"Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants as long as it is black." ~ Henry Ford.
If only it was that easy! Now a trip to the grocery store leaves me mentally exhausted. There is whole milk, 2%, 1%, skim, organic, grass-fed, soy, almond, goat, unpasteurized. The cereal aisle alone takes twenty minutes alone sometimes just to find the three different brands and flavors that my family eats. It would be so much easier if there was only the equivalent of a black car in the cereal aisle. "Any customer can have whatever cereal he wants as long as it is corn flakes." Just think of the time that would save!
When Finola asked me what I thought of the SOPA legislation, I realized that even though I work on Capitol Hill I don't know enough about it to have formed an opinion on it one way or the other. Finola informed me that it would hurt smaller artists and some websites. Playing devil's advocate, my rebuttal was about intellectual property and copyrights. I knew enough to know that the recording industry and the motion pictures association support SOPA. It took Finola's reminder that SOPA stands for Stop Online Piracy Act for me to know what S-O-P-A means.
It would be so easy to just accept what people told me rather than learning about both sides of the issue. It's more than just having an inquisitive spirit. It's also having the ability to reason for myself. It's the time and effort to seek out as much knowledge on issues as I can before making a decision. There would be more time available for important decisions if there weren't so many other decision distractions.
I still don't know enough about to SOPA to have a fully formed opinion. And I'm not ready to adopt one position over another just because someone says I should. Not even if that someone is Mr. Gaelic. My independence is one of the things that attracted him to me in the first place. But that's a blog for another time.
What really depresses me is that I don't see that quest for information and knowledge very often in today's society. Or at least the level that I would expect from a first-world country. Am I the only thinking girl in America?
[Title taken from this.]
Showing posts with label Politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Politics. Show all posts
8.11.11
Us vs. Them
The gloves are coming off. My political stance has always been moderate for the most part. My votes have swung both ways. But after voting today, the realization hit me that Republicans are ruining our political system.
The local clerk of the court was elected many years ago. He has never had opposition. The clerk's position is actually one that isn't a political position. On the ballot, there is never a D or an R or an I or anything after his name. This year he has an opponent. Who is a Republican and vocal about the fact that he's a Republican. And vocal about the fact that the current clerk does a fine job. And vocal about the fact that the reason he's running is to take the position over to the Republican side. Even though it's a non-political position.
A friend of mine who ran for city council a few years ago on the Republican ticket (yes, I voted for him) told me that he sees no reason to vote for the challenger. My friend doesn't like the challenger's tactics of running his campaign. The challenger has done a full-court press to oust the current clerk. Who the challenger admits is doing a fine job.
I cut the party plenty of slack, wanting to believe that it really was the Grand Old Party of Teddy Roosevelt and Eisenhower. Watching this local election, it's down right impossible to call it grand.
Do you vote for the best person for the position or do you vote for their party affiliation? The local Republican party let me down. They don't want me to vote for the best person; they want me to vote for the Republican. They're not synonymous. The best person is the best person. Sometimes that person is a Democrat. Sometimes that person is a Republican.
From now on, it'll be harder for me to look at any Republican candidate without wondering, if there were no R after your name, would your followers still be your followers?
[Title taken from this.]
The local clerk of the court was elected many years ago. He has never had opposition. The clerk's position is actually one that isn't a political position. On the ballot, there is never a D or an R or an I or anything after his name. This year he has an opponent. Who is a Republican and vocal about the fact that he's a Republican. And vocal about the fact that the current clerk does a fine job. And vocal about the fact that the reason he's running is to take the position over to the Republican side. Even though it's a non-political position.
A friend of mine who ran for city council a few years ago on the Republican ticket (yes, I voted for him) told me that he sees no reason to vote for the challenger. My friend doesn't like the challenger's tactics of running his campaign. The challenger has done a full-court press to oust the current clerk. Who the challenger admits is doing a fine job.
I cut the party plenty of slack, wanting to believe that it really was the Grand Old Party of Teddy Roosevelt and Eisenhower. Watching this local election, it's down right impossible to call it grand.
Do you vote for the best person for the position or do you vote for their party affiliation? The local Republican party let me down. They don't want me to vote for the best person; they want me to vote for the Republican. They're not synonymous. The best person is the best person. Sometimes that person is a Democrat. Sometimes that person is a Republican.
From now on, it'll be harder for me to look at any Republican candidate without wondering, if there were no R after your name, would your followers still be your followers?
[Title taken from this.]
16.10.11
Santa Anna, Santayana, Santana and Shakespeare
Only researchers, employees, and a few tourists read the quote. Yet it is one that practically everyone knows. "What is past is prologue."1 It is inscribed in marble beneath a statue of a woman with an open book on her lap. At the researchers' and employees' entrance to the National Archives. Want to see the Founding Documents? Enter on the opposite side of the building.
That quote echoes through my mind regularly, the intervals between moments spent dwelling on it ever decreasing. All because of something a friend pontificated several years ago. What she said did not, at the time, make me shake in my boots. But the shaking began a couple of years ago and is now bordering on worry.
It turns out my friend is a prophet. The reason for the worry is another prophecy from the early 1800s. "If we [Mexicans] are not successful, our grandchildren and their grandchildren will beg for crumbs from the Americans!"2
The History of the World, Part 2 seems to me to be repeating the history of the world from a time just beyond living memory. A time that only a handful of people alive today were part of. And then, only as children feeling the effects.
