Freedoms

Dear Ottawa Citizen,
In lieu of your recent statement regarding Ann Coulter visiting your university to debate politics, let me remind you of the purpose of university campuses, both in the United States and throughout the world.

1. The freedom to access information.
2. The freedom to spiritly debate.
3. The freedom to speak.

Instead you have chosen to have your university campus be a campus that, and I quote, "promise(s) our students a safe and positive space. And that's not what (Coulter) brings."

Education should never be based on these principles. Knowing only one side of an issue is neither safe nor positive. And hearing what others have to say is obviously not what Canada brings.

Sincerely,
Freedom Supporter

Letter to the Company

Dear Parts and Fittings Company,
I realize you've been supplying the industry with parts and fittings since 1901, but please stop sending me your giant 3,856 page catalog with over 480,000 parts and fittings. I don't want it. I didn't ask for it. You make me feel like I'm chopping down a tree and throwing it away myself by not keeping it. All of your catalog numbers and corresponding fittings are online. I know how to Google.
Sincerely,
Online Shopper

Returning to Independence

I read an article today about how Bin Laden urged his followers not to do business with American companies and to let the dollar fall into insignificance. He said that by boycotting American products it would also lessen our ability to fund the war on terror. Financially speaking, he is right in that respect. If countries no longer accepted our aid, purchased our goods or sought to do business with Americans, our economy would drastically falter. But it got me thinking of this on a grander scale. What would happen if countries stopped purchasing American products. What are legitimate American products these days anyway? Would this change us?

It would. We would no longer be able to borrow money. If we can't borrow money then we couldn't purchase imported items, and we wouldn't be able to fund our military as it has been. I think it would dramatically change the image of what America is today, but the America I love would return to take the place of this America that is seen today. Oh we'd probably look a little rough, but we would be forced to grow a spirit of independence once again. We would not rely on other countries for our finances or our consumer products. I would consider this true liberation!

I don't want to be giving aid to countries that despise our economy, our capitalistic ideals or our religious freedom. I don't want to be driving a car that comes from a country that mocks us. And I certainly don't want to be buying plastic uselessness from a country that mass produces it, even if it only costs me 25 cents. I'm not sure there is an actual solution to this calculated house of cards we've created where countries are dependent on each other and enemies are doing business with each other. If nothing else,though, I plan on boycotting them long before they boycott me.

iphone, or well ifired ;)

So the iphone has been in my possession for a short while, just 5 days. The problem with the iphone is that it's way more fun than working, doing school work, cleaning the house, potentially even hanging out with friends. This is a problem! Life can not simply be an iphone, right?! But the fact that I can battle it out against the computer with a game of Risk, listen to Christmas music, email my friends (since I'm clearly not hanging out with them) and receive phone calls all at the same time is really quite marvelous.

Thanks to all of the wonderfully free apps, it's amazing anyone gets anything done anymore. I discovered Jingle Jumble this morning. I'm almost on level 3 and frankly, this has become my new goal, well that and making sure all the christmas ornaments line up appropriately in Fuzzle or all the little fuzzy balls can be flung in the right direction for Fling. And if it's this or place orders and make travel arrangements for faculty, well they're just going to have to wait. Becuase if my hangman dies or my checkers aren't kinged, or even worse, pac-man doesn't survive the maze, well there's just no point in living.

You're gonna miss this....

So yesterday I was driving to dinner like I do every Wednesday for girl's night, and I started flipping through the radio stations. I flipped to the only one playing a song and started listening. It was a country song, and I probably came in as it was halfway done. It didn't matter though becauase I still managed to get the idea of the song. Before you know it, I was getting all teary. So along with the song playing in the background, I started thinking of the things I would miss about this time. They are too many to count for these are definitely some good times. I know the future is inevitable, and eventually I'll have the job I have been going to school to get and a house of my own and so many other things that I have wanted. Until then though, I want ever so much to appreciate the time I'm in right now and the things that are here, for when it is done...I'm gonna miss it.

You're Gonna Miss This
She was starin' out the window of that suv
Complainin' saying i cant wait to turn 18
I'll make my own money and I'll make my own rules
mama put the car in park out there in front of the school
and she kissed her head and said i was just like you

your gonna miss this
your gonna want this back
your gonna wish these days
hadn't gone by so fast
these are some good times
so take a good look around
you may not know it now
but your gonna miss this

before she knows it shes a brand new bride
in her one bedroom apartment and her daddy stops by
he tells her its a nice place, she says itll do for now
starts talkin bout babies and buyin a house
daddy shakes his head and says, baby slow down

cause your gonna miss this
your gonna want this back
your gonna wish these days
hadnt gone by so fast
these are some good times
so take a good look around
you may not know it now
but your gonna miss this

five years later theres a plumber workin on the water heater, dogs barkin, phones ringin, one kids crying
ones screamin and she keeps apoligizin

he says they dont bother me ive got 2 babies of my own
ones 36, ones 23, huh its hard to beleive

but your gonna miss this
your gonna want this back
your gonna wish these days
hadn't gone by so fast
these are some good times
so take a good look around
you may not know it now
but your gonna miss this

I must have a sexy voice....

