I honestly do not care how hot you think Angelina is, there is just NO excuse.
I mean do her legs ever stop?!!
She's so sexy!
Monday, March 31, 2008
You Do Not Walk Away from This Ever
I honestly do not care how hot you think Angelina is, there is just NO excuse.
I mean do her legs ever stop?!!
She's so sexy!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
I'm full of useless information
Did you know....
In 1956 the Physical Culture and Sports Commission of communist China recognized the sport of hand-grenade throwing.
During a hundred-meter race, a top sprinter makes contact with the ground only about forty times.
The only sport that takes place on a triangular race-course is sailing.
(I had no idea ponds and lakes came in triangle.)
Eosophobia is a fear of dawn.
(I think I suffer from this disorder.)
A duffle bag got its name because the thick wool originally used to make the bags came from the Belgium town of Duffle.
The difference between a nook and a cranny is that the nook is a corner and the cranny is a crack.
(So, boys, always make sure to cover all the nooks and crannys. Just sayin')
In native Greek, Utopia means "not a place" or "nowhere."
Women's hearts beat faster than men's.
Men get hiccups more often than women do.
Women blink twice as often as men do.
(It was recently pointed out to me, that when I am thinking about something I "blink hard" or, to phrase it better, I close my eyes for a long second. Hmm, I don't think I cleared that up at all.)
A cubic mile of seawater contains, on average, more than $117 million worth of gold and $11 million worth of silver.
(Let's go diving!)
Winters were colder a thousand years ago. In 1063, the River Thames froze for fourteen weeks.
(Yeah, well, I think this winter classifies as "colder". Good Lord, but I am glad spring is almost here.)
The average lifespan of a slug is eighteen months.
(Gosh, but I feel I can complete my day now.)
and last:
Some ribbon worms will eat themselves if they cannot find food.
(And I know some men who wish they could.) (Eat themselves.)
Ta dah! Now, go enjoy your day.
In 1956 the Physical Culture and Sports Commission of communist China recognized the sport of hand-grenade throwing.
During a hundred-meter race, a top sprinter makes contact with the ground only about forty times.
The only sport that takes place on a triangular race-course is sailing.
(I had no idea ponds and lakes came in triangle.)
Eosophobia is a fear of dawn.
(I think I suffer from this disorder.)
A duffle bag got its name because the thick wool originally used to make the bags came from the Belgium town of Duffle.
The difference between a nook and a cranny is that the nook is a corner and the cranny is a crack.
(So, boys, always make sure to cover all the nooks and crannys. Just sayin')
In native Greek, Utopia means "not a place" or "nowhere."
Women's hearts beat faster than men's.
Men get hiccups more often than women do.
Women blink twice as often as men do.
(It was recently pointed out to me, that when I am thinking about something I "blink hard" or, to phrase it better, I close my eyes for a long second. Hmm, I don't think I cleared that up at all.)
A cubic mile of seawater contains, on average, more than $117 million worth of gold and $11 million worth of silver.
(Let's go diving!)
Winters were colder a thousand years ago. In 1063, the River Thames froze for fourteen weeks.
(Yeah, well, I think this winter classifies as "colder". Good Lord, but I am glad spring is almost here.)
The average lifespan of a slug is eighteen months.
(Gosh, but I feel I can complete my day now.)
and last:
Some ribbon worms will eat themselves if they cannot find food.
(And I know some men who wish they could.) (Eat themselves.)
Ta dah! Now, go enjoy your day.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Barack Hussein Obama
The New York Times ran a very interesting article on Mr Obama. I find it very disturbing, but decide for yourself.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/us/politics/09obama.html?_r=2&ref=politics&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/us/politics/09obama.html?_r=2&ref=politics&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
Friday, February 29, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
What Are You Giving Up?
For Lent? I'm a nondenom Christian so therefore I don't practice persay, but I've already given up on something of very sentimental value to me this week. So I've decided to eliminate "Bad words" from my vocab as well.
I personally can not stand when ladies curse, but I do it too. No more. Nada. Zippy. Done.
I personally can not stand when ladies curse, but I do it too. No more. Nada. Zippy. Done.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Monday Funny
Two young boys walked into a pharmacy one day, picked out a box of
> tampons and proceeded to the checkout counter.
>
>
> The man at the counter asked the older boy, "Son, how old are you?"
>
>
> Eight," the boy replied.
>
>
> The man continued, "Do you know what these are used for?"
>
>
> The boy replied, "Not exactly, but they aren't for me. They're for him.
> He's my brother. He's four. We saw on TV that if you use these you would
> be able to swim and ride a bike. Right now, he can't do either one."
> tampons and proceeded to the checkout counter.
>
>
> The man at the counter asked the older boy, "Son, how old are you?"
