To Blog or Not to Blog, That is the Question?

I am certain there comes a day in every blogger's life where they contemplate whether blogging is something they really want to continue to do. I have had such thoughts running through my mind of late. Coincidentally, last semester I had an anthropology professor make a comment that continues to resonate with me. He said that blogging is "extraordinarily arrogant and self serving because frankly no one really cares what you are doing or thinking." That made me think, is it narcissistic? Is it arrogant? Does anyone really care what I have to say?

I originally started this blog and the website that preceded it because I thought it was important to my grandmother. Maybe I am wrong, but I hope that she enjoys catching up with me and seeing pictures of my various adventures. I suppose the day she tells me this blog sucks is the day that I stop blogging. : )

As I thought more about it, however, I realized that whether or not people are reading my ramblings and whether or not people care what I have to say...I care. This blog is my forum, my contribution, my soap box, my diary, my pulpit from which I can say whatever is on my mind.

What's on my mind today, specifically, is a sound bite where Nancy Pelosi, our esteemed Speaker of the House, likened people going to town hall meetings and disagreeing with the administration to Nazis. I would like to remind Ms. Pelosi that it is our right to petition our government and that those of us who don't agree with this administrations policies aren't Nazis, nor are we domestic terrorists, nor are we anarchists, nor are we crack pots. We are concerned citizens who have sat on the sidelines and let our "elected" officials do whatever they want for too long. It is time for them to listen to us and I intend to have my voice heard (either in person or protesting outside) at Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' townhall meeting on Tuesday.

Needless to say I have decided to keep up this blogging thing for a little while longer...

School Starts on Monday

School starts on Monday and boy did the summer go by fast. I think summer school really made the summer feel shorter since it fell right in the middle. Unlike other summer breaks, however, I felt I really savored every moment. I kept a to-do list over the break and made sure that I didn't waste it away watching TV or playing video games (although I did plenty of that too). Overall, I am sad to see the summer end and am terrified of the coming school year. Is it over yet?

This semesters classes:

Ecology 302
Organic Chemistry Lecture 241 (again)
The Nature of Language (Anthropology 276)
Cultural Anthropology 200

Dinner at Pinnacle Peak

My sister and Tim surprised us on Monday night and invited us out to dinner at Pinnacle Peak and ice cream at Dairy Queen. The pictures below were unplanned as I had accidentally left the camera in my purse from our Kingman trip. I am so happy that I did, because it was so much fun running around Trail Dust Town doing silly things just to make the other three laugh! As you can see my sister and I are the goofiest, the boys mostly stood by and cracked jokes, avoiding the camera.

Hualapai Picnic

Hubby and I went to Kingman this past weekend to visit family and friends. On Saturday, Bruce and Christine took us to the Hualapai mountains for a picnic. This was my first visit to the Kingman mountains and Lily & Trudy's first time in the wilderness. The Hualapai mountains aren't much different from Mount Lemmon, but the temperature was comfortable, the food was good and the company was hilarious!

Birthday Pictures

Lily's 5th birthday has come and gone and I finally have gotten around to posting her birthday photos. This year we gave her peanut butter Frosty Paws, the Purina ice cream for dogs. This was the first time Trudy had ever had it and they both loved it! Auntie also spoiled her with treats in the shape of bacon and eggs. What a spoiled puppy!

Stop Your Sniveling

One of the best things about being an adult is the ability to have a rational and intelligent conversation with ones parent and actually feeling like they respect your opinion, even if they don't agree.

I had an opportunity to talk to my dad on the phone the other day and as is usual with our conversations, it veered in a political direction. We were talking about the economy, the cash-for-clunkers program, unemployment, and healthcare. During the course of the discussion dad inquired about college and I told him about the problems I am having finding funding to go to school. With the U of A increase in tuition, the hike in program fees, the hike in parking permits, and the ungodly amount they want for books, I wasn't (and am still not) certain how to pay for all of it. I started to whine and complain about how everybody else is getting a hand out but our president and congress can't figure out a way to increase available money for education. (I would like to add here that I am not looking for free money, but any money that I can repay!)

