bad behavior. Why? Society focuses too much on material achievement, and as a result, parents are not paying attention to what their kids are doing. Kids should hang out with their friends more often under the watchful eyes of the parents. You know, parents should encourage their kids to hang out at home with their friends, instead of hanging out in parts unknown and doing who knows what. Too often, when kids get into trouble, part of the blame lies with inattentive parents.

The one good thing about Heather working and me watching the boys a lot more evenings is that it gives me a chance to spend quality time with Gabriel and Jericho. Further, it forces me to pay attention. That is key to kids turning out okay. Kids need to know that their parents really care, even when parents are in disagreement with the kids. You know how it is. Teens think their parents are just being difficult, but when children reach adulthood, they understand that parents really do have moral and ethical experience from which to direct their children’s behavior, and have the best interests of their children in mind when they make demands that seemed annoying and overbearing. Later, it all makes sense. I say that as a former kid and a former teenager. I have been there.

May those kids rest in peace and hopefully, the friends they have left behind will find peace and a better way to cope. Parents need to pay attention! Families need to remember that they are the first line of defense in the safety and welfare for their children. When parents fail, when teenagers fail, a big part of the answer is accountability for personal actions, and parents keeping a close eye on their kids. Completely different and absolutely the same, like Ronald Reagan versus the big Russian bear: Trust but verify. Parenthood is no different; it is just a different scale of consequences!

A Death in the Family

We received the news last night that my aunt, Dorothy, passed on. Mom tells me that she didn't have Alzheimer’s, but she was frustrated by having increasing memory loss and limited mobility, for a few years, at least. It progressed to the point that she was rarely fully cognizant of her surroundings. It makes one reflect on the value of life and the mystery of death, when death is a merciful event that seems preferably to life, for family members who watch their loved ones slowly slipping away. I have had a few people in my life who dealt with terminal illnesses. When the terminal illness is a protracted condition, the family members have time to adjust to the inevitability of human mortality, such that, when death finally comes, it is a relief. The family members who are left behind can rest assured that their loved one is no longer suffering the frailties of the human condition.


I remember the illness and death of my next door neighbor, George, when I lived in Burnsville. George had a type of degenerative distal muscular dystrophy. George and his wife, Janet spent a lot of time with me in the several years that his health was declining. We would go out to dinner and go for drives in the outlying areas of the suburbs, usually about once a week, but sometimes more often. I worked from home then more than I do now, and George would call me at the house for assistance. I would go next door and help him to the restroom and get him drinks and so forth.

George was a man who was of pedestrian faith like so many of us as we go through life, distracted by the things that seem important at the time, but in the big picture, are trivialities. We really enjoyed going out to dinner; the company was as good as the dining experience, but it was not destined to last. George was a big guy, funny as Bob Hope, and as George grew weaker, he had more problems with his limited range of movement, labored breathing, and poor balance. We stopped going out to dinner, because he was not able to walk or maintain his balance, even with assistance.

When George couldn’t go out any longer, it was something we all missed. His strength completely failed him. However, what happened in the meantime was significant. The more physical abilities were stolen from George by the MD, the stronger his faith became. Near the end of his life, George began to talk about the future, and how he would soon be strong again. George grinned, as best he could with his weak muscles, and he told us how he would soon be a new and better man, and how he would dance with the Lord. George was very frail, but when he did manage to go to a church service, he found the strength to carry on for another day. Ultimately, the MD caught up with him, and he couldn’t leave the house. I continued to visit him until the week of his mortal end, when he left the pain behind and found the gift of immortality. He spent the end of his life with his pastor and prayer leaders of his church. He told his wife not to grieve for him, but to be ready to move on with life and to celebrate every day, not endlessly dwelling on his memory. His wife told me this part: At the end, his weakness left him long enough for him to put his hands to heaven and to wear a big smile on his face. Later that day, George passed away. I have no doubt that he danced with Jesus with a renewed lightness of being. I am confident that it is that way with others who suffer from terminal illnesses. I am not sure, though, if it is better when death comes unexpectedly, or after an illness, when the end is expected and predictable.

Would the anticipation of the death of a loved one give some comfort in knowing that the family was preparing and able to say good-bye? Having lost three of my closest friends in accidents and another to heart failure at the age of twenty six, the shock of a sudden loss is hard to comprehend and not easy to accept, as if those left behind have a choice but to accept the loss. I have had capacious experiences with the deaths of extended family and friends. Revisiting the losses in my mind reminds me that the whole idea of the death of a loved one is hard to consider, without becoming awash with maudlin poignancy and private melancholy. I do know that the family and friends can find a modicum of comfort, and that is in this:


While I was not close to my aunt, I can empathize with her children, and the losses that my dad and mom are going through. My mom grew close to my aunt in the past months, as my aunt’s health declined. I was happy to hear that seven of Dorothy’s nine adult children were able to be with her as she passed from this world. There may be some comfort in that. I can say that from my own experiences. I hope that Dorothy’s children know my mother went to visit often and to ensure that Dorothy was well attended until the end mercifully came. I am confident that Dorothy is in a better place now, without pain and earthly concerns.

The Bible tells us that we do not have the capacity or authority to judge the worth of another, since righteous judgment is left to God alone. As a human with my own weaknesses, I still insist that we can faithfully believe, as my mother said, "If Dorothy did not make heaven, then no one will."