We met Josephine and her moms at Children's Fairyland in Oakland. We had a wonderful time at the Jack O Lantern Jubilee. We rode on rides and got lots of goodies. Megan was a puppy dog and Josephine was Sully from Monsters Inc. It was a beautiful sunny yet cool day. Outside the park we saw a mounted Police officer who let Megan pet her horse.
The amazing part was with so many kids no costumes were obvious repeats, though I think I saw a few princesses. Megan tried M&M's for the first time ever and thought they were pretty good.
A blanket of thick fog has descended on us. After getting Megan up and dress and out with dada I've taken my cup of coffee back to bed. The fog makes everything seem so calm and yet so isolated. I just want to stay cuddled under my blanket for a while yet. -
it really fits the mood of these days, It feels as though everyone is holding there breath, with anticipation or apprehension over tuesday. I think it would fine if the fog stays till then, but it will burn off by noon knowing the bay area.
Check out the this ariticle Can't believe this one is still going on...Of course if the man did cheat this much he deserves to be punished by voters and probably more.
I would expect better than this from our commander and chief. He's showing his true self in this video.
UPDATE
I didn't remember that Jack had already blogged about this. I knew I had seen it before when I stumbled across it on a third party site. So you may have already sat through the video of Bush shooting a bird for the camera.
"And a political candidate who jumps to conclusions without knowing the facts is not a person you want as your Commander-in-Chief." Lititz, Pennsylvania, Oct. 27, 2004 - George W Bush
Ah George... you jumped to conclusions in IRAQ without knowing all the facts, now we're in a mess and we don't want you as our commander-in-chief!
Apparently Abortion rates have increased under Bush. This surprised me, and yet when I thought about it, it really doesn't.
I am pro-choice, but I think that while every woman should have the right to decide with her doctor, the fewer abortions preformed the better. Surgery should be the exception if possible not the rule. We should educate everyone and provide easy access birth control to all starting with kids in High school (and maybe even earlier these days) who are going to experiment no matter what you say.
We went to Megan's Doctor today for her 2 year check up. She is 27 1/2 lbs and 35 inches tall. She sat ever so patiently while the doctor looked her over and checked everything out. She started kissing me as the visit ended which was really cute. After her single shot, we went to lunch at Sushi Harbor (Megan loves sushi!) and then to Target in search of a rain coat - but no luck.
On the way to the dr we drove through sheets of rain and hail, which scared me but made Megan giggle like mad.
Today was Megan's actual birthday. It started a lot like our party day. Megan and I went to Little Gym for our gym class. Then we went next door to ToysRUs to get a gift for a party tomorrow (that I just realized we can go because Megan has her check up then). Megan then said Fish go fish so we went to the pet store and looked at fish, birds and hamsters. We met a little jack russell named "Ed" who Megan completely ignored. We finished up the birthday celebrations tonight with Megan's favortie dinner "ahmi's Pitza" and then Megan decorated her own cake I'd baked earlier with gel icing, blew out another candle and then enjoyed the cake.
After her bath we gave her another gift. Jack and I gave her Little Red, which she was instantly in love with. She even took it to bed tonight and when we sang songs and rocked she cuddled with Little Red. The doll just reminded me of an old fashion rag doll. No Plastic or batteries, just soft cloth and cuddles. If I sewed I could have made her one, but alas I'm not that good.
So your still undecided, if that's possible. Well MSNBC has a tool for you - see if your closer to Bush or Kerry.... surprise surprise I was closer to Kerry in my opinions on all the issues.
Megan was such a happy girl today. She may have missed out on her wonderful Cake that Daddy made her but she enjoyed herself and her party immensely. It was such a delight to watch her run around and realize that all her friends were there for her! Have the party at the gym was great. Megan really loves it there and you could tell she was having a blast.
Megan calls all cake "Happy" I thought it was cause we usually eat cake at birthday's but now I think it just makes her happy! In total we had 12 kids and their folks. 150+ pictures were taken on our camera and some video of the cake blowing part.
