Please do your civic duty!

Today is Election Day in the big D (and around the country for that matter). I really don't care what your party leanings are or who you like to vote for...JUST VOTE! Don't ignore this gift we have; this privilege (you heard me, privilege) of voting.

Today reminded me that we all don't get that chance, that not every country is free; not every person can speak their mind. What a great place to live in that we, as a people, can make a difference in how our government is run. I know that one vote seems small, but every election is won by one vote at a time. For every person that stays home thinking they don't make a difference, I hope there are two out there that realize they can.

As my close friends can attest, I'm not one to give such a rah-rah speech about such things. But this topic is one that does fire me up. Please do your civic duty and rock that vote!

The Dozen Pleasures

I've been inspired by a couple of blogs lately to post in the positive, too much complaining and negativity lately. Speaking of inspired, shout out to my friend and coworker Mike who is running his first marathon this weekend in Chi-town. This is a guy that has worked his butt off (literally and figuratively) to get this far. Just crossing the starting line is a big win, my friend...

On to today's topic, the top 12 things I love/can't live without in no particular order...


1) My husband - I know, obvious and corny, but totally true. Best friend, soul mate...my family. Period.

2) Hot chocolate w/marshmallows - gotta be real marshmallows, not those freeze dried turds that come in the Swiss Miss package. And I have to make it with real, whole milk. It makes those cold evenings a bit more bearable!

3) My music collection - saves my ass when I excercise; clean the house; need a lift or want to sing at the top of my lungs. Yes, I'm that nut job in the car next to you rocking out and pounding the steering wheel in my cheap imitation of Jet's "Cold Hard Bitch". LOVE IT!

4) My family - another corny one, but true. I got lucky in the gene pool; I actually look forward to holidays spent with my family. They are a good bunch of people, not too whacky and a nice sense of humor. :)

5) My sister Lynne - more specific than #4, but true. She's one of my best friends, probably right behind my husband. And being my sister, I lucked out that I like her as a person (not just 'cause I have to). She's going through a tough time right now, so everyone send out some good vibes her way...

6) Japanese Blossom shower gel - this stuff smells great. Not very sugary or sweet, just a nice pleasing scent that stays with you after the shower. It must have some lavender in it b/c it relaxes the hell out of me.

7) German chocolate - my husband is the crack dealer and I'm the addict! Buy a square of Ritter Sport, you'll never touch a Hersey bar again. Nothing like a good piece of chocolate and a glass of red wine....ahh, heaven!

8) My homemade macaroni and cheese - tooting my own horn, this shit is the bomb! Creamy, 3 or 4 cheeses used, and I sometimes toss in some ham cubes. Best fresh out of the oven, but I'll take the leftovers too...

9) Naps - big fan of the afternoon nap, probably b/c I don't get the opportunity that often. My favorite is getting up on the weekend around 7am and then going back to bed for a little snooze around 11am. Yeah...

10) My camera - I love to take photos, some day this will be more than a hobby. I really enjoy trying to look at a subject from a different perspective; to make it more interesting or to create a mood. I'm not talented enough to paint, so my Cannon is my electronic paintbrush.

11) Detroit sports - big Red Wings and Pistons fans live in my house, and I don't just mean our weight! We've jumped on the Tiger bandwagon too, but the Lions can go to hell...

AND last, but not least...

12) My close circle of friends - you know who you are; you know how much you mean to me!


That's all, I'm out...

Missile-anus Junk

Shout out to my friend Kyle for the today's title, try using a file folder by that name. It helps to deal with the inanity of work...

First Topic: Go Tigers! I'll admit, I'm a fair-weather friend to our boys. I've been jumping all over this band wagon since about August or so. The real fan that is enjoying this ride to the max is my dad, the true Tiger fan. He's been watching them a long time, even when they stink so bad you need to cover your nose from the stench. I think we should dedicate this playoff run to all of those guys, the ones that have stuck through 22 years of bad times, crappy play, even crappier management.

Second: We had snow showers in the D yesterday. Uncool. It's not even Halloween, I haven't even reconciled the fact that I must now wear socks, and I still haven't put away my golf clubs in hopes of Indian Summer. I'm still holding out hope for a resurgence in the temps. You can pry my cold dead hand off of my driver by Christmas, please...

Third: Please, Mr. Bush, do not let anyone take out North Korean president Kim Jong Il. One day the crazy coot will kick the bucket and we'll be left holding the tab for the millions of refugees leaving that country, but in the meantime let's avoid that bill until it comes due, 'k?


