Thanks to those of you who read, thought about, and/or commented on my last post about this election. I don't think I made it clear last time that even though I want to stick my head in a paper bag whenever someone starts talking politics, I would rather be informed. I truly admire those of you with a passion for political issues.
I think the same part of the brain that engages in politics must also be connected to spatial relations. I can't wrap my mind around either. Yet I know that it's important that, despite my tendency to avoid things I don't understand, I must find a way to make the most of my right to vote in the same way I must make myself read a map if I ever hope to get from Point A to Point B. (Even that's not the best comparison. Usually I just make Justin read the map! But I can't ask him to vote for me.) So, here I am writing about politics once again. I really do value and want to learn from your insight.
However, I feel like there are a few things that hinder me from forming political opinions, and this is where I have a bone to pick. First of all, I won't be put in a box. I hate to hear anyone say that "real" Christians have to vote Republican or, on the flip side, that all Christians do vote Republican--or that Christians who do vote Republican do so because they are narrow minded. Frankly, although I'm a registered independent, I do have Republican tendencies, but I'm afraid to admit that to myself because I don't want to start selectively listening to arguments. I see a lot of that happening on both sides, to the detriment of both parties.
Please...help me clear up any misconceptions, fill in the blanks, and connect the dots. I know you won't form an opinion for me, but I'd still love to hear what you have to say.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Civic duty
This morning Justin came home from work at 10a.m., asking if I was ready to go vote. Thinking surely not many people would be lined up to vote a full week before election day, we headed off to the library and discovered we were wrong. There was a line wrapped around the building. We left. I told Justin we had done our civic duty. We had tried.
Okay, so that's not all we did. We went back at noon, this time actually casting our votes. I have to admit, I was a little moved to see so many people turning out, and it's not even election day! I sat next to a man with gray hair as I filled out my voter registration, and I heard him say that he was there to vote for the first time in his life. As much as I'm ready for this election, the never-ending attack ads, and the often less than stellar media coverage to be over, I still admire the significance of this election and how it is making more people than ever feel like they have a voice. I am not one of those people, but I am also not a "political person." I feel like I've taken a real stab this year at trying to sort out some semblance of political beliefs, and I feel like I've learned a little, but mostly, I still have no clue how politics can or should ease our country's problems. I may have voted, but I'm still clueless.
I haven't had many comments lately, but maybe the subject of politics will stir some up. I'm curious, what issue(s) are getting you to the polls this year?
Okay, so that's not all we did. We went back at noon, this time actually casting our votes. I have to admit, I was a little moved to see so many people turning out, and it's not even election day! I sat next to a man with gray hair as I filled out my voter registration, and I heard him say that he was there to vote for the first time in his life. As much as I'm ready for this election, the never-ending attack ads, and the often less than stellar media coverage to be over, I still admire the significance of this election and how it is making more people than ever feel like they have a voice. I am not one of those people, but I am also not a "political person." I feel like I've taken a real stab this year at trying to sort out some semblance of political beliefs, and I feel like I've learned a little, but mostly, I still have no clue how politics can or should ease our country's problems. I may have voted, but I'm still clueless.
I haven't had many comments lately, but maybe the subject of politics will stir some up. I'm curious, what issue(s) are getting you to the polls this year?
Monday, October 20, 2008
You know you make me breakoooouut
Quick. Name that song. Wait a minute...that's not difficult. Quick. Name that band.
Ah. Good times.
And we are having even more good times here in the Cook household. I haven't written much here about our beagle, Eddie, but he's been ours for a little more than a month now, and oh does he keep us on our toes. He has already been through a surgery (and is doing much better, thank you very much), has had two seizure-like episodes within eight days (but has now been, as far as we know, seizure free for almost three weeks), and has launched an attack on my mother-in-law's sweet, unsuspecting dog, Kira. He grabbed Kira's neck and would not let go, but he didn't break the skin. Which he absolutely could have done, so praise God for small blessings. When we adopted Eddie, he was our prime-of-his-life 2-3-year-old dog. When we left the vet's office a few weeks ago, he was suddenly our middle-aged 6-8-year-old dog. Did I mention he's kept us on our toes?
Beyond that, I'm trying to figure out how to leave the house without him. He does well in the car, thankfully, but he DOES NOT like to be confined in any way, shape, or form while inside the house. When Justin and I shut him up in our room to go for a run one day, he ruined the blinds on one window. He has broken out of his collapsable crate only to break the kitchen blinds, jump up on the kitchen counter, and knock over all the plants on our kitchen window sill. He cannot be contained by a baby gate, no matter how well secured. All this from the dog who is more often than not content to sleep all day on the couch. In all honesty, it would probably be best to leave him unconfined in the house. We've done it once or twice before, just long enough for a 20-min run, and he seems to keep calm under those circumstances. But I'd really rather not have to take that chance, you know? And, for the love of running on a regular basis, we simply must figure out how to be comfortable leaving him home alone.
