Toy Makers in Danger

This is worrying to me as I know people that make really nice toys and children's things. Work at home moms and dads and small businesses that make quality toys will not be able to afford the things required under this new legislation.

Incredibly Irritated

I am incredibly irritated by some attitudes people have about the election. I hate hearing people talk about leaving the country if who they vote for does not win. Or say that they have lost faith in their country or had their faith restored in their country based on the election results. Our country has an election process. If the person that wins a legal election takes office then that process has worked. As long as no one cheated, was intimidated by violence, or illegally influenced votes in other ways than faith should remain with the system. People that don't like the electoral college system should try to have that changed, but like it or not right now it is part of how a president is elected. I have not lost faith in my country because the person I voted for lost the national election. I know that our government will carry on, that my country is a great one and will continue to be great even if I don't always agree with all the decisions of its leaders (and really who ever agrees with all the decisions politicians make. come on.) I don't think people that disagree with me are stupid. I feel that everyone is entitled to their view. Our government is supposed to be influenced by what the majority of citizens want. Not what a vocal minority want. I will continue to make my voice heard by voting and discussing issues and hope that next time more people will agree with me. Why can't everyone have this attitude? It would make for a much friendlier environment around election time. And people are much more likely to listen and think about your opinion if you express it without making derisive comments about opinions that differ from yours. Or the people that hold those differing opinions. People on all sides of the issues need this advice. I hate how some people get at election time.

And now I need to stop avoiding my novel and get to work. This post doesn't make the most sense maybe but I just had to vent my frustrations without worrying about eloquence.

So many things, so little time

Well, Nanowrimo is fast approaching and I have so many other things I need to get done. For those of you who don't know, nanowrimo is national novel writing month. It starts November 1st and ends on the last day of the month. The goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in that time frame. I am going to try hard this year to actually finish. Last year I didn't actually write anything so I can't do worse. For those of you who enjoy writing, come and join in on the fun. It isn't too late to sign up.

Today I actually got a lot done. I sorted through my kids toys and got rid of some, I canned some apples, and I cleaned up the kitchen. Tomorrow I need to finish sewing my sons Mickey Mouse shorts for Halloween. Then I need to work on my outline for my novel, typing it, and try to fit in working on Christmas gifts all in the next few weeks. If I finish everything I have planned it will be a miracle.

Crazy People!

I heard something about Angelina Jolie's breast-feeding photo the other day and the scandal surrounding it. Of course this sparked my interest (I generally don't care too much about celebrities and their lives) and I had to search on the web to see the photo. Besides finding the photograph to be very tame and not understanding the problem surrounding it I found some crazy crazy fans of certain celebrities. When reading the comments posted by some people about this picture, I stumbled on some women (and perhaps men) that seem to feel that these people who they have never met are their personal best friends and family and need their defense. Honestly, how can someone get so angry about some wealthy person's family life? Why do they care if another woman thinks Jennifer Aniston is boring and so Brad Pitt left her? Or that another person thinks Jolie is an evil harlot who steals men? Why even make excuses for them or think about this to begin with? Am I just perpetuating the celebrity idolizing culture by posting about it here?

I just don't understand the depth of feeling some have over these things. Are their lives so boring and inconsequential that they need to post nasty comments like these about actors? There are so many other more important things in the world to get angry about, this should be last on the list.

Busy, busy

I figured I should post something since I haven't this week. I have been fairly busy. Today I canned tomatoes all day. I need to take the time tonight and write in my kids' journals because I haven't in a few weeks. So with my extra time tonight I will be doing that, But look for an exciting (ha) post soon, right after my MIL leaves.

And since today is September 11, lets remember the families of all the loved ones that died that day and the way our country came together after the tragedy and try to keep that feeling of connectedness we had then for each other.

History Lesson

I always find it interesting when elections roll around to learn how little some know about how our government actually works. And no, I am no expert but I know a few more of the basics than seems common. Many people seem not to know what the President can actually do as the executive leader of our country and what Congress's responsibilities really are. (More about this later). Elections also increase the talk about religion's role in government in this country. There seems to be many misconceptions that are perpetuated about the role of God and religion in the founding of our country so this post addresses some of these. I originally posted most of this info on a forum I like to go to but I wanted to put it here as well. I will preface my comments by saying I was a history major in college and American Heritage (which discussed the founding of this country) was a required course. And also I might not be completely correct, but this is what I remember from class.

