Illuminated Obscurity

To Ban or Not to Ban

2009-10-01T23:11:00.000-07:00

A friend and I recently discussed book banning. He’s fairly liberal so, unsurprisingly, we took opposing sides of this issue. He recently posted this link to someone’s blog post arguing against this WSJ op-ed that claims the whole book banning fear-mongering movement is based on fallacy and misinterpreting the term “censorship”.

I have to say this is one of the most misguided, wrongheaded blog posts I’ve ever read. To say that I disagree with the ideals behind it would be a massive understatement. I would go so far as to say that the writer of this blog is ignorant of a parent’s daily life with a young child. Here are a couple of her choicer quotes:

Intellectual freedom is not an American ideal however - it is a human one. It's
about having the right to read what is written, even if you can't afford it.

The statement is ambiguous, but I’m willing to bet the author means to say that governments worldwide (starting here, of course) should provide unfettered access to all books to all people. Does that sound like I’m blowing her statement out of proportion? Read on.

Librarians are trusted to purchase the books, and shelve them and make them
available because, frankly, when it comes to intellectual freedom parents are
not always right. Parents are biased and racist and discriminatory in a thousand
different ways.

Okay. Our primary responsibility as parents is to raise our children in the way that we deem best. As there is no definitive manual on childrearing, my wife and I have to do the best we can with what we have. What do we have? A smattering of books and (in the case of my wife) quite a few classes on child development and psychology. More important than those are our own experiences, beliefs, and morals, and it is primarily from these resources that we guide our children through the formative process in the hope of raising autonomous, productive members of society who have the groundwork for raising families of their own.

Part of that responsibility involves limiting the materials and topics to which our children are exposed. If we believe that any given subject would be harmful to their development then it is our duty to prevent their access to that subject before we can imprint upon them a moral framework from which to view the world. This holds true even if others find our beliefs “biased and racist and discriminatory in a thousand different ways.”

Anti-book-banners claim that banning books is effectively imposing our moral choices upon others by limiting their own choices or the choices of their children to various subjects. I agree with this point, and this is where the democratic process kicks in.

Public libraries and the libraries of public schools should meet the standards of the community in which they are located. If the community is more conservative, don’t stock, say, books involving S&M by A.N. Roquelaure. If it is more liberal, well, I’ll disagree like crazy, but stock the library in a way that better fits those beliefs. Either situation should include a democratic type of process in which the community as a whole gets involved. The community’s involvement is critical due to the difficulty in determining what falls into such vague categories as “pornography”, “hate speech”, and “obscene” (here is a good article on the history of the definition of “obscenity” and it outlines some of the difficulty in defining such terms). If some books get listed as “controversial”, then either put them in age-restricted sections or, yes, remove them from public access.

Even if you disregard the protection of children, there are other reasons for banning books. There is more than a little risk in allowing public access to such subjects as nuclear engineering and viral manipulation. In a similar vein, the movie and game industries have rating systems that allow parents at a glance to see whether a certain movie or game is likely to contain material that might be considered inappropriate for children. The public generally trusts these rating systems and recognizes their value.

My friend has claimed that the charge of anti-banners having an “everything goes” mentality is false. I’ve seen precious little to support this. Furthermore, I can’t see a compromise between the ability to ban and open access to everything. Finally, if I have to choose between providing a relatively safe environment for my children to develop, and possibly offending someone else who doesn’t mind letting their children read up on the finer points of bondage erotica, I’ll choose to offend all day long.

Welcome to the U.S.S.A!

2009-06-20T07:50:00.000-07:00

In a move that could be described as foolish at best or insidious at worst, ACORN has been approved as a Partner of the U.S. Census Bureau for the 2010 decennial population census.

Think this isn’t a problem? Consider some of the questions that can legally be asked on the 2010 questionnaire and, should you receive it, the new “long form”, and your legal obligation to answer said questions. Name, race, date of birth, number and age of children, marital status and history, job (type, history, location, commute time, hours worked, and pay), health insurance coverage, residence (rent/lease/mortgage payments, utility costs, value of property, and number of bedrooms), number of vehicles, government benefits received, disabilities, military service history, education, and household language spoken. Taken together, these questions provide a pretty good overall picture of you, your household, and, by inference, your political inclinations.

Much of this is already information you wouldn’t be comfortable delivering to a complete stranger. Now consider ACORN. ACORN has a well-established history of voter fraud (in fact, nearly all of the links in the last sentence can be found in this article on the topic). They are also known for hiring criminals to go door to door to collect information and register people.

The information on the census forms is supposed to be confidential, or at least unable to be linked to any specific household or person (which must be why your name is one of the first questions), but any census can be compromised and abused. The Electronic Privacy and Information Center has a good article on censuses as relates to privacy. Yet, given the history of ACORN, I don’t place much trust in their assurance of confidentiality. Another consideration is that the director of the U.S. Census Bureau is a political appointee of the current President of the United States. The largest consideration is Obama’s close ties with ACORN (oddly enough, ACORN has taken strong steps to disassociate itself from Obama). Given the evidence, I doubt any information handed to the Census Bureau, or to many other organizations, for that matter, is safe any more.

Anyone who has not read 1984 or Animal Farm should do so. George Orwell explored the transformation to a socialist/fascist state, and we, the former United States of America are well on our way.

**Side note: Links are getting harder and harder to find on the topics covered in this post. Initial searches bring up obviously partisan and less-than-reputable sites. You have to dig very deeply to find original news links on these topics nowadays.

Fears of the Obama Victory

2008-11-18T21:56:00.000-08:00

Through ignorance, mistakes, and shenanigans, Obama won. We now have as our president one of the most liberal, leftist politicians ever to graduate from DNBC University ("Do Nothing but Campaign"). The one bright spot for me is that I feel justified in this very obvious illustration of how racism is not as prevalent as supposed by so many in our society.

Having said that, I fear this upcoming administration. As a practicing Catholic, as a parent, as a conservative, and as a taxpayer, I have some very real fears about what is to come. Here are a few concerns.

The economy played a major role in the election but, ironically enough, most citizens (and probably more than a few non-citizens) voted for the same party responsible for this current mess (click here for a detailed analysis). In a nutshell, the seeds were sown when Congress leaned on financial institutions to give loans to unqualified borrowers. Those chickens have now come home to roost and the financial eggheads claim the worst is yet to come. So now we’re getting the party that will push for more government regulation which, if history is any indicator, means the situation will only worsen.

The Fairness Doctrine will undoubtedly rear its ugly head again. The concept of equal time for opposing viewpoints sounds good, but the implementations have all been flawed. In the book Bias, Bernard Goldberg, a longtime television news insider and avowed liberal, makes the convincing case that not only is broadcast and print media overwhelmingly biased to the left, but most journalists don’t even realize how far left they lean when compared to the general American public. The same goes for most of those who are in a position of influence on such matters as FCC regulations. What this means is that the idea of what constitutes “fairness” and a “balanced” point of view will be skewed much farther to the left than is realistic, and talk radio will be targeted much more heavily than television or newspapers. Other than blogs, conservatives don’t have much in the way of news outlets. The Fairness Doctrine would limit even these.

We can expect more attacks on traditional Christian values. Examples include more pro-homosexual programs in our schools and, even more likely, a strong push to pass the Freedom of Choice Act. We can also expect more pushes to revoke the tax-exempt status of churches whose pastors speak out against homosexuality, abortion, sex outside of marriage, etcetera. And, in an effort to ensure our children are raised according to their values rather than conservative values, we can expect stronger restrictions on those who wish to home-school their children.

Finally (and this is a case of “Hope for the best but expect the worst”), we are already seeing leftist attacks on churches and businesses that have in any way supported California’s Proposition 8. I foresee even more attacks by liberals on conservatives for a variety of causes, some styling themselves as some sort of freedom fighters, and others simply for their own pleasure of causing harm to someone who disagrees with them.

This is a case where I hope my post is dead wrong. It would be my pleasure to have every fear listed here proven wrong, even paranoid, by upcoming history. But you know, I’m not banking on it.

It's All Right If You're Black

2007-09-25T13:30:00.000-07:00

Pretty much everyone is aware of the recent events in Jena, Louisiana. By clicking on the title of this article, readers will see an article recounting yet another black-on-white attack in which several black assailants violently assulted a white person.

Now, don't bother talking about the racist, old-South attitudes prevalent in Jena and other pockets in the South. Being born and raised in Louisiana, I'm well aware of large amounts of racism on both sides of the main color divide.

A glaring double standard exists here and, from a racial perspective, this is a lose-lose situation (which is how I categorize any win-win situation for Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and their ilk).

Had the colors been reversed, there would have been a nationwide frenzy of protests, riots, speeches, etcetera from scores of people and organizations decrying the obviously racially motivated violence. Think back to the Rodney King debacle back in the 1990's.

Now that we have obvious cases of black-on-white violence, however, we still get these frenzies. The problem is, instead of castigating the perpetrators and denouncing racial discrimination, they're decrying the unfair treatment of the blacks involved by the police and the courts!

"Racial discrimination" is not limited to white-against-black words and actions. Black-against-white words and actions are not justifiable retribution, nor are they anything but racial discrimination. Finally, most people and organizations who position themselves as forces against racial discrimination will give half their teeth to avoid the general public from even hearing, much less believing, these concepts.

Small wonder most of them are hand-in-hand with the Democratic Party.

Forcing Non-Christianity

2006-12-15T07:03:00.000-08:00

I keep reading all the articles about how public places are being forced to take down Christmas decorations. It seem like all this is going the way of racial discrimination. We can't discriminate against minorities, but they can discriminate against us. For the sake of simplicity, I'm limiting the following statement to the holiday season. And now, we can't "force" our Christian beliefs on others (in the form of Christmas decorations) but they can force their non-beliefs on us (in the form of us having to remove Christmas decorations). It's sickening to me.

VOTE, People, VOTE!

2006-11-06T06:06:00.000-08:00

The midterm elections are tomorrow, and I sincerely hope conservatives find their way to the polls. Many people are treating this as some sort of referendum or commentary on President Bush and the war on terror. This is a big mistake, as there are many other issues to consider.

How about taxes? When citizens have more money left over from the government, we are much more likely to spend it. When we spend our money, retailers are much more likely to add jobs due to the increased sales. Increased retail sales increase, in turn, sales at wholesalers, manufacturers, and transporters which, in turn, lead to increased job offerings at all of these types of companies. Democrats have a well-deserved reputation for increasing taxes. As a result, Democrats will halt the tremendous economic growth we’ve seen recently.

Want more double standards? Don’t vote conservative. Democrats pull as many if not more shenanigans than do Republicans, then scream about what Republicans do and demand investigations and resignations all the way up the chain of command. The mainstream media then acts as the Democratic lapdog, willingly shilling about Republicans while turning a blind eye to the other side of the aisle.

How about judges abusing their powers of office? Most of the activist judges we find have been appointed by Democrats or Democratic sympathizers. They create laws where there were none before, instead of interpreting existing laws which is the legal limit of their powers. Under Democratic rule, our legal and legislative systems will become blurred and eventually disappear.

How about killing innocent children? Democrats are the pro-abortion party in lockstep with NOW, NARAL, etc. and want to continue depriving soon-to-be-born American citizens of their right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Do you like the concept of marriage? Don’t vote Democrat. They are the party of anti-traditional values. Homosexual marriage is the first step, the step they are currently endorsing. Later comes polygamy, then it’s a toss-up to see what comes next, bestiality or pedophilia. Eventually, the concept of marriage, the basic unit of civilization, will be eradicated and replaced under a Liberal concept of what civilization should be like.

Happy with America? Democrats aren’t. They complain about our domestic security. They ridicule our military and our police forces. They complain about the evils of capitalism and push for socialism and communism under the code name “reform”. They publicly praise our enemies and deride our own country.

And of course, let’s not forget the war on terror and the many other forms of national security. Democrats have opposed the war on terror in virtually every form. They tighten the chain and budgets of our intelligence industries, they tighten the budgets and powers of our military, they oppose border security, they push for giving illegal immigrants driver’s licenses, and they even oppose the concept of ensuring only legal U.S. citizens vote.

In a nutshell, Democrats are bad for our country. They are bad for our way of life, they are bad for our security, they are bad for our economy, they are bad for virtually any kind of traditional values, and they are not the party that should be in power. They should, in fact, simply move to other countries that are already fit the description of what they feel is proper and leave the true Americans alone, rather than stay here and continuously work to bring down our great country. But I doubt this will ever happen.

If you are a conservative, and if you agree with any part of what I’ve written here, I ask you – no, I beg you – go to the polls and vote for a conservative. You might not agree with the way the war has been conducted and you might not like the war in Iraq, but there are too many other issues at stake to peg the election down to one or two issues.

"Stay Home, Republicans (Please)"

2006-10-20T23:14:00.000-07:00

I’ve heard enough recent news reports to get the general prediction for the upcoming election. According to Democrats, United States voters are fed up with the war in Iraq, the war against terrorism, Mark Foley, President Bush, Republicans in general, and losing our right to privacy via domestic surveillance. They and the talking heads make strong assertions that the Republican/conservative base is disillusioned and will probably sit this election out, thus ensuring the already inevitable conquest of Congress by the Democratic Party.

Per standard operating procedure, the Democrats are covering up their lack of an original message with the typical reactionary blurbs: The country needs a new direction; The American voters want change; We need a fresh start; add your own similar, vapid claim here.

Their lack of a stated plan doesn’t concern me. That merely bores me. What concerns me is the unstated goals that are real nonetheless. Should the Democrats gain control of both Houses of Congress and, eventually, the Presidency, they will implement many changes to which I would strenuously object.

Many if not all of Bush’s tax cuts will be repealed. More pro-abortion policies will be implemented. More judicial seats will be filled with activists. More social engineering legislation will be passed. Our troops, if allowed to remain at all, will be given peacekeeping duties only in Afghanistan and Iraq and may even be forced to relinquish their weapons. Domestic and foreign intelligence operations will be severely scaled back. The United States will take a subservient role to the United Nations. Border security will be weakened. Voting restrictions will be lowered. The Fairness Doctrine will be implemented. Terrorism will be treated as a criminal offense again, and pursuit and prosecution of terrorists will drag to a halt.

Most of this is a pipe dream unlikely to be realized due to the tendency of the dominant party to fragment into bickering factions. I can only hope this is the case should the Democrats actually win. A greater hope is that the mainstream media is merely passing off the Democratic dreams as predictions with a factual basis, and that conservatives will sweep this election cycle.

Regardless of how accurate any of these stated hopes or dreams may prove to be, conservatives must show up and vote even if it means holding your nose while pulling the levers. Our options are very limited. If we vote, we stand a very real chance of facing disappointments in those we elect. If we don’t vote, our disappointment is assured and our country, this country in which we have invested our hopes and lives, will face assault from without and within by the very people entrusted to protect it.

Typical Democratic Hypocrisy

2006-10-11T20:04:00.000-07:00

The recent scandal surrounding Mark Foley, itself smacking of hypocrisy, has brought to light more of the double standards that we’ve come to know and love from our Democratic opportunistic blowhards. Cover-ups, faux outrage, and calls for Republicans to resign have covered the front pages of the major news outlets for the past several days.

For anyone out of the loop, former U.S. Congressman Mark Foley’s improper text-messaging with teenage boys was exposed. Shortly after, Foley resigned. Democrats began screaming that House Speaker Dennis Hastert should also resign due to allegations that he knew about Foley’s follies.

Now let’s look at Gerry Studds. Here’s a man . . . er . . . person, who had sex with underage pages. Not text messages. He had physical, actual, homosexual sex with underage teenage boys. He didn’t resign. He didn’t even apologize. He had the support of fellow Democrats (Conyers, Frank, Lantos, Miller, Obey, Rahall, Waxman, Hoyer and Schumer voted against even censuring Studds). He didn’t even get voted out of Congress, going on for another four or five terms.

There have also been shrill screams about how Republicans have covered up for Foley’s behavior and let him stay on even while knowing his predilections. Consider that these text messages were three years old. Not only were they archived instead of being deleted, but they were kept under wraps until shortly before an election. Given the well-known liberal bias in the media, it’s safe to say that even if Republicans were somehow involved in the cover up, Democrats and/or Democratic sympathizers are just as guilty. Were the Democrats truly worried about the welfare of underage pages, this news would have broken long ago, not just at a politically opportune time for the Democrats.

Ironically, this news was broken shortly after the deadline for changing the names on the Florida ballot. Joe Negron, the Republican replacing Foley as a candidate in the upcoming election, is required by law to run under Foley’s name on the ballot. Who would want to pull that particular lever?

Foley is definitely a person with problems. No one is going to argue that he did despicable things (except for maybe NAMBLA) but, once confronted, he confessed and resigned. Democrats such as Studds and Clinton confess only after the evidence was overwhelming and, even then, refuse to perform the same penance they demand of Republicans. I can only hope that Americans keep this in mind during the upcoming elections.

Professional Courtesy

2006-10-03T20:23:00.000-07:00

By clicking on the title of this post, viewers will discover an unpleasant recent event. Read the opening paragraph for the gist of the story.

Congress is patting itself on the back for passing the Port Security Act last Saturday. But the day before, a House-Senate conference committee stripped out a provision that would have barred serious felons from working in sensitive dock security jobs. Port security isn't just about checking the contents of cargo containers, it also means checking the background of the 400,000 workers on our docks.

