Conspiracy Theorists Unite

I try to believe the best in people, but you know some things have made me scratch my head recently. I'm not a conspiracy theorist by nature. But, privacy or the lack thereof has made an impact on me recently. Namely, Facebook. And memes. And blogs. Admittedly, one voluntarily discloses personal information in each of these mediums but the amount of personal information being disclosed is shocking. If I start reading a particular person's blog, I have a window into that person's life and start to track (consciously or unconsciously) tidbits about the person -- the region in which they live, potentially what kind of school their kids attend, various functions and groups they visit and the experiences they have with family, friends, churches, etc. I can piece this information together over time, and along with Facebook, find their friends and friends of friends and eventually may have the ability to know quite a LOT about that person.

I am honest, and would never seek out blogsphere friends IRL. However, I can't help but think about those folks out there that do surf the web and ultimately use information against people. Some psycho could be collecting information just piecing it all together and then poof! identities are stolen, security is compromised, children are endangered and personal safety is threatened. It just makes me wonder, that's all. And that's just random people. WHAT IF an organization (the government -- gasp!) were to collect this information. They knew that Sally was a die hard republican and bordered on being radical. Her kids went to Thomas Jefferson High School, she loved action movies and worked part time for a "coffee retailer." I mean, that's just the basics!

Recently, I ran across a very interesting website. Check it out if it's of interest. Disclosing personal information like political affiliation, music interests, hobbies, and work history, while keeping identity anonymous, isn't bad in and of itself. But when compiled together and then the identity of the person becomes known, whoa Nellie, that's a lot of personal information out there for everyone to know.

What's interesting is that once information is disclosed, the odds of recanting or withdrawing it and having it erased from the umpteen databases around the world is practically nil. OK not practically nil. IS NIL. We must be careful how and where we tread and what we share. Once we share it, it's public information for all to see -- and collect.

I was amazed by the Facebook site (above). If it's true, and information is being collected on our residents and citizens, then it gives me pause. Then again, should the government be able to monitor its citizens for possible threat (ohhh so Orwellian!)?

That would definitely be a lively topic of conversation at our extended family dinner table!

Grocery Store Sign

My Wordless Wednesday contribution.

Easter in Colorado

You know you're in Colorado when.....there's snow on the ground on Easter and not a spring flower in sight!



It was beautiful when we arrived on Friday, and a surprise snowfall hit on Saturday night. Thankfully, it burned off before Easter dinner and the Easter egg hunt.

The 4 of us went to my parent's church on Sunday and it was wonderful! It's too bad it's 1,700 miles away otherwise it would be our church home!

Happy Easter to all our friends, family, fellow Christians and those new to the Christian faith! Praise God for you! Many angels in heaven are rejoicing for you right now!!!

Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs

Our kids love eggs -- scrambled, over medium, egg salad, hard boiled -- you name it, our kids love eggs. And, Safeway always has a B1G1 Free for 18-count eggs, which is awesome for us.

As Easter approaches, you may have wondered about the best egg for hard boiling? Is a very fresh egg best for hard boiling? or, is a slightly older egg better for hard boiling? Well, folks, let me put your fears to rest -- it is the latter. Slightly older eggs are better for hard boiling.

I've tested it and I can vouch for the accuracy of my little thesis statement up there.

But if you're one of those folks that needs to hear it from a "professional" the folks at Nestles agree with me. ;-) But then again, we're not making chocolate eggs so their opinion might not go as far as say, Egglands Best.

If you're like me and you need to know WHY to every question under the sun, the answer is: older eggs are better because more air has penetrated the shell and thus creates a very tiny gap between the egg membrane and the outer shell; it's easier to peel. There ya have it. So, enjoy those older eggs in your fridge and start coloring them!

http://www.nestle.com/Lifestyles/Cooking/AskGilla/CookingTips/Hard+boiled+eggs.htm

Question: Dear Gilla,

Could you please tell me how to make sure that eggs are hard boiled but not blue?

