My occasionally snarky thoughts on everything from motherhood, politics, life and current events. Cocktails are sometimes mandatory. Bottoms up!

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

The Brain Bender Returneth...

It's time, I think. Don't you??

--------------------

How many common English words can you make from the letters below, using all six letters once in each word? And what are the words?

A E I M N R

--------------------

Okie doke! Now we can get back to wasting time at work exercising those brain cells.

I'm off to take pictures of A's Halloween parade. Whoohoo!

Monday, October 30, 2006

Thirteen things that annoy the *crap* outta me....

Blatantly stolen from my friend Roses who called tonight to:

a) make sure that I had survived the trip home.

b) see if I was going to start blogging again anytime soon.

c) ...oh who cares. It was just good to talk to her.

:-)

Anyhoo, this seems just like the thing to post on Halloween Eve.

13 Things that Annoy the Crap Outta Me:

1. Big trucks on the interstate that think that they can just plow through everybody and pass you in the right hand lane - then slow down - with four lanes of traffic going. (I am talking to *you* purple cab SYSCO guy!)

2. Pulling up to the hotel you had planned to stay at (after 10 hours on the road) and seeing a no vacancy sign. (The good news was that there was an equally nice place to stay 5 minutes down the road. Thank God.)

3. Heading out for an afternoon of shooting and discovering that the winds are gusting up to 50 MPH and that it is cold as hell. (But really, we had a great time and the action was well worth the conditions. It was farookin' cold though...)

4. An impromptu snow storm with high gusty (50 to 70 mph winds) between Rapid City, SD and Gillette, WY. Ugh.

5. Spiders. Always and everywhere. Especially those that bite me. Little bastards....

6. Running out of wine.

7. Running into old boyfriends.

8. Discovering that I did NOT pack the things that I could have totally used. The laptop, for example. Grumble, grumble, grumble...

9. Feeling like I am totally behind all of the time and not able to catch up with myself. (I am *still* there, but it is getting better now...)

10. Not seeing my husband (WxMan) for 3 1/2 weeks due to his work schedule and my travel schedule.

11. Box Elder Bugs. Good God Almighty. The farooking BoxElder Bugs in Sheridan, Wyoming. ::shudder::

(Wow. This is a lot of negativity for me.... But I feel compelled to finish...)

12. "She won't stop touching me!!!" 'Nuff said.

13. Folks that go to pass you. That can *see* that you will need to pass another vehicle as well, and soon, that can't seem to figure out that they could actually speed the hell up and make the process less painful for everyone. By just GETTING THE F*CK AROUND ME ALREADY. C'mon! It's not that hard...

Soon to come... 13 Things I Enjoyed about my Trip..

Happy Halloween, y'all!

Sunday, October 29, 2006

Home....















Thank God.

Saw the big heads yesterday.















Home today... Finally.

I'm wiped out. More tomorrow.

Later...

(Oh! And sorry to have missed you moos...)

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Here...

Well, hooray! We finally made it to my folks house. Whoohoo!

Still no time to blog, but it feels good to be here at least.

Later, we are heading off to the range for some stress relief. Oh yeah....

Anyway, here is a picture of the girls and I taken yesterday as we crossed the Big Horn Mountains in front of the "Fallen City."













Beautiful day - 62 degrees when we got down and 42 on top of the mountain. Just gorgeous.

Today? Oh yeah... it's 37 degrees and snowing. Heh.

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Okay Kids....

I'm outta here. Y'all have fun and play nice.

I am not sure what kind of blogging I will be able to do but I am packing the camera and I *know* there will be blogworthy things happening.

How can there not be....

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Could she get any sweeter??

I really don't think so.

Look what Oddybobo sent me - just to help kick off my road trip to Wyoming with a few goodies...














Holy Cow are they ever good! And there are even some left to enjoy on the trip!

(Just between you and me - that uber triple chocolate one you see is absolutely to die for ... Mmmmmmmmm).

Thank you so much for the yummy present, Oddy! I can't wait to see you when I get back!

I'm so lucky... Oddybobo's coming to *my* town... Whoohoo!!

Wednesday

Hump day. Mid week. Whatever.

I'm running like my hair's on fire. Still, we have to make time to play! Ready for the Brain Bender??