Sorry for the randomness today, but the ADHD is in high gear on a Friday...

Weddings and other Musings

Great time was had by all this past weekend up in TC. It was wonderful to spend time with my long-time, truest friends. Congratulations again to Jeff and Sue; we knew he'd make an honest woman out of you...

Oddly enough, I never appreciated weddings until I had one of my own. Weddings held the same appeal to me as a new filling or a really long day of shopping. Necessary to go, but really not enjoying it. They did have the promise of booze and a potential hookup, which is more than the dentist had to offer (he's not a good looking man).

But once I planned a wedding and actually walked down the aisle, my attitude changed. Now every wedding we attend brings back memories of that day and all of the warm, fuzzy feelings surrounding it. I have to say, it really was a perfect day. Probably because I told myself for months prior to that it would not be perfect and I shouldn't expect perfection. Perfect weather (sunny, 65 degrees farenheit, good for a notorious sweat-er), perfect setting, lots of family and friends that we both love. It probably helps that I'm deeply in love with my husband; he's my best friend and a great partner in all things small and great (and a good kisser to boot).

So I guess I finally get it, why weddings create such a fuss. It symbolizes what we all need: a reminder that the most important thing in life is love and celebrating it and sharing it.

I guess the other musings have dropped off, catch yáll later...

The Unfortunately named Intelligent Design

I know I'm stepping into a pile of shit with this topic, but I gotta spout off...

Here in Michigan, we are having an election for our governor in November. The opponent, Dick Devos, came out last week in favor of teaching intelligent design in our public schools. I've got a few problems with this one:

1) Intelligent Design is not a theory, it is a Christian concept. Let's go over the definition of scientific theory, shall we? "a coherent group of general propositions used as principles of explanation for a class of phenomena. ex:Einstein's theory of relativity." Scientific theory is based on propositions that can be tested and supported by physical, tangible evidence. Intelligent Design is not; it is based on a belief or faith. Therefore, according to our country's constitution, it should not be taught in our public school system in order to separate the boundaries between church and state.

2) Since intelligent design is conjecture, we would be teaching our children (of all religious backgrounds) a potentially false concept. I know, we also taught our children that Pluto was a planet for the last 90 years (but I also knew it wasn't a planet if you dig deep enough into the textbooks). I have heard the arguements for this theory out of the mouths of children I know; I fear that it would undercut Michigan Youth's chances of being taken seriously in the workplace and life in general, especially outside of our home state.

3) The separation of church and state is what stands us as a nation apart from religious dictatorships like Iran. I know that many people get tired of the "Political Correct Police" interferring in our public education system; making the Christmas Party the Holiday Party, but think about it. If we sanctioned one religion in this nation and allowed it to pervade our schools and government, then our system is no better than Iran. It is one of the fundamental principals that makes our nation great; that we have the freedom to choose our religion and how we worship without the threat of intimidation by the government. I am very proud that my country allows such personal freedom. That is one of the reasons so many people are clamoring to enter the US and live here (contrary to the belief that the world hates us so much).

Let's not take two steps back. Let's make this a non-issue and not allow this to happen...

Apologies and Weddings

I didn't realize it's been almost a month since my last post! Not a good way to hold your audience captive for sure...I'll try to be a better blogger in the future...


In this webisode, I want to give a shout out to my friends Jeff and Sue who are getting married next Saturday up in TC. Way to go, guys! I'm ecstatic that they are finally (I agree with Sue, Jeff) tying the knot! Here's an embarassing story for Jeff: I remember the day of their very first date. I was driving home from GR and called Jeff to keep awake. He was nervous/excited/peeing his pants over this date he was getting ready for. He had been corresponding w/Sue for a while, and was super nervous to meet her in person. I knew this girl must be special; Jeff doesn't work up a sweat for no reason (unless it involves wildlife). Looking forward to the long weekend with my very dear friends and witnessing this very special event! Go Team Emrich!

I'm also lamenting the death of Summer. Why, oh why, must I now wear socks?

Celebrity Obsession

I suppose this is a sign of my age. Like a gray hair, or catching yourself saying "When I was your age"...something like that. Now, celebrity watching has been my guilty pleasure for quite some time. My husband can attest to the amount of time I've spent watching the E News channel or Entertainment Tonight or reading my Entertainment Weekly subscription (subscribing!).

