Goodbye and God Bless, Senator Kennedy

It is the end of an era. The magic of the Kennedys has been taken from us, in finality. There will never be others like them. Ted Kennedy was a man. Flawed, as any man is. What made him a great man was his belief in mankind, and his ability to live his values every single day of his life. He made great mistakes. He also made great retribution.

For me, he embodies the difference between “Me Government” versus “We Government.” He was a very rich, powerful man, yet he believed that if you gained something, it did not mean he was losing something. A rising tide lifts all boats. He knew that if you do better, he does better. He knew that if a citizen of this country is suffering, we all suffer. This is very far from the “I’ve got mine, screw you” mentality so prevalent these days. He didn’t need to denigrate you if your opinion was different, no name calling or backstabbing. He showed respect to people from all stations of life, every creed, color, lifestyle. He knew good-hearted people can disagree without being disagreeable.

He lived life about as fully as anyone can, and touched many people along the way. His absence is going to be felt in a very real way, and the world is a sadder place. Godspeed, Teddy.

Ok, People. How hard is this to Understand?

Healthcare Reform

Ok, one of the main problems is that name. This is not really health CARE reform, it's health insurance, or health system reform. Our actual health care is great. It's the access and affordability of it that's the problem. So let's parse it out, shall we?

Current Health Care System:
A "for profit" system in which people purchase insurance from private companies mandated by corporate law to make a profit, then receive their care from private hospitals likewise mandated to make a profit.

While the insurance companies have little to no regulation, allowing them to pick and choose their clients and refuse care pretty much without cause, the hospitals are mandated to provide care regardless of ability to pay. This means that the care for those who are under-insured or uninsured is passed on to those who are insured, through tax dollar subsidies and elevated premiums.

The idea of insurance is that a lot of people paying into a pool lowers the risk cost for individuals. Not a bad idea, right? But what if the insurance companies can choose only the young and healthy for the pool? That means that the insurance company assumes little risk, and makes the greatest profit. So they exclude "pre-existing conditions" and deny tests and services that are
outside the mainstream, even if they are efficacious. They tell YOUR doctor how long you can stay in the hospital for a given illness or procedure. They tell your doctor which tests he can perform. They tell him how much he can charge, or you pick up the extra cost. Then they take that nice big profit they've made of off your well being, and they pay their CEO's billions in bonuses and take the executives on expensive cruises. It all works very well. For THEM.

Meanwhile, what happens to you? Well, you get a minimum of care while paying through the nose for it. According to the Office of the Governor of California's website:

About half of all personal bankruptcies in the United States are due to medical bills. Several studies—including two published by Harvard Medical School and the Health Affairs journal—put the number of bankruptcies due to medical causes at approximately 50 percent.

Medical bankruptcy hits the middle class. The typical person filing for bankruptcy due to medical costs is about 40 years old, with some college education, middle-class or working-class, and a homeowner.

Many people pay as much for health care costs per month as they do for housing. And if they get sick and are told "that's not covered," what recourse do they have? Little to none. An appeals board? The news is full of stories of people who have literally died while fighting their insurance company for coverage. Remember during election coverage the stories of Barack Obama's mother having to fight for coverage while she was dying of cancer? What do you think would happen to you if you camped out on the lawn of the CEO of your insurance company to protest his policies? Jail time, I'm betting.

Under a Single Payer plan, what would change?

Well, cost. Medicare currently runs under a 3% overhead. THREE PERCENT. Private insurance companies run anywhere from 15-30%, averaged at 25%. Google it if you don't believe me; this info is out there, people. Why the difference? Well, Medicare isn't required to make a profit. It is not answerable to shareholders. It doesn't have to pay those golden parachutes or "retention bonuses." One problem with Medicare, left from the previous administration, thank you very much, is that it can no longer negotiate with drug companies to lower drug prices. That needs to be fixed. Who is Medicare answerable to? Well, Congress provides the funding, right? And you elect those Congressmen? So you can go to his office and picket and protest, and you (provided you behave yourself while you do it) will NOT end up in jail. And your local congress person wants to listen to you, 'cause he's always got another election coming up and he wants your money and your vote.

My personal preference would be Medicare for all. Start it tomorrow. System is already in place; simply begin lowering the age of eligibility, say ten years every year til everyone is covered from birth. Under Medicare, you can choose any doctor. Your doctor makes all decisions for your care without being told what tests he can perform or what drugs he can prescribe. No pre-approval required, no approved referrals required, no redundant tests because the information is available to all your caregivers. Streamlined, simple, and no one, NO ONE comes between you and your doctor.

