Locking the Pantry Door

These kinds of posts are so that my mother knows that I'm payin' for my raisin'. My son, 3 1/2 year old Gorbulas (which of course is not his real name, in case you're wondering), is such the little stinker!!!! Let me preface this little shocker with the fact that we have one of those plastic/tupperware cereal containers with the flip top lid. We have many of them actually. Some are used for cereal, some are used for baking ingredients, and some...just a few...are used for individually wrapped sugared snacks. Included in this container are the Fruit Roll-Ups, Yogos, Scooby-Doo fruit snacks, granola bars, Famous Amos cookies, etc. These are infrequent lunchbox additions, and I take them out of the boxes to consolidate to the container, because....well, I just don't like boxes and it makes me think of clutter. It's a hangup, yes, I know.

Gorby has been going into the pantry to get his own snacks, and we reprimand him repeatedly. One day, poof! the container was gone. Our pantry looks like a small 7-11, so it wouldn't surprise me if it was just relocated elsewhere on the shelves, behind some 2-ltr bottles of soda or the 12-pack of bottled water. I searched high and low one day and just couldn't find it. I see an empty container on the top shelf, so I think, "Oh well, maybe it's now empty, which is a good thing." This was about 2 weeks ago.

The kids and I are downstairs -- they're playing with toys, running everywhere, and reading library books. I'm watching Oprah and Jenny McCarthy's testimony about her child who has Autism, and I see Gorby sneak behind the couch. This is a great hiding place, I must admit, and is where the woofer to our surround system is located. A grand little place indeed.

Gorby comes back up with a mouthful of something.....turns out to be a granola bar from the long lost, now half-empty, container of sugared snacks! No wonder my kid is bouncing off walls! That's it! I'm going to lock the pantry door!

Tag -- Yur It

I got tagged by my newfound Blogger friend Lisa Milton. So, here goes:

4 Jobs I've Held

1. Busser at Village Inn (my first job, age 14)
2. Resident Assistant at college
3. Clinique rep
4. Software sales and account manager

4 Films I Could Watch Again and Again:

1. Star Wars series
2. Tommy Boy
3. Caddyshack
4. The Wedding Date

4 TV Shows I Watch:

1. CSI: Miami
2. CSI (Las Vegas)
3. Prison Break (season premier TONIGHT!)
4. Lost

4 Places I've Lived:

1. Illinois
2. Colorado
3. Texas
4. California

4 Favorite Foods:

1. Hummus & Pita
2. Popcorn & M&Ms (yes, together)
3. Sausage-Mushroom-Onion Pizza
4. Halibut

4 Websites I Visit Everyday:

1. My Yahoo
2. Google Reader
3. SalesForce.com (HA!)
4. Hmm, last one is a toughie. I dunno.

4 Favorite Colors:

• Red
• Pink
• Purple
• Black

4 Places I'd Rather Be Right Now:

1. Kauai
2. On the patio, hanging out with my husband
3. In a hammock somewhere reading a book
4. Shopping with my mom

4 Names I Like But Wouldn't or Couldn't Use Myself:

1. Elinor
2. Elizabeth
3. Justin
4. John

That was fun! I guess these Meme's are the latest craze, so tag you're it: Steph, Random Brown, Nik at Night, In2MeSee and MadMad.

PS: Anyone know how to pronounce this word? Meme? (is it "meeeemeeeee" or "mem" that rhymes with "them?").

Construction + Frustration - Signal Lights = Traffic Citation

You have to understand the situation in our wee town in order to appreciate my frustration. Our town has grown by 200% in the last 5 years. Land is a precious commodity where we are (SF Bay Area), and urban sprawl has hit even the most idyllic and remote areas that were once agriculturally zoned. We are in one of those areas.

At present (and for the last 3 years), road construction has been the bain of our existance here in the beautiful Northern California wine country. There is ONE (count 'em ONE) thoroughfare to the city in which Ruby goes to school (and we go to church...and where we shop...and where we socialize...etc). Door to door its about 18 minutes without traffic, or in our case this morning 50 minutes!

It's 7:28am -- GOTTA GO!!! As I start to turn out of our subdivision, and I see the traffic backing up 100 yards from where it normally does! Oh, NOOOOOOO! I think I'm gonna outsmart all the other drivers and meander thru neighborhoods and zig-zag my way through said Town-of-Poor-Planning. I'm waiting in a lonnngggg queue of cars and I notice that everyone is waiting to turn right.