Answer: Dear Coty,

Hard boiled eggs were part of every family picnic when I was a child and the blue rim around the yolk of a hard boiled egg evokes happy memories for me. However I do agree that it is not very attractive for most people and should be avoided.The exact time for hard boiled eggs depends on the size of the egg. Cook the egg in a pan of simmering (gently bubbling) water for 10-12 minutes depending on the size. Never cook it for longer than 15 minutes. At the end of cooking immediately remove the egg from the pan, cool quickly under cold running water and then crack the shell. This will allow any remaining heat to escape thus preventing the overcooking of the egg which results in a blue/green rim forming around the yolk. For the best results cook eggs that are at room temperature. Slightly older eggs, around 5 days old, are better for hard boiling as they peel more easily than very fresh eggs.

Projecting our Hurts onto our Children

I was one of those latch-key kids of the 80's. My mom worked outside the home, and she held a good job. There are many of us latch-keys out there struggling with the decision of whether to put kids in daycare or not ("recovering" latch-key kids maybe?).

I am sympathetic to the working Moms of the world, I really am. Simply put, there are many demands placed on us and although many Moms deserve a Supermom cape and tights, the fact remains there's a timing conflict with children and working hours and she can't be all things to all people at all times and Moms must make choices. I am sympathetic, because there are many of us out there that would rather stay home with their kids and not work, but home economics being what they are, some Moms are required to work outside the home (and INSIDE the home I might add).

For the longest time, I was very defensive about this topic. Because of my experience of being a latch-key kid (tremendous loneliness, feeling of abandonment, etc), I was hellbent on making my work schedule fit my being home with my kids. I was adamantly against "daycare" and the entire "child is away from Mom during the day" concept in its entirety. And because home economics being what they are, and the fact that we live in a Top 10 Cost of Living area of the US, I needed to bring in an income at this time in our lives. I am so blessed to be able to work from home, and we settled on having a Nanny come to our house while I was working. It was a perfect (PERFECT) scenario and to this day, we absolutely love our now former Nanny.

More and more "Ah-ha!" moments come my way, and today was no exception. I am a firm believer that parents try so hard to NOT make the mistakes their parents made with them, and in so doing, make an entirely new set of mistakes!

Stephanie and I go way back (like 16 years -- which is sick because that means I'm officially knocking on the door of "old") and she and I talk about wonderfully personal things. Everyone should have a friend like this. Today, I was at the kids' school for a Book Fair meeting and as I was leaving, I stood quietly and watched Gorbulas play on the playground with this friends (Ruby is in Kindergarten so I can't lurk on her class). He sure is a happy little guy! He ran up to the teacher, said a couple of things, bolted back to the swings, two seconds later bolted to the sandbox and played with his best buddy Ian. I took a moment to reflect on how different he and Ruby are from me.

I don't know if I was a happy kid (maybe till 7-8 probably) but I distinctly recall HATING daycare/aftercare/whatever you want to call it. My brother and I had a horrible daycare provider (December was her name - no lie - December) and she was a complete b**ch. One day, she actually locked me and my brother in a closet (Aaron - do you remember that?). Actually, that's the most trauma we had at daycare -- we were probably in very loving homes and organizations.

And, I distinctly remember HATING being away from my Mom. My Dad told me a couple of years ago that I actually called her secretary and cussed her out -- that I would try and sabotage her working efforts -- I got myself kicked out of Summer Day Camp thinking that would work and that my Mom would stay home with me -- and when she was recovering from surgery from a skiing accident that I actually said, "You should tear your other ACL." I pretty much tried everything I could to be home with her - to no avail...I was still in daycare/aftercare and stayed home by myself that summer of 1983 when I got myself "removed" from camp.

But I look at my children, Ruby and Gorbulas, and they are thriving at their school. Of course, because I projected my own hurts onto them, I would NOT allow them to go to After Care. Who cares they have a gardening program? Who cares that they are studying outer space and building a rocket ship? Who cares that they paint hermit crabs and learn about taking care of pets? I was NOT going to stick my kids in After Care. No sirree, no way. After much pleading for 4 months, however, Ruby finally wore me down and I enrolled her in After Care for one day a week. She was thrilled! Believe me, I'm counting the minutes until I can pick her up!