If you want your own insurance it will always be available. Even in the most socialist systems, private insurance is always available to purchase. Don't like the government system? Opt out.

Talking Points Rebuttal

I don't want my tax dollars going to pay for abortions. It won't. It can't. There is already law in place prohibiting it, and that law is NOT going to be overturned by THIS Supreme Court, even if there were support to change it in Congress, which there isn't.

I don't want my taxes to go up. There are a plethora of ways to pay for this program, starting with repeal of the Bush tax cuts for milloniares, which if completely repealed would pay for the estimated cost twice. And even if your taxes were to go up, your premium cost is going WAY down. Net gain.

Death Boards. Oh dear God. No, the government is not going to kill Grandma. Most states already have provisions for and sometimes require a Health Care Proxy form from all adults receiving care. All the current bill does is allow payment for a consultation with your doctor over YOUR preferences for care. Period. The only Death Boards are the ones the insurance companies use to deny care.

I don't want the Government to get between me and my Doctor. Already addressed. The government doesn't make the health care decisions, it merely pays the bills.

I don't want America to go Socialist. This is the freakiest talking point yet. How will Single Payer Health Care cause the Constitution to change? Are these people aware that Government programs run the Post Office, the Veteran's Administration and Medicare nationally, and state Government runs fire, police, highway departments? That Congress has a government plan, as do soldiers, and federal employees? And horrifically, do these people who want their America back want the America of George Bush, who violated every Amendment to the Constitution except the Third, and most of the main body of the Constitution itself?

I really don't understand the fear that allows these people to accept the nonsensical ramblings and outright lies of Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin and Sean Hannity and Glen Beck. Do a little reseach, People. www.thomas.loc.gov is a great place to start; it is the Library of Congress, and THOMAS is the area where all bills are available for review. Listen to the people who are ranting, and the loaded words they're using, and ask yourself why? Why does Sarah Palin bring her kids, and soldiers, into every conversation, no matter how inappropriate? She does it because it scares people, makes them react without thinking. People who don't think are their best friends.

Certainly, there are arguments about Health Care Reform that are worth having, and indeed, vital. There must be dialog. The current anti-everything movement, however, isn't interested in dialog, they want to shut it down. The ultimate goal is make the Democrats and Obama fail. They aren't even secretive about it; it's right there in their talking points when they tell their minions "Disrupt meetings, don't even let them finish their opening statements." So much for the "post partisian" movement.

A new talent

Murphy has suddenly decided he likes to draw. He drew this freehand last week; it's Nazo from Sonic the Hedgehog fame.

We are quite proud of our budding new artist! He's now enrolled in camp to learn cartooning from a master, Sergio from Mad Magazine.

What you missed

while I wasn't blogging. Here's some family pictures from the past few months.


Murphy, with the big ball of fur called Flash. Flash was groomed on Saturday and no longer is a big ball of fur, sadly. Pic to follow soon of our shorn puppy.



Here's Murphy at his school's fundraising Sportathon. He did more laps than anyone else, 104, IIRC. We were proud.


Murph, the power hitter. Even his coaches are amazed; he can hit righty or lefty, and really HIT. The Pride of the Angels.





Here he is at practice. Usually, he's the catcher, but here he's making the catch at first!


















Dad and Murph playing catch over the duggout fence during an Angels game.


I'd love to post pictures of Eric, and maybe I will, someday; if he stays home long enough to pose. =] He's spending his days hiking in the hills of Ojai. And running Flash on his bike, which is greatly appreciated by all concerned.

So there's the update; we're all happy and mostly healthy and together. Life is Good.

EASTER!

Happy Easter!



Our family did a really fun project for Easter. We dyed eggs with ties! Yes, plain old neckties. Here's the process.

First we got a bag of recycled men's silk ties. We opened up the ties at the seams and removed the linings.






Then you take a raw egg, and roll it, right side of fabric against the egg, roll it TIGHT, a couple of times around, cutting off the excess. Tie a string round each end, TIGHTLY as you dare, without breaking the egg.

Then, wrap that package in a strip of clean white cotton, like an old t-shirt, and tie as before. Both wrappings should be as snug as possible. The egg should also be at room temperature.

Next, place the eggs carefully into a large pot of simmering water, to which a cup of vinegar has been added. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 25 minutes.

