AllTheseThings

Golden Boy

If you watched last night’s presidential debate, you may have focused your attention on the candidates’ plans for the economy, health care and education. I, on the other hand, was wondering how a plumber can make 200K+ per year. Did I hear that right? Joe makes over 200 grand?

You may think I’m jealous. Well, maybe a little, but my thoughts this morning turned in another direction. This guy’s quite a catch! He’s single, he has a good job, he works hard for his money and he’s not that bad looking either. And, as if that weren’t enough, HE CAN FIX STUFF!! This guy is golden.

So I’ll be catching the next plane out to Ohio to find Joe and pledge my undying love. I just have to ask him one quick question before “I do”:

“Who are you voting for?”

Philomena

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Time out

The financial markets are in meltdown, and what am I doing? I’m sitting on my couch, drinking my coffee and watching the morning news, just like any other day. What am I thinking? I should be running around and screaming with my head in my hands! Hmm…..maybe just one more sip of java……

I am pretty financially conservative, which helps to keep me calm. My job is safe, my car is paid for and I’ve got a fixed rate mortgage with one of the few banks still standing. But I still feel a little guilty, walking around as if nothing is happening, when everyone else is running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

I found some reassurance on the news this morning. One of the financial experts described the cause of the plunging stock market like this: we have been used to buying things we can’t afford, using credit cards and bank loans etc. Now these things are less available, we are forced to live within our means. We don’t like it, and, like a 4 year old with his popsicle taken away, we are having a tantrum. The tantrum is manifesting itself in us taking all of our money out of the stock market and stuffing it under the mattress. (So there!!). His advice was, as every good parent knows, just to ride out the tantrum until it subsides. I like to translate this as “sit on the couch and enjoy your breakfast”.

So I guess it’s OK to be calm in the middle of the storm. I do feel terrible for the people who were planning to retire soon. For them, "riding it out" wasn’t in the plan and may not even be an option. But for the rest of us, we are being asked to do one of the hardest things imaginable: keep our eyes fixed on the long term and wait patiently.

Does that sound familiar?!

Philomena

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Humor, Politics, and "Sexism" from SNL

This is a pretty funny clip from Saturday Night Live.  It's a funny summary of the surprise pick of Gov. Palin looking like she--rather than Hillary--could be the first women elected nationally.  Enjoy:

Star Power

Well, I had a few things to say about the DNC, but I have to preface everything with the profound comment of the morning……..”WOW”. As I mentioned in a previous post, I saw very few billboards on my recent trip to Alaska. But of the few I saw, I think at least 80% of them had Sarah Palin’s face on them. She is obviously hugely popular, so I assume doing something right in her current sphere of influence. Let’s see how she can handle the national and even the world stage, but what a bold choice for McCain! Let the real games begin!!

But not to let the Dems off the hook so quickly….I only kept half an eye on the National Convention, maybe because I wasn’t expecting too many surprises. What I did see was huge crowds, loud cheering, flags, balloons, bright lights and lots of enthusiasm. There were also the big, big speeches from the major players in the game: Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Al Gore and even Michelle Obama, But I have to confess I’m a little shocked that they still wheeled Bill Clinton out there. Really? Yes, he’s a very charismatic speaker, but in his more recent, relaxed, post-Presidential phase he’s been a lot more blunt and a lot less diplomatic, especially on Hillary’s campaign trail. Can anyone really believe he is a whole-hearted Obama supporter with words to inspire the nation? It seems I’m not the only one who is a little surprised at Clinton’s longevity at the podium.

Thankfully I had it all explained to me, by the astrologer on the radio yesterday. Now, as a Christian I feel pressure to denounce astrology in no uncertain terms. But I can’t. There is something to it that’s freakishly accurate and at the very least, mildly entertaining. But God is indeed a jealous God, and thankfully I forget most astrological predictions within 5 minutes of hearing them. Nevertheless, those 5 minutes do often make me laugh with embarrassment.

Yesterday I laughed at Bill Clinton as the astrologer informed me that his star sign is Leo. Leos (so I’m told) are charismatic, inspirational speakers and will love the spotlight for as long as it’s shining on them. Ah, so, THAT’S why he’s still going strong. Barak Obama is also a Leo. Hmmm……..”Charismatic and positive-thinking they attract not only an abundance of friends and opportunities, but manage to survive life's stormy times with style and good humour” says one website. Myself and Joe Biden are Scorpios, as the astrologer said, adept at staying in the background while offering stinging criticisms. Ahem, guilty as charged.

