National Cherry Blossom Festival 2008

I complain a lot about where we live and how there is "nothing" to do, and that is true of the little town we live in, however, since we live about an hour away from our nation's capitol, it makes things accessible to us that never would have been had we stayed in Indiana. Yesterday, after church we decided to drive into the Dunn Loring Metro station and take it into Washington to see the cherry blossoms. The weather was not all that great. The temperature was hovering around 45 degrees or so, and the sky was mostly gray. That did not seem to detract from the festival though. There were thousands of people out and about! The cherry blossoms looked to be at their peak and were astoundingly beautiful. We all gave the blossoms a "10" rating. The food, gifts and activties were another story. There was nothing really special being offered. We were chilly, and wanted a snack and ended up with french fries and water--not really anything to write home about. As far as activities, not much going on. There were some musical groups on a stage at the front of the Jefferson Memorial, but there was nothing playing that captured our attention for very long. There were some people flying kites, which would have been a fun thing to do, and it would have been really cool if you could purchase commemorative Cherry Blossom Fesitval kites to fly, but nothing other than the usual t-shirts, pens and key rings were available. So, all in all, if you get the chance to see the spectacle of the cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin, by all means, go. . . you will not be disappointed, but don't go there thinking you will be getting a lot of good entertainment or good food, it just isn't there.

Embellished Truth

After all the news about how Hillary Clinton's story about her trip to Bosnia when she was First Lady, I got to thinking. You know, everyone embellishes the truth from time to time. Some of us, like me, do it to make a story more interesting. Perhaps Mrs. Clinton did that too, and the more she told the story, the more it sounded like the truth. That sort of thing happens more often than any of us would like to admit. Sometimes embellishing doesn't matter, but sometimes it does. I was visiting the website and blog of a notorious story embellisher whom I know personally, and the information given on those sites paint a far different picture than who that person truly is. There are two scary things about this: 1. People believe this person is the person they hear speaking at seminars and believe what this person says and writes. 2. This person has built a business around the embellished person on the website. It seems deceitful to me, because there is some real potential to hurt people by doing this. Maybe that is why it is upsetting when someone who wants to become the leader of the free world embellishes a story. A lot of damage could be done. As far as I am concerned, I could say that I am a published poet and illustrator, and a manager of a small family business. I could say that I have been a public speaker, and costume designer too. All of these things are not lies, but they aren't exactly the truth either: "true lies," if you will. I have had one of my poems published in some obsure book. In the second grade, one of my crayon drawings of how I would clean up pollution was published in a social studies textbook that is now out of print. I manage my household of six; a "family business" you could say. In college I was the chaplain for my sorority and had to do invocations in front of gatherings of other chapters of my sorority, and I also had to do a eulogy at my best friend's memorial service--public speaking!. As for the costume designer, that also is true. Every year for the past 15 years I have designed or altered a pattern for homemade Halloween costumes for my children. So, as you can see, what is said and written my not be a lie, but it may not be the truth either. We must be careful with what we claim to be the truth, whether we are running or President, or just trying to build a business.

Brooke White the New Amy Grant?

Call me crazy, but I think Brooke White, the super sweet, smooth voiced, singer on this season's "American Idol" is the younger, blonder version of Amy Grant. If you watch the show, and you are familar with both singers, I think you will understand what I mean. Amy Grant has that warm, smooth tone to her voice. It just makes you feel good; feel like singing along with her. Brooke White has a similar quality to her voice as well. They also both have that endearing sort of onstage awkward humaness about them. So, I think that Brooke, no matter how far she goes in the American Idol contest, will probably have a bright singing future ahead of her. Hopefully, she is as kind and sweet in real life as she seems on the show. Take a look at these pictures and see if you can see what I mean.

