My Screwed Up Thoughts

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There seems to be a lot of discussion about immigration. I am will be the first to say that I don’t have it all figured out. And that I probably have some ideas that others may disagree with, but they are my opinions and I am certainly not a politician just a voter. So, what are my ideas?

  • The INS needs to be restructured. Having firsthand knowledge of this pathetic institution I can vote for that. It took BozoBoy and I 5 years to get through the process, just to even have our interview so that he could get his 10-year green card. This process should not take so long. I don’t know what they are doing at that agency but it needs re-work.
  • My opinion is that illegal immigrants should not be able to get a drivers license. I think they should have to go through the formal process of applying for resident alien status just like other legal immigrants. Unless this process is a stepping-stone to formal immigration status. A driver’s license is a basic right that you are afforded as a contributing member of our society. It is a doorway to many avenues, as a legal source of identification. Yes, I understand that undocumented aliens are here and that they are filling a gap in our employment structure. Doing jobs that others won’t and not making much money. I am not saying they should be thrown out, I believe that you should be offered the opportunities to better yourself, the same that were offered to others who came before. But do I think that should include providing medical assistance to illegal immigrants? No, we aren’t even doing that for the people we have currently. I admit I do think we should do some backyard cleaning before we offer to have a party in it.
  • Do I think that babies born to undocumented aliens are America? Yes, I do. A child born on this soil is an American. Don’t ask me to explain this…just one of those crazy principals.
  • Finally, could my mind be changed? Of course, if someone came up with a detailed plan, that addressed my concerns or most of them would I be willing to change my position. Maybe. I don’t have the answers but I sure would like to have a real discussion about the options.

Cultural Entitlement Attitude

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Watch out, I am on ranting rampage.

I am quite fed-up with this general American attitude that I now see daily that exerts this idea that “I deserve everything and if I don’t get it it’s because they won’t give it/let me have it.” Everywhere I turn I get this sense of entitlement. Are we turning into a culture of entitlement, expecting others to do for us without returning the favor?

Far to often these days when I hold the door for someone they just continue through without even saying thank you. Even if I say after them, “sure, no problem,” they turn looking perplexed. HELLO! a simple thank you or please is all I’m asking for?

Even eating out or shopping has become tedious. Often I find that wait staff or sales clerks aren’t that interested in helping me. They could really care less. I am not asking for more than I would offer, a smile a hello, assistance if I have a question. Not a huff or sneer or roll of the eyes.

This leads me to my next observation. It is not surprising that our young people are quickly adopting these negative characteristics. Honestly, I am saddened by what I see as complacency in kids today. The general disrespect that I would never have exercised as a child is typical from kids you pass in the mall. I often feel embarrassed when I make new friends from outside the U.S. who have recently moved here. They are so overwhelmed by the wealth in this country and the unlimited possibilities available to them. And this cultural entitlement is growing and visible everywhere you look.

I know there is no easy solution, especially when our government and corporate leaders set poor examples and consistently display apathy and disregard at staggering numbers. I am just so pissed about it. I work hard and I admit I have expectations that I accomplish certain goals, but I don’t blame others or expect things to happen without a little sweat. America is an ideal, something that some have forgotten, with tremendous blessings it bestows on us daily. So, why are we all so blame drive? Where has our gratitude for the opportunities we are afforded every day?

Our Newest Additions

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Our newest additions are adjusting to our home nicely. They are still in quarantine as we continue to apply medicine to their ringworm. I have decided to introduce you to them though. Click here to see a pic. Cairo is on the left, our warm golden girl and Riga, our silvery loving babe is on the right. They are both quite small still the picture doesn’t do their size justice. They are both about 5 pounds. Hopefully, this weekend they will make their debut into the rest of the house. I am a bit nervous about this. Besides the fact that they may still be contagious (we are getting a black light this weekend to check it out ourselves. You can use this to see if their fur glows green, this means they still have contagion.) but I am a little nervouse about our sofas, the Christmas tree, furniture, books…I have lived so long with Fatty and he is relatively behaved I am just a little apprehensive. I will get over it…eventually :~).

Black/White Documentary

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Saw this today. I would be interested in seeing this just to see how the experiences differ. I will try to remember about it in March…at least to check out the previews. It may turn out to be unwatchable before it even premieres. In all honesty though I don’t spend a lot of time imagining how others lives would be transformed if they stood in someone else’s shoes. I am more interested in listening directly to others experiences and keeping those fresh in my mind. Recognizing that everyone is different and that everyone has something that may expand my viewpoint.

Interesting Site on Race

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I came across the following link the other day. Please check this out, particularly this. I did the sorting of the people and I sucked. I was able to accurately select less than half, in fact I only selected a third correctly. Just goes to prove that I am just as bad at labeling people based on how they look.

