Friday, September 26, 2008

Here I am...

I've been AWOL for over a week. I even logged in the other day intending to post, but was so completely unmotivated and uninterested in the process that I closed the browser and moved on. I spent the day playing with Robin Hood instead. To jog your memory...







Ah, he's a handsome young man, and I find myself captivated by him--the way he looks, the way he talks, the things he stands for. We all need heroes, now more than ever, when so few people are worthy of that status. Okay, I realize the character of Robin Hood itself is from a bygone age, but the things he stands for still speak to us today. And we all need a little escape now and then...

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Oy...

So we're happily ensconced in our new office space.

But now we are being inundated by people walking our front door wanting to sell us stuff.

Just today, we've had four different people trying to sell us stuff: a guy with a freezer full of meat, two guys trying to lease us warehouse space (uh... we just moved in, but thanks), and a gal selling employee health benefits.

Last week we had someone trying to sell us warehouse equipment.

I'm putting a big sign on our door that says:

"If you're not a client and you don't have an appointment, don't come in."
or

"If I need it, I know how to use the phone book and the Internet."

Argh...

Monday, September 15, 2008

A Cornucopia of Topics...

My house is just about free of anything remotely related to the business, owners aside. The only thing left is the "Behemoth"--our huge color laser jet printer whose individual cartridges cost anywhere from $150 to $200 each, depending on the color. Yeah, ouch. Needless to say we don't use it very often. Only for select projects that must be as professional looking as we can make them...

Eleven of my seventeen brand new vinyl windows and the two storm doors were installed this past Friday, and are a joy to behold and enjoy. It's really strange to be able to leave the front door open even when the A/C is running, but the front storm door is also energy efficient and completely sealed.

All but three of my cabinet doors are back in place--the screws for the last three seem to be missing, so a trip to The Home Depot will be in order...

We have a new, larger fridge (not brand new, but new to us), and our old one brought to the office so that we can bring lunch and have cold beverages on hand while we work hard... ha ha!

Ike brought us some wind and some light to moderate rain on Friday and Saturday. Yesterday was nice, but today is perfect camping weather, and I sure would love to be out enjoying the great outdoors instead of here at the office.

Our former office space, aka my two car garage, is now the family room. It's still not completely finished, but until my kitchen and my living room are finished, I'm not spending a dime.

I spent Saturday cleaning out the two hall closets that were so jam packed full of stuff. I can now walk into both of them--not stand in the hall and lean in to dig around for whatever I might be looking for.

While the windows were being installed, I got to play housewife for the day. Boy, I sure miss that. One of these days... Well, my goal is to be able to stay home one day a week. Not sure how long it'll take to get there, though.

Well, since I was home Friday, I have lots of tasks waiting for me today... Better get at 'em.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Discovering an old love...

Not that kind...

The other day, my younger daughter decided she wanted to cross-stitch. I always get tickled when she wants to do something crafty. So we ended up at JoAnn's and found a simple little kit of a couple of hummingbirds fluttering about some honeysuckle blossoms.

After watching her enjoy her crafting, I decided I wanted to cross-stitch again, too. So I dug out an old kit (one my mom gave me many moons ago--remember the house, Mom?) that is about 90% done and added a few stitches. And how amazing is it to see someone else's beautiful pattern and imagery come to life by your own hand?

In my cross-stitching heyday I even designed and stitched birth samplers for my kids. Anyhow, it was an enjoyable evening sitting with my daughter, watching TV and cross-stitching.

If you're crafty, what's your favorite kind to do?

Monday, September 8, 2008

It is done...



We are in our new office space. YAY!!

It was a hectic three days (Thu, Fri, Sat), but 99% of everything is in the office, unpacked, and put away. There's still those minor things to buy, like a trash can for the bathroom, break room stuff, and other odds and ends that crop any time you move.

Then there's the decorating. We've moved from dungeon to wide open airy spaces. I'm still leaning toward a tropical color scheme/theme. In fact, I picked up a pair of prints from Micheal's for $3.25 each. Our local Micheal's revamped their store and they don't seem to be carrying poster art or prints any longer, and are clearancing what they have left.

Well, I'd better get to work...

Friday, September 5, 2008

More Politics...

...but without Jonas Armstrong to pretty it up.

So what about Barack Obama? Does he have the judgment and discerment needed to be Commander-In-Chief?

Obama thinks Iraq is too small to be a serious threat against the U.S. When he made his opinion clear in a May 2008 speech, even the media and the Democrats were stunned. He changed his mind the next day, but his initial instinct was clear.

Obama said the surge in Iraq wouldn't work, and could quite possibly make it worse. The fact of the matter is, the surge did work, and we are closer than ever to bringing our troops home.

Obama still maintains that he disagrees with the decision to send the additional troops to Iraq (the surge). Despite the fact that attacks are down more than 80% nationwide and combat casualties have plummeted. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Obama urged the Georgian restraint when Russia invaded it without provocation and raped and pillaged this small but free democratic nation. The whole free world condemned Russia's actions, but Obama's initial instinct and judgement were flawed. Why shouldn't any nation defend its people and its freedoms? It seems to me when a couple of planes brought down the Twin Towers, our reaction was swift and decisive.

Obama opposes drilling in American and in our off-shore waters for oil. Why??? Just because it may take a few years to see results. But the sooner we get started, the sooner we reap the benefits. According to
Investor's Business Daily in July (08), "The Department of the Interior estimates that there are 112 billion barrels of technically recoverable oil beneath U.S. federal lands and coastal waters. That's enough oil to power 60 million cars for 60 years. That's not counting the trillion barrels locked up in shale rock - three times the total oil reserves of Saudi Arabia."