At that very moment the following things went through my mind:

1. You should be disgusted with yourself for crying like a baby when your dad is on the brink of losing his job.

2. The government doesn't owe you anything. Their only purpose in your life is to provide and ensure safety services (like fire/police/disaster relief) and protection by the military. The fact that they have pushed themselves into every other facet of your life doesn't mean they owe you those things.

I realized at that moment that I was no better than those individuals who collect welfare and other public services, not because they have to, but because they feel like it is owed to them. I have decided that I will get through school, I will persevere, I will graduate, and I will be happy despite the obstacles that are put in my way and with as little government assistance as possible. I will prosper not because "I got what was owed to me" but because I earned it.

Happy Birthday Lily

Five years ago on August 8th, little Lily was born. To commemorate this day I found as many of her baby pictures as I could. We lost a lot of the them in one of two great hard drive crashes.

For those who do not know the story of how Lily came to live with us, I shall tell you now.

When hubby and I were still dating we would spend the weekends going to pet stores and playing with the puppies. Specifically, we liked going to the pet stores that actually let us hold them. One Saturday we went to "The Puppy Place" and saw Lily and her siblings. Hubby was already a lover of miniature schnauzers but I had my reservations since I had always been raised with large dogs. We held her, loved her, played with her, and even named her before we left the store, but decided we couldn't have her...she was just too expensive.
So, we went home and I thought about her, and thought about her, and couldn't get her off my mind. I even went back to the pet store a couple days later to visit her only to find out that someone else had put her on a 24 hour hold (she was the only remaining puppy left). I went home, defeated and saddened, but glad that she was going to be going home with someone. The next day I called to find out if she had been purchased and they said no, stating that the family had changed their mind. I immediately called hubby from work and told him that she was available. He was at school at the time and explained to me all the reasons why we couldn't have her. I was so upset, I really loved that little puppy! After work I called hubby to ask him if he was serious that we couldn't have her and asked him if he had gone to pick her up or if I could go pick her up? He said no, consoled me and invited me over to his apartment for dinner. I went home dropped off my work stuff, changed clothes, and walked over to his apartment. When I opened the door, there was Lily, playing on the floor with all her new toys! Apparently as soon as hubby heard she was available, he ditched school, picked her up from the pet store and went to Petsmart to get her all the necessities. What a wonderful surprise, I cried so hard!!! Although she was a terrible puppy, she has turned into a loving, wonderful dog...we are so lucky!

Kingman Murder

Kingman still believes it is a small town, desperately trying to retain that close knit, everybody-knows-everybody mentality, all the while the population has exploded and crime is on the rise. Murder, in particular, is so rare there that it cripples the community when it does occur. Sadly, two people hubby knew from high school died on Monday. Our deepest sympathies go out to the Mack family who lost their daughter.

KINGMAN - The woman killed by her husband in a murder-suicide Sunday was shot just after handing her baby to a police officer.

Holly Jean Anderson, 26, had been talking through a crack in the door to officers responding to a call about a domestic disturbance in the 3100 block of Tanner Street around 5:40 p.m. Sunday. Anderson and her 20-month-old baby girl, Bailey, had been staying with a friend at the residence.

Anderson made eye movements while talking to the officers that suggested she was trying to tell them that her husband, Brad, was in the room with her, said Sgt. Bob Fisk.
One of the officers silently mouthed, "Does he have a gun?" to which Anderson responded, "Yes, I will bring the baby out," Fisk said.

She had just passed her baby to Sgt. Mark Chastain when she was shot in the head with a 9-millimeter semi-automatic.

A second officer at the door, Timothy Sparr, was shot in the left arm. Police believe the bullet that killed Anderson is the same one that struck Sparr.

