After a fabulous week in Colorado I have returned safe and sound to the great state of Iowa. I probably don't need to inform anyone that it was rather windy today. Turns out it was windy from the moment I left Colorado Springs to the moment I pulled into my driveway. This made what should have been a fairly boring but mindless drive home somewhat of a challenge. Especially in the beginning.
Monday I was driving back to Juanita's place from a coffee shop and saw a tumbleweed, which I was pretty pumped about because I had never seen one before. Juanita was surprised by this because "they are everywhere". In the short time from Monday afternoon to Wednesday mid morning, I went from loving tumbleweeds to hoping I never see one again.
As I drove down I-76 today (which on a side note has to be the most desolate stretch of road I have ever been on) I saw a tumbleweed. And in a moment of excitement in my car I said "TUMBLEWEED!" (Yes people it's THAT boring out there). Then I saw another and announced it again (what can I say entertainment is hard to come by out there). Pretty soon there were three at a time. . .woohoo. . .then five. Soon I felt like I was in a tumbleweed mine field. Tumbleweeds coming dozens at a time flying across lanes of traffic and me flying down the road just praying that they will tumble out of the way before my car meets them.
As I am dodging tumble weeds like Mario dodging banana peels I see a fairly large tumbleweed come into the left lane. Okay if it just keeps moving it will be out of the lane by the time I get there. As I come closer the wind dies for a just a moment and the tumbleweed pauses in the road. SPLAT! The front of my car makes contact the with the weed. Now tumbleweeds don't have a lot of substance to them however they are very branchy. When the tumbleweed met the front of my car. . .it got stuck. So now I am flying down the interstate at 80 mph with a giant tumbleweed stuck to the front of the car like a spiny. . .spidery looking hood ornament.
As anyone who has been to Eastern Colorado/Western Nebraska can attest to there aren't a lot of places to get on and off. So I had to drive down the interstate for a good 10 miles before coming to an exit where I could pull over and remove the weed from my car. After narrowly escaping being shmucked by a semi getting back in the car, the car was weed free and we were on the move again.
Like I said, if I never see a Tumbleweed again I will die happy.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Pikes Peak
I had the distinct pleasure to viewing the world from atop Pikes Peak this week. I must say it was one of the most magnificent things I have ever seen. They say on a clear day you can see all the way to Kansas from the top. However they could be lying because really it's not like you can distinguish one things from another up there, it all looks like a very small ant farm, so small you can't even see the ants just the buildings, and barely that. Anyway I digress.
I knew that I wanted to see Pikes Peak while I was here but I also know that I have a paralyzing fear of heights so I was curious as to how this adventure would go. I also knew that we were on a little bit of a time schedule because we had to be off the summit by 4 and off the mountain completely by 5, we didn't get to the front gate until 3.
So first things first, we pull up to the gate and pay our 12 dollars a piece, a little ridiculous in my book but whatever, they tell us when we have to leave the summit and when we have to be down completely. Then they tell us that the temperature on the top is -2. WHAT!!!!!!. I mean I knew it would be colder but that is like the dead of winter in Iowa, yikes. But it's okay we can manage we have coats and sweatshirts and what not. So we get our receipt and head up the mountain.
The first little bit is going great I can tell we are getting higher but so far nothing to bad just trying to keep my eyes away from the edge of the road. About the time we reached the point where we were above the tree line (meaning nothing grows up there), the road got narrower, and the drop off steeper, I can feel the color leaving my face. I interrupt Juanita and tell her if she doesn't start talking about something very entertaining I am going to loose my lunch.
So we quickly change topics I close my eyes and hang on to the "oh shit" handle for the remainder of the ride. We reach the top and Juanita tells me I can open my eyes, after asking her twice if she was sure I peeked one eye open and saw the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. There are really no words to describe what that looks like. I took quite a few pictures and I am not sure any of those will do justice either but we are going to find out.
Now -2 not matter how beautiful hits you like a ton of bricks and the wind up there was ridiculous. And there is almost no oxygen in the air, which can be a little problematic but all of those things are so totally worth it.
So the moral of the story is this kids. Sometimes it is more than worth it to push through paralyzing fear, you just never know what beauty may be on the other side.
I knew that I wanted to see Pikes Peak while I was here but I also know that I have a paralyzing fear of heights so I was curious as to how this adventure would go. I also knew that we were on a little bit of a time schedule because we had to be off the summit by 4 and off the mountain completely by 5, we didn't get to the front gate until 3.
So first things first, we pull up to the gate and pay our 12 dollars a piece, a little ridiculous in my book but whatever, they tell us when we have to leave the summit and when we have to be down completely. Then they tell us that the temperature on the top is -2. WHAT!!!!!!. I mean I knew it would be colder but that is like the dead of winter in Iowa, yikes. But it's okay we can manage we have coats and sweatshirts and what not. So we get our receipt and head up the mountain.
The first little bit is going great I can tell we are getting higher but so far nothing to bad just trying to keep my eyes away from the edge of the road. About the time we reached the point where we were above the tree line (meaning nothing grows up there), the road got narrower, and the drop off steeper, I can feel the color leaving my face. I interrupt Juanita and tell her if she doesn't start talking about something very entertaining I am going to loose my lunch.
So we quickly change topics I close my eyes and hang on to the "oh shit" handle for the remainder of the ride. We reach the top and Juanita tells me I can open my eyes, after asking her twice if she was sure I peeked one eye open and saw the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. There are really no words to describe what that looks like. I took quite a few pictures and I am not sure any of those will do justice either but we are going to find out.
Now -2 not matter how beautiful hits you like a ton of bricks and the wind up there was ridiculous. And there is almost no oxygen in the air, which can be a little problematic but all of those things are so totally worth it.