Remember the '20s not only for their Roaring but also for their restriction; the '30s for their meager times; and the '40s for the results of the previous two decades. Why? "Those who don't remember the past are doomed to repeat it."3
Yes, this post is purposefully vague. My hope is that my friend really isn't a prophet, but just a hack pulpiteer. My prayer is for her to be wrong. And to avoid anxiety or, worse, hysteria (mostly on my part), I refrain from passing along her prophecy.
It's time for something other than prophecies. It's time for some preachifying. Which brings us to the last quote for today. "The most valuable possession you can own is an open heart. The most powerful weapon you can be is an instrument of peace."4
If we all live by those words, perhaps we would never repeat our own mistakes.
1. William Shakespeare
2. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna
3. George Santayana
4. Carlos Santana
That quote echoes through my mind regularly, the intervals between moments spent dwelling on it ever decreasing. All because of something a friend pontificated several years ago. What she said did not, at the time, make me shake in my boots. But the shaking began a couple of years ago and is now bordering on worry.
It turns out my friend is a prophet. The reason for the worry is another prophecy from the early 1800s. "If we [Mexicans] are not successful, our grandchildren and their grandchildren will beg for crumbs from the Americans!"2
The History of the World, Part 2 seems to me to be repeating the history of the world from a time just beyond living memory. A time that only a handful of people alive today were part of. And then, only as children feeling the effects.
Remember the '20s not only for their Roaring but also for their restriction; the '30s for their meager times; and the '40s for the results of the previous two decades. Why? "Those who don't remember the past are doomed to repeat it."3
Yes, this post is purposefully vague. My hope is that my friend really isn't a prophet, but just a hack pulpiteer. My prayer is for her to be wrong. And to avoid anxiety or, worse, hysteria (mostly on my part), I refrain from passing along her prophecy.
It's time for something other than prophecies. It's time for some preachifying. Which brings us to the last quote for today. "The most valuable possession you can own is an open heart. The most powerful weapon you can be is an instrument of peace."4
If we all live by those words, perhaps we would never repeat our own mistakes.
1. William Shakespeare
2. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna
3. George Santayana
4. Carlos Santana
13.9.11
Really?
Overheard at my office...
"Schools are failing our children. My granddaughter takes civics at high school. She came home and said that our country is a democracy. I told her, 'No, it's not. It's a republic.' She kept insisting that it's a democracy because that's what she's been taught at school. Can you believe what they're teaching our kids these days?"
The person saying this is running for public office. And people wonder why our democratically elected government is dysfunctional.
[Title taken from this.]
"Schools are failing our children. My granddaughter takes civics at high school. She came home and said that our country is a democracy. I told her, 'No, it's not. It's a republic.' She kept insisting that it's a democracy because that's what she's been taught at school. Can you believe what they're teaching our kids these days?"
The person saying this is running for public office. And people wonder why our democratically elected government is dysfunctional.
[Title taken from this.]
10.6.11
Sweet Content Be Mine?
Yesterday's blog was a crap out. It was supposed to be Day 8 of the 30 Day Non-Facebook Prose-Instead-of-Pictures Challenge. Instead, my brain wouldn't come up with anything. Before heading into today's blog, let's recap the last three.
6.A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day - Yep
7.A picture of your most treasured item - TWO nights ago
8.A picture that makes you laugh - At Last!
Tonight after work, the Press Secretary had all the gals in the office over for Girls' Night. The conversation ran the gamut from genealogy to why some American men have a yen for Asian women. Beer and wine flowed freely. It's nice to kick back after a long week at the office.
So what part of that makes me laugh? Our Legislative Correspondent. She's the youngest of all the women in the office. During the past six months, her confidence level in herself as a person has really increased. During the first few weeks together as a new office, she tried to stifle her laugh. It's not a girly giggle. It's a snort. Her self-consciousness got in the way of truly expressing herself.
But her self-confidence has blossomed. She no longer holds back on her laughs, and snorts when she finds something really funny. Her laugh, uh, snort, is infectious. Hearing her makes me laugh. Well, maybe not laugh out loud, but smile broadly. At the same time, it makes me sad.
If my co-workers were to know that I'm even the slightest bit purple, they would probably not be as open and friendly as they currently are. I feel like I can't be myself around them. I'm hiding a major part of myself in order to keep a job. Although only one person in the office is openly hostile to people of the other party.
I wish I could tell them, "Hey, I'm not really a [insert party name]. I'm more of a liberal conservative or a conservative liberal or a Blue Dog [insert other party name]." But I feel like I would need to follow up with, "But I'm not a spy or a mole or a saboteur." I have a good friend who worked on the legislative staff of a member of the other party. Actually, I know several people like that. Of course, that was before 1992 when the climate on the Hill changed drastically. Until then, there had been comity and relationships across party lines. My former office was close to our next door neighbor who was of the other party.
Shortly after 1992, my former boss retired from Congress, as did his counterpart on their shared subcommittee. Neither of them liked the new atmosphere on the Hill. Things have only gotten worse over the last 20 years. People are more polarized and quick to judge others based on their political beliefs.
Even as the LC's snorting laugh makes me smile and laugh, not being able to fully share who I am keeps a cloud over that smile. As with most things in life, it's bittersweet.
Title taken from this.
6.A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day - Yep
7.A picture of your most treasured item - TWO nights ago
8.A picture that makes you laugh - At Last!