Anyone even nominally concerned with the security of the United States should have exercised a bit more caution while wielding the legislative scissors. This selective snip means we will continue to trust those already guilty of serious crimes to ensure A) that nothing illegal enters or leaves our ports, and B) that the rest of the people working on the docks are trustworthy individuals. This is sort of like allowing a drug addict to manage a pharmacy.

There are several reasons why this might have come about. Organized crime is omnipresent in the ports of our nation and facilitates the transfer of all types of contraband material. It is very likely that some members of Congress are on the mob’s good sides via massive campaign contributions. It is equally likely that some congressmen are on the mob’s bad side and are controlled by either dirt or death threats. Whatever the method of influence, organized crime has plenty of it and is well experienced in using it. If they said the provision had to go, then go it did.

Another reason: Unions, concerned that they would lose several of their outstanding members, fought to remove the provision. However, I’ve already discussed organized crime so it’s a bit redundant to cover labor unions as well.

The final and most obvious reason why the provision was killed? Why, several members of Congress would themselves be barred from the docks. A little professional courtesy was in order to avoid any embarrassing incidents.

On the plus side, the Port Security Act still forbids the employment of any who have been convicted of treason, espionage and terror-related offenses. Do we really want to wait until someone already arguably prone to such failings actually commits such a crime? This fails to make my sleep any easier.

Now, consider the furor over Bush’s past attempt to allow a Dubai-based company to handle port security. This idea was rapidly given a thumbs-down by the American public and (after conducting some quick surveys) our political representatives. If I were from Dubai, I would be extremely insulted to know that, simply because I was from an Arab country where the major religion is Islam and a quarter of the population is of Iranian origin, I had been passed over for a big job in favor of local thugs. Of course, this may be the lesser of two evils. After all, better the devil you know than the one you don’t.

The elimination of this provision was no mistake. It is the mark of those looking out for their own self-interests rather than the good of the nation as a whole. I’m reminded of two sayings, and please forgive me for not referencing the sources. They are:

1) Those we elect to political office should be dragged kicking and screaming to their new positions.
2) Elected officials, like diapers, should be changed often and for the same reason.

Buenos Dias, Eh?

2006-07-12T10:24:00.000-07:00

The term “New World Order” sets conservatives on edge and fills liberals with ecstasy. Some claim that the European Union is one step along the path towards a single, unified world government, despite the constant inter-member bickering. Now, if President Bush and several industry leaders have their way, NAFTA will be supplanted by a new North American Union comprised of the United States, Mexico, and Canada, complete with its own “Amero” currency.

This concept is not championed by a few, obscure businessmen. Take this quote from the linked article:

The U.S. executives involved in the NACC ["North American Competitiveness Council"] include: United Parcel Service Inc. Chairman Michael Eskew; Frederick Smith, chairman of FedEx Corp.; Lou Schorsh, chief executive of Mittal Steel USA; Joseph Gilmour, president of New York Life Insurance Co.; William Clay Ford, chairman of Ford Motor Co.; Rick Wagoner, chairman of General Motors Corp.; Raymond Gilmartin, CEO of Merck & Co. Inc.; David O'Reilly, chief executive of Chevron Corp.; Jeffrey Immelt, chairman of General Electric Co.; Lee Scott, president of Wal-Mart Stores Inc.; Robert Stevens, chairman of Lockheed Martin Corp.; Michael Haverty, chairman of Kansas City Southern; Douglas Conant, president of Campbell's Soup Co. and James Kilt, vice-chairman of Gillette Inc.

One of the reasons industry leaders like this idea is the abundance of cheap labor. The obvious downside to this idea is that many blue-collar jobs would be given to formerly-foreign workers who are willing to work for lower wages.

Should this plan be implemented, the middle class as we know it would be decimated. Redistribution of wealth would take place in abundance as family after family would file for bankruptcy. More so than ever, wealth in the (former) United States would be concentrated among the top echelons of corporations, and political power would belong squarely in the camp of the Liberals, since the middle class backbone of conservatives would be broken.

What further scares me is the potential loss of some of our civil rights, the loss of our political representation, and the imposition of taxes and laws against which I am firmly opposed, such as being forced to underwrite abortion availability and homosexual lifestyle “education” of schoolchildren through new taxes while being prevented from speaking out against such topics by restrictions on “hate speech”.

Does this sound scary? Do I sound paranoid for even mentioning this? Even I think so, even as I sit here reading the article and writing this post. However, I can’t help but wonder how accurate this is.

I encourage everyone to read the linked article and form your own opinion. Research more if you can. Input is definitely welcome.

The Rewards of Pacifism

2006-06-06T07:30:00.000-07:00

Long time no blog, so I guess an update is in order. We are pretty much in the same position as before, which is juggling childcare with work and all other household duties. Time and energy are pretty scarce nowadays. Our oldest child has just been registered at a local pre-school (starts in August) and is currently taking swimming lessons. Our youngest has turned into Sir Drool-a-Lot and is deep into the put-everything-into-my-mouth phase. On the work front, the company I work for has won the bid to recable the New Orleans Superdome -- no small feat when you consider we have less than 20 full-time employees. I have a feeling things will remain quite busy for a while.

On to the business that dragged me out of my non-blogging stupor. Our neighbor to the north, Canada, is finally discovering that pacifism is not a good option when dealing with terrorism. Thankfully, they were able to discover this before the 17 arrested suspects implemented their plans for an Oklahoma City-style bombing, or possibly bombings. To quote a liberal Canadian associate of mine with whom I had a lengthy, heated debate some time back, I told you so.

This should serve as a warning to all pacifists. Terrorists are not logical. They are not merciful. The values held so closely by pacifists are completely alien to this group of people who are willing to torture and kill innocents in order to make a statement.

Wake up, people! The foreign and domestic policies you try to foist off on the rest of us will only result in our suffering and death. Pursuing pacifist behavior will only turn us into martyrs, and not necessarily for a good cause. I respect religious martyrdom and even political martyrdom up to a point. This goes beyond that, however, and can almost be classified as "civilization martyrdom".

The United States has already learned some hard lessons from treating terrorists lightly (Thank you, President Clinton). I beg our neighbors and all other nations: Learn from our mistakes! Treating terrorists with mercy only delays their attacks upon your own people because, short of unconditionally accepting their beliefs as your own, you too will fall into their crosshairs.

Thy Kingdom Come?

2006-03-17T10:25:00.000-08:00

John Henry Newman has this to say about Mark 13:33-37:

. . . We who are looking out for Christ's coming, we are bid to look out, we are bit to pray for it; and yet it is to be a time of judgment. It is to be the deliverance of all saints from sin and sorrow for ever; yet they, every one of them, must undergo an awful trial. How then can any look forward to it with joy, not knowing (for no one knows) the certainty of his own salvation? . . . how can we pray that Christ would come, that the day of judgment would hasten, . . . when by so coming he would be shortening the time of our present life, and cut off those precious years given us for conversion, amendment, repentance, and sanctification?

He answers the question by stating the following:

When we pray that he would come, we pray also that we may be ready; that all things may converge and meet in him; that he may draw us while he draws near us, and makes us the holier the closer he comes.

Exercise and a Bonus Mystery

2006-03-17T10:10:00.000-08:00

I'm still working out, which itself counts as progress with me. However, there seems to be a mystery at hand.

1) I'm sleeping horribly because I can't seem to get comfortable at night. As a result, I don't really feel human any more.

2) Much of the initial pain has subsided into a deep-seated stiffness throughout my back, legs, and arms. I'm still mobile, but I move with slow, jerky motions.

3) I spend a lot of time moaning and groaning over my general discomfort.

4) My tennis shoes are now so pungent they have developed a life of their own, and the fumes envelope me where ever I go.

Hmm . . . not quite human, stiff/jerky movements, moans and groans, and smells bad . . . I think I have it . . .

I'm a member of the living dead!

Dammit, I knew I had legitimate objections to working out. Readers, SAVE YOURSELVES! DON'T GET TRAPPED! IT'S TOO LATE FOR ME!

Actually, I think I'm finally getting some pecs. Maybe I'll stick with it a bit longer . . .

Christ and Suffering

2006-03-14T04:12:00.000-08:00

There is a common secular objection to God existing and/or being Good due to the large amount of suffering that exists on earth. Ladislas Boros (1917 - ) has this take on Mark 6: 1-6 and it provides a succinct reply to the objection.

The God-Man is our Redeemer. But as our Redeemer his task was not to take our suffering away, however much he may have wished to do so, but to share in our suffering himself, to sanctify it, and to make it a means of redempion for each of us. . . What is human must persist with all its darkness But into this darkness there comes the call of redemption, a call to live out our wretched existence in a new way, on the basis of new principles and promises. This is redemption. Anything else would be magic. But let no one deceive himself: to endure this was a heart-breaking act even for one who was God and man. What an immense tension he had to endure! On the one hand, his mercy urged him irresistibly to give his help, while at the same time his hands were bound by the very nature of his divine task. His soul was martyred thoughout his life.

This certainly gives a person more appreciation for the sacrifice Jesus made for us, and a greater understanding of the extent of it. To me, personally, it increases my wish that I could truly die to self and take the Lord's will as my sole reason for existence. Would that I could put away my pride and selfishness!

Exercise Update

2006-03-10T13:08:00.000-08:00

First, let me start off by saying . . .

OOOOWWWWW!

If it is part of my body, it hurts. It's that simple. I've only had one leg workout so far and now have a difficult time walking. And where do I work? On the second floor of a building with no nearby elevators. I just looove those stairs. On the other hand, the pain in my chest and shoulders have just about subsided to the point where I can blow my nose. Julie and my coworkers are grateful.

While I was at the gym for the leg workout, one of the trainers came up and, in a nutshell, told me I shouldn't do dumbbell lunges because that was more of an advanced workout, something I should do once I've built up more core strength. While I understand the logic behind his advice, there' s something about being compared to Pee Wee Herman that just makes me feel, well, less manly. Besides, it was a bit insulting to my religion. I'm a lifelong Catholic! Did someone really tell me I don't have that genuflection thing down?

He gave me the same advice later when he caught me flopping around on the decline bench (technically, I was doing situps) and recommended I use a "resist-o-ball", which is just a big, underinflated rubber ball that you can use for a variety of exercises. However, the ball kept rolling away, often taking me with it, much to the amusement of my fan club.

The fan club is encouraging. They follow me from machine to machine and watch my struggle to join the Mr. America Wannabes group. And, I'm still convinced they are laughing with me when I happen to, say, fall off of the rowing machine. I just wish they wouldn't exchange so much money when these things occur.

Aching-for . . . I Mean, Body-for-Life

2006-03-06T19:37:00.000-08:00

Julie heard about the Body-for-Life program from my sister and is extremely enthused about it, so we have both decided to join it. We are pretty much jumping into it full-force – six small meals a day, virtually no food not on the “approved” food list, and hitting the gym 6 days a week.

Now, to say I’m not a fan of physical labor, much less exercise, is an understatement. Some of my favorite sayings include “No pain, no pain,” “Of course I’m in shape – Round’s a shape, isn’t it?” and “Perfect health is merely the slowest rate at which one can die.” I’ve always viewed exercise as something performed by masochists with too much free time.

This philosophy is evident in my life. I had to work long and hard for it, but I finally have a decent potbelly. I have virtually no muscular or cardiovascular endurance. Slugs come to me for walking lessons. I’m so out of shape I get chest pains if I reach for the remote control too quickly. It’s pretty bad.

Despite all this, tonight was my first of 84 nights of pure horror – working out at a gym. It was upper-body night. 51 dumbbell flies, 55 side raises, 62 wide-grip pulldowns, 60 dumbbell extensions, and 64 hammer curls. I won’t give specific numbers for the extremely low weights that I used, but let me just say that helium balloons are way heavier than they appear.

I got to meet some nice people, however. Lots of the other guys kept walking by and laughing, with me I’m sure. And some of the ladies asked me if I needed help getting those heavy weights over my head, all with big grins. I’m sure they were just turned on by my manly potbelly.

So here I am, back at home, thinking about the many tasks that I need to do but, ahem, weighing those tasks against my inability to raise my hands above my chest. I’m also thinking about the next couple of workouts. Tomorrow night I have a cardio workout. It’s only supposed to last about 20 minutes, which should just about give me time to get on and fall off the treadmill a couple of times. The following night is the lower body workout, when I will magically replace my legs with a couple of worn out rubber bands.

Further updates are forthcoming. Provided, of course, that I can get my hands up to the keyboard.

Forty Days

2006-03-06T05:29:00.000-08:00

I'm reading “Meditations on the Sunday Gospels”, which is a collection of sermons by various prominent personalities in the Catholic Church, and one in particular struck a chord with me.

Here’s an excerpt from the sermon for the first Sunday of Lent.

Let us be ashamed from now on to spare time for pleasures and gluttony, while our Savior is engaged in prayer and lengthy fasting. With Uriah, that upright soldier, let us say: The ark of God dwells in a tent, and my lord Joab is in camp fighting against the enemy, and shall we apply ourselves to pleasure?

This was written by Alonso de Orozco (1500-1591), and the brief biography states in part, “As an ascetic and great mystic, he suffered crisis and spiritual aridity from 1522 to 1551.”

Spiritual aridity. What a beautifully descriptive term for something that I see more and more often. To be honest, now, I don’t know the full Church’s definition of the term so I could be misapplying it, but it does seem to fit the state in which we have no interest in God, religion, mass, communion, reconciliation, scriptures, etcetera. Even if we keep on praying, keep on saying the words and going through the motions, we get nothing out of it. We’re not even necessarily interested in pursuing earthly pleasures. We just . . . exist in a sort of gray haze.

I’ve told God several times that I’d much rather go through hell on earth if that’s how I have to get to heaven (take note, I was careful to specify if that’s how I “have to” get to heaven – I’m not a glutton for punishment), so if I must live through a life where spiritual gratification always eludes me, I’ll just hope I handle it in a manner pleasing to God. However, the saying “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” applies well here. I have to be careful about asking for breaks from this, because I can’t be certain who would answer my plea for (apparent) ease of spirit.

Ho Hum

2006-01-31T14:12:00.000-08:00

I can't think of anything to blog about. I don't know how all of you do it. Coming up with interesting things that keep readers entertained. I just can't think of anything worth mentioning. My days consist of waking up in the morning, taking care of the kids throughout the day and night, and going to bed at night. I'm reminded of the scene early on in Cujo where you hear the cereal commercial in the background, "Nope. Nothing wrong here." In my head I hear, "Nope. Nothing interesting here." I don't view my days as boring, but I just can't imagine that anyone would be interested in hearing about them.

My Turn!

2006-01-20T11:09:00.000-08:00

Hello, happy new year, and greetings to all of you. Like Julie, I was really surprised to see how long it has been since we posted anything. Baby, job, car -- it seems like time just flies out the window nowadays.

Gabriel's arrival has been a polar opposite of Jude's in several ways. First, he's relatively quiet (although he may now be developing reflux). Jude came out making noise and hasn't stopped yet. We were living away from family and had no one we trusted to come into our home and help us with Jude. We now have two doting grandmothers duking it out to help. Julie was laid up for three weeks or so after delivering Jude and suffered complications that haven't dissipated yet. This time, Julie pushed four times and the nurses had to use a net to keep Gabriel from hitting the wall. Amazing, and so much better.

Work is busy busy busy, but it's mostly a good type of busy. The majority of client with whom I deal are extremely happy with my services (I'm a network consultant) and several have requested that I be the only representative from our company to work on their equipment. Even better, we have gotten several new clients on referrals from happy clients for whom I am responsible. My co-workers are trashy and tactless, so I fit right in. Things could be much worse. God has blessed us much more than we deserve. Of course, when is that not the case?

But of course, none of this is what drew me out of my online shell. I found a very thought-provoking article by Peggy Noonan who, I admit, is a columnist who often arouses my ire. Here is an excellent quote from the article:

Eleven years ago the Democrats lost control of Congress. Then they lost the presidency. But just as important, maybe more enduringly important, they lost their monopoly on the means of information in America. They lost control of the pipeline. Or rather there are now many pipelines, and many ways to use the information they carry. The other day, Dana Milbank, an important reporter for the Washington Post, the most important newspaper in the capital, wrote a piece deriding Judge Alito. Once such a piece would have been important. Men in the White House would have fretted over its implications. But within hours of filing, Mr. Milbank found his thinking analyzed and dismissed on the Internet; National Review Online called him a "policy bimbo."

Could Democratic senators today torture Clarence Thomas with tales of Coke cans and porn films? Not likely. Could Ted Kennedy have gotten away with his "Robert Bork's America" speech unanswered? No.

What I find refreshing about this is the fact that, not only are the circumstances changing, but the circumstances are being discussed/admitted to in the first place. Is mainstream media predominantly liberal? Yes, and the need to even ask, much less answer, the question qualifies for a big DUH award. But there are several on the political left who even now dismiss such claims, or even claim that the mainstream media is more conservative. Ah, well.

2006. Get ready for political windbags on both sides to start releasing their hot gas in preparation for the '06 senatorial election as well as the '08 presidential election. Given the increasingly hot tempers that politics have been producing over the last two decades (did I really say that?), this news will make some people's days and ruin others.