--------------------

What three letter word can be placed in the blanks below to make three different words?
  • _____ESTERY
  • _____PING
  • _____ROOM

--------------------

Okay, that seems pretty staightforward. And I'll award bonus points if you want to use all three in a sentence! As always, the answers will be found later in the comments.

Update: Tammi from Tammi's world is the official Smartypants today. Whoohoo!

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Cliffs and Flowers

That seems to be what today's Brain Bender is all about. Ready to play??

---------------------

What two words, formed from different arrangements of the same seven letters, can be used to complete the sentence below?

The path to the beach from the high cliff was _________ with fragrant flowers, which helped make the _________ a little more pleasant.

-----------------------

Well, I am glad there is a path at least. The Aiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeee! Geronimo! Option doesn't appeal to me at all.

Anyhoo, like always the answer will be found later in the comments.

Update: jvh is the official smartypants once again! Whoohoo!

Home, home on the range!


Where the deer and the antelope play... (...sometimes on the road.)

That's where I'm headed. And I've got to make a list. Check it twice. And get organized. Santa's got nothin' on me today....

Nothing like planning a cross country trip with kids in tow to make you feel the need to get your sh*t together. WxMan is going to be bachin' it so I need to get his sh*t together too. If for no other reason than just to ease my mind...
**note to self - show WxMan where the fire extinguisher is**
He tends to set the toaster oven on fire when I'm gone, for no good reason.

Seriously.

Oh, and sometimes all of the fish die. But we have no idea why that happens either...

Anyway, we are getting ready to head out West for a couple of weeks. Off to the snowy mountains via the badlands of South Dakota.

I have made the trip before so I kind of have an idea what to expect and/or dread. And I already know that the best part of the trip will be arriving at our end point.

South Dakota takes a loooooooong time. A very long time. But once you get through it...

Wyoming.

Home.

I am pretty excited about it actually. As are the girls' grandparents.


Now all I have to do is keep my fingers crossed that there will be NO SNOW and or BLIZZARDS while we are traveling. Please??

That would be really nice.

Maybe I could even hedge my bets a little - anybody know of a "no snow" dance or ritual I could perform?? That might help...

Monday, October 16, 2006

Math for a Monday

Time to dust off those braincells. Ready to play??

--------------------

One year ago, Mike was twice as old as Dean is now. One year from now, Dean will be two thirds as old as Mike is now. (Neither is a teenager yet.)

How old are they?

-----------------------

Okay! And might I just add that I am glad that neither Mike nor Dean live in my house. I've been there, done that age and it's exhausting!

You know what to do - the answers will be found later in the comments.

And hey! One for the Road is hitting the road later this week. Anybody want to volunteer to host the Brain Benders while I'm gone??

Update: Whoohoo! jvh from Showcase of a Shattered Mind is today's official smartypants!

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Snow may be in the forecast...

::shudder::

And we may have already had a hard freeze.


But last Sunday we were here.
--->

So I have decided that it's still fall...

(Much in the same way I have decided that chocolate has zero calories on certain days...)

A week ago we spent a perfect Sunday afternoon at the apple orchard / pumpkin patch. It was 72 degrees and sunny, the wasps were nowhere to be seen, and they had donuts and wine there!

How can you not have a good day with cider donuts and apple wine???

Really...

And getting to enjoy the day with your Papa in tow is even better.

Big bouncy slides to go hurtling down at Mach 3, candy apples, wagon rides, cider, apple pies, bright sunshine and crunchy leaves.

And donuts - did I mention the cider donuts?? Holy crap, they were good...

Oh, and goofy photo-ops. Gotta love that too.








So like I said, (snow and frost be damned) I have decided it's still fall.

I am just not ready to be done yet...

Friday, October 13, 2006

Friday the 13th...

Is one of my favorite days of the year!

No really, I love Friday the Thirteenth!! It's an absolutely lucky day for me.

You see, just a few *cough* years ago on a snowy Friday in November I was born on the 13th. Lucky day.

And a lucky day for a few other thirteener's I know. Rave is a thirteener, Oddybobo is too, even my hubby WxMan is a thirteener!

13 is a great number!

And today I want to give a special shout out to another thirteener in my life.

60 years ago today my Dad became a thirteener.

I'm not sure how many fridays there have been, but I feel confident that more than a few Friday the Thirteenth's have been good days for him....