The United States was founded on neither religion nor freedom of religion. Specific colonies were set up for this purpose but this country as a whole was not. We ( I am using this because it is the easiest pronoun to use, although I of course was not present in these events) declared our independence from Britain because of what we saw as unfair taxation, laws, and other measures being passed by the King and his government without adequate representation from the colonies of America (hence D.C.'s license plate taxation without representation because they somehow see their situation as similar but they should perhaps read the declaration of independence). Religion was perhaps on some peoples minds but was not directly mentioned as a reason for secession from Britain.

There honestly isn't many direct references to God in the Declaration itself (I just casually perused it and found one mention of Got and one of a Creator, which doesn't mean there aren't more I just wasn't reading super carefully). The Constitution itself (excluding the Bill of Rights) also from my skimming doesn't mention religion or God except to say that "no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States". It is the bill of Rights that brings up the freedom of religion. Some of the founders actually argued against a bill of rights saying it wasn't necessary with the system they were setting up but others refused to sign without one.

Separation of Church and State is not the same thing as Separation of God and State. Most if not all of the founders believed in God but many of them were agnostic or deists and did not follow any specific creed. That is why they were concerned with the separation of a specific Church and Government. Most of the countries in Europe had at least at that time a specific church that had much influence or control in government. We here saw the problems that had caused and did not want this when setting up our government. I can't remember if they had any prayers in meetings, but I know that many of the founders talked about praying individually about what to do when coming up with the Declaration and Constitution (and the War of course).

What is my point? Well I am not completely sure. I don't think the founders ever intended for no one to include their beliefs in their decisions about laws and policies. They obviously included their beliefs and asked God for help. But they also did not one anyone to be forced to worship a way in which they did not believe. The whole point was freedom from tyranny and one way to avoid tyranny was a prevent a state sponsored church. But this was not the only tyranny they wanted freedom from . .

And now I am just rambling so will stop except to include that In God We Trust was only placed on all our money within the last 100 years (if I remember correctly and I don't feel like looking it up so correct me if I am wrong), and that God was included in the pledge relatively recently as well. So maybe my point is we are using God's name more in these days but actually getting farther away from policies and actions that He would support? Just an idea.

More politics

I remember something I want to say about Palin and think it warrants its own post. On a forum I frequent someone mentioned that Palin said in an interview that she didn't know what should be done in Iraq. This person was disturbed by this answer. I just listened to this and honestly I think it shows a refreshing honesty in politics that we haven't seen much recently. It sounds like she also might not have known exactly what McCain's plan was (it was a few weeks ago) or didn't want to say anything wrong. Maybe she wanted to establish that she did not know exactly what would be the best solution which is what I understood by the end of her answer. This makes sense to me. I am not trying to be an apologist here. She better learn about McCain's plan in Iraq and learn more about the situation there so she can answer more completely next time she is asked. If she stays ignorant then there is a real problem.

I admit that I don't know what should happen in Iraq. I know bad ideas when I hear them but I don't have a great idea myself. Granted I am not a politician or the presumptive vice presidential running mate of McCain but no one else I know is this either and so many people seem to think they know what should be done. I am not a military strategist. I am not an expert on Iraq or on Muslim people. I am not informed about everything that goes on there. I can only get information that is passed through many filters. Like I posted before, news media can rarely be taken at face value. Even statistics can be and are manipulated based on the view the author of the story wishes the reader to come away with. I guess I am cynical on this issue but I have seen examples of this before and have used various tactics myself to deflect attention from various parts of a story and attract it elsewhere. What child hasn't? Until I am in a position to know more accurate information and have experts available to me (which Palin might now be in) I don't feel I really know what exactly should happen in Iraq. I don't really think many politicians know either, they just feel they have to say they do to get my vote. So bravo to Palin for being honest, at least on this issue, in a world where honest seems seldom rewarded.