Recycling News

I don't know what is going on today, but it must be a slow news day. Every article I have looked at and every news video I have clicked on today is stuff that I have looked at before. Some of the "news" is about things I read about several weeks ago. How lazy are reporters getting? I clicked on a Yahoo video about home foreclosures, and about how there is a town in California where about 2 out of three homes that are for sale are in foreclosure. This is not new news! I watched that video weeks ago! I decided to click on another news item about Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama's NAFTA. That was also old news--saw it weeks ago as well. The only new "news" I saw was about Britney Spears comeback on "How I Met Your Mother" last night. I don't watch the show, and am not really that interested in Britney Spears. I'm glad she is settling down, but I don't have any other interest in it. I guess the old saying "no news is good news" rings true, at least on this seemingly quiet news day.

Spotted Eagle Ray Accident

The unfortunate accident that happened yesterday between a Michigan woman vacationing in Florida and a Spotted Eagle Ray was truly one of those times when both woman and animal were in the wrong place at the wrong time. How sad for the woman and the spotted eagle ray. After hearing about the accident, I did some research on the Spotted Eagle Ray and, wow, are they beautiful creatures. The fellow who struck the woman was quite large and the impact of his body hitting her in the head is what killed her. The ray also lost his life. What a sad incident in both the human and animal kingdoms!

Good Friday Memories

As I was sitting here at my computer earlier today, my mind wandered to Good Friday "holidays" we had when I was a kid. We either had half of the day off or in later years, the whole day off for the religious observance of Good Friday. My family is United Methodist, so we didn't do some of the things that my Catholic friends seemed to be required to do on this solemn holy day. But today, here in Virginia, it is sunny but cold. Not like the Good Fridays of my youth. I am reminded of a long ago time when my sister and I were in our church choir and we had a community worship service to observe Good Friday. The service took place at the Nazarene church where our children's choir was to sing. It was hot that day! We must have had the whole day off school because the service began in early afternoon. I remember my mother picking us up from the Nazarene church and we were dressed in lacy "dress-up" clothes that were itchy and hot. We begged my mother to let us "please, please put shorts on!" when we got home. It was so warm that she did. Another Good Friday I remember was also hot and a friend of mine was over. Our younger brothers were friends too, so we decided to hide the plastice Easter eggs outside for them to find. We had just moved to this house and we didn't have grass in our yard yet, so we clumped around in the dust hiding those eggs for the little boys. It was a strange thing to do, I guess, but we were outside in the sunshine and kept our brothers busy for the afternoon. It is nothing like that for us this year. It isn't warm, we aren't anywhere near friends or family, and my youngest daughter has been sick with a mysterious fever all week. What I wouldn't give for a nice warm, reflective, calm Good Friday. Maybe next year. . .

My Poor, Poor Children!

This is how my kids spent their Spring Break! Please go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wpOgyVJucM to see what my very creative, yet bored children are doing this week. At least they aren't saying they are bored!

Dancing With the Stars and American Idol--Can I Handle It?

Don't know why, but I just really enjoy watching "Dancing With the Stars." My husband and I took a ballroom dancing class several years ago. I was awful. I have a very sensitive neck, and the dancing really took a toll on it. It took a couple of weeks after the classes ended before I could even turn my head. So, anyway, my family and I watched the first installment of "Dancing" and it looks like it is going to be another interesting season. I also have more reason to watch this season since my cousin and her dance partner, who are trying to get their professional dancing careers really going could be on the show. They were in Los Angeles when the show was filming the back stories on the dancers, and may even end up in the background. Good for them, they have been working hard and would like to get some work that pays a little better. Tonight will be a marathon TV watching night since both "Dancing With the Stars" and "American Idol" are both on. We will be going into musical reality show shock tonight! Oh well, this week is my kids' Spring Break, so bring it on!

Cavity Fighting Candy!

