It's like beating your head against the wall.

Hubby and I have known who we're voting for since before the primaries even started. We're that annoying couple who watches the news every day and looks online for the news that mainstream media doesn't put out there. We're very politically-minded, and we can't get enough of what's going on in the world. Now, most people watch the presidential debates in order to decide who they're going to vote for (or in order to re-affirm who they're going to vote for). Hubby and I watch them so that we can get mad.

(Well, that's what it seems like, anyway.)

We rant and rave at the TV. We're screaming at the set as if John McCain can actually hear us (not like he could hear us even if we were screaming right in front of him. Yes, that was an "old" joke. He's old. Get over it.). And to add insult to injury, we actually recorded it so that we can rewind and re-watch the stuff that really pisses us off. Why? I don't know. Because we like pain?

Maybe after we're done, we'll go step on some rusty nails, just for kicks.

And I do this because...?

Hubby: Are you blogging again?

Me: Yeah.

Hubby: Does anyone even read it?

Me: Umm...one person.

Hubby: (holding back laughter) Well, ok then, as long as you're using your time productively.

Can we look a little deeper??

It's interesting to hear John McCain talk about how the US has the second-highest business taxes in the world and how we need to lower those taxes to save our economy. But I wonder, has he ever looked at the statistics regarding pay disparity? The average CEO in America in 2004 made 431 times what his average worker made. Now keep in mind, that's the average worker, not the lowest paid worker. When you start comparing those differences, the number becomes astronomical. And this huge disparity is NOT happening all over the world. So yes, we have higher business taxes, but let's not jump on the bandwagon to say these high taxes are hurting our economy. These businesses pass on higher prices, lower wages, and fewer benefits in order to keep their high salaries, not because of high taxes.

Greed is human nature. That's something we have to accept as a society. We evolved in a competitive environment where being selfish made the difference between living and dying. You can't just expect that people who make more money will take it upon themselves to help those who are less fortunate. You can't expect ANY species to do ANYTHING simply for the good of the species. This has been studied and documented. That's why regulation (some of it in the form of higher taxes to pay for humanitarian programs) HAS to exist.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying we should completely redistribute wealth and encourage "living on the system." After all, hard work and ingenuity should always be rewarded. But what I AM saying is that 1) we cannot assume there are unlimited resources in the world, 2) we can assume that greed will more often than not prevail, and 3) regulation is one way to combat excessive greed and put an end to these outrageously enormous disparities in pay.

Of course, this will never be discussed on the news. Why? Because it's much more entertaining to talk about putting lipstick on pigs. Suuuuuuuuueeeeeeeyyyyyyyyy.

And we wonder why nothing gets done in Washington.

So this evening, Hubby and I are watching the news, and we see this ad during a commercial break:



This led us to wonder, "what exactly is Senate Resolution 636?" I, of course, being the Google-happy girl I am, went immediately to the computer and hit the search engine. I wound up on the Library of Congress website where I discovered that Senate Resolution 636 is "a resolution recognizing the strategic success of the troop surge in Iraq and expressing gratitude to the members of the United States Armed Forces who made that success possible." It was sponsored by Joe Lieberman and introduced on July 31, 2008.

And this is what we pay our senators for. To sit around and vote on this. It is a purely political move. If a senator votes for it, then he or she is acknowledging that the surge worked (which in itself is completely debatable). If s/he votes against it, then s/he hates our troops. It's a lose-lose vote, hence the completely political goal. This is a complete waste of time, money, and advertising space. Everyone supports the troops (even the long-haired, tree-hugging hippies) even if they don't support the war. This is truly stupid.

I wonder how much Lieberman got for selling his soul...

Date Night

I'm having a romantic evening out with the Hubby tonight. You know what that means.

Bow-chicka-wow-wow....

I'm hoping to actually enjoy this whole baby making process for a while before it starts to become a tedious chore. I've been told that happens, you know, when it takes a long time to get pregnant. You start taking your temperature, and then you have to be able to get frisky RIGHT NOW dammit because it's EGG TIME!!!!! I pray that doesn't happen to us. I don't think it will, but just in case, I'm having as much fun with it now as I can.

Opinions are like...well...you know.

I really don't understand some people. People who want to stick their noses in your business and then get upset about things you do. Does she really think I care about whether I'm making her mad? Because I really don't! I've been exactly where she is, but I at least had the self-esteem to not allow that man to force-feed me bullshit. And honestly, she should be thanking me (and the British girl) because if we hadn't up and left him for being a scary psychopathic bastard, things would be a LOT worse for her. Maybe he's finally learned his lesson: that you actually have to have something to offer a woman if you want her to stick around. In any case, there is no reason for her to be up my butt.

Unless, of course, she's really that insecure. Always a possibility, I guess.

Autumn Ramble

I freaking LOVE fall. I think if I had to pick four months to live in forever, it would be September through December. I love watching the leaves change color. I love the crispness of the air and the smell of fireplaces. I love putting on my favorite cozy sweater and curling up by the fireplace with a cup of cocoa and a good book. I love filling my house with the smells of apple cinnamon candles, pumpkin pie, and sugar cookies. I am definitely an Autumn person.

I think that's why I've always made the biggest decisions of my life in the fall. Marriages, divorces, births, living situations, and education: all decisions I made between September and December. My brain comes alive then, woken from a lazy summer slumber. The cool air refreshes me and clears my head. I want to dream, and create, and ponder, and bake. I want to take long walks, kicking leaves as I pass, thinking of quantum physics and the science of true love. I want to talk, and write, and explore.

So forgive me for "waxing poetic," but you see, I just can't help it. It's part of who I am and how I'm composed. I am a creature of Autumn, the princess of Fall, and everything I do reflects that nature.

Anyone for spice bread??

Always read the instructions

There are times when you really shouldn't just "wing it." You know, things like brain surgery, bomb diffusing, and filing your taxes. Added to that list should be taking a pregnancy test. Just because every other pregnancy test in the world is read a certain way, you should not just assume that the one you're taking is read the same way. This is a good way to give yourself (and your poor, unsuspecting hubby) a freaking heart attack.

That's the last time I buy a test from the dollar store...

Interesting thought to ponder

Among the "qualifications" the Republican Party affords Sen. Palin, one of them is her 80% approval rating as Governor of Alaska. I wonder, do they realize that just over one year ago, Putin had an 80% approval rating as well??? Just something to think about...

Freedom from Judgement

I love my social networking site. I really do. It's great to get little funny or sweet comments from friends, and I like being able to see when people posted new pictures or updated their status. But I really don't like using that blog anymore. I'll probably still use it for family news, updates, etc., but for personal stuff, I just don't like it. I know I can edit the settings to only let certain people view it, but I just don't enjoy posting there. Most of what I write is serious, and I like to keep that page upbeat since people really just view it in passing. Plus, if I make something only for "preferred readers," then I'm inevitably going to upset someone because they're not on the list.

No, I wanted something that was more geared towards writing instead of socializing. I wanted to really talk about things and to open myself up to readers who also want to just talk about things. If you've received an invitation to view this blog, then you can consider yourself one of my truest friends. This page is open to the public, but I'm not telling a lot of people about it because I'm tired of being judged by my blogs. I figure most people reading this won't know me from Adam, so whether I upset you or not really won't matter. You can move on and never read my writing again. But the few friends I'm inviting are the ones I can really talk to.

So, friends, welcome. And non-friends, welcome to you too. And blogosphere, here I come...