Happy Birthday, Pop!!

Just for fun, I got you a little something. It's your favorite after all... :-)

This may post weird....

But I am going to try it anyway...

Ready to play the daily Brain Bender??

-------------------------

Supply the missing number.

[*][@][#][#] = 13

[X][*][@][#] = 14

[@][X][*][#] = 14

[#][@][X][*] = 14
14 /13 / ? /14

--------------------------

Okay, hopefully that will translate okay and the answer will be found later in the comments. Happy Friday everybody!!

Update: Official Smartypants honors go to VW over at One Happy Dog Speaks! Whoohoo!

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Okay, now this pisses me off....

I watch Oprah, okay?? I admit it. This is not the first time I have addressed Oprah here at One for the Road, either...

I like her, and the show for the most part. And I think by in large she is entertaining and does a fair amount of good with what power she wields.

Today??

Not so much.

You see today, she had Frank Rich on promoting his new book The Greatest Story Ever Sold. By in large, I am perfectly fine with that.

It's her show. She can do what she wants.

But they presented today's show as a forum to really question the misinformation brought forth by our media and by our government.

Fine! I thought. That is a really good thing for people to be thinking about!

More people need to question and learn more about the things that are going on around us, and not simply depend on one or two sources (be it a daily paper, the ABC news, Fox, CNN, the Drudge Report, Boortz, the Daily Kos, the AP, or whatever). Questions are good!

And I think it is really important to really research and learn about what is going on! And then be more able to form ideas and opinions about what is happening.

Did Oprah's show showcase that??

Well, the short answer is NO. No it did not.

Instead, Frank Rich spent the entire hour, with audience participation (some of it quite good - with some excellent questions being asked), citing numerous instances of the current administration misleading the public up and into the Iraq War. Cites of government officials making the subtle case that Iraq/Saddam was involved in some way ith the planning of 9-11 (I think Dick Cheney got 4 mentions during the show), media involvement, Colin Powell's presentation before the U.N., etc...

*I* kept waiting for some mention of anything that the media itself had done to mislead Americans into following a pre-set agenda as well. Dan Rather's "fake but accurate" memo documenting George W. Bush's National guard service comes to mind. As do the doctored Reuters photos from the Cedar Revolution in Lebanon.

Was any of this even mentioned???

NO. Not so much.

Just government misdirection.

Look. I really do believe that our government presents a great deal of information in a certain light to further an agenda. I do. It's been going on since governments were first formed - when Og (not the Og, of course) but when Og first asked his cave mates to make him head hunter, or whatever.
Everyone who agrees, please toss your official vote rock into the fire - try not to hit Og in either the nether regions or head. Those who know how to vote will be first in line for chow. Thank you...

But I *also* believe that most/all media outlets (including FOX, btw) do the same damn thing. To further their OWN agendas. Whether it be during an election... OR to make us believe/disbelieve that someone is guilty of a crime.

Hell, I would imagine garbage day pick-up stories have a spin - like it really fricking matters weather ithe trash gets taken away on Tuesday or Thursday! Somebody is bound to have an agenda somewhere... Blame the Unions or the Treehuggers or the Soccermoms. Doesn't really matter.

That's just the way of the media these days.

What I had hoped for out of the show, was that maybe the public should take it as a head's up. A notice to stop worrying so much about who's boinking who in Hollywood, who may or may not have had a boob job recently, or whether or not Bush is actually Satan.

Sit up.

Pay attention.

And for the love of Mike, don't believe any/all of the media hype about ANYTHING. It's all for ratings, folks.

Good news doesn't even make the news. And bad news or celebrity news - is all the news they really want to report.

Kim Jong Il blew up a nuke recently, did you hear?? And Iran really wants to play too... But until Kim the "Great Leader" Jong Il boinks Paris Hilton, I really don't expect to see a whole lot of serious mainline media bi-partisan coverage.

Not while we can still watch folks mentally masturbate about the wheres and whys of Mel Gibson's addiction, JonBenet Ramsey's supposed fake killer, and how we need to make amish schools safer...

Ain't gonna happen...

And that sucks. Thanks for nothin', Oprah...

Though to end of a positive note, Oprah's audience *did* give a standing ovation to an American service man recently returned from Iraq. Hooray!!!