Heard a news piece about a Professor Weyoun Shi at UCLA who has found a way to prevent cavities by sucking on a lollipop! The lollipop he has been working on contains licorice root extract that is known in Chinese medicine to kill the bacteria that causes dental decay. This is a great idea and hopefully will catch on. Professor Shi believes it can help low income children, people in Third World countries, the elderly, and everyone else who wants to maintain good dental hygiene. The FDA doesn't not have to approve this lollipop because it contains only all natural ingredients--licorice is safe! If it gains the support of a major company, it could be a boon to all dental health practioners. There is a catch, however; you have to eat a lollipop twice a day (morning and at bedtime) for ten days and then when you are done with that, all you need is one every 2 to 4 years. Of course brushing your teeth at least two times a day and seeing a dentist regularly is also a must. Another good thing, the lollipop does not taste like licorice, so even those who don't like black jellybeans won't be bothered by the flavor! Way to go Professor Shi! Let's hope this idea is one that really takes off!

The Price of Oil Makes Me Sick!

Since we have moved, I have not been driving very much. There is nothing that I really want to drive to like I used to. Here, the only places I drive to with any regularity is the grocery store, the bank and the girls' schools. Today, I had to go to the bank and on the way, I pass two of the three gas stations in our town. One is a BP and the other is a 7-11, and they are right across the street from each other. The 7-11 gasoline price was $3.28 and the BP price was $3.29. There is a Shell station a little farther up the street, and I am sure their price was well above the other two, since they always are higher (why would anyone go there, I wonder?) Anyway, the price of gasoline is sickening. I thought gas at $2.50 a gallon was a lot, but now? What are we, average American people, supposed to do? When is this upward climb going to stop? Something must be done. Eventually, I will have to do some driving since where we live has no place to shop except for groceries, so we are stuck driving twenty miles to simply purchase underwear and socks. All we have been hearing is how little the dollar is worth, how the real estate market is terrible, and how everyone is worse off now than they were just a couple of years ago. I am so sick of it, all this stuff makes me feel hopeless. The countries who have the oil keep getting richer and richer, and America seems to be slipping farther and farther into financial ruin. I'm frightened by all this. The dismal economy makes it difficult to maintain a positive outlook for my children who are dreaming of what careers they will pursue, and what kind of lives they will lead. I'm heartsick.

Is There a Time Out in the Primary?

While I was charged up and excited about the Democratic primary campaign last month, I am starting to grow weary of it just a few short weeks later. I don't like all the nasty comments and rhetoric that is going on now. It is very unbecoming of both candidates. What was such a feeling of hopefulness for change and pride in my country four weeks ago, has now changed to dread and worry about how all this is going to work out. Two perfectly capable and qualified people whom I respected are now turning into ugly, spewing, boasting, one-upsman talking heads. I don't like it. I don't like it at all. We need a time out so that all of us can get off the spinning wheel and refocus. Let me off this ride!

150 Pound Woman Wears a Size 6 ?????

Here is something that has been bugging me for quite some time now. I am sure you have seen the TV and print ads for the various weight loss programs that are out there, and most of them are all hype with very little true weight loss success. I also read an article a couple of months ago that was in "People" magazine about how people lost half of their weight. I'm not sure why this bothers me so, but I just don't believe that someone who, say weighed 200 pounds and lost 50 pounds can say that they now are a "size 6" or a "size 4." I find that so unbelievable because I don't weigh anything like 15o pounds and I can't squeeze my body into a size 4, 6, or 8, sometimes not even a 10! Maybe some of the people are super tall, so that would make a difference, but I swear the article I read said these women weren't too different in stature than I am. I am not very tall--5'4''. I just don't get how someone who outweighs me by 20 or thirty pounds can wear such small sizes. I guess I'm just jealous, because I do weigh more now than I have in many, many years, and I am a far cry from over weight, but certainly don't wear a petite size 6. I would like to know where these gals buy their clothes, because where I live, a 6 is pretty darn small!

