So we have been pretty tied up in the debates of late. We're looking forward to next Tuesday when McCain and Obama square off again. Just one quick note from tonight's debate, which I believe went well for both VP candidates. Gov. Palin referenced a quote from Biden about Obama not being ready for the position of commander in chief. I wondered about its validity since words get twisted and such when politicians talk. But it checks out. Here's what I found:http://www.talkleft.com/story/2008/8/21/41158/2877. This is just one among others. Apparently, Biden wasn't a huge fav of the left to begin with. But whatever. It's done. There are several other places that report this same finding. The quote was from August of '07, which wasn't that long ago in the realm of the politcal process of finding a pres. candidate.
Dennis Miller was in normal form tonight on Leno. He had an interesting take on the candidates, both pres and VP. I'm just "enjoying my view" as I'm told to do at the end of every broadcast with Whoopi, Elizabeth, Joy, Barbara, and Sherri. Do the same. We only have 33 days left! Let the countdown begin.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
True Peace
I was taking in the Prime Time Emmy Awards show last night. It didn't take long for me to be irritated by what I heard. It was a bit lame as far as the hosting went - 5 reality show hosts - come on! There were some funny things here and there, but overall it was not a great awards show. I'm sure the ratings prove that.
But there was a comment made by Tommy Smothers of "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" from way back in the 60s that really made me wonder his ability to think clearly.
Preface - no matter how you feel about the war, we all know that despite all our efforts to make others like us who desire peace that there are still those who will never choose to work things out through rational discussion and peace talks. Some people will never change or back down with their violence. And we need to fully understand and accept that. Until we do, our nation will always be divided with protesters who complain more than inspire good during a bad time.
Mr. Smothers said two comments, actually, that caught my attention. His first was referring to the current administration and "watching ignorance in action." His second was his definition of truth. I hope he wasn't really serious. If he was, his personal definition was severely flawed. He said that truth was whatever you could convince someone else to believe. That is just absolutely amazing! Despite the weird and poorly delivered comments no matter their stance on our government, his whole acceptance speech for this award was odd, disjointed, and vague. It almost seemed he suffered from mental hindrances.
True peace should be focused on man to man, woman to woman. For some reason, people choose to only hone in on the big war that our government is responsible for. Why? If you have read your constitution lately, the federal government is charged with our "general welfare" and safety. War is one of their things if they so deem worthy. And I think the fact that another big nasty attack on our homeland has NOT happened in the past 7 years is a huge gain for the USA . But, again, so many choose to focus on things they cannot change and protest and use their rights to express themselves instead of choosing to turn their irritation and lack of power with the war into good. Some suggestions would be to have relief packs for soldiers returning from war - including things like date night freebies for spouses who've been separated for months, grocery coupons for the fam, free child care for the date nights, etc.
When we focus more on doing good for our neighbors and those who've given more than we could ever dream for our "rights", I think we'll get it. Maybe we'll finally get it. I think we can no matter your political stance. Oh, and truth is truth no matter what you personally believe. It cannot be swayed by anyone's opinions. "the true or actual state of a matter", "a verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like" - dictionary.com
I know this post might seem a bit deep, but it was on my mind.
But there was a comment made by Tommy Smothers of "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" from way back in the 60s that really made me wonder his ability to think clearly.
Preface - no matter how you feel about the war, we all know that despite all our efforts to make others like us who desire peace that there are still those who will never choose to work things out through rational discussion and peace talks. Some people will never change or back down with their violence. And we need to fully understand and accept that. Until we do, our nation will always be divided with protesters who complain more than inspire good during a bad time.
Mr. Smothers said two comments, actually, that caught my attention. His first was referring to the current administration and "watching ignorance in action." His second was his definition of truth. I hope he wasn't really serious. If he was, his personal definition was severely flawed. He said that truth was whatever you could convince someone else to believe. That is just absolutely amazing! Despite the weird and poorly delivered comments no matter their stance on our government, his whole acceptance speech for this award was odd, disjointed, and vague. It almost seemed he suffered from mental hindrances.
True peace should be focused on man to man, woman to woman. For some reason, people choose to only hone in on the big war that our government is responsible for. Why? If you have read your constitution lately, the federal government is charged with our "general welfare" and safety. War is one of their things if they so deem worthy. And I think the fact that another big nasty attack on our homeland has NOT happened in the past 7 years is a huge gain for the USA . But, again, so many choose to focus on things they cannot change and protest and use their rights to express themselves instead of choosing to turn their irritation and lack of power with the war into good. Some suggestions would be to have relief packs for soldiers returning from war - including things like date night freebies for spouses who've been separated for months, grocery coupons for the fam, free child care for the date nights, etc.
