Saturday, January 31, 2009

25 Random Things about me

Rules: Once you’ve been tagged you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about yourself. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it’s because I want to know more about you.

(To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the upper right corner of the app) then click publish.)


1. I was present at my father's vasectomy!

2. I have been pregnant a total of five times, and have two children.

3. When Mo gets here, I will leave for tonight's rehearsal of The Vagina Monologues, which is a production we are putting on here in Wilton. Town Hall Theater!

4. Occasionally, I make sloppy mistakes.

From Feb 2008: Last night, Jeff ran out of gas. And it was my fault! I'd been driving around on E for awhile, then put the van in to be serviced. (Didn't put gas in the car before the appointment, because why tie up my money in gas when I wouldn't even be able to drive the van for a whole day nearly! Jeesh! Obviously!)
http://slk-susiesblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/youre-not-only-one-making-sloppy.html

5. I drink water at home all the time. I leave half filled glasses all over the kitchen. I feel and find for the most chilled glass. (an indicator of freshness.) I don't know why I can't keep the same glass, or dispense the glass each time. Some days I do manage to stick with the same glass, finish every drop, keep it at the ready on the countertop. Right now I count 7 different glasses that are half full with not fresh water!

6. I am stuck on #6!

7. Often, I am not the best example.

8. Women are fantastic. I love vaginas!

9. Two things I got from my dad: dogs and politics.

10. I need more clothes for work.

11. Places I have lived: Seattle, Washington (various)
Cannon Beach, Oregon (a few months)
Kalispell, Montana (good times!)
Seattle, Washington
Troy, New Hampshire (big jump!)
Hollis, New Hampshire
Wilton, New Hampshire (ahh...)

12. Jeff and I moved nearly 9 times before settling in Wilton. That's a lot of packing and unpacking!

13. I stayed home for the first 7 and 3 years of my kid's lives. Very grateful to have been able to make that happen. Very content with the current situation.

14. Henry and I marched in the 2007 Milford Labor Day parade for Barack Obama, and I shook his hand! read more here: http://slk-susiesblog.blogspot.com/2007/09/labor-day-parade.html

15. I fancy myself a straight talking sharp shooting wise woman.

16. My dog Kermit was an angel straight from heaven. I am willing to try, and I concede that it's possible to find that love again, with another dog, but there will never be another Kermit. He was an angel straight from heaven.

17. I was raised in a wonderful family, and I love them all very much.

18. I married into a wonderful family, and I love them all very much.

19. I have three magazine subscriptions, and next year I will cut it back to two. Right now I get "The New Yorker", "Newsweek" and "Time". I love the first two, and will not renew the third. Mainly because three magazines is a lot to get through each week.

20. I read in The New Yorker today that one million seconds equals just under 12 days. One billion seconds, however, equals 32 years!

21. I have a blog that I've kept since October 2006. I have had 9,789 visits to my blog and I average 28 visitors a day! Since I've gotten on to Facebook however, I have cut way back on my blogging. It has been a great way to keep track and share observations, and is a different sort of beast from updating fb. I need to do better. http://slk-susiesblog.blogspot.com/

22. Three books I recommend are:

* Getting the Love you Want, by Harville Hendrix

Divided into three sections, the book covers "The Unconscious Marriage," which details a marriage in which the remaining desires and behavior of childhood interfere with the current relationship; "The Conscious Marriage," which shows a marriage that fulfils those childhood needs in a positive manner; and a 10-week "course in relationship therapy, " which gives detailed exercises for you and your partner to follow in order to learn how to "replace confrontation and criticism ... with a healing process of mutual growth and support." The text is occasionally dry and technical; however, the information provided is valuable, the case studies are interesting, and the exercises are revealing and helpful. By utilizing his program, Hendrix hopes you too will be able to solve your marital difficulties without the expense of a therapist.
Get it used for a penny!: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0805087001/ref=dp_proddesc_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books

* There is Nothing Wrong With You: Going Beyond Self Hate, by Cheri Huber

This book reveals the origin of self-hate, how self-hate works, how to identify it, and how to go beyond it. It provides examples of some of the forms self-hate takes, including taking blame but not credit, holding grudges, and trying to be perfect, and explores the many facets of self-hate, including its role in addiction, the battering cycle, and the illusion of control. After addressing these factors, it illustrates how a meditation practice can be developed and practiced in efforts to free oneself from self-hating beliefs. http://www.amazon.com/There-Nothing-Wrong-You-Self-Hate/dp/0971030901/ref=pd_sim_b_1

* Time Out for Parents: A Guide for Compassionate Parenting, by Cheri Huber

Ms. Huber writes: "Instead of punishing our children by sending them into isolation, let's offer ourselves time-out to discover our own needs, our own true selves. Then we will have everything we need to give our children what they need. Taking care of ourselves is a great kindness. When we are willing to provide ourselves what we need, we are much more willing to provide others what they need. Parenting from self-neglect and deprivation has little chance of succeeding."