"Well, forget this," I say, "I'm going straight. So, excuse-me-pardon-me-excuse-me-pardon me while I just sneak to your left just a weeeee bit and edge my humonguous Expedition up to the stop sign." I'm at the stop sign and awwwwwwww crap, there's a cop, laying in wait, just waiting for dumbasses like myself to make a move.

He pulls me over and I look at the clock... 7:48am. Crap. Ruby's gonna be late, there's no bones about it. Personally, I think any tardies in elementary school are the parent's fault (especially since I drive her) and I feel terrible because her record is tarnished for my error. *sigh*

So, I roll down the window and give him the requisite information, and Gorbulas says, "Mama! Look a police MAN!"

"Yes, thank you, Gorby," I say.

He wants to SEE so I roll down his window. Cop is very nice and quite friendly with the kids (you just KNOW he's looking in my car to see if a) the kids are properly strapped in -- thank God they were, and b) if there's anything suspicious to haul the ole' broad in.) Thankfully, he surveys only the clutter: empty Gogurt wrappers, napkins, water bottles, blankets, an errant sandal, lone sock, artwork from school, lunchboxes, backpacks, you know: Mom's car type stuff.

Cop gives me the ticket for crossing a double yellow (I didn't even see the double yellow, but I was guilty as hell anyway) and explains I can go to traffic school online to mitigate the insurance issues. Yay! The last time I received a ticket, I was 24 years old, so it's been a while. I remember traffic school being an ALL DAY thing on a Saturday, where you'd have to watch that horrible movie "Blood on the Highway" and endure the droning of some sniveling civil servant.

I don't know why, but I start to cry. I'm PMSing and I'm beyond frustrated at the construction and "improvements" our wee city has endured and I hate being late. I ask the cop how much longer we have to tolerate this construction during rush hour and he says it'll end by the end of the year, but there was a 3-car accident that caused the miles-long pile up (even extending to the next town south). "I sure hope somebody's dead then, because everybody is now late," goes thru my mind. What? Did I actually just think that? Yeah...I did. Another area that I need to "work on" in my life: negative thoughts.

Anyway, of course, the kids want to know what the heck is happening, so I try to look at the bright side. This is a wonderful opportunity for me to explain that even as adults, we need to obey the rules and if we don't, we get punished.

"I know the rules," I say, "but I chose to not obey them. And now, the police man is punishing me." They see my cry, so that helps them understand that it sucks to get punished. They can surely relate.

Amazing how, when it's explained in the words my children understand, how very plain and simple this is, and if all adults would just own up to their mistakes, take their punishments and learn from their mistakes, how much better a world we'd live in. I go on to explain that I will be punished ("You're going to JAIL, Mom?) and will have to pay some money, called a fine.

I call Frederer and leave a detailed voicemail, and at the end I'm crying again, frustrated at yet another unfair stop light that gives the opposite traffic 90 seconds and my traffic flow only 8 seconds. I close the voicemail with, "I'm gonna lose it one of these days; please pray for me."

Gorby says, "I'll pray for you, Mama."

"Ohhh, thank you honey," I say.

A huge smile graces my face. I'd like to think intercessory prayers made by the young, on behalf of others, are sent right to God's ears and they skip ahead in line of all the selfish, rote and insincere prayers offered by others.

"In the Father, Son and Holy Spirit....Bless us O Lord and these thy gifts......."

*grin*

Citation for Infraction: $50
Counseling due to frustration & anxiety: $80
Opportunity to teach your children about obedience and consequence: PRICELESS

Birthdays Birthdays Birthdays!

This month is full of birthday parties for our family. Yesterday, we attended Ruby & Gorbulas' friend Jasper's 4th birthday, today we went to a 1 year old's birthday party for a couple at church, next Saturday is Gorbulas' preschool friend Alex who is turning 3 and the 29th is our own Ruby's 5 year old birthday party. Wow! Lots of parties!