Tonight after work, the Press Secretary had all the gals in the office over for Girls' Night. The conversation ran the gamut from genealogy to why some American men have a yen for Asian women. Beer and wine flowed freely. It's nice to kick back after a long week at the office.
So what part of that makes me laugh? Our Legislative Correspondent. She's the youngest of all the women in the office. During the past six months, her confidence level in herself as a person has really increased. During the first few weeks together as a new office, she tried to stifle her laugh. It's not a girly giggle. It's a snort. Her self-consciousness got in the way of truly expressing herself.
But her self-confidence has blossomed. She no longer holds back on her laughs, and snorts when she finds something really funny. Her laugh, uh, snort, is infectious. Hearing her makes me laugh. Well, maybe not laugh out loud, but smile broadly. At the same time, it makes me sad.
If my co-workers were to know that I'm even the slightest bit purple, they would probably not be as open and friendly as they currently are. I feel like I can't be myself around them. I'm hiding a major part of myself in order to keep a job. Although only one person in the office is openly hostile to people of the other party.
I wish I could tell them, "Hey, I'm not really a [insert party name]. I'm more of a liberal conservative or a conservative liberal or a Blue Dog [insert other party name]." But I feel like I would need to follow up with, "But I'm not a spy or a mole or a saboteur." I have a good friend who worked on the legislative staff of a member of the other party. Actually, I know several people like that. Of course, that was before 1992 when the climate on the Hill changed drastically. Until then, there had been comity and relationships across party lines. My former office was close to our next door neighbor who was of the other party.
Shortly after 1992, my former boss retired from Congress, as did his counterpart on their shared subcommittee. Neither of them liked the new atmosphere on the Hill. Things have only gotten worse over the last 20 years. People are more polarized and quick to judge others based on their political beliefs.
Even as the LC's snorting laugh makes me smile and laugh, not being able to fully share who I am keeps a cloud over that smile. As with most things in life, it's bittersweet.
Title taken from this.
13.5.11
Woody and Leadbelly Redux
After a long week getting up close and personal in the sausage factory, um, I mean halls of Congress, this gal needs to get back to her roots. On the turntable tonight...
1."Sylvie" (Leadbelly)
2."Pretty Boy Floyd" (Woody Guthrie)
3."Do Re Mi" (Woody Guthrie)
4."I Ain't Got No Home" (Woody Guthrie)
5."Jesus Christ" (Woody Guthrie)
6."Rock Island Line" (Leadbelly)
7."East Texas Red" (Woody Guthrie)
8."Philadelphia Lawyer" (Woody Guthrie)
9."Hobo's Lullaby" (Woody Guthrie)
10."The Bourgeois Blues" (Leadbelly)
11."Grey Goose" (Leadbelly)
12."Goodnight, Irene" (Leadbelly)
13."Vigilante Man" (Woody Guthrie)
14."This Land Is Your Land" (Woody Guthrie)
Comfort music. Now where's my mac and cheese?
1."Sylvie" (Leadbelly)
2."Pretty Boy Floyd" (Woody Guthrie)
3."Do Re Mi" (Woody Guthrie)
4."I Ain't Got No Home" (Woody Guthrie)
5."Jesus Christ" (Woody Guthrie)
6."Rock Island Line" (Leadbelly)
7."East Texas Red" (Woody Guthrie)
8."Philadelphia Lawyer" (Woody Guthrie)
9."Hobo's Lullaby" (Woody Guthrie)
10."The Bourgeois Blues" (Leadbelly)
11."Grey Goose" (Leadbelly)
12."Goodnight, Irene" (Leadbelly)
13."Vigilante Man" (Woody Guthrie)
14."This Land Is Your Land" (Woody Guthrie)
Comfort music. Now where's my mac and cheese?
6.5.11
Purple People Meter*
Past blogs have extolled my mundanity and averageness. A Regular Jane. Main Street Denizen. Mainline Protestant. Middle of the road, garden variety, dime a dozen.
Now it's confirmed that my politics are smack dab in the middle as well. The Pew Research Center released their 2011 Political Typology. It's nothing that we didn't already know. The two political extremes are more polarized. And the middle is hard to define.
How do you classify someone who is pro-choice, pro-death penalty, anti-DREAM Act, pro-English only, pro-nuclear power, anti-flat tax, pro-gay marriage, anti-divorce, pro-gun rights, anti-lead bullets, anti-school sex ed classes, anti-needle exchange, pro-military draft? Someone who attends church every week and flies the American flag every day? Someone who buys all organic food and mows her yard with a reel push mower but drives an SUV and refuses to use CFL light bulbs?
The Pew Research Center confirmed that I'm as purple as they come. A "Post-Modern". Take the test. Find out what you are. Then tell me. Are you who you think you are?
*Title inspired by this.
Now it's confirmed that my politics are smack dab in the middle as well. The Pew Research Center released their 2011 Political Typology. It's nothing that we didn't already know. The two political extremes are more polarized. And the middle is hard to define.
How do you classify someone who is pro-choice, pro-death penalty, anti-DREAM Act, pro-English only, pro-nuclear power, anti-flat tax, pro-gay marriage, anti-divorce, pro-gun rights, anti-lead bullets, anti-school sex ed classes, anti-needle exchange, pro-military draft? Someone who attends church every week and flies the American flag every day? Someone who buys all organic food and mows her yard with a reel push mower but drives an SUV and refuses to use CFL light bulbs?
The Pew Research Center confirmed that I'm as purple as they come. A "Post-Modern". Take the test. Find out what you are. Then tell me. Are you who you think you are?
