I went for a run today. This in itself was nothing unusual. I go for a lot of runs; at least I try to. I haven't been running in a while. I checked my log when I got home and there were three weeks with 0 miles, one week with 3 miles, and another week before that with 0 miles. I had been all geared up after my first cyclocross race (which was amazing), but then my inability to bifurcate kept me from doing the next race in the series. After a series of weird and depressing situations at school and less than perfect weather, a week without running turned into a month.
Yesterday I took a day off from school. No particular reason, I just wanted a day. That would have been a perfect day to run. It was even sunny. I didn't run. Today I did. I almost didn't, but I did. Again, the weather was less than perfect and I was about two steps away from not getting changed and heading home, but enough had been enough. There has been too much crap going on at school and I was on the cusp of a long running drought that would last through winter break into next year.
So, I went for a run. It was about 40 degrees (F not C), drizzly, and awesome. You get to a point where missing runs starts to mess with your head. The obvious cure is to get out and do something, but your head is so messed up, that it seems like too much trouble and you get stuck in a vicious cycle. But the moment you break that cycle, all hold it had on you is gone. 28 seconds into the run, it felt like everything that had been hanging over my head was washed away by the cold near sleet rain. 30 seconds or so later and all I was thinking of was how good it felt to be moving.
Don't let life get in the way of what you want to do. Life is what happens when you're not paying attention. Living is what you do. I let life happen for a month and it got me in a funk. Now I've got another cyclocross race coming up in January, a nice 5k the day before my birthday in February, and, hopefully, the Humdinger in March.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Saturday, November 12, 2011
It's just a little mud...
Yesterday I tried out my new tires on my bike for the first time in preparation for Sunday's cyclocross race. I headed out to some trails to practice riding on grass and getting on and off the bike while going as quickly as possible. I rode through some mud, made my wheels spin a bit, and got off and ran up a hill with my bike on my shoulder. Of course, I came to stand still getting back on, so I lowered the seat. No problems so far.
I was slipping around, keeping my balance through muddy stretches as I headed down a hill and saw a puddle. I didn't want to ride back up the hill, so I went through. The mud and standing water (with much algae growth and odd, oil-like patterns floating on top) was soon a few inches deep. I was still upright and moving forward and it looked like the stretch was ending soon. Then I turned a corner and it kept going. I saw other trails and they were all flooded too.
Three things occurred to me at this point. One, it's barely rained for the last two weeks; where is all of this water coming from. Two, if I keep moving, I won't get wet. Three, I've stopped moving and the mud is over my shoes.
I felt like Atreyu slogging through the swamp of sadness. I was worried that I was going to lose my bike like Artax. It was then I saw a trail to the side that seemed to have more tall grasses to step on, so I headed that way, lugging my bike with me through the mud. This is where the giant, man-eating prickers attacked and the trail turned out not to be a trail. I saw a clearing a little ways ahead and then made it to within ten feet of another, dry trail. I couldn't get there. The pricker growth was so thick I had to turn around an backtrack the whole way. Then I had to go back up the hill I was avoiding in the first place.
I headed back today, but completely avoided the bog I found yesterday. First I found the thorn that poked through my tire and put a pinhole in my tube. Riding on grass is much more tiring than the road and I do not have easy gearing on my bike. I don't know how people get on and off their bikes at speed, but I'm going to do the best I can.
All of that said, I'm really excited about tomorrow's race. After my riding today, I think I have a little more reasonable expectations for how I'll do, but I'm going to have fun. That much I know.
I was slipping around, keeping my balance through muddy stretches as I headed down a hill and saw a puddle. I didn't want to ride back up the hill, so I went through. The mud and standing water (with much algae growth and odd, oil-like patterns floating on top) was soon a few inches deep. I was still upright and moving forward and it looked like the stretch was ending soon. Then I turned a corner and it kept going. I saw other trails and they were all flooded too.
Three things occurred to me at this point. One, it's barely rained for the last two weeks; where is all of this water coming from. Two, if I keep moving, I won't get wet. Three, I've stopped moving and the mud is over my shoes.
I felt like Atreyu slogging through the swamp of sadness. I was worried that I was going to lose my bike like Artax. It was then I saw a trail to the side that seemed to have more tall grasses to step on, so I headed that way, lugging my bike with me through the mud. This is where the giant, man-eating prickers attacked and the trail turned out not to be a trail. I saw a clearing a little ways ahead and then made it to within ten feet of another, dry trail. I couldn't get there. The pricker growth was so thick I had to turn around an backtrack the whole way. Then I had to go back up the hill I was avoiding in the first place.
I headed back today, but completely avoided the bog I found yesterday. First I found the thorn that poked through my tire and put a pinhole in my tube. Riding on grass is much more tiring than the road and I do not have easy gearing on my bike. I don't know how people get on and off their bikes at speed, but I'm going to do the best I can.