>
>
> Eight," the boy replied.
>
>
> The man continued, "Do you know what these are used for?"
>
>
> The boy replied, "Not exactly, but they aren't for me. They're for him.
> He's my brother. He's four. We saw on TV that if you use these you would
> be able to swim and ride a bike. Right now, he can't do either one."
Bitch is the new Black!
This may seem odd to you, but NBC pulled the Tina Fey SNL skit from you tube because of copyright issues. I mean the media does love Barack Obama but do they really have to make it so obvious?!
FEY: And finally, the most important Women’s News item there is, we have our first serious female presidential candidate in Hillary Clinton.
And yet, women have come so far as feminists, that they don’t feel obligated to vote for a candidate just because she’s a woman.
Women today feel perfectly free to make whatever choice Oprah tells them to.
Which raises the question, why are people abandoning Hillary for Obama?
Some say that they’re put off by the fact that Hillary can’t control her husband, and that we would end up with co-presidents.
‘Cause that would be terrible, having two intelligent, qualified people working together to solve problems. Ugh.
Why would you let Starsky talk to Hutch? I wanna watch that show, Starsky.
You know, what is it, America? What is it, are you weirded out that they’re married?
‘Cause I can promise you that they are having exactly as much sex with each other as George Bush and Jeb Bush are.
Then there is the physical scrutiny of her physical appearance.
Rush Limbaugh, the Jeff Conaway of right wing radio, said that he doesn’t think America is ready to watch their president quote “turn into an old lady in front of them.” Really?
They didn’t seem to mind when Ronald Reagan did that.
Maybe what bothers me the most is that people say that Hillary is a bitch.
Let me say something about that: Yeah, she is.
And so am I and so is this one. (pointing to Amy Poehler)
POEHLER: Yeah, deal with it.
FEY: Know what? Bitches get stuff done.
(Amy says yeah and starts nodding her head, together they get in a rhythm, with Amy saying in response, more yeahs, uh huhs, with a 'you go girl' style)
Like back in grammar school,
they could have had priests teaching you but, no,
they had those tough old nuns who slept on cots
and who could hit ya and you HATED those bitches
But at the end of the school year
you sure KNEW the capital of Vermont!
So COME ON Texas and Ohio
Get on board, it's not too late!...
BITCH IS THE NEW BLACK!
FEY: And finally, the most important Women’s News item there is, we have our first serious female presidential candidate in Hillary Clinton.
And yet, women have come so far as feminists, that they don’t feel obligated to vote for a candidate just because she’s a woman.
Women today feel perfectly free to make whatever choice Oprah tells them to.
Which raises the question, why are people abandoning Hillary for Obama?
Some say that they’re put off by the fact that Hillary can’t control her husband, and that we would end up with co-presidents.
‘Cause that would be terrible, having two intelligent, qualified people working together to solve problems. Ugh.
Why would you let Starsky talk to Hutch? I wanna watch that show, Starsky.
You know, what is it, America? What is it, are you weirded out that they’re married?
‘Cause I can promise you that they are having exactly as much sex with each other as George Bush and Jeb Bush are.
Then there is the physical scrutiny of her physical appearance.
Rush Limbaugh, the Jeff Conaway of right wing radio, said that he doesn’t think America is ready to watch their president quote “turn into an old lady in front of them.” Really?
They didn’t seem to mind when Ronald Reagan did that.
Maybe what bothers me the most is that people say that Hillary is a bitch.
Let me say something about that: Yeah, she is.
And so am I and so is this one. (pointing to Amy Poehler)
POEHLER: Yeah, deal with it.
FEY: Know what? Bitches get stuff done.
(Amy says yeah and starts nodding her head, together they get in a rhythm, with Amy saying in response, more yeahs, uh huhs, with a 'you go girl' style)
Like back in grammar school,
they could have had priests teaching you but, no,
they had those tough old nuns who slept on cots
and who could hit ya and you HATED those bitches
But at the end of the school year
you sure KNEW the capital of Vermont!
So COME ON Texas and Ohio
Get on board, it's not too late!...
BITCH IS THE NEW BLACK!
Friday, February 15, 2008
Che and Barack
If you haven't heard or seen by now...In Obama's headquarters in Texas there was a Cuban flag with Che's nasty ugly face on it. Way to condone the mass killing of hundreds of innocents through blood lust committed by Che. Isn't this the exact thing he is fighting against in the case of Iraq? Barack is a hyprocrite!!!!
Totally disguesting.
Totally disguesting.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
One Day Or...
Conversation between myself, two other women, and a young man at the salon who just broke his engagement to his high school sweetheart and also just spent $15,000 on a wedding that is no longer going to be taking place.