*Title inspired by this.
16.4.11
Mutually Exclusive
Would you rather:
- Take a pill everyday that would provide your body with the exact vitamins, minerals, and calories and guarantee perfect health and weight but never be able to eat anything ever again OR never have perfect health and weight but eat anything you wanted?
- Have power but little money OR have money but little power?
- Pay $8 for a gallon of water OR pay $8 for a gallon of gas?
- Be blind OR be deaf?
- Live in Khartoum, Sudan OR live in Yakutsk, Siberian Russia?
- Be only 4 feet tall OR be 7 1/2 feet tall?
- Always have summer OR always have winter?
- Live in a fascist society OR live in a communist society?
- Have polluted rivers OR have polluted air?
- Die of cancer OR die of a heart attack?
- Have all mountains leveled OR have the Grand Canyon become the Grand Lake?
- Have no more movies OR have no more books?
9.4.11
Ticking Away the Moments That Make Up a Full Day
Sixteen hours! In one day!
Yep, that's right. My day began on Friday morning at 8:30 a.m. It ended at 12:30 a.m. Saturday. The airline reservations were confirmed at 12:15 a.m. This is how work weeks creep above 60 hours. With early mornings (like Tuesday at 7:30) and late nights (like tonight).
I'm about to do an impression of a bear during winter. My cave-bed is calling. There's nothing on my calendar until church on Sunday morning. Of course, there's always the Sunday 5:00 p.m. service. It would allow for several more hours of hibernation.
Yep, that's right. My day began on Friday morning at 8:30 a.m. It ended at 12:30 a.m. Saturday. The airline reservations were confirmed at 12:15 a.m. This is how work weeks creep above 60 hours. With early mornings (like Tuesday at 7:30) and late nights (like tonight).
I'm about to do an impression of a bear during winter. My cave-bed is calling. There's nothing on my calendar until church on Sunday morning. Of course, there's always the Sunday 5:00 p.m. service. It would allow for several more hours of hibernation.
27.3.11
Woe Me of Low Moral Standards
Us versus them. Regardless of what the issue is. We'll take a side because being undecided is anathema to most people. Or so I have come to believe.
The office staff assistant attended the cross-state rival of my university. He always rags me for my choice of colleges. Last week I told him of a couple we know who are in a mixed marriage. She went to the cross-state rival; he attended the neighboring state school, still in the same football-great conference.
"Not only that, they're also a mixed marriage because he's a Democrat and she's a Republican."
"I could never date a Democrat."
"Look at Mary Matalin and James Carville."
"But how could anyone date a Democrat? Their moral standards are appalling. They have no moral standards at all."
I thought to myself: 'Really? Are you serious? I call myself a moderate Democrat. I've been married to one man, and only one, for 20 years. I have three daughters. We are all very active in our church, Girl Scouts, and the neighborhood. I'm active in the Junior League, the Daughters of the American Revolution, and my sorority alumnae chapter. Mr. Gaelic and I both served on the vestry at our church; I taught Sunday School; organized the teenage-equivalent of Vacation Bible School; Mr. G organized an overflow winter shelter for the homeless. Oh, and I stayed home to raise my children rather than abdicate the role of mother to a childcare provider or the nearest relative.'
At this point in the conversation my tongue was bleeding, which it had to if I want to keep my job.
I must be the most naive person on the face of the earth. Or else I'm that rarest of all creatures, one that has rarely been spotted in the last twenty years, leading many people to assume our extinction. I'm a person who will associate with both Jew and Gentile, Democrat and Republican, state college and cross-state college. I'm a person who asks campaign workers on election day to convince me why I should vote for their candidate (only done when I can find representatives of all candidates in one place and has driven all over town to find them). I'm a person who visited a mosque because I wanted to see firsthand what their worship is like. I'm a person who rooted for the... oh, nevermind... I never rooted for the cross-state rival. I'm not as independent as I thought I was.
It used to be that the word liberal meant open-minded. Now it's a pejorative for anyone too far to the left. Yet I know just as many left-of-center folks who are as stubbornly set in their ways as an equal number of right-of-center folks. That, to me, is not being open-minded. It's as closed-minded as the left considers the right.
So what are we rarest-of-the-rare independent creatures to do? Those of us who consider the whole of the situation without letting our prejudices weigh us down.
Hello??? Is there anybody out there? Is there anyone home?
The office staff assistant attended the cross-state rival of my university. He always rags me for my choice of colleges. Last week I told him of a couple we know who are in a mixed marriage. She went to the cross-state rival; he attended the neighboring state school, still in the same football-great conference.
"Not only that, they're also a mixed marriage because he's a Democrat and she's a Republican."
"I could never date a Democrat."
"Look at Mary Matalin and James Carville."
"But how could anyone date a Democrat? Their moral standards are appalling. They have no moral standards at all."
I thought to myself: 'Really? Are you serious? I call myself a moderate Democrat. I've been married to one man, and only one, for 20 years. I have three daughters. We are all very active in our church, Girl Scouts, and the neighborhood. I'm active in the Junior League, the Daughters of the American Revolution, and my sorority alumnae chapter. Mr. Gaelic and I both served on the vestry at our church; I taught Sunday School; organized the teenage-equivalent of Vacation Bible School; Mr. G organized an overflow winter shelter for the homeless. Oh, and I stayed home to raise my children rather than abdicate the role of mother to a childcare provider or the nearest relative.'