What I've noticed the past year or so are these people that are famous for absolutely nothing. No talent; can't act; can't sing (tried both). I'm talking about all of the reality tv stars stretching their 15 minutes; the Paris Hiltons of the world. Even the gossip columnist Liz Smith hit it on the head when she called Hilton a commodity with no message.

At what point did Americans stop valuing talent? When did we decide that as long as you look hot with big hair and big lips you can be famous and make money? It's so freaking disappointing that real actors and musicians and painters and writers are pushed to the side to buy the latest crap CD, or "novel" (usually ghost written), or "movies". I've always been damn picky about the CDs, books or movies I buy/watch, but apparently most of America isn't.

Can't stand to see or read "crap". Can't really quantify "crap" either, I just know it when I smell it. I'd like to start a record label for ugly folks. Called Just Music Records. Maybe we can actually get people that can SING for once, or God forbid, can actually WRITE THEIR OWN DAMN MUSIC. I know, I know...I ask too much...

At least writers don't have to be hot...yet...

More cranky musings later!

Something good to read besides the tabloids...

Just wanted to let y'all know that there is a fantastic series on the Freep website this week and next by the journalist that was kidnapped for 3 weeks in the Middle East, Jill Carroll.

Each column is riveting. It seems that during the entire ordeal, one moment she was convinced her captor's would kill her and the next she would have hope that she would live. The column is just starting to tap into the hell her family went through as well.

We live such a safe, cushy life here in the US. Sure, you can get mugged or beaten up or raped (not discounting the horror of those things either), but you can walk in the mall or go to school or go to church without the fear of getting your ass blown to bits by a suicide bomber or cut in half by a machine gun for not covering your head properly. I mean, in general we have a great existence.

I really don't think my imagination could work hard enough to truly identify with the horror she went through (I'm sure it's just a Starbucks backup or something from all of the cushiness that is my life)...

Take a look at www.freep.com. It gives you a little appreciation for your own life...

Happy Friday, y'all...

The new flight regs...ugh

I was thinking, will we be relegated to flying completely naked in a metal tube with no seats, liquids or bathrooms? And then my husband reminded me...someone could still shove a bomb up their own ass...


Oh well...

The Empire Strikes Bat

The bat saga, part II.

I'll never look at tennis the same way...once again, on Monday night we had a bat intruder. This time, we were sleeping soundly when I woke up around 12:30am. At first I heard the usual scratching noise we always hear when they come in or out of the roof. Then I head that "pffft-pffft" noise of flying. In my hazy stupor, I thought "how can they fly in the roof? there's no room up there"...then I look over at my husband and his eyes are wide open. He slowly turns to me and says in a calm voice "It's in the bedroom".

You all know my reaction the first time this happened (see previous post). But here's the thing about me: Once I'm pissed off, I'm no longer afraid of anything...

So we got out of bed and turned the lights on. Batty McFly was zooming around, having a good ol' time flapping around. Again, we tried to shoo it out of the sliding door in our bedroom, but Dummy Flyjob didn't go for it. So I went to the basement and got the tennis racket.

We both went to the kitchen, and Uwe served up an ace! Smacked the lil' fucker onto the linoleum and held him down, while I threw a towel over the whole mess. Uwe tossed him outside and we cleaned up a little blood on the floor (all together now: ewwwwwwww). Next day of course, he was gone. Either crawled away to die or took to the skies again to wreak havoc on us another day. cue evil laughter BBBWWWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA.....

Hopefully, no Return of the Bat-pie....

My husband, my hero!

I have a new healthy respect for the size of my husband's cojones. As some of you know, we have had a problem with bats in our roof on and off for over 2 years. So far, we treat them like gays in the military. We know you're there, but as long as you don't bother us we'll let you be.

We took steps to seal up most of the house last month, the only thing left to do is fix some gaps in our ridge vent on the roof. I've been meaning to call the roofing company, and we just had some MAJOR motivation to get on the horn after last week:

ONE OF THE BATS GOT INTO THE HOUSE!

There we were, lying on the sofa watching tv, minding our own business. We both heard what sounded like a photo falling off of the refrigerator in the kitchen. Thought nothing of it. Then we heard it again, only a little more. It still didn't register with me that anything was wrong, until I saw the Brown Bastard out of the corner of my eye flying into our great room!