I can't believe my baby is 2. Or will be monday :)
I donated blood yesterday. It was the first time since I was pregnant that I could donate when they called me on monday, Since Megan is weaned. It does make one feel good to do something so simple. I started donating just after my mom died as sort of an tribute to her. She had several transfusions while she was fighting her cancer and I wanted to say thanks somehow for those people helping her. Before that I was too chicken to have a needle stuck in me.
Turns out Bush and Kerry are family. Cousins, several times removed, but family none the less.
Check out the Tampa Tribune for why they aren't endorsing Bush when they did last time. Its a great read.
"we find it unimaginable to not be lending our voice to the chorus of conservative-leaning newspapers endorsing the president's re- election. We had fully expected to stand with Bush, whom we endorsed in 2000 because his politics generally reflected ours: a strong military, fiscal conservatism, personal responsibility and small government. We knew him to be a popular governor of Texas who fought for lower taxes, less government and a pro-business constitution.
But we are unable to endorse President Bush for re- election because of his mishandling of the war in Iraq, his record deficit spending, his assault on open government and his failed promise to be a ``uniter not a divider'' within the United States and the world."
For more on newspapers changing endorsement of Bush and jumping ship. Check out this great analysis of newspaper endorsements this election.
An article from CNN has Pat Robertson coming out and saying Bush said "We're not going to have any casualties" if we invaded Iraq. If this is true, than Bush was and probably is completely out of touch with reality. Well Mister Bush, we've had 1109 American's die thus far during this fiasco you dragged us into.
Yet another good reason to get this man out of our white house!
The Main event
Below is a timeline, for Eastern Daylight Time. In the Central Time Zone, subtract one hour from these times; in the Mountain Time Zone, two hours, and for the Pacific Time Zone, three hours.
• 9:14 p.m.: Moon enters Earth’s dark umbral shadow
• 10:23 p.m.: Totality begins
• 11:04 p.m.: Mid-eclipse
• 11:45 p.m.: Totality ends
• 12:54 a.m. (Oct. 28): Moon leaves the umbra
For more information visit www.space.com
So some time in the next 20 mins, I will be out in the pouring rain to collect Sadie's pee. I love this dog so much that I will stand in the rain off and on for the next 5 months, looking forward to the dry season again, like I've never looked forward to it before.
This Slate article absolutely made my day. Granted there is still 15 days left, but this was music to my ears. Keep it going Kerry!
Are all lies the same? I think not. There's a big difference between telling someone they look lovely in a dress you don't really care for, and lying and making $10,000. There is also a hugh difference between lying about an extra marital affair and lying about a reason to goto war. There are some out there that would have you believe all lies are the same, but clearly every lies at some point in there life and not all lies are the same. No one is perfect. Lets compare a few lies...
I've told a few lies in my life. I lied to teacher in college about why I hadn't finished a paper. I didn't do well in the class and had to take a semester in summer school, to graduate. I lied about my weight on my drivers license. I'm sure I lied to my parents a few hundred times growing up, I can think of a few more that I don't want to admit to in such a public forum. I admit it though I've lied and I'm not perfect.
Martha lied... she said she didn't know Imclone was going to fall in price but she sold them just before. The evidence is fairly straightforward. She made over $10,000 bucks and well she should be punished. Recently she was strip searched and she'll be spending the next 5 months behind bars. - Course she'll get a book deal out of it and probably make more money than she's lost in the end.
Bill Clinton lied...He got a few blow job in the oval office, tried to keep it a secret and lied to his wife and the rest of us when he said he hadn't had a relationship with Monica. It cost taxpayers $40 Million dollars, and he certainly ended up with a tainted legacy. Which is too bad because his policies helped balance the budget. I think he was one of the best presidents the country had... and I never voted for him. At the time I didn't like him so I voted for Bush Sr. and Ross Perot. Hindsight is 20/20 and compared to the current administration, I would vote for Clinton if I could.
Now lets explore Bush and his administration. There are too many lies to choose from. Bush lied and continues to lie to us...about Iraq, about his domestic policies... Check out this site for a compiled list of his lies. It'll save me time since reading it made me nauseous and I couldn't pick just one example. The end results are this country is in further in debt leaving it to our children to pay it off. More people are unemployed then ever before. This nation is incredibly divided. The rest of the world has lost respect for us. Over 1000 soldiers have died as a result of his lies. I could go on and on.
