During the Olympics I commented how I like to talk like a not-so-bright pirate from Peter Pan when I’m watching diving competitions. Today I can talk like a not-so-bright pirate all day!
Or should I say…
Today I be talkin’ like a pirate a few buckaneers shy o’ a crew.
Me parrot weighed anchor and I be left with a turkey instead.
I have finished a Christmas present!! And it’s still September. This is quite the accomplishment for me. Normally I am putting the finishing touches on all of them late on the 24th of December. So to have one done this early is practically insane. And actually, I’m almost done with a second one as well.
Good job me!
And we immediately realized the problem with being done so early and why it might be a good thing I procrastinate so much each year. I hate keeping secrets like this. It’s going to be hard hard hard to not blab about what I think is real cool that I made and try to keep it a surprise for the next three months. That’s a very hard thing to ask me to do.
News on other presents – I’ve had the fabric for two of them for at least a year now. And somewhere in my house is that fabric. I just have absolutely no idea where. So I either need to find it in the next three months. Or I need to come up with something new. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the finding it thing.
I’m also finding myself at this point with absolutely no idea what to do for one present. And at this point in the game I’m not quite worried about it, but that will probably change shortly.
And don’t worry, I have a Halloween blog post coming soon. I haven’t forgotten the other holidays. I was just excited about this and had to share.
Following are several steps to voting intelligently in the election this November, as well as every other election.
Step 1: Figure out what the issues are. A few examples are education, health care, immigration, economics, moral issues (abortion, marriage), stem cell research, gun control. There are others.
Step 2: Decide where you stand on all the issues.
Step 3: Decide which issues are most important to you.
You will notice that through all of these steps you have not looked at any candidates or parties or friends or neighbors or political ads or anything else. You are figuring out what you believe, what you value, and where you stand.
Too many people I fear, skip these steps entirely. They are then in danger of being influenced by every passing wind of fashion. And that is just not good.
Step 4: Look at what the candidates say about the issues. Look at what they have done on those issues in the past. Don’t depend on what their opponent says they think, look at what they say about themselves.
Step 5: Find someone who lines up closely with where you stand, especially on those issues that are most important to you. The odds of finding someone who shares your exact same stances is very slim, at which point you might consider throwing your own hat into the race just so there is the option of voting for a “sane” person.
Step 6: Ignore the majority of the commercials which will be almost pure mudslinging, taking things out of context, twisting words and intentions, and much general ickiness. Watching political commercials can quickly make you lose all faith in humanity.
Step 7: Don’t forget to vote, but do it intelligently. Don’t be like the boy in this NPR story about Voting For a Book who knows nothing about any of the books up for election at their school and can’t explain why he’s picked one book over another. Know your reasons. Know where you stand, and then stand firm.
I hope this public service helps someone.
And I want everyone to know that I don’t want to hear what you think about the candidates. I’m following my steps. I know where I stand and I’m listening to what the candidates say to find out where they stand. I’m not listening to what other people say about where the candidates stand. So I’m really not interested in whatever article you found that said somebody said/did something. The only thing I want to know about lipstick on pigs is from a farmer who’s actually tried to put make-up on farm animals.
I sat in on a child development class the other day. Something that was said in there bothered me. And this isn’t the first time it has bothered me.
For some reason, modern developmental theory says that babies do not smile until they are almost two months old. We are told that before then, what we might claim is a smile, is just gas.
There are several things about that which just don’t seem right to me.
First, I don’t smile when I have gas. It doesn’t feel good. My face, my mouth, my eyes, are not going to look happy when I have gas. There are times where I might not actually be happy but will pretend and smile, but babies are not that deceitful.
Second, people are very willing to accept that a baby can feel upset or frustrated or uncomfortable. We say that’s why they cry. So if they can feel those emotions, why would they not also be able to feel joy and happiness?
And then, I look at one of the pictures of my nephew, and his face just looks happy. I’d say he’s even smiling, especially with his eyes.
I subscribe to a few different e-mails from Runner’s World. Last year on this date they included as part of the e-mail an article they published in 2006. I read it last year and was moved on several levels. They included it in today’s e-mail as well.
Even if you aren’t a runner, I think we can all relate to this in some way.
A recent discussion has had me thinking about perceptions of reality. This person said that a historical event couldn’t be real for someone unless they were there for it, but watching a movie about that event had made it more real for them. I find that to be a very limited view and understanding of the world.
There are several historical events that have happened in my life that I wasn’t there for. In fact, um, I haven’t been there for any big major historical event. But that doesn’t make them less real for me. Being alive for them, hearing about them, thinking about them, all of that was real for me.
Things that happened before I arrived on the earth have a different reality for me. They have an intellectual reality for me rather than an experiential one. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t real.
Part of this person’s lack of “reality” with certain events could be explained by their age when they happened. But I think that just might be an excuse. They were 16 when the even they were talking about happened. There is a lot of history that happened before I was 16 that I still remember and is still real for me. So maybe their problem comes in thinking that if it didn’t happen directly to them, it didn’t happen. In which case that’s quite a self-absorbed, shallow, way of thinking. But I’m not sure how else to explain it.
I’m sure I have my own self-absorbed, shallow moments. But I hope I’m more aware of the world around me than that. I hope my reality never shrinks to the tiny space around me. People with that kind of reality do a lot of damage in the world.
According to my calendar, today is Sewing Machine Day. Something about the sewing machine being patented on September 10th or something, but there were so many patents for so many different parts and models, that I don’t know. But whatever. I can celebrate Sewing Machine Day without knowing the exact reason.
Yesterday was Teddy Bear day and I thought about making one, which I will be doing eventually. But that’s about as far as I got on that one.
But today, I have all the squares for a blanket cut out and ready to go. Maybe I’ll lay them out and sew them together today.
I got my sewing machine for Christmas in 2002. I love it. I didn’t even get a car till the next summer. But the fabric store was less than a mile away and so I would walk down, buy a bunch of fabric, put it in a big bag, throw it over my shoulder and walk home Santa Claus style.
I really don’t know what I’d do without a sewing machine.
I sew quilts. Lots and lots of quilts. It’s pretty math. And it’s probably as expensive as therapy, but I have a blanket when I’m finished, and I think I’m more sane this way.
And I love that there are some patterns I’m really good at now and so if I decide I want pajama pants to commemorate an occasion (yes, I’ve done that several times), I can just whip some out. Or a skirt. Or if I need a new costume for something.
We all need to create, and sewing is how I do that.
I am an educator and PhD. I quilt, belly dance, run, read, and try to grow things. I am a Mormon. I am infertile. I am a daughter, sister, aunt, grand-daughter, friend, wife, and mom.
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