Quote of the Day

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Going on holiday!

Tomorrow I'll be flying to Portland, Oregon for the ASA Women's (Class C) National Championship Tournament. I'm really excited about this trip for many reasons. Not only do I get to take a brief vacation from work, but I get to visit the northwest for the first time and I get to play ball while I'm at it. The crappy thing about it is that my husband and daughter aren't coming with me.

Tournament play starts Friday and continues through Sunday. Hopefully, we'll be playing on Sunday. Aside from playing softball, I'm looking forward to visiting the Nike World Campus in Beaverton and checking out Voodoo Doughnut in Portland. The entire team is headed to the Nike campus on Thursday morning for a tour and some shopping at the employee store. I can't wait! I don't know when we'll head over to Voodoo Doughnut, but a bunch of the gals are curious about the place, and it's 'products'.

I'm looking forward to being away for a few days. I won't be back until Monday, so I've got 5 days of personal retreat, sort of. I was able to make enough money through freelancing to cover my trip, which works great for the budget. All you fellow Dave Ramsey fans should love that.

Monday, August 27, 2007

Broken heart

My heart is sad today. A good friend of ours called us yesterday to ask us to pray for her and her husband. Apparently, he has decided to file for divorce when he returns from duty overseas. It breaks my heart to see this happen to dear friends. This is not the first time we've had this call, but this is the first time there have been children involved.

It's just plain sad that adults give up. We can attest that marriage isn't easy. And contrary to what many Christians argue, divorce is the greatest threat to the sanctity of marriage, not Gay marriage. As a Christian, it breaks my heart each time this happens. What kind of example does this set to your kids? That when times get hard, it's okay to throw your hands up and call it quits?

Hey, I don't live in a bubble. I know that relationships are hard and that circumstances that lead to divorce are no cake walk. But, most of the divorces I've seen and causes can be worked out. It's just that people choose not too. I have to work at my marriage because I'm not perfect and neither is my husband. We just don't let those things get the better of us.

I don't know. I'm just sad today. There's nothing we can do for our friends but be there to listen and pray for them. And we'll do that.

Friday, August 24, 2007

Quote for the day

"Success is not an entitlement, it has to be earned."
Howard Schultz

Couples' fitness challenge

After some friendly banter with my husband, we found ourselves in a challenge to see who can make the most progress in the area of fitness. We've recruited our best friends who were just as excited to do this. What makes this exciting is that we're facing off guys versus gals.

I have to say, I'm really looking forward to getting back into shape. The best part is that the winner gets $100 do with what they please. The trash talking has already begun, eventhough the contest won't officially start until Sept 3rd.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Movie: 300

I finally saw 300 last night. My husband has been dying to see it for some time. We had some free time last night after our daughter went to bed, so we ordered the movie on PPV (this is why I love satellite). I knew Gerard Butler was hot, but man, did he look fabulous in this movie. His acting wasn't too bad either. Just kidding. (Sort of)

I enjoyed the movie. It was full of action, blood and drama. I could've done without all of the naked women, but it is a guy movie after all. 300 is no exception to the ultimate guy movie. Blood, gore, naked chics, and hot leading lady.

Yea, Lena Headey was fantastic. Her character was strong willed and phenomenal. Most female characters in historial epics play more submissive roles, and Headey's role was far from that. I can't recall any previous movies Headey was in, but she did a fantastic job in 300. I do remember Butler from Timeline, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, Reign of Fire and other good flicks.

I definitely recommend 300. Just make sure you put the kids to bed first.



You can check out pics of 300 by clicking here.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Election peaves

With the new election year nearing, I'm reminded of the things that irritate me about voters. As a minority, I know the importance and significance of voting. Regardless of what the media says, your and my vote do count.

But, as the political rhetoric spins on television and cable, I can't help but think of all the things that get under my skin in an election year. Not the politicians mind you, they're in a category all their own, but every Jane and Joe that can vote.

What is it that irritates me so? Let me share.