Edamame!
Megan is sick. This time its a fever with cold and cough. She's cranky so when lunch came and we didn't go out to eat which she wanted "gogo dinah" she refused everything I made for her. From pizza bites to goldfish and even a PB&J. All the while I was boiling up some edamame (boiled soybeans in a pod lightly salted). When she saw them she got happy and is now enjoying a very healthy lunch.
I find this particularly humerous because quiet a few of the people on Dooce's poop blog recommended Edamame as a cure for constipation - course I only read about a third of the now 450+ comments on the subject.
too funny - Dooce does it again. I'm there too - number 122!
It was delicious. I really really enjoyed every morsel. And I ended with a lovely strong and sweet coffee that was heaven. And then I went home and tried to sleep. Usually we eat dinner at 6. Last night the shower wasn't even until 7. By the time everyone arrived and we ordered food it was close to 8. It was all wonderful, but I felt so full and the caffeine made me so wired I couldn't sleep... I finally drifted off around 1:30 and that's when Megan woke up with her fever spiking. The amazing thing is I'm awake now - its only 7:30 and I'm wide awake.
Insanely great restaurant to recommend - Tonight I went to a baby shower at Salang Pass at 37462 Fremont Blvd., Fremont, CA 94536 - they have no website. Its Afghan food in the heart of an area near us called little Kabul. I had the pumpkin spice with rice and dal soup and I split a delicious appetizer that was potato and veggies in a stuffed flat bread. Everything was so flavorful and not terribly spicy. If your ever out this way, I recommend it and let us know ahead of time and I'll get a babysitter for Megan and join you.
Megan's birthday is in ten days... so we have that long to get her over this wicked cold she has. She is stuffy and has a raspy cough. The Dr today though said it was just a cold and she would be ok in a couple of days.
Yesterday while cleaning up the yard, my foot went into one of Ripley's holes (she loved to dig) it went one way and I fell forward on my knee, slid a few feet and went head first into shed. It took me about 10 mins to get Jack's attention. Every time I asked Megan to get Daddy she'd get a ball and throw it at me. Jack finally heard me and came out - He saw the mess and rushed over - then he went straight to the shed and banged the door back into shape so it could close.
My head went into the shed and now I am all red. I must stay in bed until my head is no longer red and i feel less dead. Dr Suess got alot of play last night
I feel better - just my knee is really hurting. My head is still sore though.
Today Megan and I went to Target to get Sadie's insulin. While we waited for the prescription to be filled, we wandered around and enjoyed some 'OpUn' (Popcorn) after a few handfuls Megan asked me for juice (her word for all beverages). I handed her her sippy cup and said Megan's juice. She thought for a moment, looked at my soda cup , pointed at it and said "Ahmi's Juice"
Later at lunch when I put her plate in front of her I said here you go Megan's Dinner and she pointed to my plate and said "Ahmi's Dinah" She then looked over to Jack's empty chair and said "Dada no Dinah"
Just a week ago, it was just simple words and now we have whole thoughts and sentences!
I went with another mom friend of mine to a movie tonight and saw Diarios de motocicleta. It is the early story of Che Guevara, when he was still a medical student, and how he took a trip around South America with his best friend. It was beautifully filmed, and the stark contrasts of overwhelming poverty with beautiful scenery is shown as the changing point for how this student became a revolutionary. It doesn't become overwhelmed with politics, it just tells a story beautifully.
I enjoyed this article more than I should have... but when your leader is constantly pushing that he is a religious man, and you find out that he doesn't actually attend church... you tend to wonder "Did I hear that right? Surely not!" I know he's a busy man... I was listening at the first debate when he said it was hard work, but Clinton had the same job, managed to attend church regularly. So did Carter and he even taught Sunday Schoo. I'm sure Bush is spiritual and religious in his own way. Something smells alittle hypercritical.
Excellent OP-ED in the Washington Post on Sunday....
The end really says it best...
"But in Friday's debate, Bush made only the most modest concession to the findings of the Iraq Survey Group headed by Charles A. Duelfer that Hussein possessed no weapons of mass destruction. "I wasn't happy when we found out there wasn't weapons," Bush said, "and we've got an intelligence group together to figure out why."