Yesterday:
Widowed Becca: Two things. Godiva Chocolates and a Vibrator. Done.
Married Michelle: I won't get a card from my husband because he thinks Valentine's Day is nothing more than a way for the card companies to make money.
ME: Hmm, I hear that reasoning from a lot of men. I wonder how women feel about Valentine's Day.
Man in Salon, pointedly asking me: I don't know. How do women feel?
ME: I would rather have 364 days of special versus one.
This made the young man laugh, which made me happy.
How about all of you? How do you feel about this day of love?
Yesterday:
Widowed Becca: Two things. Godiva Chocolates and a Vibrator. Done.
Married Michelle: I won't get a card from my husband because he thinks Valentine's Day is nothing more than a way for the card companies to make money.
ME: Hmm, I hear that reasoning from a lot of men. I wonder how women feel about Valentine's Day.
Man in Salon, pointedly asking me: I don't know. How do women feel?
ME: I would rather have 364 days of special versus one.
This made the young man laugh, which made me happy.
How about all of you? How do you feel about this day of love?
I'll take mine in a glass, thanks!
Happy VD!
VD, nothing a little shot can't cure.
A little shot of Stoli.
A little shot of Jack.
A little shot of Jose'.
A little shot of Jim.
...the alcohol.
Not the men.
Although....
VD, nothing a little shot can't cure.
A little shot of Stoli.
A little shot of Jack.
A little shot of Jose'.
A little shot of Jim.
...the alcohol.
Not the men.
Although....
Sex, Sex, and just for fun a little more Sex
Without further ado...
It was believed in Victorian times that if a woman bathed in fresh strawberries, it'd help shrink flabby breasts.
(See, how, how does this even make a little bit of sense?)
It is said that the famous prostitute and madam Calamity Jane earned her nickname because of the social disease she inevitably inflicted upon those who had sex with her.
(I guess it is all in a name in this case and a ratehr obvious one at that.)
Oophorectomies, the removing of a women's ovaries, came into vogue in the Victorian era as a means of curing a host of ailments, including irritability, "simple cussedness," and "eating like a plowman."
(hmm, well if I can't eat like a man and if I would no longer have the ability to cuss, I'll keep mine, thanks.)
Homosexuality remained on the American Psychiatric Association's list of mental illnesses until 1973.
(...and yet still, so many people think it is a sin and can be cured.)
In the fifth century B.C., a Corinthian athlete tried to bribe an Olympic games official with fifty top-quality harlots.
(See, I bet if the judges were bribed with whores opposed to money, the French skaters would still have their gold medals. Just sayin'.)
In order to fully finance the cost of constructing Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome, there was instituted a church-imposed prostitution tax, whose revenue exceeded even that from the sales of indulgences.
(I bet if we had a tax like this the National Debt would be gone. Whose with me???)
It was believed in Victorian times that if a woman bathed in fresh strawberries, it'd help shrink flabby breasts.
(See, how, how does this even make a little bit of sense?)
It is said that the famous prostitute and madam Calamity Jane earned her nickname because of the social disease she inevitably inflicted upon those who had sex with her.
(I guess it is all in a name in this case and a ratehr obvious one at that.)
Oophorectomies, the removing of a women's ovaries, came into vogue in the Victorian era as a means of curing a host of ailments, including irritability, "simple cussedness," and "eating like a plowman."
(hmm, well if I can't eat like a man and if I would no longer have the ability to cuss, I'll keep mine, thanks.)
Homosexuality remained on the American Psychiatric Association's list of mental illnesses until 1973.
(...and yet still, so many people think it is a sin and can be cured.)
In the fifth century B.C., a Corinthian athlete tried to bribe an Olympic games official with fifty top-quality harlots.
(See, I bet if the judges were bribed with whores opposed to money, the French skaters would still have their gold medals. Just sayin'.)
In order to fully finance the cost of constructing Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome, there was instituted a church-imposed prostitution tax, whose revenue exceeded even that from the sales of indulgences.
(I bet if we had a tax like this the National Debt would be gone. Whose with me???)
Monday, February 11, 2008
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Politics
One thing you should know, I don't yell. I hate yelling, yellers, and people who speak over others. I hate it. Just because someone talks louder that doesn't mean I hear them any better. Frankly, once a voice is raised in anger or stupidity I will stop listening altogether. Also, I believe if a person gets angry, upset, their panties in a bunch over everything, then when something really and actually matters to them, I won't know that it really matters to them because of all the time they were angry, upset, and panties were bunchy over all things petty and small. So, I choose my battles and I try to choose carefully.