Needless to say, I screamed like a little girl! My husband was very calm as we scrunched down into the couch, but I was going apeshit! As the little f&cker got lower and lower towards our heads, Uwe sent me post-haste to the basement. He opened the door wall in the great room and in the bedroom, but by the time he came back downstairs he couldn't see him. I came out of the basement, and saw it HANGING ON THE BACK OF OUR WINDOW BLINDS! AAAGGGHHH!

Uwe calmly grabbed a fleece car blanket from the front closet, wrapped his hand in it. He then turned the slats of the blind with the chain to get a better angle on it and GRABBED IT! Then he took it out to the balcony and tossed it into the night! That was the most brave thing EVER! I was scared shitless, and he just took control and got rid of the critter like he was taking out the trash.

MY HERO FORVER!

Whole new meaning for Mad Max

I'm sure by now you've seen all the press about Mel Gibson's DUI arrest in LA over the weekend. I've heard for years that he is not right; slightly crazy; VERY misogynist and anti-Semite. It just never made video until now (what a stupid ass).

I've never been a big fan of Mel Gibson. Never watched many of Mel's movies and never really swooned over his face during his "Sexiest Man Alive" period. The first thing that turned me off of him was an article I read about his wife. She is Christian, but not Catholic like he is. Because of this, Mel was quoted as saying that his wife is going to hell b/c she isn't baptised in the Catholic church. Does this bother Mel? Not really, he says...he's still devoted to the church, so he'll get to heaven. Sorry, lady. You're good enough to have 6 kids with, but not good enough to save from eternal damnation.

The second thing (not that it took another one) to turn me off was that his father was quoted as saying the Holocaust didn't happen. And that Mel refused to "go against his father" on the topic. Which is pretty much saying you agree. Because see, my dad has been a hard core Tigers fan for years, but I'm not going to back him up if he said five years ago that they were a great team; I'd call him out on it and we'd discuss it. Now, sure as shit I wouldn't sit back and just let a comment like "the Holocaust didn't happen" slide by and not say anything whether it was my dad or a stranger on the street. Ignorance is ignorance and we all have a duty to educate our fellow man.

So after seeing this past weekend's events, it's safe to say I wasn't surprised. Hugely disappointed, but not surprised. It just saddens me when I see examples of ignorance and hatred again and again in this modern world. The years after 9/11 have proved to be the worst, especially hatred and prejudice against people from the Middle East. I guess I just expect more from my fellow man. A higher intelligence to see through the bullshit and understand WHY things occur, not just HOW they happen or to buy into blatent lies about someone just because they speak differently or dress differently from you.

To see such a high profile individual make disparaging comments about Jews and women should NOT be tolerated and should be the end of his career making money off of the general public. We shouldn't elevate racist people to a position of power and influence, and we sure as hell shouldn't let them stay there.

Waste not, want not

I stole today's topic from another blog I was reading a while ago. The blogger made the point that we, as a country, are a very wasteful lot. And I agree.

Now, let me back up a bit. I was (and still sometimes am) very guilty of living my life in the disposable society. I used to throw away my plastic bags, my cans and glass, newspaper, etc. I would not think twice about throwing the bananas out when one little brown spot appeared, and I would certainly run the dishwasher practically empty.

That said, living with my husband has opened my eyes up as to how other people in the world conserve. In Germany, like my husband says, they recycle anything that doesn't get up and walk away by itself. There is a bin for compost, one for paper, one for other recycle materials. Not to mention your regular garbage can. Do I think this is excessive? Sure is, but the trash pickup takes these items from their home on a weekly basis. With it being that easy, I think I could get on board with that. We do pay for recycling pickup at our home, so at least some items aren't dumped in the landfill. But Allied Waste still doesn't take our Styrofoam, any plastic item not marked with a "1" or a "2", or most plastic bags.

But really, my whole point doesn't start and stop with recycling. We waste food like crazy; tear down houses just to build new ones; use gasoline like we make it or something; leave every light on in the house; throw shit away when we are "done" with it. Why throw away that tired cabinet? Can't you sand it down and slap a new coat of paint on it? Eat those leftovers! Turn out the light if you leave the room!

I live near a land fill that grows exponentially every year. If we continue to live disposable, eventually we lose. I'm not a granola crunching tree-hugger with bare feet and dirty hair, but this shit is just common sense. If anything I've said will make you stop and think about tossing that newspaper in the garbage can, then it's all good...

Happy Friday all!

