“Many things in life will catch your eye but few will catch your heart... Pursue those.” - Anon
So my last entry was my 300th Blogger entry. There are more of course pre-Blogger entries, but man I've doing this for a very long time. So just imagine balloons and confetti coming down and a siren blaring as you read this entry. It has been a long time since my old college photo albums. Now we have blogger and flickr there to fill that void.
Thanksgiving is right around the corner. My plan is to drive down with Abram on Wednesday, eat Turkey with the family, and hopefully get some drinking in as well. This will be the first time my entire family is together on Thanksgiving in quite some time. I work until Wednesday.
I wish I could explain this weekend, but I can't, really it was like...it doesn't matter, I just need to not do things like that again. I don't know why, but a clean room and clean clothes make you feel a whole lot better.
I finally got it all together, and as I'm about to start running on my treadmill, I notice it won't turn on. It breaks at the very moment I want to use it. Of course this makes me want to use it more and feel even more fustrated than before. Urgh, I don't know what to do.
Today is Tori's Birthday. We are going to celebrate when the whole family is down. She had a party at school and got a cell phone as a present. I'm not an advocate of children having their own cell phones, but they all have them. I remember how I had to wait until the 8th grade to get my own 2nd phone land line. It is a different age, I feel like I'm on a rocking chair talking about the good old days.
I had an eye doctor appointment today. I'm going to get some new glasses since my have a crack and it is about time. I'm going for a big change, but with a frame that everyone seems to have. I like it though, we will see how it works out. People are very helpful when you are the only customer.
"The way we see the problem is the problem." - Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
I've actually been somewhat busy, but with nothing really important. I'm still enjoying work, but I really do think I could go for a nap mid-day. Maybe this is due to writing my entries mid-day when I'm thinking about that nap. We have about one more month at this location before we move on to our new location.
I really don't have a lot of updates, but I'll write anyway. When I get sad I buy things. It doesn't matter what, just something that I feel will change my life and take all the worries away. It is ironic how I'm sad about the fact I buy things and those ramifications, so it is kind of like a vicious cycle I should stop. I'm doing good right now, but it isn't really my choice.
When Abram was in town he was telling me how when he is awake doesn't want to sleep, but when he is asleep he doesn't want to wake up. I think that was a huge part of my insomnia, except when I'm awake at night I don't want to sleep and when I'm asleep in the morning I don't want to wake up. Other times I'm fine sleeping, but this whole having to live in the real world thing doesn't let you just nap and sleep as you please.
Angie T read my blog the other day and failed to leave a comment. She told me that I was too emotional on my blog. So I quickly jumped up and started to write this emotion based response to her accusation. I don't agree with her, but I rarely do. Bob where do you find these friends? :)
So I'm watching Grey's and I'm feeling like the show has lost its spark, I mean I just don't seem to care as much, yet there I am watching, so who am I to say anything. Well the introduction of new characters is always a big deal for me. When Addison came in, I hated her, oh man but in a character sort of way, not in a why did they add that character, but who she played. Then I fell for her and now watch her Private Practice show even though it isn't too great. Then there was Torres. Her well I did not like for many reasons. They fixed things when they brought in Lexi, I mean she is so cute (see Halloween Episode) that you can't help but like her. But this past week they brought in Rose, I was sold. My first thought was, wow. Meridith who? I know nothing about her, yet she is my favorite character already. Boys are funny like that. Why am I talking about TV like it is real? Is this good for society or bad for society? I guess it makes me happy, it's a good escape.
Today I got a forward of: BaltazarArispe y Acevedo Jr., Ph.D., (a professor at the University of Texas-Pan American, Edinburg) latest “Postcard from La Frontera” which is an op-ed piece that was published in Fort Worth Star Telegram. Check it out: So what will go down in the Valley?
I found it very informative, especially that, "Former Texas Comptroller John Sharpe said in 1998: "If South Texas was the fifty-first state, it would rank last in all social indices." According to the Intercultural Development Research Association, there is a cumulative 46 percent dropout rate in the region's public schools; 62 percent of children have no health insurance and might have even more limited access to health resources as a result of the president's veto of the SCHIP legislation. A continuing economic impediment is that the region's median income is, on average, 35 percent below the median of $37,000 for the balance of Texas as reported by the Texas comptroller's office.
This region links the futures of the United States and Mexico -- but it cannot and will not fulfill its potential in its current state of disenfranchisement."
Equal opportunity how? It will always be my home.
Say what you will, Chuck Norris Facts are Awesome. Still not a Huckabee fan, but I appreciate his willingness to be funny. (Huck is my third best worst evil to Ron Paul, then McCain, Huck, Romney, and then Giuliani.)
"In an era when we're trying to cure cancer, where we're trying to prevent pandemics, where we're trying to keep Science and Math education on the cutting edge in the United States, to introduce and teach bad science [intelligent design] to 9th grade students makes very little sense to me. Garbage in, garbage out. It doesn't benefit any of us." - Judge John E. Jones, III. (brackets added for context)
This week on PBS's NOVA was a documentary called "Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial." I was walking downstairs to get some water when I saw Oscar watching it. I didn't know what it was, but as I hear it, I started telling Oscar all I knew and understood about the controversy. It was cool to hear them repeat the same issues I brought up. I didn't plan to watch it, but as I watched a bit I just stayed put for the rest of the show. I've had a lot of conversations with Mark about this topic and because of that he taught me a lot of the background. I've also talked to real people who don't believe in evolution due to buying the view that life as God created it is inconsistent with the message of the Bible. Don't you love the line, "You don't really believe we came from monkeys do you?" Maybe my God is so amazing he could create a process that created this amazing life and this universe, but yours can only make the end product.