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Politics

The McCain/Palin ticket got a huge boost from Senator Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) who says Obama is not ready to lead a nation facing such trials as ours does today. And that McCain & Palin are. Apparently, Lieberman is a popular guy, respected by both sides of the aisle. A guy who puts his state and his country first, and leaves partisanship and "spin" to others.

And what about Palin? Since 2006, she's managed the country's largest state (larger than CA and TX combined); her state is the second largest oil-producing state in the nation; she's overseen a $40 billion GDP; she's created jobs and cut taxes; she's gone after government waste and corruption; she's not immune to the war as her own son prepares to deploy to Iraq; on top of that, she's happily married with five kids.

The Palin family has revealed their seventeen-year-old daughter's pregnancy and the fact that 22 years ago, her husband, prior to their marriage, was arrested for DUI. Do these revelations help or harm McCain & Palin's chances? We're all human, and have faced our share of unfortunate circumstances. Surely none of us can throw stones. Do you wonder if there are any more skeletons in the closet? I would hope they've been up front about everything. I guess we'll see...

Monday, September 1, 2008

Robin of the Hood



My newest TV show obsession is the BBC's contemporary spoofish series Robin Hood. Jonas Armstrong plays the nobleman-turned-outlaw. The show is funny and is billed as a family show. Indeed, we never saw Robin Hood kiss the fair Lady Marian until the final episode of the first season. And even then, it was chaste.

So what's your favorite show these days?

More musings... Gloomy ones mostly.

Hurricane Gustav is barreling its way toward my state. Hanna is not far behind. I don't fear for personal safety, as I'm far to the north of affected areas. But I do ponder the spiritual ramifications. Gustav and Hanna are storms seven and eight, respectively, in the Atlantic hurricane season this year. It seems that we get more tropical storms/hurricanes and they are getting stronger. What does this mean? If you're an End Time believer as I am, it just means that the End Times are moving closer. I'm all for that.

National elections are also on the horizon. As disappointed in Bush as I am, I don't think I'll be voting Democrat this year. I've read that Obama was the most liberal senator in D.C. & now a quick Google search tells me Biden is the third most liberal senator. So together they are the most liberal presidential ticket ever. And based on a bipartisan poll, 60% of Americans consider themselves conservative. Huh? What? Couldn't convince me. But that's what people consider themselves, maybe not what their behaviors truly indicate.

It's always been my understanding, rightly or wrongly, that Democrats are for big government: more social services programs, more control, etc.... In my personal humble opinion, there should be less government. This is the world's richest nation. There's no reason on Earth, society at large, not big government should be taking care of its own. This would stabilize and boost the economy, while hopefully lowering the government's debt, and keeping our taxes low. Okay, the unemployment rate is creeping back up, HOWEVER, there are always going to be these variations, and there is always going to be unemployment because there are people who just don't want to work, so to always blame the current president seems a little unfair.

So a friend of mine posted, in its entirety, Barack Obama's acceptance speech, which I did not hear in the first place, or read in the second place. She has changed her spots after a lifetime of voting Republican. It just seems to me that all candidates blow a lot of hot air about what they're for or against, and you can never really know what's going to happen. After all, the president is still subject to checks and balances by the other branches of the government. If they could just play it a little more honestly. Tell us what's close to their hearts, not what people want to hear. Tell us what they can truly attempt to achieve, not what people want to hear. Because I don't know if I can count on one hand how many presidential promises have been kept.

All that being said, whether Obama or McCain ends up in the White House, I know that God is on His throne. I place my trust in Him that He will provide all that I need in good times and bad.

Who really believes in Global Warming? I don't. Not that I don't think we should take care of our planet, but this hysteria over carbon footprints and credits is rediculous. Why are the American people as a whole being chastized and beaten up day by day when we have some of the cleanest air of any industrialized/technologically advanced nations in the world. Let's see we just spent two weeks in China, where they have some of the worl'd worst air. And did we even think to say anything to them??? Not only that, but numbers show that the Little Medievel Period was far warmer than our temps today, and we all survived. That and it was follwed by another Ice Age. Hmm??? What about the fact the Southern Hemisphere has actually been experiencing a cooling trend. One of the glaciers in the Australia/New Zealand area has actually been getting larger. So how can it be GLOBAL warming???

You know, most of the rest of the world looks down on the U.S., but let me ask you, to which country does most of the rest of the world want to come??? Many believe that America should stay out of the affairs of other countries? But how can we? Do we choose only the good things, but not the tough? We're damned if we do and damned if we don't. Let's see, if we don't go to the Middle East and despose a one of the world's most evil men in the worl'd history, should we go to one of the poorest nations after a horrendous tidal wave? Whether the other major world powers like it or not, mainly the evil ones, if we weren't the world's policeman, we might be living under communist rule. Don't doubt it for a minute.

Back to Obama for just one second--despite his background, I don't think he truly understands how evil and dangerous the forces of Islam are. He wants to go play nice and talk. Those true followers of Allah and the Koran are out to destroy the infeidels -- anyone and everyone who does not believe in Allah. It's not about politics and economics for these people. Their releigion is about getting back to thier 7th century culture. I think McCain has a better grasp on the evil in the world. If all else were equal, I'd vote for McCain.

Well, I've run out of steam and lost my train of thought. I'll be back later with some eye candy, my newest crush Jonas Armstrong.