Politics

I am reading much these days that has to do with the coming election, especially as of yesterday and McCain's announcement of Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential running mate (I think that is how it is phrased). I always find it interesting that so many people see how ridiculous or tenuous some of the media claims about their preferred candidate are but can't see how tenuous some of the claims for the other candidate are as well. I guess that is only natural. I however don't believe many of the connections people come up with between the various candidates and some radical dangerous group. I need some more proof than most of these stories provide. I smile to myself though at comments like "that connection between Obama so and so is tenuous at best, but I find it much more threatening that McCain would connect himself with this kind of people" or "Maybe McCain employed people of shady character, but isn't it more worrisome that some aide of Obama's possible had ties to a terrorist group?" Really if either of the candidates knew someone working for them had ties like these and did nothing it would be equally worrisome. I don't think because one fired his problem people first or it took one longer to find the connection makes either worse or better. Realize that both of the claims were kind of far out there and the media's and opposing party's way of creating drama and possible negative thoughts about the candidate they don't care for.

In a political race in this country both sides always try to dig up any dirt they can about each other. They try to make connections between negatively viewed extremist groups and their opponent. Each side is equally guilty of this in my opinion. I really wish the media, various groups, and voters in general would focus more on the candidates' platforms and less on the rest of the circus that always occurs. If any real troubling thing surfaces then tell me about it but all the smoke and mirrors make it hard to see. I honestly trust very little of what I see on televison or read in newspapers, magazines, or other written news sources at face value. How can anyone these days?

Racism?

I am referring to the now infamous picture of Spanish basketball players with their fingers pulling their eyes into "chinese eyes". Was this racism? Was this inappropriate? This photograph has sparked intense debate all over television, radio, and the web. In this post I will address just my feelings on the photograph and later I will address my attitudes about race and diversity. I don't have time for both now.

I tend to think that the Spanish players were not being "racist" as we use that term in this country. It is hard as an American to understand the cultural background of these people and it is necessary to do so to understand their motives behind their action. Spain does not have a large population of Asian people. They are much less diverse than my country and so most people have not been raised with the same kind of issues that children in America are raised learning about. In more homogeneous countries I believe that many people never consider the impact a certain joke or gesture might have on a person of another ethnicity because they have never had to before. Another factor is the Spanish attitude toward all types of labeling that might be offensive in America. I have visited Spain in high school and I noticed that the Spanish are much more likely to call a person fat or point out his big nose. This is not always meant to be insulting. The deaf community in the U.S. also uses physical traits like this to label people. I would never call a stranger fat to his face but my upbringing has taught me that to do so is rude. We have to remember that not everyone is raised the same way. Some of the thought behind the action of the Spanish team might have been along these lines.

Now does the fact that they might not know any better mean that people that do have a problem with it shouldn't say anything? No of course not. How does anyone learn if no one is willing to teach? I think if Spain wants to interact more globally it will have to address attitudes and actions like this in the future. The players need to know that everyone does not find their actions acceptable and that that is a valid feeling. It was inappropriate for them to take that picture and publish it. They should be more understanding of some of the negative reaction they are getting. The guys from PTI (yes I watch ESPN sometimes, my mom calls me a traitor for it) had a good point. Several of the Spanish basketball players actually live in the U.S. now and play for the NBA. They should know better. They should have known this would not go over well and said something. Maybe they didn't pay attention to the problems with racism we have in this country but they are a little hard to ignore. Hopefully now they will wake up a little to the world around them. I hope this incident will help engender learning about other cultures and attitudes around the world. Then maybe all the attention this has brought to Spain will help everyone. What do you think?

Photograph

I am looking at a photograph right now that is driving me crazy. I feel like something is missing. I like artsy photographs, don't get me wrong. My sister and one of my best friends are excellent photographers and take interesting pictures. This particular photo just bugs. It feels like the photographer was trying to be creative in the framing of the subject and in doing so cut out too much. It is a photo of a young child. The eyes are most prominent with some bangs and the girl's nose and only a tiny portion of her mouth. That last part is the problem. I feel that more of the mouth should appear in the picture. Why would the photographer purposely cut off 3/4's of the mouth and leave just that little bit left? I have taken photos of my babies' hands or feet, or even of the swirl pattern on their heads or their beautiful eyes and left out everything else. I framed them better though. If the photographer wanted to focus on the child's face, then the mouth should be included completely. If the eyes were the focus, then maybe cut out the mouth. I don't know, it just doesn't look right to me. I keep staring at it trying to figure out why it is annoying. Sorry I can't link to the picture, but try to imagine it. I am sure some other people have some things that just bother them without being able to pinpoint why. It is just one of those things I guess.