23. Jeff and I will have been married 15 (Wonderful!) years in 2010, and it would be so great to return to Hawaii to celebrate. 15 years is a long time!

24. Turning my frown upside down begins and ends with Dave Matthews Band. I really, really, REALLY. want to see him in concert some day. I simply must!

25. I am going to Seattle for a long weekend at the end of February and am looking forward to hanging out and laughing with my family. Yay!

Sunday, January 25, 2009

THEBARACKOBAMAPARTY!!!


(That's what Maggie called it.)

Well. VERY good times. Not crazy, no ka-boobery. Lots of fun photos and a lot of clever art to look at, so let's get started!

First of all, I would like to point out, we are all getting old. Kids included. For kids we had, I think, 2 fourth graders, three third graders, 1 1st grader, two pre- kindergartners, two three year olds, and 1 18 month old. (did I get that right?) OH! And one docile, joking, enjoyable teenager (15).

But we had the Wii. And we had a craft station that will take me about two seconds to clean up once I get going here. April could not tear herself away from the craft area, I kid you not!

They got a little crazy here and there - turns out I get unnerved by lots of racing through the living room and hallway - who knew?! Overall, however. Very, very well behaved kids who had a great time also. Oh! And I even kicked Bob's butt at Uno for a few games - ye-haw!

That's Maggie taking notes about our decorating for the party.

Here we have some good old fashioned chowing down at a pot-luck. Jersey Jack's Back!

Maggie and her BFF Riley coloring it up. This was, I think, the first party we've had where Maggie's pals were there, too. It really made it special for her, although everyone played with everyone and had good times.
Riley, Maggie and Anna watching the Powerpuff girls dvd on my macbook in the sewing/cozy/coat room.

The craft area. I gathered all my magazines (Newsweek, Time and a couple of Peoples) and tossed out scissors and glue and got some GREAT art out of it. That's April there, next to her daughter Jamie.


This one's called "Art by April".

Keelyn made this one, isn't it a riot? "I gotta go...Where's the rest room??"

Jack banged this one out. "Yo alright, white girl!...I love you B"

"Wierd Ohs!!...Over there, sweety" by Keelyn

Anyway, thanks for coming everybody! Real good times, I'm glad you could make it.

Onward, Mr. President!

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Thursday evening


Oh blog. Where does the time go? I am either stressed out, or lazy, or both.

First off, President Obama. How wonderful was Tuesday? I Tivo'd the whole thing with my boys (and Rachel!) over at MSNBC, plus CNN for backup, and came home to watch the actual oath and speech bit on TV live. Then later that night I boop-booped through my recordings, relishing the boo's and laughing at Dick Cheney as he was whisked stage left as the Former Occupant headed out onto the inaugural platform to a chorus of boos. Good stuff.

Cassidy found this picture, I just love it:



Look at that gorgeousness. Love it.

And his girls were so beautiful and polite and gracious and full of humanity and there for their dad. I love how they make him smile.



This one I found, as well as a few others in this post, over at Boston.com. Lots of very cool photos of the big day. This is apparently a satellite photo taken around 11:19am of the area:


This one sort of blows my mind:



Cassidy's BFF Woolie was actually there, at the inauguration -- she even has a picture of herself posing ironically with the Jonas Brothers! (top that!) I will seek permission and maybe even post this pic if allowed. I am hoping that Woolie jots it all down, because I would love to hear all about it.

I am also hoping my old friend who works in D.C. will be sharing his observations about the day as well! (hint hint.)

Garrison Keillor was there, too! He caught a flight and then road the subway in:

I rode with a group of black women who had left Portsmouth, Va., at 1 a.m. to be sure to be there on time. They were heavily bundled and so excited they could hardly speak. And then when the conductor called out "Union Station, Washington," one of them looked at the others and she burst into tears. And they all cried. I would have, too, if they'd looked at me.


I also loved this bit from his essay...

It was more than Democrats feeling their oats or African-Americans celebrating the unimaginable, more than revulsion at the gang of bullheads who held power for too long. It was a huge gasp of pleasure at a new America emerging, a country we all tried to believe in, a nation that is curious and venturesome, more openhearted and public-spirited.

All kinds of people, the slim and sleek, the XXXLs, the heavily insulated, the carefree. We moved through ranks of souvenir sellers—whatever else he may accomplish, Obama has been a boon to the pin and T-shirt trade—and in our slow trek toward the Capitol, one felt the enormity of the day for the black people around us. I wouldn't try to express, I simply was grateful to be among it. Old ladies with sore feet hauled themselves along.

The crowd down below the podium had their opinions. There was a profound silence when Laura Bush was announced and walked out. People watched the big screen and when Michelle Obama appeared, there was a roar, and when the Current Occupant and Dick Cheney came out of the Capitol, a low and heartfelt rumble of booing. Dignified booing.

The band tootled on and there were shouts of "O-ba-ma" and also "Yes we can" (and also "Down in front") and then he came out and the place went up. That was the first big moment. The second was when he took the oath and said, "so help me, God" and the cannons boomed and you got a big lump in your throat. And the third was afterward.

