Palin Paradox

While I am always impressed by women who achieve success and promote the common good, I am always equally annoyed that these women are placed into notoriety and a special category for being an anomaly due to their gender. They can do it all! Raise a family, earn an income, lead the masses, and look good while doing it ALL. It is expected that men will be successful and leaders.

It is a sad account of our times that Sarah Palin has risen to be a media darling and a dark horse in this 2008 political arena. There has been an undeniable shift from focusing on party and candidate platforms to spotlighting Palin as the answer to all that ails us, or, depending on point of view, reason for all that ails us.

Who is Sarah Palin? She has a family---that in itself is a challenge, she is strong in her religious beliefs, she is popular in her home state of Alaska, and she has an image and presence that "is a breath of fresh air" to us all...but I propose that she is a deflection....a distraction...a scapegoat.

With all that she has going for her, the hurdles she has overcome, the massive responsibilities she has strapped to her back, she is still the absolute wrong reason to vote for a particular presidential candidate. Has she sold her soul to the GOP devil? Has she taken on the crusade to fix all our woes?

I am saddened and disappointed in her that she agreed to be the "wag the dog" poster child for solid American solutions in our time. With her as the second-in-command leader of our nation, only two things can happen. She will be cast aside after the election when the real meat of issues are at stake; only to be brought out to raise the collective spirit of the people when things appear dire. A really good speechwriter and a spin doctor can produce a really good cheerleader! Perhaps she will be counted on to lift foreign attitudes towards the U. S. and strike a blow for all Americans because it is believed that she can do the right thing. Do we really think that she can deter the the very grounded, money-motivated, self-interest group that we know as the Republican Party?

Because she accepted the call to become the running mate of John McCain regardless of the differences in their stances and her relative anonymity here on the Mainland, the Republican Party has once again succeeded in making the 2008 presidential election more about them and less about our great country and the citizens of the United States of America.

Oh, s___!! I'm in deep doo-doo, now!

Took the Commander to the dealer Friday morning to have the sunroof leak repaired (again) before Hurricane (now tropical storm) Ike dumps rain here in N Texas. Had to get a rental car for the day.

On my way to work, I was driving on the freeway, had to change lanes to prepare to exit. I signaled "right", maintained my speed of 6o mph while changing lanes, watching all the while what was going on behind me. In the rear-view, I caught a glimpse of a Ford F-350, on my tail and and making his way around me in the same lane. He swerved left and I had to swerve to the right...and there was a car in that lane... no collision, but I was fairly irate. As the truck came around me, I just glared ahead and showed them a particular finger on my left had..(it wasn't my ring finger).

I continued down the freeway in the right lane and exited about a half mile later. As I got in the left turn lane to drive across the overpass, I came up behind Mr. F-350. As we sat there waiting for the traffic light to change, I noticed that he opened his car door ("Oh, s___, I'm in deep doo-doo now"). He hopped down from the cab (truck was super-high) and came toward me...now I had not honked, made rude gestures, flashed lights or anything resembling road-rage while sitting behind him at the light---HONEST! As he approached me, he raised his left hand in a wave, had a big sheepish grin on his face, and hollered, "I'm SO sorry!"...turned around and climbed back up into the cab of his truck. Needless to say, I was relieved. I still believe he was not paying attention...maybe his passenger told him, "Dude, you're gonna kill us all!" But I was very impressed that he was apologetic. I gave him a smile and a thumbs up....he was a pretty nice guy!

White Knuckles and the Virgin Mary

It's curious that Brooke and I are posting opposite outlooks on the very same subject on the same day! As I drove in traffic for 2 HOURS this morning to get to Forest Lane/635, I noticed that my jaws were clenched and as well, my hands were gripped tightly to the top of the steering wheel.

Brooke mentioned serenity----my title is "white knuckles." Most days, it is a challenge to "drive friendly"----one may begin the drive to work or home in a great mood---then it only takes about three a__holes to wreck your day and endanger about forty people at the same time.

I won't go into the details, but it is recklessness and downright rudeness that can cause so many problems----like Brooke stated, her options were to honk at the errant pedestrian and make a rude gesture, or shrug it off and make the pedestrian feel that all's well that ends well. Brooke was rewarded with a peace sign.

Just this week, I have been cut off numerous times, not allowed to change lanes, even with a turn signal ahead of time. Intersections have been blocked preventing cars from crossing and people talk on cell phones and don't signal when changing lanes or turning.

What does the Virgin Mary have to do with commuting snafu's? I listen to a certain radio station while in the car to stay abreast of traffic delays throughout the Metroplex. While driving about 3 mph heading west on 635 this afternoon, I heard the report that an Arlington woman visualized the Virgin Mary on a rotten grape--green or red????.....dunno. But she plans to freeze the grape, sell it on ebay and give the proceeds to her Baptist church----that's the only Christian thing to do!

Four things for Shannon

Four places I go over and over:
work
Ruth & Chad's house to see Callie
Quik Trip for gasoline
nowhere

Four places I'd rather be:
New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico

Four beaches I have visited:
Virginia Beach
South Padre Island
some beach in Florida
can't remember any others (not a beach freak)

Four things I have for breakfast:
black coffee
sausage on a piece of bread
peanut butter crackers/diet Coke
banana

Four animals I like best:
Katie
Lexie
Luna
Irish setters

Four people I am tagging to do this:
Ruth
Brooke
Shannon----but they have all been tagged already! I really don't know others who blog

Lexie's Lucky Day!