YIKES!!!

2006-01-16T22:02:00.000-08:00

Has it really been over a month since we've last posted here? Sheesh!

Let's see. . . not much new is going on. So far, Gabriel is a very easy and predictable baby. He's precious and Jude really likes him. He told me earlier today that I need to have another Gabriel in my tummy. He was also kind enough to inform me that my tummy is getting smaller. God, I love this little boy!

Jay and I are doing well. Work is good for Jay. He still likes the job and the people there. I'm getting back into the playgroup after staying away for a little while. Jude's been missing them, but I didn't want to get the baby around all those kids just yet.

Gabriel is almost two months old. I'm about to post some pictures on their blog. The pictures are a month old, but they're still some good ones. Our camera is flaking out, so I'm not sure how often I'll get to posting pictures there.

It's very strange having a new child. This new child after having Jude. There was nothing easy about Jude. I'm surprised we didn't go against Church teachings and prevent ourselves from having another child. That's how difficult Jude was.

Who Would Jesus Torture?

2005-12-10T19:35:00.000-08:00

I just ran across the linked article and decided, although I’ve blogged on this issue before, this was worthy to break my blogging silence. As most of you know, I take issue with liberals on many points. It grieves me to say I will now extend my differences to include several Christians.
I claim Roman Catholicism as my religion. I have participated in five of the seven sacraments, I go to church pretty much every Sunday, and I hold true to pretty much all Roman Catholic teachings. But if I know an enemy I’ve captured has information on, say, a series of upcoming terrorist attacks on my soldiers, or especially on civilians on my country’s home soil, I will absolutely use any means at my disposal to get that information to prevent or at least disrupt the attacks.

I don’t see how people can think we can just “nice” these people into halting their efforts to wipe us off the earth. Terrorists in Iraq are even kidnapping those who opposed the Iraqi war in the first place and who are working on rebuilding Iraq to an even higher level than it was before. They are threatening to kill those who are actively helping the Iraqi people. Are they supposed to look at our sunny smiles, have a change of heart, and cut off the bombs strapped to their backs? Sorry, that doesn’t quite match my view of how things operate in the real world.

When it comes to acquiring time sensitive, potentially life saving information from someone who has already shown an express desire to kill Americans, I firmly believe that detainees will be more quickly persuaded by thumbscrews than by someone patting them on the head and saying "I feel your pain, man."

We're still here

2005-12-05T13:57:00.001-08:00

I've been getting lots of emails asking for details of the birth, so I thought I'd just add it here without getting too graphic.

As most everyone knows, I my due date was December 15th, but we were set to induce labor on November 30th because of my gestational diabetes. I ended up going into labor on my own on November 21st. My mom drove me to the hospital that afternoon and Jay met us there.

At my appointment that morning, I was already at 5 cm and when I made it to the hospital a few hours later, I was 1 cm further along. I also found out that I had been having approximately three contractions every five minutes and didn't realize it. I felt maybe one every 30 minutes or so.

I made it to 10 cm and pushed a grand total of four times. Holly said my breathing was pushing him out, that's how easy it was. Even though he was a HUGE baby at 8 pounds and 7 ounces, I didn't tear.

Last week we had to readmit him to the hospital. He ended up with jaundice that required light treatment for a couple days. He's home now, but I still think he's too yellow. I would have liked for him to be there another day, but I'm not the expert, huh?

Gabriel is now two weeks old. He is so quiet. We often forget he's around. Any time I go somewhere, I repeatedly check to make sure I loaded both the guys in the car. I'm paranoid that I'm going to leave one of them behind.

He'll be getting baptized this coming Sunday.

Jude hasn't threatened to throw him away and he hasn't asked to put him back in my tummy, so I guess that's good news.

Initially I was going to make a separate blog for Gabriel (and I actually did) but then I decided most of the pictures will have both he and Jude in them and I really don't feel like updating yet another blog, so I decided to combine both his and Jude's. I added a couple pictures there, so go check out Pictures of Angels.

Um . . .

2005-11-23T13:31:00.000-08:00

I didn't make it to my due date or even my induction date. Gabriel Paul was born Monday night sometime just after 8. He weighed in at 8 pounds and 7 ounces. He is 20 1/2 inches long and super cute. I'll post pictures whenever I get around to it.

Totally cool friends

2005-11-18T13:34:00.000-08:00

Last night we had a playdate at a friend’s house. It was going to be an ordinary playdate, until about a month ago I got a call from the group leader asking me to give a talk to the other moms about having a new baby and how and why the older siblings react to new

babies the way they do. She said she figured since I had a lot of child development education under my belt I'd be best suited to give the talk. No problem. It sounded like fun even though I have yet to have any empirical data in this area.

The other deviation from it being one of our typical playdates was that I had organized a surprise for our group leader. I got a bunch of the other moms to donate some money so that we could present Amy with a jogging stroller and a spa gift certificate since she’s done so much to make our playgroup as awesome as it is.

When I got there with another mom, I found out that they had planned a surprise baby shower for me!!! I was totally blown away. They gave me a few gifts, but then I found out that they had all prepared food for me to freeze so that I wouldn’t have to cook for a while after the baby is born. How awesome is that?!?!

I am so amazed by all these women. We’ve only just met, but yet I feel like I’ve known them for years.

And now a pregnancy update. You didn’t think you’d get away without one did you? This one has lots of girly information in it that you guys may not be interested in. Several days ago I noticed my mucous has changed a lot. Twice today I had a little bit of bleeding. Everything just feels different in there. Despite these changes, today’s the first day in about two weeks that I haven’t had any contractions. Interesting.

The 9th month

2005-11-15T12:22:00.000-08:00

I think this blog has turned into "Julie's Pregnancy Blog". Sorry guys, but I can't seem to muster up the energy to think of anything thought worthy.

I'm still having my weekly OB visits. Because of the problems we've been having, Holly's decided to have weekly ultrasounds rather than every other week as originally planned. Things are looking up.

Gabriel's growth has slowed down. Size-wise, he's still two weeks ahead, but that's better than the three weeks ahead that he was. She says if things progress the way they have recently, he'll be approximately 7 1/2 - 8 pounds at birth. Hopefully his head won't be too big.

He's also doing his practice breathing. He wasn't doing it for a while. I ended up having to do a non-stress test to check things out a couple weeks ago. After being strapped to the machine for approximately 30 minutes, he gave in and started breathing.

Oh! I almost forgot. I've dilated 3 centimeters!!! Even though I'm technically not due for another month, I imagine this is good since we are inducing in two weeks.

We've got his room mostly cleaned up. You'd think the room was packed from floor to ceiling because it's taken so long to get it cleaned up, but really it was a decent office. I just didn't want to take stuff out of there just to pile it up in another room to have to clean up later.

I bought the coolest mobile for the crib the other day. It's called the Dreams-in-Sight Mobile. I went to Toys-R-Us looking for one similar to the one we bought for Jude. His is great because the mobile arm is detachable so that when he's too big for it, you can remove it and leave the music box attached to the crib. When we moved him to his toddler bed, we moved the music box with him. He still uses it every night. I didn't want to take it away from him, so we decided to get a new one for Gabriel. This new one does what's Jude's does, except it also projects images of moons and stars on this little umbrella canopy attached to it. It also has a remote control so we can turn it on without having to go in the room.

Here's what American Baby says about this month:

This is a month of great anticipation as nature puts the finishing touches on your unborn child. It is also a "month" that can stretch on for as many as six weeks, because your due date is only an estimate--within two weeks on either side--of when your baby will arrive.

Although your baby's growth slows down as delivery approaches, she has been gaining half an ounce of fat every day. The lanugo is almost gone, and much of the vernix has fallen off, too. It remains primarily in body creases such as the back of the knees and the groin.

Near the end of the month, your baby may assume the position she will take for delivery. Usually this is head down, facing your back. When the head slips down into your basket-shaped pelvis--an event called lightening--you'll notice that you can breathe more easily than you could in the past few months. On the other hand, the baby's new position may make walking and sitting more difficult for you. Even in these close quarters, your baby will keep stretching and squirming, so the sensation of kicks and pushes from her doesn't slacken.

No one really knows what makes labor start. Stretching of the uterus seems to be one trigger. Another is that the level of progesterone, the hormone that supported the pregnancy from the start, declines in the mother's blood, allowing the womb to relinquish its nine-month guest.

At birth the average baby weighs 7 1/2 pounds and measures 15 inches from head to bottom or 20 inches from head to toe. Boys tend to be larger on average than girls. Your baby, though, could weigh from 6 to 9 pounds and measure from 17 to 22 inches.

The 8th month

2005-11-03T12:11:00.000-08:00

This past Monday I had my weekly OB appointment with Holly. She is happy with my glucose readings now since I quit my ice cream binges. She is concerned about my placenta. She's worried that it will fail prior to having the baby. We scheduled the induction for November 30th. Even with this scheduled induction, she's concerned that something may happen before the date arrives. Please say some prayers. We have a history of asthma in my family and this little baby needs all lung development time he can get.

I just realized that I haven't posted anything about this month in the pregnancy.

Here's what American Baby has to say about the 8th month of pregnancy:

Everything in your baby's body is preparing for his entry into the world. His brain and nervous system are maturing, his limbs are becoming smooth and plump, and his skin is a healthy color. Fingernails are growing past his fingertips and his toenails have nearly reached the end of his toes.

If your baby is a boy, his testicles have nearly completed their descent into their proper position in the scrotum. If the testicles do not descend now, they may descend after birth.

Your baby is now acquiring immunity to many infections with the help of your immune system. This immunity lasts for a few months after birth until he develops his own resistance to illness. Breastfeeding can enhance the temporary immunity your baby gets from you.

Although the fetus doesn't actually breathe, he does make breathing movements and he hiccups. You can tell when your baby hiccups, because you'll feel him making rapid, jerky movements. You may also begin to notice that your baby has a regular daily pattern of activity and rest.

The amount of amniotic fluid reaches its maximum this month--about two pints on average. The amount of fluid will diminish somewhat as delivery nears.

Babies born during the eighth month have a considerably better chance of surviving than those born only one month earlier. Depending on how early in the month they are born, they might need to be given oxygen because of immature lungs. They might also need the extra warmth provided by an incubator.

Your baby weighs a little less than 5 pounds now and measures a little more than 12 inches from head to buttocks, or 17 inches from head to toe.

Week 33

2005-10-24T20:23:00.000-07:00

I had an appointment with Holly today. She is not pleased with my late night ice cream binges. My glucose levels have been great as long as you don't look at my bedtime readings. I guess I'm done with ice cream and any other sweets I really enjoy until after Gabriel is born. Holly wants to see me every week now and she'll do a scan every other week. He's still measuring 2 weeks ahead of time. He weighs 5-6 pounds. His head measures approximately 3 weeks ahead, but I'll choose to ignore that bit.

Following up on the gun discussion

2005-10-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

As mentioned in Jay's post below, I am not too keen on the idea of owning a gun simply because I worry about our kids getting a hold of it without our knowledge. I would like to know from those of you out there who own guns and have children, where do you keep your guns? How do you store them? Are they in locked boxes hidden away? Is the ammunition stored separately?

I question all of this, because so many times I have heard that you should store the guns separately from the ammunition. That only partially makes sense to me. Sure it will keep the kids safer, but I would imagine that when your home is being robbed and your family members are being assaulted, you need fast access to a loaded weapon. I wouldn't want to fumble around with my gun being in one place while the ammunition is in another place, all the while having to remember where I put the keys to these locked boxes or Heaven forbid I got a combination locked box. Who's going to remember a combination at a time like that?

If we ever do purchase a gun, I do plan on all of us taking whatever lessons are available to gun owners. Even if Jay and I are fully versed in the workings of whatever gun we purchase, I think I'd like to have someone else (in addition to us) teach our boys about it because at some ages parents just don't know anything. Right?

The Color Purple

2005-10-17T20:29:00.000-07:00

Here's a mystery for any chemists or cleaning geniuses out there. Our sink is made of some kind of metal, probably stainless steel. Every now and then a purple substance appears in the sink, looking like it was dropped in roughly the same spot each time. Both substance and source are mysteries.

We've looked around the sink. We've looked on and around the window sill. We've looked at the faucet. We've looked under the sink. We've looked in and under the cabinets over the sink. We've dismantled the flourescent light fixture under the cabinets. There are no ink pens, paint cans, markers, crayons, spray paint cans, rabid squids, or punk elves with too much hair dye hiding anywhere that we can see.

The only pattern I can see to the occurence is that it happens mostly during cool weather. We had this purple enigma show up almost daily when we first moved in during February, then it tapered off, and we've only recently seen it return.

Any ideas out there? I've even searched for "metal sink purple" on Google and, while I found an amazing newsgroup post by some goth child wanting purple hair and stainless steel fingernail implants, I found nothing giving any hint as to what might be causing our mysterious purple sink.

"Gun Control" Means Hitting Your Target

2005-10-16T19:11:00.000-07:00

Let me start by stating that I don't own a gun. Even if it were within our budget, I'd have hell getting Julie to agree to keep one in the house. But we both agree that the U.S. Constitution explicitly allows citizens to own firearms.

In the linked commentary, Joseph Farah makes some excellent points. Here are the highlights:

In 1981, the court there held in Warren v. District of Columbia, 444 A.2d 1 (D.C. Dec. 21, 1981) that neither the city nor police officials could be held liable for failure of police to respond properly to a request from victims for protection from attackers.

This was in response to police not adequately responding to a 911 call about a burglary, then not showing up for a follow-up call for over 14 hours. During this time frame, three women and a 4 year old girl were raped and held hostage in their apartment building. In other words, the cops came by once, didn't adequately sweep the building and thus failed to find the burglars, then never came back despite additional calls to 911. However, it was ruled, effectively, that this was just "one of those things" and no one could be considered at fault.

The point here is not to bash police officers or certain judges. The point is to underscore the fact that we cannot rely upon the government or any of its agencies to protect us 24/7. In a disaster situation such as hurricanes in Louisiana, earthquakes in California, or volcanoes in Oregon or Washington, citizens should be able to defend themselves against the gangs and thugs that will almost certainly arise in such circumstances when the normal law enforcement agencies are stretched to and beyond their breaking point.

In the meantime, Farah has a challenge that I'd love to see some left-wingers take up.

For those who are [pro-gun control], let me make a suggestion. Why don't you set an example for the rest of us and print up signs for your homes that say: "This is a firearm-free zone." This would represent a real service to the country. We can experiment to see if their thesis is correct. Does a reduction in firearms translate to a reduction in violence? This will be the test case.

I say, go for it. After all, what do you have to worry about? You've got the police and the government to protect you.

Hear, hear! And as LA Governor Blanco recently said of those in a similar situation, make sure you write your social security number on your forearms in indelible ink first.

All I can say is. . .

2005-10-15T15:05:00.000-07:00

WOW!!!

Jay and I had a date the other night. Since we are total nerds, it's not unusual for us to end up at Barnes and Noble. Actually, it's unusual for us to not end up at Barnes and Noble. We bought the very new Anansi Boys from Neil Gaiman. Every time I read one of his novels I think, "Man! This guy is soooo cool!" Well, he totally surpassed his coolness this time.

GO GET THE BOOK NOW!!!

I am now on to THUD! which is Terry Pratchett's new one. This one has a fully illustrated companion book titled Where's my Cow? where Sam Vimes is reading a book to his son. I'm sure we'll end up buying this one in the future.

Life is uneventful . . . for now

2005-10-11T14:40:00.000-07:00

There's not much going on over here. Jay's working and Jude and I are playing. Mt. Dishmore needs to be washed and Mt. Laundrymore is running away from itself.

Jude and I joined a playgroup that's been keeping us busy. We visit with them one to two times a week. He really seems to enjoy it and it keeps me sane. The moms are terrific and the kids get along really well.

We broke down and bought Jude a new car seat. According to the measurements, he should still fit into his old one for another ten pounds and many more inches, but for the past couple months he's done nothing but complain about being uncomfortable in it. We got him a new one and he is much happier.

I'm working in Gabriel's room sporadically. Maybe it'll be ready by the time he's born.

I think I've been having Braxton-Hicks contractions. I'm not sure, since I really don't think I had any when I was pregnant with Jude.

I've added more pictures to Jude's blog. Check them out. He's getting cuter and cuter by the minute.

Baby update and a bit more

2005-10-03T11:34:00.000-07:00

Ten weeks and three days to go!!! It is going so quickly now. We are still so far from having the office cleared out to make room for Gabriel. Physically, I am much more comfortable now. Well, as long as I don't leave our air-conditioned home. I have very few headaches or pains of any kind. Don't get me wrong, I still find things to complain about.

I had an appointment with Holly today. She said things are looking good. My tummy is measuring two weeks ahead of schedule, but she says that's fine. She is very pleased with my blood glucose readings and I gained a whole 3/4 of a pound! We're both pleased with that. Again, Jude insisted she check out his baby. His baby looks good, too.

He told me today, while peering into my belly button, that he could see Gabe-ih-doll's (Gabriel's) yeg (leg). He was happy that he could finally see the baby in there. He's been looking for a few weeks now and has been very disappointed that Gabriel has yet to make an appearance.

