Sunday, July 30, 2006

I only have a second....

Since I'm on my neighbor's computer, but I had to blog this.

Here's a pretty damn cute young democrat.

Friday, July 28, 2006

Damn Monkey - Update

Well, I managed to finish 1 arm each for the last two nights. Now the tail is all I have left of the big stuff. BUT, as is Murphy's Law, I am almost out of yarn, and probably will not have enough left for the whole tail. I am getting some assistance from the smart women at FCD, so if I ever make this damn thing again, I will not have this giant thing I am trying to finish in time for a baby. *SIGH*

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

This.Fucking.Monkey....

So my best friend from high school is having a baby, yea! The little bundle is due on Labor Day (haha, how appropriate) and mommy and daddy decided to decorate her room like a jungle. So, being the fabulous aunt I am, I decide that a really great present for the baby would be to knit a baby spider monkey. BABY spider monkey.

This thing is fucking huge. If I had made the MOMMY monkey, the bitch would've needed her own room! Just the body and the head is about 12"! I had no idea that it would be so huge, and it's taking me forever to do. I only have the arms and the tail left, other than the hands and face, which are small and not evilly difficult. But damn! The baby shower is in a week and a half, and I have to do it all by then.

Next time I decide to make a monkey, I think if I cut the pattern, it might work out. Although the spots where you increase and decrease might get screwed up.... Any knitters out there?

Child Modeling

Cheraya is beautiful. As in, truly beautiful. Here are a few of my favorite pictures:



Lots of people have told me that I should try and get her into modeling. I just don't know about that. I know I wouldn't turn into one of those sick and psycho pageant moms, but I still feel weird about it. Any little bit of money I could put away for her college right now would be a good investment.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Fish whacking, and other funny office conversations....

My boss is pretty damn funny sometimes. I trust him about as far as I could throw his 6'5" ass, but he's funny none the less.

We're in the office today talking about one of our employees leaving to go work at Apollo College. We somehow get on the subject of people not getting out of your office (I think it was because I told them to get out of my office), and he starts talking about how he used to have this little wooden bat, like the kind you would use to whack a fish. HA! I didn't know fish whacking was a sport. So glad he's enlightened me.

So a little bit later (after I've finally stopped giggling), we have a contractor come up and ask to be shown space, but my boss needs to take him down because it's locked. That's totally fine. I call him and he comes out, and I explain what this nice gentleman needs, so my boss gets the key from me, and on their way out of the office, he drops this trade magazine on my desk with the single most dorky picture of a very homely man, with a not that he "wants to be my boyfriend."

I retaliate by finding another homely picture and writing that the first guy may want to be my boyfriend, but at least I didn't go on an extended fish whacking trip with the second guy. I finished it off by drawing a heart and writing Rob+Chip 4 Ever in it.

I don't have the greatest job, but it does have it's highlights.

What an HR nightmare we could be....

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

What a great weekend....

On Saturday, Cheraya and I got a few things done around the house, and then left and went to Riverfront Park. We played in the fountain, and then on the toys. Ran home for dinner about 5:30, and then jumped back on the bus and headed back down for some fishing. Although I wouldn't even think of eating the fish from the Spokane river, we were just doing some catch and release. We fished for a few hours, but Cheraya got antsy, so we headed to Ben & Jerry's for a chocolate ice cream cone, and then went back to the river for those good twilight fishing hours. She caught her first fish! A slimy, gross squaw fish, but her first fish, nonetheless! She was so excited.

Sunday we got a few more things done around the house and then took off for fish lake to fish and swim. I was the only one who caught anything, and it was a couple of perch to tiny to even think of eating. We did do some swimming though, and that was a blast, as always. Ever since I got Cheraya her little life jacket, she just loves the water even more. Best $18 I ever spent. We got home and had a BBQ (she ate a burger!).

Made it really hard to come back to work yesterday.

Friday, July 14, 2006

I just need to bitch for a minute....

1. When swimming in the lake last weekend, I dived wrong and had a bunch of water shoot into my nose and sinuses. Ever since my ears have had issues and I've been dizzy. This is getting REALLY OLD.

2. One of the directors I work with is Cruella DeVil. She does anything and everything she can to throw me under the bus behind my back. I just hate her.