However, if a person has an issue that they can speak passionately and intelligently on, I will actively listen as long as they will actively and respectively listen to me in return. That's what these soapboxes will be. Me, getting behind something, asking something, or feeling passionately about something and hoping, wanting, an intelligent conversation to come of and from it. No yelling. No badgering. No name-calling. Just some things I would like to talk about and see how others feel and think about them.
With the latest batch of winners and casualties from the process known as the American electoral process, I have to say there is something that has been bothering me for about a year now. Something that has been simmering and brewing and I finally think it needs to be said: the language that is used in the electoral process. The language that is used to describe a candidate and their ideas, values, morals.
Specifically it is the sexist language that has been used in this campaign because (gasp!) a female candidate has been so audacious to make it so far into the electoral process. How dare she! She, that evil, power-hungry bitch! She married for power and she is hungry for more! That, that ladies and gents is the only reason she has gone after the White House!
(Sigh.)
How quick we are to go to the lowest denominator when it comes to describing someone, whether they are male or female. However, it seems to me, that when it comes to a woman we are much quicker to revert back to the school-children on the playground telling the others to meet us at the bikes at the end of the day.
Why? Why are we so quick to jump to the sexist language? Why do we believe that a woman who wants to go for the greatest job this country has to offer that comes with a pay-check that they are going after the job for different reasons than all of the men who have came before?
Why do we care? Why do we care so bloomin’ much why she and Bill were and are married? If…if they married for power are they any different than the Roosevelt’s, the Kennedy’s, the Lincolns, or the Washington’s just to name a few. I hate to break it to you, but people married for alliances of money, name, power, not for love; especially when it comes to political campaigns well into the twentieth century. As this was a common practice, these politically aligned marriages are not any different than the marriages that happened for centuries where kingdoms were aligned because this king married that queen. Power marriages happen all the time; just as power friendships happen. I’m pretty certain that without those power “friendships” Washington, as we know it, would not exist.
We are so quick to go to the sexist language, but we would never, openly, go for the racist language. Why, because it is so much more acceptable to go for the quick laugh, the easy quip of calling someone a bitch than to spend the extra second it takes to try and come up with a more intelligent word. Also, we do not think anything about calling someone a bitch, but we would never, ever call someone a nigger. Why, because society has come to realize one is acceptable and one is not.
But, why? Why has one become acceptable? I’m not saying we should regress to saying the “b-word” or the “c-word” and on and on, that doesn’t get us anywhere. I am saying that we need to stop being sophomoric about these issues.
There is also the issue of Republicans being quick to throw the jabs at the Democrats and the liberal are quick to throw the jabs at the conservatives. These open-air verbal matches do not get us anywhere, either. We've made the word liberal and conservative words that we want to wipe our shoes with. Throwing a low-blow my way does not make me respect your side, your ideas, your thoughts anymore than if I went to this playground tactic and threw sand at you about your side.
With the present president I think it is easy to say we, as a nation, as a whole, have become even more divided than we were in the past, we need a candidate that can bring us together. But more than that, we need to grow-up and bring ourselves together and stop with the name-calling and the childish sandlot fights. It’s ridiculous and we are better than that. At least I would still like to believe we are. I may be cynical, but I am still an idealist. How about we all try to be better than the other guy and stop; stop with the name calling, the bi-partisanship the sexist language towards everyone. Just a thought. However, if we keep on this attitude of that side and this side, we are not going to get anywhere politically. If we keep with the sexist language, we really are not going to get anywhere in terms of progress towards the future.
However, if a person has an issue that they can speak passionately and intelligently on, I will actively listen as long as they will actively and respectively listen to me in return. That's what these soapboxes will be. Me, getting behind something, asking something, or feeling passionately about something and hoping, wanting, an intelligent conversation to come of and from it. No yelling. No badgering. No name-calling. Just some things I would like to talk about and see how others feel and think about them.
With the latest batch of winners and casualties from the process known as the American electoral process, I have to say there is something that has been bothering me for about a year now. Something that has been simmering and brewing and I finally think it needs to be said: the language that is used in the electoral process. The language that is used to describe a candidate and their ideas, values, morals.
Specifically it is the sexist language that has been used in this campaign because (gasp!) a female candidate has been so audacious to make it so far into the electoral process. How dare she! She, that evil, power-hungry bitch! She married for power and she is hungry for more! That, that ladies and gents is the only reason she has gone after the White House!
(Sigh.)
How quick we are to go to the lowest denominator when it comes to describing someone, whether they are male or female. However, it seems to me, that when it comes to a woman we are much quicker to revert back to the school-children on the playground telling the others to meet us at the bikes at the end of the day.
Why? Why are we so quick to jump to the sexist language? Why do we believe that a woman who wants to go for the greatest job this country has to offer that comes with a pay-check that they are going after the job for different reasons than all of the men who have came before?