What I find really ironic, is that we like to host birthday parties for our kids but not necessarily like to go to other kids' birthday parties! Worse yet, the party today was a family party -- meaning Frederer was invited too. Can I just tell you how NOT excited he was about a) going to a one-year old's birthday party for a family we hardly know, b) he'd be missing the Raider-Bronco game to do it and c) we were all going to Safeway on the way home for a bit of grocery shopping!!!! HA! Oh man, I'm cracking up because my Frederer is a "guy's guy" but it's obvious that he loves us, his family, dearly and would sacrifice his Sunday. And no, contrary to what you all might think, Frederer is definitely the authority in our family and he can lay the law down. I have NOT neutered him and I don't wear the pants. So, I thought it was very nice that he would go with us. Granted, he did go fishing ALL DAY yesterday and we are DVRing the Raider-Bronco game, so he's not really *out* anything NFL-wise, but it's the point that he'd be willing to go (and not grumble, sit in a corner, scowl, etc.) that means so much.

Actually, he did grumble a bit before we got there, and I thought I heard something about his preferring to sweep up after a flea market than actually go to a one-year-old's birthday party. Of course, the party starts at 1pm (kickoff time) and he says to me, "Ok, so how long do we have to stay here again and when are we going to be home?" Straight faced, I quip, "We'll be home by 5pm."

"Awwwwww, Hayellllllll no," he says. I'm cracking up laughing and I say, "We'll be outta there by 2:15pm OK?"

He says, "Fine. Geez I hate kid parties."

"I know."

"We don't know this kid. We don't know the parents all that well. What's his name, again? So, why are we here, anyway?"

"They're from church, and they invited us. Maybe it's an attempt to get to know others in the church and you know, fellowship."

"Awww man. Well, you can bet I'm gonna go back for seconds."

Hawking a Loogie

We had a run in already at school. It's like what? the end of the 2nd week? Ruby has been in class a total of 8 days? She got in TROUBLE today, which is so not like her. She's manipulative as hell, don't get me wrong... but, all out troublemaker? Yeah, well, maybe that is like her. She's forever tormenting Gorbulas, who will soon be much bigger than she is, and mark my words, one of these days, he's going to flatten her little miss smartypants smugness right into next week.

So, I arrive to pick up Gorby & Ruby shortly before 3pm. I'm totally engrossed in a book (shocker), and I get to a really good part and *sigh* have to put the book down. I exit the car and wait by the fence. Ruby's teacher leads her little charges to the playground where they start and end their days, and teacher sees me. She calls Ruby over and bends down to speak with her. Ruby meekly nods quietly and walks (usually she runs) over to me and sadly says, "My Teacher wants to talk to you before we leave."

"Uh oh", I say. "What'd you do?"

She's silent and hands me her artwork. "Look Mom! Clouds!" (they made cotton ball clouds today). "Uhhh that's nice honey. Now, why are you in trouble?" She's silent.

We walk over to the teacher. Ruby's eyes are down and she's still silent (oh she knows she's in for it now).

Chipper teacher says, "Umm, we had an incident with Ruby today. She chose not to use her words, and instead, spit in Justin's face. We've had a discussion about it and she understands that this behavior is not acceptable. If she does it again, she'll be sent home from school." (Suspended? Holey crap these private, Christian schools mean business).

I'm shocked, and I turn to look at Ruby, "You spit in Justin's face!?!???" She chews her lower lip.

Teacher goes on to say, "I've asked Ruby to make Justin a drawing showing an apology; she can work on it over the weekend." (Oh geez...I failed art class -- what the heck is THAT supposed to look like???).

Stunned and a bit humiliated (my ANGEL did what?) I run into Justin's mom in the parking lot (who also happens to be Gorbulas' teacher). I get the skinny on what happened from Justin's perspective. He must have been bugging Ruby, his mom concedes. Justin's a pain-in-the-rear and Justin's mom knows it. Come to find out, what *probably* happened was that Ruby stuck her tongue out and blew it at him, not the full-on hawked-a-loogie and hurled it at him thing I think of when I think of "spitting in someone's face." Nonetheless, she must get out her crayons and draw her penance.

I suppose coming down hard and quick, nipping it in the bud is what we all need when it comes to discipline. But, ouch...the 8th day of school? Is this just jittery getting-acclimated-to-school-nerves? Or, is my daughter the apple that doesn't fall far from the tree?

I give Ruby the assignment when we get home and she quickly draws two smiley faces and thinks that it. Uhhh, not good 'nuff I'm afraid -- come on, make it good! She tries again, this time makes some scribbles on her paper and looks at me. "Is that it????" "Yeah." "Uhhh no, I don't think so. Make it a good one Ruby."