Turn off heat, and remove eggs to cool. We used a cookie rack with a pyrex pan under it to catch the drips.




When cool, carefully untie the packages, or cut the strings, and unroll your artistry!

We did find that dark colors worked better than light, and some don't work at all. YMMV.

Nashville

So today, I find myself in Nashville, TN. And it's cold, baby. No snow, though there were a few bare flurries this morning.

Being a California girl, I have nothing to cope with the icy blast. No coat, no shoes or boots. No mittens or scarves or hats. See, I thought I gave that all up when I moved here from Boston. I mean, sure, it gets cold in California, but (don't laugh)- it's a dry cold. Thirty degrees here doesn't feel as cold as thirty in Nashville, or in Boston. The moisture does penetrate more, somehow. Plus, the day may START at thirty, but it generally goes up to the forties or fifties in the winter daytime. So now, it's snowing.

I did have the foresight to knit myself some mittens. Bought the yarn (Misti Alpaca Bulky, yum!) at Anacapa Fine Yarns (thanks, Lois!) on Saturday, cast on as soon as I could get home and find a pattern, and finished them on the airplane. Hoping I have enough left for a basic hat to match. But my feet, in my see through clogs, are FREEZING. Think it's time to hit the outlets?

I'm here because I'm attending a seminar for work. In Alabama. So why am I in Nashville, you ask, astutely. Because the place the seminar is in is so far in the boonies that the nearest airport is - Huntsville. But what's in Huntsville? Nashville is the second closest. So tomorrow, at FOUR AM, thank you very much, I will be on the road, driving 2.5 hours to the class. Joy joy! I wanted to try to do some sightseeing in Nashville, but a backed up toilet, a broken coffee machine, and incorrectly programmed room keys have me in a bit of a tizzy. (Are we having fun yet?) Ever call the front desk to report an overflowing toilet? Ever get the answer "Would you like a plunger?)

I took some pictures but don't know if I can get them uploaded here, so they may have to wait. Not exactly picturesque; I'd forgotten how gray everything is in winter. In less than five years, I've truly turned into a California Girl.

Things could be worse.....

Election 2008

An historic, amazing, inspiring day.

GO VOTE!

More Cute Puppy

Can you say "Awwwwwww"?

A New Family Member!

Thanks to our very much beloved and generous Aunt Merridee and cousin Kelsey, we now have a new member of our family, a delayed birthday gift to Murphy. Isn't he beautiful?

His name is Flash Thunder, Flash for short. He's eleven weeks old, a jet black standard poodle. Already seems huge! He's playful and sweet and affectionate, despite a rather trying three hour ride home.

We're all so happy to have him. I have a feeling our life will not be the same again!

When Fall Comes to New England

So, we've been here in California for four plus years. I love it here, I really do. But this year, for the first time, I'm really missing the New England autumn. The crisp, cold air that smells like nothing else; the brilliant yellows and reds of the leaves, the light in the evenings and the turning of the stars. I don't know why this year I miss it so.

In my wallowing, I've been listening to one of my favorite albums. It's a compilation of folk songs put together by Christine Lavin, entitled "When October Goes." Here's the track that brings tears. It's by Cheryl Wheeler, and called "When Fall Comes to New England."

Click here to play Streaming Audio

Fall Update

It's been a busy summer and early fall. I've had a few complaints that I'm not updating as often as I should. Who, me? You mean one post a quarter isn't often enough? I guess not....

So what have we been up to? Well after Father's Day, our next major adventure was a visit from Barbara and Roger. I must say, they are the best house guests ever. We had a lovely time together. We ate... A LOT!!! Tried out some of the fancier restaurants in Ojai that I never get to. Took them for a trip down memory lane to Emma K. Woods Beach, where they stayed (memorably) on their honeymoon. Toured Ojai and saw Lake Casitas, which is always beautiful. Pictures, you ask? Well - I managed to mess up the cellphone camera, so it wouldn't save pictures (which was heartbreaking, because I got the BEST picture ever at Lake Casitas. No, really!) But somehow, I did get a few (proving once again my need for a class in photography.)


Brothers, on the ride home from Emma Wood. I think they like each other! And I think they're the cutest, smartest, most awesome boys ever, but maybe that's just me. =]











Barbara and Roger, who joined us in our weekly bowling event. They are watching Murphy bowl. Who said bowling wasn't exciting?