At this point in the conversation my tongue was bleeding, which it had to if I want to keep my job.
I must be the most naive person on the face of the earth. Or else I'm that rarest of all creatures, one that has rarely been spotted in the last twenty years, leading many people to assume our extinction. I'm a person who will associate with both Jew and Gentile, Democrat and Republican, state college and cross-state college. I'm a person who asks campaign workers on election day to convince me why I should vote for their candidate (only done when I can find representatives of all candidates in one place and has driven all over town to find them). I'm a person who visited a mosque because I wanted to see firsthand what their worship is like. I'm a person who rooted for the... oh, nevermind... I never rooted for the cross-state rival. I'm not as independent as I thought I was.
It used to be that the word liberal meant open-minded. Now it's a pejorative for anyone too far to the left. Yet I know just as many left-of-center folks who are as stubbornly set in their ways as an equal number of right-of-center folks. That, to me, is not being open-minded. It's as closed-minded as the left considers the right.
So what are we rarest-of-the-rare independent creatures to do? Those of us who consider the whole of the situation without letting our prejudices weigh us down.
Hello??? Is there anybody out there? Is there anyone home?
15.1.11
A Scheduler's Work is Never Done
My friend listened to my complaint about wanting to be caught up at work. I feel like I'm one day ahead and two weeks behind. To me, the ideal would be to leave every day having acted in some way on every meeting request that came across my desk.
"That's unrealistic," she said, "because the minute you get up from your desk there will be another phone call or email. You won't get a break."
"By the end of the week then."
"How about Thursday for being caught up?"
"Why not Friday?"
"Friday is the last day of the week. People will realize they haven't sent you their meeting request and don't want it on their mind over the weekend. Friday and Monday are your busiest days."
Poo-poo! Friday is the end of the week. People will want to focus on getting out of the office and on to the weekend.
Not!
She was right. Yesterday there were 78 emails when I arrived at my desk at 8:20 a.m. The only breaks from constant work were to take employment papers to the finance office, pick up forms from the travel office, and have lunch. The only time in the two weeks of work that lunch wasn't eaten at my desk.
Keep in mind that work was constant. At times there were four lines ringing at once on my direct line. Some people called the legislative staff to have them ask me for a meeting with the congressman. The incoming stream of emails was constant during the day. With the congressman and the chief of staff both out of the office, I left work early. At 5:50 p.m. The first time before 6:30 in the two weeks that I've been working.
Before shutting down my computer, I checked the number of emails in my inbox. 72! It's progress.
"That's unrealistic," she said, "because the minute you get up from your desk there will be another phone call or email. You won't get a break."
"By the end of the week then."
"How about Thursday for being caught up?"
"Why not Friday?"
"Friday is the last day of the week. People will realize they haven't sent you their meeting request and don't want it on their mind over the weekend. Friday and Monday are your busiest days."
Poo-poo! Friday is the end of the week. People will want to focus on getting out of the office and on to the weekend.
Not!
She was right. Yesterday there were 78 emails when I arrived at my desk at 8:20 a.m. The only breaks from constant work were to take employment papers to the finance office, pick up forms from the travel office, and have lunch. The only time in the two weeks of work that lunch wasn't eaten at my desk.
Keep in mind that work was constant. At times there were four lines ringing at once on my direct line. Some people called the legislative staff to have them ask me for a meeting with the congressman. The incoming stream of emails was constant during the day. With the congressman and the chief of staff both out of the office, I left work early. At 5:50 p.m. The first time before 6:30 in the two weeks that I've been working.
Before shutting down my computer, I checked the number of emails in my inbox. 72! It's progress.
9.1.11
Menu Plan: January 10 - January 16
In actuality it may have been only a week since the last menu plan was posted. It feels like two weeks. In the intervening seven days, my first experience in the paid workforce in many years began; my boss was sworn in as a freshman Member of Congress; another congressman and a senator both called me by name and hugged me in front of my coworkers; and I met another congressman who went to high school with my brother-in-law. Additionally, my New Year’s Resolution of cutting back on fast food for lunch is intact. And finally, a congresswoman from Arizona was shot at an official public event which killed at least one of her staffers.
Welcome to the life of a public servant.
The only rub is actually preparing a nutritious supper for the children, Mr. Gaelic, and me. The plan that I so diligently worked on last weekend in preparation for the first week on the job fell to pieces on Wednesday. Maybe working 52 hours this week had something to do with it. Wednesday and Thursday evenings ended up not with supper but with falling into bed two hours before my usual bedtime.
Lunches on the other hand ended up being much healthier than my usual fast food drive-thru. Truth be told, the plans for sack lunches fell apart Sunday evening when they weren’t prepared ahead of time. Instead, the cafeteria in my building has a variety of vegetables sides that end up being afterthoughts for most folks.
Here is this week’s plan.
Welcome to the life of a public servant.
The only rub is actually preparing a nutritious supper for the children, Mr. Gaelic, and me. The plan that I so diligently worked on last weekend in preparation for the first week on the job fell to pieces on Wednesday. Maybe working 52 hours this week had something to do with it. Wednesday and Thursday evenings ended up not with supper but with falling into bed two hours before my usual bedtime.
Lunches on the other hand ended up being much healthier than my usual fast food drive-thru. Truth be told, the plans for sack lunches fell apart Sunday evening when they weren’t prepared ahead of time. Instead, the cafeteria in my building has a variety of vegetables sides that end up being afterthoughts for most folks.
Here is this week’s plan.