Why do we care? Why do we care so bloomin’ much why she and Bill were and are married? If…if they married for power are they any different than the Roosevelt’s, the Kennedy’s, the Lincolns, or the Washington’s just to name a few. I hate to break it to you, but people married for alliances of money, name, power, not for love; especially when it comes to political campaigns well into the twentieth century. As this was a common practice, these politically aligned marriages are not any different than the marriages that happened for centuries where kingdoms were aligned because this king married that queen. Power marriages happen all the time; just as power friendships happen. I’m pretty certain that without those power “friendships” Washington, as we know it, would not exist.
We are so quick to go to the sexist language, but we would never, openly, go for the racist language. Why, because it is so much more acceptable to go for the quick laugh, the easy quip of calling someone a bitch than to spend the extra second it takes to try and come up with a more intelligent word. Also, we do not think anything about calling someone a bitch, but we would never, ever call someone a nigger. Why, because society has come to realize one is acceptable and one is not.
But, why? Why has one become acceptable? I’m not saying we should regress to saying the “b-word” or the “c-word” and on and on, that doesn’t get us anywhere. I am saying that we need to stop being sophomoric about these issues.
There is also the issue of Republicans being quick to throw the jabs at the Democrats and the liberal are quick to throw the jabs at the conservatives. These open-air verbal matches do not get us anywhere, either. We've made the word liberal and conservative words that we want to wipe our shoes with. Throwing a low-blow my way does not make me respect your side, your ideas, your thoughts anymore than if I went to this playground tactic and threw sand at you about your side.
With the present president I think it is easy to say we, as a nation, as a whole, have become even more divided than we were in the past, we need a candidate that can bring us together. But more than that, we need to grow-up and bring ourselves together and stop with the name-calling and the childish sandlot fights. It’s ridiculous and we are better than that. At least I would still like to believe we are. I may be cynical, but I am still an idealist. How about we all try to be better than the other guy and stop; stop with the name calling, the bi-partisanship the sexist language towards everyone. Just a thought. However, if we keep on this attitude of that side and this side, we are not going to get anywhere politically. If we keep with the sexist language, we really are not going to get anywhere in terms of progress towards the future.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Bittersweet
Not many of you know but my girlfriend Missy has been struggling through something that many people deal with everyday...Divorce. This isn't amicable. As a christian she does'nt believe in divorce. After 18 years of marriage it's over.
Missy is a small town, girl next door who never expected that a fight would become a divorce. And she doesnt have the coping skills to deal with all of her feelings of hope, anger, depression, guilt and failure.
She has been and will continue to stay with me and I have agreed to accompany her to her therapy sessions. I have full faith that Missy can get through this.
At times when I don't believe in myself, I always believe in God. With Faith Hope and Love anything is possible.
Missy is a small town, girl next door who never expected that a fight would become a divorce. And she doesnt have the coping skills to deal with all of her feelings of hope, anger, depression, guilt and failure.
She has been and will continue to stay with me and I have agreed to accompany her to her therapy sessions. I have full faith that Missy can get through this.
At times when I don't believe in myself, I always believe in God. With Faith Hope and Love anything is possible.
fragment of hope
how long has it been.
the scent of you
and
of memories so clear.
you leaving
changed the way
i am living.
and i find it odd
when they say
i will learn to cope.
it's really not easy
when all you have
is a fragment hope
Friday, January 04, 2008
Caucuse Chaos
So Hillary came in Third, but this is strategic. This is a part of her plan ;)
How they work: In each of Iowa's nearly 2,000 voting precincts Democrats and Republicans hold separate meetings on caucus night. The meetings can be held almost anywhere - in schools, firehouses, church basements and even living rooms. Anybody registered member of a party can attend that party's meeting.
Republicans vote in the caucuses by secret ballots. The vote determines which delegates, representing which candidates, will attend county conventions. There, delegates are chosen for state congressional district conventions, where delegate to national convention are picked.
The Republicans use a winner-take-all system. Whichever candidate wins the caucuses takes all of the delegates for the state.
Democrats, The meetings divide into groups, each supporting a particular candidate. If a candidate doesn't have a sufficient percentage of the total number of voters attending, its members join other candidates' groups sufficient percentage of the total number of voters attending, its members join other candidates' groups. When that redistribution finally ends with groups of sufficient size, the delegates are divided among them according to the percentage of the meetings' attendees they represent. The process then proceeds through the county and state conventions. At the national convention, the candidates receive delegates proportionately, rather than the winner taking all of the state's delegates.
Doors open around 6:ish,doors close at 7:ish and it will be finished around 8:ish. That's it.
Now, why the hell it's in Iowa and why Iowa is so damn important:
1800's, the state adopts a caucus platform. The state's first caucuses were held in mid-spring, in the middle of the national presidential nominating schedule.