Olympics

I have been watching the Olympics this year. I never watched much of them before but for some reason they have captured my attention this time. The U.S. men's gymnastic team really drew me in a few days ago. They were so genuinely happy and excited just to be there. If you have followed their story at all you know about the Hamm brothers dropping out and two alternates taking their places. I especially liked watching Sasha Artemev on the pommel horse. He is much more smooth in his routines than almost any of the other gymnasts I saw and he really shined on the pommel horse. I hope he and Jonathan Horton can win a medal on the apparatus competition that is later on.

I have to admit that when I watch gymnastics I pause the television until the routine is over than fast forward to see if the gymnast made many mistakes. Then I rewind to watch the routine. I can't stand to see anyone fall or stumble. The suspense kills me so I get rid of the suspense. I feel badly for the person when they make big mistakes. I get embarrassed in everyday life for people that say embarrassing things, forget lines, fall down, etcetera. If I know the person the feeling gets ten times worse. Anyone else out there like that? I wish I didn't let it affect me as much but I have only tamed the feeling in recent months, not gotten rid of it completely. Ahh well . . . back to watching the Olympics! Or sleeping first. 3 am again . . .

The Bliss of Ignorance

I know that "knowledge is power" and that learning all that I can about the world around me is a good thing, but sometimes it would be so much simpler to remain ignorant to certain things. I have started cloth diapering with my second child and with this brave new (for me) world came a whole new culture as well. I belong to a cloth diapering forum that also has many other forums associated with it, many involving natural living. I try and stay away from some topics on there now because of the worry they give me. Circumcision, immunizations, disposable diapers, household chemicals, non-organic food, and plastics all have now added anxiety causing dimensions added to them in my mind because of my never ending curiosity and that darn forum. If I could have just stayed away. I am still making most of the same decisions about these topics I was before, but now I am more informed and less sure of myself in making my decisions.

Plastics come to the forefront of my thoughts often when I think about things I wish I had learned less about. I am talking particularly about the use of plastic in food storage containers and dinnerware. Part of the problem is that no one has any definitive proof that they are harmful, but there is much speculation. I never thought about chemicals leaching from plastic into my food before. Now I worry that I am destroying my children's brain cells by letting them drink from plastic cups. Instead of having a 200 IQ they might only have a 190 now. Don't worry, I am not too concerned. I don't lie awake at night because of the evil plastics in my house, but I do wish I had the money to buy more glass and other safe containers. And I wish that other types of containers were more convenient and readily available. The problem is I have too much plastic and not enough money to replace it all. And my son love's cartoon characters, and they don't make many glass dishes with cartoon characters.

See, this is a whole lot of thinking I could have spent on something else if I would have just remained ignorant to the whole subject. So much (read maybe an hour's worth) concern that could have been prevented or redirected on a more pressing subject. I love learning, but perhaps there is such a thing as learning to much? Or maybe not. I will not stop learning and reading about things I can't change at the moment, but at least I will know how I will change them if I ever can. I just wish I had learned some things a little later.

Appreciating the Arts

I started typing this last night but apparently the sound of a laptop keyboard wakes my husband up. I say laptop keyboard because a laptop's keys make a much quieter sound when pushed than a standard keyboard, yet somehow they aren't quiet enough for my husband who falls asleep with the television on. Well back to my original topic.