I don't know what it is about placing orders with these fellas, but the following conversation was definitely a hoot!


Him: Where are you located?
Me: Florida
Him: Ohhhhh I love forida. Let me tell you...I was just recently in Florida, not but 10 minute drive from the ocean.
Me: Oh yes, the ocean is beautiful.
Him: Ohhh I was there, and as I was walking along the beach, I just said it couldn't get any prettier than this.
Me: Oh well you know, you do kind of get use to it after years of living here.
Him: Well, Babe, if I was there..we'd be going, you have got to do some fishing at night in Florida.
Me: Did you just call me Babe??

Latest developments with school work...

1. Was assigned an ILS product review
- I googled "ILS"

2. Was assigned a SWOT analysis of a current company
- I googled "SWOT"

3. Was told to post regarding Clarion's OPAC system, Pilot
- I googled "OPAC"

4. Was asked how my internet connection is created at home versus my local library
- I googled "proxy server", "IP address", and "Routers"

5. Was asked to define "Symbolic-interpretive" as an inspiration for organization theory
- I googled how to get an MS degree in two weeks by mailing a check for $5,000

a poem

Ode to a Yellow Jacket

There once was a yellow jacket, alive and well
Until that fateful day into my shower he fell

All pretty and yellow with rings of black
It's sad that for survival he has no knack

Round and round the water did swirl
"You've stung your last!", said one very sweet girl

Resistent til the end, this critter did struggle
His life in my hands, I carefully did juggle

All too soon it was over from one final crush
And into the toilet for a really quick flush

Really?

I can't help but chuckle as to the great lengths companies are going to these days to assist people in never learning how to cook. This is the latest and greatest development, microwaveable rice. Is it really so hard to put a scoop of rice in the rice cooker, add some water and turn it on? Is it because we are increasingly impatient? I believe this Uncle Ben's package is advertising that it can be "cooked" in 90 seconds. That's definitely quicker than my rice cooker, but seriously, is this as good as it gets?

What's so wrong with learning how to cook a couple dishes? I'm going to be old-school here and speak just to the ladies. I know you're busy managing everything from work to the house, but it really doesn't take that much to learn! Although I have to be honest, if the saying is true that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach then I do believe I'm beating out my competition hands down just by knowing how to boil water ;)

random insight into my mornings....

So every morning, my dear sweet kitty Shakespeare practically breaks down my bedroom door in order to be near me. He is not a very noisy kitty, but as if on cue with my alarm clock, he begins to meow so loud and so mournful that I always think something is wrong. Every single morning, I greet him with a little trepidation about what I might find to be the problem. He meets me right at my bedroom door, waits for my feet to be right next to him and then begins to take me on a journey through the house.

I always wonder if he's trying to show me something terrible or if he is desperately trying to alert me to something that's going on in the house. I treat him as if he's Lassie about to show me where Timmy is hiding in the well, or in this case if something has happened to Annabel. I follow him around as he keeps pace with my feet. Inevitably, every morning he leads me directly to the same spot...his favorite window. I lean over the table in front of it, pull the blinds up just enough so he can see outside. He settles in on his cozy blanket that sits on the table and curls up.

And yea, I'm starting to wonder if perhaps I'm the one who's Lassie ;) Maybe Shakespeare can train me to bring him treats on command next.

Life: the not-so-understandable part

It's an interesting thing trying to make sense of that which is difficult to understand. It can come in a myriad of forms from the jobs we lose, the people we love who die too early or our most heartfelt dreams being deferred. It leaves me with a yearning for life to be simple. If I could just make my life more simple, rather than dealing with all of these complications then surely these unplanned events won't happen. If I could just organize things a little more and have everything in its place then life will always continue on the track I want. It's even tougher to realize that no matter how organized, with it, put together and simple I try to keep things, that it is not chaos but God who reigns supreme.

It takes practically nothing to believe the Bible to be true when everything is going well, after all its a common thought that God is simply a god who blesses. To have faith, always believing God makes the most perfect of decisions for my life in order to cultivate me more like Himself, it almost hurts it's so difficult! In Jeremiah, God promises us that He has plans to prosper and not to harm us. It's a beautiful thing to know that God sees the beginning, middle and end of my life when He says that. He knows what direction to steer me in so that no matter what the circumstances, the best possible outcome can become...possible.

J-O-B

The good ole' J-O-B. I'm in a completely foul mood because of my job, which is ridiculous because the last time I checked a job is just suppose to be what you do for 40 hours a week in order to afford the rest of your living expenses. Those living expenses are what make up your real "life". It's dinners with friends, a house for your family and a car to drive on road trips or visiting relatives. It's THAT part of your life that determines the type of person you are, not what you do for work.

