Due to some stress and last minute crises (is that how you do that plural??) we have no video of the recital. We do have an audio recording and I am going to attempt to make a video using graduation pics and recital pics with that music as the backdrop. That might take a bit, so here is this in the mean time. I did it in an external slideshow, so that if you don't want to look at the pics you won't have to scroll down forever to get past them.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
The Music Man
I promised Nathan's recital and I had just spaced it - thanks Cindy for the reminder! :)
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
124 steps
I want to get in shape...and so I have thought of a challenge for myself: hike the Old Main Hill stairs everyday. It may not seem like much, but I counted today and there are 124 stairs from bottom to top. I was able to drag myself up twice tonight - which is honestly better than I thought I'd do...I thought we'd be calling the paramedics halfway. So I am going to try and do it everynight, as many times as I can.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Eternal Band Geeks
Nathan is done with school - and thus done with band and I was looking forward to a fall that didn't include football games. (Unless of course we wanted to go...as spectators only) Well, that all changed when Dr Rohrer asked me to be the band photographer and for us to make the movie again this year. We said yes and have had quite a good time. We still know enough people in the band that it is fun - plus it gives us something to do with our time.
Our first gig as official band techie geeks. :)
There are several facets of this gig that are neat-o. First: The press pass. With this one piece of laminated paper on a lanyard around my neck I can go anywhere I want. On the field, out the back gates, the press box. Second: The press box. Nathan has to go up ontop of the pressbox each show to record the pre-game and halftime shows. I took photos from up there this last game - and it is not a place to go if you are afraid of heights. It is WAAAAYY up there (see pic), BUT on the way back down through the actual press box we get food....and not just any food...catered meals from local restaurants. So I snap some pics of the band, grab a bite and then make my way back to the opposite side of the stadium to get some candid shots in the stands. Third: Freedom. After halftime we can take off if we want. Or we can stay if we want. When we were in the band we had to stay until the end of the game (which is oftentimes painful because our team SUCKS) and then play the fight song and then trudge ALL the way back to the FAR parking lot where they make us park.
This is us yesterday
Overall, it is a pretty sweet gig. :)
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Auntie and Uncle duty
**updated 9-22-08** Here's the picture I promised. Cute huh?
We had quite an eventful weekend. My brother entrusted the care of his 6 month old to us from Friday night to Sunday night - and before you say 'awwww, fun'...let me share the deets.
Austin is a cute little turd...BUT he's teething, has a cold AND got his 6 month shots on Friday. Poor little duffer. He had a rough couple days - as did his Auntie Holly and Uncle Nathan. ;) We did learn that he LOVES to take baths, he just lays in the water and kicks his legs and thrashes his arms around. Frank was quite curious about the mini-human and didn't leave my side the whole weekend. Winston, on the other hand, hid under the bed or in the closet or in the bowels of the couch the entire time...I don't even think he came out to eat - which is ok, he has quite sufficient fat stores to get him through a few days. Overall, we did have fun with Austin here and it will be fun to have him again sometime...and yes, we still want kids (Although I wasn't so sure at 3:45am Sunday morning after he had yet to sleep longer than 2 hours since we picked him up).
Still haven't found the cord to upload pics - if I do find it I'll get one of him in the tub up here.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Just hear me out
So I have been reading/watching all the stuff online about 9/11 today. A couple thoughts:
1 - Why must the slogan be 'We will never forget'? Aren't we taught to forgive and forget?
2 - To all of you non-conspiracy folk, just answer me this: Suppose you are a Secret Service Agent. If after the planes hit the towers and it was obvious that there was a hijacking situation in progress and there were MULTIPLE aircraft still unaccounted for, why would you leave the President where he is (the location was made public through press releases sent the day before...so would-be hijackers would have known EXACTLY where Bushie was) instead of getting him to a secure location? Wanna know what I think? No, well I'm going to tell you anyway. You would have gotten Bushie to a safe place UNLESS you KNEW he was out of danger...and how would you know that? Because certain cronies (yet to be identified) had made it clear that Bushie was safe reading with the kids...no planes were coming from him.
Your thoughts?
1 - Why must the slogan be 'We will never forget'? Aren't we taught to forgive and forget?
2 - To all of you non-conspiracy folk, just answer me this: Suppose you are a Secret Service Agent. If after the planes hit the towers and it was obvious that there was a hijacking situation in progress and there were MULTIPLE aircraft still unaccounted for, why would you leave the President where he is (the location was made public through press releases sent the day before...so would-be hijackers would have known EXACTLY where Bushie was) instead of getting him to a secure location? Wanna know what I think? No, well I'm going to tell you anyway. You would have gotten Bushie to a safe place UNLESS you KNEW he was out of danger...and how would you know that? Because certain cronies (yet to be identified) had made it clear that Bushie was safe reading with the kids...no planes were coming from him.
Your thoughts?
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Scary
I am alive...Nathan and I both caught some superbug and it has taken him almost 2 weeks to shake it - I'm at 11 days and still not feeling back to normal. I missed 2 days of work last week (would have been three but Monday was a holiday)...and most of my Labor Day weekend was spent in a drug-induced sleep/coma. Our house smells like Vicks now...