3. People on internet message boards who give first time moms really shitty advice pisses me off. Either do your research, or shut up!

4. I have filing to do. I HATE filing.

5. I have to do chores tonight when I get home. YUCK!

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Oldies but Goodies

This is my new blog. I had one that was all about politics, but it got too depressing to keep up with. Before I deleted it, I copied some of my favorite posts and moved them here. The original dates are noted.

Mar. 19, 2006

How to Spot a Baby Conservative

I got this article from the EBG. Not 100% sure HOW scientific it is, but it makes my day happy, and I hope it does the same for you....

How to spot a baby conservative
KID POLITICS Whiny children, claims a new study, tend to grow up rigid and traditional. Future liberals, on the other hand ...
Mar. 19, 2006. 10:45 AM
KURT KLEINER
SPECIAL TO THE STAR

Remember the whiny, insecure kid in nursery school, the one who always thought everyone was out to get him, and was always running to the teacher with complaints? Chances are he grew up to be a conservative.

At least, he did if he was one of 95 kids from the Berkeley area that social scientists have been tracking for the last 20 years. The confident, resilient, self-reliant kids mostly grew up to be liberals.

The study from the Journal of Research Into Personality isn't going to make the UC Berkeley professor who published it any friends on the right. Similar conclusions a few years ago from another academic saw him excoriated on right-wing blogs, and even led to a Congressional investigation into his research funding.

But the new results are worth a look. In the 1960s Jack Block and his wife and fellow professor Jeanne Block (now deceased) began tracking more than 100 nursery school kids as part of a general study of personality. The kids' personalities were rated at the time by teachers and assistants who had known them for months. There's no reason to think political bias skewed the ratings — the investigators were not looking at political orientation back then. Even if they had been, it's unlikely that 3- and 4-year-olds would have had much idea about their political leanings.

A few decades later, Block followed up with more surveys, looking again at personality, and this time at politics, too. The whiny kids tended to grow up conservative, and turned into rigid young adults who hewed closely to traditional gender roles and were uncomfortable with ambiguity.

The confident kids turned out liberal and were still hanging loose, turning into bright, non-conforming adults with wide interests. The girls were still outgoing, but the young men tended to turn a little introspective.

Block admits in his paper that liberal Berkeley is not representative of the whole country. But within his sample, he says, the results hold. He reasons that insecure kids look for the reassurance provided by tradition and authority, and find it in conservative politics. The more confident kids are eager to explore alternatives to the way things are, and find liberal politics more congenial.

In a society that values self-confidence and out-goingness, it's a mostly flattering picture for liberals. It also runs contrary to the American stereotype of wimpy liberals and strong conservatives.

Of course, if you're studying the psychology of politics, you shouldn't be surprised to get a political reaction. Similar work by John T. Jost of Stanford and colleagues in 2003 drew a political backlash. The researchers reviewed 44 years worth of studies into the psychology of conservatism, and concluded that people who are dogmatic, fearful, intolerant of ambiguity and uncertainty, and who crave order and structure are more likely to gravitate to conservatism. Critics branded it the "conservatives are crazy" study and accused the authors of a political bias.

Jost welcomed the new study, saying it lends support to his conclusions. But Jeff Greenberg, a social psychologist at the University of Arizona who was critical of Jost's study, was less impressed.

Mar. 9, 2006

Fun With Fundies - Volume II
Wow. Check out this site for little kids. What a bunch of hateful bullshit. Who shows their kids this crap?! Oh yeah...fundies.....

Objective: 4 Kidz with Lambuel!

Please do not open this link in front of children who can read....

For adults though, it's funny in a sick kind of way.

Mar. 8, 2006

Fun With Fundies!!!
I received these links from the EBG.

All are real places.

The Creation Museum

Come...the...fuck...on....

From their website:

"The Creation Museum is an outreach of Answers in Genesis, a non-profit ministry located near the Cincinnati International Airport, in northern Kentucky, USA. This 50,000 square foot facility will proclaim to the world that the Bible is the supreme authority in all matters of faith and practice and in every area it touches on. Scheduled to open in 2007, this “walk through history” museum will be a wonderful alternative to the evolutionary natural history museums that are turning countless minds against the gospel of Christ and the authority of the Scripture."