Last Friday, I thought I had discovered the answer--zip ties. Because Eddie's crate is collapsable, he doesn't have to open the locked door to get out; he manages to knock out the whole front panel. So I wrapped zip ties around the crate where the front and top panels meet, went out for a 35-min run, and came home to a dog still securely confined in his crate. And it was glorious! But then...
Today I had to go see the dentist. But I was afraid it might be too cool to leave him in the car, so I left him in his zip tie fortified crate. When Justin came home for lunch an hour and a half later, he found Eddie loose in the house and his crate looking like this:
Ah. Good times.
And we are having even more good times here in the Cook household. I haven't written much here about our beagle, Eddie, but he's been ours for a little more than a month now, and oh does he keep us on our toes. He has already been through a surgery (and is doing much better, thank you very much), has had two seizure-like episodes within eight days (but has now been, as far as we know, seizure free for almost three weeks), and has launched an attack on my mother-in-law's sweet, unsuspecting dog, Kira. He grabbed Kira's neck and would not let go, but he didn't break the skin. Which he absolutely could have done, so praise God for small blessings. When we adopted Eddie, he was our prime-of-his-life 2-3-year-old dog. When we left the vet's office a few weeks ago, he was suddenly our middle-aged 6-8-year-old dog. Did I mention he's kept us on our toes?
Beyond that, I'm trying to figure out how to leave the house without him. He does well in the car, thankfully, but he DOES NOT like to be confined in any way, shape, or form while inside the house. When Justin and I shut him up in our room to go for a run one day, he ruined the blinds on one window. He has broken out of his collapsable crate only to break the kitchen blinds, jump up on the kitchen counter, and knock over all the plants on our kitchen window sill. He cannot be contained by a baby gate, no matter how well secured. All this from the dog who is more often than not content to sleep all day on the couch. In all honesty, it would probably be best to leave him unconfined in the house. We've done it once or twice before, just long enough for a 20-min run, and he seems to keep calm under those circumstances. But I'd really rather not have to take that chance, you know? And, for the love of running on a regular basis, we simply must figure out how to be comfortable leaving him home alone.
Last Friday, I thought I had discovered the answer--zip ties. Because Eddie's crate is collapsable, he doesn't have to open the locked door to get out; he manages to knock out the whole front panel. So I wrapped zip ties around the crate where the front and top panels meet, went out for a 35-min run, and came home to a dog still securely confined in his crate. And it was glorious! But then...
Today I had to go see the dentist. But I was afraid it might be too cool to leave him in the car, so I left him in his zip tie fortified crate. When Justin came home for lunch an hour and a half later, he found Eddie loose in the house and his crate looking like this:
You probably can't tell, but it is (more or less) still intact. It is, however, turned on its side and rotated. The left "side" of the crate is really the bottom of it. See the blue rectangle? It says "Petmate" and is located on the still locked door of the crate. If you look really close, you can also see the (white) zip ties still doing their job.
So, just how did he breakout, you ask? (You ask if I haven't lost you by now, that is.) See the black tray on the floor with the bone on it? Well, that is a tray that rests in the bottom of the crate and slides in and out in case the dog has an accident the owner needs to clean up. On the front panel, underneath the crate's door, is where the tray slides out. If you look carefully at the picture again, you can see an open space that runs the length of the crate, and flopped against the "side" of the crate is the piece that hinges to either keep the tray in place or unhinges to allow you to slide the tray in or out. Apparently Eddie forced the tray out and then turned the crate so that the bottom was no longer against the floor. There was enough space between the bars on the bottom panel for him to wiggle through, apparently. Why doesn't the bottom of the crate have the same, more fortified pattern the rest of the crate has anyway?
Our dog is an escape artist. We should have named him Houdini. If anyone has any ideas for keeping escape artist dogs locked up, I'm obviously open to suggestions. Although, I have to admit...I am impressed with the little guy's tenacity.
Monday, October 13, 2008
This week's frivilous reason to be happy...
I never would have thought it would be so much fun for both our teams to be ranked in the top 10. But it is. Total fun. Especially since OK State hasn't been in the top 10 since I've been old enough to care. Go State!Thursday, October 9, 2008
I'm it! Watch out--you may be next.
I feel honored. I've been "tagged" by the talented April Way. My first tag!
Here are the rules:
Link the Person who Tagged you.
Mention rules on your blog.
Tell about 6 quirks of yours.
Tag 6 fellow bloggers to do the same.
Leave a comment to let them know.