Election Peave #1: The single issue voter
That's right. Nothing irritates me more than the voter who votes for a party or candidate based on one single platform. Don't get me wrong, any single issue can have a dramatic impact on the lives of individuals. But, to narrow down your vote when there are a number of important factors that impact you and others, is quite simply stupid. I could use more 'pc' terminology, but it's my blog and I don't care.

Election Peave #2: Historical voter
What's a historical voter? Someone who votes a certain way because that's what they've always done. They don't look into where their particular allegiances are today, only what they've done in the past. Political parties have changed and your momma's party isn't what it used to be.

Election Peave #3: The 'I'll show you' voter
These irritate me to no end. You know these folks. The ones that vote for one candidate because they don't like the other. Oh, you showed him. Come on, grow a life. Find a candidate that you believe and vote. Don't just vote for someone because you don't like the opponent.

Election Peave #4: Trusting voter
There are far too many of these around these days. It's quite odd actually, seeing that the level of government skepticism has increased. But, too many voters don't do their research. They listen to only one side of the story, or one media outlet to make a determination. We all know that media bias exists, so get off your duff and research the issues.

Funny clippings

I was glancing over a couple of news sites and came across these funny clips. We've got a couple of winners this morning:

The Hamburglar strikes
A 48-year old man brandishing a tire iron, busted a glass door and grabbed $20 from the cash register of a Kansas City McDonald's. Wanting more money, he swung the tire iron at employees who ran to the back of the restaurant. As he followed, one employee wrestled the tire iron from his hands. As he turned to run out of the McDonald's, employees flung kitchen utensils at the thief.

The burglar was caught by police after a brief chase that left his green Ford Explorer with a flat tire. He is being charged with burglary, armed criminal action and resisting a lawful stop.

Nondiscreet
A Kansas City, Kansas man is charged with one count of second-degree invasion of privacy after he was caught videotaping men in bathrooms at the Missouri State Fair. A State Fair employee noticed the 41-year old carrying a briefcase making several trips to the bathroom within a two and a-half hour period. The employee followed the man into the bathroom. Noticing that the man wasn't 'doing' the business, he alerted state troopers.

Troopers later found a video camera covered by a blue towel in the briefcase which had recordings of male body parts.

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Sources:
When a man tries to rob a McDonald’s, employees fight back
Man charged with filming in Missouri State Fair bathrooms

Friday, August 10, 2007

Book: How to Win Friends and Influence People

I just finished reading Dale Carnegie's book How to Win Friends and Influence People. The book was originally published in 1937 but many of the ideas and principles Carnegie mentions are still relevent. More importantly, the concepts are simple.

It's a great insight into the development of people skills and human relations. If you haven't picked up the book, I'd highly recommend it.

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Sexualization of girls

I came across this article on FoxNews this morning that I found to be disturbing. What I didn't find about it was surprise.

According to mental health experts with the American Psychological Association, a recent study found a 'Girls Gone Wild' effect in young girls. They found that girls "are succumbing to the pressure of sexualization by posting nude pictures of themselves on the Internet, allowing boyfriends to photograph them in the nude and making their own amateur porn videos."

The main culprits, experts said, were nearly every form of media: television, music videos, music lyrics, magazines, movies, video games, and the Internet. This is no shock to many when young girls' role models include the likes of Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan.

The study found that girls are 'reaping' the effects of sexualization in three ways:

Cognitive and Emotional Consequences: The girls have a tendency to be ashamed and anxious about their bodies.

Mental and Physical Health: Girls are likely to develop eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression.

Sexual Development: Girls have difficulty developing a health sexual self-image.

According to Eileen L. Zurbriggen, PhD, chairwoman of the APA Task Force and associate professor of psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, "As a society, we need to replace all of these sexualized images with ones showing girls in positive settings—ones that show the uniqueness and competence of girls...The goal should be to deliver messages to all adolescents—boys and girls—that lead to healthy sexual development."

I think a crucial element missing in this article is where the parents fit into the equation. Parents have influence with their children, and steps should be taken by the parents to ensure the healthy mental development of their kids. Parents can control, to an extent, what the kids are exposed to at home. The shows and movies their kids watch, the music they listen to, the video games they play, etc.

