Reason 5

Why I'm voting and walking and calling and writing for Obama/Warner/RhymesWithSeder. Part five of a series:

Amtrak

Or, more specifically, rail infrastructure. Move more people faster for less money. Now, y'all know how much I love Amtrak. What you may not know is how angry I was back in 2001 when Congress was bailing out the airlines and saying that they were going to de-fund Amtrak.

I wrote letters. To my congressman, to both Senators, to the head of the DOT, to the NYT and the Washington Post. I was steamed.

The gist was, did they not remember that Amtrak was the only transportation available to move people over distances when the FAA grounded all the planes? How dare they bail out United -- who let their planes be hijacked! -- and let Amtrak fail? You can't fly trains into skyscrapers, people. A thriving rail system is a matter of national security.

Not to mention that trains (passenger, cargo, commuter) are highly efficient and reduce congestion. Safer, more comfortable, less expensive, and less polluting than cars or planes. Faster than cars (sometimes even faster than planes when you count the time spent in airports going through security, getting delayed on the tarmac, and waiting for your luggage which missed your transfer at Raleigh/Durham).

I want a Veep who believes in the rail system and who has used it to commute to work everyday for the last 30 years.

Health Care, Energy, Tax plan, Social Programs, Amtrak. Five down, more to come.

Reason 4

Why I'm voting and walking and calling and writing for Obama/Warner/RhymesWithSeder. Part four of a series:

Social Programs

Because we need some REAL compassion in the White House. Not just lip service. Not hand outs for friends and cronies and a punch in the nose for the rest of the country. Compassionate conservatism, my Aunt Fanny. McCain couldn't care less about what most of the country is going through. Today 12,000 people lost their jobs. This past weekend, thousands of people lost their homes. Gas prices are through the roof. Heating costs are going to be brutal this winter. It's going to be a choice between eating and staying warm for many people and there's only one candidate who cares about that.

Obama. For people in poverty, for people with disabilities, for all of us. Education. Access. Jobs. Security. Respect.

“We must build a world free of unnecessary barriers, stereotypes, and discrimination .... policies must be developed, attitudes must be shaped, and buildings and organizations must be designed to ensure that everyone has a chance to get the education they need and live independently as full citizens in their communities.” - Barack Obama.

Health Care, Energy, Tax plan, Social Programs. Four down, more to come.

Reason 3

Why I'm voting and walking and calling and writing for Obama/Warner/RhymesWithSeder. Part three of a series:

Tax Plan

People, our country is in deep deep financial effluvia. Now is not the time to be buying into the trickle-down theory. 'Cause what's trickling down ain't helping. The rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer, and the middle class are getting poorer.

I like Obama's tax plan. Hopefully, I'll be in the 2% that gets taxed MORE and I still like it.

I like what it does for the folks who need help, I like it a lot.

I like that it rolls back the unconsciencable Bush tax cuts for those who earn more than 250K.

I like it. I want it.

My co-worker whose family grosses more than 250K hates the Obama plan. Because she wants to buy another SUV with the money McCain will save her. Yeah. Nice. What she doesn't understand is that her taxes will probably go up under McCain because he'll tax her health care bennies. Good luck explaining it to her, I've tried.

There are so many with so little and so few with so much. I think that Obama's plan is fair and reasonable. Also, it's fiscally conservative.


Health Care, Energy, Tax Plan. Three down, more to come.

Reason 2

Why I'm voting and walking and calling and writing for Obama/Warner/RhymesWithSeder. Part two of a series:

Energy

Drill baby drill is not an energy policy. Looking for ways develop and promote renewable energy sources and to conserve what we've got? That's an energy policy.

One of the things that really frosts my cookies about the current administration and the backers thereof is the sheer waste. Particularly the waste of the opportunity given by 9/11 to shake us out of our routines and promote energy independence. Victory gardens in every yard and solar panels on every roof! And instead our bozo-in-chief told us to go shopping. Yeah. Nice.

Imagine what we could do to change our energy landscape if we had a president who cared about anything other than putting more money in his friends' pockets. Imagine investment in public transportation, solar and wind power, geothermal, non-toxic insulation, telecommuting, sidewalks and bike paths. And if all that helps slow down global warming at the same time, that's just icing on the cake!

So. Health care. Energy. Two down. More to come.

Reason 1

Why I'm voting and walking and calling and writing for Obama/Warner/RhymesWithSeder. Part one of a series:

Health Care

We've spent the last few years paying for private insurance. And people, let me tell you, it's expensive. MM and I are on one policy and MS is on another. To keep our payments to a reasonable level, we agreed to $40 co-pays, which shocked the crap out of the receptionists at our GP and Pediatrician's offices.

Here I have to pause to let you know that MS is a bit older than I am. Even with us paying high co-pays and high premiums, getting private insurance for him was nearly impossible. One big benefit of working again is, well, benefits.