Eric, at Emma K. Wood State Beach. It was actually COLD. Murph and Dad went to put their tootsies in the surf; somehow Murphy got wet all the way to the neck. How'd that happen?




Anyway, Barbara and Roger's vacation was a very cool vacation for us too. They're so easy to be around (and are good at fending for themselves) so it's not stressful having them. I got to take a day or two off work. They inspired us to do stuff we should do more often, and I got daily hugs. What's not to love? And they made it home in one piece, which is always a good thing. We can't wait to have them back; they are always missed.

August was sock knitting and soccer camp; Murphy attended two sessions and had a blast. It's an international camp. They have coaches from the UK come over to teach the kids about soccer and about their country. Pretty cool. Murphy had a great time, and won a certificate or three.

Then school started. Murph is back in Montessori, with a new teacher he seems to like. Eric is taking a class at Ventura Community again; screen writing, which should be very helpful to him. He also (TA DA!!!!!!) got a job. WHOO HOOOO! He is working at our most favorite seafood restaurant, right here in Ojai. Sea Fresh. It's a must go to whenever we have company. You should smell the garlic... well, you probably can, right from where you are! We're really proud of him and right this minute I'm thinking we need to go there tonight....

Then came the day. September 7. A day of infamy. A very special somebody's birthday. MURPHY turned 8! We had a bowling party at the bowling alley. There was a cake, made with love and shaped like a bowling ball, and it was both chocolate AND vanilla!. There were friends, and pizza, and bowling, and presents. Balloons, even. Awesome, if I do say so myself. I actually got to enjoy it. A very nice time.

I can't believe my baby is eight. Sigh.


So what else? Peru is trying to record a demo CD of his music. I love his "Tribute to Freddie King." Trying to find some people to play with around. I'm still working. Still playing with fiber and knitting socks like crazy. Murphy's back in soccer, league play this time. His team is the "Golden Trout" and today he kicked his first in game goal . WHOO HOO!!

That's all I can think of for now. I probably missed a ton of good stuff, which is why I should blog more often so I can remember it! I'll try to do better - we all miss our friends and family who are away.

An Original Work by SlimPeru

"You Don't Move Me No More" copyright 2008

Click here to play Streaming Audio

A VERY Happy Father's Day!

Dad, and the whole rest of the family, got a great Father's Day present this weekend; a visit from his oldest son, Bill. Can you tell which one is Bill? I'll give you a hint.... he looks just like his Dad.

It was a bit of a rough start, as his truck broke down on the way, but Peru picked him up and made it home by the time I got home from work. It only took an hour or two to unpack all the neat stuff he brought us. Wow. Peru's been grinning for a week since rumors of his impending arrival wandered through the ethernet. He's just a little bit proud of his son. Just a little.

So this pic is called "My Three Sons." Pretty awesome, no? Each and every one a gem, too. Man what good genes we both must have to get kids this smart and loving and wonderful. Billy, the electronics wonderboy, fixed, well, everything... but most wonderfully the Aussie Barbecue Grill from two or three Father's Days ago, which worked for about a month, then wouldn't anymore. Since we're Olympic level packrats, we didn't get rid of it. Bill took it apart, cleaned it, and ta-da! Barbecue fillet mignon for Father's Day dinner. Amazing.

The long and short of it is that we'd like to kidnap him as a permanent resident. He's a very good influence on all of us, and fun to have around as well. I guess we'll have to settle for more frequent visits though, as his mother seems to want him back. Doesn't mean we won't try to lure him with homemade strawberry shortbread or stacks of sourdough pancakes...

A Baseball Star!

Today was closing day ceremonies for Murphy's Tball league. It's been a blast and I'm going to miss it, though I admit that not having to sit in 101 degree sunshine is a relief. Murphy is already champing at the bit for soccer, but he'll have to wait for camp in July.

There was a Home Run Derby, in which each player was pitched 8 balls, and each hit was worth 2 points, and then if the ball went a long distance, more points were added. Murphy scored a 12 in the first round, which qualified him for the final round! The top six players hit 5 balls each in the second round, and Murphy scored 8 which won him THIRD PLACE!! We were all very proud and very happy!

Here's a close up of his trophy (he wants you to see his name, so you know it's really his!) and a close up of the 3rd place medal for the Derby. It's really cool!

We had a wonderful visit this week from two of our favorite people. Mammama and Merridee came to visit and got to see Murphy and Dad sing and play in the school's Spring Sing. Then Mammama bought Murphy his first ever Banana Split. He never knew such delights existed! It was so wonderful to see them, and we hope they come more often.