The inspiration for this came from hearing my dad's comments on a contemporary dance routine showcased on So You Think You Can Dance, a reality tv competition show. Now before I go on I feel the need to defend my reality tv watching habit. I for the most part watch skill-based reality tv. That means dance, singing, design, hair styling, and cooking reality competitions. I do not watch shows like Survivor or the Amazing Race except on a rare occasion. I do not watch Real World, Bachelor, or anything similar. I watch the skill-based shows mainly because I appreciate the skill involved. I like to watch or listen to people's talents, or see creative designs. I do not care for drama driven reality shows. These seem like the most mindless shows on television. Why do people enjoy seeing others argue about unimportant things in a manufactured situation? My brother fails to appreciate my discernment. He likes to poke fun at my viewing choices and ignores my explanation of the differences between Project Runway and Road Rules. Ahh well, his loss.

My dad does not like contemporary dance. He also does not appreciate it. To him it is "people making movements because they have to". He does not see the artistry or difficulty in many of the routines I have watched. Negative opinions of contemporary dance abound, at least in my experience. Especially among non-dancer heterosexual males. (This might be stereotypical, and if you are a heterosexual male that likes contemporary dance, please speak up.) Modern dance is even more misunderstood. (Yes, modern and contemporary dance are technically different. Modern includes some really weird (but often interesting) forms of dance using props such as stretchy sacks covering the dancers.) Contemporary is as far as I can learn modern modern dance. It is the most current style of dance.

I appreciate most forms of dance and I do enjoy most forms of contemporary and modern dance I have seen. It helps that I have taken a modern dance class in college that taught some of the history behind these dances. I think to truly pass judgment on the value of an art form one needs to study at least some of the history of that art form. This also applies to modern art. I appreciated certain types of modern art more after learning the background behind specific paintings and taking a humanities course. The increased knowledge did not necessarily increase my love of certain paintings or dances however. Whether or not a person likes a specific form of art or individual piece of art is more emotional and doesn't require, at least in my mind, any background information. I still hate some "art" that hangs in museums, specifically the paintings that involve a solid block of color on a canvas. I don't even appreciate those except to admire the artists ability to make money on something that I could paint myself with no training or skill. This is another topic though.

Another underappreciated form of art is operatic singing. Or more accurately appreciated from a great distance from which the sound is no longer distinguishable to human ears. Some have referred to opera singers as screamers. I love opera and operatic singing (of course). It is not my favorite form of singing but I have heard several opera pieces that are very beautiful.

My parents find my love of this and classical music (my radio is almost always tuned to classical music) unusual I think. They have commented on my bad taste, but since their radios are set to country stations I ignore their opinions. My husband doesn't mind some opera or classical music so I like to think that I gave him culture. A very snobbish idea probably, but I don't understand people that say they don't at least like classical music. You don't have to like it all, I don't. I just like much of it.

Who thinks I am weird now? This might be a boring post, but it was on my mind. Hopefully it gave you all some enjoyment and maybe inspired you to experience some new things. Stay tuned for tomorrow's post on the bliss of ignorance (after telling you all to study a subject before passing judgment it seems a strange choice but just wait and see).

Bad Idea

Staying up until 3 am reading a book (I finished by the way!) and then waking up at 8:00 am to play basketball. I was wondering why I was so out of shape and then realized part of it might be my lack of sleep! I need to work on that. It would not be as bad if I had stayed up that late writing. Maybe that will be the case tomorrow. Right now I need to get to sleep. I can't keep dozing off with two young ones, especially with my oldest potty learning (the new term for potty training). I will think of something good to blog about tomorrow.

Serendipity

I really like this movie. It is very romantic and funny and cute. The idea of having only one person you are supposed to be with is such a popular idea in our culture. A soul-mate. When I examine this idea closer though it scares me. I am so glad that I do not subscribe to this theory. Just think about it for a minute. If there was only one person on this planet for you, how could you ever be guaranteed to find him? What if he died doing something he shouldn't have done? What if he didn't know he had a soul-mate out there and married someone else? How are you ever going to be happy with anyone worrying about that soul-mate out there waiting for you? I think this idea can kill good marriages. Here is how I think it can happen:

A woman believes there is only one person that could make her completely happy and marries, thinking she has found that person. They are happy for a few years, then some serious conflicts present themselves. Maybe the catalyst is the loss of a job or some illness. The woman is not as happy all the time as she was when she was first married. She begins thinking that maybe this man was not really her soul-mate and that he is still out there somewhere. She tries to make her marriage work, but this idea has taken hold and now she believes that someone else would make her happier. The marriage falls apart.