Anyway, I was reading the letters to the editor in my friendly local 'newspaper' and came across this gem. I am not expecting many of you to read this...and I don't expect any comments, because it seems that my political rants/posts don't sit well with most of you (probably because we don't share the same opinions). Alas, here is the text:
To the editor:
As I follow this presidential race closely, I think back on an episode of “That 70’s show” (Season 1, Ep. 3 “Streaking”) where the main character, Red Foreman, was given the opportunity to publicly ask a question to the visiting President Gerald R. Ford. He got the courage to ask a straightforward question that deserved an answer instead of the silly “mild” question that the local committee had prepared for him to ask.
So it made me think that if I had the opportunity to sit down with Barack Obama (heaven forbid) and ask him a question, whether it be publicly or in private, I would look him straight in the eyes, look past his manipulative charm, ignore the “Change” Tattoo imprinted on his forehead, and ask him “Sir Obama, what is your religion, and what is your middle name?” Of course I would be escorted out of the room as quickly as if I had asked Bill Clinton a question of “How profitable was the drug business you were running while in office?”
So many people rip George Bush up one side and down the other, yet he isn’t doing anything corrupt, and he hasn’t been under a desk at any time during his presidency. It’s all kind of funny seeing how I know John Kerry wouldn’t have done any better, and yet you left-wingers won’t lay off of him.
I for one think it’s ridiculous that Mitt Romney practically got put on trial about his religion, and he answered the questions. He is now no longer on the ticket and I think it had something to do with him being a man and standing behind his beliefs. So how about you Obama?
The main point I’m trying to make is this: Barack Obama is not African-American, he is Middle Eastern, and he is a Muslim.
So to call it a historic event to have the first African-American nominated to run for president would be misleading, Because he is not African-American! I know I may get some backlash from the Angry Left, but I know I can just brush it off, because you are the same people who think it’s OK to murder unborn babies.
I’m looking towards the future, and we need a man who is on the same page as God and who is truly ready to lead us, not a man who is off by himself praying five times a day to an “Allah” character and, when asked about the abortion, issue gives the lame answer — that it is above his pay scale — when we all know he is for it. I want some answers Obama! Would God approve of abortion? I didn’t think so either. (Keep in mind I know of the situations where the mother and baby would die if she went through with the pregnancy. I’m not an idiot.)
Gary R. Olsen
Hyrum
I am not sure what frightens me more - that (1) there are people out there who would actually believe all of this or (2) those people are allowed to vote.
When politics are laid out on the table, I fall to the left. I am ok with paying taxes, I like all the social programs, I like money being spent on eduation and I don't think government should have a say in how I live my life - until I am infringing on the rights of others. They shouldn't be able to tell me where to live, or who I can/can't marry or what church I can go to, etc. The direction our country has taken over the last 8 years if frightening. It is a citizen's right and obligation to question our leaders, except now if you do so you are being called unpatriotic. There are those in our country right now who would have everyone with a different view cast to the bottom of the ocean and would not feel bad about it because they are just 'protecting' the country and our values. I am surprised that people can look back over the past 8 years and still look to the president with adoring eyes and think it is ok to kill or hate as long as the recipients are 'immoral' or 'wrong'. But who is deciding where the line is? Blind faith. It is scary, and I am frightened for the direction of our country if it continues.
I find it laughable that the right-wing has been leaning upon the evangelical Christians for the last (at least) 4 years to ensure their seats on office. They scared enough of them out to vote in 2004 with the threat of those evil liberals corrupting their children. Yet now, they have selected a woman whose family is not following the values they have so heavily touted. And all is clear on the right-wing front. I find it laughable that had Obama's daughter been the one to get pregnant they would have been waving the flag of immorality wherever they could and saying it was a sign of things to come if he were allowed to lead this nation.
I don't like talking politics with most people here. It seems like everyone is so ignorant of the issues, all they have is sound bites and hearsay. Now if you have studied the issues and have come to the conclusion that you fall on a different side of the issue than I, I am fine with that. It is what makes our country great. But when you try to argue with your pieces collected off the floor and pad it with slander and hate, I cannot tolerate it. We MUST be an educated public, to ensure that we do not end up like Germany in the 30's. The quote I posted from Hitler a few posts back is scary, and accurate. People in power hope that the ones they rule over won't think, that they will just do what they are told is right/wrong and not question.
There are resources out there, and most of them are free. Glassbooth.org is an AWESOME website. You can go there and answer a myriad of questions and then you are guided through how your viewpoints are alike/different from political candidates. So if you don't like McCain you can say it is because you don't agree with his support of an extension of the Patriot Act rather than 'because he's old'.
I hope people catch the fever of this looming election and spend the time studying the issues and not just going by what they were told by so-and-so or believing something because that's what their parents had believed and their parents... Do the responsible thing.
