Tag Archives: Books

Been A While

Posted on Sunday March 11th, 2012 by | Comments Off on Been A While

I just discovered that tweets are no longer getting posted daily, I’m working on getting that fixed….no idea what happened and pretty annoyed by that.

Ok, what is going on in my little corner of the world……

We had a few days of sunshine and decent temps, now back to cold and rainy….it is Oregon, the normal.

Just received an email from my Aunt Debbie, my cousin Rodman (named after my late uncle) has been recommended to hospice.  =(  He doesn’t even hit 27 until June.  I didn’t grow up with him so wasn’t close due to that and age, but I have lots of memories of his mom and dad and me teaching his older sister how to walk.  Not sure what if anything I can do to help and feel totally helpless and crushed.  He is part of my family and it hurts.  My thoughts are with them, but that seems to be all I can do.  =(

Hubby and I have hit a rough spot economically but are doing well. Just needing to cut back and keep a closer eye on things.  We are grateful that we doing much better then many other people are nationally.

If you’ve been following my tweets, I’ve been getting very annoyed at the war on women that they right wing nut jobs are doing.  Limbaugh’s crappy comments just highlighted and showed it for what it was.  I’m really hoping that this wakes women up to start taking part.  So many laws have been passed to roll back our rights and treat us like imbecilic property it is astonishing.  And many have no idea how bad it has gotten, they are just trying to live their lives.  And my question is, where are the men in this?  The ones that don’t believe like the right wingers, why aren’t they speaking up?

At the rate this is going, they are going to take away our right to vote……ggeezz

Debating on going to Salem Apr 28th and take part in the March Unite Against the War on Women : https://www.facebook.com/UniteWomen

I know I do a lot of tweets and posts about issues, I hope that they are educational and make people more aware of how the government effects them more then they realize, but maybe it time to do a little more.  Even though, I’m a serious homebody and anti-social.

Not sure what to think about Peyton Manning.  I’ve always wanted him to retire as a Colt.  =(  But I understand why the Colts need to move on (they totally screwed up for not preparing in case he got injured) and start to rebuild.  Irsay and Manning did it really classy.  I really don’t see the Colts doing anything for the next few years.  I do hope, for Manning, that he still has a few more years left in him inspite of the injury and he can retire on his own terms.

We got ourselves IPad 2s for the holidays.  We are thoroughly enjoying them.  We love the surfing options, keeping up with twitter, but loving the ebook option more.  I like being able to update facebook/twitter from it, but for a lot of typing, such as this and skype, it has a lot to be desired.  I need my macbook for that.  We are debating (in the long term) of getting the wireless apple keyboard just for extensive typing.

I do love being able to have a small library in my hand due to my ipad.  I’ve already read the Hobbit & LOTR….being a few years since I have.  Currently going between reading Agathe Christie and “God Hates You : Hate Him Back” while using his arguments to highlight the bible I was given in ’89

Boy, reading this…..why would anyone want to be Jewish, Christian or Muslim??  “God” is such a hateful, murderous and jealous thing (where it acknowledges the existence of other “gods”.)  It teaches racism, genocide…..no wonder why religious nuts jobs feel comfortable in their hatred and bigotry…it taught all comes from the old testament……and I haven’t even gotten the new testament yet.  Like they say, you can’t fully read and understand the bible without becoming an atheist.

Joined the Freedom From Religion Foundation a few months ago.  Never been a fan of organized religion, especially have living in the bible thumping mid west.  Good way to turn you against religion.  But I always thought the bible and things were a log of history….but after actually reading and learning history, nope, it is nothing but a mythology…..just like the greek and roman gods.  Sad that the world still believes in it.

