(Somewhat) Ed-yew-ma-cated Ramblings

TrueMajority

This is such a great explanation of budget etc. Of course, I don't know that it is all as simple as it appears, but it is a good starting point for thinking about it.

How do we keep our nation safe but our schools well-stocked? I think we can do both; can't we?

I actually think the two party system is failing us; it automatically pits one side against the other.

My husband laughs, but I still think the best way to run the country would be to have the winner be the president and the second-up guy be the vice president. Then no one would really be able to bad mouth each other, and the debates might be about something relevant rather than whether or not Bush was a wussy draft dodger and Kerry threw medals and ribbons, or just ribbons, or just medals, and if he was right to protest the war at all.

My brother Gerard just informed me that he is not going to vote. I think that's shameful, but didn't exactly use those words to tell him that. He is disenfranchised for sure... and is adamant that all politicians do is "lie to get your vote", then do "whatever they want" once they are in the White House. Yikes. I am not quite that cynical, but I suppose I am close.

I just can't imagine listening to Kerry's voice for four or eight years.. and I'm positive I can't stand anymore un-ed-yew-ma-cated (although remarkably well-lettered) George Dubbyew.

But politics is kind of like when my husband and I go to the movies:

After finding a babysitter, selecting a film, spending too much money for a cramped seat, we are invariably disappointed with the picture. We talk about it later , but what we always come to is... "What exactly, at this point, would please us?" We have low expectations of actually being thrilled by a movie, even then we are let down. Okay so how does that tie in? Well, I guess I just don't know who could meet my expectations for the White House.

I suppose I do want "The West Wing". Or at least the first couple of seasons. The best part about it? Well, when the audience doesn't like what it sees on the tele, the writers make adjustments to the president's actions.... hmmm now there's a thought...

Whatever... gotta get my kid dressed. We have no medical, physical, dental or auto appointments today, so we are staying in our jammies until noon.
Oops... it's almost 1pm.

Camping in Carmel

www.saddlemountaincamping.com

well, we are off today to camp with the family in Carmel Valley. Hopefully Jake won't run off. At least the dogs will be at home... Normally I worry... we are going to lose a kid or a dog. I think this time I will just lose my mind. Jake didn't sleep last night, and he seemed a little overwhlemed by his cousins (both girls, both super smart, both very active)

Prayer is the only thing that is going to get us through camping.. oh, and valium. Yes valium. and wine... (but never together of course)

Special Child: Disorder Zone Archives - Angelman Syndrome

Special Child: Disorder Zone Archives - Angelman Syndrome

Hmmm I wonder if this is what Jack has? Angelman syndrome.

Angelman syndrome is a rare neuro-genetic disorder that is predominantly (70-75% of cases), caused by deletions on chromosome 15 given by the mother.
Other classes of AS that also lead to the typical clinical features of the syndrome are:
- unusual chromosome rearrangements (2%),
- inheritance of two paternal 15's and no maternal 15 present (4%),
- mutation in the imprinting center or UBE3A gene (3-5%)
- unknown causes (15%).

Currently, it is estimated that the incidence of AS is somewhere between 1 in 15,000 to 1 in 30,000, and the greatest majority of cases are of Caucasian origin. Males and females are affected equally.

Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Gregory M. Enns, MD

Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Find a Physician

Well, we are going to go back to the drawing board with Jake... back to genetics. It is difficult to know whether we have ruled out everything we should, and while it doesn't really matter, and it won't affect what kind of services we offer him... it will help us decide whether we have another child.

Of course it will take forever to get back into the genetics clinic. I think it took six months last time.... But Gregory Enns is great. Terrific sense of humor, smart and honest. We felt very taken care of. Of course I wish we had waited a bit... so I could have known which questions to ask.

California Golden Overtones Website is live

California Golden Overtones

I know that this is really very silly, but I am trying to get a little bit of my life taken care of at a time. Next on the list is to finish my project at work, then put together the welcome back to school packets for the PTA for my kid's school. I would also like to clean out my hall closet...just a little bit at a time.

