The Official Announcement

Hehe...I just thought what ran through a lot of friends and family's minds after reading that title, but it is not so. I'm not making any announcement of my own...yet. :)

It's official. Romney is backing McCain. And here they stand. Romney with his cool hair matching his equally cool demeanor and McCain with that silly grin plastered on his face. At least McCain isn't bald. He doesn't look 72. That can only go in his favor.

Maybe they're going to call Romney into the Quorum of the Twelve and that's why he had to give up his bid. Yeah, two guys with great looking hair in the Twelve. It's a new revolution.

Okay. I'm done with the whole McCain/Romney thing. I'll leave it alone. The people have spoken, as have I, and there's not much left to be said. May the best person--or cartoon--win.

Say It Isn't So

I just read that Mitt Romney is going to officially back John McCain for president. Please tell me it's just a cruel, cruel joke.

I was all gungho for Mitt. Not because we share the same religion--religion is not why I pick my candidates--but because we shared the same values. Well, more than, say, anyone else in the running.

One day nearly a year ago, I happened to turn on Glenn Beck, a talk radio host, on my way home from school. He was doing a phone interview with Romney. Beck asked some pretty tough questions of Romney concerning his apparent "flip-flopping" ways, particularly his decision to go from being Pro-Choice to Pro-Life in the ongoing abortion struggle. Romney quickly countered by relating the exact moment he made the choice. He was at a stem cell research conference and the lead scientist, when asked if stem cell research was morally ethical, answered that the embryos used are only 14 weeks old and therefore not considered to be human life yet. Romney turned to his aide and told him that he wanted the record to show that from this day forward he was Pro Life and no longer supported the Pro Choice movement. He was disgusted to think that someone would have such low disregard for human life. He also went on to detail why his family--the Romney clan is not new to political circles--have been Pro Choicers. He said that while his family did not condone the practice of abortions, a close family friend had died in the late 60's due to a backroom abortion and therefore the right to choose should be available to prevent that sort of tragedy from happening again. Personal opinions on abortion aside, I was impressed that without any hesitation, he could pinpoint the exact moment that this changed for him. I know that he's a politician. I'm sure he thought through the questions ahead of time. But to be able to say it on air, without hmmm and hahhhing his way through, made a lasting impression on me.

I'll admit, at first I didn't want to jump on the "mormon" bandwagon and vote for a guy that shared my religion just for the sake of that one common thread. However, as the other two frontrunners, McCain and Huckabee, showed their true colors, the choice made itself. I didn't vote in the primaries because I'm not a registered republican, nor do I want to be, but my lack of voting didn't break Romney's campaign. It was dirty politics and a media that picks who they want by minimizing and belittleing the rest of the field.

As time wore on and people were making such a big deal of Romney's religion, I was disgusted by the attention. No one was calling for Obama's head because he grew up a Muslim. No one cared that Guilliani cheated on his wife while she stood by his side during prostate cancer treatments. Hello, Hillary Clinton? Nada. All the focus seemed to be transfixed on Romneyand his apparent transgressions. I even read a report that condemned Romney for not forcing his five sons into military duty. How can we possibly support a president whose own offspring won't even serve our country. Last time I checked, what makes our military service great is that it is entirely volunteer based. You shouldn't be shunned because your sons choose a different path.

I was really rooting for Romney. I wanted him to show a nation that was originally founded on the principals of free religion that it didn't matter what God he believed in. I greedily anticipated the national media having to eat crow when "their" candidate wasn't chosen to represent the Republican Party. That's why I was so sad when Mitt pulled out last week. I understand why he did. It's hard to overcome two overzealous competitors who seemingly gang up on you based on your personal worship styles. But that didn't make it any easier to digest.

I cannot in good faith vote for a guy by the last name of Huckabee, even if I did agree, even half way, with his views. I think the United States would be mocked out of existence if the leader of our country was President Huckabee. It sounds too Tennessee backwoods. I know. I know. It's not the best way to pick a candidate. But I'm getting desperate.

I appreciate what sacrifices McCain made during the Vietnam War. I can understand what a difficult and trying time it was. However, does that necessarily qualify someone to be President of the United States? President of the local Kiwanis club, maybe. But Presiden of the United States?