A very well deserved standing O in spite of the fact that he stated that he and many of his brother's in arms were "laughing" at our (the U.S. and Europe's) media coverage of the war any chance they got to see it.

You see, he felt that they only wanted to highlight the bad things that were happening. Anywhere. At any given time. And he had a *different* view of the war - his dusty boots on the ground, so to speak.

Imagine that.

Running late....

....but hey, at least I'm running.

Had to run to Madison and retrieve my MIL so she could come and play for the rest of the week. Whoohoo!

Anyway, here is today's Brain Bender...

--------------------

Shannon wanted to give away her collection of doll dresses. She gave her cousin Danielle half of her collection plus 2. She gave her friend Kelin half of what was left, plus 1. She gave her sister Sarah half of what was left and decided to keep the last five dresses.

How many doll dresses did she begin with?

--------------------

And just how long before she gets those dresses back from her sister Sarah. Hmmmm??

Well, you know what to do! The answers will be found in the comments later.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

No sympathy here... Just snark.

At least that is the way of today's Brain Bender. Ready to play???

--------------------

The 11 letters below can be anagrammed into a saying that sarcastically expresses a lack of sympathy.

What is the saying??

A C E E I M R R V Y

--------------------

Not that anyone comes here for anything less than snark. Being snarky works for me on many levels!

At any rate, the answer will be found in the comments later. See you then!

Update: Oddybobo is the official Smartypants here! Whoohoo!!

But I have to give bonus Snark points (from the comments) to That 1 Guy and Irve. Heh.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

My momma always said...

...that miracles happen every day.

Some people don't think so, but they DO!
(Yes, that line is from here...)

Today, I experienced my own little miracle first hand. Goes to show that not only am I easy to please these days, but I still find tremendous pleasure in even the smallest things...

The light came on in the clothes dryer today.

A light.

A light inside the clothes dryer.

A light that illuminates the inside of the dryer when the door is opened.

I didn't even know that the dryer *had* a light! I've only had the thing five previously dark years....

I really, really like that it has a light.

:-)

And yes ~ I realize that I am marked truly as a Mom that sh*t like this makes me so happy...

I have a light in my dryer.

Light is good.

Does logic even visit there??

You tell me....

On the way home from work today, I needed to stop and pick up a greeting card.

Hey, you know. It happens.

So I pull into Target thinking I'll just run in and snag one.

As I get in line to check out, (behind the lady with 85 plastic pumpkin buckets) the Little Checker Chickypoo looks at my lone greeting card lying on the conveyor. She is in a state of extreme perkiness...

Chickypoo: "Is this everything for you today??" ::bouncing slightly::

Me: "Uh huh, that's it." ::sooooo not bouncing::

Chickypoo: "Well! Would you like to save 10% on your purchases today by applying for a Target credit card??" ::still bouncing::

Me: ...

Me: "I'm only buying a greeting card. It's going to be like $2.00." ::still not bouncing::

Chickypoo: "Yes! Uh huh!" ::bouncing::

Me: ...

Me: "Uh... No thanks."

Chickypoo: "Okay, that will be $2.28!" ::boun... oh hell, you get the idea...::

----------------------

So seriously, is it just me or is this whole offer the freeking credit card "you get a 10% discount" thing just getting outta hand!?!?!

I mean, c'mon! Like I am going to fill out a bunch of paperwork and wait on approval when I am only there to purchase a $2.00 item??

I don't think so.

And even if they have a "you must offer to every customer, every time" policy, wouldn't common sense have some sort of role in the whole deal??

'Course maybe it's just because I'm not bouncy....

Ooooooh.... I just love a good detective story!

And we kinda get one with today's Brain Bender from the handy dandy discount MENSA calendar.

Ready to play??

------------------------

The Great detective smiled because he had solved the problem of the missing stamps. The deceased collector had written a cryptic note:

ASREO
TPNDC
SMISK


Where are the stamps??

------------------------

Time to get out your magnifying glass and pipe and get to work! And as always, the answer will be found in the comments later.

Update: Dash from the Boiling Point is our official Smartypants and head detective today. Whoohoo!

Monday, October 09, 2006

The English language is a strange beast...

Home from school today, my youngest A. brought home a Geography study guide.

One of the instructions within the guide was:

6. The continents and oceans will need to be spelt correctly on the test.

And I got stuck... Spelt?