I understand that parents can't control their children. But there should be a healthy precedent set at home, the providing of a healthy and nurturing environment.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

When a taco isn't mexican food

I mentioned to a friend of mine that I was gonna grab a quick bite at Taco Bell. She looked at me in astonishment, "you eat at Taco Bell?"

"Well, yea," I replied. "Why wouldn't I?"

I'm guessing it has something to do with, I don't know, the fact that I'm hispanic. And sure, I'm a bit impartial when it comes to Mexican food. But, Taco Bell serves food right? Not the greatest food in the world, but it's edible.

I'm not offended by any means. I have a few friends that react as she did. But, in all honesty, most people enjoy a good American taco. I happen to be one of them.

A little something about load shedding

It's that time of year again in the office. Maintenance has informed us that our company will be participating in the Load Shedding program offered by our city. What is load shedding? Basically, the city asks commercial businesses to reduce the electrical load by shutting off air conditioning during peak periods. Not only does this help reduce the cost for the general public, but offers financial credits to the companies that participate. Although I think it's a good idea, because it keeps my utility costs down at home, it creates some issues in the office.

We've made a joke around here about electricity not being the only thing that's shed. As a matter of fact, most folks remove layering that may result in some aromatic problems. Many, like me, have purchased fans that fit on our desks or shelves. The load shedding begins at 3pm and continues until 6pm. Some time around 4pm, it begins to get quite unbearable though. Just one of the 'perks' of the job I suppose.

I grew a bit agitated a few minutes ago. We're an hour into the load shed for today and I was made aware that an office, just a 100 feet away, was set to a comfortable 69 degrees. Meaning, the air conditioning was running as it normally does. One guess as to who's office this is? You'd probably get pretty close. It happens to be that of one of our CEO's. It makes me glad to see that company morale is highly valued here. Not!

Quote for the day

I heard this quote on The Dave Ramsey Show yesterday and wanted to share.

"The truth that many people never understand, until it is too late, is that the more you try to avoid suffering, the more you suffer. Because smaller and more insignificant things begin to torture you in proportion to your fear of being hurt."
Thomas Merton

Friday, August 3, 2007

College textbooks are expensive

To be honest, it's been a while since I was in a college classroom, but I'm still taken aback by the cost of textbooks. I am well aware of the typical course materials cost for college students. Mainly because I work at a company that specializes in this area.

One of the perks about my job is cheap books. We're able to buy books at discounts not available to the general public. And I take full advantage of that. Especially now that I have a little sister in college. She sends me her booklist each semester, I order the books and ship them to her (also at a discounted rate).

With the new semester starting soon, I recently ordered a total of 13 textbooks for $500. I can't imagine what the books would have cost without my discount. It's just crazy.

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Say it ain't so Bear, say it ain't so

I happened to catch an article on Reuters, published this past Sunday (July 29th), about Bear Grylls. I was disappointed at what I read because I love his show, Man vs. Wild on the Discovery Channel. It seems Discovery and Grylls have been a bit deceptive about the 'Wild' aspect of the show. I'm not sure I can watch the show again without the question as to its' authenticity. That's just unfortunate.

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Source: "Man vs. Wild" now truth vs. deception Andrew Wallenstein, Reuters

God is not Great


One of the most popular books today is one written by Christopher Hitchens called God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. Not being an atheist myself, I've been curious about its' evolution throughout the years. Of course, not being an atheist I won't support books of this nature by buying one. But, if you caught the Wall Street Journal on July 16th (republished by USA Today), Peter Berkowitz wrote an interesting and excellent review of Hitchens' most recent work. It's a bit lengthy so I'm only going to share a few clips of the article (a link to the article is at the end of this post).