But the great moment came later, as the mob flowed slowly across the grounds.

The crowd stopped and stared, a little stunned at the reality of it.

They saw it on a screen in front of the Capitol and it was actually happening on the other side. The Bushes went up the stairs, turned, waved and disappeared into the cabin of the Marine helicopter, and people started to cheer in earnest. It was the most genuine, spontaneous, universal moment of the day. It was like watching the ice go out on the river.



Good stuff.

I'll try to write more blog, but it isn't easy these days. I'm distracted by smaller screens, enjoying the glib one liners of Facebook and busy enough as it is. But I know it's important to be here, I know you show up, I won't give up.

Lastly, Charlie the dog is settling in nicely. Here is a little love photo I took of him on Monday.

"A Smarter Stimulus"



I read a really interesting article in the New Yorker last night about President Obama's (!) plan to reduce withholding payments as a form of economic stimulus...


The Financial Page
A Smarter Stimulus
by James Surowiecki


Cutting taxes is usually a surefire political winner. Yet Barack Obama’s plan to include more than a hundred billion dollars in individual tax rebates in his stimulus package has earned him criticism from both ends of the political spectrum. Critics in his own party think the rebate, which Obama wants to distribute by reducing people’s withholding payments, will be too small to make a difference—the equivalent of an extra forty dollars or so a month. Naysayers from the right maintain that, because the tax rebate is a onetime event rather than a permanent reduction in tax rates, it will have only a negligible effect. Skeptics on both sides worry that most people will save the rebate rather than spend it.


One explanation for why rebates don’t have a bigger impact is that they don’t affect what Milton Friedman called people’s “permanent income.” Friedman argued that people’s spending is determined by what they think their income will be over time: they change their spending habits only if they think they’re going to be permanently wealthier or poorer.


If they think of it as wealth, they’re more likely to save it, and if they think of it as income they’re more likely to spend it. That’s because many people tend to base their spending not on their long-term earning potential or on their assets but on what they think of as their current income, an amount best defined by what’s in their regular paycheck. When that number goes up, so does people’s spending. In Thaler’s words, “People tend to consume from income and leave perceived ‘wealth’ alone.”

So what does this mean for making a rebate work? If you want people to spend the money, you don’t want to give them one big check, because that makes it more likely that they’ll think of it as an increase in their wealth and save it. Instead, you want to give them small amounts over time. And you want the rebate to show up as an increase in people’s take-home pay, because an increase in steady income is more likely to translate into an increase in spending. What can accomplish both of these goals? Reducing people’s withholding payments.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

PEACE QUOTE


You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.

- Eleanor Roosevelt

Saturday, January 10, 2009

I am testing


Mobile Blogging from here.


This is me testing the ability to post to my blog from my new iPhone. Not too hard!

Friday, January 09, 2009

Drinks will be served "On the Baracks!"

PK on the street

Patrick is an old friend of ours, from way back. He lives in (and comes from) Duvall, Washington. We had heard that back there is FUBAR. He forwarded me this picture:

This picture is of a bridge over 124th Street. If you come down Novelty Hill road from Redmond then this is the road/bridge you'd cross to get to Hwy 203. Northbound 203 goes to Duvall then Monroe. Southbound goes to Carnation and onto Fall City then I-90.


Jeff asked him:

Hey Pat, is DU-vall reconnected to civilization yet? How long before you start fighting your neighbors over the dwindling food supplies?


And he said:
I tell you Gilligan there's no way off the island!: Right now all the roads are cut off. Monroe road should open up by tomorrow. We hope the Woodinville-Duvall rd is open by Monday. Road to Carnation and Fall City should be open later today...


Then sent us these:



Yowzer! Stay dry PK!

Monday, January 05, 2009

His name is Charlie.



What a sweet little peanut this guy is! Right now he's cuddled up next me, his cool little nose huffing against the back of my hand. Can't quite get close enough. Love it!

Charlie appears to be about 6 years old, although our vet will be checking him out next week. I'll be interested to hear what she says. There's no real background story to him, he's a true shelter dog. I tell myself he was some old lady's lap dog and when she passed, her next of kin took him to a shelter on their way to work.

The lady who fostered him was right on the money in her description. Very cuddly, a real love. Loves kids and other dogs, but also very slow to warm. Luckily I'm the one he loves the most!

He and Jim are going to get along fine. Jim is like a gorgeous thoroughbred of a dog just under a year old. He's very playful and curious and interested in playing with Charlie. But he seems to get that Charlie isn't interested yet. I think they'll do fine together.

Witness this very boring video. You can see that Jim is friendly and not aggressive and very open to sharing what he's got with Charlie:





Cute, right? Welcome, Charlie.

Saturday, January 03, 2009

No name yet...


But check out the cute little dog we adopted today.... sweet, right?! Fits inside my jacket!

Names?

Friday, January 02, 2009