1916: Iowa held its first and only primary election. Only 25 percent of registered voters showed up. Iowa reverted back to its caucus system.
Apparently nothing interesting happened in approximately 50-or so years.
1972: Iowa's Democratic Party moved its caucus date forward, positioning the caucus ahead of the New Hampshire primary and making it the first nominating event in the nation. Sen. Edward Muskie of Maine, the front-runner, beat Sen. George McGovern of South Dakota by less of a margin than expected. McGovern went on to become the Democratic presidential nominee.
1976: A little-known Democratic governor from Georgia, Jimmy Carter, campaigned heavily in the state and wound up coming in second to "uncommitted." That almost-win positioned Carter to later take the Democratic nomination. Republicans moved up their primary to make the Iowa caucuses a bipartisan national event. President Gerald Ford narrowly beat Gov. Ronald Reagan of California. Ford later won the Republican nomination, but lost the presidency to Carter.
1980: Carter was the incumbent president, and he beat Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts. Ronald Reagan, meanwhile, did not focus heavily on Iowa. But his GOP competition, George H.W. Bush, did, and won the GOP contest with 32 percent of the vote. Reagan received 30 percent of the vote. Reagan ultimately beat Carter. By this time, the media began relying on results in Iowa as an indicator of how the race would turn out.
1984: Reagan, the incumbent president, was unopposed. On the Democratic side, it was a wide open race, with Sen. Gary Hart of Colorado, former Vice President Walter Mondale, Rev. Jesse Jackson and Sen. John Glenn of Ohio facing off. Mondale, who won the Iowa caucuses, was ultimately the Democratic nominee. Reagan defeated him in the general election.
1988: An open race in Iowa and one that ultimately had no bearing on either party's eventual nomination. On the Republican side, Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas beat televangelist Pat Robertson and then-Vice President George Bush in the caucuses, but Bush ultimately became the nominee. He also ultimately beat Democratic nominee Gov. Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts, who came in third to Rep. Richard Gephardt of Missouri.
1992: Incumbent President George Bush was unopposed among Republicans, and any competitiveness in Iowa was rendered moot by the candidacy of Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa, a beloved figure in the state. With him running, few other Democrats even bothered to compete. Bill Clinton went on to win the presidency.
1996: Democrat Clinton was the incumbent, and unopposed. Among Republicans, Bob Dole beat Pat Buchanan. Clinton beat Dole later that year in the general election.
2000: Iowa winners Al Gore and George W. Bush went on to win their party's nomination. Bush, the Republican, won the general election.
2004: Despite a surge in popularity from Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, Democrat John Kerry, who'd previously lagged in polls, won the caucuses. John Edwards came in second. Kerry went on to win the nomination. On the Republican end, Bush was unopposed, and went on to win a second term.
Personally, I know Hillary will be successful in New Hampshire and will go on to be the first woman to win a nomination, but thats just me!
How they work: In each of Iowa's nearly 2,000 voting precincts Democrats and Republicans hold separate meetings on caucus night. The meetings can be held almost anywhere - in schools, firehouses, church basements and even living rooms. Anybody registered member of a party can attend that party's meeting.
Republicans vote in the caucuses by secret ballots. The vote determines which delegates, representing which candidates, will attend county conventions. There, delegates are chosen for state congressional district conventions, where delegate to national convention are picked.
The Republicans use a winner-take-all system. Whichever candidate wins the caucuses takes all of the delegates for the state.
Democrats, The meetings divide into groups, each supporting a particular candidate. If a candidate doesn't have a sufficient percentage of the total number of voters attending, its members join other candidates' groups sufficient percentage of the total number of voters attending, its members join other candidates' groups. When that redistribution finally ends with groups of sufficient size, the delegates are divided among them according to the percentage of the meetings' attendees they represent. The process then proceeds through the county and state conventions. At the national convention, the candidates receive delegates proportionately, rather than the winner taking all of the state's delegates.
Doors open around 6:ish,doors close at 7:ish and it will be finished around 8:ish. That's it.
Now, why the hell it's in Iowa and why Iowa is so damn important:
1800's, the state adopts a caucus platform. The state's first caucuses were held in mid-spring, in the middle of the national presidential nominating schedule.
1916: Iowa held its first and only primary election. Only 25 percent of registered voters showed up. Iowa reverted back to its caucus system.
Apparently nothing interesting happened in approximately 50-or so years.
1972: Iowa's Democratic Party moved its caucus date forward, positioning the caucus ahead of the New Hampshire primary and making it the first nominating event in the nation. Sen. Edward Muskie of Maine, the front-runner, beat Sen. George McGovern of South Dakota by less of a margin than expected. McGovern went on to become the Democratic presidential nominee.