I can see the remorse is just NOT there. I have to explain what an apology picture is, and how the goal is to restore the relationship. She asks for help and I begrudgingly help her (I suppose, in retrospect, I should have let her just do it. Ruby's apology picture is a cute drawing of the two stick figures holding hands, with grass, a tree, a swing, clouds and a sun. I helped her spell "I'm Sorry Justin" and her Kindergarten handwriting is all over the place. Hopefully, she (nor I) will get our hand slapped for having Mommy help with the penance homework.

Sheesh... there's no rule book for these kinds of things.

Politics are heating up!

Is the election just a mere 13 1/2 months away? Gosh it feels like the Democrats have been campaigning for over a year now... oh wait. They have.

Did anyone catch the President's address? Yeah, me neither. But I rely on my brother who so passionately and eloquently states the obvious. Maybe he should run for office. Wait...no. He's under enough stress as it is.

He's got a really insightful post here. Check it out. One of these days I'll come up with a post of my own. I swear. I know, I know, I've been bloglifting lately.

Ron Paul Q 'n A

I'm not one for politics, but I did watch this YouTube video when candidate Ron Paul visited Google, and it's really good. I hope you take the time to watch. "A Consititutionalist..." hmmm, intriguing.

Didn't Mahatma Ghandi say, ""First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win."

Clean Room Award

Hey friends, I don't know if this works for you, but my kids are really motivated by incentive rewards. Make anything a competition, and my kids are motivated. We don't award the loser anything, except a hug and a "try again next time" speech. We're big on teaching the kids how to be proud winners and gracious losers. No "Certificate of Participation" in our house...no sireee. We have too many entitled children in our country as it is.

Anyway, I thought this might help you if your kids like awards.

I don't know how to put it up here in .doc or .jpg format. Any techie out there know how to do this on Blogger?

Have a good one!

Free Stuff

A friend told me a bout this cool website where you can get rid of -- and get -- free stuff of all sorts. Furniture, bicycles, computers, games, baby stuff, etc. I just signed up, because I'm looking for a scrapbooking armoire and some sort of wine storage for my husband. Anyway, check it out -- www.freecycle.org

Their pitch on the front page says:

Welcome! The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 4,111 groups with 3,822,000 members across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer (them's good people). Membership is free. To sign up, find your community by entering it into the search box above or by clicking on “Browse Groups” above the search box. Have fun!

Kindergarten - Week 1

Yes, lil miss thang absolutely loves Kindergarten! She’s EXHAUSTED though after school (no naps in Kindergarten ya know).

She was so tired after the first day ended. She didn't say much. No matter how hard I tried to get stuff out of her, I think she was just brain dead. I'd ask, "How was your day at school?" and she'd say "Fine" I'd ask, "What did you do?" She'd just shrug and said, “Nothin’.” Oh man – it starts ALREADY?!? Nothin’? In Kindergarten?

So, later that evening I see her putting the tip of her index finger between her top and bottom teeth (like she’s biting it) and I hear her say, “ahh” “aaaaayyyy” “ehhhh” “aaaahhhhhhh” “uhhhhhhh” so she’s doing all the different inflections of the letter A. My little brainiac!

So today, I ask her, “How was school? Whatch’a do today?”

“Played.” Ahhh – there’s money well spent at private school.

I’m working on the computer just a bit ago and she comes over and says, “Mom, LOOK!” She then holds out her hands one at a time and then claps:

(left) “DOG”
(right) “HOUSE”
(clap) “DOGHOUSE”

(left) “BIRD”
(right) “HOUSE”
(clap) “BIRDHOUSE”

(left) “CAT”
(right) “NAP”
(clap) “CATNAP”

“I took two little words and made ONE loooonnnnngggggggg word, Mama!”

It was just too cute! So far, so good on the Kindergarten front and I think she's doing more than "playing."

So Dumb Even a Caveman Can Shut it Off

Autumn is my favorite time of year. I just seem to take a huge symbolic breath and exhale "Ahhhh, sanity." There's a certain level of peace, order and routine that comes my way when fall arrives. I start breaking out the fall decorations (despite the fact that it's still 85 degrees outside), I start baking apple crisp, and my ALL TIME favorite apple cake from Paula Deen. I love looking through magazines with the cute little models in their mock sweaters and t-necks, jeans and trail shoes, standing with their black labs near a golden and rust-colored field of leaves that have fallen, holding a mug of apple cider and "Ahhhh, don'tcha just love fall." Yeah, we have none of that here where I am, so I just flip from one page to the next pining away for a season only our East Coast brothers and sisters can enjoy.