And yet, society never seems to agree with this attitude. Why is "what do you do?" one of the first questions we ask people? Why is "what do you want to be when you grow up" one of the first questions we ask children? Why can't they be questions about philosophy or religion or even the dreaded topic of politics. Why must it seem that so much weight is placed on the profession a person has rather than the charities they give to or the hobbies they cultivate in their spare time?!

It just so happens that your job can, and often does, affect the rest of your life. It keeps us from being able to suck the marrow out of life. And like any good torture tactic, it's a slow death.

Therefore, upon considering this topic, I have decided to change my answers to the following questions:
What do you do? "Anything and everything that brings me joy and is legal, responsible and affordable."
What do you want to be when you grow up? "It doesn't matter".

Not your Grandma's hubcaps

Recently I purchased four brand new beautiful tires for my vehicle. I actually love the feeling of new tires, not because I can tell a difference in the driving (although I'm sure I should be able to) but because it makes the car feel like it's ready for anything, a roadtrip at any moment. With new tires, an alignment AND an oil change, I'd say the sky's the limit for where it can go.

Just one thing was missing, hubcaps. Over the last six years of my car ownership, I've lost a couple hubcaps in the process. It didn't bother me too much because I know it's just cosmetic, but when I got the new tires somehow I felt like I should get new hubcaps too. I wanted the car to look complete. This brought me to the auto parts shop where I began browsing for hubcaps.

Auto Parts Worker: May I help you?
Me: Well I was wanting to get some new hubcaps.
APW: Let me show you our display, just let me know which ones you want and I'll get them out of the back for you.
Me: Thanks
(browsing)
Me: Um, Sir? These are some fancy hubcaps. I mean I think those right there are the type that still spin even though the car has stopped moving. Am I right?
APW: Yes, they're quite popular these days.
Me: (chuckling) wow, I just don't think I could do that.
APW: What kind of car do you have?
Me: (interally thinking "are you joking??") Oh it's a Saturn, a sedan.
APW: What about these?
Me: (chuckling again) yea, I'm just not sure you're understanding me. Those are really fancy hubcaps. I'm looking for something more like what your Grandma would have, on her Buick.
APW: (confused) So you want something more conservative?
Me: (what I should have said) Sir, you seem confused. Was it that I used the word Grandma or Buick that threw you off? I want something that's not so flashy, perhaps something that doesn't light up when I brake and doesn't keep spinning even though the car has stopped. When I see hubcaps like that in traffic, it annoys me. I'm not sure you're fully understanding my use of the word "fancy". You see, I'm trying to be polite. I really just want some hubcaps that people aren't going to try and steal should I be in the wrong neighborhood. I just want something to cover the tire.

Me: (what I really said) Yes, something more conservative would be good, thanks.

Just Add Color :)

It's been a really long time since I've done any coloring, but something about the school supply aisle at my local Target caused me to consider this age old treat. The deal was sealed when the dollar depot had Hello Kitty coloring books on sale for $1.00. Combined with my new 64 pack of Crayola crayons, complete with sharpener on the back, this creative activity was mine for a mere $3.64. I can't tell you how cathartic coloring can actually be. I flip through my coloring book, decide on a particular picture, and begin the process of choosing my favorite color scheme for that page. And then as the crayons brush over the picture, it's as if all the stress and responsibility of life seem to melt away leaving nothing but me and my (perhaps a bit too much at times) intense focus on the task at hand, coloring. I highly recommend it for anyone ages 3 to 99 :)

I'm in love!!

As many of my loved ones might know, I haven't always been a fan of driving or directions. I remember even when growing up if a friend asked me how to get to my house to pick me up, I wouldn't really know how to tell them the way. I think one of my most dreaded questions is, "Could you tell me how to get to _______?". I despise roadways, maps, interstates, and I especially disdain the green signs which are suppose to be telling me the way to my destination.

This use to be my attitude about driving, until I came face to face with gps navigation. It first happened on my trip to TN. This is what I like to call the testing period. I just wanted to see how it would do, can it be trusted and would it assist us in arriving to our destination with ease. I was not disappointed! Not only did it get us there, but it was accurate to the minute as far as how long it would take to get there. And then yesterday with driving to Sea World, it was my chance to really try it out as the driver. Let me just tell you, even navigating I-4 in darkness on the way home was positively a delight with the sweet voice of the gps navigator telling me that in 800 yards I would be exiting the interstate (ok the voice was british so it told me to exit the motorway, cute ;) and then staying in the left lane.

Where has this technology been all my life?! I feel as if I have a new lease on life and a new fondness for driving. So now when I ponder going somewhere or taking a trip, what use to be an overwhelming feeling of concern or uncertainty has been replaced with an exhilarating feeling of joy! When I'm asked to meet someone somewhere or take a little trip, all I have to do is say, "YES! Do you have an address?" And just as soon as I plug in that information into the navigator and adhere it to my windshield, I am on my way. It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, "The world is my oyster!" :)