- Monday
- Breakfast: oatmeal
- Lunch: cafeteria meal
- Supper: uhhhh…
- Tuesday
- Breakfast: cereal
- Lunch: cafeteria meal
- Supper: hmmm…
- Wednesday
- Breakfast: soft boiled eggs, toast
- Lunch: cafeteria meal
- Supper: to be determined…
- Thursday
- Breakfast: cream of wheat
- Lunch: cafeteria meal
- Supper: no earthly idea…
- Friday
- Breakfast: cinnamon toast
- Lunch: cafeteria meal
- Supper: pint of ice cream or popcorn???
- Saturday
- Breakfast: sausage, eggs, grits, toast
- Lunch: tomato soup, grilled cheese sandwiches
- Supper: let’s just stand in front of the freezer until something comes to mind
- Sunday
- Breakfast: waffles, sausage
- Dinner: roast chicken, carrots, green beans
- Supper: can we have tomato soup and grilled cheese again???
8.1.11
Truth or Consequences
You're all sworn to secrecy about what I'm going to tell you. The reason for the secrecy is also the reason you're reading this here on Blogspot rather than on the MSN site. My former blog is shuttered because of a stalker. Bear with me in my cryptic ways of blogging. It's for safety reasons.
Last month, after taking time away from the paid workforce to raise my children, I accepted a job with an incoming Member of C0ngress* from my home state. One of my blogs described the journey to this job. During the first week in the office, my boss was interviewed for one of the three major nightly news programs. In the segment was a very quick shot of me at work at my desk while his press secretary stood beside my chair. We were in the background as he was moving some things into the office. It's around the ten minute mark in the video.
My apologies for not explicitly saying my boss's name or home state. Please understand my need for a bit of privacy. Even by posting the past few blogs, my fear is that someone can still piece together too much information. Now for the consequences.
Please, please, please, if you have figured out all (even with my cryptic writing), keep it to yourself. If my stalker ever discovers this site, it too will be taken down.
*Purposefully typed wrong to throw off search engines.
Last month, after taking time away from the paid workforce to raise my children, I accepted a job with an incoming Member of C0ngress* from my home state. One of my blogs described the journey to this job. During the first week in the office, my boss was interviewed for one of the three major nightly news programs. In the segment was a very quick shot of me at work at my desk while his press secretary stood beside my chair. We were in the background as he was moving some things into the office. It's around the ten minute mark in the video.
My apologies for not explicitly saying my boss's name or home state. Please understand my need for a bit of privacy. Even by posting the past few blogs, my fear is that someone can still piece together too much information. Now for the consequences.
Please, please, please, if you have figured out all (even with my cryptic writing), keep it to yourself. If my stalker ever discovers this site, it too will be taken down.
*Purposefully typed wrong to throw off search engines.
7.1.11
Twofer; or, Update to Hi Mom
Since there was more than one request for a link to the video that I mentioned on Wednesday, here is the video. Look closely. I'm not on camera that long.
3.1.11
Is It Friday Yet?
We pulled away from the house this morning at 7:40 a.m. and returned at 8:35 p.m. You've got to be kidding me! Five days a week, 48 weeks a year, for the next 13 years? Lunch was eaten at my desk all the while still working. This is insane! Granted, we had to go straight from work to pick up Maeve from her ballet class. But still. Mondays will be long days.
Tomorrow Mr. Gaelic has to be at his office at 7:45 a.m. We'll probably leave around 7:15. No ballet, so we'll be home by 6:45 p.m. Then the schedule gets better with "normal" hours of leaving around 8:00 a.m. and returning around 6:45.
Eleven, twelve, thirteen hour days are the norm for people who work on Capitol Hill. Once, in my first incarnation on the Hill, I was still in the office at 11:00 p.m. At Mr. Gaelic's present office, he has even had days that lasted until 1:30 a.m. Yes, that's almost an 18-hour day.
God, it feels great to be back where I started!
Tomorrow Mr. Gaelic has to be at his office at 7:45 a.m. We'll probably leave around 7:15. No ballet, so we'll be home by 6:45 p.m. Then the schedule gets better with "normal" hours of leaving around 8:00 a.m. and returning around 6:45.
Eleven, twelve, thirteen hour days are the norm for people who work on Capitol Hill. Once, in my first incarnation on the Hill, I was still in the office at 11:00 p.m. At Mr. Gaelic's present office, he has even had days that lasted until 1:30 a.m. Yes, that's almost an 18-hour day.
God, it feels great to be back where I started!
2.1.11
Menu Plan: January 3 - January 9
Now that my dirty little secret isn't so secret anymore, perhaps the menu plans will include lunch. My dirty little secret? Fast-food drive-thru for lunch. As a full-time mother for the last 15 years, I fell into the habit of eating fast food while out running errands. Eating in the car between stops meant more efficiency. But at the expense of my waistline, and maybe my health.
Starting an office job tomorrow means either taking my lunch or eating in the cafeteria. At least for the first week. Mr. Gaelic suggested getting away from the office for lunch. It's good to have a change of scenery.
So, for Laoch and Gail, here is an attempt at eating a clean lunch.
Truth be told, I have mixed emotions about my new job. I'm excited to be back in the political world of Capitol Hill. At the same time, I'm anxious about the logistics of latch-key kids, wholesome suppers, and running errands. Heaven help me.
