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Monday, January 26, 2009

To My Fellow Democrats

My friend from work shared this with me and I had to post it to share with my liberal pals. No mean to offend, it just made me chuckle.

Dear Planetary Citizen:

We, the United States of America, your top quality supplier of the ideals of liberty and democracy, would like to apologize for our 2001-2009 interruption in service. The technical fault that led to this eight-year service outage has been located, and the software responsible was replaced January 20. Early tests of the newly installed program indicate that we are now operating correctly, and we expect it to be fully functional in the near future.

We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the outage. We look forward to resuming full service and hope to improve in years to come. We thank you for your patience and understanding,




Sincerely,
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Monday, January 19, 2009

MLK Day

When I was in graduate school, I had an African American professor that said two things that are still with me to this day. The first was, “Any person that drives over 80 MPH’s on the highway is selfish and irresponsible. Not only are they putting their own lives in danger but everyone else on the road. The second was about the celebration of MLK day. She refused to “use the day as just another excuse for shopping” or to take advantage of the big sales. Instead she always did something to celebrate his life and legacy and her children were required to partake in the festivities. That meant so much to me b/c so often I think we fail to reflect on the actual meaning of these national holidays. To remind myself of what MLK was is so important. I know he was not a perfect man by any means, not that anyone is. When I watch his videos I am just so amazed at his eloquence and fortitude. I think about some of the simple things he wanted and I only wish he were here today to see our nation's first black President.



I watched his “I have a Dream Speech” on YouTube. I encourage everyone to watch it. It is 17 minutes long but I believe MLK gave so much to this country and he deserves 17 minutes out of our busy lives. His words are truly inspiring.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbUtL_0vAJk


If you can't view the You tube link the speech is below:


I Have a Dream speech by Martin Luther King August 28th 1963

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity.But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity.One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition.In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of colour are concerned. Instead of honouring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check -- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquillising drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick-sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquillity in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvellous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.I have a dream today.I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.I have a dream today.I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado!Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California!But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Monday, January 12, 2009

Capturing a Moment & 25 Random Things About Cait


I had to try and catch this precious moment. Rosie loves pillows. Tonight I caught her using her ison stuffed animal as a pillow. She is just so darm cute!!! I just had to share. I know it is hard to see the Bison in this shot but if you look closely you should be able to see it under her chin and paws.

I posted the list below earlier today on Facebook and figured I'd paste it on here too!

25 Random Things

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits or goals about yourself. At the end of your note, choose 25 people to be tagged. You also have to tag the person who tagged you.

1.I want a P.H.D. before I turn 50.

2.I have an addictive personality. I am addicted to Scrabble and I have a weird obsession with Hollywood gossip.

3.I want to read more and watch less TV. I tell myself this every year! Last year I started keeping a list of books I read in 2008. I read a total of 12 books in 2008. I’d like to double that list for 2009.

4.We are adopting a baby that is due in May. I am optimistically cautious b/c the birth mom has up to 12 hours after the delivery to change her mind.

5.I was diagnosed with a learning disability in grammar school. Despite this limitation, I graduated from grad school with a 4.0.

6.I feel that living in CA, GA & MA has given me a different lens thru which I see the world.

7.I have struggled with my weight since my teenage years. I love to eat and really love to cook and bake.

8.I am not happy with where I am career wise. I love the people I work with, my cushy schedule but I feel I am not making enough of a difference in the world.

9.I am a grudge holder and AM not proud of it! I want to improve in this area.

10.I am a freak magnet.

11.I love my sleep. I can still sleep past 10 am on weekends even though I am up at 5 am for work Mon-Thursday.

12.My husband is the most caring and intelligent person I know.

13.My family & friends are my highest priorities.

14.I love having sleepovers with my nieces.

15. I am not a patient person and I want to be. I hope this will improve with motherhood. My mother was not patient with us.

16.I love to swim and really want a house with a pool, two car garage and fenced in yard for Rosie. I have always been drawn to the ocean and find the sound of the waves soothing.

17. I forget things when I don’t write them down (Sorry Lisa!!!). Post its are my best friend .

18.I have so many amazing friends and feel truly blessed.

19.I also love watching Suze Orman.

20.I love the movie Napoleon Dynamite.

21.I hope that when I am finally a mom, I won’t have to work full-time.

22.Saving for retirement is important to me. I don’t want to wind up like my parents!

23.I love Ocean State Job Lot.

24.When I feel sad or mad, I love to go shopping for clothes and they always make me feel better. My favorite brand is “Style & Company “at Macy’s.25.I will never understand death.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Devotion

I found Rosie this morning waiting for Kyle to get out of the shower. Yes, that is her on his bathroom floor and yes he is taking a shower behind the curtain. I just cracked up at this. Sometimes she even nudges the shower curtain with her nose and peeks in! She is such a devoted dog. We love her to pieces.


We had a snow storm last night into this morning. I decided to be dolly domestic and make the best of my time indoors. I have Thai Chicken chili cooking in the crock pot now. We will have that a few nights this week. My friend Tami found this awesome website :http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/ and there are at least 15 crock pot recipes I want to try from the site. If you like using a crock pot, I highly suggest you check it out especially some of the Asian themed recipes and the beef and chicken. I am not one for making soup and dessert in the crock pot.

Anyway, I have also roasted some sweet potatoes, carrots and vadalia onion. Those came out great. The big disaster of the day was the lemon pound cake. I think the error was on my part though. The recipe said to make sure the batter was even in the pan. I tried this and thought I did a pretty good job even though when I tried to even it out the batter kept sticking to the knife. Ugh! So, when it was almost finished I noticed that the middle part of the bread was much higher than the sides and the sides looked done but the middle was not. So, to make a long story short, the bread is totally overcooked on the sides and not so great in the middle either. I am so frustrated as we were really looking forward to this recipe from one of our favorites, Ina Garten. Any tips from you bakers out there??? Here is a shot of the pound cake. It looks much better than it tastes. So dry!!! A for effort though, right!