And, with the advent of fall comes.....new TV shows. This is where it gets a bit dicey for me. I love TV shows, don't get me wrong. But, remember I'm a late-30s-something stretched to the limit wife to a gorgeous Frederer and mom to two lovelies, Ruby and Gorbulas. I don't have time for TV. And, when I see shows like this one being promoted -----------> , I want to hurl.

Are they SERIOUS? Is ABC honestly serious about this show? A TV show gets its inspiration from the GEICO car insurance commercials? I mean, I thought the salamander of whatever the heck he was was sorta cute, but this? You know this is some acting student gone bad -- poor guy went to college, majored in Theater and lands a job starring as....the GEICO caveman. Talk about B actor thinking he's made it big. Oh man... what will Hollywood think up next? Believe me when I say my lovely eyes will not even grace the pilot and I hope it crashes and burns. I have something else to do on Oct 2. Like shred the last 10 years of bank statements.

But then again, I thought Alf was totally stupid the few times I saw it, and hey, my hubby liked it, so who knows? Maybe the Time of the Caveman is upon us, and like an 80s one hit wonder, it'll be remembered throughout time just like Major Tom.

If there's one great takeaway from this post, it's the apple cake recipe!!! Hahahaha.

First Day of Kindergarten

Yes, I cried. For the most part, I kept it together so I could get to the car and then I pretty much sobbed.


Editors' Note: This blog entry is riddled with self-pity, so if you don't care to read it, stop now.


The day started with me getting up late -- shocker, I know. I was 6:20 when I looked at the clock and I thought, "Ahhh, 10 more minutes." I woke to see the clock flip to 7:01. I jumped out of bed so fast you'd have thought there was a snake slithering up from the mattress. As I'm trying to clear my head and I step on Gorbulas' metal airplane. I think I may have punctured my foot.


I'm limping along and Gorbulas comes up and says, "Hey Mama!" He can always bring a smile to my face. Actually, it's either a smile or a scowl, and nary a day goes by when he's not the recipient of both. For today's First Day of School pictures, he sticks his tongue out! Yep, that's my angel.


My husband wants to see Ruby off to her first day of school, so he's been up and about for a bit. Gorby is dressed and fed (yay!) but I'm seriously bummed that I've overslept. It's my own fault, so I can't blame anyone else for not having the slightest foresight whatsoever to perhaps think of maybe going to see if Mom is up and about (or if there's something wrong, like I'm dead) considering we have to leave for the first day of school in 29 minutes and there's been no rustling about, clanking, barking "get your shoes on!!!" and other orders, etc coming from the 2nd floor of our home. Honestly, it is my fault. I should have planned better. No hard feelings -- just hurt ones.





Admittedly, now I'm doubly sad. I feel invisible to the family; maybe I'm reading too much into it, I don't know. Like the ONE day Dad stays home in the morning (which happens to be a once-in-a-lifetime day for Ruby), they decide to let me "sleep in" and "not bother Mom?" WHATTT????

Frederer has gotten Ruby dressed as well. She looks absolutely beautiful in her school uniform. But, I at least get to curl her hair with a curling iron. We had a bit of lipgloss and she's off to get her socks and MaryJanes.

I resolve not to let anything get to me -- sad is OK, angry is not. But it's these stolen moments that etch a little bit into my soul that hurt and I never seem to forget. I liken it to my first Thanksgiving as a new bride: brand new home, new husband and my parents are coming over for my very first Thanksgiving hosting as a new wife. My Mom and I are in the kitchen preparing and I leave the kitchen to talk to my Grandmother who has phoned and when I get back, I say, "Hey? Where's the bird?" And my Mom says, "Oh, I put it in the oven." Again...on first glance, no big deal. On any other Thanksgiving other than #1, it would have not been a problem. But...my Mother put the Thanksgiving turkey in the oven on my very first Thanksgiving of a new phase in my life. My Husband got Ruby dressed in her uniform for her first day of school. Not me. It's bittersweet because those are moments that are now gone and I wasn't a part of it. I don't know -- I'm just weird this way. (For the record, my Mom is very sensitive and felt absolutely terrible. She completely understood how this could have appeared insensitive, and she teared up as she asked for forgiveness several times that day. And it is totally water under the bridge. I'm not harboring any bitterness at all -- I'm just saying the feelings were the same this morning. In fact, this Thanksgiving, I plan on doing nothing and will just watch her do 100% of it. Just kidding. Hey, I warned you this post was filled with self-pity, which actually ends here, I'm tired of it! Suck it up and move on, Daisy!