But a president who pushed the country so hard to go to war on the basis of supposedly imminent threats owes his fellow citizens more than a desultory "oops." That's why Bush's refusal to admit mistakes matters. It suggests his belief that voters, even at election time, have no right to a clear and candid explanation of what went wrong, and why.
And when in doubt, the president blames somebody else. Almost all of the war's supporters believe that the United States put too few troops on the ground to keep order after Hussein's fall. What did Bush say about this in the debate? He recalled "sitting in the White House looking at those generals, saying, 'Do you have what you need in this war?' " and going to the White House basement and "asking them, 'Do we have the right plan with the right troop level?' And they looked me in the eye and said, 'Yes, sir, Mr. President.' "
Convenient, isn't it? If we don't have enough troops in Iraq, it's the fault of the generals, not of a commander in chief who doesn't seem to like answers other than "yes, sir." But in a democracy, voters don't have to say "yes, sir." And many of them, like Linda Grabel, are looking for even a smidgen of the humility Bush promised in the debates four years ago but now seems incapable of delivering."
On the advice of a friend I joined the Camera Cinema Club . It means that once a month I'll enjoy a movie, possibly brand new not yet released. The only twist is that you don't know what is going to be the movie until it the movie starts.
Today's movie was Primer. It won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and will open here in a few weeks. I really enjoyed it though I spent most of it feeling thoroughly confused. Its was an interesting take on time travel. The writer/producer/director/actor of it, Shane Carruth, was there to answer questions after. For only $7000 the movie is a surprising entertaining piece of cinema.
Megan and I headed out this morning early to Joan's Pumpkin Patch in Livermore with the rest of our play group. It was the first time I'd driven to Livermore since we'd moved here and I went out with Jack's Mom and Carlos to the labs there. From our house you have two choices for routes. Either out of the way but freeway all the way or the direct windy mountain road. I choose the later this time as I had that first time, and the drive is so beautiful. Very different in October after a long dry summer than it was that January during the rainy season, but still beautiful. The Pumpkin Patch had lots of animals to feed and pet, some fiberglass animals to climb on, the ever important "op un" (popcorn). Megan had such a good time that when I tried to get her to leave to go to lunch she didn't want to.
We had a lovely lunch with 2 other mom's and 2 of Megan's friends. Then while Megan was kept awake with a dvd in the portable player, I enjoyed the drive back (which as usual seemed so much shorter coming home than going!)
Megan and I had a lovely day. We went to the Palo Alto Children's Museum and zoo where we saw Rats and Bats, turtles and Fish, Geese and Ducks, a hawk and raccoons. She tried saying the names of everything today which was alot of fun.
We then had Lunch at CPK with another mom and her son, before heading to the grocery store on the way home. It was wonderful to have a fun day out after a week of being sick. And it was wonderful to escape "EMO!"
I had gone to the GOP's web page in hopes of learning why good people would join a party I see as being basically Un-American with each passing day. Imagine my surprise to find the Republican Oath - an Oath that I could almost totally get behind ... and yet the actual Republican party is as far from with the current president and administration.
"I'm a Republican Because...I BELIEVE the strength of our nation lies with the individual and that each person’s dignity, freedom, ability and responsibility must be honored.
I BELIEVE in equal rights, equal justice and equal opportunity for all, regardless of race, creed, sex, age or disability.
Let's just throw out there Bush's desire to add to the constitution of the United States of American the ban on Gay Marriage. Not allowing people to marry for whatever reason goes totally against this part of the oath.
I BELIEVE free enterprise and encouraging individual initiative have brought this nation opportunity, economic growth and prosperity.
I BELIEVE government must practice fiscal responsibility and allow individuals to keep more of the money they earn.
Uh - fiscal responsibility - what about the NATIONAL DEBT That alone is enough evidence this president and this administration has not been fiscally responsible. Add to this the fact that the top 1% income bracket got a tax break in a time of WAR - the only time ever a Civilization has given a tax break during a time of WAR and this administration has been the most fiscally irresponsible!
Lets also talk about jobs- 2.4 million people have lost their jobs since Bush took office. On average -79,189 jobs were created during a month during the last 4 years - thats a net loss of 79 thousand jobs a month!