Wishing you and yours a Happy Friday! Anyway, back to me...

I've never appreciated the value of a good night's sleep until I've started sleeping like shit. For the past couple of weeks, my sleep pattern is all jacked up. I wake up pretty much directly after every dream cycle I have, so I'm waking up about 5-7 times per night. At this point, the jacked up sleeping pattern has almost become habit.

So I'm polling the masses (ok, like all 2 of you that read this out there) to PLEASE comment on this post with some sleep ideas. I've tried red wine before bed so far. That works ok, but I can't become a drunk over this! Well, I could, but it would become an expensive habit...and Lord knows I save my money for the Victoria's Secret catalogue and trashy tabloid magazines...

Ok, seriously...doesn't being elected as leader of the free world entitle you to some kind of etiquette lessons?!? Not that George Walker Bush hasn't embarrased us enough with his cute nicknames for anyone he meets; his "Mission accomplished" theater piece on the aircraft last year; the whole Iraq war.

I'm not talking about saying "shit" to Tony Blair during the G8 conference (actually, that made his stock rise a little in my book). I'm talking about the fact that he RUBBED ANGELA MERKEL'S SHOULDERS yesterday during a photo op. Now, for those of you that don't understand the significance of this, let me explain:

YOU DON'T TOUCH A GERMAN, EVER. Not unless they are your spouse, one of your parents, a sibling, or a child under the age of 15. They are not back-slapping, huggy, touchy-feely people. I'm pretty sure Ms. Merkel was mortified at the first touch of his short stubby fingers on the shoulder pad of her business jacket. Really, I'm surprised that her bodygoons didn't take him down right then and there. Now, there are some folks that say he wouldn't have done this if Ms. Merkel was a man. I disagree. George tries to make himself instantly familiar to everyone he meeets, and really looks for a touching opportunity whenever it presents itself.

Please, George, remember what we ALL learned in kindergarten: Keep your hands to yourself...

Hey all! Hope everyone had a good weekend. My husband and I were weekend warriors, doing a major landscaping project. Of course, we pick a weekend that had average temps of 95 farenheit. Uncool! Fortunately, I've had a massage appointment set up for after work today. My shoulders are killing me!

I'm not complaining about the heat, don't get me wrong. We really haven't had hot temps this summer at all, and I like it warm. I just don't care for back-breaking manual labor in "did i die and go to hell already" hot.

Not much else to post today. I've just realized that this whole post looks like the work of an 85 year old woman. Oy vey! My aching back! Oy vey! The heat!

Today is a happy, happy day! I was thrilled to pieces to learn that Valerie Plame has filed a lawsuit against the Bushie Trifecta: Dick Cheney, Scooter Libby and Karl Rove. I'm so relieved that this issue wasn't left to die a small, quiet media death. Perhaps there will actually be some kind of monetary punishment metted out on this yet!

For those of you that need to be caught up, the Plame case is one of the all time greats of Bush administration arrogancy. Plame's husband, Joseph Wilson, was on the "fact-finding" mission that the administration sent to Africa to locate proof that Saddam Huessin was trying to buy uranium on the open market. Wilson returned from that trip with no evidence, and told the administration as much. Bush continued to insinuate to the American people (and the world) that they had evidence of Saddam buying quality grade uranium when they in fact did not. It was at this point that Wilson, greatly concerned that a war could take place over this fact, went public in the New York Times with an editorial stating he never found evidence on his trip.

Curiously, not long after Wilson's editorial was published, several news sources identified his wife as a CIA agent. Not just any CIA agent, but an active, UNDERCOVER CIA agent. Revealing this little fact not only endangered Ms. Plame's life (and countless other undercover operatives tied to her), but her family as well. Not to mention it also endangered HOMELAND SECURITY. Way to go, Bushie!

I really thought that this was going to be another transgression that the American government was going to get away with, as most Americans resign themselves to thinking these days. But I've held out hope that our civil court systems may bring some justice to this world. Really, shouldn't this issue be our Watergate?

Hello, all! First time blogger, long time reader. I've been inspired by my coworker Mike to start my own blog, just so we all know who to blame in the future. The whole blogging phenomena is intriguing to me. Why the hell would someone want to view my thoughts? Why the hell not?

I have to say, the pressure to be witty and hip is enormous. Please forgive the plebian vibe for the first couple of postings. I'll be putting up some of my photography work as well, be gentle...and enjoy!