So now I’m reading up on the bible so I can understand and defend myself from the thumpers who have no respect for people who do not believe the same way.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve gotten to the point that I refuse to put up with the crap that I’ve tolerated over the years.  As I say, I’m old and cranky!  lol

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Touching Base

Posted on Friday May 6th, 2011 by | Comments Off on Touching Base

I really need to start posting here more. I just don’t know to post about anymore. I can always do politics, but I tweet so much about that I don’t know if I really should. I work at home and other then errands and the gym, my face to face interactions with people that I use to comment on is limited.

Totally love that we finally got Osama Bin Laden….but even with that, overall it hasn’t been the best of weeks. Maybe crappy people like Cheney will quit lying about Obama not caring about national security and putting this country in danger.  It help to put that racist birther crap down.  So sad it took that and he showed his birth certificate….total crap.

Monday was a total Monday in the worst way.  And today was blah.  Put on Despicable Me for some much needed laughter  We did have one day that was totally dry and sunny and hit 70!!  Even if that was at 6pm, it was nice.

We finally got our tomato plants this week.  Went for 5 instead of the 3 we did last year.  It looks like some will mature mid summer and the a couple in late summer, my beefsteak ones.  So looking forward to those.  =)

After having a few rough winter months at the gym where we only went 4 days a week, we’ve been going 5 days for about 2 months.  BUT they haven’t been full days.  Mostly cardio.  I really need to get back to my abs and weights.  Getting some of my tummy back, doesn’t help that I’m eating a bit too much of things I shouldn’t be.  So both my eating habits and not doing the full workouts is not helping.  Need to get back on track next week.  Especially the workout part.

I have finally gotten back into  making time for reading, other then my news/political surfing addiction.  Both for magazines I can’t finish at the gym and books.  I’ve added a couple of new mag subscriptions, so now I have Time, Ms, Bitch, Progressive, Washington Monthly, American Prospect and also trying out Nutrition Action for better eating habits.  Don’t expect to totally change too much on eating, just want to be more educated about it.

On books, hubby got me Lyndon Johnson by Doris Kearns Goodwin (he was so complex) and John Paul Stevens by Bill Barnhart and Gene Schilickman (love Supreme Court stuff…lol) for the holidays, I got those read. I finally read One Soldier’s Story by Bob Dole (brought that when it came out…really liked that), Audition by Barbra Walters (learned a lot about what women went through by 1st person), True Compass by Edward M Kennedy (very interesting read), and during all that, finally finished the big one, My Life by Bill Clinton…which was good, but loaded with so much detail….wow.  Currently working on American Gospel by Jon Meacham, about “religion, the Founding Fathers and the Making of a Nation”.  How they counted on religion being in the public sphere without it being in government so not lead to the tyranny like it did Europe.

I did finally get off of my butt and took a photography composition class, wow….so much to learn.  They use so many terms for what is used on a SLR camera.  Going to have to take the class on how to learn to fully use our nikon ds70.  I actually planned on taking that class this semester, but with my luck the ONE day I actually made plans for it, we had other plans….ggeezz..  Normally we don’t do a thing…lol  Going to see about making time to go through the book we brought years ago on the camera and try to apply it. What I really want and need is better weather so I can take it out.  I have cats to take pics of, but they aren’t the most cooperative when you are learning the equipment…..lol  And that is what the stressed in class, know your equipment, know your equipment….so I really need to learn all the little things.  I have my point and shot olympus, but learning the nikon will help me with that also.

Well the day that I was going to take that class on learning the nikon, we went up to our friend’s in Seattle for a Zombie Jesus Party…..lol  I love satire.  I made deviled carbury eggs and very fudgy brownies….I must admit, I LOVE my brownies….grin…hubby made his addicting chili.  We had a great time, but I do have to admit we are old and cranky in that instead of staying overnight there, we came home that night….3hr drive back.  We just love being in our own beds and miss our cats too much.  As we have gotten older, we miss our cats even more….much harder to stay overnight without them.