All of that said, I'm really excited about tomorrow's race. After my riding today, I think I have a little more reasonable expectations for how I'll do, but I'm going to have fun. That much I know.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Cyclocross, here I come
I've got my first cyclocross race coming up on Sunday. Academically, I know what to expect. I'm prepping my bike as best I can. I found slightly knobby tires to fit my road frame. I'm taking off the bottle cage and computer. But, I really don't know what to expect. Even seeing pictures of the course, I have no idea how this is going to go. The one thing I do know is I'm excited and can't wait to give it a try. My wife keeps repeating one phrase to me, "Don't hurt yourself." She says this to me a lot. It means a lot to me that she cares for my well being enough to place that subconscious thought, "...hurt yourself" into my head to strike when I'm least prepared. Hopefully it won't happen during the fire jump on the course.
Wish me luck.
Wish me luck.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Reflections on a 5k
Last night I ran the first 5k race since 1995. I can't believe it's been that long. In the past 3 years I've gotten back into racing, but I've been focusing on things that required more guts and pain tolerance than pure athleticism. It's a nice way to avoid the question of how far I am fitness and ability-wise from when I was running Cross Country in high school.
Last night, however, there was no hiding behind the difficulty of the terrain, novelty of kayaking for the first time, or the grueling nature of any multi-sport event. Last night was a flat 5k course at a perfect 60 degrees with no wind, precipitation, or oppressive humidity. No excuses for performance other than lack of preparedness.
I started the race with a colleague from school that I stumbled upon before the start. We both had the goal of finishing in under 24 minutes. The start was a fast run down Market Street, which was really cool at night with the lights and over 300 other people. It soon turned onto the dark streets of residential downtown Lewisburg and the gut check began. I hit mile 1 at 7:58. The fastest first mile I've run since the earlier mentioned cross country days. I had to guess at the split at the time because of the lag in the official start and the time when I crossed the mat for the timing chip. I couldn't see my watch well enough while moving in the dark, so I just went with it. With about a half mile to go, I picked up the pace. At that moment, I was so thankful for the last few weeks I'd spent doing 400 meter intervals at about a 7:20 mile pace. The last bit of the race felt like these last few intervals and the all out one at the end. I still had a kick, the intensity of which tells me that I could have gone faster over that last couple of miles, but the kick was there. I had lost my partner early on, but caught back up at the end and we finished within seconds of each other.
I finished in 24:43. I was 5 minutes out of medal contention and didn't meet my goal, but when I found out that the course was actually 3.2 miles long (not 3.125 that is more the actual 5k distance), broke down my time to see that I'd averaged about 7:43/mile. I'm very happy with that. I've been struggling to build speed these last few years. It's a far cry from my all-time best of 18 minutes, and I don't think I'll see that again, but I think that I can get that pace down to 7 minutes/mile and maybe even get below 20 minutes again.
Last night, however, there was no hiding behind the difficulty of the terrain, novelty of kayaking for the first time, or the grueling nature of any multi-sport event. Last night was a flat 5k course at a perfect 60 degrees with no wind, precipitation, or oppressive humidity. No excuses for performance other than lack of preparedness.
I started the race with a colleague from school that I stumbled upon before the start. We both had the goal of finishing in under 24 minutes. The start was a fast run down Market Street, which was really cool at night with the lights and over 300 other people. It soon turned onto the dark streets of residential downtown Lewisburg and the gut check began. I hit mile 1 at 7:58. The fastest first mile I've run since the earlier mentioned cross country days. I had to guess at the split at the time because of the lag in the official start and the time when I crossed the mat for the timing chip. I couldn't see my watch well enough while moving in the dark, so I just went with it. With about a half mile to go, I picked up the pace. At that moment, I was so thankful for the last few weeks I'd spent doing 400 meter intervals at about a 7:20 mile pace. The last bit of the race felt like these last few intervals and the all out one at the end. I still had a kick, the intensity of which tells me that I could have gone faster over that last couple of miles, but the kick was there. I had lost my partner early on, but caught back up at the end and we finished within seconds of each other.
I finished in 24:43. I was 5 minutes out of medal contention and didn't meet my goal, but when I found out that the course was actually 3.2 miles long (not 3.125 that is more the actual 5k distance), broke down my time to see that I'd averaged about 7:43/mile. I'm very happy with that. I've been struggling to build speed these last few years. It's a far cry from my all-time best of 18 minutes, and I don't think I'll see that again, but I think that I can get that pace down to 7 minutes/mile and maybe even get below 20 minutes again.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Thoughts on Who - The Doctor, that is
Disclaimer: for the purposes of this discussion, I am only discussing the new Dr. Who. All and any comments pertaining to the original series will be out of place.
I've finished the 5th season of Dr. Who on Netflix and am waiting for season 6 to become available streaming. I'm not satisfied with the current Dr., Matt Smith. When I first started watching, Christopher Eccleston was perfect and I was really upset when David Tennant took over after just one season. However, within a few episodes, I got over that and really enjoyed him as the doctor. But the arrival of Matt Smith, who isn't bad as the Dr., it's just not the same. I know it's not supposed to be the same, but I still haven't fully accepted him as the Dr.
Even more than the Dr., I feel that they peeked with Rose Tyler as his companion. I've like all of the others (Donna Noble took longer to accept), but none of them had the same connection as Rose and no one's ending(s) were as strong as hers.