In other news, the critter in the attic seems to have been scared away by the man setting the traps, so the holes were repaired and there's no more critter noises to drive Mom crazy. Thank goodness! Eric has finished this year's college and is looking for a job (anyone have one to give? Anyone?) I'm spinning color and trying to finish the socks I'm knitting, for which I Love love love the finished product but am not so thrilled with the actual knitting; it's mostly purls, and somewhat tedious. One sock is complete, and I just started the heel flap on the second, so now it should pick up a bit. Then I"m trying to knit from stash. Reduce reduce reduce is the mantra. No more yarn purchases till my stash is reduced at least by half!

Off to knit that heel flap!

What's Going On?

It's been a crazy couple of weeks. First there's the critters in the attic. Loud. Large. Busy. Critters. In the attic. Neighbor thought she saw squirrels going in to the house, but the Pest Control Specialist we finally called in (when the noises brought Mom to the brink of insanity) thinks it is a rat. A FOOT long rat. Sigh. So the traps are set, and he comes back to see if they've tripped this week. So far, the noises indicate they haven't found the traps yet. I'm so very happy. Not.

Then there's the overwhelming chaos in my house. I just have too much crap. Too much fiber. Couldn't use it all in a lifetime. So I'm packing it up. Giving it away, donating to the Mission, sending some to a needy person, throwing some out. Mind you, this is just the acrylic stuff, and I still have boxes. I'm keeping the natural fibers stuff (and putting it where, you ask? Good question.) And I've made a vow to do the stash busting thing this year. No new purchases of yarn or fiber till I've greatly reduced the current stash. However......

Prior to this vow, I'd been working on spinning this:

A full pound of lovely moorit brown merino, which I hope to make into socks. I spun half of it a bit ago, only to find that my "fingering weight" somehow bloomed to worsted weight when plied and washed. Not what I wanted for socks. So I'm doing the other half, and aiming at a much smaller grist.

Then there's this:

Four lovely ounces of beige silk spun cobweb fine. It's beautiful, soft, and I love spinning silk. So? What's the problem, you ask?

Color.

I want color.

Bright beautiful bold gorgeous color.

Everything I've spun recently has been a neutral. Moorit, beige, lots of white. Some black.

It's spring, and I want color.

So before the vow (phew, under the wire!) I bought this:

A pound each of superwash merino (again, hopefully for socks!) in the brightest colors I could find. The pictures really don't do them justice. The blue is electric. The yellows so vivid it's like looking into the sun. Thanks to Christina at dyepot.com for brightening my day.














In mind of the stash busting idea, I knit two hats this weekend, using up balls of commercial but still lovely 100% alpaca. Used up two skeins that otherwise would be languishing in the stash, and learned some fair isle. Pretty cool! I'll try to get pics of those later.

Then the family. Here's our slugger, at his latest game:

A big HIT! The Catcher















It's funny; he's pretty good at baseball, but soccer is still his thing. We're already saving the pennies for soccer camp this summer. An athlete. My son. Whoda Thunkit?

The rest of us are fine, hanging in. Hot weekend, up in the triple digits. Today should be 90's. Then the 60's by Wednesday. Bizarre.

Stay cool. Oh, and the contest is still open... Can't even give my stash away, apparently.

Challenge

For the first three people that reply to this post, and who re-post this challenge: you win!!!

For your prize, I will send you a gift.

It might be something I’ve made, or something cool from my hidden stash of fabulousity. It might be a mix CD, or a rubber duck, or a book I think you might enjoy. A love letter, a useful object, or something else that is awesome or maybe just taking up room in my house.

Whatever it is, I promise I will get it to you in 365 days of your posted comment or less, and I will need your snail mail.

The only thing you need to do to receive your gift is PARTICIPATE.

Be one of the first three journalers to reply to this, (make sure I can contact you via e-mail) and post this very same thing in your journal, and YOU are the lucky giftee.

Just ‘cuz.

Because you get what you need when you ask, and because it’s fun to give people stuff.

I accepted the challenge from LizzieK8. If you accept the challenge, you need to link to me showing you accepted the challenge from this blog.

Time for the Monthly Update

Someone from an email group I belong to asked about Tofutsies yarn. I've been meaning to post about this for a while, so this is as good a time as any.