I did have an issue that came up on my fb that disturbed me in their twisted logic.  Just because I’m an american feminist doesn’t mean that I’m going to hate on Islam.  One of friends on fb was from HS….and I had posted the quote from POTUS’ speech “Our war is not against Islam. Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader – indeed he was a mass murderer of Muslims.”  And what she posted on it, I can’t describe as nothing but hateful and bigoted. And I simply told her that I found it to be that and not post it on my fb, those may be her beliefs but do not post hate on my wall/posts.

And she part of her reply : “I find it difficult to believe that any feminist would ever deem to support a religion that will put women to death for the crime of their own rapes”  I’m like, I don’t support that, hell I do not support any religion.  EVERY religion has been used to justify rape, beating, abuse and slavery….they all suck on that and that is why I don’t like them.  They never follow their positive and good lessons of their religions, but their books are written by men and totally screwed up due to that.

Just because of my dislike of religion and the majority of their leaders, doesn’t mean I’m going to hate on them as a people.  That is no better then what Hilter did the Jews…..and I told her that, she didn’t like that and did one long post accusing me of attacking her beliefs.  I’m just too old for dealing with that…..it is my fb, which has far as I’m concern is my house and I won’t tolerate what I find is hatred and bigotry towards one type of people….so I unfriended her, I don’t need the drama.  I’m sad in that she has so much hatred built up in her.  And I’m not the most positive person in comments about society.

I can’t say that I’ve ever really known any Muslims, I’ve maybe encountered a few in my years of work but my husband served with some and we all know that every religion and race has both good and bad in it.  I did ask one woman about how do you keep the head wraps on and she seemed very happy to share her culture with me.  But I’m not going to judge a whole group of people based on bad ones, most things are cultural…not religious when it comes to things that are done in the name of Islam.  And I go on about the crimes and stuff of Christianity all the time.  But I also know that there are a lot of good people that actually try practice the teachings of Christ, which are good and get lost.  So individually I have no issue with people having their different faiths when it is not twisted to hurt, abuse or mistreat people or forced on me.  But I do have a MAJOR issue with all the evil and bigotry done in the name of religion.

Now hubby will say I’m dwelling on it, maybe I am….but not in the way that I’m upset in the standard sense of the word.  More like it makes me examine things and want to break it down about human nature and myself.  I think if I’m upset about anything it is that horrible generalization she made about being a feminist….like there aren’t Muslim feminists.  It was insulting to me to think that being a feminist meant that I should hate on them…wtf?  I guess I will never get that way of thinking…..maybe happier not to.

If you hadn’t seen, I became a great aunt in Jan.  =)  Very cool……the closest I will ever to being a grandma and that is as close as I want…grin  I will say that I’m not too please about some of the decisions my niece has been making.  Believe she is making them for all the wrong reasons and doesn’t want to work for anything.  Wants everything now and expects it to be easy.  Her sperm donor father coming out in that.  =(  But it is her life to screw up, just worried about my great niece.

Wow after not posting in awhile, this is a long one.  Maybe I’ll do more of it, probably more social commentary.  =)

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Summer Time

Posted on Saturday July 3rd, 2010 by | Comments Off on Summer Time

I hope everyone has had a good summer beginning.  Ours has been below average on temps and way over on rain…icks….still waiting for summer weather…dry and comfortable.  We were in the 60s this pass Wed/Thurs and we are suppose to be hitting the 90s this upcoming Wed/Thurs.  Lets just say I’ll believe it when I see it.  I really don’t want it to hit the 90s…I want mid 80s, that is perfect.  Then our house doesn’t have that chill and we can wear shorts and tank tops.  =)

I did finally vacuum out my poor truck in about a year today.  Those spiders get into everything and left cobwebs everywhere….lol

We haven’t been up to much other then work and the normal.  We do need to get a hike in, that I would like.  Not sure where, at this time of the year the mountains and Crater Lake still have a bit of snow.  If it melting you have higher rivers/creeks to deal with when crossing.  So we have to balance that.

