cross country schooling today

The weathermen have promised a day in the 70s to 80s and not the upper 90s, I hope they are right. Unbelievably Nina is still resistant enough that I will not be on a horse. I am supposed to be teaching and don't want to spend all my attention dealing with her tantrums, so I will be afoot.
I swore I wasn't going to do this again without a horse. Oh well, my choice. It will be fun anyway.

spoiled brats

It strikes me that the far far right wingnuts are getting crazier and crazier. And like friends who don't know how to tell their friends that their spoiled rotten two year old throwing temper tantrums is going to end the friendship, we all stare mesmerized, afraid to say what we think.

These things usually turn out badly.

just the facts, please

I have been listening to all the hooplah over Shirley Sherrod today.
The political posturing over every single thing and the media clowns who call themselves journalists but aren't has reached such critical mass that it is taking on a Keystone Cops feel.
I hope everyone involved has personally apologized to Ms. Sherrod.

ack!!

Cutest Blog on the Block has changed their hosting. I have several blogs (including this one and Nina's) that use their backgrounds and now I need to change the html or perhaps find a new background. No problem except that the notice just came out and apparently all of us fans are overloading their new site, I can't get on. *deep breath* I have two days to get this done.
On the plus side, I am now following their blog so I can keep up to date. If you don't have a clue what I am talking about, there is a link in the upper left hand corner of this blog, it will take you to Cutest Blog on the Block, where lots of stuff is free and they also do custom designs.

short thoughts on BP

There are an awful lot of people screaming (figuratively) all over the internet for BP to stop the oil leak in the Gulf. As if they haven't thought of that.
There are others patting BP on the back for its efforts and saying over and over and over again that this was an 'accident.'

I think most of us get it. BP is doing all it can to stop the leak and appease the American public and do what it can to fix the mess.
As a quick aside, you morons who keep saying that BP needs to pay to restore the wildlife REALLY don't get what happens when you ruin an ecology.
Anyway....
And most of us also get that this was an accident, BP did not do this on purpose thinking it might be a good idea.
What both polarized groups seem to be missing is that when you spend a very long time taking short cuts and stretching, if not breaking, the rules, sooner or later an accident is going to bite you in the ass. Call it karma, call it statistics, call it anything you like, it is going to happen.
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, we live in a society where people do stupid things on a daily basis and then are shocked when something goes wrong. Unfortunately, so does BP.

tired of angry people

That all, that's it. I am tired of angry, hostile, rude, pushy, arrogant, did I mention rude (?), people.

of COURSE he got fired

I really don't understand the (fortunately few) people I have heard going on and on about how General McCrystal should not have been fired.
My only guess is that these people do not have a clue about military discipline. What on earth do they think that McCrystal would have done if one of his staff officers did this to him?
Military discipline and protocol is not dependent on your mood, opinions or who your boss is.

sleep, sleep, sleep

This morning was the strangest, most disoriented ever. Maybe even stranger than my party days in my 20s, although I have put most of that out of my mind.

I woke up this morning, around 4:30, in bed, under the covers, in my clothes. Odd.
And I had this strange feeling of trying to remember where I was and what day it was...that sort of thing. I looked at the time and decided that I was just still asleep, but why was I wearing my clothes in bed? And I felt wide awake. I went out to the living room and found lights on, the TV on, the computer on.
When I opened the back door to let the little dogs out, I found that the Afghan Hounds had been out overnight.

The last thing I remember I was watching a Stargate DVD on the TV and waiting for it to be time to feed the dogs so I could go to bed. I was very tired. I think I must have just toddled off to bed in my sleep. But I cannot remember doing it. I have been thinking about it all day and absolutely cannot remember going to bed. Since I just apparently abandoned the house and the dogs, I must have been asleep. Maybe I was uncomfortable in the chair and my brain told my body that the bed was more comfortable.

What I find the oddest is the strange sense of disorientation that I felt when I woke up. If we are moved while in our sleep (or move ourselves) does our brain think we are still where we were when we fell asleep? And then it doesn't recognize a different location? Even a familiar one?

If I wasn't so tired tonight I might do some Internet searching about this. Maybe another time. Tonight I just want to be IN bed before I go to sleep.

Gem Show again

Had fun at the gem show again, this time I managed not to spend more than a few dollars. I found some very pretty fresh water pearls that will make nice necklaces for Etsy.
It is fun just to wander around and look.
Like magpies overwhelmed by all the bling.
I always have to go to the amber dealers. This time I found a necklace that I loved, $380. *sigh* It was one of the simpler ones. I told my friend that it would be fun to go in there with $1,000 to spend. Actually it would probably take 10 times that to make a dent in the love for shiny. The serious jewelry makers and the wholesale sellers for sites like Etsy have got to be having fun, even if it is for work.

The Artist's Way

I just discovered this fabulous series of books by Julia Cameron. Ok, I didn't discover them and they have been around since the early 90s, but they are new to me. I don't think I have even heard about them and I know I haven't read any of them.
The first, The Artist's Way, is a guide to discovering and valuing your creativity. There is an accompanying journal, Morning Pages, with quotes and room to write the 3 pages that you are supposed to write each day. I treated myself to the journal, although I am sure that any blank journal would work just as well. I am really enjoying The Artist's Way so far, although I have just started it, and if it continues to be good I plan to read some of her other books. More later.

same old story

It seems to happen in all situations. Some people never learn.
The same people constantly fight against any government regulation, any government agency oversight of any business. Any change that might affect any of the most powerful corporations is labeled interference with the markets, which is defined as a bad thing. And then when the inevitable happens.....they are first and the loudest to complain about how long it is taking the government to help them out of the mess.
The most recent examples on a national scale are the monetary meltdown, the mining disaster and the oil disaster in the gulf.
The 'drill, baby, drill' crowd seems to be incapable of taking any responsibility for this latest catastrophe and instead have all 10 fingers pointed at others.

'nuff said