I have to give it to the writers of Dr. Who. They really get you attached to the characters and pull you in to make each season's finale that much more special. Even with Matt Smith's Dr. and Amy/Rory as the companions (who I've accepted more than him), season 5's finish was spectacular. Doomsday from season 2 is still tops, but they've all been great.
I've never known a Scifi show that could pull you so emotionally. If you haven't watched the new Dr. Who, you should. Give yourself a few episodes to get used to it. It's one of the best shows I've watched - right up there with Battlestar Galactica and The Wire.
I've finished the 5th season of Dr. Who on Netflix and am waiting for season 6 to become available streaming. I'm not satisfied with the current Dr., Matt Smith. When I first started watching, Christopher Eccleston was perfect and I was really upset when David Tennant took over after just one season. However, within a few episodes, I got over that and really enjoyed him as the doctor. But the arrival of Matt Smith, who isn't bad as the Dr., it's just not the same. I know it's not supposed to be the same, but I still haven't fully accepted him as the Dr.
Even more than the Dr., I feel that they peeked with Rose Tyler as his companion. I've like all of the others (Donna Noble took longer to accept), but none of them had the same connection as Rose and no one's ending(s) were as strong as hers.
I have to give it to the writers of Dr. Who. They really get you attached to the characters and pull you in to make each season's finale that much more special. Even with Matt Smith's Dr. and Amy/Rory as the companions (who I've accepted more than him), season 5's finish was spectacular. Doomsday from season 2 is still tops, but they've all been great.
I've never known a Scifi show that could pull you so emotionally. If you haven't watched the new Dr. Who, you should. Give yourself a few episodes to get used to it. It's one of the best shows I've watched - right up there with Battlestar Galactica and The Wire.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
So glad I've gotten rid of Windstream
My wife and I had finally had enough of our current telephone and internet provider, Windstream. A year or two ago, they bought out our local provider. Up to that point, I actually enjoyed the few talks I had with customer service and always felt that I was treated well by the company. Windstream bought them out and almost immediately, we started have connection issues with the internet. Then our phone lines started getting extremely fuzzy. It got so bad, that we could hardly hear the people we were talking to. Windstream said they detected no problems with the lines, so it must be inside the house. It also got to the point that we had to restart the modem at least 3 times a day to get internet access and often even that wouldn't help. Windstream told me that our connection was fine.
We switched to the cable company for everything. In order to do the switch, I needed a passcode to port my number. I called Windstream and got a code. A day later the cable company said the code was rejected. I called back and got a completely different number, which this time worked. I planned on shutting off the Windstream service a few days after the switch so I could get all of my email contacts switched to a new address when all of a sudden, I couldn't access my email anymore. I couldn't even get to a login screen. I called today to cancel Windstream and they had already cancelled when the phone number got ported. I asked why that would cut off my email and got some BS answer. Luckily I didn't use their webmail and have all of my old emails, otherwise, it would all be lost.
It's sad that a good, well-liked, local company that did it's job well was bought out by what clearly seems to be a large corporation that acts like a child when it doesn't like what you do. Good riddance to Windstream and I haven't had to restart a modem all week!
We switched to the cable company for everything. In order to do the switch, I needed a passcode to port my number. I called Windstream and got a code. A day later the cable company said the code was rejected. I called back and got a completely different number, which this time worked. I planned on shutting off the Windstream service a few days after the switch so I could get all of my email contacts switched to a new address when all of a sudden, I couldn't access my email anymore. I couldn't even get to a login screen. I called today to cancel Windstream and they had already cancelled when the phone number got ported. I asked why that would cut off my email and got some BS answer. Luckily I didn't use their webmail and have all of my old emails, otherwise, it would all be lost.
It's sad that a good, well-liked, local company that did it's job well was bought out by what clearly seems to be a large corporation that acts like a child when it doesn't like what you do. Good riddance to Windstream and I haven't had to restart a modem all week!
Friday, July 22, 2011
I'm raising my daughter right
The girl has been going through a lot of maturation this past year. Kindergarten has pushed her levels of independence to previously unknown levels. She's taking showers and cleaning herself with minimal assistance. And, she even has taken to choosing her own clothes, with her own style. None of that is something I can take credit for. However, I think I have had some influence on her current push for an identity. She's been stating, ofter vociferously, that she loves rock-n-roll. She treats us daily to her dance interpretations of whatever music is playing. She's a big fan of Gogol Bordello. She's been going through my CD collection asking to hear different things. Last night was a watershed moment. For a while now, she's been saying how much she likes drums and guitars. Everything I put on, she said she wanted more drums and guitars and could I please turn it up. A light bulb went off, I put on a particular CD, and she actually started headbanging. It was Metallica, Master of Puppets.
I figured out that my 5-year-old daughter's particular taste in music may be metal.
The coolest thing is that she likes so many different things. I was worried for a while because she was gravitating to things like Lady Gaga and K$sha (some tracks of which are cunningly catchy), but I kept hope because she liked Gogol Bordello so much more. But after her repeated requests for more drums and more guitar, I can see that her musical tastes will be fine.
Rock on.
I figured out that my 5-year-old daughter's particular taste in music may be metal.