I'm pretty much cursing the traffic (literally and figuratively) as we make our 20 minute (now 35 minute) commute to our Christian school. Curse words do, in fact, fly out of my mouth. Great witness Daisy, I think as I'm driving. "Hey, you frickin' idiot!!! Get the hell out of my way! I gotta get these kids to school and we are NOT missing morning prayer!" *Sigh* it's gonna be a day I can just tell.


We arrive late (shocker) and they've already had flag salute. My friends just shake their heads and giggle at me. First day and we're late. *sigh* K-8 kids are on the playground all lined up like cute little soldiers listening to the Pastor give the morning prayer and thought for the day: Putting on the Armor of God.

"If we put on anger and frustration," he says, "what will rub off on people?" As if on queue the 1st-8th graders who know the drill reply, "Anger and frustration!"

"If we put on love and patience," he says, "what will rub off on people?" The little lambs reply, "Love and patience!"


At this point, I'm quickly convicted about cursing out the idiot drivers. Damn! Then, my mind starts to wander...I think about what they teach in the Islamic schools in the Middle East? I remember seeing those horrible cartoon shows about teaching kids mardyrdom. Have you seen those? Sheesh. I think they're smokin' something stronger than shee-sha.


"Ok kids, remember now: Americans and Jews are imperialistic and bad! What are they?"


"Imperialistic and bad!"


"And, what do we want to do?"


"Blow 'em up!"


"That's right...ok munchkins, have a great day at school!"

Whoa! Post for another time. Snap back to reality.

Ruby stands behind her "husband" and best friend Jake and they all march off to class (story for another time). As she passes me, I have tears streaming down my face and choke back the tears and say, "Here's your homework honey, have a wonderful *sniff* first day of school." Homework for Day 1 is a Get to Know You sheet with lots of fill in the blanks (which also reminds me a of a 3rd grade "incident" I had with a fill in the blank that I am still emotionally shackled with to this very day. God, I need counseling).


They shuffle off to class and all the other sobbing Moms of firstborn Kindergartners just look at each other and we all think what one Mom actually has the nerve to say, "OK, umm now what?" We all exit the playground and head off to our respective obligations for the day.

It's been bittersweet to say the least. I'm not one of those Moms that think, "THANK GOD!" when the first day of school arrives and the kids are off and running and out of their hair. I'll probably get there someday, but not this year. Kindergarten is like a new birth, a new flower and a new beginning. A chance to embrace the sequence of life. There will be many more "firsts" in my children's lives, and I hope to be a part of every one of them. Parenting -- and motherhood especially I would think -- is bittersweet. Exciting yet heartbreaking at the same time. Ya can't live with 'em and you can't live without 'em!

T-minus 4 hours and 56 minutes till I pick her up!

Trans-Texas Corridor

My brother recently posted on something to which I hadn't given much thought. My brother is really into politics and religion -- two awesome topics for dinner conversations and holiday gatherings let me tell you. ;-) I am thankful there are passionate folks in this world like him, who get outraged and shout from rooftops, because without them, those of us like me (who don't watch the news) would continue to investigate our naval lint while the world passed us by.

I'd heard some things about the Trans-Texas Corridor, but there's no press on it where I am so we don't hear anything about it.

But what I really thought interesting was the link he referred to here. It doesn't surprise me that ambitious men and women will leave millions of dead in their wake as they move toward progress:

...although many Americans aren't seeing what is going down for what it really is just yet, our economy is already half chewed and digested by men of global power and prestige — both within and outside of national governments — as a result of their insatiable appetite for even more money and power than they already have.

Does anybody know about this Trans-Texas Corridor? Now dubbed the "SuperCorridor"? This is obviously many, many years away from happening, but the groundwork is being laid now. My children and grandchildren will bear the fruit (or reap the hell) that comes with this SuperCorridor.

Man oh man...sometimes I wish I could go back in time where small business reigned and life was slower paced.