So the moral of the story is this kids. Sometimes it is more than worth it to push through paralyzing fear, you just never know what beauty may be on the other side.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Altitude
So one of the most important things I learned on this trip is that a difference in altitude makes a huge difference on your ability to breath. Considering breathing is an essential part of life it is a fairly essential lesson but one I learned the hard way when I got to Colorado.
On a side note when I arrived in Colorado last Thursday night the very first thing I noticed was how dry it was not the altitude. A warning to anyone coming to Colorado see if you can get your doctor to hook up and IV line of saline to keep you hydrated and make sure you bring about 100 tubes of chapstick. It's that dry.
Anyway when I finally met up with my dear friend Juanita and made it into her apartment (yet another story for another post) one of the first things she asks me is have you noticed a difference in altitude. I said no because really at that point I had not. The next day we went for our little rain hike (see "Adventures in Hiking") and still I hadn't noticed much of a difference. Now at this point I was feeling pretty awesome like maybe I was a immune to the difference in altitude. I quickly learned the next day that that was not the case.
Saturday we drove a ways up into the mountains for a hike. We take off up the trail and are having a good time messing around and playing. At one point Juanita did or said something funny I let out this fairly boisterous laugh and all of the sudden it felt like someone had drained ever molecule of oxygen from my lungs. You know if feels when someone kicks you in the gut and you loose your breath, pretty much the same feeling. I thought to myself wow that was weird, still not making the altitude connection. Later that day I was messing around with Juanita again and went to lift her off the ground and that same thing happened. Still thinking that's weird. But in terms of hiking and stuff I still wasn't feeling all that effected by the altitude. Then it happened.
Later that night we were having a bond fire out on a ranch. We were down in a valley to have this bond fire to stay out of the wind. At the end of the night a few of us were walking up the hill (a fairly steep hill at that). Now I noticed that I was having trouble breathing but I figured that was due to lack of exercise and the steepness of this hill. Juanita kept asking if I was okay, and I kept saying yes. It wasn't till I got the top that I realized I was not okay. I could not catch my breath and really thought for a minute that I was going down. For those of you hoping the next sentence is that I did go down. . .sorry to disappoint, I managed to catch my breath (or at least enough breath) to prevent any face plants in the dirt. But I did learn in that moment that I am not as awesome as I thought.
The next day we tackled Pikes Peak, and let me tell you the air is so thin up there that sometimes even when you are standing still and not talking it gets a little challenging to breath. But let me tell you folks it's beautiful up there.
Moral of the story, no matter how awesome you are you WILL be effected by an altitude change. So if by telling this I can prevent anyone from over doing it and doing an actual face plant than I have done my job.
On a side note when I arrived in Colorado last Thursday night the very first thing I noticed was how dry it was not the altitude. A warning to anyone coming to Colorado see if you can get your doctor to hook up and IV line of saline to keep you hydrated and make sure you bring about 100 tubes of chapstick. It's that dry.
Anyway when I finally met up with my dear friend Juanita and made it into her apartment (yet another story for another post) one of the first things she asks me is have you noticed a difference in altitude. I said no because really at that point I had not. The next day we went for our little rain hike (see "Adventures in Hiking") and still I hadn't noticed much of a difference. Now at this point I was feeling pretty awesome like maybe I was a immune to the difference in altitude. I quickly learned the next day that that was not the case.
Saturday we drove a ways up into the mountains for a hike. We take off up the trail and are having a good time messing around and playing. At one point Juanita did or said something funny I let out this fairly boisterous laugh and all of the sudden it felt like someone had drained ever molecule of oxygen from my lungs. You know if feels when someone kicks you in the gut and you loose your breath, pretty much the same feeling. I thought to myself wow that was weird, still not making the altitude connection. Later that day I was messing around with Juanita again and went to lift her off the ground and that same thing happened. Still thinking that's weird. But in terms of hiking and stuff I still wasn't feeling all that effected by the altitude. Then it happened.
Later that night we were having a bond fire out on a ranch. We were down in a valley to have this bond fire to stay out of the wind. At the end of the night a few of us were walking up the hill (a fairly steep hill at that). Now I noticed that I was having trouble breathing but I figured that was due to lack of exercise and the steepness of this hill. Juanita kept asking if I was okay, and I kept saying yes. It wasn't till I got the top that I realized I was not okay. I could not catch my breath and really thought for a minute that I was going down. For those of you hoping the next sentence is that I did go down. . .sorry to disappoint, I managed to catch my breath (or at least enough breath) to prevent any face plants in the dirt. But I did learn in that moment that I am not as awesome as I thought.
The next day we tackled Pikes Peak, and let me tell you the air is so thin up there that sometimes even when you are standing still and not talking it gets a little challenging to breath. But let me tell you folks it's beautiful up there.
Moral of the story, no matter how awesome you are you WILL be effected by an altitude change. So if by telling this I can prevent anyone from over doing it and doing an actual face plant than I have done my job.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Adventures in Hiking
As many of you know I am currently on vacation in the great state of Colorado visiting a very dear friend of mine. For the protection of all those involved we will call her Juanita. You must understand that Juanita loves the outdoors sometimes I think more than life itself so I knew coming out here that there would be a fair amount of hiking involved in this trip. What you can never prepare for with Juanita is the adventures you will find yourself in.
Friday morning we arose from our beauty rest bright and early around 9:00am :). After a hearty breakfast we set out to explore a new park that Juanita had come across. As we pulled out of the parking lot frozen droplets of water (aka hail) started to fall from the sky. I looked at Juanita with a questioning stare but she assured me that it never rains for very long in Colorado. After a short drive we pulled into a gas station to quench Flash's (the truck's) thirst. As Juanita is standing beside Flash waiting for the pump to stop, while it is still raining mind you, she pops her head back in the door and says "Just so you know Colorado has the highest rate of death by lightening strike". She then smiles. Excuse me what. First you tell me it never rains long in Colorado (It's now been raining for 30 minutes at least) and now you tell me if ever I were to be struck dead by lightening it would be here. Suffice it to say I am not having a good feeling at this point.