The coolest thing is that she likes so many different things. I was worried for a while because she was gravitating to things like Lady Gaga and K$sha (some tracks of which are cunningly catchy), but I kept hope because she liked Gogol Bordello so much more. But after her repeated requests for more drums and more guitar, I can see that her musical tastes will be fine.
Rock on.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Can we count on your $200 to defeat the worst president in history?
I got a call that came up as a private number and decided to take it. What's the worst that could happen? It was Dick Morris in a very moving speech that really didn't say anything outside of rhetorical devices. It asked me to stay on the line to participate in a survey of Tea Party supporters. I figured this could be as much fun as the call I took from the NRA a while ago.
I was informed that Mr. Morris just wrote a book on how to revolt against president Obama and his socialist agenda. Then I was asked which conservative I think led as the best example for us to follow today. I didn't want to let the person know my views yet, so I said Thomas Jefferson. She replied with "Oh, going back in history. I heard Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln.
"I didn't say Abraham Lincoln. I only said Thomas Jefferson," I replied.
"Well, we certainly could use someone like him today," she said.
At this point I refrained from asking what about Thomas Jefferson led her to believe he'd support her side. Instead, I listened to hear how they were planning to take out a full page add in USA Today and if they could count on my $200 contribution to defeat Obama, again mentioning that not only is he the worst president since Carter, but the worst ever. I asked her what he's done to be the worst. She said the car bailouts, to which I asked why were they so bad. The companies are profitable and they paid back all the loans. Then she started talking about fighter pilots in Libya. I broke in and said that I wasn't saying anything about Libya, but why was the car manufacturers bailout bad when they worked.
I asked her what she thought about the bank bailouts by Bush. I asked if they had paid their money back. She said no. I asked what she thought about the bonuses their executives received. She had no reply. I asked her about all of the corporate tax breaks and she said the president had no business doing anything like that. I replied that it seemed like Congress was leading the way there. I was about to ask about all of the state governments selling themselves to business, but she started to thank me for my call and that we weren't going to agree on anything.
I asked her why she didn't want to have a discussion. Did she want it to be a case of I think this, you think that, and let's see who has more people? Isn't that a bit juvenile? She was trying every way she could think of to get off the phone with me without just hanging up. She kept repeating that she was glad I had my opinions. Then I asked how she got my name as a supporter of the Tea Party. She asked if I was so-and-so, who happens to be my brother. I replied, "No, I'm another so-and-so. That's my brother. I'm the owner of this house." Then I let her off the hook. Now I know why they had the name and number blocked. They don't want real discussion. They just want you to agree or not know of their existence.
It was an invigorating, but scary look into the psyche of a part of the American public and their leaders. With no information at all, with nothing but rhetorical devices and scare tactics politicians and lobbyists try and succeed to get vast amounts of money and support. Maybe the answer is to limit everyone to a single term in office. With no pressure to get re-elected, maybe politicians will start to represent people again and not special interests and corporations. I don't know. Our system is broken. I have no idea how to fix it.
I was informed that Mr. Morris just wrote a book on how to revolt against president Obama and his socialist agenda. Then I was asked which conservative I think led as the best example for us to follow today. I didn't want to let the person know my views yet, so I said Thomas Jefferson. She replied with "Oh, going back in history. I heard Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln.
"I didn't say Abraham Lincoln. I only said Thomas Jefferson," I replied.
"Well, we certainly could use someone like him today," she said.
At this point I refrained from asking what about Thomas Jefferson led her to believe he'd support her side. Instead, I listened to hear how they were planning to take out a full page add in USA Today and if they could count on my $200 contribution to defeat Obama, again mentioning that not only is he the worst president since Carter, but the worst ever. I asked her what he's done to be the worst. She said the car bailouts, to which I asked why were they so bad. The companies are profitable and they paid back all the loans. Then she started talking about fighter pilots in Libya. I broke in and said that I wasn't saying anything about Libya, but why was the car manufacturers bailout bad when they worked.
I asked her what she thought about the bank bailouts by Bush. I asked if they had paid their money back. She said no. I asked what she thought about the bonuses their executives received. She had no reply. I asked her about all of the corporate tax breaks and she said the president had no business doing anything like that. I replied that it seemed like Congress was leading the way there. I was about to ask about all of the state governments selling themselves to business, but she started to thank me for my call and that we weren't going to agree on anything.
I asked her why she didn't want to have a discussion. Did she want it to be a case of I think this, you think that, and let's see who has more people? Isn't that a bit juvenile? She was trying every way she could think of to get off the phone with me without just hanging up. She kept repeating that she was glad I had my opinions. Then I asked how she got my name as a supporter of the Tea Party. She asked if I was so-and-so, who happens to be my brother. I replied, "No, I'm another so-and-so. That's my brother. I'm the owner of this house." Then I let her off the hook. Now I know why they had the name and number blocked. They don't want real discussion. They just want you to agree or not know of their existence.