Health care coverage shouldn't be a crap shoot. Doctors appointments should not be luxuries available only to the lucky covered few. And there shouldn't be life-time maximums for coverage either. Remember when Annika was in danger of losing her insurance coverage a couple of years ago?

Our country pays more for health care coverage than any other country and we have fewer people covered than any of the other industrialized nations. That is a crime. Why can't we put all that expenditure into something that will cover everybody? Most of us who already pay into an insurance policy would never even notice the difference. It would put our businesses on an equal footing with those in countries with nationalized health care.

Now, there's a woman I work with who disagrees with me. She's voting for McCain because she doesn't feel the need to share more of the over $250K her family earns annually. Why should she carry the burden for the lazy asses who aren't working as hard? She pulled herself up, so can they. Yeah. Nice. I pointed out to her that if the burden were taken off of our employer to insure all of us, we might get paid more. No dice. Sigh. Updated: Kathy A. drew my attention to more McCain shenanigans. I HAVE to tell my coworker about this. Taxing employer benefits and reducing protections for all.

I just feel that I'm willing to pay more to make sure everybody is covered regardless of age or health status. I'm willing to pay more to make sure that no one has to choose between a doctor's visit and a meal, a dentist's visit and rent, a pair of glasses and a pair of shoes. I'm willing to pay more, but I'm also willing to bet that compared to what I was paying insuring myself privately, I'll be paying less.

Walking

For Obama. For Warner. And for RhymesWithSeder (tryin' to keep it semi-anonymous here).

It was a good walk: first-floor-entry town homes and 3-story apartment buildings, not too challenging for the tootsies. The first door was a Strong Obama Voter. She'll probably volunteer. Then there were a bunch of not homes, about 30 in a row. There were a couple of Leaning Obamas who had never heard of the other two. One "No Thank You." One Leaning Republican (according to his wife). One "Not interested, go away." One "they don't live here anymore." (I asked that one if he'd registered since moving in!) A couple of realtor key boxes.

I knocked on 64 doors in less than 3 hours. Left lit at most. It was a good day.

XXL

Had to buy new shirts because the ones I bought back in the Spring shrank in the wash and are gapping (at least, I'm pretty sure it's shrinkage...though what with the ever-expanding nature of my rack, who knows?)

I bought 'em in XXL, on the theory that if they shrink they'll still be big enough.

Poll

What do you think should get priority in a school system?

Your choices are:

a) Large High School campuses with room for football and soccer fields*
b) Lots of technology including interactive white boards in every classroom
c) Full-day Kindergarten system-wide

Pick two.

*For extra-curricular team sports ONLY. These fields are not, repeat NOT, for use during recess. Recess not included in HS anyway. Nor are they for use by kids not involved in team sports as places to play, say, Ultimate Frisbee or capture the flag or what not outside of school hours.

Just another day

Like last year

Adventures in brown bagging - Uh oh Spaghetti-Os edition

It's hard to eat the same lunch at the same time when one of said lunchers has asked for crappy food.

MM was disappointed to hear that I, his mama, would be eating a different lunch, albeit at the same time. "But...but...mama, don't you like Spaghetti-Os?"

No, my little man. I Do Not Like Spaghetti-Os. Chef-Boy-Ar-Dee Beef Ravioli, yes. Spaghetti-Os, no.

"So what are YOU bringing for lunch today?"

I have a lovely veal cutlet sandwich made with leftovers from last night (Wegman's hormone-free, pen-free veal).

"But...but...mama. That's not what I'm having."

I know. You, you my little man, are having exactly what you asked for. (shudder) Spaghetti-Os with meatballs. Enjoy them.

"(Big sigh) Alright. But you don't know what you're missing."

Security Blanket Sweatshirt

When I brought MM to his new school last week to meet his teacher and see his classroom, I also bought him a hooded pocket sweatshirt with the name and mascot of his school in the school colors across the front.

He loves that sweatshirt.

The first day of school, he wore it and felt confident and part of things.
The second day of school, he wore it and felt confident and part of things.
The third day of school we couldn't find it.

Oh No! Mommy! I don't want to go! Come with me!

Last night, MS found it (in the cabinet of MM's new desk...yeah, that's where I would have put a beloved sweatshirt too. Sheesh).

Today, he wore it and felt confident and part of things.

I have a feeling that come June that sweatshirt will have been loved to pieces. Perhaps I should buy a few spares.

Adventures in brown-bagging

Today MM and I both brought our lunch.

MM has a Salami/Bologna/Swiss Cheese sandwich on white. No mayo. No mustard. Cut into two triangles. No crusts. He also has a side of Fritos, 2 chocolate chip cookies, and a fruit punch. I also sent a cloth napkin to make up for the juice pouch.

I have a Salami and Swiss on white cut into squares with mayo AND mustard. Crusts left on. Leftover guacamole and some corn chips. I have a cloth napkin to make up for the bottled water I'm going to buy.