But I trust my dear friend Juanita, after all we have been friends for many moons so we continue on. When we arrive at the state park it has indeed stopped raining but the clouds are still looming. So we hop out of the car make one last pit stop before heading off into the wilderness, and of course sign at the trail head in case you get eaten by a bear or mountain lion the rangers would like a heads up you are missing.
So we take off up the trail to explore, now we are taking it kind of easy cause the elevation in Colorado is a little higher than Iowa, but more on that in another post. So we mosey for about an hour and every once in a while there is a divide in the trail with a map and we mosey this way or that way. When all of the sudden we heard thunder. Juanita informs me that is when we turn around, so we head back down the trail (remember the high rate of lightening strikes). We probably made it no more than 10 steps when the sky opens up and the floods come down, so we start truckin it as fast as we can, when the frozen droplets come back. So Juanita says lets stand under this tree. Is anyone questioning whether or not that will help. I kind of did but I figured what the heck might as well try it. It did keep the frozen droplets off but when it started raining harder we figured we weren't gaining much and continued down the trail.
At this point we are soaked, our feet weighed 5 pounds more each because of the mud and my OCD is on full force. I can not stand the feeling of wet clothes touching me. We finally get to the point where we can see the trail head again and the rain stops. SERIOUSLY???? Mother nature has a terrible sense of humor.
Definitely an adventure to remember. We got home dried off and had a great afternoon, inside. The next day however was a fabulous hike, and much drier.
Friday morning we arose from our beauty rest bright and early around 9:00am :). After a hearty breakfast we set out to explore a new park that Juanita had come across. As we pulled out of the parking lot frozen droplets of water (aka hail) started to fall from the sky. I looked at Juanita with a questioning stare but she assured me that it never rains for very long in Colorado. After a short drive we pulled into a gas station to quench Flash's (the truck's) thirst. As Juanita is standing beside Flash waiting for the pump to stop, while it is still raining mind you, she pops her head back in the door and says "Just so you know Colorado has the highest rate of death by lightening strike". She then smiles. Excuse me what. First you tell me it never rains long in Colorado (It's now been raining for 30 minutes at least) and now you tell me if ever I were to be struck dead by lightening it would be here. Suffice it to say I am not having a good feeling at this point.
But I trust my dear friend Juanita, after all we have been friends for many moons so we continue on. When we arrive at the state park it has indeed stopped raining but the clouds are still looming. So we hop out of the car make one last pit stop before heading off into the wilderness, and of course sign at the trail head in case you get eaten by a bear or mountain lion the rangers would like a heads up you are missing.
So we take off up the trail to explore, now we are taking it kind of easy cause the elevation in Colorado is a little higher than Iowa, but more on that in another post. So we mosey for about an hour and every once in a while there is a divide in the trail with a map and we mosey this way or that way. When all of the sudden we heard thunder. Juanita informs me that is when we turn around, so we head back down the trail (remember the high rate of lightening strikes). We probably made it no more than 10 steps when the sky opens up and the floods come down, so we start truckin it as fast as we can, when the frozen droplets come back. So Juanita says lets stand under this tree. Is anyone questioning whether or not that will help. I kind of did but I figured what the heck might as well try it. It did keep the frozen droplets off but when it started raining harder we figured we weren't gaining much and continued down the trail.
At this point we are soaked, our feet weighed 5 pounds more each because of the mud and my OCD is on full force. I can not stand the feeling of wet clothes touching me. We finally get to the point where we can see the trail head again and the rain stops. SERIOUSLY???? Mother nature has a terrible sense of humor.
Definitely an adventure to remember. We got home dried off and had a great afternoon, inside. The next day however was a fabulous hike, and much drier.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Judges
When I started this blog I promised myself I would use this forum only for fun and silly stories. But lately I have seen some ads with the impending election that I just can not bring myself to ignore any longer.
I am sure by now, whether on the radio or on the tv, all of you have seen one of the ads that is encouraging to vote to have three of the current Iowa Supreme Court Judges removed due mostly because of their ruling regarding granting Marriage licenses to Same Sex couples. Now before you read any further the point of this post is not to argue whether same sex marriage is wrong or right nor is it to tell you all how to vote come November 2nd. It is simply to beg all of you to make sure you have the facts before making a decision.
The group funding these ads not only wants to have these judges voted out but they also want to change how Supreme Court judges are appointed. Right now when their is a vacancy on the Supreme court a bi partisan committee choose a number of suitable candidates and then the governor chooses the one he wants to appoint. The changes being proposed would create a situation where the choices for Supreme Court would become more politicised which will not benefit any of us. The job the Judges is not to create law or run their own agenda but to uphold the law as it is currently written.
Which brings me to my final point. The ruling that came down over a year ago was NOT to legalize same sex marriage it was that it is unconstitutional to deny same sex couples a marriage license. The ruling did NOT pertain to making a decision for all Iowans regarding same sex marriage it was about upholding equal protection under the law, which I think is something we would all agree is worth protecting. Basically it makes it so that the majority CAN NOT discriminate against the minority. Any minority on an issue.
As I said before, the point of this post is not to tell anyone how to vote or to argue the rightness or wrongness of same sex marriage. I simply ask that you know the facts and understand what is really going on before making your decision on November 2nd. And really that goes for all issues and choices made on the 2nd. I think we can all agree that all political ads on both sides of the isle twist facts and take things out of context rather than focusing on telling us what they are going to do for us.
Thank you for indulging me in one serious politically charged post. I promise I will keep them to a minimum.