1976: A little-known Democratic governor from Georgia, Jimmy Carter, campaigned heavily in the state and wound up coming in second to "uncommitted." That almost-win positioned Carter to later take the Democratic nomination. Republicans moved up their primary to make the Iowa caucuses a bipartisan national event. President Gerald Ford narrowly beat Gov. Ronald Reagan of California. Ford later won the Republican nomination, but lost the presidency to Carter.
1980: Carter was the incumbent president, and he beat Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts. Ronald Reagan, meanwhile, did not focus heavily on Iowa. But his GOP competition, George H.W. Bush, did, and won the GOP contest with 32 percent of the vote. Reagan received 30 percent of the vote. Reagan ultimately beat Carter. By this time, the media began relying on results in Iowa as an indicator of how the race would turn out.
1984: Reagan, the incumbent president, was unopposed. On the Democratic side, it was a wide open race, with Sen. Gary Hart of Colorado, former Vice President Walter Mondale, Rev. Jesse Jackson and Sen. John Glenn of Ohio facing off. Mondale, who won the Iowa caucuses, was ultimately the Democratic nominee. Reagan defeated him in the general election.
1988: An open race in Iowa and one that ultimately had no bearing on either party's eventual nomination. On the Republican side, Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas beat televangelist Pat Robertson and then-Vice President George Bush in the caucuses, but Bush ultimately became the nominee. He also ultimately beat Democratic nominee Gov. Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts, who came in third to Rep. Richard Gephardt of Missouri.
1992: Incumbent President George Bush was unopposed among Republicans, and any competitiveness in Iowa was rendered moot by the candidacy of Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa, a beloved figure in the state. With him running, few other Democrats even bothered to compete. Bill Clinton went on to win the presidency.
1996: Democrat Clinton was the incumbent, and unopposed. Among Republicans, Bob Dole beat Pat Buchanan. Clinton beat Dole later that year in the general election.
2000: Iowa winners Al Gore and George W. Bush went on to win their party's nomination. Bush, the Republican, won the general election.
2004: Despite a surge in popularity from Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, Democrat John Kerry, who'd previously lagged in polls, won the caucuses. John Edwards came in second. Kerry went on to win the nomination. On the Republican end, Bush was unopposed, and went on to win a second term.
Personally, I know Hillary will be successful in New Hampshire and will go on to be the first woman to win a nomination, but thats just me!
Hillary!
MSNBC polls show that Hillary has a double digit lead over Barack Obama in New Hampshire!!!
Friday, December 28, 2007
Single in the Valley
Single-dom isn’t always bad. In so many ways, having only myself to depend on and come home to has helped me figure out just what is really important to me. It helped me focus on school that I love in a place (while not ideal) where I can be happy.
I really want that to be enough for me, but sometimes I feel like I’m failing because I’m 28 years old and I’m single.
It looks so silly when I write it, but it’s true. And when you’re faced with that feeling of failure, you start to question what it is you’re lacking. You start filling the relationship void with things like hand bags, shoes and hair-clips and perfumes and you proclaim that you love being single because single is FREE to do whatever you’d like to do!
But inside? That void still exists sometimes.
I’m tired of feeling like something is wrong, so instead of indulging that aspect, I vote we embrace what is right about us.
So, here are a few things that make me completely lovable:
I really want that to be enough for me, but sometimes I feel like I’m failing because I’m 28 years old and I’m single.
It looks so silly when I write it, but it’s true. And when you’re faced with that feeling of failure, you start to question what it is you’re lacking. You start filling the relationship void with things like hand bags, shoes and hair-clips and perfumes and you proclaim that you love being single because single is FREE to do whatever you’d like to do!
But inside? That void still exists sometimes.
I’m tired of feeling like something is wrong, so instead of indulging that aspect, I vote we embrace what is right about us.
So, here are a few things that make me completely lovable:
I’m a friendly person. I don’t believe in walking around with my nose in the air. so I am quick to offer a hello or a smile.
I’m always a shoulder for people to lean on. If ever you should need a moment to vent, or even to just sit quietly I am there immediately and without question.
I am fiercely loyal and will protect those I love with everything I have in me.
I am one smart cookie when it comes down to it.
Now I want to hear from you - what makes you completely and wholly lovable? Even if you are already in a relationship (lucky!), what makes your partner love you?
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
This sucks.
(A moment to set the scene:)
Finals week. 36.5 papers finished out of 37.
Take home essays to finish: 1 set of 2 questions.
Finals taken: 1.
Finals left to take: 3.
Two of those finals are tomorrow.
I really, really need to get an "A" on one of them.