So, let’s see what the near future holds. I won’t be looking in the back of the newspaper to find out, but I will be fascinated to watch who triumphs in the stormy and exciting months ahead.

Philomena

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Sweepin' the Clouds Away

I was a big "Sesame Street" watcher when I was young.  I didn't realize it was so loaded with sociological messages!  The early seasons are out on DVD, apparently with a warning that they are not really suitable for...young children!!  Liberalism has folded on itself.  Puppets with pipes, methane producing cows featured, kids having milk and cookies with adults...  Liberal 1969 wasn't quite right, I guess.  So liberal 2007 requires a warning label.

The whole matter is discussed in this article in the NYT.  It is interesting, silly, tragic, and funny.  The last paragraph brings it all together:

People on “Sesame Street” had limited possibilities and fixed identities, and (the best part) you weren’t expected to change much. The harshness of existence was a given, and no one was proposing that numbers and letters would lead you “out” of your inner city to Elysian suburbs. Instead, “Sesame Street” suggested that learning might merely make our days more bearable, more interesting, funnier. It encouraged us, above all, to be nice to our neighbors and to cultivate the safer pleasures that take the edge off — taking baths, eating cookies, reading. Don’t tell the kids.

Be nice to your neighbors, eat cookies, read,

Thomas More

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Loud and clear

The title of one of my recent small group studies was “noise”. (It was part of Rob Bell’s Nooma series of DVDs for group discussion). The questions were pretty pertinent and challenging: “Is the world around us getting louder?” “What are the sources of noise in your life?”. And the kicker, “Do you ever intentionally create noise around you?”. “Why is silence so hard?”. My answers were, “yes, my TV and my stereo, yes and I don’t know I’ve never thought about it until now”.

This subject has stayed with me for a couple of weeks now. I hadn’t paid much attention to the noise in my life, but now I’m taking note of it. Some of it is unavoidable: traffic outside my apartment, dogs barking, babies crying……(not my dogs or my babies!), but a lot of it is created by me purely for the purposes of distraction. The radio or the TV are almost always playing in the background when I’m at home.

I didn’t really see the problem until we talked about it in small group. I think that’s the thing about noise-if you increase the volume slowly, slowly, slowly then you don’t really notice the change. But one of the major points of the discussion we had was that most of us would say we wished God’s voice was louder in our lives. But, we are constantly drowning Him out. So, if He speaks to us in silence, when would that be? Do we ever allow ourselves to be silent? We know that God never forces Himself on us, so He is unlikely to compete with the distractions we create. Maybe He just waits patiently for us to realise the gap we’ve created and to take action.

I tried recently to create some silence in my home. You would think it would be easy, since there’s no-one else there to derail the plan. But the urge to turn on that stereo was strong! The first hour of silence was very hard, but it got more comfortable the longer it lasted. I can’t stay I did anything particularly “spiritual” during that time, but it was certainly a good feeling to have finally broken the habit.
If I can keep it up, maybe I’ll finally hear God’s voice, loud and clear.

Philomena

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Dem Debates

This is an odd decision.   Apparently the Democrats have scheduled 6 presidential debates.  They've given 2 to CNN, 1 to each of the traditional big networks, and 1 to MSNBC.  They've left Fox News out.

Dems traditionally don't like Fox News--it is seen by liberals as conservative.  That's humorous on a couple levels.  Throughout the 80's and 90's (and still today) Republicans complained about 'liberal bias' in the media.  But back then they were complaining of total liberal/Democratic dominance--not simply one station being liberal, all stations (and the big papers) being liberal.  This was supported by journalist surveys showing 90+% of reporters voted Democratic.  Conservatives, however, don't see Fox as conservative, just middle of the road.

On another level, a political level, it is strange too.  The Democrats' success taking the White House has been wanting the last few...decades (with only 2 exceptions in 40+ years.)  Why exclude the highest rated and most watched news/political-junkie station from airing a debate?  Isn't it the very audience Fox has--1. the largest and 2. the not-necessarily liberals--that they want to convince to come over and try the waters?  Whomever wins the Dem nomination needs to convince a LOT of non-CNN watchers to vote for her/him if she/he has any hope of doing better than Gore and Kerry.

It seems like you'd want to get your folks to the largest, not the smallest (see MSNBC), audiences.  Someone at the DNC should sponsor a debate about these debates.  If you are not a majority party, it requires you to convince others to vote with you--that's not going to happen on CNN.

