so much. so little.

Today, for some reason, I've had the urge to "blog." About a lot of things actually. I've been following the Middle East and North Africa somewhat closely - counting casualties, testing the waters on just where I stand politically, worrying about people getting electricity and water, crying with the wailing women at the Bahraini funerals. It's been an interesting ride. Libya has turned into a game of Risk with fatal consequences that I can't entirely agree with, though I can't entirely disagree with either (I feel akin to Turkey though I understand the UN's impetus). And as the revolution marches on, into Syria, I can't help but feel a fullness in my heart. Every one of these revolutions has started with throngs of people peacefully stating that No, we will no longer take this. Meet our demands of equality, dignity and accountability or step down.

After recounting to Adam my shock at the 10 people who have already died in the 6 days of protest in Syria, he said "people die in revolutions." It's true. And I, like the anti-government coalitions, consider them martyrs. I wish in many ways I could be there with them, offering my support.

Briefly, I considered what this meant for our country. It's interesting. I wondered how the Tea Party militias feel. If they consider themselves one in the same as these "Arabs," even though I would assume most of them think any muslim must be a terrorist (perhaps that is closed minded of me, but I can't help but agree with Ron Schiller.). I find the stance the Middle East and North Africans have taken so much more noble. Their decision to stand together in non-sectarianism and fight for equality among the people, not just one religious group, is so much more honorable than to fight for a Christian Constitution that alienates any and every other affiliation (full irony noted).

I went for a drive last Sunday, just to get out of the house for a moment. And as I headed down Provo's main drag, suddenly I saw, barreling down the street toward me, a three-wheeler (what else does one call a three wheeled "motorcycle"?) with a small trailer behind it. In the trailer was a stuffed gorilla probably about my size with his arms propped up on what looked like a shotgun that lay the width of the trailer, and waving in the wind behind him the tell-tale yellow flag with a serpent and the words "Don't tread on me." Shocked and awed, I glanced into my rear-view for a second look but he was too far gone to see much more.

These groups are something I cannot understand. How can Peter King (or the new McCarthy) target Muslims in an attempt to monitor their "radicalization" without even glancing at these militias and teabaggers who are focusing on voting on state guns and extending justifiable homicide to protecting unborn fetuses (i.e. legalizing the executions of abortion doctors)? It makes no sense.

I feel a lot of frustration with our government, yes - particularly with their desire to protect the Libyan people, but their complete disregard of Bahrainis simply because they could never say no to their golden child, the one who will SURELY keep them out of the nursing home when they're old, Saudi Arabia - but more than that, I'm so incredibly frustrated with Americans. Who are we? Why do we care more about the thought of slight radiation hitting the shores of California than the hundreds of thousands of people displaced, missing or dead from twin disasters? And WHY would we rather read about which cast member most recently hurt themselves in the accident riddled Spider Man musical than pay attention to what's going to happen in the next 6 months - namely the ungodly rise of oil prices as we approach (or hit) peak oil and battle the oil-powered juggernaut that is China?

The world is about to change. For the better or worse... well, it depends on your geographical location and your need for oil... but either way, it simply cannot sustain itself the way it is. I'm praying that THIS is real, and not science fiction. If it is, we could very well be heading toward something of a Utopia. If it isn't, well, I suggest we, as a people, start coming together and making some positive changes, perhaps with the example of so many civilians flooding squares, mosques and streets in peaceful shouts of equality, dignity and - most importantly - ACCOUNTABILITY!

Put it back in your pants Russia! Put it back. In your pants.

Russia is attacking Georgia. And while the Russian Prime Minister is in China for the Olympic opening ceremonies no less. Frightening to say the least. I mean maybe I just haven't been paying attention, but where was the lead up to this? Maybe we're all so busy worrying about Barack Obama claiming tire pressure will stop our energy crisis to notice conflict arising in other countries.

I think I'd like to move to Sweden now. Thanks.

Amazing!

Oh my gosh. This made my day in a completely bizarre way:

Two elderly women (75 and 77) were sentenced to 2 consecutive life terms in prison after taking out insurance policies on homeless old men and then staging the deaths of two of them to look like hit and run accidents.

I HOPE I'M THIS AWESOME WHEN I'M 77!