Senate Blocks Bush Move to Ban Same-Sex Marriage Reuters.com

Top News Article Reuters.com

Thank goodness. I am so embarrassed that our country could even contemplate legislating discrimination. What about the separation between church and state? If a church doesn't want to sanction a gay marriage fine, but  the state? I don't understand. Isn't it better overall to have people making commitments to care for each other? What a nightmare.
I find it very interesting that the Far Right wants less government...Unless it comes to our bedrooms and our sexuality.. Then they are happy to waste bureaucratic dollars trying to legislate morality and dictate who we can love.
If I feel this way ( and I'm not even gay) how on earth must it feel to be gay and be so marginalized?
My husband keeps telling me that I am a republican. My mother tells me that "When she was young and stupid she voted as a democrat too". I admit that up until about 7 years ago I actually thought that if you received welfare, you actually had to DO something to get it. You know, sweep streets, fill potholes, babysit for someone... something. I was so embarrassed when my then boyfriend, now husband told me that actually, no you can just get the money.

How odd. I know it would be a bureaucratic mess to deal with, but isn't there a mess of things that need to get done around here?
Of course I know that I am completely insane because I also think that if your job is a grocery bagger, you should be the best grocery bagger you can be, because THAT IS YOUR JOB. Same goes if you are a CEO, a Comcast repair person, a mail carrier, a teacher, a waitress at the suckiest Johnny Rockets on the Planet. If  you are there, and someone is paying you, no matter how little you are making... why not try really hard and do the best you can? I don't understand people who don't. Do they have parents or caretakers who taught them nothing? Do they lack a sense of pride, or a sense of shame? I guess they might look at it like "Well, all I am doing is serving fries so who cares?" Whereas I guess I look at it as "If you can't even get serving fries right, how are you ever going to do anything else but this?"

I don't think this makes me a Republican, in fact, I think it makes me a Socialist doesn't it? Each person using their skills to the best of their ability to serve the common good? Maybe I'm not that far. I just think if maybe we all tried just a little bit harder, to be good, to be nice to each other, to recycle and throw away our trash in a can and not out the windows of our cars, and we taught our children  to read and play games and to respect their elders... if we bothered to learn a language other than English, and studied World religions, and we served our fries with a smile while they were hot.. it would be a better place. Really.

Great Cause. Great Weekend?

Completed the AVON Walk for Breast Cancer this last weekend in San Francisco with my dear friend Bridquet. The good news is that the walking was not difficult at all for me. It was actually hanging out with all of the people. It was really quite like a sorority...all the tchotchke stuff and the pink and the special hats and t-shirts.
We made our shirts at Custon Ink I guess I got carried away... they said "Save the Boobies" with a pink ribbon. They really were very cute.... I thought it would put me more in the mood.
Basically I think that I would crew the event..or I would raise money for the event, but I just don't think I ever want to be on the receiving end of "GOOD JOB WALKERS!" EVER EVER again. I know they meant well....and perhaps if I were actually a breast cancer survivor I would have felt more 'proud' to be walking...but honestly I just don't think walking is all that hard for me. It was hard to raise $1910 dollars ( actually not that hard at all. I have very generous friends) AND I suppose it IS true that probably none of them would have just given me the money to donate if they didn't think I was working hard on something ( though many thought that it was a good cause whether I walked or not.) I just didn't think I was very remarkable for walking.
It was all just sort of weird and odd.
I am still glad I did it, but I am not glad that the woman in the tent next to me was so important that she had to manage 6 business calls in a loud voice from her tent at 3am. Apparently she works for Citibank...and she is very important....she must be very very important for people to call her at three in the morning about an alarm going off at a place where they are actually doing construction, so the alarm shouldn't even have been set. I know all of this because she did not exactly keep her voice down..despite being in the midst of about 1800 sleeping people. Oh and she answered the phone on the fourth ring of her cell phone..Oh and her cell phone was set on full loud super ring..Oh and it was a ring from hell..like DEEEEET deeeeeedle DEEEEEET deeeedle DEEEEEEEEEEEtDEEEET DETTTTTETETETETETTE
ARGHHH!
So yeah.. and did I mention that they ran out of food, served my vegetarian friend ( who had registered as a vegetarian) ONE pancake for breakfast ( though those in line before and after received more), they ran out of coffee, didn't set up most of the tents ( and those they did set up blew away because they were left un-staked), lost several bags... yeah that was the good stuff :)
Great cause...not a great weekend

Netflix Fan

Netflix Fan

SO scary we were just talking today about this problem Netflixia. There are two discs in our house wandering around in a folder labeled "TO DO" uhm mark that not done. For the last three months I think.

Listening in on a nation?

This is a wacky website of all things recorded. I thought I wouldn't get here until my mid nineties

What a relief

FireDispatch.com

It seems rather strange to be so happy that my house is not about to burn down, when possibly some else's house is... Jean Gonick has it right to feel unlucky in the land of the lucky just because I am not as lucky as the luckiest