Spelt??

I think that I would have written, "The continents and oceans will need to be spelled correctly on the test."

Hmmmm....

So what do you think??

Spelt?

Or spelled??

Or is this just one of those strange English rules where either is correct??

Enquiring minds want to know.

(And is it just me, or does spelt just look weird as a word??)

Brain Candy...

Just what we all need on a Monday, Right??

Here is today's Brain Bender....

----------------------

My friend spends only half as much money on candy as I do. She spends $1.50 in a day and a half. If we both spend at out usual rate, how long will it take us to spend $48.00??

----------------------

Well, I guess I'd better kick start my sweet tooth! And you know how to play. The answer will be found later in the comments!

Update: VW from One Happy Dog Speaks is today's official Smartypants! Whoohoo!

Saturday, October 07, 2006

So what are you doing today??

Me?? I'm cleaning house and preparing for my company to arrive. Getting things squared away for next week.

As always, while doing housework I find/see things that just make me scratch my head in wonder.

Today it was the discovery of peanut butter on one of the bathroom faucet handles.

Uh.... Hmmmmm.

Ooookaaaay... Do I even *want* to know why??

Probably not.

And then there was this little scene...

It looks like they all crawled across the floor and then, too exhausted to make it all the way up and into the hamper, were forced to huddle together for warmth at the base of Mount Laundreas.

I just don't get it.

How freeking hard is it to put things *in* the hamper???

Pretty hard, it would seem...

Maybe I should just wonder about the peanut butter instead - there's bound to be an easier explanation there...

Friday, October 06, 2006

Well, it's Friday...

And you know what that means!! Last Brain Bender of the week!

I do want to give a shout out to some of my frequent players as I have been remiss in linking the Official Smartypants every day.

So whoohoo jvh from Showcase of a Shattered Mind, Teresa from Technicalities, Oddybobo the Bobo Blogger, Rachel from Pereiraville, CalTechGirl from Not Exactly Rocket Science, SarahK from Mountaineer Musings, Roses from Ack Thbbbt, VW from One Happy Dog Speaks, Rave from Quid Nunc, and Mark A. Rayner from the Squib. Y'all make it fun.

Okay. Now let's get to today's Brain Bender...

----------

Find the word that fits the definitions below when it's 1) a whole word and 2) divided into two words.

1) Whole word: managed

2) Two words:
a. a part of a watch
b. guided

-------------

Okay! You know how to play! The answer will be found in the comments later.

Update: You know how it goes when you make a list of folks - invariably you accidentally leave someone off. So it is doubly appropriate that Raging Mom from The Splatter Zone is today's Official Smartypants! Whoohoo!

Triply appropriate when you consider that today is her birthday to boot! Happy Birthday, Raging Mom!

And thanks for playin' y'all...

Company's Coming!!!

And surprise! Some of it is already here!

Looks like we can look forward to all kinds of fun here at casa de One for the Road. A good friend of mine is going to make it out for a visit early next month, and we had some surprise guests just the other day!

Wednesday as I finished my sandwich and contemplated an afternoon with no internet access, there was a knock at the door. Since very rarely does anybody but the UPS guy drop in during the day, I was curious.

Rounding through the living room I see a familiar car in the driveway but thought to myself "Naahhhhh. They live in Oklahoma! And I haven't heard a peep about any plans to come up here...."

Goes to show what I know.

On my front doorstep were WxMan's Dad and Stepmom! Whoohoo! The were headed a little further north for a couple of days, but wanted to drop in and surprise me. And take the opportunity to surprise the girls after school.

They will be back here this weekend for some fun. The weather promises to be gorgeous and there are all kinds of neat fall things to go and do. We are going to have a great time.

That same afternoon I found out that Oddybobo is headed my way! Whoohoo! Whoohoo!! Whoohoo!! We have been talking about getting together for ages and finally it's going to work out!

She and her cutimous little boy are going to be here for a great weekend visit. I am so psyched to finally get the chance to lay eyes on her - we have not yet managed to be at the same blogmeet at the same time, so I guess we are just making our own!

The little guy is excited for the plane ride and it promises to be a fun filled weekend. Just they way to end my 35th year in style...

Maybe we could even squeeze in a mini-blogmeet here at my house! Now that would be a great time for sure! (If you're in the area and interested, drop me a line! I'm thinking the afternoon of Saturday November 4th.)