American Baby says:

By this week, your baby's senses are developed to the point where she can taste, touch, see, and hear what's going on around her. She'll also react to stimuli--for instance, if you poke your belly, she may kick or hit back at the spot you've touched. It's exciting to interact with your baby even before she's born. Try rubbing your belly and talking gently to her when she kicks--you may find that you're already able to calm her down.

It's so neat when Jay talks to Gabriel and Gabriel starts moving right around where Jay has his mouth. I can't wait to meet this little guy. It's weird. I like being pregnant and even though I was so happy to have Jude, I was sad when I had Jude because I was no longer pregnant. I know, I'm a weirdo, but I bet I'm not the only one like that.

Jay and I have started up a supper club. There are friends that we've had for a while, but we just don't keep in touch. We thought this would be a great way to keep up with each other. In addition to Jay and myself, there are about five other couples we'll meet with once a month to eat and talk with. Starting next month, we'll meet at another couple's home. The hosting couple will be responsible for the meat dish and the others will supply the side dishes and drinks. I'll mail out a reminder each month telling everyone what the hosts will make so that their dish coordinates with it. At the meetings we'll draw cards saying who's responsible for what dish such as the veggie dish, dessert, or beverage.

We're thinking of adding a light religious discussion to the event. I say light because one member is not Catholic and another couple isn't too into their faith. I was thinking we could have a couple questions prepared ahead of time and we'll use those to get the discussion going. We don't want to make it a prayer group or anything overly involved. If you have any ideas for this, I would love to hear them.

Something I've been thinking about lately is the way meals are worded here. While growing up in El Paso, we always called the meals breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Here in Louisiana (at least the region we live in) the meals are called breakfast, dinner, and supper. It drives me crazy. Even after being here for nearly ten years, it still confuses me to no end.

Not in the U.S.A. – Yet

2005-10-01T20:14:00.000-07:00

For those who don’t remember, a wave of state constitutional amendments swept across the United States about a year ago limiting the definition of marriage to include one man and one woman. This wave was the overwhelming response to judicial activists who mandated that their states legally recognize homosexual unions.

One of the arguments against legalizing homosexual “marriage” was that it would open the door to further weakening of the definition of marriage, eventually including polygamy, bestiality, and pedophilia. Opponents of the constitutional bans accused proponents of paranoia and outrageous claims designed to scare undecided voters.

Now the Netherlands has granted a civil union to a man and two women. Those who argue against the previously mentioned slippery slope may be interested to know that the Netherlands was the first country in the world to recognize same-sex partnerships, and is one of the most socially liberal countries in the world.

Does anyone still not see polygamy as the successor to homosexual unions in threatening the sanctity of marriage? Consider this:

During a question-and-answer session after a speech at Yale University, ACLU president Nadine Strossen stated that her organization has "defended the right of individuals to engage in polygamy," reported AgapePress, noting that the comments cited by the Yale Daily News received little attention.

The ACLU is not alone in championing polygamy. The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints embraces plural marriage, for example. There are also several others who would be happy to engage in a “man’s greatest fantasy” or other combinations of numbers and genders and have their trysts legally recognized. With agents actively promoting acceptance of such behavior and the idiotic fringes to which “diversity” and “multiculturalism” stretch, polygamy could all-too-easily worm its way into legalization, right through the cracks in the definition of marriage left by homosexual unions, were they not constitutionally banned.

So what about bestiality? I looked it up but I found no group claiming to support its legalization. What about pedophilia, one of the most horrific acts and greatest sins of them all? NAMBLA promotes it and its legalization. Is it really far-fetched to believe that these behaviors can ooze their way out of the gutters where they belong and into the realm of “acceptable” behavior? The same was thought of homosexuality only a few decades ago.

Those who decry the limitations on marriage as discriminatory and homophobic do not realize the evils to which they would open the door. And if you do realize the consequences of your goals and still pursue them, then all Christians and conservatives should oppose you with every fiber of our beings. This isn’t simply a matter of offending someone’s sense of right and wrong. No, this is about protecting our families and our communities against an ever-increasing subversion by a small, sick minority in what is nominally a democratic republic.

Voting With Your Wallet

2005-09-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

Those of you familiar with our posts know that we are no friend to many liberal policies. However, we not only rant about them, we also support, or refuse to support, companies that promote certain sets of policies or lifestyles. Heinz products, for example, are no longer found in our household. It isn’t a matter of product preference, I assure you –Heinz ketchup and their Worcestershire sauce were favorites of ours. However, we have no desire to support John Kerry, Theresa Heinz Kerry, or virtually any of their causes.

Case in point: The Human Rights Campaign Foundation, a pro-homosexual organization, has released a list of companies scoring a perfect 100% on its “Gay Friendly” index. As a family opposed to “gay-friendly” policies, legislation, practices, etc., this list is a good thing because we now know which companies we should not support.

For your convenience, here is the list of top offenders:

1) Aetna
2) Agilent Technologies
3) Alston & Bird
4) American Airlines
5) American Express
6) Apple Computer
7) AT&T
8) Avaya
9) Bausch & Lomb
10) Best Buy
11) Borders Group
12) BP America
13) California State Automobile Association
14) Capital One Financial
15) Cargill
16) Charles Schwab
17) Chevron
18) ChoicePoint
19) Chubb
20) Cisco Systems
21) Citigroup
22) CMP Media
23) Corning
24) Credit Suisse First Boston
25) Cummins
26) Daimler Chrysler
27) Dell
28) Deutsche Bank
29) Dominion Resources
30) Dow Chemical
31) Eastman Kodak
32) Ernst & Young
33) Estee Lauder Companies
34) Faegre & Benson
35) Ford Motor Co.
36) Freescale Semiconductor
37) Gap Inc.
38) General Mills
39) GlaxoSmithKline
40) Global Hyatt
41) Goldman Sachs Group
42) Hewlett-Packard
43) Intel
44) IBM
45) Intuit
46) J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.
47) Jenner & Block
48) Johnson & Johnson
49) Kaiser Permanente
50) Keyspan
51) Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group
52) KPMG
53) Kraft Foods
54) Lehman Brothers Holdings
55) Levi Strauss & Co.
56) Lexmark International
57) Lincoln National
58) Lucent Technologies
59) Mellon Financial
60) Merrill Lynch
61) MetLife
62) Microsoft
63) Miller Brewing
64) Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams
65) Molson Coors Brewing
66) Morrison & Foerster
67) Motorola
68) Nationwide
69) NCR Corp.
70) New York Times Co.
71) Nike
72) Nordstrom
73) Northern Trust
74) The Olivia Companies
75) Owens Corning
76) Pepsico
77) Pfizer
78) PG&E
79) Prudential Financial
80) Raytheon
81) Replacements
82) SBC Communications
83) SC Johnson & Son
84) Sears, Roebuck and Co.
85) Southern California Edison
86) Sprint
87) Sun Microsystems
88) SunTrust Banks
89) Tech Data Corp.
90) Toyota
91) UBS
92) Unisys
93) US Airways
94) Viacom
95) Walgreens
96) Washington Mutual
97) Wells Fargo
98) Whirlpool
99) Worldspan Technologies
100) Wyndham International
101) Xerox

On the other hand, these companies scored very low on the gay friendly index:

1) Alltel
2) Aquila
3) Archer Daniels Midland
4) Bayer
5) Circuit City
6) Cracker Barrel
7) Emerson Electric
8) ExxonMobil
9) H.J. Heinz
10) Hormel Foods
11) May Department Stores
12) Maytag
13) MBNA
14) Nestle Purina PetCare
15) Newell Rubbermaid
16) Nissan
17) Perot Systems
18) Radio Shack
19) Rite Aid
20) Rohm & Haas

The disparity in numbers of homosexual-friendly companies vs. non-homosexual-friendly companies indicates how increasingly difficult it is to put one’s beliefs into practice and still function in this world. It reminds me of a bumper sticker I’ve seen: “Work for God. The pay is low but the retirement benefits are out of this world.”

We're Baaaack

2005-09-25T16:08:00.000-07:00

We made it through with no problems other than the loss of electricity for a day and a half and no water (because of the lack of electricity) for half a day. We also had a couple large confederate rose bushes hit hard. One of them lost a couple branches and the other was just about uprooted. We're trying to save them especially since they are about to bloom. A large unused antenna was blown off our roof. Saved us the hassle of getting it down ourselves.

Our neighbors were nice enough to share their generator with us so that we could keep our refrigerator powered. Thank you, thank you, thank you Alison and Jeremy!

Jay's mom lost electricity, as well. She and Jeff (Jay's brother) came to mooch off our A/C this afternoon while in town trying to get a hold of some ice, milk, and a generator. By the time they were ready to head home, they found out their electricity had been restored.

This bit is more for Kalanna, but of course everyone else is free to read along. The ones who would be worse off than any of us would be Jay's sister, Michelle, and her family. They live in a town near Lake Charles. They evacuated several days ago and headed to Jay's mom's house, but left when the electricity went out since they have three young children. Michelle's father-in-law was able to pass by their house quickly sometime today and he said he saw no damage to the front of their house. That's really good news since the front of their house faces south. Michelle and Michael will probably head home alone to check thing out before bringing the munchkins home.

Jay's family in the Kenner area did alright, as well. His uncle only accumulated a few inches of water in his garage. Jay's cousin's house was totally flooded again, but that's okay because they were in the process of gutting their house because of the damage done from the previous hurricane. The rest of his N.O. family either had no damage, or still had not been allowed back home yet since the previous hurricane.

We had some pretty serious wind and a lot of rain. The rain was much needed and the wind was just neat to listen to. No tornadoes, Trish!

We have some pretty interesting critters around now. A toad decided to seek refuge just inside our door. Jude was impressed. Jay found a huge walking stick in one of our bushes. When I say this thing is huge, I mean it is the biggest insect I have ever seen. Also, a banana spider survived the winds. I am pleased because these are some beautiful spiders! Jay found it on our south wall while he was boarding up the windows.

With all that said, we now have some nasty, muggy weather ahead of us tomorrow. It’s supposed to be just plain gross tomorrow, then it’s going to cool down for the next few days with a cold front headed in from the northwest. I look forward to it with much anticipation!

Survival of the Fittest

2005-09-23T19:30:00.000-07:00

Being in the middle of hurricane season has brought up some familiar situations. High temperatures, bad weather, high humidity, empty grocery and hardware stores . . . and officials wasting time and resources going after those who choose to perform foolhardy and dangerous acts.

In the linked story, Galveston officials had to run out to the beach and arrest a man who not only ignored the mandatory evacuation order, but also decided to surf the large waves provided by Hurricane Rita. The officials then complained about having to devote precious manpower to rescuing such foolhardy people.

My question is, should officials spend their thinly stretched resources rescuing such people? In this sense I am a libertarian. If adults of sound mind wish to endanger their own life, I say let them. Why did this wayward surfer have to be arrested? He was a danger only to himself. He made his own decision; let him suffer his own consequences.

This isn't a blanket opinion. I'm certainly not in favor of allowing someone to commit suicide by, say, eating a stick of dynomite in the middle of a crowded mall. But I think the officials in this story should have skipped over this guy and worried about helping those who followed the mandatory/recommended orders to evacuate. If nothing else, it may help reduce the foolishness in the gene pool.

I know what we've been missing!

2005-09-22T14:38:00.000-07:00

Another hurricane! Just when we were getting bored. This one is going to hit our region significantly harder than Katrina did. Our parish has a voluntary evacuation in place. The winds and and rain are going to start tonight, and we are supposed to get 40-60 mph winds eventually.

We are planning to stick around. Jay's office closed up around noon. He came home and started doing the stuff I don’t want to do such as packing up Jude’s outdoor toys and anything else that requires being outside in our nasty, sticky, hot, and humid weather. He was in the process of boarding up the windows, when he got paged by the local city court to help them shut down their servers. . .

I am a chocolate chip cookie

2005-09-19T12:22:00.000-07:00

Now here's a silly little quiz I couldn't resist. Via Blond Girl.

You scored as Chocolate chip cookie.

Your perfect dessert is a chocolate chip cookie! You are intelligent and original. You are a leader not a follower. You like cookies! Sometimes you can be on the wild side and get a midnight snack...(stealing the LAST COOKIE from the cookie jar...)

Chocolate chip cookie

81%

Chocolate cake..mmm

69%

I SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM!

63%

Strawberry Shortcake

56%

Bananna Bread

50%

Cheesecake

38%

Vanilla Shake

38%

::.what dessert are you?.::
created with QuizFarm.com

How Do I Hate Thee?

2005-09-17T21:34:00.000-07:00

Liberals in the U.S. House of Representatives were able to bypass their normal method of passing legislation that the majority of America doesn't want to see by taking advantage of the distractions offered by Hurricane Katrina. Otherwise they would have been forced to follow the standard practice of bringing a lawsuit before a sympathetic judge to have a new imaginary "right" written into law.

John Conyers (D – Michigan) played along with the Children's Safety Act until he saw an opportunity, then pushed through the 25th amendment ("Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2005") to this bill. In a nutshell,

The language stipulates that crimes "motivated by prejudice based on the actual or perceived race, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability of the victim" shall be punished by up to life in prison. It also authorizes $10 million to prosecute such crimes.

Here is an excellent link to find out how states voted, who voted how, and who your representatives are.

So, all this to bring up one question: Is hate crime legislation valid?

I say no. Attaching special punishment, funding, or prosecution because of a victim’s physical or mental characteristics goes against the very fabric of America for two key reasons.

First, it mandates that some people get better legal treatment than others simply because of their color, religion, gender, gender identity, etc. This is, by definition, discrimination. Whether committed by people dressed in robes and burning crosses or by Ivy League schools trying to fix the demographic ratios of their student population, it’s still discrimination.

Second, hate crime legislation equates to prosecution of thought crimes. One of our rights here in America is our freedom of speech, with the assumption that we are speaking our own opinion. Because additional punishment is handed out based on the assumed motivation for a crime, people are punished not only for committing a crime but also for their very thoughts and attitudes.

On that same note, such legislation tries to turn law enforcement officials, lawyers, judges, and jurors into mind readers. Take a hypothetical situation. If John is known for hating midgets and shoots a burglar that just happens to be a midget, did John commit a hate crime? The whole "innocent until proven guilty" theory should mandate that John cannot be found guilty of a hate crime. Murder? Maybe. But the thoughts and attitudes leading up to the gunshot(s)? How can any human know for sure what lurks within another human's mind? There is always room for doubt. Unfortunately, this fact doesn't seem to choke the flow of legislation and practices designed to do exactly that – read people’s minds.

In my not-so-humble opinion, hate crime legislation ties up money, time, and effort in a doomed attempt to punish certain people’s attitudes out of existence. It is yet another misguided liberal attempt to do that which is impossible: create a man-made paradise based on whatever ideals and morals are currently considered fashionable.

More Dirt in New Orleans

2005-09-14T10:35:00.000-07:00

In the linked article, several previously-unpublished factors are revealed about the Katrina debacle in the Big Easy. Here are some choice tidbits:

1) Quite a bit of flooding was not due to the levees breaking.

In two cases, storm-driven water, far higher than the levees were designed to hold back (up to 15 feet of tidal surge), overwhelmed them and went pouring down on parts of the city. According to the Journal, the waves inundated the mostly working-class eastern districts, home to 160,000 people. In some places, the water rose as fast as a foot per minute, survivors told the Journal. These levees did not break.

2) At least one of the levees broke for reasons unrelated to structural integrity.

Another huge wave came across Lake Pontchartrain in the north. It sent a steel barge ramming through the Industrial Canal, a major shipping artery that cuts north to south through the city, possibly creating a breach that grew to 500 feet, letting water pour into nearby neighborhoods of the city's Ninth Ward. The barge's remains were found lying on the bottom of the gap. An early eyewitness reported seeing the barge smash through the levee. His report was never followed up by the media.

3) This one is just priceless. I'm sure this won't halt the forthcoming flood of accusations of, and lawsuits over, discrimination.

Vital repairs for which a whopping $600 million had been appropriated by the federal government were stopped after residents of the Ninth Ward complained about the noise created by the repair project and sued to halt it.

4) And here is probably the most damning exerpts:

Among the city's self-proclaimed responsibilities was the job of the mayor to order an evacuation 48 hours before the hurricane came ashore, not 24, hours, as Mayor Nagin did; the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority was meant to
"position supervisors and dispatch evacuation buses" to evacuate at least some of the "100,000 citizens of New Orleans [who] do not have means of personal transportation," but it did not, and the flood claimed the buses.
Moreover, the city was responsible for establishing shelters co-ordinated with "food and supply distribution sites" which the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army and others were to provision, but the city did not.
Both agencies provided the supplies but as Fox cable News correspondent Major Garret revealed, they were barred by local authorities from delivering them to those stranded in the city at places such as the Superdome who most needed them in the immediate aftermath of the storm.

5) Let's not forget all the accusations being leveled at the federal government.

Part of its [New Orleans'] "Future Plans" section, for example, concerns the levees. It also includes discussion of "the preparation of a post-disaster plan that will identify programs and actions that will reduce of eliminate the exposure of human life and property to natural hazards."
In 9,000 words, there are only four references to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Nowhere, not even in a section on catastrophic events, do the words "Department of Homeland Security" appear.