My favorite part is when Rutterschmidt berates Golay for being "greedy."

aaaah, what a world!

Man Beheads Hitler.... waxwork......

I woke up WAY too early this morning (6:39 to be exact) and got to work at 7:05. Yes I DID get ready in 10 minutes, thank you very much. It's been... slightly redonkulous (I use that non-word regularly these days. I don't know why). One guy didn't show up this morning. Cool. I had the pleasure of rescheduling all his appointments for Monday. We still haven't heard from him. He might be dead in a ditch somewhere for all we know. Awesome.

Every time the phone rings I'm terrified it's going to be Duct Tape Guy. He's schizophrenic and calls about 6 times a week on different lines to ask if we can get Duct Tape out of his carpet. When questioned on how it got there, his answers range from "I don't know" to "someone put it there" to "some people that I don't know came in and put it there... I don't know why." Apparently it's everywhere, and you can't pull on it or get it off the carpet, even when using knives.... Each time he calls it goes back and forth between "But can you get it out? But how much will it cost? But... can you get it out? Well, how much is it going to cost? Hmm... could you get it out though?"

I had a dream a few weeks ago that he was stalking me -- standing outside my doors and windows just waiting for someone in my family to come out so he could get it. When he called the other day, I answered and had to make someone else talk to him because I was so creeped out. My mom spoke to him on Wednesday and he asked if someone could call him Saturday morning to set up an appointment. She promised someone would. Guess who that someone is....

But I am NOT calling. Our tech manager is supposed to, except he's not here. So in the mean time I'm stuck praying every phone call that comes in will be a legit customer or sales call. Anyone but duct tape guy!

Luckily it's been pretty quiet/boring in here this morning (less moments of deep fear struck to the center of my heart as that little red plastic button lights up and the ringing begins). I've been reading random CNN articles and found these gems:

Man Beheads Hitler Waxwork - I'm pretty sure Hitler felt that one! This world is definitely a safer place now.
Faked Tiger Photo Sparks Web Furor - Who knew a poster of a tiger cut out and placed in some bushes could cause such controversy and get so many government officials fired?
$32,000 for Queen Mother's 'Pack the Gin' letter - Hey, the Queen Mother obviously knew how to plan an outing.
University given collection of 78 rpm records - Syracuse Univeristy got 50 tons of old 78s! Effing awesome! I want to venture there just to check out their sound lab, it's second only to the Library of Congress!

So that's my boring day so far. I don't feel like being productive per se, so I'm blogging/reading/dreading duct tape guy instead. I'm seeing Tilly and the Wall tonight, which I'm pretty excited about. And I may see Maria Taylor tomorrow night at Tractor Tavern. We'll see how it goes.

Cheese lovers: I finally tried Brie. And the consensus is..... I LOVE IT! This is literally the first time I have ever said that about a cheese. It was sooo much better than that hammy smoked gouda I tried. I like soft cheeses. I think next on my list is this Stilton I saw that had cranberries in it. It looked pretty delish. I might be coming over to your side. I can't say for sure, but if it gets better from here, then you've definitely won me over. Good lord. I will now have to inform people I'm not only a bottled water connoisseur and a picky vegetarian, but a cheese lover as well. I'm becoming the ultimate food snob.

This is getting lengthy, but I've got another 3 hours here, so Imma keep going (not for 3 hours, just... until I feel done haha).

Last night. 4th of July. I kind of hate big holidays like this because I can't really leave the house unless I want to deal with insane parking lots, crowded stores and bad traffic. So I stayed home and tried to read and ended up sleeping half the day.... crapola.... the phone... duct tape guy? Ah, no. A nice lady in Lacey instead.

Anyway, I got a bit cabin feverish by the end of the day and ended up sorting through my entire book shelf. I came up with a pretty big stack of books to sell. And I've got a stack of books to read and then sell. And a stack I've already read and want to keep. And many stacks of which I haven't read and thus don't know if I will keep. After that, the fireworks began.

Now, living on the lake, we get a pretty awesome show every year. We're practically surrounded by big fireworks. The guy a few houses down even hires a professional to do a half hour show around 10 and our entire cove stops their fireworks to watch. Except us. Because our show freaking rocked. My brother and cousins bought 200 mortars, screwed all the tubes to two boards, and while someone was prepping the right side, someone else was lighting the left, so the fireworks were almost continuous. It was the best show they've put on yet.