I have made two (and a half) pairs of socks with this yarn. It was pretty fun; the colors are very bright and interesting, and it's novel to be knitting with crab shells. I did find it splitty, but tolerable for someone with low standards, such as myself.

But there was a very big problem, once the socks were completed.

Fade.
I mean, serious fade.

These socks were knit last summer and fall; so they're less than a year old. And I admit, I am not a handwash sort of girl; they get thrown in the washer and dryer with everything else. The nice thing is they didn't shrink. Take a look at what did happen.

The original colorway is black, magenta and gold. Each color was plied with a white strand.

The left is the socks as they currently are. Gold? What gold? Magenta faded to pink, gold is gone completely. White is almost all you can see though the black has held up fairly well.

The second item in the picture is a headband I made to match the socks. It's obviously been washed much less, and therefore isn't too bad off, unless you hold it right up to the remainder of the skein. Not sure you can see in the picture, but there is obvious fading between them.

This is the second pair I made. Green, blue, yellow. No white. Very bright and vibrant colors. I really loved this colorway, which is strange, as green is not really my thing. See how they've held up?

There is literally NO blue left. The green and yellow have faded to pastel. Sad.

I also am not sure how durable they are. The black and gold ones have worn a hole at the base of the little toe on the instep. Strange place for a hole!

Now, I do wear both of these pair at least once a week, and as I said, they get washed in the regular clothes wash. But my Trekking socks have not faded one bit with the same treatment. Regia has not faded (can't remember which one; the line that has elastic in it.) My bamboo ones have faded noticeably, but still not to this extent, and they were the first ones I made.

Now I know that cotton tends to hold dye less well; it may be a function of that. But I probably won't buy this yarn again. If you buy for color, and then the color fades, what's the point? And truly; they aren't quite as comfortable as my wool socks.

Ok, so what have the family been up to? Well, we took a vacation day and went to Knott's Berry Farm. Fun! I was worried about how Murphy would do, as he gets notoriously carsick. Instead, Eric and I got carsick on the way down, and then Eric did the "Sidewinder" coaster, and that pretty much did him in for the day. Murphy? Well, he went on the "Wipeout" which is a spinning ride that also goes up and down. Dad took him on and I was so afraid I'd hear him screaming. Well, I did. Screaming "Let's do it again, Dad!" Well Dad looked a little pale, so Murph went on alone. And then a third time. And then a fourth.

And by then, Dad was feeling better, so they went on the "Boomerang." TWICE. This ride goes fast forwards with a loop de loop twice; then goes back to the beginning backwards. LOOP de LOOP BACKWARDS! Oy. Needless to say, Mom stayed with her feet planted firmly on the ground and took pictures. This is actually THEM in the third car.

Murphy can't wait to go back. Actually, neither can I. It was a pretty awesome day.

Then there's the baseball. Murphy is on the Cardinals, and is probably the best thrower and hitter on the team. He is the oldest (it's really T-ball) and by far the most huge on the team. Here's the team picture; can you guess which one is Murph? Oh man, there is nothing as cute as six and seven year olds trying to play ball. Not even kittens.

Here is a big hit:






Here he is sliding into home for a run:








Then we had a lovely visit from Eric's grandmother, Estelle, and her husband Abe. We only get to see them once or twice a year, and it's always a treat. We had a lovely talk, a tour of Lake Casitas, and then a dinner trip to Carrow's. They're always welcome!

I think that's about it for now; we're all well and happy and going strong. I do hope to get back to some spinning and dyeing soon!

Best. Comment. Ever.

"Conservatives really are perpetual teenagers, raiding the refrigerator, using up all the gas in the car, taking money from your wallet, and constantly whining about how overworked and mistreated they are."

Susan of Texas said, (at Sadly!No blog)
March 17, 2008 at 15:34

Political Stuff

Due to the increasing idiocy of our government and the persisting outrages against our liberty and life, and due to the fact that most of my blog readers are family or fiber people, who may want to pass on the crazy making political rants I indulge in now and again, I've decided to revive my first blog, Thus Spake Zac for that particular purpose. I will leave a link on the sidebar for those who might be interested in my political views.

Today's rant is on obscenity. Check it out, if you're so inclined.

Opening Day

Opening Day game 2008; the Cardinals vs. The Tigers.

Murphy at bat in his first T-ball game. He likes it well enough, but he's still going to be a soccer player when he grows up...

with apologies for the cinematography; new camera and bad angles don't mix!