I'm now left with three--four--options. Clinton, Obama, Ron Paul, and not voting at all. I would choose the last option over voting for Clinton. I'd vote Britney Spears in before I voted Clinton in. Obama has yet to show why he deserves my vote. My mom thinks he can do no wrong, but even she can't tell me what his platform is other than that he's bent on getting the troops out of Iraq as soon as possible. What angry mobs will file into the streets when the day after Obama is sworn in as president, if it should go that way, he doesn't fulfill his promise to bring home the troops that very day. And our country goes to pot because no one cared what else he stood for before foolheartedly handing him the keys.

It looks like how it stands right now, independent Ron Paul has my vote. Please let him run on an independent ticket. Otherwise I will have to write in a candidate like Mickey Mouse.

Back to Romney though. Why officially back a candidate? Why not just arrive in November and cast your vote like the rest of us "common" folk and leave it at that? Why sell out to please the masses? I've very disappointed. In fact, so disappointed, I just finally realized how much I care about politics and that scares me. I didn't use to care. What is the world coming to?!!

Book Review Friday 2/08/08

Book: Bad Dogs Have More Fun
Author: John Grogan
Pages: 247

During the summer, when I was enduring grueling training for the marathon I ran in October, I would download books onto my ipod to listen on my long runs. This served two purposes; first, music gets old and after awhile doesn't keep you from feeling every step during a 15 mile run. Secondly, if the book is good, in theory I would forget I was running 15 miles.

The best book I "read" in 2007 came about by this method. I picked it up at the Tooele Library mainly because it was on the New York Bestseller List and it was also in their tiny audiobook department. Bonus. Marley and Me by John Grogan is a true story about the author and his very big, very cute dog. It was incredible. It took two long runs, and a few shorter ones during the week, to finish it. I laughed and cried, probably looking like a nutcase on the desolate roads of Tooele County but I didn't care. It reminded me so much of the dog I had growing up, Baron, who was very big and very cute as well. Marley's antics were very much in synch with Baron's and something about running alone made me wistful for Baron by my side again. It was a touching story with a lot of poignant moments.

So I was thrilled, overjoyed to be exact, when I saw Grogan's new book on the library shelf this past week. Especially after I read the title: Bad Dogs Have More Fun. I thought for sure it would be a collection of stories mirroring those found in Marley and Me. Not so.

While it was good, there were hardly any stories about Marley. It's actually a collection of writings from the author, who is a columnist for the Philidelphia Inquirer. The cover of the book said as much: Selected Writings on Family, Animals, and Life from The Philidelphia Inquirer. I just assumed that Marley taught him so much about family, animals, and life and he made a collection of other essays to parallel them all together. Hmmm...I missed the mark on that one.

When it became evident on page two that the stories had no connection to Marley, I was downhearted. However, I can't ding the author for letting me down when he is writing about what was clearly printed on the cover. So I pressed on.

The writing is superb. The stories are actually formerly printed columns for the newspaper and when I got in to the animal section he does write about when he has to bury Marley. It was my breaking point during a long run when I was listening to Marley and Me. I thought I was going to have to call someone to come pick me up, I was crying so hard.

There is a lot of local references to the greater Philidelphia area, and I didn't understand a lot of that, but for the most part, his observations are universal.

If you ever find yourself having to choose only one book from John Grogan I would definitely choose Marley and Me. This one wasn't worth the time it took to read it.

The Best $40 I've Spent

$40. That's how much a libary card to Salt Lake County libraries cost if you don't live in the county. For six months. It's preposterous, but it is what it is.

I live in Tooele County. It's rural and apparently not well read. Besides, it still costs me $20 a year to maintain a card at the Tooele City Library since I don't live in the city. Nevermind that I do ALL my shopping in the "city". So for the last 5ish years, I've been spending $20 a year to peruse all the romantic harlequins that my heart desires (zero to be exact) while wishing that more modern and exciting books would find their way in to the Tooele library system. Occassionally, I would be able to find a bestseller, but not often. And there seems to be only certain authors that the library carries; James Patterson being their favorite.