When we focus more on doing good for our neighbors and those who've given more than we could ever dream for our "rights", I think we'll get it. Maybe we'll finally get it. I think we can no matter your political stance. Oh, and truth is truth no matter what you personally believe. It cannot be swayed by anyone's opinions. "the true or actual state of a matter", "a verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like" - dictionary.com
I know this post might seem a bit deep, but it was on my mind.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Birthday/Election Time
So this monumental and pivotal election is going to happen just two days after my 27th birthday. I can't really say I've enjoyed much of the campaigning so far. It gets me pondering. Even though the candidates aren't really doing much mud slinging yet, I'm not looking forward to any new TV ads nearly as much as I am the debates. I guess they've already agreed to 3 presidential debates and 1 VP debate. Bring it! I want to see what answers they all have. I want to get a feel for their motives and goals in this race and whether or not they would do this job without all the perks - secret service, salary, etc. It would be cool to hear that some big shot politician decided to use his or her salary to offset the costs of running his/her office and would rather use his or her personal investments, funds, and the likes to pay his own bills. I mean, do you know how much each state senator uses of public money to get to and from DC? And then they have staff and administrative costs that are all paid for by us. Not that it's a bad thing, but I don't think it's a very modestly run profession, which means that more money is used to fund their lush offices than goes back into the country's needs. If you're going to demand money out of my check without my authorization, then you can at least take that seriously and not blow it on unnecessary expenditures. That's the bulk of what I ask. Oh, and I don't think the government has my best interests in mind when it comes to my social security. I know how to invest for retirement and the guarantee of that money being invested depends on me. So if I want a good retirement, I'll be doing the necessary research and payments into my IRA, as well as diversifying my investments elsewhere. The government needn't worry itself with that. That's all. I just like what money I do make to be under my discretion. Simple, right? Yeah.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
July
It seems that July came and went without much hesitation. Man!
I ended the month with a fun trip to Dallas. It was business related as I attended Seminar 2008 for Mary Kay. Five different gatherings of women came to Dallas during July to attend Seminar 2008 back to back ending with my group, the Pearl seminar. Not only were our corporate staff utterly exhausted from working almost nonstop for 3 weeks, but it was crazy hot in the Big D. This is Christi Campbell, my National Sales Director's daughter and a Senior Sales Director herself driving a beautiful pearlized pink Caddy CTS, I believe. She's tons of fun.
It's now August. Where has the time gone? Enjoy the rest of your summer!
I ended the month with a fun trip to Dallas. It was business related as I attended Seminar 2008 for Mary Kay. Five different gatherings of women came to Dallas during July to attend Seminar 2008 back to back ending with my group, the Pearl seminar. Not only were our corporate staff utterly exhausted from working almost nonstop for 3 weeks, but it was crazy hot in the Big D. This is Christi Campbell, my National Sales Director's daughter and a Senior Sales Director herself driving a beautiful pearlized pink Caddy CTS, I believe. She's tons of fun.
It's now August. Where has the time gone? Enjoy the rest of your summer!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
New Glasses
So I went to America's Best a few weeks ago and voila! I have two pairs of glasses. Yes, two. Not that I need two, but they strike a great bargain there and why not take it? It's about the same price with just one pair.
Please let me know what you think and which pair you find more appealing. Of course, I have my more studious, intellectual pair. The others are more for every day wear. Comments encouraged.
Today I got a call from Jessica at Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Jasper and Newton Counties. Monte and I were both welcomed into the program after we had our home visit and interviews on Tuesday. This means that we are now both going to be paired with "Littles" and we can then start the mentoring process. With any new endeavor, I'm a little overzealous in my plans. They'll probably tone down by the time we actually get together for the first time. I get to meet the parent of a little on Monday who will hopefully be my pal for 1-4 hours each week. I'm really excited!
Have a great Thursday. It's my brother's-in-law birthday today. Happy Birthday!
Watching Pride and Prejudice today after I've been told over and over again that it's so amazing. Monte's at work. Perfect timing. We'll also be enjoying the company of some of Monte's family this weekend to celebrate the first birthday of a little one.
Until next time...
Saturday, July 19, 2008
A Gift
So I'm an avid Bible reader. I was checking out some passages that reflected some points of prayer for Monte. It came from this chart I made from the book "The Power of a Praying Wife." It includes all the things that we, as wives, should pray about concerning our husbands. This one was on his work. As most of you know, Monte is currently in transition from traveling with Believe and finding a ministry position at a church. So he's working at BioLife, a quality establishment, to pay the bills while the search continues for a church where he will be utilized the most for God's glory.
In this daily prayer regimen, I read these passages and then lift up a prayer for my dear, sweet hubby. He's so great. He really does spoil me. It's just too bad that the compliments I receive about him are probably not anywhere close to the ones he may or may not receive about me. Let's just say that I'm vocal and not everyone likes vocal. On to the subject at hand. I read a verse in Ecclesiastes, chapter 5. Verse 19 reads, "Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work - this is a gift of God." Whoa! I'd say so. This is what Monte desires for his work one day. Not that what he is doing right now isn't good. But it's not the fulfillment of his talents or the culmination of his studies and experience put into practice. His passions and drives in his work ability are not utilized at a plasma donation center. That's why I keep praying. And if you know anything about this book in the Bible, King Solomon basically refrains time and time again that life is meaningless. So when he included this verse, I'd say he meant every bit of it.