List of Things That Are Currently Annoying Me

Whenever I don't have anything specific to blog about, I like to make lists. Today I feel like listing all the annoying things in my life right now. Here they are:

1. Purcellville, Virginia
2. Northern Virginia in general
3. The veterinarian that I took my dog to yesterday--very cold and not nice!
4. My husband
5. My house
6. Being so far from family
7. My lack of motivation
8. My lack of money
9. Propane gas for heat
10. The price of gasoline
11. Grocery shopping
12. The price of food in general
13. The cellulite in my thighs and butt
14. Easter is too early this year
15. Daylight savings time--doesn't save anybody anything--what a joke!
16. Lack of movie theaters in Loudoun County
17. The price of movie tickets here
18. My hair
19. Laundry detergent that smells like flowers; bring back the true Original Scent Gain!!!
20. Cooking
21. Figuring out what to cook every stinkin' day of every stinkin' week of every stinkin' year.
22. My husband always putting his yucky feet on me when I am trying to sleep.
23. No place to shop in this stupid town
24. My dishwasher
25. I don't have any friends

So there you have it. It doesn't really change anything and certainly won't win any writing prizes, but at least I got it out of my system.

The Problem With This Election

I have to admit that I am really having a good time observing how all this primary election stuff is playing out, but I do have a problem with it. It is confusing, and I am conflicted with myself about all of it as well. I started out liking Barack Obama, then I changed to Hillary Clinton because she seems more familiar, and she is a strong leader. Barack Obama seems like he is fresh and not stained by a long political career, but that is also what bothers me about him. He also seems very serious. Hillary Clinton, although I think she has been known to be a rather cold person, appears to be able to laugh at herself and really seems like a human; Obama seems like a robot to me. I am just so torn. I want change! Good heavens, how I want change. I am so looking forward to our country getting out from under President Bush's thumb that all I can think about is change. But, what kind of change do I want? A really radical, untested, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants change? The kind that I think Obama represents. Or, do I want a safer, calmer, softer sort of change that I think would come from Clinton? I wonder if the rest of the country feels as conflicted as I do? I suspect they do in the way the voting has been going. No one is ready to let go of either of the Democratic candidates. It sure would be easier if there was a clear choice!

Homosexual Penguins

Our children attend the Loundoun County Public Schools in northern Virginia. Letters to the editor regarding the book "And Tango Makes Three" have been a weekly topic for discussion here. In fact, the actions of the superintendant of Loundoun County Schools even made it on ABC's "The View." Dr. Edgar Hatrick made the decision to remove the book from elementary school shelves' regular circulation. In case you are unfamiliar with the story, the book is written about two male penguins living in the Central Park Zoo in New York, who make a nest together and then raise a baby penguin together after zoo workers put an abandoned egg in their nest. This children's book is based on true events. Now parents are up in arms about the actions of Dr. Hatrick. I tend to be on the more liberal side of this argument, and I really think that if my six-year-old came home with the book, we would read it together and enjoy the sweet story. After all, anyone who has seen the movie "March of the Penguins" knows that ALL male penguins care for and raise the babies because the mothers are busy getting food. Some people will obviously read more into the story than perhaps they need to. It does not endorse a certain lifestyle among humans, it is simply relaying a sweet story of two penguins who saved an abandoned baby peguin. I think parents need to be able to make the choice about whether or not their child will read the story, and what and how much you want to make of it. I don't think the book needs to be pulled from the library shelves. Some parents are so quick to make a big deal out of things and so eager to push their beliefs on others that they put pressure on educators who then end up doing things that are maybe not the wisest things. So, I don't blame Dr. Hatrick for his knee-jerk reaction to the complaint from a few parents, but next time, maybe he will go about it with a little more calm and common sense. As far as parents are concerned, too many times parents make things way more complicated than they need to be. Read the book, or choose not to, but don't tell be that I can't read the book and discuss it with my child.

Slow Blogging Day

I can certainly tell that things are slow for me in the blogging world. There isn't anything out there that interests me to blog about. Tomorrow will be an exciting day for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in Texas and Ohio, so there may be some blogging that comes out of that, but that is tomorrow. The only other thing I saw that seemed a little interesting is the scroll across my television screen this morning that said Drew Barrymore has a "worldwide announcement!" I wonder what it could be! But other than that, today is a bore so far. I guess I will just enjoy my springlike, sunny, day in boring northern Virginia.