It was very fair and covered both sides. I almost felt like it covered the creationist side too much. You don't give equal time to gravity doesn't exist in a documentary about gravity...but to be fair it was not about evolution, but about the controversy, so in this case I'm ok with the extensive coverage. So I thought I'd write an entry about my experience, but Mark stole my thunder and wrote an awesome detailed article about the documentary which really summed it up well. So check out the Martian Cat Problem and read his entry titled: cdesignproponentsist "The title of this post is a transitional form - it is the missing link between creationism and intelligent design."
Due to this impressive coverage I won't discuss this topic as deeply. Like Mark, I too am not a fan of "getting your science from Kirk Cameron (Mike Seaver from Growing Pains)."
Here is my favorite part of Mark's article/the documentary:
"Judge John E. Jones, III, ruled that "it is unconstitutional to teach ID as an alternative to evolution in a public school classroom," the school was ordered to pay the parents' legal fees, the city voted out the entire school board, and Pat Robertson told them not to turn to God if a disaster strikes Dover. All is right with the world!"
I really respect Judge John Jones because he was a conservative appointed by Bush and has strong religious views in his own right. So I tried to view the documentary with an open mind, almost like if I was a creationist. Even if I was one before hand, reason would have to win out after watching the facts presented so clearly and fairly. Then again I showed Jesus Camp to some people and they saw the children's rabid hate filled love for Christ as inspirational, not a sick cult like manipulation of innocence.
I remember when I read Inherit the Wind about the Scopes Monkey Trial when I was younger and thought, wow, there was a time when people actually thought like this, then I found out that that time just like racism, isn't just in the past.
"I think your suggestion is, Can we do two things at once? Well, we’re of the view that we can walk and chew gum at the same time." —Richard Armitage, deputy secretary of state, on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, June 2, 2004 (Armitage announced his resignation on November 16, 2004.)
"To do two things at once is to do neither." —PubliliusSyrus, Roman slave, first century B.C. From the article: The Autumn of the Multitaskers
Friday work was productive and I am proud of myself. I've been trying to read this article on multitasking, I hear it is actually very bad for you. You have to pay to read it, so I have yet to fully access it. I feel like I have so many things half started that multitasking is probably not the best thing for me.
I left work a little early and came home to find out that my repaired cell phone was ready. My treo was broken, so I was upgraded to one without an antenna, which is pretty much the same thing, except that it feels new. I really want an iphone, but I'm in no position to buy one, so I'll wait on that for as long as I can. I even tried to convince myself to get an itouch, but I might as well just get the iphone for that price. I spent so much time trying to convince myself to just wait. I understand that I buy things when I am feeling down, but it does make me feel better for a little bit.
After work I took Max over to Rino's and I hung out with him and Jessica. We played poker and watched the dogs play. We also talked about our plans on where we would like to live come next year. I'm glad I have family that lives here.
Saturday Abram came in late after work. I didn't do too much. I think I napped during the day. We had a few beers and watched Good Luck Chuck.
Sunday my family came in for my swearing in ceremony. <Check out the Photos of my Swearing In.> My mom, dad, grandma, Eliza, Tori, Ana and Rick drove up. We had a bbq at my place. Max had a blast playing with Brooks and Memphis in the back yard. We made all kinds of food and watched the Cowboy game. Rick and Abram did most of the BBQing and the food turned out great. It was a really good time and there was a lot of leftovers for later. I ended up just crashing before midnight. It is always good to have a family event with no drama and just genuine happiness.
Monday was Veterans day and I had it off for my ceremony. It was at 10am. We got there just in time and there was a lot of pomp and circumstance, but it went by pretty quickly. I probably should of been more in awe considering the TX supreme court was there, but I was actually tired from being excited. I didn't sign in or anything, so I wonder how they knew I was there. I felt best when I turned in my fees and paperwork and knew that now I had finished all my requirements for being an attorney. Looking at my bar number should of been a moment of reflection, instead it was very cursory. Rino came to the ceremony too which was cool of him. We took pictures and it felt like a graduation ceremony of sorts. After I went to pay those fees I mentioned, which were the key to legally being able to practice law.
After, we took my family out to West Austin to enjoy the scenic view. Rick was a good tour guide and took us to the Oasis. It had an amazing view. We had a late lunch and took lots of pictures. I know really rich people live out there, but I don't think i would want that. I like to be near stores and people and work. It's a long drive to the movies I bet.
Once we got back everyone took off for home and I started to decompress from the weekend. It was a like a flash and I feel like I was a spectator more so than the honoree. Now I hope to do everyone proud.
Here is a youtube video that I found enlightening.. A simple video as to the issues causing the Writers Strike. You may have noticed your favorite shows in reruns - Why they fight