(Feel free to send me all kinds of warm and fuzzy thoughts around 10:00 a.m Eastern Standard Tme)
(and then again around 1:00pm EST.) (Thanks.)
21 of the papers are due on Thursday at 1:00 pm EST.
They count as a total of 55% of my grade for the semester.
(No pressure.)
Saturday, Virginia was hit with another ice/snow storm.
School was not canceled on Monday for the mountain people!
I lost three hours of precious study time to go take a final on an undergrad stats class that has nothing to do with my GPA.
I was annoyed as all hell.
Lastnight I finished a research paper while sending dirty texts to my entire address book, and I needed to refresh my eyes. So, time to wash the face and brush the teeth, take out the contacts, put on the glasses and start the next round of typing. The take home essays, to be exact.
Take out the contact container from my medicine cabinet.
Grab the container of multi-vitamins, put one in the right contact holder, one in the left contact holder. Stand and stare at the contact container.
Try and figure out what I did wrong.
Why doesn't that look right?
Tilt head ala Marisa's 8th grade school picture.
Hmmm.
Oh...
...and let the laughter commence
and the dark circles under my eyes brighter for a moment.
Pretty sure the contacts would be healthier in the morning, but they would not be cleaner.
Brush teeth.
Feel (slightly) refreshed.
Think of some bullshit to write for the essay test.
20% of my grade, so it needs to be good bullshit.
Wonder Twins, activate!
In the form of: giving a shit!
Almost there....almost there.....
Finals week. 36.5 papers finished out of 37.
Take home essays to finish: 1 set of 2 questions.
Finals taken: 1.
Finals left to take: 3.
Two of those finals are tomorrow.
I really, really need to get an "A" on one of them.
(Feel free to send me all kinds of warm and fuzzy thoughts around 10:00 a.m Eastern Standard Tme)
(and then again around 1:00pm EST.) (Thanks.)
21 of the papers are due on Thursday at 1:00 pm EST.
They count as a total of 55% of my grade for the semester.
(No pressure.)
Saturday, Virginia was hit with another ice/snow storm.
School was not canceled on Monday for the mountain people!
I lost three hours of precious study time to go take a final on an undergrad stats class that has nothing to do with my GPA.
I was annoyed as all hell.
Lastnight I finished a research paper while sending dirty texts to my entire address book, and I needed to refresh my eyes. So, time to wash the face and brush the teeth, take out the contacts, put on the glasses and start the next round of typing. The take home essays, to be exact.
Take out the contact container from my medicine cabinet.
Grab the container of multi-vitamins, put one in the right contact holder, one in the left contact holder. Stand and stare at the contact container.
Try and figure out what I did wrong.
Why doesn't that look right?
Tilt head ala Marisa's 8th grade school picture.
Hmmm.
Oh...
...and let the laughter commence
and the dark circles under my eyes brighter for a moment.
Pretty sure the contacts would be healthier in the morning, but they would not be cleaner.
Brush teeth.
Feel (slightly) refreshed.
Think of some bullshit to write for the essay test.
20% of my grade, so it needs to be good bullshit.
Wonder Twins, activate!
In the form of: giving a shit!
Almost there....almost there.....
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Quotes from Madonna
I got married for all the wrong reasons, when my husband didn't turn out to be everything I imagined he would be, I just wanted to end everything.
There's no such thing as a perfect soulmate. If you meet someone and you think they're perfect, you better run as fast as you can in the other direction. Because your soulmate is the one who pushes all your buttons, pisses you off on a regular basis and makes you face your shit. It's not easy having a good marriage, but I don't want easy, easy doesn't make you grow, easy doesn't make you think. I thank God everyday that I'm married to a man that makes me think, that's my definition of true love.
In Kabbalah we learned that if we want something in life we have to give something. If we want compassion, we have to give compassion, if we want tolerance, we have to give tolerance, if we don't want to be judged, then me must not judge.
There's no such thing as a perfect soulmate. If you meet someone and you think they're perfect, you better run as fast as you can in the other direction. Because your soulmate is the one who pushes all your buttons, pisses you off on a regular basis and makes you face your shit. It's not easy having a good marriage, but I don't want easy, easy doesn't make you grow, easy doesn't make you think. I thank God everyday that I'm married to a man that makes me think, that's my definition of true love.
In Kabbalah we learned that if we want something in life we have to give something. If we want compassion, we have to give compassion, if we want tolerance, we have to give tolerance, if we don't want to be judged, then me must not judge.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
The Power of One
Because as he stood on home plate they called him everything but his name.
Because as he ran the bases they cheered his name.
Because even though they yelled and cheered his name with each home run he hit they still didn't respect him.
Because with all of that he still came out of the dugout to be cheered and jeered during each game.
Jackie Robinson
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