These are my favorite questions from the Q&A section:

1. Why is this museum needed?

Our increasingly anti-Christian country must return to a belief in the authority of the Bible and be presented with the life-changing gospel message. Evolutionary indoctrination has undermined the Christian foundations in America.

(Anti-Christian? Are they serious?)

2. What is so different about this museum?

Almost all natural-history museums proclaim an evolutionary, humanistiworld viewew. For example, they will typically place dinosaurs on an evolutionary timeline millions of years before man. AiGÂ’s museum will proclaim the authority and accuracy of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and will show that there is a Creator, and that this Creator is Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:15-20), who is our Savior.

(It's great and all to 'proclaim' accuracy, but there is, or always should be, a little something I like to call the burden of proof. In addition, I could have sworn the creator was God, and his son was Jesus Christ, who is our savior. Two different entities....)

3. What kind of exhibits will I find in it?

The 50,000-square-foot museum will be filled with life-sized dinosaur models, fossil and mineral collections, waterfalls, live exhibits (poison dart frogs, fish, turtles, bugs and more) and many other first-class exhibits that will proclaim the authority of the Bible from its very first verse.

(I wonder how they fit dinosaurs into the scheme of things. I don't wonder enough to actually go there, but I will admit I am curious.)

Creation Evidence Museum

This mostly speaks for itself. I am sure I'd be breaking some law to copy and paste the picture of the 'foot print' in stone, so please do go to this site. I am awed people believe this crap!

Dinosaur Adventure Land

When a place's tag line is "The Place Where Dinosaurs and The Bible Meet!", how can you not be laughing already?!To me, the highlights of this site are the pictures of the "fossilized dog in a tree", and the section on how long it really takes things to fossilize. Again, I cannot believe people think this shit is true.

Feb. 17, 2006

Lawyer Shot by Cheney Is Sorry for Veep's Troubles
See original story here

The man accidentally shot by Dick Cheney is scheduled to be released from a Texas hospital later today, as the vice president gave his first public speech since the hunting accident.

Cheney wounded Harry M. Whittington on Saturday when they and friends were hunting quail on the Armstrong Ranch in south Texas. As many as 200 pellets hit Whittington and one lodged in a muscle near the heart causing a mild attack.

At a news conference at the Christus Spohn Memorial Hospital in Corpus Christi where he was treated, Whittington called the incident an accident. He looked wan and the right side of his face appeared bruised, but spoke graciously of Cheney, with an occasional touch of humor.

"This past weekend encompassed all of us in a cloud of misfortune and sadness that is not easy to explain, especially to those who are not familiar with the great sport of quail hunting," Whittington said.

"We all assume certain risks in whatever we do, whatever activities we pursue. And regardless of how experienced, careful and dedicated we are, accidents do and will happen. And that's what happened," he said.

"My family and I are deeply sorry for all that Vice President Cheney and his family have had to go through this past week. We send our love and respect to them as they deal with situations that are much more serious than what we've had this week," he said.

Whittington said he hoped that Cheney would continue to come to Texas and hunt.

Hospital officials said Whittington was in good health and will be released later today.Moments later in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Cheney entered the state legislature chamber and was greeted by applause from lawmakers. Cheney began his political career as intern in the Legislature in the mid-1960s.

Officials praised a sizable donation from the Cheney family trust to the University of Wyoming where Cheney went to school.

"Thank you for the kind words," Cheney said. "I want to thank you for that welcome home. It's a wonderful experience to be greeted by such warmth by the leaders of our great state. It's especially true when you've had a very long week. Thankfully, Harry Whittington is on the mend and doing very well.

After the speech, Cheney, a former congressman from Wyoming, is expected to stay for the weekend at his home.

The appearances by Whittington and Cheney will likely further dampen the furor over the shooting.

The incident was not publicly revealed until Sunday when the ranch owner contacted her local newspaper. Cheney did not personally comment until Wednesday when he granted Fox News an exclusive interview.

Cheney has defended the delay and the limited release of details, both of which angered the Washington press as well as political critics who said it was another example of the administration usual secrecy on a variety of issues.

President Bush has backed Cheney, telling reporters on Thursday that the vice president handled the situation in a fine manner.

"I'm satisfied with the explanation he gave," Bush said.