I'm working through my issues -- and we all have them and we're all a work in progress. I'm realizing that my kids are not me and I'm glad I found this out now, and not when they're 15 and 17. Just because I have horrible memories of daycare doesn't mean they will. So, in an effort to NOT have history repeat itself, I'm mildly optimistic about After Care and Summer Camp.

I'm having a lot of these "A-Ha!" moments. I'm sure there's more to come.

Silence is Golden

I've been a busy bee lately, and haven't had anything comical to share. Sorry -- I've got nothin' for ya. That's OK, because "life" has taken center stage:

1) My father-in-law had a heart attack and subsequent angioplasty and stent
2) I was studying for my mid-term (and got a 97%, btw)
3) Our rat died and I had to explain life and death to a 5 and 3 year old, they took it well
4) We've had many (many) doctor's appointments in the last week
5) I had a business trip
6) We attended (yet another) school fundraiser
7) We had two play-dates with classmates (read=I have to endure caddy gossip from other Moms)
8) We're on week 2 with Ebony, our new black lab puppy (now 11 weeks old)
9) I chaperoned (yet another) field trip.

So we've been pretty busy over here. I hope and pray to be back on the blogging horse soon.

Springtime in the Wine Country

My favorite time of year is spring. There's a sense of newness in the air (ahhhh-choooo!), the birds start a'chirpin' and best of all.....the mustard comes out.
Enjoy my kiddos...
(Yes, Mom --- You'll get hardcopies!)

Scumbag du Jour

I was listening to Armstrong and Getty (whom I just love btw) and, of course, they were commenting on the top news story this morning. I'm on my way home from dropping the kids at school and on comes Eliot Spitzer to publicly announce his resigation from the position of New York State Governor due to his "personal failings." These "personal failings" should be called for what they really are: his continued sexual addiction to prostitutes for the last 10 years and adultry against his wife.

Hmm, when you put it in those terms, gosh, it seems a bit more harsh huh?

"Personal failings." Gosh, that's just so smooth and silky it almost doesn't really mean anything does it? Personal failings should classify things like, "I forgot to iron my shirt today" or "I am a compusive nose-picker" or "Gee, I'm not eating very healthfully these days and my arteries are clogging as we speak." Personal failings are just that -- they're PERSONAL. They are failings against YOURSELF. Eliot's failings are MARITAL and ohhh, did I forget to mention ILLEGAL. (The man should go to prison for 10 years.)

I look at this guy, and you know what I see: A powerful man who just can't get enough. A man who, despite the respect, power and riches he's gained from his family, career, colleagues and the citizens at large, he does this dispicable acts just because he can. And, in the process, he hurts the one person who (presumably) would stick by him through sickness and health, richer or poorer, and better or worse.

I always wonder if the tables were turned, and the wife did these sexual vacations outside of the marriage, then what? How would the man feel? If the wife would say, through her actions, "Baby, you weren't just "in the pool" and your stuff just ain't a pleasin' anymore." I always wonder as I look into these wives who, like trained dogs, dutifully stand by their man at the podium as they give their pathetic resignation speech stating things like, "I'm atoning for my wrong actions." What are they thinking? I certainly hope she doesn't feel like her husband's dispicable acts are her fault.

Hey Mr. Spitzer, how about publicly standing up and saying, "First and foremost, I must say to my wife, my life partner, the other half of me, I am so deeply and profoundly sorry for wronging you and wronging our marriage. And, I ask for your forgiveness." IMO his resignation speech didn't need to be about him "..look[ing] at my time as governor with a sense of what might have been."

What a lameass resignation speech.

In my opinion, this resignation speech needed to be about him stepping down because he broke the law -- that's the non-marital part of it. The resignation speech needed to be about him profusely apologizing to his wife for his betrayal.

Why is it so hard for people to confess and actually use the words, "Will you forgive me?" Because you know why -- especially in this instance IMO -- Eliot Spitzer isn't sorry for committing adultry.