It was an invigorating, but scary look into the psyche of a part of the American public and their leaders. With no information at all, with nothing but rhetorical devices and scare tactics politicians and lobbyists try and succeed to get vast amounts of money and support. Maybe the answer is to limit everyone to a single term in office. With no pressure to get re-elected, maybe politicians will start to represent people again and not special interests and corporations. I don't know. Our system is broken. I have no idea how to fix it.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Realtor Rant
If you schedule a visit at 1:30, a 15 minute buffer for me to get out of the house should be more than enough. Stop showing up early, without even calling with a warning. I have a 5-year-old, a 3-year-old, and a large dog that all have to get out of the house. Said creatures need to be cleaned-up after before we leave and I don't care how much you clean ahead of time, there will be magic clutter that appears where they exist, and as we all know from watching HGTV, it is impossible to sell a house with any visible clutter. I'm already conceding the fact that children live in the house, so I'm working at a disadvantage here. Don't make my live more difficult by showing up early, during nap time and wondering if I mind that you are early. I want to sell my house. You have somebody with you who wants to sell a house. At least apologize or even acknowledge the inconvenience.
Next time I sell a house, I'm writing into every document a deduction to the buyer's agent commission if they or anyone from their office brings somebody to my house more than 15 minutes before the scheduled time. In fact, I'm including a deduction for any showings that last less than 5 minutes or are scheduled after 6:00.
Next time I sell a house, I'm writing into every document a deduction to the buyer's agent commission if they or anyone from their office brings somebody to my house more than 15 minutes before the scheduled time. In fact, I'm including a deduction for any showings that last less than 5 minutes or are scheduled after 6:00.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Stabbed in the back by a little rogue
Earlier this school year I decided to try a Donor's Choose project. It's an awesome website that lets anybody partially or fully fund grants/projects that teachers put together to use with their students. We were starting a new anti-bullying program and I wanted to do some team building, so I thought it would be fun to get some GPS devices and do some geocaching-like activities with them. I was fortunate enough to get a project funded and got two units. Another generous friend donated one she had. This all came together in the middle of winter. Suffice to say, conditions were not right for that sort of activity until later in the spring.
Meanwhile, I was reorganizing some of the rooms in my house and moved all of my computer equipment. When I looked for the GPS's one of the new ones was missing. I figured I misplaced it and because it was a product of a grant funded by generous donors, I replaced it.
Finally, a couple of weeks ago, I was able to get everything organized, the weather was better, and testing was over (except for Keystones - sorry Algebra kids), so we got outside. My kids loved it. They had so much fun, even though the field was soggy, it was windy, the sun hid, and it even rained a bit. The most reticent and stubborn kids ran up to me after and asked when we would do it again. It was a success.
A few days ago, I was cleaning off my work area at school, and one of the GPS devices was missing again. The one I had just bought. I had hoped that I had merely misplaced the other one, but now I'm pretty certain. Somebody stole them from my classroom. It was also a malicious, intentional theft because they took the newer one each time, even though there were two there and they walked past a bag of 30 graphing calculators and had to go behind my desk to get them.
After all of the uncertainty and negative rhetoric thrown at teachers in the past months, this was the icing on the cake. It's hard to look at my classes and wonder who took it. It's hard because I know it was at most a couple of people who are souring my entire perspective and opinion of the other 80 students. It's hard because I feel betrayed. At this point, I guess I'll have to rely on somebody coming forward. Otherwise, I'm out of luck and $300 worth of GPS's. Thanks, losers.
Meanwhile, I was reorganizing some of the rooms in my house and moved all of my computer equipment. When I looked for the GPS's one of the new ones was missing. I figured I misplaced it and because it was a product of a grant funded by generous donors, I replaced it.
Finally, a couple of weeks ago, I was able to get everything organized, the weather was better, and testing was over (except for Keystones - sorry Algebra kids), so we got outside. My kids loved it. They had so much fun, even though the field was soggy, it was windy, the sun hid, and it even rained a bit. The most reticent and stubborn kids ran up to me after and asked when we would do it again. It was a success.
A few days ago, I was cleaning off my work area at school, and one of the GPS devices was missing again. The one I had just bought. I had hoped that I had merely misplaced the other one, but now I'm pretty certain. Somebody stole them from my classroom. It was also a malicious, intentional theft because they took the newer one each time, even though there were two there and they walked past a bag of 30 graphing calculators and had to go behind my desk to get them.
After all of the uncertainty and negative rhetoric thrown at teachers in the past months, this was the icing on the cake. It's hard to look at my classes and wonder who took it. It's hard because I know it was at most a couple of people who are souring my entire perspective and opinion of the other 80 students. It's hard because I feel betrayed. At this point, I guess I'll have to rely on somebody coming forward. Otherwise, I'm out of luck and $300 worth of GPS's. Thanks, losers.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Enough is enough
America is under attack. I am not speaking metaphorically. I am not using hyperbole. We are under attack. The opposition has been building up its forces, its munitions, and its other resources for many years now. It has been waging a propaganda war for quite some time now and has been softening us up without our even knowing it. The first shots have been fired. They have been strategic attacks aimed at our best and only defenses. They attack now with impunity secure in their beliefs that we have become so apathetic and helpless that there will be no resistance. They fight with words. They fight with ideas. They fight with money.