6) Finally, some questions are posed.

The city declared that its hurricane preparedness procedures were "designed to deal with the anticipation of a direct hit from a major hurricane." Such a hurricane hit, and New Orleans was not prepared. The first questions that legislators in Washington and in Baton Rouge should be asking are simple: Why didn't the buses run? Why were people left to starve? Where did all those dollars go?

Cynic that I am, I think I can answer the last question: To line the pockets and pad the voter rolls of local elected officials and state Democrats. It takes a lot of money to raise the dead, after all.

Heading into the 7th month

2005-09-12T12:35:00.000-07:00

I just realized I am about to start my third trimester! I am totally amazed. This pregnancy seems to be going so quickly. This little baby moves so much. Day and night. Holly says everything is looking good, but she needed to up my insulin again. My numbers are mostly good, but my morning counts have been too high lately and there have been a few high ones here and there. She also said some babies have problems with the insulin, so she'll start doing weekly sonograms pretty soon to monitor the baby's growth and breathing.

While we were in the exam room, Jude hopped up on the table and asked Holly to check his baby. She took out her fetal heart doppler and listened to his tummy. Since he's so small and his heart is close to his tummy, she picked up his heartbeat quickly and he gasped and said, "you hear that?!"

Here's what American Baby has to say:

Things are a bit cramped inside your uterus, so your baby now has to assume the fetal position, with his legs bent onto his chest. Your baby can still move around, flex his limbs, and make grasping motions with his hands. He may seem more active at some times of the day than at others. As you lie in bed at night, you might see your whole stomach change shape as your baby shifts position.

At the start of this month your baby's eyelids slowly open. The pupils will grow larger or smaller in response to changes in brightness. On the eyelids, his lashes are starting to grow. his taste buds are well developed, and he could respond to sweet and sour tastes by changing the expression on his face. He has many more taste buds now than he'll need after delivery.

Your baby's skin is less wrinkled now, as fat begins to fill out his contours. Inside his skull, his brain is enlarging rapidly. The surface of the brain is becoming folded and wrinkled, which gives more space for nerves to grow, and its sections start to take on their distinct lifetime roles, such as controlling memory and speech.

The hair on his scalp is growing longer. Lanugo, in contrast, is starting to fade. If your baby is a boy, his testicles are starting to descend from the abdomen, where they developed, toward his scrotum.

Your doctor may perform an ultrasound examination to determine the baby's size and position. Not all mothers-to-be will have an ultrasound exam; those with a low-risk pregnancy don't need a routine ultrasound examination if no problems are suspected.

At the end of this month, your baby weighs about 3 pounds and is about 11 inches long.

Hey boys and girls

2005-09-09T21:49:00.000-07:00

We found another blogger who deserves your attention. The Neo Con Blogger. I imagine some of you have already visited this one, but we hadn't until tonight. After digging through the blog, my favorite post so far was this one. Here's the title "Trent Lott's Hair Can Stop A Cat 4 Hurricane." Now go check it out.

I’m Not Sure If I’m Aggravated

2005-09-09T20:50:00.000-07:00

For the first time ever, Germans may elect a woman as their chancellor. Angela Merkel will get her chance for the position on September 18.

I’m not bothered by the idea of a woman in charge. On the home front, I personally hope Dr. Condoleezza Rice makes a go of it in 2008 (I also hope Hillary Clinton runs and gets the snot kicked out of her – now THAT would do my heart good).

No, what bothers me is that “recent state elections have shown women are inclined to support female candidates, regardless of party.” Are women willing to give up their political ideology just to get another woman in the seat of power? What, is there some sort of secret feminist plot to get a woman in charge and force estrogen shots on men and mandate doll-playing for all students in kindergarten, and the political party is just a front?

This just makes no sense. Maybe it’s different for me since I am a member of the Evil, Conservative, Heterosexual White Man Clan, but there is no way I am going to vote for, for example, an abortion-supporting, welfare-promoting stalwart of affirmative action just because he happens to look similar to me. Unless, of course, he’s simply the best of a bad bunch.

Help me out here, people. Does anyone understand this phenomenon?

Ho hum. . .

2005-09-09T09:47:00.000-07:00

Jude's been sick for a couple weeks now. Fever, congestion, runny nose, and everything else that usually accompanies those symptoms. Jay and I have been fighting with nasal congestion and post-nasal drip sore throats, as well. It's been off and on, so it's not too bad.

We moved our desk to the back of our living room to make our third room into the new baby's room. I hate to lose our office because there is no doubt in my mind that the desk will eventually look like something out of a white trash movie just as it always does.

I have my monthly OB appointment next Monday. Everything has been going well. I think I've finally put on some weight. I say finally and it sounds like that's a good thing that I've been eagerly anticipating. It isn't. I hate the thought of gaining more weight. It doesn't bother me too bad, since I know it's for a good reason, but you'd think the baby could make do with all the excess weight I already have.

Yesterday I took Jude to the local library. This was the first time he's been to the one here other than a quick in and out trip to pick something up for my dad when he was still in the hospital. It's not really set up for a kid his age. Small town, you know. I had forgotten that it has those animal heads mounted on the wall like it's some sort of hunting cabin. Ugly, but Jude liked it. I'm so not into hunting. So many guys around here live to hunt and fish and the idea is just disgusting to me. So anyway, the library is small and other than visiting one animal carcass and then moving on to the next, I don't think we'll be visiting this library again any time soon. Maybe next time we head to Lafayette we can check out their library.

We are in the process of sorting through our belongings again. We usually do this at least once a year. Lately it's been more frequently since we moved a couple times within the last year. I think Jay's nesting instinct kicked in. Too bad mine hasn't.

Mardi Gras, anyone?

2005-09-06T10:43:00.000-07:00

A couple nights ago, Jay and I were discussing how Mardi Gras would be affected by the hurricane. It's about six months away and I think New Orleans ought to get a move on it and get ready for the parades. It would be a great income generator for them.

Mardi Gras is enormous even by this city's standards. In 2001, more than 1,000 floats, 500 marching bands and 135,000 people paraded through the streets. One university study estimates the celebration brings in $1 billion a year to New Orleans.

Jay thinks it's pretty iffy whether they'd be ready for the festivities, but I think it's possible. I think a lot of people would be willing to check out the new and improved New Orleans. Not only would it bring them some money, but don't you think it would be a great way to get people's spirits up? Imagine what a celebration it would be after reclaiming your city.

Some Thoughts on Post-Katrina New Orleans

2005-09-04T22:55:00.000-07:00

In a state as litigation-prone as Louisiana, the first step in any disaster is to determine who is at fault. If someone knows they are at fault or even likely to be accused of being at fault, the Louisiana political handbook recommends that they pin the blame on someone else.

Case in point: Mayor Ray Nagin did not send out several school busses to evacuate those who could not evacuate themselves from the city, such as the poor, the elderly, or handicapped. Governor Kathleen Blanco likewise did nothing of the sort. They both royally screwed up. Following the handbook, they blamed it on someone else: The federal government.

Hey, why not? Bush is already low in the polls due to lagging support for the war in Iraq and gasoline prices. The fact that Bush diverted federal money from New Orleans flood control systems to fund the war doesn’t help Bush (In his defense, Bush had to choose between an evil that might come, Katrina, and the evil that was already here, the war, to decide where to spend an already struggling budget).

This whole bussing situation brings up another issue dear to my heart: the hypocrisy inherent in Liberal Democratic attitudes towards minorities. If you go by geographic area, Louisiana is predominantly conservative. However, we keep winding up with the likes of Senator Mary Landrieu and Governor Kathleen Blanco. The vast majority of their support comes from New Orleans and Baton Rouge, predominantly from minorities, the poor, the uneducated, the criminal, and the dead. Those left behind in New Orleans consisted in large part of these very categories. I’m sure these two ladies are ripping New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin to shreds over disenchanting and disbanding their core of support in this state. Then again, if the public buys the “It’s the fed’s fault” line this may turn out to be a political windfall for Democrats nationwide.

The hurricane may have an effect that actually benefits New Orleans. This city houses some less-than-pleasant statistics, such as a more than 25% poverty rate, a murder rate that is 10 times the national average, and 55 of Louisiana's 78 worst schools. If the majority of the remaining New Orleans population is comprised of those who are willing to shoot at rescue helicopters and personnel, who are willing to loot non-essential items and rape and kill, then maybe it’s a good thing that the military has now had its gloves taken off. Maybe this is the only way that such a cancer could be removed from this local society.

Finally, I keep hearing comparisons between Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and 9/11/2001 in New York, both in the loss of lives and in the aftermath. I keep thinking of the differences. The most obvious difference is that 9/11 was created by man and Katrina was a natural occurrence (despite some Muslim claims to the contrary). The second is in the basic economic class of the victims. The majority of the 9/11 victims were white collar workers, whereas the majority of those who couldn’t get away from Katrina were poor – call me a cynic, but I can’t help but wonder if this was a factor in the relative rescue times. Finally, the hustle and bustle of New York stands in stark contrast to our domestic banana republic whose state motto is "Laissez les bons temps rouler" (“Let the good times roll”).

If there is blame assigned, I truly hope it goes squarely where it belongs. More importantly, I hope we as a state and we as a nation learn some important lessons from this and move on to better times.

Racism in New Orleans

2005-09-02T23:00:00.000-07:00

Monsier Randall Robinson makes the claim that a less-than-full effort has been made in the New Orleans area because of a plot to let blacks die, that no one has come to help them. He further claims that blacks have begun eating human corpses to survive, citing unnamed reports by unknown agencies.

Yes, all those cops, firefighters, troops, medical specialists, and volunteers have gone to the stinking, steamy, disease and chemical ridden swamp that used to be New Orleans just so they can watch blacks die. All the whites were already evacuated because, as everyone knows, we get advance notification via the secret WhiteyAM radio station. Just watch TV -- you won't see a single white refugee still in the Big Easy. All those news broadcasts urging people to leave before the hurricane? They were specially designed to look just like creative Ford commercials. And just so you know, those rescue helicopters were throwing firecrackers overboard so they could pretend people were shooting at them so they wouldn't have to actually pick anyone up.

It's a shame that blacks have such rapid metabolisms. Otherwise they could survive up to 30 days without food just like the rest of humanity. No, those poor blacks had to resort to grabbing the occasional corpse for dinner ("Oh, mom, not ANOTHER old person!" "Eat your dinner and we can have a diabetic for dessert, son.")

Oh, yes, here's a choice comment I found on the referenced post:

I am appalled by the government's lack of action, but not surprised. Gays like me stood powerless while the government let us die by the millions in the eighties and the world stood by, doing nothing.

Heaven forbid the world should stand by and let homosexuals who participate in unsafe sex actually get STDs that they already know will eventually kill them. While we're at it, we need to build our vehicles and highways out of foam rubber so as to protect all those poor drunks who get behind the wheel.

It's good to let liberals spout their crap. It provides both fertilizer and entertainment.

Job Listings

2005-09-02T09:10:00.000-07:00

Post this on your blogs!!!

Please pass this link on to anyone you know who was displaced by the hurricane. It offers a list of job openings in and around the Lafayette, Louisiana area. Job openings include those for nurses, bank employees, machinists, electricians, hotel maintenance, respiratory therapists, restaurant managers, and many more.

Turnabout Is Fair Play

2005-09-02T07:22:00.000-07:00

The United States has received many offers of assistance from foreign countries, including those with whom we have shared chilly relationships. I am astounded. The pragmatist in me can't help but suspect something fishy with the offers from China, Russia, and Venezuela but despite this, I'm amazed and gratified that so many others are willing to help out the United States in our time of need.

Dog robs gas station

2005-09-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

Terrier Conan, aged 7, ended up behind bars and according to his owner the dog is a repeat offender. "He is incredibly fond of food in general and sweets in particular. He has run off a few times

before, and he always heads for food stores," owner Liss-Hege Jeremiassen told Adresseavisen.

Conan sneaked out the door Wednesday night and headed straight for only place open, a nearby Statoil station. The cameras picked him up sniffing around the candy shelves, poking his nose into the containers of sweets sold by loose weight, and snubbing all of these treats in search of his personal favorite, chocolate covered rice crisp. Here he stopped and devoured the contents of the container.

"When he was finished he let out this enormous burp," said Elisabeth Roel, who had the night shift at the station.

Here's one for M+

2005-08-31T12:49:00.000-07:00

To back up his response to this post.

Hush, little fetus ... is an article by Jill Stanek that discusses how our knowledge of fetal development has evolved over the years. Here's a clip from the end of the article:

Torture. Back then, doctors were committing torture on preemies by performing procedures on them without providing pain relief. That meant abortionists were committing torture on fetuses by drawing and quartering them without providing pain relief.

Almost 20 years later, the medical community has come a long way on the one hand. Doctors now routinely provide compassionate pain relief to neonates and preemies before performing procedures.

On the other hand, this so-called enlightened group demonstrates the darkest depravity and what would be laughable stupidity if the topic weren't so critical by their increasingly convoluted attempts to rationalize how they can possibly condone abortion.

All to protect their self-idol worship in a world they've conjured in their minds where they are the gods who create human life in a petri dish, sustain human life in mothers' bodies that wouldn't normally sustain it, and destroy human life that isn't perfect or anticipated to be born into a perfect situation.

Oh, and to keep making scads of money.

Prayer request

2005-08-29T20:34:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned earlier, pretty much all of Jay's New Orleans area family is staying at his mom's house. As we watched the news this afternoon, we came to the realization that none of these people have homes any more.

We saw the Kenner and Metairie areas on the TV screen and all you could see were the roofs of the houses. At least six of the family members live in those neighborhoods. One of them has a new baby girl that is now homeless.

The other group at Jay’s mom’s house lives in Slidell. That's another city that was hit hard. We weren't shown that particular city, but Chalmette, the neighboring area, looked just like Kenner. All you could see were the roofs.

The newscasters were discussing that the pumps that were being used to get rid of the water were breaking left and right. Almost 800,000 people in Louisiana are without electricity. A large water pipe was busted and now they can’t even drink the water without boiling it. If you don’t have electricity, there aren’t too many ways you can boil water. The electric companies have crews coming in from three other states that are ready to work on the lack of electricity, but they can’t until the water levels drop considerably.

Please, if you aren’t already, keep these people in your prayers. Not just the families who have lost their homes, but for all the people who are working hard to get life back to normal (or as normal as it can get now) for them as soon as possible.

Hey Julie D.!

2005-08-29T20:28:00.000-07:00

A California judge last week formally approved the settlement in a class action suit against Apple Computer that will help pay for as many as 1.3 million defective batteries in the company's popular iPod music player.

The settlement, which won tentative approval in June, gives buyers of the first two iPod models either $25 cash or $50 in credit at an Apple store that can be redeemed for any Apple-branded product, including iTunes downloads. Owners of the third-generation iPod are entitled to a free replacement battery if theirs fails.

Those who have already had a battery replaced are eligible for a refund equal to half the amount paid. . .

The settlement has a minimum estimated value of $15 million, and claimants have until May to file forms requesting refunds or credits.

The class action lawsuit was filed in December, 2003, not long after Apple offered a $99 battery-replacement service. Previous to that, Apple had told customers that they needed to buy another iPod if a battery wouldn't hold a charge.

More information about the suit can be found on Apple's Web site.

Give me a break!

2005-08-29T20:25:00.000-07:00

A secondary school is to allow pupils to swear at teachers - as long as they don't do so more than five times in a lesson. A running tally of how many times the f-word has been used will be kept on the board. If a class goes over the limit, they will be 'spoken' to at the end of the lesson.

The astonishing policy, which the school says will improve the behaviour of pupils, was condemned by parents' groups and MPs yesterday. They warned it would backfire. . .

"Within each lesson the teacher will initially tolerate (although not condone) the use of the f-word (or derivatives) five times and these will be tallied on the board so all students can see the running score," he wrote in the letter

"Over this number the class will be spoken to by the teacher at the end of the lesson."

Parents called the rule 'wholly irresponsible and ludicrous'.

"This appears to be a misguided attempt to speak to kids on their own level," said the father of one pupil.

Have you seen this?

2005-08-28T23:06:00.000-07:00

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina, August 26, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A new study has revealed that unborn babies cry within the womb. Ultrasound videos taken of infants within the womb revealed 28-week-old babies crying in response to a noise stimulus.

Scientists played a 90-decibel noise to the unborn child, roughly the equivalent of a tummy rumbling, and recorded the effect the noise had via ultrasound. “It was strikingly like an infant crying,” said New Zealand pediatrician Ed Mitchell, who contributed to the US study, according to New Zealand's The Age. “Even the bottom lip quivers.”

WOW! It makes me want to whisper any time I speak.

What's going on around here

2005-08-28T21:39:00.000-07:00

Jay packed up Jude and headed to his mom's house for the weekend so that I could have a weekend off, but that got cut short since the hurricane started heading towards New Orleans. All of Jay's N. O. area family needed a place to stay, so Jay and Jude came back home yesterday afternoon to free up some space at his mom's house. At last count, Jay's mom had seventeen more guests in her house than usual and is expecting more.