I am sure by now, whether on the radio or on the tv, all of you have seen one of the ads that is encouraging to vote to have three of the current Iowa Supreme Court Judges removed due mostly because of their ruling regarding granting Marriage licenses to Same Sex couples. Now before you read any further the point of this post is not to argue whether same sex marriage is wrong or right nor is it to tell you all how to vote come November 2nd. It is simply to beg all of you to make sure you have the facts before making a decision.
The group funding these ads not only wants to have these judges voted out but they also want to change how Supreme Court judges are appointed. Right now when their is a vacancy on the Supreme court a bi partisan committee choose a number of suitable candidates and then the governor chooses the one he wants to appoint. The changes being proposed would create a situation where the choices for Supreme Court would become more politicised which will not benefit any of us. The job the Judges is not to create law or run their own agenda but to uphold the law as it is currently written.
Which brings me to my final point. The ruling that came down over a year ago was NOT to legalize same sex marriage it was that it is unconstitutional to deny same sex couples a marriage license. The ruling did NOT pertain to making a decision for all Iowans regarding same sex marriage it was about upholding equal protection under the law, which I think is something we would all agree is worth protecting. Basically it makes it so that the majority CAN NOT discriminate against the minority. Any minority on an issue.
As I said before, the point of this post is not to tell anyone how to vote or to argue the rightness or wrongness of same sex marriage. I simply ask that you know the facts and understand what is really going on before making your decision on November 2nd. And really that goes for all issues and choices made on the 2nd. I think we can all agree that all political ads on both sides of the isle twist facts and take things out of context rather than focusing on telling us what they are going to do for us.
Thank you for indulging me in one serious politically charged post. I promise I will keep them to a minimum.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Mutant Fruit
There is never a dull moment at my job. No matter who I am with no matter where I am I can find something to talk about with anyone. Before I continue let me just make this disclaim, I am in no way a naturalist or purist or whatever the word is for eating only organic foods. But sometimes I wonder if that isn't a good idea to look into.
So back to the talking to anyone thing. I was chatting with one of the Juvenile Court Officers that I work with today, and believe it or not we started talking about a case but it quickly deteriorated into other topics completely unrelated to work. One of them was the topic of mutant fruit, at this point I can't remember how it got started but it was a fairly entertaining conversation.
We were discussing the fact that now when you go to the grocery story some things have become almost unrecognizable. In a recent visit to the store I thought I would buy some strawberries and as I searched through the packages for one that looked "good" I noticed that some of them only had like 5 strawberries in a pound box. These strawberries were a pale shade of red, hard as a rock, and easily the size of ping pong ball. Now I don't know about the rest of you but when my mom had a strawberry patch the strawberries we got NEVER looked like that. They were, on average, the size of a large marble, were a deep shade of red, and were juicy and full of flavor.
So I just have to ask, what the hell happened? And it's not just strawberries. Bananas, apples, oranges (have you seen those lately they are larger than a softball), cucumbers, tomatos, I could go on and on. Everywhere you look in the produce department things have gotten larger, more pale, and less flavorful. When did this change occur, when did we decide that size mattered more than flavor? Produce has been sprayed with growth hormones, to get bigger, then picked early so they don't rot on the way to the store, and then sprayed again to "ripen" them up so they look pretty on the shelf. Basically what we have ended up with is some mutant form of the fruits and vegetables we once knew and loved.
I don't know if at this point we can ever go back, we have become all to accustomed to this over sized produce and probably for the most part don't even realize we are missing out on any flavor. However that being said it makes me think that next year I will be hitting the farmer's market hard. I don't care if it's a little deformed or I have to eat 10 strawberries rather than 5 to get my fill, as long as it's fresh and flavorful.
I will leave you with this closing thought. The juvenile court officer suggested this course of action the next time you are in the store. Pick up one of these mutant fruits, find one of the employess and ask them "what the hell is this?" If nothing else you may get some entertainment out of their reaction.
So back to the talking to anyone thing. I was chatting with one of the Juvenile Court Officers that I work with today, and believe it or not we started talking about a case but it quickly deteriorated into other topics completely unrelated to work. One of them was the topic of mutant fruit, at this point I can't remember how it got started but it was a fairly entertaining conversation.
We were discussing the fact that now when you go to the grocery story some things have become almost unrecognizable. In a recent visit to the store I thought I would buy some strawberries and as I searched through the packages for one that looked "good" I noticed that some of them only had like 5 strawberries in a pound box. These strawberries were a pale shade of red, hard as a rock, and easily the size of ping pong ball. Now I don't know about the rest of you but when my mom had a strawberry patch the strawberries we got NEVER looked like that. They were, on average, the size of a large marble, were a deep shade of red, and were juicy and full of flavor.
So I just have to ask, what the hell happened? And it's not just strawberries. Bananas, apples, oranges (have you seen those lately they are larger than a softball), cucumbers, tomatos, I could go on and on. Everywhere you look in the produce department things have gotten larger, more pale, and less flavorful. When did this change occur, when did we decide that size mattered more than flavor? Produce has been sprayed with growth hormones, to get bigger, then picked early so they don't rot on the way to the store, and then sprayed again to "ripen" them up so they look pretty on the shelf. Basically what we have ended up with is some mutant form of the fruits and vegetables we once knew and loved.
I don't know if at this point we can ever go back, we have become all to accustomed to this over sized produce and probably for the most part don't even realize we are missing out on any flavor. However that being said it makes me think that next year I will be hitting the farmer's market hard. I don't care if it's a little deformed or I have to eat 10 strawberries rather than 5 to get my fill, as long as it's fresh and flavorful.