Unfair and Unbalanced, as always,

Thomas More

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A Must See for Us All

My husband and I just wept through a segment on ABC Nightly News which as of Nov. 9 is available on their website (abcnews.com).  If you want to be totally blown away, humbled and inspired, go to that site, click on World News, and select the video titled, "A Triumphant Note for Father and Son."

Briefly, it's the story of a blind college kid, Patrick Henry Hughes, who is also unable to walk, but plays the trumpet in the marching band with his father's help.  Patrick Henry's talent (he plays piano too) and more importantly, his attitude, are amazing.  He says, "God made me blind and didn't give me the ability to walk.  Big deal.  He gave me the talent to be able to play piano and trumpet, and all that good stuff."

His father's commitment and sacrifice are also mind-boggling.  He works the night shift at UPS so he can attend class (and band practice) with his son. 

They both are an awesome inspiration to us all.

In awe,

Lucy Pevensie

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P.S. I linked to the video here. T.M.

TV- Part II

OK, so you know how TV was sucking MY life away. Let’s talk about kids. The average baby 6 months - 2 years of age, watches two hours of TV a day. One study reported that North Carolina fourth graders watch an average of 4 hours of TV per day, and 25% of them watch 6 hours or more. We know these numbers can vary depending on the family, but the bottom line is, kids are watching too much TV. Babies/toddlers aren’t supposed to watch it at all. Zilch, says the American Academy of Pediatrics for kids under 2.

Sesame Street has come out with its own version of “Baby Einstein” now. They say parents can feel good about their newborn or toddler parked in front of the TV. Yes, they say, a parent should be watching with them. Fat chance. The parent is making dinner or taking a shower or talking on the phone or just sitting down for the first time all day. I sympathize with that parent. I’m the one who can’t find time to go to the bathroom. But it’s possible to raise your kids without TV, and I’m living proof.

Our family started a no TV policy when my youngest daughter was about 4 months old. I was running on the treadmill and watching a documentary on Osama Bin Laden while my baby played on a blanket. I noticed her eyes lock on Bin Laden’s face on the screen. I was horrified and turned the channel; I didn’t want her staring at that murderer. Soon after, I read The Plug-In Drug, one of the most compelling books I’ve ever picked up. Don’t read it if you’re not ready to be alarmed.

So we don’t turn on the TV when the kids are awake. We don’t watch Sesame Street, or Veggie Tales or any other videos. The kids don’t ask to turn it on, and I don’t have any battles with them. This is because they have never had it on. I say never, but we do make a few exceptions. Historical events like the Inauguration, the State of the Union, and the Pope’s funeral are allowed. Specific sports are allowed like the Olympics, golf tournaments (the kids love Phil and Tiger), and, of course, the Redskins. When we watch football, however, it’s as a family with my husband manning the remote to mute or turn off bad commercials. We make popcorn, the kids wear their Redskins gear, and it’s truly a joyful family event. At least when they win.

Other than that, we don’t think about turning on the TV. The house is blissfully quiet, or rather, noisy, with the sounds of kids playing, dressing up, imagining they’re Aslan and Lucy, reading books, cooking, drawing pictures, building forts with pillows, playing games, building Lego towers, spelunking in our basement with flashlights, gardening, playing outside, climbing the neighbor’s tree, playing soccer, digging up worms. You get the picture.

I’m not a TV nazi. It’s not horrible in and of itself. But when we literally waste years of our lives in front of it… that’s horrible.

Yours,

Lucy

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TV -- Part I

Television is sucking my life away. Actually, it WAS sucking my life away until I realized it recently. My husband and I, after long days at the office and at home with the kids, would land in front of the TV around 8:00 and remain until 10:00 or later.

It wasn’t all mindless. We would watch the expedited nightly news(using our DVR) and then one of our "pre-approved" shows (24, West Wing, American Idol), but after that we got sucked in. A little flipping here. A little flipping there. Larry King. Animal Planet. You know how it goes.

2 hours a night, every night (excluding weekends) adds up to 40 hours a month. That’s a full work week each month that I was wasting in front of the tube. It could be worse: in the average US home, the TV is on 7 hours and 12 minutes a day.

So I’m going to reclaim my life. I’m turning it off. Now, I’m not turning it off completely. The nightly news is fine, and 24 will be on the list this fall. But the rest of it – the junk and the mindless stuff that makes me feel restless and worthless after I’ve watched it – I’m turning that off. I’m really enjoying the extra time to read. Not to mention going to bed early, which may be my most favorite thing in the world. Occasionally, I can talk my husband into turning it off with me, and we both head upstairs feeling very proud of ourselves. Who knows what good things may come of it?

Yours,

Lucy Pevensie

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