So I mentioned a while back that I had a quote from a Terry Pratchett novel that I wanted to share. The book is called Lords and Ladies. It's a fantasy novel like pretty much all of Pratchett's novels. This is a new kind of book for me. I'm used to reading Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Robin Cook, Michael Crichton, and a few others. I'm learning to expand my reading selections. Terry Pratchett is an author Jay worships so I thought I'd give him a try.

Any time I pull one of the Pratchett novels from the bookshelf and begin to read it, it takes me so long to get into the book. I do enjoy them, but they are so different from what I typically read. I can see I'm just rambling on, so I'll get to the quote.

There are no delusions for the dead. Dying is like waking up after a really good party, when you have one or two seconds of innocent freedom before you recollect all the things you did last night which seemed so logical and hilarious at the time, and then you remember the really amazing thing you did with the lampshade and two balloons, which had them in stitches, and now you realize you're going to have to look a lot of people in the eye today and you're sober now and so are they but you can both remember.

I give up

2005-08-28T21:31:00.000-07:00

At least for now. The problems with that damned template are driving me up a wall. Every time I tried to load the blog it would close every Internet Explorer window I had open. I'll mess with it some more some other time. I'm just sick of it. I have no idea what I'm doing any more.

More template stuff

2005-08-26T17:50:00.000-07:00

I've been playing with the new template and Crystal helped me (again) by telling me how to add the line between posts to separate them a bit. That was a HUGE help. I'm sure Jay will be very appreciative.

I also found out from my neighbor that the blog is much easier to view in Internet Explorer than it is in Netscape. I don't know about all the other browsers out there, so I'm sorry if it looks bad to you!

WOW!!!

2005-08-26T13:45:00.000-07:00

Penni offered to help with the template woes I was having. I handed over the reigns to the blog last night and was greeted with this new template when I logged on. She and Crystal managed to fix the problems I was having trying to tie in the blogger html with the template I downloaded from Tart Graphics. I think it looks great.

Please let me know if you all are able to view it properly or not and I'll see if I can fix it. If I can't, I'll just go crying to Penni for more help!

Thanks a million Penni and Crystal!

More on Jude

2005-08-23T13:19:00.000-07:00

I posted some pictures on Jude's blog. Check 'em out!

Loooooong weekend

2005-08-22T14:38:00.000-07:00

We had Jude's third birthday party this weekend. It was nice, but all of the activities we had planned for the kids involved being outside. This, of course, means that it rained during the whole party.

The kids played in Jude's room and at his new train table, which is located in our living room. They all had a good time. The adults had a decent time, as well (I think).

I'll post pictures as soon as I get around to it. I hope you all had a good weekend!

Frustration

2005-08-18T13:35:00.000-07:00

I think it was last November I downloaded a new template for our blog. I haven't been able to figure out how to get our posts to show up on it. Everything else is ready to go, but the darned posts won't show up. I started messing with it again recently and still can't figure it out. It's a totally cool template, but darn it! I can't get it to work.

This morning Jay had to leave for work early. Usually he's the one who gets up with Jude in the morning. This morning when Jude got up he came in the room asking, "where's Daddy?" He was totally bummed. He ran to the front door and struggled to get it unlocked. When he finally did, he threw the door open and yelled, "DADDY!!!" I closed the door and locked it. I ushered him to the bathroom so that we could both have our morning potty sessions.

When we were done we walked to the kitchen and saw that the door was wide open. I was surprised because I had just closed and locked it. Jude was with me the whole time, so I rationalized that it wasn't him that opened it. I went to close the door and noticed that it was no longer locked either.

So now I'm totally freaked out. Before checking the house for visitors, I called Jay to make sure he didn't return home. I knew he didn't because he'd never leave the door open like that. He said it wasn't him and he stayed on the phone while I went room to room. Of course no one was there, but I still had no idea how the door unlocked and opened.

I packed a few things in a bag and went to my mom's house for a couple hours. She retuned with me and I checked out the house again and found it just as I left it. I still have no idea what happened and it is driving me crazy.

Trains, trains, and more trains

2005-08-17T15:02:00.000-07:00

Any time I sit down at the computer Jude comes running into the room yelling "TRAINS." This means he wants me to Google train pictures. We sit here looking at countless pictures of trains until I tell him we are all done and then he throws a fit.

As a birthday gift, Jay's been making Jude a train table for all of his Thomas stuff. It's almost done and it looks terrific. He added wheels to the legs and made it so that the legs fold up and we can lock them in the folded position and stow the table under a bed. He also added four drawers - two on each long side.

If we were to have purchased the Thomas and Friends table, it would have cost over $300. To make the one he made it didn't even cost $100. And the alterations he made make the table so much better than anything we could have bought.

Now that the table is pretty much done, I need to figure out how I'm going to paint it. Earlier today I thought I had it figured out, but now that I'm home with the paint, I think I need to go back to Home Depot to exchange a couple of the colors.

Where Have the Days Gone?

2005-08-12T20:51:00.000-07:00

I just had my 6-month review with my current employer (it went extremely well, thanks for asking). I was really caught off guard because that meant I’ve already been with this company for half a year.

Things have been busy, which is probably why the time has flown. I’ve been assigned to handle several server migration projects, even more server builds, even more workstation builds, and an astounding number of PC repairs all over south-central Louisiana. And I’m not as busy as the partners in our company! But I’m glad because I find it difficult enough to spend a decent amount of time with my family as it is.

Speaking of which, Julie and I have just hit our 6th anniversary. Six years! Eight years of romantic involvement with this woman and nine years of knowing her! And we’ve had a kid for three years now! And another one on his way! Good grief! I married (very) well, though, so I’m certainly not complaining.

I’m nowhere close to where I thought I would be by this age. I though I’d be well-established in my job, own my own home, and have a tidy nest egg saved away. Nope. I’m relatively new with this company, I rent, and I’m deeply in debt. As the quote goes, “Life is what happens while you are busy making plans.” I can see why some people run into mid-life crises.

It can really be depressing if you think about it the wrong way. Look at the lyrics to Pink Floyd’s "Time". You see the same things over and over, and what does change usually does so in a way you don’t like. Your body isn’t as fit, you don’t have as much energy, your mind, eyes, and ears begin to slip, etcetera. Often, by the time you realize that you’re old, you’ve passed the point where you can accomplish the goals you’ve always wanted to.

From a Catholic/Christian perspective, it’s better that things work out this way. The whole aging process and the perception of time accelerating should act as a wakeup call to those who believe in judgment, heaven, and hell. The message I see from this (even if, shamefully, I don’t always act on it) is that life gets boring, the quality of life goes down, and, most importantly, we don’t have eternity in which to make amends with God. We should strive for Heaven, where we can spend eternity in the midst of the greatest love, the greatest mystery, and the greatest wisdom that exists. This is the one place where you never grows old and dim, where you are always filled with wonder. What does earth have that can compare with this?

In the news

2005-08-12T20:12:00.000-07:00

Shouldn't he have seen this coming?

Psychic's crystal ball burns down his flat in unforeseen blaze

M Vandrot, 24, who is studying botanics at Edinburgh University, left the ball on his windowsill while he visited the city’s Royal Botanic Garden. By the time he returned, the ball had destroyed his own and two other flats, and had left several others uninhabitable. . .

The fire had been started by the ball concentrating a ray of sunshine on a pile of washing.

The "Jerk-O-Meter"

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts -- Ever wonder if that spouse, friend or co-worker on the other end of the phone is really paying attention? The "Jerk-O-Meter" may hold the answer.

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are developing software for cell phones that would analyze speech patterns and voice tones to rate people -- on a scale of 0 percent to 100 percent -- on how engaged they are in a conversation. . .

For now, the Jerk-O-Meter is set up to monitor the user's end of the conversation. If his attention is straying, a message pops up on the phone that warns, "Don't be a jerk!" or "Be a little nicer now." A score closer to 100 percent would prompt, "Wow, you're a smooth talker."

However, the Jerk-O-Meter also could be set up to test the voice on the other end of the line. Then it could send the tester such reports as: "This person is acting like a jerk. Do you want to hang up?"

Liberals' campus envy

the university campus is the only place where everything that a parent has taught a young person for 18 years is completely undermined in one semester of their freshman year. . .

I say it all the time: Conservatives believe in God (the author of truth); liberals believe god is what they make him. Conservatives have standards; liberals defy limits, absolutes or boundaries. In conservative thinking, logic will lead one to its natural outcome; liberalism will lead you only to self gratification.

i must disconnect i must disconnect i must disconnect

ZHU ZHENGHUA thought his parents were taking him to Beijing to go sightseeing.

Instead they checked the 19-year-old into a clinic for internet addicts at the Beijing Military Hospital that claims to be the world’s first.

Eating Mickey D's to LOSE weight

Inspired by the documentary "Super Size Me," Merab Morgan decided to give a fast-food-only diet a try. The construction worker and mother of two ate only at McDonald's for 90 days -- and dropped 37 pounds in the process.

It was a vastly different outcome than what happened in the documentary to filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, who put on 30 pounds and saw his health deteriorate after 5,000 calories a day of nothing but McDonald's food. . .

One person went so far as to make her own independent film about dieting at McDonald's. "Me and Mickey D" follows Soso Whaley, of Kensington, N.H., as she spends three 30-day periods on the diet. She dropped from 175 to 139 pounds, eating 2,000 calories-a-day at McDonald's.

"I had to think about what I was eating," Whaley said. "I couldn't just walk in there and say 'I'll take a cinnamon bun and a Diet Coke.' ... I know a lot of people are really turned off by the whole thought of monitoring what they are eating, but that's part of the problem."

Jude's tummy update and other stuff

2005-08-12T11:28:00.000-07:00

I got a call from the nurse. She said Jude tested negative for rotavirus and something else with numbers in the name. She said they should get the results from the cultures back by Monday.

Jude's picture blog has been updated.

I found it very annoying last night (and every other night) that as soon as I get comfortable in bed and start to doze off Jude wakes up. He comes screaming into the room with his request. One of us gets him back into bed, and then we get back into bed and get comfortable. As soon as that happens, here comes Jude again. This will go on for at least an hour. Last night it began at 1 until just after 2, then again at 4. I dealt with him until 5, and then Jay decided to get up with him. This happens pretty much every other night. I hope that means that tonight will be restful.

Yuck!

2005-08-11T10:51:00.000-07:00

Jude had an appointment with his new pediatrician this morning. She is totally awesome. I always dread finding a new doctor for him. He'll be three in a few days and he's already been through 5 doctors. Anyway, this one is great. I think we'll stick with her.

This was supposed to be time for a well-baby visit, but he's had diarrhea for close to three weeks now. I've been sure to keep him hydrated since dehydration is one of the biggest problems with excessive diarrhea. She said he may have rotavirus. She gave me a specimen cup to "ca-yect poopies" as Jude says. We managed to ca-yect a sample and we are off to the doctor again.

I hope we can get this resolved soon since Jude has his third birthday party next weekend. I'd hate to cancel his party, but I'd rather do that than send all the other kids home with the virus.

Beginning the sixth month

2005-08-08T19:11:00.000-07:00

Last week I had my "official" sonogram. The tech wasn't able to give a definitive answer to the gender of the new baby because he was sitting cross-legged (Indian-style) with a hand in his lap, and the umbilical cord was there as well. We still think this one is a boy because of a couple previous sonograms I had with Holly. His name is Gabriel Paul. The tech estimated that he weighed 15 ounces, which is three days ahead of time.

I had my monthly exam this morning. Holly said everything looks great. She suggested I take some Tylenol cold and sinus for my sinus infection and said if it's not helping by Thursday to give her a call and she'll prescribe something. She's trying to hold off on it since anything she can prescribe will make my (ahem) stomach virus worse.

She has brochures in her office for the new 4D sonograms. It would be totally cool to have one done, but even with the discount offered to her patients, the tech would still charge $150. I'm interested, but not that interested.

A couple weeks ago, Jay was at Holly's office in the evening helping her with a couple of her computers. She had him call me to have me come in so that she could do a sonogram so that he could see the baby. During that sonogram we saw the baby practicing breathing. It was awesome. His little mouth was opening and closing and the lungs were expanding and collapsing. What an amazing sight.

Here's what American Baby has to say:

Your fetus now looks like a miniature of the newborn he will become. It's thin, with wrinkled, translucent skin that's covered with vernix. Under the skin, sweat glands are forming.

Everything grows stronger this month. Your baby's bones, relatively soft and flexible until now, are storing calcium and becoming hard. When you feel your baby move, you now may be able to distinguish a tiny limb from the head or buttocks. Your baby's heartbeat is also strong enough for you and your doctor or midwife to hear it clearly with a stethoscope. A fetal heart beats 120 to 160 times a minute, as it pumps what amounts to 25 quarts of blood each day through your baby's body. . .

Your baby's hearing continues to develop, and you may notice that loud noises startle her. A full-term newborn seems to recognize and turn toward her parents' voices.

Toward the end of this month, an important change takes place in your baby's lungs. During pregnancy, you breathe for your baby. Oxygen in your blood is exchanged with carbon dioxide in your baby's blood through the placenta. While your baby's lungs don't function until he's born, preparations for breathing begin now. Cells inside the lungs begin to make surfactant, a fatty substance that helps a newborn breathe. Surfactant keeps small air sacs in the lungs slightly inflated, which makes breathing easier after a baby takes his first crucial breath.

As the second trimester comes to an end, your baby is 10 inches long and weighs about 1 1/2 pounds.

Woe is me

2005-08-08T14:13:00.000-07:00

I have some sort of stomach virus. I'll spare you the details. I have a sinus infection that has me on the verge of death. My sinuses are under so much pressure it is making my jaw hurt. AND my blogroll has disappeared. Of course I just added several people to the list and I don't remember the addresses to many of them. I can't even access the blogrolling website to see what's up with them. sigh.

Oh, the drama. Should I say melodrama?

It's delicious and nutritious

2005-08-04T19:37:00.000-07:00

A US firm is looking to commercialise breast milk by selling it to hospitals for the treatment of sick babies.

Prolacta Bioscience, a small company just outside Los Angeles, also wants to carry out research to develop breast milk-based therapies.

Breast milk, with its minerals, digestive enzymes and antibodies, has long been credited with keeping babies healthy and boosting intelligence. . .

But Prolacta is aiming to buy donated breast milk from independent milk banks and hospitals across the US, pasteurise it and sell it back to hospitals to treat low-birth weight babies.

It is also looking to supply it for babies with heart defects, who need surgery and are at risk of infection, and children who are being given chemotherapy for cancer.

And the firm wants to analyse the different components of breast milk - there are more than 100,000 although scientists only know what a few thousand do - to see if breast milk therapies can treat disease common to newborn babies.

From my inbox

2005-08-04T12:52:00.000-07:00

An unemployed man is desperate to support his family of a wife and three kids. He applies for a janitor's job at a large firm and easily passes an aptitude test..

The human resources manager tells him, "You will be hired at minimum wage of $5.35 an hour. Let me have your e-mail address so that we can get you in the loop. Our system will automatically e-mail you all the forms and advise you when to start and where to
report on your first day."

Taken back, the man protests that he is poor and has neither a computer nor an e-mail address.

To this the manager replies, "You must understand that to a company like ours that means that you virtually do not exist. Without an e-mail address you can hardly expect to be employed by a high-tech firm. Good day."

Stunned, the man leaves. Not knowing where to turn and having $10 in his wallet, he walks past a farmers' market and sees a stand selling 25 lb. crates of beautiful red tomatoes. He buys a crate, carries it to a busy corner and displays the tomatoes. In less than 2 hours he sells all the tomatoes and makes 100% profit. Repeating the process several times more that day, he ends up with almost $100 and arrives home that night with several bags of groceries for his family.

During the night he decides to repeat the tomato business the next day. By the end of the week he is getting up early every day and working into the night. He multiplies his profits quickly.

Early in the second week he acquires a cart to transport several boxes of tomatoes at a time, but before a month is up he sells the cart to buy a broken-down pickup truck.

At the end of a year he owns three old trucks. His two sons have left their neighborhood gangs to help him with the tomato business, his wife is buying the tomatoes, and his daughter is taking night courses at the community college so she can keep books for him.

By the end of the second year he has a dozen very nice used trucks and employs fifteen previously unemployed people, all selling tomatoes. He continues to work hard.

Time passes and at the end of the fifth year he owns a fleet of nice trucks and a warehouse that his wife supervises, plus two tomato farms that the boys manage. The tomato company's payroll has put hundreds of homeless and jobless people to work. His daughter reports that the business grossed over one million dollars.

Planning for the future, he decides to buy some life insurance.

Consulting with an insurance adviser, he picks an insurance plan to fit his new circumstances. Then the adviser asks him for his e-mail address in order to send the final documents electronically.

When the man replies that he doesn't have time to mess with a computer and has no e-mail address, the insurance man is stunned, "What, you don't have e-mail? No computer? No Internet? Just think where you would be today if you'd had all of that five years ago!"

"Ha!" snorts the man. "If I'd had e-mail five years ago I would be sweeping floors at Microsoft and making $5.35 an hour."

Which brings us to the moral of the story: Since you got this story by e-mail, you're probably closer to being a janitor than a millionaire..

Sadly, I received it also.

Deep depression

2005-08-01T08:08:00.000-07:00

I don't know if any of you have been reading the Harry Potter series, but Jay and I have been. A couple weeks ago we bought Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince, the latest in the series. Jay read the 652 page novel in one day and was nice enough to let me know that a major character dies in this one. Yeah, what a nice guy I married.