Personally, I think whoever tagged April should have amended the rules to say that she had to post six of her most loved recipes. ;-) But, onto quirks.
1. I ran competively from 8th grade until the end of college, and during that time (between injuries) I ran pretty much on a daily basis. For that reason, I naturally got in the habit of taking a shower after running. Pretty much the only time I ever needed to shower was after a run. These days, I'm lucky if I get to run four times a week, and yet, I still feel like if I haven't run, I must not need a shower. Justin disagrees. He is usually right on that point.
2. I prefer even numbers, and I like to eat things that come in small units (such as chocolate chips or M&Ms) in pairs. Also, I respect Roy G. Biv when eating M&Ms. I eat them according to the color spectrum (Fortunately there are six colors--an even number. Whew.), and since brown isn't on the spectrum, I eat it first. Because blue is, after all, the best and deserves to be eaten last.
3. I must have chocolate, or at least sugar, every single day. And let's face it, pretty much at some point during every single meal. (And as long as we're on the subject of food, I would just like to say, April, that I am with you 100%. Why ruin a good cereal by making it soggy with milk? I'll eat my cereal and drink my glass of milk, thank you very much. And seeing as how April is on her way to becoming a world class chef, I feel comfortable following her lead.)
4. I'm not at all coordinated. I can't do a cartwheel (Please, just trust me on this. No matter how good a teacher you are, it's too late for me. I can't be saved.), and I really, really can't dance. I have no moves, and I always feel self-conscious. I blame it on a boy I once liked who, back when I didn't know I couldn't dance, threw coins at my feet during a middle school dance when I was obliviously spinning in circles by myself in the corner. It scarred me for life, and I personally believe it's a small miracle I survived my wedding reception.
5. I HATE packing. Something in me revolts at the very thought. As a result, I pack at the absolute last second and drive all of my loved ones crazy as they wonder if it will be possible for us to leave before the last feasible second. Which we usually don't. Also, if I am by myself, I have an unexplainable fear of being early and am almost always five or ten minutes late.
6. I like to sleep on the edge of the bed, with my toes hanging off the side. It makes me happy.
Shannon, Laura, (I know April already tagged you two already, but we're still waiting for your updates!) Jill, Beth Ann, Haley, and Melissa...you're it!
Here are the rules:
Link the Person who Tagged you.
Mention rules on your blog.
Tell about 6 quirks of yours.
Tag 6 fellow bloggers to do the same.
Leave a comment to let them know.
Personally, I think whoever tagged April should have amended the rules to say that she had to post six of her most loved recipes. ;-) But, onto quirks.
1. I ran competively from 8th grade until the end of college, and during that time (between injuries) I ran pretty much on a daily basis. For that reason, I naturally got in the habit of taking a shower after running. Pretty much the only time I ever needed to shower was after a run. These days, I'm lucky if I get to run four times a week, and yet, I still feel like if I haven't run, I must not need a shower. Justin disagrees. He is usually right on that point.
2. I prefer even numbers, and I like to eat things that come in small units (such as chocolate chips or M&Ms) in pairs. Also, I respect Roy G. Biv when eating M&Ms. I eat them according to the color spectrum (Fortunately there are six colors--an even number. Whew.), and since brown isn't on the spectrum, I eat it first. Because blue is, after all, the best and deserves to be eaten last.
3. I must have chocolate, or at least sugar, every single day. And let's face it, pretty much at some point during every single meal. (And as long as we're on the subject of food, I would just like to say, April, that I am with you 100%. Why ruin a good cereal by making it soggy with milk? I'll eat my cereal and drink my glass of milk, thank you very much. And seeing as how April is on her way to becoming a world class chef, I feel comfortable following her lead.)
4. I'm not at all coordinated. I can't do a cartwheel (Please, just trust me on this. No matter how good a teacher you are, it's too late for me. I can't be saved.), and I really, really can't dance. I have no moves, and I always feel self-conscious. I blame it on a boy I once liked who, back when I didn't know I couldn't dance, threw coins at my feet during a middle school dance when I was obliviously spinning in circles by myself in the corner. It scarred me for life, and I personally believe it's a small miracle I survived my wedding reception.
5. I HATE packing. Something in me revolts at the very thought. As a result, I pack at the absolute last second and drive all of my loved ones crazy as they wonder if it will be possible for us to leave before the last feasible second. Which we usually don't. Also, if I am by myself, I have an unexplainable fear of being early and am almost always five or ten minutes late.
6. I like to sleep on the edge of the bed, with my toes hanging off the side. It makes me happy.
Shannon, Laura, (I know April already tagged you two already, but we're still waiting for your updates!) Jill, Beth Ann, Haley, and Melissa...you're it!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)