I will leave you with this closing thought. The juvenile court officer suggested this course of action the next time you are in the store. Pick up one of these mutant fruits, find one of the employess and ask them "what the hell is this?" If nothing else you may get some entertainment out of their reaction.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Concert in the Corn
This weekend I was kidnapped by a dear friend and taken to South Dakota of all places. Granted we weren't very far into South Dakota but none the less we were in South Dakota. What's in South Dakota you ask, well in the words of my friend "the largest free music event in the country" also known as Lifelight. Tens of thousands of people come together over the course of 3 packed days of Christian music performed on 6 different performance stages. The whole experience is a little overwhelming if you are a Lifelight virgin as I was. However I will say it was a really good time and the weather was beautiful.
Now as usual a lot of performers made a comment or two about the fact they were in South Dakota. Granted I am an Iowan not a South Dakotan but the comments pretty much sounded the same. You know how rural it is, how uncool we are even though we like to think we are gangsta in South Dakota etc. Now I am no longer offended by these things and in fact as we were walking around the event I decided that we kind of bring it on ourselves.
Lifelight this year was in a new location. Twelve miles south of Sioux Falls in Worthing SD. Really it wasn't even in Worthing it was east of Worthing. . .on a huge farm. . .that's right ladies and gentlemen a farm. The parking lots were what I assume used to be corn fields and corn fields surrounded the event grounds on all sides. One of the stages was in a barn, the merchandise vendors were also in barns or maybe those were machine sheds, I don't know what the technical term is for all the different buildings. There was another place filled with vendors called Lifelight alley, that was lined on one side with cilos. Cilos people cilos.
So really how can we not laugh at ourselves? We bring all kinds of musicians from big cities to the rural midwest. . .to a corn field to be exact. . .and we expect them not to make fun of us. We should really be making fun of ourselves. Anyway there are some random thoughts from my weekend at Lifelight. All in all it was a good time. There were also a lot of activities over the weekend, but I will save those for another post. Stayed tuned!
Now as usual a lot of performers made a comment or two about the fact they were in South Dakota. Granted I am an Iowan not a South Dakotan but the comments pretty much sounded the same. You know how rural it is, how uncool we are even though we like to think we are gangsta in South Dakota etc. Now I am no longer offended by these things and in fact as we were walking around the event I decided that we kind of bring it on ourselves.
Lifelight this year was in a new location. Twelve miles south of Sioux Falls in Worthing SD. Really it wasn't even in Worthing it was east of Worthing. . .on a huge farm. . .that's right ladies and gentlemen a farm. The parking lots were what I assume used to be corn fields and corn fields surrounded the event grounds on all sides. One of the stages was in a barn, the merchandise vendors were also in barns or maybe those were machine sheds, I don't know what the technical term is for all the different buildings. There was another place filled with vendors called Lifelight alley, that was lined on one side with cilos. Cilos people cilos.
So really how can we not laugh at ourselves? We bring all kinds of musicians from big cities to the rural midwest. . .to a corn field to be exact. . .and we expect them not to make fun of us. We should really be making fun of ourselves. Anyway there are some random thoughts from my weekend at Lifelight. All in all it was a good time. There were also a lot of activities over the weekend, but I will save those for another post. Stayed tuned!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Freedom of Speech
Freedom of speech is one of the many freedoms we are afforded in this country and coming from someone with a very large mouth and a blog of all things it is greatly appreciated. However, lately I have been thinking there should be some stipulations put on that particular freedom or at least some general guidelines that out of respect for others we should all abide by.
This evening I watched a video on a fellow bloggers website in which they interviewed a number of people that attended the Glenn Beck "Restoring Honor" rally in Washington D.C. As I watched this I was disturbed by the number of people who felt so strongly about topic for which they could not formulate a coherent sentence. And even if they could by chance formulate a coherent and grammatically correct sentence their argument as a whole made no sense.
Now before everyone gets all worked up and tells me that I am being unfairly biased towards the people that land on the conservative side of the spectrum, I would like to say this. I have no problem debating the issues with someone identifying themselves as a Republican. We will probably agree on very little but if you are up to a good debate and can formulate coherent thought, bring it on, sounds like a good time and believe it or not we could be friends at the end of the day too.
I do have one request however. Whether you are Republican or Democrat, Christian or Atheist, or any other side of any other topic, please please PLEASE be able to formulate a coherent thought (preferably several thoughts strung together) and do some research on the topic you are debating to ensure that you have actual fact. Nothing is more frustrating to me than trying to have a conversation with someone and you swear you heard that exact same argument on one of those 24 hour new stations the night before. . .oh wait because YOU DID!
So the bottom line is I love that we have the right to freely speak our minds. I do it on a fairly regular basis. All I ask is that if you are going to take advantage of this wonderful right that you take a moment to collect your thoughts, put them in a coherent order, and take your fact checking beyond the "breaking news" you heard on CNN, MSNBC, FOX NEWS or any other ridiculous 24 hour all day every day new station.
This evening I watched a video on a fellow bloggers website in which they interviewed a number of people that attended the Glenn Beck "Restoring Honor" rally in Washington D.C. As I watched this I was disturbed by the number of people who felt so strongly about topic for which they could not formulate a coherent sentence. And even if they could by chance formulate a coherent and grammatically correct sentence their argument as a whole made no sense.
Now before everyone gets all worked up and tells me that I am being unfairly biased towards the people that land on the conservative side of the spectrum, I would like to say this. I have no problem debating the issues with someone identifying themselves as a Republican. We will probably agree on very little but if you are up to a good debate and can formulate coherent thought, bring it on, sounds like a good time and believe it or not we could be friends at the end of the day too.
I do have one request however. Whether you are Republican or Democrat, Christian or Atheist, or any other side of any other topic, please please PLEASE be able to formulate a coherent thought (preferably several thoughts strung together) and do some research on the topic you are debating to ensure that you have actual fact. Nothing is more frustrating to me than trying to have a conversation with someone and you swear you heard that exact same argument on one of those 24 hour new stations the night before. . .oh wait because YOU DID!