And afterward came the annual sparkler bomb. This year was supposedly the biggest they've done to date. It was 6 bricks duct taped (no, not duct tape guy) together, with one sparkler sticking out on the top. The boys had a tough go convincing my parents to let them do it, but eventually they gave in, so long as it was far enough away that no shrapnel would hit surrounding neighbors/boats. They floated it out about 80 ft from our dock and my cousin Devin lit it, then my brother pulled him back with a rope as fast as he could. A few seconds later came the house rattling BOOM and a title wave and pieces of Styrofoam everywhere. It was great! (if not eco-friendly).

So that's that. I think I'm done now haha. I've run out of things to ramble about and bore you with, so I guess this will have to do. I hope everyone had a safer 4th than the people across the lake who had an ambulance at their house for 45 minutes last night. Enjoy this (rainy in Washington) day!

UPDATE: DTG just called. Agh! I only talked to him for a second though and then made one of the technicians here talk to him (since I am not good at being mean/firm hah). But guess what he said? Instead of the usual, Marty grabbed the phone and duct tape guy said "I got it all up!" He called two more times, but realized he was calling the same place and said so, then hung up. Maybe this is the end of duct tape guy's phone calls! I hope so! Yaaaay!

P.S. I am so sorry this is so outrageously long hahaha

The meat and potatoes of it

This makes me really sad. I want to know what I can do to make this stop! Don't we all at the very least have a right to eat?

Riots and Instability Spread as Food Prices Skyrocket

Some active causes to consider

I've been considering today (thanks to all the headlines about the SF torch ceremony) whether to participate in this whole "boycott the Olympics" thing. On the one hand, I love the Olympics. Particularly the summer Olympics. On the other hand, there's that side note where China aided in the Darfur genocide and that little thing going on in Tibet... what's a girl to do? How does one boycott the Olympics anyway? Without actually going to China I mean. Someone answer me that.

Also on the topic of death and displacement, let's talk about Hurricane Katrina for a moment. Has anyone heard about The Pink Project? I'm highly confused about this thing. Brad Pitt and his cohorts have spent a TON of money putting together these pink solar powered lit up tent houses in the lower 9th ward with constellations around them that reflect the sky on the night Katrina hit (because obviously with all that hurricane weather the lower 9th ward could totally see the stars). My confusion is, wouldn't all that money be better spent on actual houses? Perhaps I'm missing the point, I don't know. I mean we all like a good monument to those who have died. Thousands of people travel to Pearl Harbor and Ground Zero every year, but... tent houses that are uninhabitable?

I don't get it. Someone explain. Please.

Alright, I am seriously ready to just sell everything I have and go to Africa to help all the little kids with AIDs (yes, I did watch Idol Gives Back, thank you very much). My heart just breaks for them. I can't imagine living without parents and having HIV. They're all so young and sweet and have nothing.

Sigh, new before-I-die checklist:
Provide clean water to someone who otherwise couldn't get any
Protect a child from Malaria
Work in an orphanage in India
Feed a hungry family
Decrease my contribution to global warming
Save a chunk of rain forest (will help previous by bucketloads)
Solve world poverty

P.S. Did you know becoming a vegetarian decreases global warming and contributes to ending poverty? Read about the environmental positives and the world hunger positive to becoming a vegetarian.

P.P.S. Did you know some biofuels, like ones made from corn, are actually increasing global warming because deforestation is taking place to make room for more corn crops? Yeah. I was surprised too. Read about it here.

Just some things to think about :)

National news

Apparently today was insane news day:

Woman dies after eagle ray jumps on boat and kills her

This ups my fear of fish/open water by about 15%.

Woman's skin grows over toilet seat and boyfriend charged with abuse

How in the world do you sit on a toilet long enough to have your skin grow around it, and how does your live in boyfriend just not notice? In an article I read earlier about it, he said she just kept going in for longer and longer periods of time, and eventually she just didn't come out. So he just sort of got used to it... hahaha

Sigh. People. Maybe this belongs in the Darwin Awards

Increased daylight and increased craziness

Sam is doing alright. I stayed the night at my Dad's since they didn't get home until about 2:30. Poor Sammy had to get 8 stitches in his finger. Best case scenario is that all the nerve endings will be fine because he's so young and the tip of his finger wasn't completely severed. Worst case is that they'll have to amputate the tip. But we're all praying and hoping for the best. He's been such a little trooper.