Either way I know that *I* am going to get to have oodles of fun. Whoohoo! I just love it when a plan comes together... Oddybobo's coming to town....

Thursday, October 05, 2006

It's Friday for me!!

Whoohoo! ::happy dance::

And what better way to celebrate than with a twofer for the Brain Bender?? (Especially since we didn't get to play yesterday. Stupid Charter Communications....)

Ready???

--------------------

The last names of four American presidents are hidden in the sentences below. Can you find them? (The letters are in consecutive order.)

  • The phoenix, on its death, rises from it's own ashes.
  • It is taken for granted that we have certain rights
  • "Get aft and hoist that sail," yelled the captain.
  • We once had a hardwood paneled car; termites got it.

--- and ---

Find the number that best completes the sequence below.

1 2 3 5 8 ? 21 34

---------------------

Okay! I am off to enjoy a yummy lunch and put the rest of the groceries away. Y'all have fun! And like always, the answers will be found later in the comments.

It's good to start the day off with a laugh...

Though I probably shouldn't laugh too hard... (I did anyway, though.)

Mildred was a 93 year-old woman who was particularly despondent over the recent death of her husband, Earl. She decided that she would just kill herself and join him in death.

Thinking that it would be best to get it over with quickly, she took out Earl's old Army pistol and made the decision to shoot herself in the heart, since it was so badly broken in the first place.

Not wanting to miss the vital organ and become a vegetable and burden someone, she called her doctor's office to inquire as to just exactly where the heart would be on a woman. The doctor said, "Your heart would be just below your left breast."

Later that night, Mildred was admitted to the hospital with a gunshot wound to her knee.


Heh.
Hat tip to Loretta and Dal

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Ugh...

The interwebbernets were down ALL DAY.

UGH!

Now it's back, and I am behind.... I do so hate feeling behind.

More later....

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Bravery...

I don't read or speak arabic, but if the subtitles are correct, I like what she has to say...




I wonder how many body guards she has...

I hope it's enough. Seriously.

Monday all over again...

AND we are having computer issues to boot.

Good grief. Well, at least you can play! Ready for the daily Brain Bender??

--------------------

Make your way from four to five in seven steps, changing one letter at a time to make an English word.

FOUR
_ _ _ _
_ _ _ _
_ _ _ _
_ _ _ _
_ _ _ _


FIVE


-------------------------

Well, unfortunately I have four or five *other* things I am going to have to take care of this afternoon. As well as getting the computer fixed.

Y'all have fun though, and like always the answers will be found in the comments later.

Monday, October 02, 2006

Motivation....

See, here's the thing.

I have all of this houseworky crap to do, and no real motivation to get it done.

The girls don't care, I assure you. And WxMan?? Well, if the housework were to create obstacles that made it difficult to get to his chair, he might give a crap. Let me stress the word might.

So, it's all up to me.

And what I want to do is dink around on the internet and see what all y'all are up to. Or blog about whatever myself. Blogging is not helping me get stuff done around the house.

So this afternoon, I took a meeting with my self.


"Self," I said, "We are going to have to come up with a solution here! You have work to do and all you want to do is dink around on the interwebernets. What gives??"

I replied, "I don't know! I guess it's just that playing on the interwebernets is so much more fun that just about any kind of cleaning or organizing I can think of! Can't we come up with a solution of some sort??"

"I don't know. Do you have any ideas??"

...

"Well it would be great if we could combine the two. But how would that work??"

"Hmmm... I think I might have an idea. Why don't you go get the digital camera and meet me in the kitchen! Wait! Let's both go!"

Ready??

I present "new kitchen curtains" project #122. Complete.






The smaller picture is so you can get a better idea of the wall color...)



So let's see if this helps with the motivation somewhat. If it does you can soon look forward to "laundry room" project #96 and "by the basement stairs" #105.

Lord knows I am....

(not)

Palindrome fun!

For a Monday. Ready for today's Brain Bender??

------------------------

A physician worth avoiding.

D _. A _ _ _ _ _ D

------------------------

Okay, you know how to play! The answer will be found in the comments later. I'm going to go eat an apple now. Keep that doctor at bay.

Update: Roses from Ack Thbbbt is today's official smartypants. Whoohoo!!