So it was with a defiant heart that I ended up at a Salt Lake County library one Friday night. I was getting low on reading material and I happened to be in Salt Lake at the moment, so I stepped in to the nearest library to have a look around.

Now, I grew up in Salt Lake County. I'm no stranger to the library system. I, however, never remember there being this many books. And good, new ones. Maybe it took leaving for 7 years to instill in me the importance of a well run library. I was in awe at the selection of new books set out on a "new fiction" shelf. Wow! I promptly plopped down my $40 and went on a frenzy. And one month later I have to confess that it was the best $40 I spent. Except for maybe the $40 I spent on 5 pairs of shoes in one outing.

First Impressions

Last night, I spent most of the family party at the InstaCare with Josh. I can't complain as this is only the second time I've had to take him in to InstaCare ever, but I was a bit miffed that it was right during the annual "Woodland Family Beat the Blues Party" held at my parents the first weekend in February.

Josh was perfectly fine all afternoon. When we arrived at my parents house he was asleep in the car and was understandably fuzzy from us waking him up. I carried him inside and he snuggled up on my lap for about a half an hour just watching the world carry on. Then he pointed at his ear and said "ouch". I asked him if his ear hurt and he nodded. I asked where and he pointed his finger inside. A telltale sign of an ear infection if I've ever seen one. After consulting a nurse on the premise, we decided it would be best to take him in now and not wait in case it really was an ear infection and it would rage into full bloom at 2 am. So here I was, waiting out my sentence at the nearest InstaCare.

I was sitting in the waiting room assessing the other patients and trying to determine what was wrong with each sniffly, coughing, oozing person. A favorite pasttime, I assure you.

I zeroed in on a couple maybe 10 years older than me with a seemingly healthy baby. The father was content and was trying desperately to calm a frazzled mother. She looked very unhappy. I don't blame her as it was a perfectly good Saturday night. I couldn't figure out if it was the child or the mother who was being seen, but saw her repeatedly go up to the KidsCare desk, so made the natural assumption it was the baby. She was getting increasingly irritated and I'm ashamed to admit that I thought she was being a bit snobbish considering the circumstances. I wrote her off as being a paranoid first time mother with a husband along for the ride because it was easier to sit in an InstaCare waiting room then to try to point out the illogicity of her arguments as to why their son was sick.

We were finally called back and Josh looked no sicker than a puppy in a window. He was running around, singing, laughing. Much like when you finally take your car into the shop and it's not making that funny noise anymore. I assured the doctor that he did indeed feel a lot worse about 2 hours ago when I gave him some Tylenol to ease the discomfort. Our hunches were correct, however, and he did indeed have an ear infection.

The next task at hand was finding an open pharmacy on Saturday night at 8:30. I stopped by a Smiths but no such luck. After consulting with my father by phone, I drove to a Walgreens nearby that's open 24 hours. Apparently, not an original idea. There were 4 people who I recognized from the InstaCare waiting room. One being the snobbish, angry mother. I got in line and it was actually her that started up the conversation with me and another patient from the clinic. We talked a little about how frustrating it was to look for an open pharamacy and then detailing our different ailments. Apparently, her baby has RSV and an abscess. I felt bad because I'm sure she had to deal with a lot of crying and whimpering all day and here I was writing her off as being snobbish and paranoid.

I asked her how old her son was and if he was her first and then the real story came out. She said that he was 9 months old and that he's actually a foster child that they're in the process of adopting. She also mentioned that the last foster child she had had asthma and so she's no stranger to the weekend InstaCare/Walgreens routine. I nodded my understanding and asked how old the last foster child was. She said she was 4 months old and that they also had her 2 year old brother and they were all set to adopt them when the birth mom cleaned up her act and requested them back. I could sense the hurt in her voice and felt even worse about my initial writing off of her character.

I received my medication and went back to the family party that was clearing out as I pulled up, but I happy to say that I came back a changed person for my experience at the InstaCare.

Book Review Friday February 1, 2008

Okay, so I know. It's technically Saturday (nearing Sunday). But since gaining a life with it's ensuing drama, I have less time to read. But I'm happy to report that I did manage to finish a book this week.