The cost of Bush's tax cuts including interest on our national debt is 2.2 trillion dollars for the next 10 years. The percent of the tax cut for the top 1% of wage earners was 32.4 percent while the 64 million taxpayers received 100 or less from bush's "growth" Plan. We learned that "trickle down economics" didn't work during the Reagan era and yet that's what this amounts to. There has been a 10 percent increase in the number of bankruptcy filings since Bush took office... I could go on and on the examples of how the economy has suffered under this "Republican" administration are boundless. Fiscal responsibility - obviously Bush skipped that part of his oath.
I BELIEVE the proper role of government is to provide for the people only those critical functions that cannot be performed by individuals or private organizations and that the best government is that which governs least.
What about Ashcroft and the Patriot act - talk about the government going way beyond "only critical functions". How about the Faith based initiatives, that's government stepping in more - hardly "governs least"
I BELIEVE the most effective, responsible and responsive government is government closest to the people.
I wasn't sure what they meant by this, sort of sounds like the opposite of the previous paragraph, maybe they are invoking the states rights issue here I'm not sure what this particular section actually means.
I BELIEVE Americans must retain the principles that have made us strong while developing new and innovative ideas to meet the challenges of changing times. I BELIEVE Americans value and should preserve our national strength and pride while working to extend peace, freedom and human rights throughout the world."
If we look to the constitution for the principles that have made us strong, than this administration has trampled that part of the oath too. Our National pride was at an all time high during this administration after 9/11, even I was behind Bush completely when we went into Afghanistan and then he blew it, we are now more polarized than ever.
I wondered if the democratic party had an "Oath" as well, but I couldn't find one... What i did find was the Democratic Party Credo - Section 17 of the Charter which I'm totally behind and believe in. - see below. The democratic leaders we've had in the past may have been flawed individuals but I could trust that they worked hard for the betterment of our Nation and not just for the pockets of a few friends. This is why I'm proud to be a democrat.
We recognize that the capacity of government is limited but we regard democratic government as a force for good and a source of hope. At the heart of our party lies a fundamental conviction, that Americans must not only be free, but they must live in a fair society. We believe it is the responsibility of government to help us achieve this fair society.
- a society where the elderly and the disabled can lead lives of dignity and where Social Security remains an unshakable commitment
- a society where all people can find jobs in a growing full-employment economy
- a society where all workers are guaranteed without question the legal right to join unions of their own choosing and to bargain collectively for decent wages and conditions of employment
- a society where taxes are clearly based on ability to pay
- a society where the equal rights of women are guaranteed in the Constitution
- a society where the civil rights of minorities are fully secured and where no one is denied the opportunity for a better life
- a society where both public and private discrimination based upon race, sex, age, color, creed, national origin, religion, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, economic status, philosophical persuasion or physical disability are condemned and where our government moves aggressively to end such discrimination through lawful means;
- a society where we recognize that the strengthening of the family and the protection of children are essential to the health of the nation;
- a society where a sound education, proper nutrition, quality medical care, affordable housing, safe streets and a healthy environment are possible for every citizen;
- a society where the livelihoods of our family farmers are as stable as the values they instill in the American character
- a society where a strong national defense is a common effort, where promoting human rights is a basic value of our foreign policy, and where we ensure that future by ending the nuclear arms race.
This is our purpose and our promise."
in keeping track of Mount Saint Helens - here you go
Ah kids, they get the best germs! Megan and I are suffering from Hand Food and Mouth Disease. Megan is irritable and has the rash. Overall she seems to feel ok but is quick to be cranky. I can't swallow and feel so drained. Tomorrow is going to be Nemo for sure.
From the Washington Post
"John Eisenhower, son of the 34th president, last week wrote in a newspaper commentary that he is casting his first Democratic presidential vote in 50 years because of concern about President Bush's policies in Iraq and budget deficits at home."
John Kerry has a plan, a good one too. Until tonight I was voting for John Kerry more because I wanted to get rid of Bush, now I know I'm voting for a great man and a very capable leader. Kerry really impressed me tonight. He was articulate and decisive, looking more presidential than our current leader who stumbled and staggered.
now i just wish I could sleep - there is electricity in the air.