Sparr will have surgery at a later date to remove the bullet from his arm, but his arm was not broken.

Brad Anderson, 28, then retreated inside the home where he killed himself.

Responding officers thought they had a hostage situation and evacuated neighbors as a precaution. Police sent in a robot with a camera and speaker on it to communicate with the suspect before learning that he had committed suicide. Fisk said it was likely Anderson shot himself just moments after shooting his wife.

Holly Anderson was a probation officer with the Mohave County Probation Department. She joined the department in Feb. 2007 and had been promoted within the last month.

"She was an outstanding worker, dedicated to her job and full of enthusiasm," said Friend Walker, chief probation officer.

Holly Anderson filed for an order of protection against her husband in April, the same week she filed for divorce. In court documents, she indicated that she believed Brad Anderson kept a loaded handgun in his vehicle at all times and had previously threatened to harm her and himself.

Holly withdrew the order of protection April 30, although it is unclear why.

http://kingmandailyminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=32813

This is For My Dad

What can I say, I am my father's daughter. When I heard that Tiger Woods farted at the 2009 Buick Open, I had to find the video.



I recommend turning up the volume rather loud so you can hear his caddy laughing! Oh, how I laughed!!

New Glasses

It has been a number of years since I have gotten new glasses, I didn't much see the point. My prescription hasn't changed enough to warrant new glasses and they can be so expensive with all the hidden fees and extra add-ons. Alas, however, I sat on my most current and favorite pair of eyewear and was forced to purchase new ones. Instead of going to my most favorite cheap out-of-pocket-store, hubby convinced me to allow the insurance company to pay for something for a change. So, we went to the "fancy store", I picked out a pair of highly over-priced but name brand eyeglasses, almost all of which insurance covered and they were ready in an hour.

The "Kristina" made by Candies

Free Hand Outs

I have to admit that I am not one of those people who easily buys into people standing on the corner with signs begging for money or their stories of woe about running on hard times. This persepctive changes, of course, if children and/or animals are involved as they are innocent but for the most part my belief is that beggers are able-bodied individuals who choose not to work because begging is easier. I recognize our country is in a bit of a crisis right now, so some leway should be given, but it seems there are some very dishonest people in Tucson who will gladly take advantage of kind-hearted, hardworking people.

I will give four examples:

1. A woman on the corner of Tanque Verde and Grant was claiming she was destitute and hungry while carrying a purse worth more than my Coach bag. I wonder how she got that? Perhaps because she is not destitute nor poor?

2. Wednesday of this past week my sister and I got out of the car at Bookmans when we were immediately accosted by a woman, who was smoking a cigarette, claiming that her wallet had just been stolen and she needed $2 for the bus. My sister, the kind-hearted and sometimes naive soul, immediately opened her wallet and gave the woman what she was asking for. I will admit that she walked towards the bus stop, although I cannot confirm she actually boarded the vehicle.

3. Immediately after the woman had accosted us, a man came up to us asking for cigarettes or money. In this case I am guessing he saw my sister's generosity and decided to cash in. Neither of us had any remaining money, so he walked away empty handed. I did, however, recommend he ask the woman who my sister just gave money to for cigarettes as she is too poor to afford the bus but can afford a pack of cigarettes.

4. Today hubby and I went to Taco Bell where we were cornered in the parking lot by a man with Down Syndrome who said he, too, needed money for the bus. Hubby immediately gave him a $1, which was all he had, and we went inside. A few moments later the man came inside and ordered food with the money rather than take the bus.

I suppose the root of my frustration with all of the above examples is the lie. Don't lie to me and tell me you need the money for the bus when really you are hungry! Why lie? Just say you're hungry! Don't lie and say you lost your wallet when really all you need is some drugs! Don't lie and say you need money for cigarettes when you really are going to buy booze! Just be honest!

I would much rather give money to someone who tells me the truth.