He's sorry he got caught.
He's sorry there are consequences that he must face for his actions -- and the public humiliation that goes along with adultry.
He's sorry he won't be around to serve as Governor anymore.

But, I didn't see any remorse for the adultry against his wife or complete disregard for his marriage.

What a scumbag.

You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry

Beth over at A Mom's Life took a Superhero test, and since I a goody-goody test taker, I just couldn't resist.

And, it's right...I'm normally nice, but you wouldn't like me when I'm angry. :-)

Click here to take the "Which Superhero am I?" quiz...

A Rare Political Post

When the US invaded Iraq and Saddam Hussein fled into hiding, I had mixed feelings. On the one hand, there were suspicions of his having weapons of mass destruction which could be used against us but then again, so what? Many countries have weapons -- North Korea, Iran, Pakistan, India -- and we don't go invading their countries. Why Iraq? Why not Pakistan? Is it because the Pakistani government is presumably favorable to the US (I won't go so far to say "allies") and Iraq wasn't? My hunch...George Bush Junior had a bone to pick with Saddam, and because Geo is the big kid on campus, he's going to wield his power and invade Saddam's country like a star quarterback swaggering into the locker room. Don't misunderstand me -- I think Saddam did deplorable things to his own countrymen and abused his own power. BUT, it is not our place to go invading other countries on suspicions. It's no wonder we have few friends on an international scale.

This clip today saddened me -- yes, Saddam's actions aren't defendable -- but Bush accused him of having ties to terrorism and having WMD -- THAT's the reason the US invaded his country and why he ultimately lost control and thus, his life. As luck would have it, the WMD suspicions were false, and now, the terrorism accusations are false.


I was actually sad and felt pity for Saddam when he was put to death. I did. But, it doesn't mean that his actions didn't justify the death sentence. But this kind of news coverage infuriates me because George Bush Jr has lied to us -- to the American people and to me. I can't wait till he's out of office. And sadly, I'll admit -- I voted for him (TWICE!) and he's produced exactly squat. In fact, we're worse off 8 years later than we were under the morally bankrupt Clinton.

T-Minus 10 months until a new president is sworn in, and let's hope this one has a bit more foresight.

Let the Working Stiffs Eat Cake -- But For You? $1.95 Per Slice.

Frederer and I had an appointment recently whereby the doctor said he charged "based on a sliding scale." My hackles immediately went up. I do not live in an outwardly socialist country (although we're darn close!), and I don't like socialism.

I don't like socialism for the sole reason that its philosophy of "you make more so you should pay more" motto is a bunch of crap don't agree with that philosophy at all -- At ALL. I understand (believe me, I understand and Mr. AMT and I have become great friends over the last two years) that taxes are levied this way and they are levied this way for a reason.

But goods and services?

So, his payment structure* is this:

Household income below $20k: You pay $85/meeting
Household income between $20-40k: You pay $135/meeting
Household income over $40k: You pay $175/meeting

*I adjusted the thresholds for confidentiality sake.


We live in a capitalistic society whereby one receives goods and services for a price. McDonald's hamburgers are the same price no matter who you are or how rich you are. Every so often, those goods and services go on sale -- to everybody -- so the vendor can reduce inventory, boost sales or both. But, by in large, goods and services are one price to all people. Could you imagine walking into Macy's and seeing a sign: 40% OFF for only those customers whose household income is between $125-185k. What? That's EXACTLY the same thing that I'm wrestling with in this situation.


So, I wonder -- why is it then that the whole "sliding scale" model even exist? Just because someone makes less money doesn't mean they are entitled to the same goods and services as those that can afford more pricey goods and services. Case in point: just because I want a car, and I have my eye on a Mercedes doesn't mean I should get a Mercedes at a reduced price "just because I make less money." If I cannot afford a Mercedes, then I move down to a Toyota. If I cannot afford a Toyota, I move down to a Chevy. If I cannot afford that I get a used car and after that I take the bus. If a person cannot afford a doctor's rates, then they need to seek out other services elsewhere that they CAN afford or the doctor needs to make his rates more competitive. I may want a flawless, D color 2 carat princess cut, but I ain't getting it because HELLO -- I CANNOT AFFORD IT. I'll sit here with my slightly included M colored stone and be happy because that's what my budget will allow.