Book: Lois on the Loose
Author: Lois Pryce
Pages: 294

Another adventure book. Is it a sign I'm distressed about my current "homebound" condition. Maybe? Probably more that I'm suffering from cabin fever and want to get out no matter what the circumstances.

I'm not exactly sure what the onsite appeal of this book was. I'm very anti-motorcycles. I have no desire to travel on one. Nor do I have any plans to tour the americas. Nonetheless, there it sat on my bedside table, begging to be read. So I did.

Firstly, I was very impressed with the writing. It was quite elegant and witty in the way that only British authors can pull off. Lois, from London, decided she wanted to embark on a solo motorcycle tour from Anchorage, Alaska to the tip of South America. So she quit her job and set out to achieve this goal. While the nitty gritty details of the bike itself was a bit tedious and boring, as I'm not really into "donorcycles", the trip itself was fascinating.

Why someone would want to motorcycle through Alaska in the beginning of May is beyond my comprehension, but after enduring the last few weeks here in Utah, I can truly feel for her when she said it was cold. She didn't have a lot of good things to say about the U.S. based on her experience in California, but I didn't give much weight to her criticism. It was only California she saw. Not the rest of the country.

She traveled into Mexico, even stopping at a place we stopped on our cruise. She had the exact same response I did as well. "Well, it's exactly what you think of when you think Mexico."

Her travel antics were amusing and I was quite impressed that she embarked on such an extensive trip by herself and with no handle of the spanish language. She travelled through Mexico, then through Central America, and on to South America. It was interesting to read about the different border crossings and the harassing she endured.

I found this to be a great read. Not that in depth, but it fit the bill perfect. While I didn't like it as much as the safari guide book, I really enjoyed the adventure in it. I wish I could say that I want to change an entry in my list to be "ride motorcyle through the americas" I just can't bring myself to do it. I'm much to chicken to try any of the stunts she did to get through the borders. And I'm much to social to spend 9 months on a bike by myself.

I was talking to a friend today about books and I mentioned that I had just finished a book. After telling her about the book, she said that she only reads books where she learns things, like how to raise kids, coping with different relationship, books about the human body, etc. She doesn't read stories. I told her that she doesn't understand the art of reading. If you're truly a bookworm, you devour everything and learn things from them all. Some lessons are more profound then others, but I haven't read a book yet that I haven't learned at least one thing from, however puny and insignificant.

The Strange But True Antics of a Two Year Old Boy

It's a new phase (hopefully) that Josh has just embarked on. I'm not sure where he learned it as none of his friends do this, nor do we, his parents. It's something that he's thought up all himself. I call it his accused felon phase.

He insists on leaving and entering the house with a blanket over his head, much like when you see accused felons being escorted through busy airport terminals. Once he is secured in a car, or safely inside, he will then remove the blanket from his head. Our routine is as follows: I inform Josh that we are leaving. He promptly kicks off his shoes and runs off to find his yellow shroud. Then he goes into the living room by the garage door and drapes his blanket over his head. I carry him, his shoes, his jacket and my necessities out to the car and plop him into his car seat. I secure him and then, and only then, does he remove his blanket. When we arrive home, he unbuckles his seatbelt, shrouds himself up and waits for me to carry him back inside. This doesn't extend to the public arena, such as Walmart or the bowling alley, so that makes it just a little bit more weird, except for now I don't have to endure the stares of parents with normal two year olds. But really, is any two year old normal?

One friend told me that her sister wore her swimsuit for an entire year, except for the days that her mom made her take it off to get washed. Then she walked around naked. But she would wear her swimsuit underneath her clothes when she had to go out in public and to church. If she was at home, she'd just wear the swimsuit. I have to admit, this one's pretty weird.

Also I've read about some weird phases two year olds go through. I just wish I could get inside Josh's itty bitty head and sort out exactly his train of thought that leads him to these "phases". In the last year, we have gone through phases such as I-refuse-to-go-to-sleep-without-my-Thomas-the-Train-sandals-on, I-won't-wear-socks-at-any-cost, and I-will-not-eat-green-food-no-matter-what-the-food. If nothing else, he keeps us on our toes.