So the bottom line is I love that we have the right to freely speak our minds. I do it on a fairly regular basis. All I ask is that if you are going to take advantage of this wonderful right that you take a moment to collect your thoughts, put them in a coherent order, and take your fact checking beyond the "breaking news" you heard on CNN, MSNBC, FOX NEWS or any other ridiculous 24 hour all day every day new station.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Furry Friends
Many people know that I am the proud owner of two cats. And no one loves them as much as I do, one, because they are my cats, and two, because no one seems to appreciate the feline species the way I do. Cats are great for so many reasons but the bottom line is they are a great combination of entertainment and sass.
When you have cats you will never forget that you are in fact not the all powerful center of the universe. When you call either of my cats by name one of two things tends to happen one, they perk their ears but don't actually look at you, or if they are already looking your direction they look away as if to say I heard you but I am not going to give you the satisfaction. Cats can also be very affectionate, but make no mistake they are only affectionate on their terms. If the cats are strolling through the living room and I put my hand out to pet them and they are not in the mood, they will sink down the floor to avoid making contact with my hand. Sometimes when they do tolerate my affection they then immediately start licking the stop I touched as if my hand is too dirty for them. I am never sure whether or not to be offended by these actions or to laugh at their audacity.
Now on the flip side for as sassy as they are with me they also do some hilarious and down right odd things. Last night as I was getting ready to for bed and heard the tell tale sign that a cat was about to puke somewhere in the house. I searched the house to find the offending cat, I found Marv right after he barfed on my carpet and when I turned the light on he came running over begging for food. Seriously?? Only a cat could barf and then think about food that quick. Needless to say I didn't give him any and made him wait till morning.
On another occasion I heard a thumping sound coming from somewhere in the house, curious as to what the noise was I started searching the house. When I entered the kitchen the thumping got louder and as I looked around for the source, I saw a little white paw sticking out of a cabinet, then the paw would disappear and thump the cabinet would close. Turns out Claudia was smart enough to figure out how to use her paw, head, and body to get into the cabinet but was not smart enough to figure out the same technique would free her from the cabinet. I about died on the floor laughing while I let her out, and she looked at me like, "that's not funny".
I could go on for days with stories about them chasing each other around, attacking my feet in bed because I moved them under the covers etc. but I won't. Bottom line is there is never a dull moment in this house with two cats that either have me on the floor rolling or are reminding me that I am not the most important thing in the world and they have "better things to do" sometimes.
When you have cats you will never forget that you are in fact not the all powerful center of the universe. When you call either of my cats by name one of two things tends to happen one, they perk their ears but don't actually look at you, or if they are already looking your direction they look away as if to say I heard you but I am not going to give you the satisfaction. Cats can also be very affectionate, but make no mistake they are only affectionate on their terms. If the cats are strolling through the living room and I put my hand out to pet them and they are not in the mood, they will sink down the floor to avoid making contact with my hand. Sometimes when they do tolerate my affection they then immediately start licking the stop I touched as if my hand is too dirty for them. I am never sure whether or not to be offended by these actions or to laugh at their audacity.
Now on the flip side for as sassy as they are with me they also do some hilarious and down right odd things. Last night as I was getting ready to for bed and heard the tell tale sign that a cat was about to puke somewhere in the house. I searched the house to find the offending cat, I found Marv right after he barfed on my carpet and when I turned the light on he came running over begging for food. Seriously?? Only a cat could barf and then think about food that quick. Needless to say I didn't give him any and made him wait till morning.
On another occasion I heard a thumping sound coming from somewhere in the house, curious as to what the noise was I started searching the house. When I entered the kitchen the thumping got louder and as I looked around for the source, I saw a little white paw sticking out of a cabinet, then the paw would disappear and thump the cabinet would close. Turns out Claudia was smart enough to figure out how to use her paw, head, and body to get into the cabinet but was not smart enough to figure out the same technique would free her from the cabinet. I about died on the floor laughing while I let her out, and she looked at me like, "that's not funny".
I could go on for days with stories about them chasing each other around, attacking my feet in bed because I moved them under the covers etc. but I won't. Bottom line is there is never a dull moment in this house with two cats that either have me on the floor rolling or are reminding me that I am not the most important thing in the world and they have "better things to do" sometimes.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Meant To Be?
Destiny has been a topic rolling around in my head for the last few days. Are we all born destine to be something and nothing can stand in the way? Do the events of our lives shape our destiny? Or can we truly make our own destiny and be whatever we want to be? I have always believed that the events of our lives can shape our destiny and to a certain extent we can choose what we want to be and do. However I am starting to believe that all of us or at least some of us are born destine to be something.
I have often wondered after a long hard day at work if there was a profession that would be less stressful that I should look into. While I entertain the thought I always come back to the same conclusion. . .I can't imagine doing anything else and truly enjoying it. Despite the difficulties that come with being a therapist I truly love it. This is where the destiny part comes in. . .I think I was destine to work in this field.
Over the weekend I went to my dad's house for a few days just to hang out. While we were there we were going through some things in the basement and stumbled across a journal my mom started when I was three. In it were all the funny things my sister and I said and did. As I read through them I was amazed at how much of my personality and tendencies were already present at that age. Allow me to share of it with you.
When I was three I was already looking out for other people. One day my mom snapped at my sister after having a disagreement with my dad. . .I informed my Mom that she shouldn't yell at Tamra because she is upset with Daddy. Truth hurts from a 3 year old. Mom also said that I used to hear Tamra crying and come running saying "What's wrong Tamra, I'm coming." Yet another time my mom yelled at my sister and I put my arm around my sister and told mom not to yell at her cause she is my sister.