Almighty God, whose Son Jesus Christ in his earthly life
shared our toil and hallowed our labor: Be present with
thy people where they work; make those who carry on
the industries and commerce of this land responsive to thy
will; and give to us all a pride in what we do, and a just
return for our labor; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who
liveth and reigneth with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen. (BCP, p. 208)
Starting an office job tomorrow means either taking my lunch or eating in the cafeteria. At least for the first week. Mr. Gaelic suggested getting away from the office for lunch. It's good to have a change of scenery.
So, for Laoch and Gail, here is an attempt at eating a clean lunch.
- Monday
- Breakfast: cream of wheat
- Lunch: ham and Swiss on sourdough, chips, apple, 2 chocolate pieces
- Supper: chef's surprise (Finola is still home from college and will cook)
- Tuesday
- Breakfast: cereal
- Lunch: turkey and provolone on spelt, chips, clementine, 2 chocolate pieces
- Supper: beef Stroganov (Deirdre's specialty since she will cook)
- Wednesday
- Breakfast: soft boiled eggs, toast
- Lunch: office reception (it's Swearing-In day for the 112th Congress)
- Supper: kidney beans, fried okra, kale
- Thursday
- Breakfast: oatmeal
- Lunch: ham and Swiss on spelt, chips, banana, 2 chocolate pieces
- Supper: vegetable soup, homemade bread (probably overly ambitious but we'll see)
- Friday
- Breakfast: cinnamon toast
- Lunch: turkey and provolone on sourdough, chips, apple, 2 chocolate pieces
- Supper: dinner out to celebrate the first week on the job
- Saturday
- Breakfast: sausage, eggs, grits, toast
- Lunch: leftover soup
- Supper: steak, baked potato
- Sunday
- Breakfast: waffles, sausage
- Dinner: chicken 'n' dumplin's, broccoli, carrots
- Supper: PB&J sandwiches, chips
Truth be told, I have mixed emotions about my new job. I'm excited to be back in the political world of Capitol Hill. At the same time, I'm anxious about the logistics of latch-key kids, wholesome suppers, and running errands. Heaven help me.
Almighty God, whose Son Jesus Christ in his earthly life
shared our toil and hallowed our labor: Be present with
thy people where they work; make those who carry on
the industries and commerce of this land responsive to thy
will; and give to us all a pride in what we do, and a just
return for our labor; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who
liveth and reigneth with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen. (BCP, p. 208)
28.12.10
On the Fourth Day of Christmas
After a successful trip for haircuts, seeing Mom's new office was a highlight of the day. Unfortunately, it was locked. Why waste a good visit to a House Office Building without paying a visit to the House ID Office.
The man at the desk was so helpful. After checking my driver's license and recording who was taking the forms, he simply gave me the ID forms to be completed for the Congressman, his wife and adult children, and the office staff. He was friendly and talked to Deirdre about college selection. And who says government workers aren't helpful? In fact, everyone we encountered on the Hill today was exceedingly helpful and friendly.
So the next time that you hear someone degrade civil servants, the government, or the folks on Capitol Hill, just tell them that you know someone who works there who just happens to be the nicest person. And politely ask them to take it back, for my sake.
The man at the desk was so helpful. After checking my driver's license and recording who was taking the forms, he simply gave me the ID forms to be completed for the Congressman, his wife and adult children, and the office staff. He was friendly and talked to Deirdre about college selection. And who says government workers aren't helpful? In fact, everyone we encountered on the Hill today was exceedingly helpful and friendly.
So the next time that you hear someone degrade civil servants, the government, or the folks on Capitol Hill, just tell them that you know someone who works there who just happens to be the nicest person. And politely ask them to take it back, for my sake.
24.12.10
Winding Down and Catching Up
If you’re my friend in real life, you probably know that when it comes to politics I’m Russia – a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. You also know that although I call myself a [insert political party], I have voted for both parties.
If the past is prologue, then I am back where I began.
It all began on the Senate side of Capitol Hill working for a [insert political party]. My hometown Congressman hired me away from the Senator after less than a year in DC. After I left the Hill to work as a lobbyist, the Senator switched parties. As I noted to my other lobbyists, switching parties didn’t change the way he voted. It was probably all those breakfasts at the White House with the President who was a [insert other political party].
Now that my children are older and Finola is attending a private Ivy League college, going back to paid employment was in the game plan. My life as a scheduler will begin the first Monday in January. The Congressman is a [insert other political party].
The circle is now complete. Come January, I will have worked on both sides of the Capitol and both sides of the aisle. As with any job, there are pros and cons. The pros definitely outweigh the cons. Cue the Stones.
If the past is prologue, then I am back where I began.
It all began on the Senate side of Capitol Hill working for a [insert political party]. My hometown Congressman hired me away from the Senator after less than a year in DC. After I left the Hill to work as a lobbyist, the Senator switched parties. As I noted to my other lobbyists, switching parties didn’t change the way he voted. It was probably all those breakfasts at the White House with the President who was a [insert other political party].
Now that my children are older and Finola is attending a private Ivy League college, going back to paid employment was in the game plan. My life as a scheduler will begin the first Monday in January. The Congressman is a [insert other political party].
The circle is now complete. Come January, I will have worked on both sides of the Capitol and both sides of the aisle. As with any job, there are pros and cons. The pros definitely outweigh the cons. Cue the Stones.
11.12.10
256 Shades of Me
Contradictions in my life are a norm. Usually because society today tends to only see things in black and white, although there are many shades of grey. Take, for example, some of my liberal opinions.