Honestly, I feel like I'm getting jipped.


I feel like I'm paying $175 for something that only costs $85, and that ain't cool. And, the schmoe who pays $85 is getting SUCH A BARGAIN because the doctor is screwing me for the other 90 bucks.


I wonder, am I getting 48.5% better quality services because I'm paying 48.5% more? And, why AM I paying 48.5% more? Ohhhhhh because presumably, this doctor believes that because the more one makes, the more disposable income they have? Is that it? HA! Bunk! That is complete crap. Someone who makes more money may have more real dollars of disposable income, but as a percentage to total income? Bunk. I don't believe they do. We certainly do not but of course, perception is one's own reality.


The wonderful part of this economy though, is COMPETITION. So, if I don't like the whole "sliding scale" philosophy, I can just shut up and take my extra 48.5% somewhere else. And I just might.

Bah! Now I'm all jacked up and it's 11pm!

Top 10 Inventions: DVR

Everyone's perspective is their reality, right? Well, IMO here are the Top 10 Best Inventions:

10. DVR
9. DVR
8. DVR
7. DVR
6. DVR
5. DVR
4. DVR
3. DVR
2. DVR
1. DVR

Last night, after returning from class, I was able to catch up on the finale of Project Runway (Rami got hosed IMO) and the Girls' American Idol and the Boys' American Idol episodes.

I know Paula gets ridiculed quite often, and for good reason considering she's sippin' the bottle a bit too much before the show, but this week she was in rare form. What's with the side conversations? and the long-winded yet pointless feedback? What's with the "peanut gallery" and "faithful as a dog" comments? And what's with the references to every other contestant ("You guys are all winners") when she's giving feedback after each person's performance? Gawd....SHUT UP PAULA! Thank God for DVR because I couldn't take it anymore and started to fast forward through her.

My picks for the final 4: Michael Johns, David Archuleta, Brooke White and Carly Smithson.

This season of Project Runway was the absolute BEST (tha'ts fierce!). I was truly thrilled for Christian but I felt Rami did a better job, overall. I think Christian's designs are very dramatic but they aren't wearable, whereas Rami's designs are quite wearable (if you are a size 2, and I'm not, so what do I care...). The competition was amazing, and I felt this year was the best, and truly looked forward to catching up via DVR.

Lost is losing me. I'm lost with Lost? Hmm...they better start steppin' up in solving these mysteries, or I'm going to abandon this show and buy the the DVD later.

Now...only if CSI, Life and Journeyman would come back!

The Golden Child

Correction....I am "Super Golden."

Yes, you heard it right -- I am Super Golden. At least the raw data shows me Super Golden.

As you know, I'm going back to school for a nursing degree. Not that I'm second guessing the nursing decision but I am also thinking about Biology. How fun would it be to be a Biology teacher!?! Yay! So, I might think about that avenue...nonetheless, the point of my post today is to say that I am Super Golden. At least for now. The prof put a graph of our grades last week, and there was the lone little data point above the 100% mark and yes...that would be me. *grin*

The next band of As were the "Golden" children.
The next band of Bs were "Well Done"
The next band of Cs were "Meets Expectations" and so on down to "pathetic."

You might remember my post where I described our first quiz. The spread was 20% to 90% with ME having the highest score in the class at 90%. I was THRILLED. I beamed and inwardly, I had the biggest grin I could muster. But then, the prof felt so terrible thinking, "Am I just a poor lecturer? Did I not convey the material well enough? Are these people just stupid? Did they just not read the text?"

I believe it's the latter -- because hey, like I said, if you don't KNOW what an allentois is or what a choiron is you're never going to figure it out by deductive reasoning. So, he factored the grade, which made me have a 110% on that quiz. Add that to my other 3 As on tests and there you have it....Super Golden. I have a 103% average right now in class. Whoo Hoo!!!