We will be heading up to Canada sometime this month for a bbq with our sister-in-law  Eliza and our nephews.  It will be to in remembrance of Diesel, since it has been a year that we lost him.  But it will be great to see how our nephews have grown, they are so young that they grow so fast.  I miss seeing them.

We are still doing the gym.  I know it sounds annoyingly repetitive, but considering it is so easy to fall into bad habits the fact that we are still doing a good one….I’m grateful and proud of.  It has been over 2yrs and I’ll take it.  I will say that I didn’t end the week on a good note.  I did good Mon-Wed, but Thurs and Fri I was not mentally in it at all.  I did get my cardio and weights in, but didn’t get my 20mins on abs.  It didn’t help that I didn’t do very well on my eating habits this past week.  Went over my normal daily 2k a day, so I need to do better this week. My sweet tooth and munch urges just kicked in big time….drove me nuts.

I spent the week doing my normal….working, what else?  LOL  Which is partly why I died at the gym Thurs and Fri, my brain was on that and won’t stop.

Last weekend I couldn’t get a hold of my extra sister, Sandi.  Her dad isn’t doing very well at all and is in hospice and I knew that she would be visiting and dealing with the drama that is her siblings.  I knew that they would be totally, totally stressing her out and a few of siblings are good for tearing her down……and totally negate the ones that are supportive of her..ggrrr  So I was totally stressing about getting a hold of her and checking in.  Anything to make her feel better and let her vent.

Well, that didn’t happen, so I sent her encouraging texts and my sister Melinda actually got lucky and got a hold of her.  Since I wasn’t doing to good on making contact to her, I googled her parents and got their number and made a call.  She wasn’t there, but I was able to find out what was going on and let Ma vent some.  Between me trying to get a hold of her, texting and Melinda actually making contact, it was a help to her and made her feel better.

I was not happy to hear what her siblings was putting Ma though and I knew if Ma was going through hell, then Sandi wasn’t doing too well.  =(  I let mom know that I was in her corner and whenever she needed to talk, she can vent at me.

Sandi’s siblings were totally surprised to hear that I even called Ma just to make contact, that I wasn’t too happy about what Ma was going through and then turn around and my little sister called her.  Sad, that we give her more emotional support then her some of own drama selfish siblings.  If her husband Ed wasn’t there for support, she would’ve totally lost it…no idea how he puts up with her family sometimes.  Tries and keeps peace just for her and her parents sake.

Sandi is finally back home (a state away…which is a good thing when dealing with them) and eating, trying to get a sense of her self back, I spent 3 hours on the phone with her last night.  She couldn’t hold anything down while dealing with them.  I’m going to try and give Ma a call tomorrow to check in.  I just suck at it due to the 3hr difference.  I wish I could be there to help Ma and her, those are the 2 that I really care and worry about.

My god daughter Cassie has made me feel old.  She graduated from HS, turned 19 and is now expecting her baby in Dec….wow.  I remember when Sandi was pregnant with her at my HS graduation.  I was so totally afraid that she was going to have her right there…..lol  Ended up having her a few weeks later.  I was looking at some pictures that were just taken barely 10yrs ago….damn, she has grown.

I found some paper where I can make my own postcards.  If you didn’t know, when we travel I love getting postcards and sending it to my family.  =)  So now, unless we are doing a bunch of traveling and I want to get them postmarked from that location, I can just use the pictures that we take for them.  I totally love that.  Especially when we are doing hiking around here in OR.  I spent time figuring out how to the line up everything and even printing out the addresses and messages on the back.  With my horrible handwriting I’m doing the post office a favor…..lol  I already sent out postcards from our visit to the coast in May…..grin

Our kitties are doing good. Drew and Sakura are now 2yrs old.  Drew is such a long cat and is still in the over energetic teen stage that drives his sister Sakura nuts.  Sakura has become a chunk bugger that is addicted to brushing…..grin  She is such a spoiled daddy’s girl and Drew is very much a momma boy when it comes to bedtime.  Alexis is going to be 16 this coming Oct and tries her best to ignore Drew and Sakura….lol

I’m currently half way through President Bill Clinton autobiography, My Life.  It is huge with a lot of policy thoughts and stories on where they came from.  You can tell that he likes to show where an idea came from.  It is interesting.  I have Audition by Barbara Walters and My Thirty Years Backstairs at the White House by Lillian Rogers Parks that I would love to get into next.