I was in the middle of reading Lords and Ladies by Terry Pratchett (I'll have to type up a terrific quote from this one ASAP) and hated the idea of stopping a book to read another, but I just couldn't resist. It was so worth it. I knew how much I hate it when I finish reading one of J. K. Rowling's books, so I tried to read this one slowly. It didn't work. I finished it in a few days and now that I'm done and I know it will take forever and a day for her to finish the next one, I am totally depressed.

The FRENCH Did Something Right???

2005-07-30T15:36:00.000-07:00

It Gauls me to say this (sorry – couldn't resist), but the French actually implemented a good idea. In the article linked by the title of this post, the French have started taking advantage of legislation that allows them to deport imams (Muslim ministers) who urge their followers to engage in holy war or who otherwise preach "hatred". If the imam has become a French citizen, their citizenship is revoked and they are then deported.

One statement in the article really grabs my attention:

His proposals reflect French determination to act swiftly against extremists in defiance of the human rights lobby, which is noticeably less vocal in France than in Britain.

Assuming this is accurate, one must wonder why. Two possibilities come to mind. The first is that France has one of the largest Muslim populations in Europe (8% to 15% according to the article) and the government is thus forced to take a very realistic view of what could happen to their country if they were to assume the same set of pacifist ideals they push on the rest of the world.

The second possibility is that, since they are generally of the same leftist tilt, human rights advocates believe the French government is very unlikely to make mistakes. Therefore they are willing to let the Franks slide so long as they continue to oppose the war in Iraq, religion, etcetera.

Getting back to the implementation itself, I'm not so sure that this is a good idea after all. If a wasp is sitting over your doorway, you don’t move it somewhere else. You kill it. Likewise, if someone is urging others to commit violence against civilians, either kill them or put them in prison. Eliminate the threat, don't postpone it by putting it somewhere else unfettered.

Okay, I feel better. For an awful moment there I was worried that congratulations would be in order for the French.

Adventures with Sons

2005-07-26T19:55:00.000-07:00

Now, look closely:

It isn't all that clear and it isn't fully extended (Julie's OB barely missed the best shot), but our unborn son is giving the world the middle finger. He's not even born and he's already a crotchety old fart. I'll have to make sure to encourage this behavior. I'd hate to let a fine family tradition die out.

Jude ran over to our neighbors' house today and jumped into the pool with all the other kids. The mom had family over, including three young girls, one about Jude's age. When I finally made it over there, I had to admit that we will face interesting times when Jude hits puberty. He's not even three and he was already swimming around with not one, but two naked blondes.

Jude and I have a silly game he likes to play. When I get home from work I like to change clothes. While I'm changing, Jude will run into the bedroom and start shouting "Airplane!" (it sounds like "airpane" when he says it). I'll grab him and holler something along the lines of "Airplane? AIRPLANE? I'll show YOU an airplane!" and throw him into the largest pile of pillows on the bed. This traumatizes him so much that he immediately jumps off the bed and runs at me again hollering "AIRPANE!!!", ad nauseum. It's rather ironic that I have to beg my son to stop making me beat him up.

In the mornings, Jude graces our bedroom with his very loud presence starting anywhere from 4:30 on. When I can finally drag my carcass out of bed, he'll come with me into the bathroom and watch me dress, shave, and brush my hair. He'll then either hang on my leg or ask me to pick him up and carry him to the kitchen for breakfast. While I'm certainly not a morning person, I treasure this time with him.

I don't have any such games yet with Jude's younger sibling. The fact that he's not yet born tends to crimp our fun. I'm sure we'll come up with some silly, senseless game that involves some amount of noise and/or controlled violence. That is, after all, the hallmark of dads with their sons.

Grumble grumble grumble

2005-07-26T11:27:00.000-07:00

I have been singing Old McDonald had a Farm for the past 15 minutes. Jude is driving me crazy. I woke up with a headache. It seems like I've had a headache since I got pregnant. At least they aren't migraines.

I'm finally starting to show a little bit. I still fit into my jeans and t-shirts, but my shorts have been too tight for about two months now. I have ugly shorts that I wear around the house, but I certainly wouldn't go out into public in them. I bought a couple pairs of exercise shorts so that I can wear them at Curves, but they are some more that aren't for running errands. It's getting so hot, but any time I have to go anywhere, I wear my jeans since my maternity shorts are still huge. I could wear them, but I'd have to wear my maternity shirts (because of the big elastic tummy area) and they are just ridiculously huge.

This weekend I am planning to take Jude to Jay's mom's house for a sleepover so that Jay can have some alone time. We do this periodically so that we don't end up killing each other. I am dying for a weekend alone as well (hint, hint), but Jay rarely gets them so I don't mind doing this for him.

Maybe two-three weeks ago, I finally got the energy to get back into working out after being on bed rest. I worked out once. Either that first day back at Curves or the following day, I was at my mom's house helping her put a large cabinet together for her sewing room. The cabinet somehow managed to fall on my right foot. It scraped it up pretty badly but it didn't break it. I was unable to wear shoes comfortably for a week, and for about a week after that, I wore shoes and had a bad limp because it hurt so badly. I guess it was the end of last week when I could finally wear shoes comfortably again.

I don't know what the deal is today, but I don't have energy for anything. I'm wondering if I don't have energy because I ran around all day yesterday. This pregnancy thing is driving me crazy. Either I just don't remember what being pregnant was like, or this one is completely different. I don't remember being excessively tired in the first or second trimesters. I remember being very uncomfortable in the third. It seems like I've done nothing but complain this time around. It's too hot. I'm too tired. I have a headache. I can't keep my thoughts straight. I can't sleep and when I can, I sleep horribly.

I bought a new pillow. I got one of those memory foam contour pillows. You can't machine wash or dry it and it smells horribly. The manufacturer recommends letting it air dry for a couple days before using it. It's been four days now, and it still smells bad.

We also bought a new toaster because our old one began crackling when I would use it. We bought a four-slice toaster and the second time I used it, it popped and sizzled. I HATE returning purchases.

Mush Mail

2005-07-21T07:41:00.000-07:00

I got this from my mom. Maybe I like it so much because I'm pregnant and all hormone-y, but I like it quite a bit.

Enjoy Your Kids

I have repeatedly seen the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way. It's nice, really nice!

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140.00 for a middle income family. Talk about sticker shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.

But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into $8,896 a year, $741.38 a month, or $171.08 a week. That's a mere $24.24 a day! Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice says don't have children if you want to be rich."

It is just the opposite.

What do your get for your $160,140?

Naming rights,--- First, middle, and last!

Glimpses of God everyday.

Giggles under the covers every night.

More love than your heart can hold.

Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.

Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.

A hand to hold, usually covered with jam.

A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites, building sand castles, and skipping down the sidewalk in the pouring rain.

Someone to laugh yourself silly with no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140, you never have to grow up.

You get to finger-paint, carve pumpkins, play hide-and-seek, catch lightning bugs, and never stop believing in Santa Claus.

You have an excuse to keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh, watching Saturday morning cartoons, going to Disney Land, and wishing on stars.

You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck.

You get to be a hero just for retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof, taking the training wheels off the bike, removing a splinter, filling a wading pool, coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat to history to witness the first step, first word, first bra, first date, and first time behind the wheel. You get to be immortal.

You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren.

You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.

In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there with God. You have all the power to heal a booboo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost.

ENJOY YOUR KIDS AND GRANDKIDS.

You cannot unsay a cruel word.

Author unknown.

Topless sandals?

2005-07-19T19:34:00.000-07:00

I must be way out of the fashion loop because Jay came home some time last week talking about the women in his office ordering topless sandals. I had no idea what he was talking about. In case you hadn't heard about them either, there are sandals that stick to the bottom of your feet. What you do is peel off the protective cover and step onto it heel first and walk. It sticks to your feet. When you want them off just peel them off (wet them if necessary). When you are done wearing them, wash them well to get the dirt and oils off. Before you wear them again, make sure they are dry and your feet are clean and dry. You don't have to add adhesive.

The sandals are $10 and the toe thongs are $5. I must say, I am intrigued, but I'm not sure why.

Pictures of Jude

2005-07-17T12:28:00.000-07:00

I brought Jude to Thomas Day at a toy store in Lafayette. I posted some pictures on his blog for you to see.

Alas, no blogging from me

2005-07-15T19:25:00.000-07:00

I am so bored with blogging.

At least the picture is pretty

2005-07-11T20:55:00.000-07:00

You are dependable, popular, and observant.
Deep and thoughtful, you are prone to moodiness.
In fact, your emotions tend to influence
everything you do.

You are unique, creative, and expressive.
You don't mind waving your freak flag
every once and a while.
And lucky for you, most people find
your weird ways charming!

The World's Shortest Personality Test

Popular? Nah
Deep and thoughtful? HA! You people have read my posts. I am SO not deep and thoughtful. HA!
Shall I go on?

Via Zelie.

Entering the fifth month

2005-07-11T20:45:00.000-07:00

I had my monthly visit with Holly. Everything is looking pretty good. My diet seems to be working to help me lose weight. I weigh ten pounds less than when I first became pregnant and according to my measurements taken at Curves, I'm not sure how many, but I've lost quite a few inches.

It looks like we're having another boy, but we aren't certain. I have a sonogram scheduled in three weeks then my next monthly appointment the following week.

Here's a quote from American Baby:

Another milestone comes halfway through this month. It's known as quickening, and it's the first time you feel your baby move. The fetus has been moving for a few weeks, but now that its bones are harder and its muscles and limbs are stronger, the movements become noticeable. . .

The number of nerve cells in your baby's brain increases rapidly this month, especially in the front of the brain, where thinking takes place. The baby's senses, too, are beginning to awaken, and it may be able to hear sounds, such as the flow of blood, the beating of your heart, and the rumblings of your stomach. . .

At the end of this month, your baby is about 7 inches long and weighs 10 to 12 ounces.

Homosexual Marriage Revisited

2005-07-11T20:24:00.000-07:00

It is amazing at how blind we can be to that which is right in our face. Dr. Bryce Christensen’s article, linked by the title of this post, points out that the homosexual marriage debacle should be viewed not so much as a radical challenge to traditional marriage, but an attempted last blow to the vestiges of what used to be a good and holy covenant.

In decades past, there was about a 5% divorce rate, or about one in twenty marriages that ended in divorce. This was because marriage was treated as a cooperative attempt between two adults of different genders with the goal of raising children, with all of the requisite hard work and sacrifice to accomplish said goal. Because of the societal changes since those times, the tradition of marriage has been dealt an increasing number of blows until now, when marriage is all too often defined as “two heterosexual people of opposite genders pursuing their careers, having sex, and storing their possessions under the same roof for as long as they both care to live together”.

Given what passes for marriage today, it is little wonder that homosexuals are now attacking it. The time to kick your enemy is when he is lying on the ground, not when he is standing strong. Christensen sums it up when he states the following:

… commentators miss the point when they oppose homosexual marriage on the grounds that it "would undermine traditional understandings of marriage." It is only because traditional understandings of marriage have already been severely undermined that homosexuals are now laying claim to it.

This is truly an enlightening article and I strongly encourage you to read it. Many thanks to Jerry McClellan for his own post about this article.

Reporters’ Right to Remain Silent

2005-07-07T13:15:00.000-07:00

In the referenced commentary, Ellis Hennican makes the case for allowing reporters to keep confidential sources and cites his own first experience, back in high school, of having a teacher as a confidential source in a story that involved an undercover policeman posing as a high school student.

This whole situation comes about as part of a White House investigation into who revealed Valerie Plame as a CIA operative. Her husband, Joseph Wilson, is a former U.S. ambassador and well-known critic of the war in Iraq, and several parties have claimed that members of the Bush administration publicized Plame’s identity in retaliation for her husband’s outspoken, negative opinion of the war in Iraq.

The use of confidential sources is a Pandora’s box. We generally rely on reporters and their confidential sources to reveal stories that otherwise would not see the light of day. Corporate and government corruption is one common scenario. Environmental or safety hazards due to defective products are another. If everyone who had knowledge of these situations knew that they had no promise of confidentiality, we would never find out about several cases where reformation was required because informants would be too frightened by the threat of retaliation.

On the other hand, we have situations where the press is used as a smear tool, sometimes unwittingly. Given the well-known liberal bias prevalent in mainstream media, we wind up with situations like Rathergate where CBS quickly snapped up a story detrimental to the Bush administration but failed to sufficiently check their facts (of course, it didn’t help that Rather himself disregarded overwhelming evidence of forgery). And let’s not forget Newsweek’s unsubstantiated report about guards abusing the Koran at Guantanamo Bay.

Confidential government/military information has also been revealed to the public eye. There are situations in which this should take place, such as in the government experiments where U.S. military members were exposed to atomic radiation or blacks infected with syphilis were allowed to die untreated. But there are also investigations and military operations that should not be revealed, especially where they concern national security, such as letting the world know how we were able to tell where Osama bin Laden did some of his broadcasts. When such facts are revealed it makes it that much easier for criminals and enemies to escape, harm our forces, and kill our citizens.

I know there are a lot of silent readers out there but I’d like to hear other takes on this issue. What’s your take on the pros and/or cons of reporters’ use of confidential sources?

Good thing I live in America

2005-07-06T15:13:00.000-07:00

I'd probably get shot any where else with this attitude!

You Are 80% American

You're as American as red meat and shooting ranges.
Tough and independent, you think big.
You love everything about the US, wrong or right.
And anyone who criticizes your home better not do it in front of you!

How American Are You?

Via Julie D.

Itchy bumps and more itchy bumps

2005-07-05T12:49:00.000-07:00

We had an interesting weekend over here. Thursday morning I woke up with a few welts on my arms and legs. I thought that maybe a spider had gotten to me while sleeping because that's what the welts looked like. They went away, then came back later. Even worse. Then went away. Then came back later even worse and kept getting worse and more and more itchy.

By the time I got really concerned it was approximately 4:30. I stopped by my cousin's office figuring she'd be out, but thought I'd give it a try anyway. She was gone for the day, but one of her nurses was there. She got a horrible look on her face and said she thought it looked kind of like PUPPPS. I asked what that was and she said it's a horribly annoying rash. I asked how to get rid of it and she said it usually doesn't go away until delivering the baby. She said I could take two Benadryl and recommended I come in first thing the following morning.

That night was unbearable! The rash ended up covering my entire body. I itched so bad all night. I was so swollen it hurt to bend my arms and legs. By the time I was able to fall asleep, it was probably 3 in the morning.

So I saw Holly the next morning. Much of the rash had gone away with the Benadryl, but luckily Jay and I thought to take pictures just in case. Holly checked me out and looked at the pictures and said it didn't look or act like PUPPPS to her and narrowed it down to my recent change in prenatal vitamins. She told me to quit taking those and to start taking Jude's Flintstone vitamins since they are milder. She also prescribed a Medrol pack to help wipe out the rash. She said if it's not the vitamins, she plans to refer me to a dermatologist.

The rash is pretty much gone. When it does reappear, there's not much to it and it disappears relatively quickly. I have my regular appointment next week.

Your Not-So Private Property

2005-06-29T18:16:00.000-07:00

For any liberals who support court intervention as a means to pass desired legislation, Kelo v. New London is your wake-up call. This case exemplifies how judicial fiat can operate in direct contradiction of the U. S. Constitution. This quote gives the essence of the case.

It is in New London, Conn., where city officials seek to bulldoze homes for a private development project that will bring more tax revenue into the government's coffers.

Last week's 5-4 Supreme Court decision broadened the eminent domain power – granting local governments sweeping powers to seize private property to generate tax revenue. But the court also acknowledged that states can restrict that power.

The whole question surrounds the concept of “eminent domain” as described in the 5th Amendment to the Constitution, in part, as “nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation”. Walter E. Williams makes an excellent case about the extremely slippery slope the Supreme Court has presented through their ruling. If a city, county, or state is short on cash and someone offers to open, say, a casino that will generate lots of tax revenue if it can be built on land currently owned by you or me, the government can opt to evict us and compensate us only a fraction of the true value of our property. This means that "our" private property is NOT truly ours – it can be taken from us virtually on a political whim.

James D. Mylenbusch wrote a letter to the Worldnet Daily editor and makes a point I had never considered before.

When did anyone ever think they could own real property? Long ago, property taxes effectively removed that right from the American citizen.

When you actually own something, it is yours and no one has the right to take it from you. But even if your mortgage is paid in full, and you let your taxes go unpaid, your home is subject to confiscation by the state or county or whoever else to whom you may "owe" taxes.

If any readers here should care to read the other letters to the editor (accessible through the link above), you will see several implications of civil war. This brings us back to Walter E. Williams' commentary when he ties this most recent erosion of our civil rights with another hotly-contested issue:

I think the socialist attack on judicial nominees who'd use framer-intent in their interpretation of the Constitution might also explain their attack on our Second Amendment "right of the people to keep and bear Arms." Why? Because when they come to take our property, they don't want to risk buckshot in their butts.

The fight has already begun. Justice David Souter, one of the judges who ruled in favor of capricious confiscation, is already at risk of being evicted from his house in order to make way for the "Lost Liberty Hotel". I really hope this guy loses his house but I’d be surprised if it actually happens. Being a justice of the Supreme Court does grant one a little influence.