Now I realize that it is also possible that someone who doesn't believe in a soul-mate could think "many people can make me happy, this person no longer does so I might as well leave him and find someone else". I just think that the Hollywood ideal of a perfect soul-mate does more damage in this department coupled with the disregard for the importance of marriage. I prefer to believe that there are several people that I could have been happy with if I had chosen differently. I made my choice and married a man I loved. I am happy and will continue to be happy. I have now made this man my soul-mate and do not want to marry anyone else. I know that in order to remain happy I need to work hard in my relationship to support my husband and help our friendship and love grow. If problems arise I know that problems would have occurred with anyone I had married and that some mythical one perfect match is not out there. As my husband and my relationship grows we become the perfect match for each other. This kind of relationship is developed through work, time, care, and love. It isn't some happenchance of fate that determines if a relationship will last.

This is my view anyway. I find it comforting to know that I control my own fate in this way and that my happiness in love is not dependent upon the chance of finding one person out of a few billion.

Annoyances

Is anyone out there one of those people that drag her heels in harder when someone "encourages" her to do something she knows she should do? I am that type of person. I want to write a book. I have started writing one many times. I have a general idea of the direction the plot will take. I have 3 versions of the first two pages. I have some character outlines. I have not worked on the book in 6 months. I think I am afraid. No one can make me write it, and people reminding me I should be writing it does not help. It is annoying!

Defensive

So I am a very bad blogger. Hopefully that will change now that I have moved my computer downstairs so I can type after my kids go to sleep. I just can't seem to enjoy typing a long entry with one hand. It just takes too long.

I went to a barbecue a few weeks ago at a friend's house. I play basketball with her and some other women a few times a week, our kids come and run around with each other and we all get some exercise. The barbecue was good fun. I told my sister about it and some of the things we did, and she commented that my friend must be rich. She probably is well off but this comment launched me into full defensive mode. "She might have money, but they don't throw it away on things, and her kids don't get everything they want, and they have old things . . ." are a few of my answers. Of course my sister points out that I got defensive and did not need to.

So why did I get defensive? Why feel the need to defend her just because she might have money? My sister does sometimes make comments about spoiled rich people, but I don't think this was what I was thinking when I started making defensive remarks. What is wrong with having money? I have thought about this and realize nothing is wrong with having money. It is how a person chooses to spend it and treat it that can be off putting. I see on television celebrities wasting thousands of dollars on hair-cuts, manicures, alcoholic beverages, and other things. Images of perfectly manicured men and women in polos and khakis sitting around in fancy country clubs exist in many media forms. I just have this image of snobby people in designer clothes playing all day and casually spending money on leisure items because it means nothing to them. I have seen children with no concept of monetary value because they have been given everything they ever wanted without effort.

I don't think I was jealous of these types of wealthy people when I was younger. I think I was, and still am, frustrated by them. How can anyone think it is a good thing to give a child anything he wants without work on his part? What lessons does that teach a child? Why should someone
spend a fortune on houses, cars, and clothing just because he can? I know of no person that needs a 10,000 + sq ft. house. Most people don't even need half that. Maybe one fancy car is excusable, but 4 or 5 cars that cost $50,000 or more? I often think about how much good the extra money spent on these superfluous things could do if donated to some charity. Most people deserve a few "fun" items to spend extra money on but when these fun things use up gobs of money I feel it is excessive.

Now I know all wealthy people don't do these things. Many hate to waste money and by from discount stores and even use previously owned items. Many donate a significant portion of their income to charity. Many affluent people have perfectly well behaved and brought up children who have learned to work for what they want. I wish I could remember this image and get rid of the stigma that I carry about wealthy people. The funny thing is that my parents would be considered wealthy by many, and once my husband finishes school and has a job, we also will have what some would consider a large income. And the stigma is so strong I was about to type how the amount he will probably make isn't really very much in today's world. Why does it matter to me what some people will think of me just because I have money? Why do people think that of the affluent just because of a number on their bank statements? This kind of thinking isn't much different than other more villainised forms of prejudice. Maybe if our culture viewed the non-celebrity wealthy as a more positive part of society more children would grow up to attain a similar social status. I am not suggesting that people are poor because they hate the rich, but that some people possible choose not to work hard and openly strive to make a better living for themselves because they fear ostracizing from their current circle of friends.