Bush described Cheney as extremely distraught since he shot Whittington.

In his interview, Cheney said he didn't see Whittington until the vice president fired his shotgun, hitting the 78-year-old lawyer and Texas Republican. Cheney said he had a beer at lunch, but that alcohol was not a factor in the accident.

In his comments to the Kenedy County Sheriff's Department, Whittington agreed that none of the hunters were under the influence of alcohol.

The department ended its investigation without charging anyone and released the incident report on Thursday. According to the document, a deputy interviewed Cheney on Sunday and Whittington on Monday at the hospital.

Whittington was hit with shotgun pellets in the face, neck and chest. He was treated at Christus Spohn Memorial Hospital in Corpus Christi where he suffered a mild heart attack caused by a shotgun pellet that traveled to his heart.

Cheney said it was "one of the worst days of my life," while accepting full blame for the accident and defending his decision to delay the public disclosure until the next day.

You have GOT to be kidding me! The Daily Kos called it 'Operation Switch The Victim', and I don't think I could possibly come up with anything more fitting myself.... This is an outrage, and yet more proof that the right will stoop as low as it can to cover it's own ass. I have an extremely hard time believing that this poor old man would think it necessary to come to the press and apologize for his injuries hurting the VP's feelings. Come on now...is there actually anyone who thinks he did this on his OWN?

Also, Dicky boy said he had "one beer at lunch"? How many lunches did he have?!

Feb. 15, 2006

Many of my posts will contain opinions from the EBG, of which I am a member. The EBG is an exclusive group of people from all walks of life, who have come together to discuss current news and politics. I can assure my readers that this is no joke, and although quotes from EBG can be satirical, even hilarious at times, the deeper meaning is clear. I hope everyone enjoys what EBG, as an elite brain trust, has to say.

Feb. 4, 2006

So I had a conversation with a conservative the other day. I know, I know, never a wise decision, but I actually really like and respect this person, although I am willing to admit he must be grossly under-informed. Regardless, we had a chat about Iraq.

How do people still believe Saddam was making nuclear weapons? I thought this had been refuted enough that finally people were going to let this go. Then, of course, we get into the "he was slaughtering his own people" part of the argument. What kind of bleeding heart liberal would I be if I didn't care? I do, honestly I do...but not enough to wage a pre-emptive strike without the backing of the United Nations, on false pretenses.

I guess that part of the argument doesn't hold water for me. If the Shrub had gotten up in front of the American People and said "I believe something needs to be done to stop the atrocities committed against the Iraqi people. We, as the most powerful nation in the world, need to stand up, and protect those who cannot protect themselves", I might feel a little better about it. Instead we got the Saddam-9/11 connection (that never existed), and "Hussein is a danger to the American people. He's building nukular bombs to kill us because he hates our freedom". I mean, come on people. Don't most Americans see through this crap?

I get really sick of people who throw the "mean Saddam" argument at me, and you know these are the same people who were ripping Clinton for bombing Yugoslavia. I don't get this "war on terror". It seems to me that, thanks to Dubya and his ilk, the US is spending a hell of a lot more time pissing off the international community than doing anything to help anyone.

Which brings me to Sudan. What the hell are we wasting our time in Iraq for when hundreds of thousands in Darfur are dying of starvation and easily curable disease?! Does it make me a horrible person to be angry the Georgie picked Iraq (OIL) over Sudan (starving women and children, genocide)? Millions are affected by this conflict, and yet we do nothing. Nothing....

Feb. 4, 2006

Why Do I Even Try?

So I had a conversation with a conservative the other day. I know, I know, never a wise decision, but I actually really like and respect this person, although I am willing to admit he must be grossly under-informed. Regardless, we had a chat about Iraq.

How do people still believe Saddam was making nuclear weapons? I thought this had been refuted enough that finally people were going to let this go. Then, of course, we get into the "he was slaughtering his own people" part of the argument. What kind of bleeding heart liberal would I be if I didn't care? I do, honestly I do...but not enough to wage a pre-emptive strike without the backing of the United Nations, on false pretenses.