I am sure that there were times my parent didn't know what to do with me because, I have to admit that is pretty smart for a 3 year old if I do say so myself. But I can't help but wonder if there is innate concern for others in me, that means no matter what happened in my life, what major I chose in college, or what job I chose as an adult, I would end up working my whole to help people around me.
Now I am sure most of you know that I don't say this to toot my own horn or brag about my profession of choice (trust me most days there is nothing to brag about). . .I bring it up because I have found it fascinating how you could already see the beginnings of a social worker in me even when I was 3. I wonder if we all looked back at us when we were little if we could see the beginnings of whatever we grew up to be. . .even then.
I have often wondered after a long hard day at work if there was a profession that would be less stressful that I should look into. While I entertain the thought I always come back to the same conclusion. . .I can't imagine doing anything else and truly enjoying it. Despite the difficulties that come with being a therapist I truly love it. This is where the destiny part comes in. . .I think I was destine to work in this field.
Over the weekend I went to my dad's house for a few days just to hang out. While we were there we were going through some things in the basement and stumbled across a journal my mom started when I was three. In it were all the funny things my sister and I said and did. As I read through them I was amazed at how much of my personality and tendencies were already present at that age. Allow me to share of it with you.
When I was three I was already looking out for other people. One day my mom snapped at my sister after having a disagreement with my dad. . .I informed my Mom that she shouldn't yell at Tamra because she is upset with Daddy. Truth hurts from a 3 year old. Mom also said that I used to hear Tamra crying and come running saying "What's wrong Tamra, I'm coming." Yet another time my mom yelled at my sister and I put my arm around my sister and told mom not to yell at her cause she is my sister.
I am sure that there were times my parent didn't know what to do with me because, I have to admit that is pretty smart for a 3 year old if I do say so myself. But I can't help but wonder if there is innate concern for others in me, that means no matter what happened in my life, what major I chose in college, or what job I chose as an adult, I would end up working my whole to help people around me.
Now I am sure most of you know that I don't say this to toot my own horn or brag about my profession of choice (trust me most days there is nothing to brag about). . .I bring it up because I have found it fascinating how you could already see the beginnings of a social worker in me even when I was 3. I wonder if we all looked back at us when we were little if we could see the beginnings of whatever we grew up to be. . .even then.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
The gene pool from whence we came.
Parents are a funny. Specifically dads. I have a particularly funny dad, his name is Chuck, but he has been dubbed Chuckles the Happy Clown by my sister, sometimes it's fitting sometimes it's just disturbing. I really love my dad, I think most of you (and by that I mean all three of you) know that I talk to my dad everyday, but there are times with my dad that I just shake my head and think to myself I can't believe half of my genes came from him.
So Chuckles came to town today for a visit, we had a family friend in town and we all got together for lunch. As soon as he got to the door it begins, he can't sit still when he visits so he starts pacing around the living room while I am sitting on the couch reading the paper. Then he says let's go outside so we do. Then he starts wandering around the house and the list starts. You need to fertilize the yard, you need to get this vent fixed, you need to prune this tree, you need to ________. All of which costs money. And I know he's trying to helpful, which I appreciate but can't we just sit and visit, I don't do this at your house.
Then we get the call that our friend is going to be later than we thought so we go back inside. Dad starts going through the boxes of crackers and bags of chips on top of the micorwave. The following conversation ensues:
Me: Dad, what are you doing?
Dad: Looking for something to munch on I'm hungry, and none of these are open
Me: Just pick something and open it, it's not that big of a deal.
Dad: No then it will go stale and I will have wasted your food.
At this point I am thinking, hi have we met, food does not go stale in this house. Eventually he found an open bag of potato chips that seemed good enough, and of course met the criteria of being opened.
Ladies and gentleman I have a conversation like this at least once a week if not three or four times a week and end up shaking my head thinking "Wooooow".
Now for as funny/weird as my dad can been I feel as though I should end this post on a nicer note about him. For years my sister and I have gotten flowers from him on Valentine's day and a chocolate bunny for Easter. This year it did not happen, which was a little sad but nothing that was such a big deal I felt the need to say anything to him. My sister on the other hand felt differently and was giving him grief over Easter about it. So today when he showed up he came in the house with one dozen red roses and three chocolate bunnies for each of us, and true to form announces "You know this stuff is a lot cheaper if you wait till after the holiday to buy it." See he really is a sweet guy.
Love you Dad.
So Chuckles came to town today for a visit, we had a family friend in town and we all got together for lunch. As soon as he got to the door it begins, he can't sit still when he visits so he starts pacing around the living room while I am sitting on the couch reading the paper. Then he says let's go outside so we do. Then he starts wandering around the house and the list starts. You need to fertilize the yard, you need to get this vent fixed, you need to prune this tree, you need to ________. All of which costs money. And I know he's trying to helpful, which I appreciate but can't we just sit and visit, I don't do this at your house.
Then we get the call that our friend is going to be later than we thought so we go back inside. Dad starts going through the boxes of crackers and bags of chips on top of the micorwave. The following conversation ensues:
Me: Dad, what are you doing?
Dad: Looking for something to munch on I'm hungry, and none of these are open
Me: Just pick something and open it, it's not that big of a deal.
Dad: No then it will go stale and I will have wasted your food.
At this point I am thinking, hi have we met, food does not go stale in this house. Eventually he found an open bag of potato chips that seemed good enough, and of course met the criteria of being opened.
Ladies and gentleman I have a conversation like this at least once a week if not three or four times a week and end up shaking my head thinking "Wooooow".
Now for as funny/weird as my dad can been I feel as though I should end this post on a nicer note about him. For years my sister and I have gotten flowers from him on Valentine's day and a chocolate bunny for Easter. This year it did not happen, which was a little sad but nothing that was such a big deal I felt the need to say anything to him. My sister on the other hand felt differently and was giving him grief over Easter about it. So today when he showed up he came in the house with one dozen red roses and three chocolate bunnies for each of us, and true to form announces "You know this stuff is a lot cheaper if you wait till after the holiday to buy it." See he really is a sweet guy.