I've had enough. I am not content to let this happen. Wisconsin has shown us that resistance is not futile. We have numbers. We are the people and we should all be saying, "Enough is enough!" Sure we have differences, but we should be united by what we have in common, rather than divided by how we are different. Divide and conquer has been their mantra. We need to stop saying, "Why should that person get something when I don't?" We need to start saying, "What can I do so we can all have that?"
There is an orchestrated concerted effort on many new/ish Republican governors acting under the guise of fiscal conservatism. They are making a power grab. They are eliminating their competition. They are working to do the opposite of their traditional role of limiting government. The patterns are there across the country. Anywhere they can, they are increasing the influence of corporations and diminishing the rights of actual human beings. Michigan's governor is trying to pass legislation that would allow a corporation to swoop in during a "financial crisis" and actually dismiss elected officials. Who decides if it's a crisis? The governor. The Wisconsin governor has been trying to eliminate public unions' right to collective bargaining under the guise of a budget repair bill. Thanks to a prank phone call, we got proof that he is just a tool for corporate money.
It's time for elected officials to stop pandering to corporate interests. They represent us, not a company. They need our best interests in mind, not how they can raise more money for their campaigns. Across the nation, our "leaders" are attempting to push through legislation that limits people's rights. In the name of fiscal responsibility, education is being gutted with school vouchers to private/religious institutions as an alternative. Schools are being told that they need to increase performance, will be held accountable for students scores, and must do all of this with drastically reduced funding that will result in larger class sizes, fewer resources, and no respect. The Pennsylvania governor announced a budget that would no longer reward teachers for earning Master's Degree and would actually lower the requirements to become a teacher!
I'm sick of it. I'm sick of money ruling all. I'm sick of personal gain being a roadblock to societal success. Do we want to be a successful country, or do we want it to be easy for corporations to run their businesses? I'll leave you with one last question: Where do corporations go to make the most money? They go to countries with the laxest laws that let them do whatever they want to the workforce to mass produce products regardless of the cost to human welfare. Is that where we are going? (sorry, had to add another question.)
Please, contact any and all government officials that you can. Remind them that there are more of us than them. They call rile up the extremes of their party all they want, but all parties have reasonable people with common goals. People need to come first, not money.
I've had enough. I am not content to let this happen. Wisconsin has shown us that resistance is not futile. We have numbers. We are the people and we should all be saying, "Enough is enough!" Sure we have differences, but we should be united by what we have in common, rather than divided by how we are different. Divide and conquer has been their mantra. We need to stop saying, "Why should that person get something when I don't?" We need to start saying, "What can I do so we can all have that?"
There is an orchestrated concerted effort on many new/ish Republican governors acting under the guise of fiscal conservatism. They are making a power grab. They are eliminating their competition. They are working to do the opposite of their traditional role of limiting government. The patterns are there across the country. Anywhere they can, they are increasing the influence of corporations and diminishing the rights of actual human beings. Michigan's governor is trying to pass legislation that would allow a corporation to swoop in during a "financial crisis" and actually dismiss elected officials. Who decides if it's a crisis? The governor. The Wisconsin governor has been trying to eliminate public unions' right to collective bargaining under the guise of a budget repair bill. Thanks to a prank phone call, we got proof that he is just a tool for corporate money.
It's time for elected officials to stop pandering to corporate interests. They represent us, not a company. They need our best interests in mind, not how they can raise more money for their campaigns. Across the nation, our "leaders" are attempting to push through legislation that limits people's rights. In the name of fiscal responsibility, education is being gutted with school vouchers to private/religious institutions as an alternative. Schools are being told that they need to increase performance, will be held accountable for students scores, and must do all of this with drastically reduced funding that will result in larger class sizes, fewer resources, and no respect. The Pennsylvania governor announced a budget that would no longer reward teachers for earning Master's Degree and would actually lower the requirements to become a teacher!
I'm sick of it. I'm sick of money ruling all. I'm sick of personal gain being a roadblock to societal success. Do we want to be a successful country, or do we want it to be easy for corporations to run their businesses? I'll leave you with one last question: Where do corporations go to make the most money? They go to countries with the laxest laws that let them do whatever they want to the workforce to mass produce products regardless of the cost to human welfare. Is that where we are going? (sorry, had to add another question.)
Please, contact any and all government officials that you can. Remind them that there are more of us than them. They call rile up the extremes of their party all they want, but all parties have reasonable people with common goals. People need to come first, not money.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Letter from my state representative
Pennsylvania is considering a bill that will implement a voucher system. I contacted my state representatives to voice my concerns which include public money to religious institutions (many private schools), public money being used to fund education that is not held to any standards or accountability, and public money to institutions that get to pick and choose who gets in and who doesn't. That is only a very brief version of the problems I have with school voucher programs and was more detailed in my contact.
Today I got a letter from Lynda Schlegel Culver who is the representative from the 108th district, located in Sunbury and whose email is unashamedly partisan: lculver@pahousegop.com (please contact her with concerns). Her response ignored every single one of my concerns while thanking me for the time I took to share them. In fact, it highlighted the fact that Senate Bill 1 would expand a program that gives tax cuts to corporations that donate money to a scholarship that funds student tuition at NONPUBLIC schools - corporate tax cuts to fund possibly/probably religious institutions. I thought the letter was bad at that point.