I guess that part of the argument doesn't hold water for me. If the Shrub had gotten up in front of the American People and said "I believe something needs to be done to stop the atrocities committed against the Iraqi people. We, as the most powerful nation in the world, need to stand up, and protect those who cannot protect themselves", I might feel a little better about it. Instead we got the Saddam-9/11 connection (that never existed), and "Hussein is a danger to the American people. He's building nukular bombs to kill us because he hates our freedom". I mean, come on people. Don't most Americans see through this crap?

I get really sick of people who throw the "mean Saddam" argument at me, and you know these are the same people who were ripping Clinton for bombing Yugoslavia. I don't get this "war on terror". It seems to me that, thanks to Dubya and his ilk, the US is spending a hell of a lot more time pissing off the international community than doing anything to help anyone.

Which brings me to Sudan. What the hell are we wasting our time in Iraq for when hundreds of thousands in Darfur are dying of starvation and easily curable disease?! Does it make me a horrible person to be angry the Georgie picked Iraq (OIL) over Sudan (starving women and children, genocide)? Millions are affected by this conflict, and yet we do nothing. Nothing....

Feb. 4, 2006

I Love CafePress

I want these things. A CafePress.com wish list, if you will.

Go forth and buy lots of stuff from these people. They're funny and entrepreneurial! Site links are as follows:

"Stop Using Jesus..."
"Episcopalian Top 10"
"Christian Right"
"Mr. Left"
"Latte Sipping Elitist"

Feb. 3, 2006

It's All About Quality....

MSNBC is reporting that the Dutch city of Gröningen is set to open the first Netherlands pharmacy dedicated strictly to high quality pot. Although cannabis is relatively easy to locate in coffee shops, the "quality often suffers". Even the local police are backing the idea. I wonder if they're going to sell Easy-Mac, and candy, and maybe chips too...and sodas. You'd think, since it would all be marketed to the same crowd, right? Right.

Nov. 17, 2005

What a stupid, long, infuriating day. I am surrounded by complete idiots, I swear it.

It leaves me to wonder where people like this come from. Caves? Crawford, Texas*? When did this seeming movement of anti-intellectualism (I don't actually know if that's a real word, but you know what I mean) become a good thing? When did being well read become a bad thing? When did the theatre become passe? When did ballet become something for 3 year old girls??

I look around me every day, and I can only say "fucking Americans. No wonder everyone else hates us." What's worse...I don't blame them for a single minute.

Do I love this country? You're damn right I do. But I am disappointed and embarrassed at it right now. I am embarrassed at the decisions America is making for not only it's own citizens, but around the world! I am embarrassed that so many of my countrymen won't stand up and shout from their rooftops "we want change!" I love my country, but I don't think I'd make the leap to say "I'm proud to be an American." Hopefully, one day, I can.

*For those in Crawford, this was a joke about how stupid G-Dubya is. If you're offended, then I am guessing you can't take a joke, which leads me to believe you're a Republican, which then leads me to not give a flying hell if I offended you anyway.

Cheraya is so damn funny

Cheraya has an imaginary friend. Sleeve has been around since Raya was about 21 months old. Sometimes Sleeve is a baby, sometimes she's 2, and sometimes she's 5. She's invisible (of course!) and she can fly.

So Cheraya's new whine when I tell her she can't do something is to complain "but Sleeve gets to do it all the time! It's not fair!" as if Sleeve is someone she thinks she can use to support an argument. I just tell her that it's my responsibility to make choices for her, and she, in turn, may make whatever choices for Sleeve she sees fit.

She cracks me up sometimes.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

A little about us....

My name is Amanda, I'm 24, and I am a single mother. My daughter's name is Cheraya and she's 4 (5 in September). We live in Spokane, WA. No, that is NOT near Seattle. I work as an admin. and Cheraya goes to preschool every day while I am at work. She generally really enjoys herself and her little friends.

For a bit of background, I had my daughter when I was 19. Her father became an abusive drug addict, and I took Cheraya and left when she was 3 months old. We've been on our own ever since. Her DNA donor isn't really involved. His mommy usually pays his child support (since he has no job and she pays all his other bills), and he is allowed to call Cheraya once a week. The last time he had a visitation was April 1st, 2004.

We are totally happy with out little family, which also includes an orange tabby cat and uncountable amounts of dolls and barbies(I am sure every parent of a girl can empathize).

So this is my blog on our lives, politics, shopping, and whatever else I feel the need to talk about.

Enjoy.