I knew books of this nature made quite a bit of money, so I wasn't surprised by these numbers. According to Berkowitz, "...one stunning new development under the sun is that promulgating atheism has become a lucrative business. According to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, in less than 12 months atheism's newest champions have sold close to a million books...Profitability is not the only feature distinguishing today's fashionable disbelief from the varieties of atheism that have arisen over the millennia. Unlike the classical atheism of Epicurus and Lucretius, which rejected belief in the gods in the name of pleasure and tranquility, the new new atheism rejects God in the name of natural science, individual freedom and human equality."

"Messrs. Dawkins, Hitchens, Harris and the rest have some fair claim to novelty. But not where it really counts. They contend that from the vantage point of the 21st century, and thanks to the moral progress of mankind and the achievements of natural science, we can now know, with finality and certainty, that God does not exist and organized religion is a fraud. The disproportion between the bluster and bravado of their rhetoric and the limitations of their major arguments is astonishing," writes Berkowitz.

This is where it gets good.

"It must be said that Mr. Hitchens is simply incapable of uttering or writing a dull sentence. And it should be added that only a very daring or very foolish person would throw down the gauntlet on an issue so close to Mr. Hitchens's heart...But his arguments do not come close to disproving God's existence or demonstrating that religion is irredeemably evil..."

He closes the review with this:
"Mr. Hitchens is by far the most erudite and entertaining of the new new atheists. But his errors and his excesses are shared by the whole lot. And these errors and excesses have pernicious political consequences, amplifying invidious distinctions among fellow citizens and obscuring crucial differences among believers world wide.

"Playing into the anger and enmities that debase our politics today, the new new atheism blurs the deep commitment to the freedom and equality of individuals that binds atheists and believers in America. At the same time, by treating all religion as one great evil pathology, today's bestselling atheists suppress crucial distinctions between the forms of faith embraced by the vast majority of American citizens and the militant Islam that at this very moment is pledged to America's destruction.

"Like philosophy, religion, rightly understood, has a beginning in wonder. The most wonderful of creatures are human beings themselves. Of all the Bible's sublime and sustaining teachings, none is more so than the teaching that explains that humanity is set apart because all human beings -- woman as well as man the Bible emphasizes -- are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27).

"That a teaching is sublime and sustaining does not make it true. But that, along with its service in laying the moral foundations in the Western world for the belief in the dignity of all men and women -- a belief that our new new atheists take for granted and for which they provide no compelling alternative foundation -- is reason enough to give the variety of religions a fair hearing. And it is reason enough to respect believers as decent human beings struggling to make sense of a mysterious world."

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Source: The New New Atheism Peter Berkowitz

Stuck behind stupid people

Just my luck. I did something out of the ordinary this morning, I stopped by McDonald's on my way to work. I was hungry and needed something in my stomach. Since it's on my way to the office and just 2 minutes from there, I figured I could get in and out in no time. Unbenounced to me, a stupid person decided to grace me with their presence.

I was behind a filthy Kia Spectra turning into the driveway. It's a bit bumpy as you turn in so the lady decided to take it slow. Too slow. The driveway is not that bumpy. So, I'm hanging behind her hoping I don't block the cars at the nearest stop light. Luckily, the light remained red. We turn into the McDonald's and head to the drive-thru.

Take our turns, order our food, and I wait for her to move forward to the 2nd window so I can pay for my food. No movement. The clock ticks and the song that started when I made my order is almost over. What in the world is going on? I figured there was a car in front of her waiting for their food (my site was obstructed by her vehicle). Once the light bulb went on, she moved forward to get her food. No car in front of her. What the heck?

I get to the first window and pay. "I guess she didn't know to move forward for her food," exclaimed the lady at the register. It's really not that difficult to figure out, or is it?

So, I pay and I wait for her to get her food. And wait. And wait some more. Then, after a lengthy conversation with an employee, she hands them a couple of dollars. Apparently, she didn't order what she wanted or forgot to order something. I don't know. All I know is she must have been beaten with a stupid stick while she was sleeping. Ugh.

The lady at my window apologized to me. She disappeared for a few seconds and returned with my order in hand. Finally! I could get out of there and head to work. No. Her car was blocking my way out, and the car behind me was too close. So, I waited for her, again.

I did finally make it to work. A little later than I had planned, but I did make it.