Next week is the first mid-term, so I may fall from grace and be with the other losers who have "just an A" so we'll see.

But for now, I love being Super Golden.

Yeah, I'll take that.

Hey Polly -- gosh...so this is what it must feel like to be BERLIAC! :-)

The New Old Meme

One of the nicest parts of the blogging world is the opportunity to find new blogs and meet new bloggie friends. It's nice to have encouragement from people who share our struggles and inspiration from those that have achieved something to which we aspire. Of course, it's really nice to get to know your IRL friends even better by reading their blogs, because the days are getting busier and busier and relationships suffer when we're not together.

And, the day would NOT be complete without a laugh or two, so to those that add comedy to my life -- a huge thank you!

*Sigh* Another meme??? Yep, it's another meme.

Here are the rules:
Go back through your archives and post the links to your five favorite blog posts that you've written.

Link one must be about family.
Link two must be about friends.
Link three must be about yourself.
Link four must be about something you love (here's a runner up: love to laugh)
Link five can be about anything you choose.

Post your five links and then tag five other people. At least two of the people you tag must be newer acquaintances so that you get to know each other better.

I tag:

Stephanie at Stephanie's Place
Polly at In2MeSee
Dominos Mom at A Life of Liberti
Jewels ILoveYouSoBig
Victoria at Best to Keep Your Eyes Open
Beth at A Mom's Life
Lisa at Mama Milton

Have fun and don't flake!

Miracle Monday

Beth at A Mom's Life is starting a new weekly blog entry topic called Miracle Monday.

I'd guess that if you surveyed most people they would say they have NOT witnessed a miracle. Which is unfortunate because God moves in amazing ways and the things that we might think aren't miracles -- and just dismiss as happenstance or coincidence -- really ARE miracles.

Frederer and I have been part of a miracle. We lived through one.

It's December, 2002. Ruby is 3 months old and we are traveling back to Denver for Christmas. I have this *thing* about going back to Denver for Christmases. I just can't imagine NOT going and NOT being with my family for Christmas. So we do it virtually every year -- Christmas Eve with Frederer's parents, then an early afternoon flight to Denver for Christmas Day evening dinner with my family.

December 2002 was snowy. Not every Christmas is snowy, but this one was. There was ice everywhere and people with 4-wheel drives think they know all and drive like the laws of physics do not apply to them.

From the new DIA airport, there's a new tollroad that meanders for 20 miles to the south suburbs. It's hilly, and windy in places, but the real tricky part is the I-25 / C-470 interchange area. It's late, dark and there's hardly any cars on the highway. "We're nuts to be out traveling in this weather," I tell myself. "I'm from Colorado and I wouldn't even want to be out right now."

The highway is divided and there's a good 25-30 yards in between the eastbound and westbound lanes. But we're almost to my parents house -- just a few more miles to go.

We're in the fast lane. I was driving and Frederer was riding shotgun. Ruby was in her backward facing carseat, behind me.

For whatever reason, I decide that I better move to the slow lane. I do.

Not two seconds later, we're coming down a slippery hill going west and a huge Ford F350 is going down a slippery hill going east. The truck loses control, careens across another lane of his traffic, jumps the median, comes barreling across the snowy center divide, snow is flying everywhere, and comes straight for us.

He misses us by just a couple of feet and would surely have T-boned us, on Ruby's and my side, had I not switched lanes. It was those few feet that made all the difference. I look in my rear view mirror, and he's crashed into a snowbank. Snow flies everywhere.

I'm shaken and Frederer is shaken and Ruby is fast safe, warm and fast asleep. We recap what just happened and realize that God's hand was on us at just that moment. That it wasn't our time to go yet and praise God it wasn't Ruby's time either. He has more plans for us on this earth and we're so thankful.

We may not see miracles like walking on water, and turning water into wine, but then again -- Jesus isn't walking this earth anymore. Miracles do happen every day and angels are watching out for us and protecting us from the evil one. I'm convinced of this. We may not see miracles every day, but they do happen. I think it's time I start looking for them.

What's your miracle?