Love you Dad.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
The house knows.
Back in September I bought a cute little house on the north west side of Des Moines. When I bought the house it was in great condition. . .a few littl things here and there that could be worked on but nothing major and nothing that had to be done right away. I had made plans to do some painting and replace the stove some other odds and ends and I was able to save up some money.
Since September life has been bubbling along no problem and then something interesting happened. Back in February once I received all of my W-2's and other tax forms I bought myself a copy of Turbotax (being the do it yourselfer that I am) completed my taxes. I mailed everything to IRS including proof that I had purchased a house and was eligible for the home buyers tax credit. Once that was accomplished I sat back and began the wait for my fat check to arrive.
I am still waiting for that check but in the 6 weeks since I mailed everything in things have started to go haywire. It started on evening when I was warming something up for dinner. I heard the microwave quit and was surprised because it did not seem as though enough time had elapsed for it to be finished. Upon checking on the microwave I realized that the microwave had died, just died no warning nothing, just dead. For those of you who don't know my microwave is attached to the stove one of those late 80's early 90's units so I can't just get a new microwave gotta replace the whole thing. Great.
Fast foward a couple of weeks, the snow starts melting and I discover that all but three of the window well covers outside are broken. Then one rainy morning I was in the basement getting clothes out of the dryer and just happened to check on the sump pump to discover that it was about to overflow. . .there was 400 dollars and an emergency visit from the plumber.
Now this weekend the kitchen sink is starting to have trouble. The other night I was running the dishwasher and doing some dishes in the sink when all of the sudden water starts bubbling out of the other side of the sink. I ran the garbage disposal think that would clear up the problem, instead the other side of the sink turned into a fountain with water spouting from the drain. Guess the plumber is getting another call.
Why am I telling you this you ask. Because I have come to one conclusion and I want it to serve as a warning to everyone else. The house knows, the house knows that I am expecting a fat check and has decided to make sure that there is none of it left when it finally arrives. Now in all fairness the house did wait until the check was coming before it started breaking down. But still I am warning you all. . .if you own your home. . .it knows more than you think.
Since September life has been bubbling along no problem and then something interesting happened. Back in February once I received all of my W-2's and other tax forms I bought myself a copy of Turbotax (being the do it yourselfer that I am) completed my taxes. I mailed everything to IRS including proof that I had purchased a house and was eligible for the home buyers tax credit. Once that was accomplished I sat back and began the wait for my fat check to arrive.
I am still waiting for that check but in the 6 weeks since I mailed everything in things have started to go haywire. It started on evening when I was warming something up for dinner. I heard the microwave quit and was surprised because it did not seem as though enough time had elapsed for it to be finished. Upon checking on the microwave I realized that the microwave had died, just died no warning nothing, just dead. For those of you who don't know my microwave is attached to the stove one of those late 80's early 90's units so I can't just get a new microwave gotta replace the whole thing. Great.
Fast foward a couple of weeks, the snow starts melting and I discover that all but three of the window well covers outside are broken. Then one rainy morning I was in the basement getting clothes out of the dryer and just happened to check on the sump pump to discover that it was about to overflow. . .there was 400 dollars and an emergency visit from the plumber.
Now this weekend the kitchen sink is starting to have trouble. The other night I was running the dishwasher and doing some dishes in the sink when all of the sudden water starts bubbling out of the other side of the sink. I ran the garbage disposal think that would clear up the problem, instead the other side of the sink turned into a fountain with water spouting from the drain. Guess the plumber is getting another call.
Why am I telling you this you ask. Because I have come to one conclusion and I want it to serve as a warning to everyone else. The house knows, the house knows that I am expecting a fat check and has decided to make sure that there is none of it left when it finally arrives. Now in all fairness the house did wait until the check was coming before it started breaking down. But still I am warning you all. . .if you own your home. . .it knows more than you think.
Peer pressure is an interesting thing.
You may be out there wondering why I have a blog. Interestingly enough I am asking myself the same question. The plain and simple answer is that I have a blog because a friend of mine insisted that I start one after doing a guest blog for her. She thinks I am funny. . .I guess we will find out what other people think now too.
As I sit here and wonder what to write about, or what to make my blog about I don't feel that I have anything special to say, at least not in a public forum. I am just a family therapist in my mid twenties who gets to work with an interesting array of people giving me a very unique and special view of the world from my job.
Speaking of special, my friend (the one I mentioned before who is responsible for this blog even being in existence) tells me I am special all the time. . .but now that I think about by the inflection in her voice I don't think it is intended to be a good thing. I should really ask her about that sometimes. Anyway bring her up again to say that we often have interesting and eventful conversations, also giving me a unique and special view of the world.
Anyway I am sure this blog will be a compilation of random thoughts on random topics, and hopefully presented in a humorous way, based on my very unique and special view of the world. Trust me we will be finding out together where this blog is headed.
Peace out for now.
As I sit here and wonder what to write about, or what to make my blog about I don't feel that I have anything special to say, at least not in a public forum. I am just a family therapist in my mid twenties who gets to work with an interesting array of people giving me a very unique and special view of the world from my job.
Speaking of special, my friend (the one I mentioned before who is responsible for this blog even being in existence) tells me I am special all the time. . .but now that I think about by the inflection in her voice I don't think it is intended to be a good thing. I should really ask her about that sometimes. Anyway bring her up again to say that we often have interesting and eventful conversations, also giving me a unique and special view of the world.
Anyway I am sure this blog will be a compilation of random thoughts on random topics, and hopefully presented in a humorous way, based on my very unique and special view of the world. Trust me we will be finding out together where this blog is headed.
Peace out for now.
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