Summer So Far

Working. Second shift. So tired. And physically demanding. There's something satisfying (post facto) in doing physical labour, though, and I work with Janelle, so that's fabulous!
Also doggie! We have a new pup at our house! She likes digging and walks and chewing on things and being silly and we love her. Most of my pictures of her are blurry; she loves moving and, as soon as I get my camera out, she has to come investigate. After I get more pictures, there will be some on here because she is just so precious!
So, yes! Doggie and work. That's life so far, for the most part. They're taking all of my time.

I'm Baaaaaack!

I can not yet promise that I'll be perfectly regular in my posting, but thanks to my sister blog, This Is Summer, I am back in the game!

I had a great end to the semester (with a few notable exceptions that may come up later) and now I'm ready to relax and play and have fun with my family and friends and those I love!

I'm looking forward to being back on track. I have so many things planned: Psych marathons, attempting to exercise, photography, connecting with friends and family, a job (I hope!), and more. And you poor creatures are stuck hearing about them! So wait and see, because things will sure be getting...interesting around here!

But only for now

Due to some personal issues that I'm trying to resolve, I'll be taking a break from this for a while.

Not that I think anyone checks it on a daily basis but I did think I'd try to have the courtesy to warn you!

Thanks, everyone.

Happy Squirrel Appreciation Day!

I appreciate them for sure! There are many that play tag outside my window to make me smile and there's a yellow-tinted one (I kid you not, it looks like someone dunked him in mustard-yellow dye) that lives in the park near here. I call him Rusty and he loves me.

Go visit http://squirrely.wordpress.com/ (I just discovered this website this morning and I love it) for squirrel pictures!

SOPA and PIPA and Congress

As many sites (including Wikipedia) black out today, I just wanted to point something out.
(And I don't know if anyone will read it but I do feel a need to say it.)

On the 24th of January Congress will be voting on SOPA and PIPA and many of them are in favour of it, as are most big media companies.  The majority of Americans, however, are opposed to it in its current form.
Congress' current approval rating is around 11% -- the lowest it's ever been. (You know those "9 out of 10 dentists recommend ____" commercials? That tenth dentist is the one who approves of what Congress is doing, I think.)

Isn't Congress supposed to be representing the people?  So...not just those who are giving money?
They better watch themselves. We (as a nation) have been grumpy this year.

This is where I would like to say something about the 99% and the Occupy movement but their current lack of publicity is making it difficult for me to get a certain stance on their thoughts, so I'll refrain.  But keep in mind all of their fervour and what they were fighting for as well.

For more information, check out the text of the bills at the Library of Congress (SOPA and PIPA) and Strike against SOPA for more on the protest.

Rain

Now, don't get me wrong. I love rain as a concept (washing the world clean and making the flowers grow) and I enjoy it personally sometimes. Summer rains that alleviate the oppressive heat and lend themselves to dancing, for example.

Today is not one of those times.
I'm tired and not thrilled with the world to start with and it's one of those cold, windy rains where you need to be wearing a winter coat and your umbrella will turn itself inside out if you try to use it.
Now, I walk nearly everywhere. Most places I need to go are within a mile of where I live, so it's faster and easier to just walk and I do need the exercise.

This presents a few possible situations when I cross the road in the rain.
One, there may be no cars coming from either direction and I just cross.
Two, there are a few but there are gaps after them that I can clearly use to cross.
Three, there's a straight line of cars and someone makes eye contact and sees that I'm waiting and chooses to keep going anyway.
Four, there's a straight line of cars and someone makes eye contact and sees that I'm waiting and smiles and waves me through.
Five, something else (but this doesn't happen as often and/or I don't notice it as much and is not my point of discussion anyway).

Three and four are what I'm thinking about today. It's amazing, that one little decision can make a huge difference.
If someone sees me standing all miserably in the cold rain and chooses to ignore it, that makes me a bit grumpy and I've got that attitude as my lens for viewing the world for the rest of the day.
If someone sees me standing all miserably and lets me go first, I feel such a sense of...joy isn't quite the right word, but it's the best I can get. That one little thing can make me smile and feel happy through the rest of my day.