It was adorable to see my other siblings rallying together. At about 10 my dad called from the children's hospital and Jed, Ben, Zach and I talked to Sammy on speaker phone. There were lots of "We love you Sammy! We miss you!" and we got a "I wuv you too" back. Zach left a heart card and a drawing he'd made for Sam on the kitchen table for when they came home. I have some of the cutest brothers and sisters. Seriously.

As for today, it's been... weird. The weather alternated between torrential downpours and breaks of sunlight as I made the 45 minute drive to work from my dad's. There was a pretty bad accident on the freeway I was on. But I'll admit it didn't seem to be nearly as bad as this accident that's all over the news. What kind of mother gets so drunk she passes out in the passenger's seat and makes her 14 year old intoxicated daughter drive home? Terrifying!

At work things are crazy. I think my parents may be letting go our self proclaimed "Office Manager." Finally. I love Shonna to pieces. I really do. She's sweet and motherly and very kind. But she is just way too scattered when it comes to office work. And it's been driving us all crazy! So we'll see what happens. My parents are a lot of talk when it comes to firing, but maybe they'll be a little gutsy this time round.

That being said, I'll probably end up with quite a bit more responsibility. Which I'm ok with. And I've been thinking about volunteering to open. Simply because if I have to be there at 7, I'll do it. And I'll be diligent. And I'll get off work early hah.

Oh, and we did get that little girl. We're calling her Abigail (Abby for short). I have no idea if it's going to be permanent or not. I'm going to let my parents make that call. I'm trying to be unbiased. She's a bit shy right now, but I think she'll warm up. Hopefully there won't be too much sibling rivalry between her and Brock since they're so close in age and, for all intents and purposes, Brock's been an only child for the past two years.

Life is hectic. But summer is coming. Which makes it all that much more manageable. I can't wait for warm weather.

You're talking like a girl again

It was a big news day today, my word. My CNN news ticker was changing all day today. Insane. India and the middle east are without internet for a while. I'm not sure how their banks or stock exchanges are coping. The UNHCR have had to pull out of some of the Darfur refugee camps because of carjackings and other attacks. The U.S. senate passed their version of the stimulus plan. I'm kind of more partial to the house version, but either way, I hope one of them gets passed soon. Britney's back in the hospital (these stories as top headlines actually really annoy me, but whatever). And the governator has officially decided to back McCain.

Craziness.

I must say though, it kept me from being completely bored at work. Well that and my crocheting. I finished another square and have started on another. It's going pretty well. I feel like I'm getting better at it.

So, Godiva has put together a room made almost completely out of chocolate. Apparently anyone who buys a box of Godiva chocolate could possibly win a weekend get away to a replica of this room to be reconstructed in Manhattan in May. It's too bad I'm not much of a Godiva person, because that would be almost as good as staying in an ice castle.

I'm still on a bit of a Sarah Blasko kick, but tonight I've changed it up and have been listening to A Weather. It's nice and mellow and lovely. It makes me feel all twinkly and sleepy and happy. I can't wait for their full length to come out next week. (p.s. if you watch the video on their page, I was at that show hehe. They opened for Bright Eyes at the Showbox last... oh my word... February? March? It was almost a year ago now. Weird. Also, Aaron is really nice. I slept at his house in Portland last May.)

I have been told I should try to find my gateway cheese. i.e. the cheese that will really get me interested in the cheese world so that my eyes won't glaze over when people start naming off cheeses they love. So that I will be genuinely interested in the cheeses they care so much about because not only will I love cheese, but I will constantly be on the search for the best cheese known to man. I need to begin somewhere and let my cheese passion grow to match those of the cheese lovers I know and find so dear. So, my gateway. I need one. Any suggestions?

Well I think I'll go crochet some more. Go Warm Up America!

Central Coast Cali, here I come! (Please don't rain on me) countdown: 16 days. It's so soooon! Yaaay!