It is amazing how long it takes to right just a few things…..lol….but that is what is going on so far around here.  =)

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Felt Like Babbling

Posted on Monday May 17th, 2010 by | Comments Off on Felt Like Babbling

I really should be working on my projects……I totally planned on it. =(  I had gotten all my payroll work done and entered this weekend.  Even caught up all my other company work by last night.  So I didn’t have a huge pile waiting for me today.  So I knocked off what I had to do and was going to hit my projects.  By the time I was going to hit my project, I hit a brick wall….didn’t help that the weather was much better then it was forecasted to be…..so I really want to be outside doing anything but work.

And now for the last few hours I have developed a headache. =(  Those suck…..I get spoiled since I don’t get them that often anymore since I don’t have as many sinus issues here in Oregon.  But now I just don’t feel very well at all….that sucks.

Because even though I felt tired this morning (unlike this weekend, when I had the chance to sleep in), I did a really good workout today at the gym.  I was very surprised and pleased by that, so I was totally focused on making sure that my day was a productive one.  It started that way the first few hours of work then the wall hit and it went down hill from there….rats.

I’m really hoping that I do much better work wise tomorrow.

Even though I worked this weekend, it wasn’t heavy because I was able to take my time. I was able to catch up on some of my readings and start a new book.  I actually started one book (American Heroines by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison) but that one just wasn’t working for me.  So I was trying to decide between Young Patriots by Charles A. Cerami or My Life by Bill Clinton.  I ended up starting on Clinton’s book.  So far I enjoy his writing style, but it going take me a bit longer then the last 3 books…..so much more longer….lol

So when I’m not working, I just need to stop news surfing and do some relax reading.

I really didn’t have much to blog about, just felt like babbling here instead of my tweeter.  =)

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Dropping By

Posted on Tuesday March 24th, 2009 by | Comments Off on Dropping By

Evening.  I hope everyone has been doing good.

I didn’t do much of anything Sunday, not even my own thing.  I made up for it Monday, focused hard on getting work done, both job related and my own.  It was an intense day for it.  Then it was hard to get myself going today…lol..go figure.  But I did focus and get some work done.  =)

We finally took time out tonight to finally watch Bond Quantum of Solace. I really enjoyed the character development.    Watching Futurama’s Bender’s Game………wow…it is goofy as hell…..lol

I did good on the weights yesterday on pushing myself.  Today I did ok on that, but I did much better on the treadmill….got 3.31miles within 30min….3.39 total at 31min.

I did finally finish Ladies of Liberty last night.  Now I’m trying to decide what I really want to read next, A People’s History of the Supreme Court, Contempt of Court: The Turn-Of-The-Century Lynching That Launched 100 Years of Federalism, Black Like Me or His Excellency…….some tough choices.  I’ve already read about 3-4 bios on Washington and then with reading on John & Abigial Adams, and the books about the Founding Women by Cokie Roberts, maybe I should read His Excellency last.  I want to read Black Like Me, but that will probably piss me off….I get really emotionally invested and injustices just really get my goat.  So I’m really thinking of the A People’s History of the Supreme Court.  I’ve always enjoyed reading up on cases that have shaped our government and laws.

What is cool since I started working at home, that I have more time to read.  I have to force myself to find time, because I’m use to working all the time.  But if I can just take 30min at night, I can get some books in.  I read all my news/political mags while on the treadmill, so it is kind of nice.

I really did have much more to say when I made plans to do an entry.  But now I don’t have a clue what I was going to write about.  So I think I’ll do some reading and hit the sack. =)

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