In the closing paragraph, the letter read, "It is important to know that my constituents have concerns when it comes to the debate about increased educational options and parental choice...Rest assured that I will carefully consider the pros and cons of any legislation that reaches the House floor for a vote, and will make my decision based on what is most beneficial for my constituents." I am a constituent.
Is it just me, or does she not care what my concerns? Is she going to consider what her constituents want, or is she going to do what she thinks is best? This letter disgusted me. Other letters I've gotten have at least responded to at least once concern that I raised, but this one was such a form letter, it couldn't even be bothered to address any of my concerns and actually highlighted one of them as a benefit of the Bill.
Today I got a letter from Lynda Schlegel Culver who is the representative from the 108th district, located in Sunbury and whose email is unashamedly partisan: lculver@pahousegop.com (please contact her with concerns). Her response ignored every single one of my concerns while thanking me for the time I took to share them. In fact, it highlighted the fact that Senate Bill 1 would expand a program that gives tax cuts to corporations that donate money to a scholarship that funds student tuition at NONPUBLIC schools - corporate tax cuts to fund possibly/probably religious institutions. I thought the letter was bad at that point.
In the closing paragraph, the letter read, "It is important to know that my constituents have concerns when it comes to the debate about increased educational options and parental choice...Rest assured that I will carefully consider the pros and cons of any legislation that reaches the House floor for a vote, and will make my decision based on what is most beneficial for my constituents." I am a constituent.
Is it just me, or does she not care what my concerns? Is she going to consider what her constituents want, or is she going to do what she thinks is best? This letter disgusted me. Other letters I've gotten have at least responded to at least once concern that I raised, but this one was such a form letter, it couldn't even be bothered to address any of my concerns and actually highlighted one of them as a benefit of the Bill.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Non-political
This post will be entirely non-political (I'll write a separate one later).
I got the geocaching bug again last week. It was 60 degrees, I had the day off, and everyone else was at school. So, I tried the first cache that we never could find and possibly turned my daughter off of treasure hunting forever. The last attempt ended in her and my wife's trek through thigh/head (depending on height) high weeds to take a short cut to the road as I headed back the .75 mile trail with the boy on my shoulders to get the car at the parking area. This was preceded by tears, crying, and complaining that the picnic bench was too hard to rest on and many other very funny comments about legs not working. That was also the second time that day we tried to find it. Since then, I'd tried many times to get the girl to go with me, but was met each time with refusal.
I now have a new GPS device that is not a car unit and therefore much more useful off-road. I headed off in shorts and T-shirt and a $2 bill to trade and quickly found some of the squishiest terrain I've ever encountered outside of a bog. Try as they would, even the SmartWool socks couldn't wick fast enough to deep my feet dry, but it was fun. I could smell dirt and splashing through mud, water, snow, and ice was very cathartic. I got back to the same place we had gotten to last time, but this time I had a little bit more precision in my gadgetry and quickly found my first cache.
Fueled by this success and the ability to download coordinates directly to the device, I found some that don't require a hike to reach and are near parks. I took the kids to a park today and before we went home, I said we were going to look for a treasure. The girl immediately groaned and started whining and complaining, somehow simultaneously, but I pushed forward and said she could hold the GPS and follow the arrow. As we waded through large herds of ducks, we got to the location and found the treasure. Seeing me write our names on the log got her even more excited. When I asked if she wanted to find another, I got and enthusiastic "Yes!"
There was one more nearby, so we headed there, only to be confronted with some angry sounding geese advancing towards us. We approached from another direction and were faced down by goats. We turned back. I didn't feel up to facing geese and goats with a 2 and 5-year-old. She does want to go again tomorrow, though.
I got the geocaching bug again last week. It was 60 degrees, I had the day off, and everyone else was at school. So, I tried the first cache that we never could find and possibly turned my daughter off of treasure hunting forever. The last attempt ended in her and my wife's trek through thigh/head (depending on height) high weeds to take a short cut to the road as I headed back the .75 mile trail with the boy on my shoulders to get the car at the parking area. This was preceded by tears, crying, and complaining that the picnic bench was too hard to rest on and many other very funny comments about legs not working. That was also the second time that day we tried to find it. Since then, I'd tried many times to get the girl to go with me, but was met each time with refusal.
I now have a new GPS device that is not a car unit and therefore much more useful off-road. I headed off in shorts and T-shirt and a $2 bill to trade and quickly found some of the squishiest terrain I've ever encountered outside of a bog. Try as they would, even the SmartWool socks couldn't wick fast enough to deep my feet dry, but it was fun. I could smell dirt and splashing through mud, water, snow, and ice was very cathartic. I got back to the same place we had gotten to last time, but this time I had a little bit more precision in my gadgetry and quickly found my first cache.
Fueled by this success and the ability to download coordinates directly to the device, I found some that don't require a hike to reach and are near parks. I took the kids to a park today and before we went home, I said we were going to look for a treasure. The girl immediately groaned and started whining and complaining, somehow simultaneously, but I pushed forward and said she could hold the GPS and follow the arrow. As we waded through large herds of ducks, we got to the location and found the treasure. Seeing me write our names on the log got her even more excited. When I asked if she wanted to find another, I got and enthusiastic "Yes!"