If you do get to enjoy your work, you're lucky. Thank God for it. It's a gift.
In this daily prayer regimen, I read these passages and then lift up a prayer for my dear, sweet hubby. He's so great. He really does spoil me. It's just too bad that the compliments I receive about him are probably not anywhere close to the ones he may or may not receive about me. Let's just say that I'm vocal and not everyone likes vocal. On to the subject at hand. I read a verse in Ecclesiastes, chapter 5. Verse 19 reads, "Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work - this is a gift of God." Whoa! I'd say so. This is what Monte desires for his work one day. Not that what he is doing right now isn't good. But it's not the fulfillment of his talents or the culmination of his studies and experience put into practice. His passions and drives in his work ability are not utilized at a plasma donation center. That's why I keep praying. And if you know anything about this book in the Bible, King Solomon basically refrains time and time again that life is meaningless. So when he included this verse, I'd say he meant every bit of it.
If you do get to enjoy your work, you're lucky. Thank God for it. It's a gift.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Poor Use of Words & True Peace
Americans are so loose with words. It's a shame. Of course, all cultures have slang, contractions, shortcuts, etc. that are used in the common speech. But I'm not that old and I'm having a hard time keeping up with all of the lingo that I hear. Most of it is used with the younger crowd. I guess it's cyclical though. The youngin's of today will soon reach this point as well and wonder how they got so old in ten years after high school!
Another poor use of words was displayed as Jesse Jackson was caught saying some very inappropriate things regarding Barack Obama. Let's just all agree that someone in Jesse Jackson's position should never ever assume a microphone is off. I'd hate to be his publicist!
And then we see the drama on The View. I know this might seem to be a simplistic mindset of mine, but I see the divisiveness of race as man-made and fixable. Yes, fixable. God created one race - the human race. And it would be nice if we would teach our children that concept and live within our own existence and not those of our ancestors. Unfortunately, some think that I should never be able to live without the guilt of my ancestors even though I totally agree that anything that belittled another human like slavery is absolutely wrong. I should not be accountable for their misdeeds. Luckily, God can make good come from bad situations and our nation has benefited greatly from our diversification. Just think of what we would be like had our history been different.
And I happened to see a snippet of an interview with Mr. Taye Diggs. Although he is an extremely handsome man who happens to be a very successful thespian, I was greatly disappointed by his words. He spoke as if Elizabeth Hasselback carried part of the responsibility for the creation of "that word" because people with similar skin color were the ones who came up with it. Mr. Diggs, she had nothing to do with that word's origin.
Why can't we move towards a place in the USA where we choose not to be angry about things we can't change? All that energy could be channeled towards a greater good. It begins with dismissing those who are thoughtless and use words to hurt others or stir them to anger, not defending or justifying them based on their ethnic background, political party, economic status, gender, etc. We can all use what influence we have to reach out and embrace our similarities instead of our differences. Let's get along one with another. That, my friends, is true peace. Do I sound like a public service announcement? Maybe.
Another poor use of words was displayed as Jesse Jackson was caught saying some very inappropriate things regarding Barack Obama. Let's just all agree that someone in Jesse Jackson's position should never ever assume a microphone is off. I'd hate to be his publicist!
And then we see the drama on The View. I know this might seem to be a simplistic mindset of mine, but I see the divisiveness of race as man-made and fixable. Yes, fixable. God created one race - the human race. And it would be nice if we would teach our children that concept and live within our own existence and not those of our ancestors. Unfortunately, some think that I should never be able to live without the guilt of my ancestors even though I totally agree that anything that belittled another human like slavery is absolutely wrong. I should not be accountable for their misdeeds. Luckily, God can make good come from bad situations and our nation has benefited greatly from our diversification. Just think of what we would be like had our history been different.
And I happened to see a snippet of an interview with Mr. Taye Diggs. Although he is an extremely handsome man who happens to be a very successful thespian, I was greatly disappointed by his words. He spoke as if Elizabeth Hasselback carried part of the responsibility for the creation of "that word" because people with similar skin color were the ones who came up with it. Mr. Diggs, she had nothing to do with that word's origin.
Why can't we move towards a place in the USA where we choose not to be angry about things we can't change? All that energy could be channeled towards a greater good. It begins with dismissing those who are thoughtless and use words to hurt others or stir them to anger, not defending or justifying them based on their ethnic background, political party, economic status, gender, etc. We can all use what influence we have to reach out and embrace our similarities instead of our differences. Let's get along one with another. That, my friends, is true peace. Do I sound like a public service announcement? Maybe.
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