What do you think about this? Is my post completely confusing? It is really late and I might not have expressed myself in the best way possible but hopefully this will at least spark some interesting thoughts and maybe some discussion if I can attract anyone to read my blog. Hopefully my writing gets better as time goes on. I like to blame my slow thought process on my mommy brain. My mind works slower now and I am trying to work hard to get it back up to speed. Help me out by arguing with me now! I like it.

Finding time

Well I keep getting fired up about a topic, thinking of how to write about it, and then never finding time to post before I lose interest in the topic. Or at least losing the fire to type about it. I want what I write to be understandable and anything beyond streams of consciousness about a serious topic take time to write. I can find time to type a few sentences here and there but it is hard to write more. Kids can do that to you. I like to type with two hands, so I have to wait until my kids are asleep or otherwise occupied and then I have to use that time for other things.

So here I am now. I need to find time to transplant some plants too. The tomato plants are getting too big to move easily. I am very excited about my vegetables and will be extremely disappointed if I don't get anything from the plants, especially if it is because of my procrastination/lack of time to take care of them. I am trying. Wish me luck! And any advice on getting my son to fall asleep faster would also be useful. The last few nights it has taken him almost 2 hours and I can't go to bed until he is asleep.

I need to find a better time to write so I am working on that. In the meantime suggest some topics that would interest you to read about. I have a few ideas but want to write what people would like to read. Here are some of my ideas: homeschooling, sex reassignment surgery, cosmetic surgery, the need to justify one's money, health care, Empire a book involving the sharp division between conservatives and liberals in this country, health and weight, and lastly caring for the environment (may or may not include global warming debate). So what tickles your fancy? A very eclectic list I know.

Welcome to Crazy Trees

I have thought about starting a blog off and on for a year. I am the ultimate procrastinator so I never got around to it until now. What changed you ask? Well I read yet another article dealing with class and race and I got the urge to write my opinion. This has happened before but this time I had my friend's blog to urge me on (or that had the sign on thing right at the top of it which made it super easy, you decide which it was).

So I signed on and was faced with a conundrum: what to call my blog and what url to choose. I wanted the two to be the same or similar. And I had already chosen my signature name so I wanted it to relate in some way. I thought about it. And thought about it. And thought about it some more. I got an idea. Maybe I could base it off a quote I liked. I spent a few hours searching quotes. I found several I liked, but none that could be shortened easily to a sensible length for a title. Then I thought, maybe Creative Insanity. I hurried and entered it in. It was taken. So then I thought some more. My other ideas were also taken, so obviously not very original anyway. I wanted something different, and I didn't want to have to tack a number or my name on the end to get it to work. I wanted my url to be very searchable and easy to remember.

Well fast forward two weeks. Yes, it took me two weeks to decide on a title. I do have other things to do during the day. I was thinking about autumn and the colors of the leaves. I love trees (except for these trees that grow like weeds in the area I live). I always want to live somewhere surrounded by trees. So trees could be included. Since my signature is Nuttygirl, it seemed obvious to use crazy too, so Crazy Trees was born. And low and behold it was available.

This is meant to be an anonymous blog. If you know who I am in real life, do not post it here. Sometimes I will write well thought out responses to things that trouble me or that spark my interest. Other times I will post random things that I am thinking about. It really will be a crazy blog in that regard. My mind moves from topic to topic quickly, wanders back and forth between a few things, and finds weird things to think about so you will most likely see this reflected in my entries. Hopefully you enjoy that.

Feel free to disagree with, agree with, or question any opinions I put forth. This will make my blog more interesting for me (and hopefully everyone that reads it). I love debating various issues and hearing different views on topics. I don't expect everyone to agree with me, so don't expect me to agree with you. Try not to get offended with anything I type, as this is my opinion, I might feel it is correct and well informed but I could always be wrong. I probably will not admit that though. Happy reading!