There was one more nearby, so we headed there, only to be confronted with some angry sounding geese advancing towards us. We approached from another direction and were faced down by goats. We turned back. I didn't feel up to facing geese and goats with a 2 and 5-year-old. She does want to go again tomorrow, though.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
I'm gonna be rich and you can be too.
I just got this email, and because I'm so generous, I'll let the first person who volunteers do this instead of me for my cut. I ask only for $1.7 million up front in cash. Oh, trust me and Mr. Bongani. We go way back.
Hello Friend,
My heartfelt greetings to you and to your family, I appreciate your email response and your willingness to participate in this business. So, kindly feel free to corporate with me. However, I will like to let you know more details of this business and reason why I contacted you.
I contacted you independently,based on my internal investigation and no one has been informed of this communication except you and I decided to intimate you with certain facts that I believe would be of interest to you. As a matter of fact, I am the database engineer of T.E.S deliver and Security company,I found out something that is very secret and after my investigation,I found out that the only of the deposit was a politician and he was murdered last 2years and since then no one is coming for the claim of the deposit he made before his death and he did not expose it or tell any one about the deposit he made, so as my position on the company now as the database engineer, I decided to find some one who is willing to work with me so we can claim the deposit from the company so it can be delivered to the person as the rightful owner of it, which I will change all the information’s stored in the database and put your own information as the owner.
He deposited the uncut Diamond and 8 bars of Gold with $9.6 Million Dollar as his foreign business partner valuable treasures and expensive antiquities. With my experience and position in the company i can be able to give you some vital information's on how to make the claims, the management of our company is ready to approve the delivery of the uncut Diamond and 8 bars of Gold with $9.6 Million Dollar to any foreigner that comes up with prove and relevant document which will confirm that he/she is the beneficiary of the deposit.
This is a very big secret, between me and you, know one in the company no the original content of the box only me, reason why I no the content of the box is because of my position as the database engineer new manager of the company still don't know the original content too. Once you have made up your mind to carry with me and give me the required information’s below from you so I can change and the information’s from the database after that I will give you direct contact of the manager so you can contact him for the claim of the box, to be delivered to you in your country and the owner, which once t is done, I will start coming to your country for the sharing of the money and for we to sell the diamond to a diamond dealer and for me to set up a small business in your country too.
To proceed in earnest furnish me with your detail information as stated below:
1. Your Full Names:
2. Your Full Contact Address:
3. Your Occupation:
4. Date of Birth/Age:
5. Marital Status:
6. Your Telephone/Cell Phone and Fax Numbers for effective communication between us.Confirm the good receipt of this email along with your detail information as required so that we can proceed towards the success of this great business venture that we will all benefit from .
Mr.Bongani.
Hello Friend,
My heartfelt greetings to you and to your family, I appreciate your email response and your willingness to participate in this business. So, kindly feel free to corporate with me. However, I will like to let you know more details of this business and reason why I contacted you.
I contacted you independently,based on my internal investigation and no one has been informed of this communication except you and I decided to intimate you with certain facts that I believe would be of interest to you. As a matter of fact, I am the database engineer of T.E.S deliver and Security company,I found out something that is very secret and after my investigation,I found out that the only of the deposit was a politician and he was murdered last 2years and since then no one is coming for the claim of the deposit he made before his death and he did not expose it or tell any one about the deposit he made, so as my position on the company now as the database engineer, I decided to find some one who is willing to work with me so we can claim the deposit from the company so it can be delivered to the person as the rightful owner of it, which I will change all the information’s stored in the database and put your own information as the owner.
He deposited the uncut Diamond and 8 bars of Gold with $9.6 Million Dollar as his foreign business partner valuable treasures and expensive antiquities. With my experience and position in the company i can be able to give you some vital information's on how to make the claims, the management of our company is ready to approve the delivery of the uncut Diamond and 8 bars of Gold with $9.6 Million Dollar to any foreigner that comes up with prove and relevant document which will confirm that he/she is the beneficiary of the deposit.
This is a very big secret, between me and you, know one in the company no the original content of the box only me, reason why I no the content of the box is because of my position as the database engineer new manager of the company still don't know the original content too. Once you have made up your mind to carry with me and give me the required information’s below from you so I can change and the information’s from the database after that I will give you direct contact of the manager so you can contact him for the claim of the box, to be delivered to you in your country and the owner, which once t is done, I will start coming to your country for the sharing of the money and for we to sell the diamond to a diamond dealer and for me to set up a small business in your country too.
To proceed in earnest furnish me with your detail information as stated below:
1. Your Full Names:
2. Your Full Contact Address:
3. Your Occupation:
4. Date of Birth/Age:
5. Marital Status:
6. Your Telephone/Cell Phone and Fax Numbers for effective communication between us.Confirm the good receipt of this email along with your detail information as required so that we can proceed towards the success of this great business venture that we will all benefit from .
Mr.Bongani.
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