But once people learn my conservative beliefs behind my leftist opinions, they get a clearer picture.
I don't believe we can legislate or force our religious views and morality onto others. We tried that once. It didn't work. (See the 18th and 21st Amendments to the Constitution.) As much as we may dislike being a melting pot of religions and races and beliefs, having a majority Christian population (for now) should not give us license to inflict our beliefs on minority populations (who might become majority populations in the future and want to inflict their beliefs on us).
According to a paraphrase of Winston Churchill, I am Russia. I am a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. However, with that quote, now everyone will be seeing red and calling me a Pinko Socialist Commie rather than seeing all of my shades of grey.
- I believe there should be no Ten Commandments on courthouse squares or behind judges' benches and there should be no Bible to swear on before a jury.
- The Church should not be authorized by the State to perform legally binding marriage rites.
- Stores should not decorate for Christmas.
But once people learn my conservative beliefs behind my leftist opinions, they get a clearer picture.
- I am a Christian. At some point there may be a Hindu or Muslim or Wiccan judge who wants to post some of their religious writings behind the bench. I don't want to see that in a courtroom or on the courthouse square. I don't want to have to swear on some Wiccan book before a jury. To prevent that from happening, no one should be allowed to have anything.
- Too many churches are already performing same-sex ceremonies. In wanting to welcome all of God's children, these churches are ignoring the Biblical purpose of marriage. There should be two marriage ceremonies, the legal one performed by the State and the religious one performed by the Church. Those who want only the legally binding contract of a marriage certificate would see a probate judge or his representative. Those who want to live in the Biblically-sanctioned institution of marriage would also have a marriage rite in the Church.
- Christmas is religious holy day, not a time to make money for stores. As a Christian, I don't celebrate Hanukkah or Passover (although I have been invited to Seders and Shabbat dinners). Seeing non-Christians, or worse former Christians who now claim to be atheists, decorating a tree and going carolling doesn't celebrate Jesus's birth. Why not only sell Christmas trees at churches on Sundays (or Saturday evenings if there's a service then) to parishioners? You want to celebrate Christmas? Go to church!
I don't believe we can legislate or force our religious views and morality onto others. We tried that once. It didn't work. (See the 18th and 21st Amendments to the Constitution.) As much as we may dislike being a melting pot of religions and races and beliefs, having a majority Christian population (for now) should not give us license to inflict our beliefs on minority populations (who might become majority populations in the future and want to inflict their beliefs on us).
According to a paraphrase of Winston Churchill, I am Russia. I am a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. However, with that quote, now everyone will be seeing red and calling me a Pinko Socialist Commie rather than seeing all of my shades of grey.
8.12.10
She Comes from Alabama with a Resume on her Knee
For those of you who wished me luck in my job interview, you are the best! My phone interview with the Chief of Staff went very well. So well, in fact that in setting up a time for the interview through email exchanges, he remarked that given my previous experience he felt like he was walking into a BMW showroom.
Then came the interview with the Big Boss. In all my life I have never had an interview with someone in his hotel room. He invited Mr. Gaelic to come along; so I took him with me.
We chatted. I think I passed because while I was sitting there he called the Chief of Staff and told him that if he wanted to hire me to do it. I think the job is mine. We just have to make it official.
My professional life officially started while I was in law school in my home state of Alabama. To help pay for tuition, I worked in the district office of one of the U.S. Senators from Alabama. He offered me a position in his Washington office and I didn't look back. Eight months after moving to DC, my hometown congressman wanted to hire me since I was from his district. In total I was there seven years before moving "downtown" to a lobbying firm where I lobbied for medical education and medical research.
While pregnant with Maeve, our third child, I decided that I really wanted to be a full-time mother with my youngest and be there for all her milestones. Which is what I've been for all these years now.
But now I'm headed back to work on Capitol Hill for a freshman Member of Congress from my home state. I'm pretty sure the job is mine.
All this is a way of letting you know more of who I am. And also to explain that my blogging days will be numbered. After January with the new Congress, I will not be posting updates on Facebook or uploading blogs here. My time will belong to the constituents of the congressman's district, which incidentally is also my mother-in-law's district.
I will try to blog whenever I can. I love and appreciate each and every one of you.
Then came the interview with the Big Boss. In all my life I have never had an interview with someone in his hotel room. He invited Mr. Gaelic to come along; so I took him with me.
We chatted. I think I passed because while I was sitting there he called the Chief of Staff and told him that if he wanted to hire me to do it. I think the job is mine. We just have to make it official.
My professional life officially started while I was in law school in my home state of Alabama. To help pay for tuition, I worked in the district office of one of the U.S. Senators from Alabama. He offered me a position in his Washington office and I didn't look back. Eight months after moving to DC, my hometown congressman wanted to hire me since I was from his district. In total I was there seven years before moving "downtown" to a lobbying firm where I lobbied for medical education and medical research.
While pregnant with Maeve, our third child, I decided that I really wanted to be a full-time mother with my youngest and be there for all her milestones. Which is what I've been for all these years now.
But now I'm headed back to work on Capitol Hill for a freshman Member of Congress from my home state. I'm pretty sure the job is mine.
All this is a way of letting you know more of who I am. And also to explain that my blogging days will be numbered. After January with the new Congress, I will not be posting updates on Facebook or uploading blogs here. My time will belong to the constituents of the congressman's district, which incidentally is also my mother-in-law's district.
I will try to blog whenever I can. I love and appreciate each and every one of you.
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