MM is totally excited that we're going to be eating practically the same lunch! It's almost like eating lunch together! Woot!

My job so far has involved a lot of paperwork. I love my commute. Love. It.

What he likes best

1. Eating his lunch that he brought from home in the cafeteria.
   He's never brought lunch from home OR eaten in a school cafeteria before. He LOVED it. Today he brought lunch again, but he's going to BUY ice cream. He's totally into it.
2. Walking to class BY HIMSELF after getting off the bus.
   That's new, too. Never happened in a place where there weren't bedrooms before.
3. Taking the bus. He really liked that alot.
4. Everything.

First grade orientation/Back To School Night

Thursday afternoon, I took MM to meet his new teacher and see his classroom. He was so excited. He loved the classroom, loved that he gets his! Very! Own! Desk! With his name on it, even! He loves that there's a shelf underneath it with books! Already! He loves that his teacher put together a get-to-know-your-classroom scavenger hunt and that he was one of the few kids in the class who read it and wrote his answers without any help.

On our way there, I asked him, "Do you think Miss B will be tall or short?"
"Short."
"Thin or fat?"
"Thin."
"Glasses or no glasses?"
"No glasses."
"Freckles or no freckles?"
"Freckles."
"Nail polish or no nail polish?"
"No nail polish."

He was right in every respect except freckles. She hasn't got any. She also looks a lot like his music teacher from Posh Place, so he feels comfortable with her right away and feels like he's got the ability to predict what life will be like in her class.

It seems that the curriculum may be more laid back at his new school than it was at Posh Place, but that he will be given more responsibility. That's fine with me as long as he remains excited about learning and mastering new things. The focus will be on literacy skills, which he already has in spades. They only get music, art, and Spanish once a week each --- Posh Place has them every day --- and art is really something he loves, so I'm hoping that they'll get time to draw in class as well.

And that's all there is to report at the moment...We'll know more after Tuesday!

Three Years

And The Post seems to have nothing to say about it if you look at just their home page. A search finds articles in their B section, but that's it.

Three years ago today, Katrina hit. Today Gustav is on its way. Has anything changed for the better about how the governments will respond?

"Marc Anthony! Have you gone insane?"

What we watched this morning:



MM just about died from the cuteness.

Loving my new employer already

Got an email with a link to a website where I could fill out all the paperwork (direct deposit, W4, I9, yada yada yada) on-line. And then I printed it out and also saved soft copies. All that's left is for me to bring proof of citizenship with me on Tuesday.

This place is on the ball.

Once they got all the probing done, that is.

Updates

• The lamb turned out really good, except that I over-cooked it. Next time I'll put in the probe thermometer.
• Speaking of probes, my past has passed muster and I'm starting work Tuesday.

Cooking from the garden - making it up as I go along edition

Today's experiment: Boneless Leg o' Australian Lamb in the Slow Cooker.

Ingredients from the garden: Mint and Parsley

Other ingredients include:
A 5.5 lb boneless leg o' lamb (including juices from the packaging)
6 cloves of garlic
1 can sliced carrots
1 cup wine
3 cups water
1 pkg onion soup mix (what's a slow cooker recipe without onion soup mix?)*
Olive oil

I put the olive oil in my largest skillet and heated it up. I took the Leg o' Lamb out of its package, poured the juices into the slow cooker and put the LOL into the skillet to brown on one side for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, I rinsed the mint and parsley and began taking their leaves off their stems and putting them into the chopper attachment for my stick blender (mine is older than this and didn't come with a whisk).
Then I turned the meat over to brown on the other side for another 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, I added the garlic to the chopper attachment and pulverized the garlic, mint, and parsley into a lovely aromatic mash which I scraped into the slow cooker. I added 3 cups of water and one of wine. I added the package of onion soup mix. I stirred. Added the carrots. Stirred.

I brought the slow cooker pot over to the stove and placed the meat lovingly therein.

I scraped all the brown yummy bits off the bottom of the pan and added them to the mix.

Put the pot back into the slow cooker base. Covered. Set to low.

I don't know how it's gonna turn out, but it sure smells delicious.



*I didn't add any salt since the soup mix is waaaaaay salty.

Gimme Fever

MM's had a fever since Tuesday night. Finally, finally, he's back to normal today so that we can go on a bloggy playdate with a fellow Whiner and her two children.

His illness made me miss lunch with APL, darn it, but we're rescheduling for next week.

His fever was one that the pediatric NP we saw on Wednesday says is going around and lasts about 4 days. It had no other symptoms (although now he's got sort of a phlegmy cough). He wasn't even very grumpy.

Thank goodness my job DIDN'T start last week so that staying home wasn't an issue.

Oh! And my job won't start next week either, because they haven't finished digging into my past yet. The things we go through to get a job around here.