I slept a little late this morning....rarely do. About 8:15 am, I awakened to Katie's "aggressive mode" barking! So, I was a little disoriented and startled. Got up, told them doggies to hush up, checked to see what the disturbance was---NONE----maybe the meter reader...long gone by now!

Of course the doggies go out first thing every morning---usually around 6 AM---so today, it was 2 hours later!. They ran back in starving and nudging me into action, saying "BREAKFAST, PLEASE!!!!!" I keep a large sack of kibble next to the washer/dryer with a snap-shut top---there are two scoops...a 1-cup size for Lexie and a 3-cup size for Katie. So, they are panting with tongues out, right by my side, watching every move I make while I scoop up breakfast kibble.

Now, if you know this family and you know the dogs, you also know what a b----h it is to feed the dogs simultaneously. While Luna (I miss her perky little adventurous self) lived here, there were feeding issues because she ate slowly and methodically and was still interested in whatever was going on while she ate. Lexie inhales--she even has her own individual breathing pattern while eating.....and you NEVER mess with Lexie while she eats------you'll end up without toes, fingers, or at least a big bite out of your leg! Katie is just thankful for her meal and she will dig in and leave everybody alone---she eats for nourishment, but she can be a forager and go into gastronomical forbidden territory (see Canine Cookies).

Anyway, we have rituals in feeding that we adhere to. The biggest problem is that Lexie is a world-class champion in speed-eating---so she is ready to move on to bigger and better bowls. She easily intimidated Luna and since Luna moved to Oregon with Brooke, Lexie has taken Katie's bowl on as a victim-----so, they get fed in separate rooms with doors shut. Lexie must be fed first, shut the door and then feed Katie. Katie must be completely finished or Lexie runs in gets her snout in Katie's bowl and goes at it....and, sweet Katie usually just backs away. What power! Katie is younger, faster, and massively bigger than Lexie----but there is a huge difference in beagleness and weimaraner character.

I am getting to the point! So, this morning, I dig into the sack of kibble and shovel out the correct portions, little Lexie cup in left hand, Katie cup in right. Katie is on my heels and jumping with joy. I tell Lexie (who is immobile at the canister of food, eyeing it as a personal challenge) t0 move! She follows me into game room and I DUMP THREE CUPS OF KIBBLE INTO HER BOWL from Katie's scoop. I still don't realize it until I shut the door and walk into the kitchen to Katie's bowl and toss in a measly little 1 cup of kibble! There is no way I am going back out there to retrieve Lexie's excess---she just got lucky today!

Happy Birthday, Mr. President

Today is the centennial of LBJ's birth
Lyndon Baines Johnson (August 27, 1908 – January 22, 1973), often referred to as LBJ, was the thirty-sixth President of the United States, serving from 1963-1969. A Democrat, Johnson succeeded to the presidency following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and after completing Kennedy's term was elected President in his own right in a landslide victory in the 1964 Presidential election. Johnson was a major leader of the Democratic Party and as President was responsible for designing the "Great Society" legislation that included civil rights laws, Medicare (government funded health care for the elderly), Medicaid (government funded health care for the poor), aid to education, and the "War on Poverty." Simultaneously, he escalated the American involvement in the Vietnam War from 16,000 American soldiers in 1963 to 550,000 in early 1968.
Johnson served as a United States Representative from Texas from 1937–1949 and as United States Senator from 1949–1960, including six years as United States Senate Majority Leader, two as Senate Minority Leader and two as Senate Majority Whip. After campaigning unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination in 1960, Johnson was selected by John F. Kennedy to be his running-mate for the 1960 presidential election. Johnson's popularity as President steadily declined after the 1966 Congressional elections, and his reelection bid in the 1968 United States presidential election collapsed as a result of turmoil within the Democratic party related to opposition to the Vietnam War. He withdrew from the race to concentrate on peacemaking. Johnson was renowned for his domineering personality and the "Johnson treatment," his arm-twisting of powerful politicians.
Johnson died after suffering his third heart attack, on January 22, 1973.

Woke Up This Morning...Got Yourself A Gun--Sopranos Theme Song

or "IF YOU DON'T KNOCK, I'LL SHOW YOU MY GLOCK"

I bought a handgun today. I am not afraid of living alone and I don't plan to carry a concealed weapon. Just wanted something other than shotguns and rifles here at the house.

Zack went with me to Cabela's today to buy the Glock 19 9 mm semi-automatic handgun. It seemed like half of Tarrant County bought guns today. Filled out the paperwork, then waited for over an hour and a half to actually pay for the gun and have someone walk it out of the store for me.

Zack and I used to go to the gun range fairly regularly. The Glock is the only handgun I have ever shot. Now, we need to go for practice again. That is all I will use it for, hopefully.

I respect guns and have seen first-hand in multiple ER's what a careless pull on a trigger will do. Let's hope I never have to use it for anything other than target practice.