Shopping Links

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I thought after my reminiscing the other day about the Christmas holiday I would take the opportunity to go to my favorite hobby. I love shopping mostly this consists of window shopping, via my Mac. I am known for being a Google Queen but I only buy things when they are on sale and after thorough research. I will even wait to receive a discount code to get free shipping or make the discount go further.

So, today I decided to post links to my favorite shopping sites. I managed to keep it to ten!

1. Amazon – Good for just about everything.
2. JcPenney – Good for household goods. I use to shop for clothes here until I discovered the next link. I still do get some nice things here though.
3. Land’s End – Love most of the clothes here, including the pants which I can get long. This is very important as I am nearly 6 ft.
4. DrugStore.com – Good for non-prescription items. I order a lot of natural and organic things here including my laundry detergent, body wash, and hair and dental products. I also like their gift sets by Alba and Burt’s Bees.
5. Sierra Trading Post – An interesting selection of clothes. I enjoy their Bargain Barn which always has great deals but especially their shoes.
6.Pier 1 – Diverse accessories to accent your home.
7. World Market – A fun store that has a lot of international flavors. I have some nice pieces of furniture from here. We also manage to pick up some nice wine and English sweets.
8. ShoeLine – A recent find that has nice shoes. A bit pricey but I have gotten 2 pairs here and they are terrific. I feel like I am walking on air.
9. DeepDiscountDVD – Great site for cheap DVDs.
10. J.Jill – Does very nice shirts and sweaters.

Home Again

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I started telecommuting today! I thought I might actually be able to concentrate and get some of those lost projects accomplished with the time I was going to be at home. Of course not! I am busy on email and the phone putting out wildfires that just keep spreading. I am sure things will taper off somewhat once we have more of a routine down and my project launches. Boy I can’t wait for that.

We did manage to get the printer that was supplied as part of the equipment working with our airport and our Macs, this was the highlight of my day.

But really no complaints. How can I complain when I can roll out of bed boot up a few laptops and start my day? I don’t have to shower, can get a cuppa anytime I want and be in my own house. This really is nice.

New Arrivals

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Today our new housemates arrived. Clean and fresh but a little weary of us. We adopted two beautiful tabby kittens, both girls. They are about 3 and 1/2 months old and absolutely adorable. We named the gold tabby Cairo and the silver tabby Riga. Poor Riga has ringworm and so we are keeping them both in quarantine. We had them checked out by our vet and seems that they are in good health with the exception of the Ringworm. We have to keep them separate from Hugo for at least the next 10 days.

O the washing! Whenever we visit with them we strip off our clothes to control the distribution of contagion and then we liberally wash exposed body parts. I didn’t know that ringworm a) is a fungus not a worm, b) can be transmitted to humans and c) can live in carpet for up to 2 years. Mostly, I feel bad for Riga. She has some big patches and now that they are all shaved we can see them better but she doesn’t like the treatment. I have no doubt they will heal up fine. I just hope we are able to let them out after 10 days and that our clean-up efforts are thorough. When I get a chance I will post a few photos of them. They really are adorable and I do think I made the right decision in inviting them into our home.

December Brings Happiness

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December brings one of my favorite times of year, the Christmas holiday. I love the decorations, lights, festivities, holiday songs, and general happier attitude of people. I have only just bought my Christmas cards and have yet to sit down and compose the newsletter that shall accompany them but today I am less stressed about that than I was a few days ago.

I suppose for me I get caught up in the fond memories I have of Christmas. Christmas was always a fun time at my house, with less focus on the amount of things or whether I actually got what I asked for. As a child gifts were a true celebration and mom never failed. I felt like the most blessed kid on the block. I loved the lead up to the holiday, the time off from school, the cold wind nipping at my ears as a constant reminder of fun things to come, and the Advent calendar that was scratch and sniff that seemed to slumber during the ensuing months. I enjoyed decorating the tree with handmade ornaments, wrapping the tinsel around after we had put the lights on…and then of course waking up and like magic wonderful gifts appeared under the tree. I could go on and on.

The first year we were married, grandma sent us most of the Christmas ornaments she had as well as a few new ones. That was the first Christmas holiday that mother and daughter had ever spent apart and remains the only one in 31 years. So, now we pull out our 4-foot plastic tree and take all my childhood ornaments and decorate the tree. We have hung lights throughout the living and dining room, with the few presents waiting to be wrapped and tucked under it.

I am saddened by all the commercialization that has taken over Christmas and every other holiday. Too much goes into “getting things” for Christmas and mostly I try hard to ignore it. I do enjoy buying the odd gift for BozoBoy and Grandma but I no longer go overboard. Now we celebrate sensibly. I suppose the older I get the less important it is to have frivolous stuff. But I still anticipate Christmas morning with butterflies and excitement, which makes me feel like a kid all over again. At Christmas I think of it as a renewal of the kid in me, recognizing those closest to my heart and thinking of those less fortunate I. As the days pass and Christmas nears, my excitement will grow as will my general happiness. I hope yours does too.