That one little thing can make or kill someone's day and I don't think the driver of the car realizes that either way. It doesn't make a huge difference for me physically (I get a tiny bit more wet the first way but I have a long enough walk that it's not noticeable) or for them (I kind of dash across because I don't want to hold people up or get hit by a car) but it can change my point of view.

And I'm working really hard to keep that in mind when I do things.  Because really, if you can make someone's day brighter, why on earth wouldn't you?

How about you? Is there a tiny thing someone can do that makes a real difference to you? And how do you feel about the rain?

Constitutional Amendment Pick-Up Lines

"Why are we doing this and why are we so good at it?!"


As I was sitting with some friends and my mother, the subject of constitutional amendments came up. Because of who we are and the mood we were in, pick-up lines started flowing to the point where we decided to make pick-up lines based on ALL of the amendments.


Some are a stretch, some focus on the piddling bits of the amendment rather than the overall theme, some parts have (many) more than one. Some are sleazy, some are cheesy, all are...well, interesting. We had fun, though, and I found myself wishing that I had this list available to me back in school when I had to memorise all of the amendments for exams.


Please do keep in mind that this is us being silly and having fun, not trying to be politically accurate or at all serious. Do comment with any more you dream up and feel free to ask questions about our line of thought!


So, without delay and with no further ado, I present to you pick-up lines of the U.S. Constitutional Amendments.

1.  I’m glad there’s freedom of religion ‘cause I worship you.
• Tonight I will be exercising my freedom of assembly…outside your bedroom window.
• Let me press myself against you, you can’t stop me…it’s my constitutional right.
• You have the right to protest but I don’t think you’ll want to.
• I’ll have you exercising your right to free speech all night long
2. The government gives you the right to bare your arms but I give you the right to bare everything else.
3. The gov’ment can quarter you in my house any time, soldja’
4. You don’t need a permit to search my pants and seize whatever you find.
5. If you ask me if I love you I’ll have to plead the 5^th.  Don’t want to incriminate myself.
• Because of my rights related to eminent domain, you have to compensate me for stealing my heart.
• The grand jury in my pants is waiting to try you.
• You put my heart in double jeopardy
• There’s too much power in my pants that needs to be balanced.  Will you help me release it?
• We’ll have a balance on powers. You can be on top.
• I’ll do your process.
• The powers of the federal government aren’t the only things that need separated.
6. Hey baby, are you ready for your trial?  I’m afraid it has to be a speedy one.
• I’d try to give you a fair trial but you have no peers.
7. Wanna meet the foreman of my jury?
8. I’m arresting you for breaking the 8th amendment because you...are excessively fine!
9. When we get back to my place I’m going to do everything to you that your government can’t.
10. The Constitution limits the powers of the government but the powers of my pants are unlimited!
11. If you declare me sovereign of your pants I promise I can do no wrong.
12. You can be my mate but we won’t be doing any running.  ;)
13. I’ll be your slave, it’s okay, it’s not involuntary.
14. I’m a man without a country.  Can I be a citizen of you?
15. The 15^th Amendment gives the right to vote to anyone with a penis…I’ll loan you mine.
16. You forgot to pay your income tax so I’m coming to seize your ASSets.
17. I’ve been directly elected to fill the vacancy in your senate!
18. They can prohibit my alcohol, you intoxicate me enough.
19. Now you don’t need a penis to vote…but you can still borrow mine.
20. The inauguration of the new president may come quickly but I won’t!
21. Hey the alcohol’s back!  Now let’s get drunk and screw.
• Let’ put the screw back in screwdriver.
• Whooo! Party like it’s 1933!!!!
22. Baby I can last for waaaayyyy more than 2 terms.
23. I have a district that has been underrepresented in Congress with you, but the 23^rd Amendment now says I need to be let in.
24. You can pay the poll tax personally with me.
25. I wish I were the Speaker of the House and you the President Pro Temp of the Senate so I could be above you in the “order of succession.”
• You don’t have to wait for succession, you’re first in line for me.
• If you’re incapacitated can I have a list of you next 3 hottest friends?
• Well now at least we know who’s above who.
• Do you have a little sister?
26. 18 year olds can exercise their rights in government and on me!
• The government is okay with 18 year olds and so am I!
27. You don’t need to wait until the next session, you can give me a raise any time.