Anyway, I was reading the letters to the editor in my friendly local 'newspaper' and came across this gem. I am not expecting many of you to read this...and I don't expect any comments, because it seems that my political rants/posts don't sit well with most of you (probably because we don't share the same opinions). Alas, here is the text:
To the editor:
As I follow this presidential race closely, I think back on an episode of “That 70’s show” (Season 1, Ep. 3 “Streaking”) where the main character, Red Foreman, was given the opportunity to publicly ask a question to the visiting President Gerald R. Ford. He got the courage to ask a straightforward question that deserved an answer instead of the silly “mild” question that the local committee had prepared for him to ask.
So it made me think that if I had the opportunity to sit down with Barack Obama (heaven forbid) and ask him a question, whether it be publicly or in private, I would look him straight in the eyes, look past his manipulative charm, ignore the “Change” Tattoo imprinted on his forehead, and ask him “Sir Obama, what is your religion, and what is your middle name?” Of course I would be escorted out of the room as quickly as if I had asked Bill Clinton a question of “How profitable was the drug business you were running while in office?”
So many people rip George Bush up one side and down the other, yet he isn’t doing anything corrupt, and he hasn’t been under a desk at any time during his presidency. It’s all kind of funny seeing how I know John Kerry wouldn’t have done any better, and yet you left-wingers won’t lay off of him.
I for one think it’s ridiculous that Mitt Romney practically got put on trial about his religion, and he answered the questions. He is now no longer on the ticket and I think it had something to do with him being a man and standing behind his beliefs. So how about you Obama?
The main point I’m trying to make is this: Barack Obama is not African-American, he is Middle Eastern, and he is a Muslim.
So to call it a historic event to have the first African-American nominated to run for president would be misleading, Because he is not African-American! I know I may get some backlash from the Angry Left, but I know I can just brush it off, because you are the same people who think it’s OK to murder unborn babies.
I’m looking towards the future, and we need a man who is on the same page as God and who is truly ready to lead us, not a man who is off by himself praying five times a day to an “Allah” character and, when asked about the abortion, issue gives the lame answer — that it is above his pay scale — when we all know he is for it. I want some answers Obama! Would God approve of abortion? I didn’t think so either. (Keep in mind I know of the situations where the mother and baby would die if she went through with the pregnancy. I’m not an idiot.)
Gary R. Olsen
Hyrum
I am not sure what frightens me more - that (1) there are people out there who would actually believe all of this or (2) those people are allowed to vote.
When politics are laid out on the table, I fall to the left. I am ok with paying taxes, I like all the social programs, I like money being spent on eduation and I don't think government should have a say in how I live my life - until I am infringing on the rights of others. They shouldn't be able to tell me where to live, or who I can/can't marry or what church I can go to, etc. The direction our country has taken over the last 8 years if frightening. It is a citizen's right and obligation to question our leaders, except now if you do so you are being called unpatriotic. There are those in our country right now who would have everyone with a different view cast to the bottom of the ocean and would not feel bad about it because they are just 'protecting' the country and our values. I am surprised that people can look back over the past 8 years and still look to the president with adoring eyes and think it is ok to kill or hate as long as the recipients are 'immoral' or 'wrong'. But who is deciding where the line is? Blind faith. It is scary, and I am frightened for the direction of our country if it continues.
I find it laughable that the right-wing has been leaning upon the evangelical Christians for the last (at least) 4 years to ensure their seats on office. They scared enough of them out to vote in 2004 with the threat of those evil liberals corrupting their children. Yet now, they have selected a woman whose family is not following the values they have so heavily touted. And all is clear on the right-wing front. I find it laughable that had Obama's daughter been the one to get pregnant they would have been waving the flag of immorality wherever they could and saying it was a sign of things to come if he were allowed to lead this nation.
I don't like talking politics with most people here. It seems like everyone is so ignorant of the issues, all they have is sound bites and hearsay. Now if you have studied the issues and have come to the conclusion that you fall on a different side of the issue than I, I am fine with that. It is what makes our country great. But when you try to argue with your pieces collected off the floor and pad it with slander and hate, I cannot tolerate it. We MUST be an educated public, to ensure that we do not end up like Germany in the 30's. The quote I posted from Hitler a few posts back is scary, and accurate. People in power hope that the ones they rule over won't think, that they will just do what they are told is right/wrong and not question.
There are resources out there, and most of them are free. Glassbooth.org is an AWESOME website. You can go there and answer a myriad of questions and then you are guided through how your viewpoints are alike/different from political candidates. So if you don't like McCain you can say it is because you don't agree with his support of an extension of the Patriot Act rather than 'because he's old'.
I hope people catch the fever of this looming election and spend the time studying the issues and not just going by what they were told by so-and-so or believing something because that's what their parents had believed and their parents... Do the responsible thing.
Monday, September 01, 2008
Nothing wrong with that?? Really?
For those who may have read the last post and said 'There's nothing wrong with that, she can raise a family and be active in politics' well, what about THIS. ?? Huh? Another good Repug role model
Interesting little tidbit
Sorry to not have pics of the recital yet - I can't find the cord to upload them to the computer from the camera...that and I seem to have a touch of the plague.
So until I can pull myself out of bed to go look for pics, here is something else...an excellent article/opinion of the Repug VP choice - written by my friend Anne.
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