Sunday, October 01, 2006

A discussion amongst friends...

I thought about posting about this the other day after writing a comment on a friend's blog that was most definitely long enough to be a post of it's own. That's always been Harvey's advice... and I should have just done it.

Ah well, better late than never.

My good friend AkshunJ over at On and On and Two Steps Ahead wrote a great post about patriotism, conspiracy theories and our duties as Americans to embrace the freedoms that we have been given, while not following blindly, or believing everything said by our leaders...

His post was inspired by a conversation he had with my hubby WxMan over an email forwarded to us by Mrs. AkshunJ.

Yesterday, my good friend Wxman called me and asked if my wife had forwarded him an email about 9/11 being a government conspiracy. I believe his exact words were, "Is she *trying* to get my blood-pressure going?!"

Go read his post. Really. I'll wait on you...

So, being that I do have some strongly held opinions, I had to respond. If for no other reason to make my position clear. And make sure that both AkshunJ and Mrs. AkshunJ know that I am open to discussion, even if in the end we have to agree to disagree.

AkshunJ continued...

But I was troubled by something. I left the conversation with the feeling that Wxman and Richmond (as well as most Americans) both firmly believe that anyone who would call 9/11 a government conspiracy is pretty much a nutjob in need of professional help. Similar to those who say that the Holocaust didn't happen, or that the first walk on the moon was a hoax. This is NOT the part that troubles me as I tend to agree with them. My issue is the reasoning. I believe it is the strong feelings of patriotism my friends feel that compel them to disbelieve anything other than the official version of events on 9/11. I think that most REASONABLE people, like my friends, feel this way. [emphasis mine]
As I explained to AkshunJ, I *do not* categorically believe whatever the government (or anyone else) provides as "truth." I research. I read. I ask questions. I look to many different sources to see what their take on the information is. Then I make my own decision.

I didn't need to research the conspiracy theories put forth in that email link - I, like he, had already dismissed them not long after they surfaced. Some of them have been kicking around for a looooong time and are really too far farfetched for any real consideration. Not by me, anyway.

I wasn't at all bothered by the forward, though I am saddened that there are people out there who really buy in to a lot of this garbage. Like those who deny the holocaust having ever happened, the folks that believe that the events of 9-11 were orchestrated by our own government cannot be taken seriously by me. Ever.

It makes me sad. And resolved to make sure that at least *I* keep my eye on the ball. As the saying goes, "Those who do not remember history are destined to repeat it." I would include that those who deny the truth of history are destined to repeat it as well.

Back to the conspiracy theory stuff... After doing some research to figure out who these film makers were, I came across some audio transcripts of several interviews that these "Loose Change" guys had done. Listening to them laugh at the plight of the people who allowed themselves to be overcome by boxcutters on airplanes... pissed me off.

Royally.

That wasn't the only thing - but it sticks in my craw. Their laughter... And it negated any argument they might have put forth even further.

I appreciate debate and listening to other people's points of view. It helps me to better examine my own beliefs and motivations. To hone what *I* really think about any given thing. And I would never want to infringe upon anyone's right to question, doubt, or investigate what people in power/government are doing.

That is part of being an American.

But I do take umbrage when people make light of another person's tragedy, and belittle them for thinking differently than they do. That pisses me off.

And all of the current mental masturbation amongst the talking heads and pundits and politicians over "Who dropped the ball and failed to prevent 9-11..." pisses me off too.** EVERYBODY dropped the damn ball. Now let's just decide what we should do about it fer chrissakes! But, I digress...

Finally, AkshunJ asked, "Are we safer today?"

The truth is, that I *think* so... but I don't know. That may be just my optimistic nature talking.

I will say that I will never feel totally "safe" again. We were attacked on our home turf in a way that *nobody* saw coming. (I don't care what Richard Clarke says...) I am now open to the possibility of it happening again. God forbid.

I am NOT saying that I am living in fear, mind you. But my eyes were opened on 9-11, and I will not close them to the threats again. As comfy as the "cave of denial" can be - I can't live there. Nor do I intend to. Ever. Again.

**And I am sooooo not the only one sick and tired of the mental masturbation over the "who dropped the 9-11 ball." You ROCK SarahK!

Oh, and Akshun?? You and the Mrs. are invited for Thanksgiving again this year... Just sayin'.