On a side note: How enlightening to see how the ability to make decisions without reaping the benefits can turn one into a liberal.

God have mercy on the U.S.A.. I used to think people who raised hell about judicial activism and eroding civil rights were full of crap. Now, I can see it for myself.

More on the Jude front

2005-06-29T17:26:00.000-07:00

Get ready for a terribly interesting and intellectual post. I know I give you all a lot of them, so here's one more.

Let's see. . . he's doing pretty well in his new bed. Last night he did get up a few times, but he didn't do all the fussing he did the night before. That was nice. He didn't get up at all. He even slept until about 6:45 this morning. Jay usually gets up at 6:30, so we were awake when Jude strolled into our room to tell us good morning. It was pretty cute considering I felt like a zombie.

Jude was sick with some sort of cootie this past weekend. A neighbor's daughter (not one of Alison's kids) is always sick and her mom NEVER warns us ahead of time. Instead, she lets her kid and Jude play all afternoon, then when it's time for them to go home she says something like, "well, we better go since G. has been running a fever." !!! So Jude was sick. He woke up feeling fine on Monday. Monday evening I was feeling terrible. Yesterday was just plain awful. I'm much better today, but could still use some recovery time. I would love a huge bowl of ice cream, but will settle for some cold water.

I had some questions in a comment box below.

Alison, we plan to set up the crib later. I didn't want Jude to think we took the crib away from him to give to the baby (even though that is what we're doing). We are thinking of setting up the new baby in the office. We'll have to move the desk to the back of the living room. We hate the thought of that, but it may be easier than making Jude share his room with a crying baby.

The baby will probably stay in our room in a small cradle for a while. The co-sleeping we did with Jude was not good for my relationship with Jay. It wasn't a lack of sex thing. Jay didn't sleep well, because he kept waking up thinking he was going to roll over onto the baby. When he wasn't waking up worried about it, he was dreaming that he was doing it. I was waking up all night because Jude is a noisy sleeper. He makes tons of noise and moves almost constantly. I also think it also made it more difficult when we finally put Jude in his own bed. He was used to snuggling a warm body, then had to get used to sleeping alone.

Trish, how did we get him trained so fast? Do you mean potty training? Around the time he turned one he seemed really interested in the toilet when we'd go, so I bought him his own chair. He liked it for a while, but then ignored it up until recently. One day several months ago he actually told me "poopies Mommy!" I stuck him on the pot. He sat there and did nothing but didn't want off. I started grunting and said poopies. He grunted and went! I know all the magazines tell you not to make your kid grunt because it will lead to hemorrhoids. Oh well. I did it and now he loves to use the toilet. He doesn't like to use the little one, just the adult-sized one.

One thing that seems to help is that I don't ask him if he needs to go. Maybe every hour I tell him it's time to go and we go. When he puts up a fuss I tell him I have to go and start to undo my pants. He hollers and says he has to go and goes. When we have to go somewhere I make him go before we leave and again when we get to our destination. It even worked at Toys r Us. In the car I said, "potty then play" several times. When we started walking to the store I asked him "what are we going to do?" He said, "potty then play." It worked.

He is too easy. I have a feeling the next kid is going to be a terror just because Jude is so easy.

YUM!!!

2005-06-28T08:15:00.000-07:00

I posted a new dessert recipe at Illuminated Culinarity.

Our big boy

2005-06-27T19:26:00.000-07:00

A while back I started toilet training Jude. The big boy undies are going great. He's had very few accidents. He has terrific bladder control. I'm very proud of him.

We found this cute Thomas and Friends train bed at Toys r Us this weekend. I mentioned it to my mom today and she decided she would buy it for his birthday.

He is still totally addicted to Thomas, which is great since so much money has been invested in his train collection. It's still his favorite toy. We thought he'd love this bed and he does. He couldn't wait to get home to open the box.

Jay set up the bed while I took the crib apart. The whole time Jude is talking about his new Thomas bed. He's giving Thomas kisses and hugs. I'm thinking "this is great!!!"

No, the cute Thomas bed didn't make it any easier. In the span of 30 minutes, I think I had to march him back to bed 6-7 times. It took him about 45 minutes to get to bed.

In the market for a new vehicle?

2005-06-22T21:12:00.000-07:00

Don't bother with GM. They may be paying for their employees' abortions.

The list of vehicles they make include:
Chevrolet
Pontiac
Buick
Cadillac
GMC
Oldsmobile
Saturn
HUMMER
Saab
Holden
Opel
Vauxhall

Here's an article from August 2003 and another from September 2003. Both discuss the bargaining that went on between GM and Ron Gettelfinger of the United Auto Workers. After reading the August article, you'll learn that Ford and Chrysler may also fund abortions.

I say these companies "may" be paying for abortions because no one comes out and says that they do, but Gettelfinger had this to say about the union settlement:

We’re proud of the agreement and we are satisfied that it’s a good agreement that addresses the needs of our membership, active and retired, and . . . it accomplishes our collective bargaining goals.

I love this quote that the author of the article supplies:

As the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Galatian church (Galatians 6:7) "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap."

WOW!!!

2005-06-20T19:54:00.000-07:00

Have any of you seen the movie Saw? While at my sister's house last week, my brother-in-law highly recommended the movie. Jay and I rented it and just finished watching it. GO RENT IT NOW!!!

Lead Me Not into (Technical) Temptation

2005-06-18T22:55:00.000-07:00

I’m temporarily departing from my normal fare to discuss an issue of critical, life-altering importance. I’m really fighting the urge to buy a new computer right now. The biggest snag in this idea is money. Rather, our lack of money. We have several bills to pay off and, from a financial perspective, our money would be much better applied in this area. We also have Child # 2 due in mid-December. On the other hand, we aren’t missing any meals, as is exemplified by my ever-expanding waistline.

Both of us are having some problems with our current computers. Julie’s left mouse button has a short in it and her monitor’s controlling circuitry is going out. Buy a new mouse (cheap) and a new monitor (not so cheap) and we’re done. I, on the other hand, can no longer burn anything to CD-R. Newer drivers (free) or upgraded firmware (free) may resolve this issue, or I could just buy a new recorder – even the new dual-layer DVD+-RW units aren’t that expensive any more (under $100). I may have to wipe and reinstall the OS, applications, etcetera (cost: a bunch of time). This is a major pain and can be almost as much fun as getting a root canal.

My current system is from ABS: Athlon 950 MHz with 768 MB of RAM and a 30 GB hard drive. Julie uses a Dell Dimension 2100 with a Celeron 1.1 GHz, 256 MB of RAM, and a 40 GB hard drive. These systems don’t exactly fall into the Screamer category. However, we really don’t do much heavy-duty computing. We work in Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and, on a really wild day, Access. We play The Sims and Diablo II: Lord of Destruction. These programs are fairly old and don’t require much horsepower.

If we buy a new computer we plan to donate one of our current units to a local non-profit organization. Probably mine. My computer, that is – not my non-profit organization. I like having all the RAM and I think it’s a stronger system overall, but it has too many fans and sounds like it should hover over the desk when it’s on. So buying a new PC would mean that the Catholic Center of the local community college would get a new computer (and, later on, new hearing aids).

Another option: we could upgrade pieces of our current systems. I could probably get by with a new motherboard, new RAM, a new CPU, a new video controller, probably a new power supply, and a new dual-layer DVD recorder just for good measure. But then, we wouldn’t have a computer to donate and I don’t know that the Catholic center would even be able to use my old parts in their existing, ancient computer.

Do we need a new computer? No, not really. Do I want a new computer? Yes. Am I trying like hell to justify a new computer? Of course I am. Besides, I’m dying to try out Quake III and my current system just won’t hack it. Also, when the successor to Diablo II comes out it’s a safe bet my current system won’t hack that, either.

Decisions, decisions.

Jude is becoming a man

2005-06-16T12:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Jude and I dropped my mom off at the airport. Before we were to meet Jay for lunch, we went to play at Toys r Us. Jude immediately headed for the Thomas and Friends train table.

We had been playing with it for a while when I decided to get up and stretch my legs. I found a cute little magnetic chalkboard with magnetic letters and numbers. Jude is really into letters and numbers right now, so I figured this was right up his alley.

I held it up for him to see and said, "hey Jude, look at this." Without even looking up, he says, "wow. That's neat mommy." Little turd. He's become his father.

Stealing from. . .

2005-06-15T11:29:00.000-07:00

Working Mommy

As a child did you ever...?
(x) sneak out of the house - yeah, but it was because I used to sleep walk.
( ) get lost in your own neighbourhood
( ) see a shooting star - nope, not until I was an adult.
(x) get into a fist fight - it was more of a shoving match.
(x) laugh so hard you had milk/coke come down your nose. - Ug! I can still feel the carbonation!
( ) have an imaginary friend or pet
(x) push all the buttons on an elevator
(x) skip school now, skipping classes
( ) gotten stitches - Not until I was an adult.
(x) gotten the chicken pox
(x) done the splits in gymnastics class
(x) played spin the bottle - yes, but we won't discuss it.
( ) cheat on a test or exam
(x) deliberately ignore your curfew
(x) go out in public in your pajamas - yes, and I still do sometimes. Don't ask what my mom thinks of this one.
( ) shoplift
(x) have a crush on a teacher - heck, I still have a crush on one of them!

As an adult have you ever...?

(x) been to any other countries - Mexico, but only for the cheap booze and to Canada for a conference.
( ) had a serious surgery
( ) kissed a stranger
(x) hugged a stranger
( ) been arrested
(x) skipped work
(x) been in love - yes, but don't tell Jay.
(x) been to a casino - yes, but only to eat.
( ) been skydiving
(x) skinny dipped - yes, but we won't discuss this one, either!
( ) scuba dived
( ) been fired
( ) had a crush on someone of the same sex
( ) had feelings for someone who didn't have them back
( ) gone on a blind date
( ) lied to a friend
( ) lied to a significant other/spouse
( ) celebrated Mardi Gras in New Orleans
(x) been married
( ) gotten divorced
(x) had children
(x) seen someone die
( ) had a close friend die
(x) driven over 400 miles in one day
(x) been on a plane
(x) seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) met someone in person from the internet
(x) lost a child - yeah, but I found him in the clothes racks.
(x) gone to college/university
(x) graduated college/university
(x) fired a gun - does a water gun count?

Into the 4th month

2005-06-14T18:19:00.000-07:00

I've graduated to insulin! Yippy for me! Do you hear the sarcasm? My doctor said my daily readings look good, but my fasting glucose levels are too high, so now I have to inject 10 units of insulin nightly.

Here's what American Baby has to say about the mini-munchkin's development:

Your baby's body is growing faster now compared with its head, so the proportions are beginning to approach those you see in a newborn. Its neck is long enough to lift its chin off its chest, its legs have grown almost as long as its arms, and its intestines fit inside the abdomen. Your baby is filling out by putting on fat tissue.

As your baby's body grows, so do its muscles. On your baby's fingers, soft nails and fingerprints are forming. The gallbladder begins to make bile for digestion. Taking over for the liver, your baby's bones start to make some blood cells. During the last three months of pregnancy and for the rest of your baby's life, newly made blood will come from his bone marrow.

Facial features, too, are becoming more distinct. As the head has grown, the ears have moved to their proper places on the sides of the head. Its lips are well developed and teeth are forming underneath the gums.

In this month and the next, hair begins to grow on your baby's body. Eyebrows and eyelashes are forming, and a fine hair called lanugo covers its body and face in swirling patterns. Lanugo usually disappears before birth. . .

The fetus is now 5 inches long and weighs nearly 4 ounces, just big enough to cradle in the palm of your hand.

My stance on the sanctity of life

2005-06-14T12:01:00.000-07:00

Lawryde left some comments in the comment box of the post below. He scanned our blog and has a few questions. I thought I'd answer here since the post below was on a completely different topic.

Here's his original comment:

I see that you are Pro-life, and hold life as a sacred thing. So does that mean that you are against the death penalty and anti-war? If you aren't then I really wonder about your whole moral system and how you can pick and choose what life is worth saving. I thought only God could do that?

Let's see. . . a lot of my morals and opinions have been changing lately (as in the last ten years or so). When I was younger, I believed in abortions. I thought that choice was up to the woman because it was her body and her decision to make. In high school, I came to the conclusion that sure abortions are okay, but I would definitely never have one. Now that I am more mature, I think that abortion is wrong. I believe that from the moment of conception, there is a precious child in a pregnant woman's womb.

As far as the death penalty is concerned, that's another one of my morals that's changing. It's taking longer than the abortion issue, but I am slowly becoming more and more against the death penalty. I think it may be because I grew up in Texas where it is frequently enforced. I've only recently decided that there are other ways to solve this matter. I would much rather see a criminal rehabilitated than executed. What surprised me was that when Scott Peterson was found guilty and sentenced to death, I was saddened. I do think he is guilty, but I don't think killing him will make the situation better.

Am I anti-war? No. With that said, I don't believe in sending soldiers to battle with the sole purpose of killing our enemies, but I do believe that when those in charge of other countries fail to abide by the laws governing our world, they need to be held accountable. In this war, despite the fact that there have been many deaths, I think Iraq is and will continue to be a better place without Saddam Hussein in charge.

I'm back!

2005-06-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't written in a while. I just got back from my annual Child Life conference a bit ago. I guess I should have let you guys know I was going, but some times I just can't make myself sit in front of this computer.

Our conference was in Nashville this year. I have a sister who lives there with her family, so I stayed with them and got to visit. Next year it's in Dallas and the year after it's in Orlando.

I'll post more later since I'm so tired right now. I chose to drive this year. TEN HOURS!!! It was nice since I like road trips, but I forgot how much they wear me out.

Abortion

2005-06-02T21:31:00.000-07:00

A couple of things strike me about an ongoing debate about abortion. The first concerns a claim by proponents that it wouldn’t be as “needed” if there were better education programs regarding safe sex and/or birth control.

As a refutation, I point to this story, which really just exemplifies a trend that has been taking place for some time now. STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) are making a comeback, including AIDS, which is one of the most over-politicized diseases in history. This is despite the fact that safe sex programs have been pushed around for years. Fully aware of the potential consequences, people are still engaging in unsafe practices and STDs are not only making a comeback, but are coming back more resistant to most of the drugs commonly used to fight them off.

In my opinion, safe sex programs won’t do the trick because these still tacitly encourage sexual activity. Instead of pushing for people to have sex “safely”, why not encourage them to practice the best form of birth control that happens to also be the best defense against acquiring “social souvenirs” – abstinence? Is it fun? No, it certainly doesn’t provide the instant gratification we in western civilization have come to expect from life. Does it teach self control? Yes! Does it teach people to value things more than their own ids? Again, Yes! We as a civilization need to pull back from the instinctive urge to please our own base desires, an urge exacerbated by the abundant means to do so. Human dignity demands it.

The second issue is the clamor about “rights”. I believe I may have found the best answer to this on the Godless Pro-Lifers site. The opening statement of one atheist’s position is as follows:

The purpose of abortion is not merely pregnancy termination; its purpose is to kill, to take the life of prenatal human offspring. Under justice, however, there is no such thing as a ~right~ to kill innocent people – no exceptions.

On a side note, I quote from this site for two purposes. The first is because it is so apt. The second is to show that the pro-life crowd is not composed solely of “religious nuts” as several pro-choicers/pro-abortionists would have you believe.

Here’s another telling quote from the same site:

As I contemplate the Declaration of Independence on the anniversary of its signing, I am chastened by the tragic fact that too many Americans are denied their "unalienable rights" of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Ironically, these same rights are used as an argument for alienating these oppressed and persecuted Americans from their rights as human beings. These Americans are the more than one million preborn children violently killed annually by abortion.

I send my profound thanks to these atheists for stating so logically what all people should realize. The issue of abortion involves not only the rights of women, but also the rights of the innocent children within their wombs. Like it or not, those are humans inside and as such are deserving of all the rights, dignity, and protection that we would bestow upon a born child. It’s truly saddening that this point even needs to be explained.

I don't like Tom Cruise anymore

2005-06-02T21:11:00.000-07:00

I don't know if any of you have been following this, but Tom Cruise is an idiot. He obviously has no idea what postpartum depression is.

After Cruise criticized Shields' use of antidepressants as "irresponsible" during an interview with Access Hollywood last week, Shields has suggested the leading man keep his opinions to himself.

"Tom Cruise's comments are irresponsible and dangerous," Shields said in London last week. "Tom should stick to saving the world from aliens and let women who are experiencing postpartum depression decide what treatment options are best for them."...

The actress has said she is currently in the process of weaning herself from the drug in order to try for a second child with husband Chris Henchy.

However, as a dedicated follower of Scientology, Cruise is of the belief that miNd-altering medications of any kind are "dangerous" and that women should treat conditions such as postpartum depression with "vitamins." Hence his stamp of disapproval on Shields' choice to use Paxil and to discuss that choice in her memoir.

"When you talk about postpartum, you can take people today, women, and what you do is you use vitamins. There is a hormonal thing that is going on, scientifically, you can prove that. But when you talk about emotional, chemical imbalances in people, there is no science behind that," the actor told Access Hollywood.