My favorite color is blue

Address by
Mayor Ross C. "Rocky" Anderson

Washington Square
Salt Lake City, Utah
August 30, 2006

...Blind faith in bad leaders is not patriotism.

A patriot does not tell people who are intensely concerned about their country to just sit down and be quiet; to refrain from speaking out in the name of politeness or for the sake of being a good host; to show slavish, blind obedience and deference to a dishonest, war-mongering, human-rights-violating president.

That is not a patriot. Rather, that person is a sycophant. That person is a
member of a frightening culture of obedience - a culture where falling in line
with authority is more important than choosing what is right, even if it is not
easy, safe, or popular. And, I suspect, that person is afraid - afraid we
are right, afraid of the truth (even to the point of denying it), afraid he or
she has put in with an oppressive, inhumane, regime that does not respect the
laws and traditions of our country, and that history will rank as the worst
presidency our nation has ever had to endure.

In response to those who believe we should blindly support this disastrous president, his administration, and the complacent, complicit Congress, listen to the words of Theodore Roosevelt, a great president and a Republican, who said:

The President is merely the most important among a large number of public servants. He should be supported or opposed exactly to the degree which is warranted by his good conduct or bad conduct, his efficiency or inefficiency in rendering loyal, able,
and disinterested service to the Nation as a whole. Therefore it is absolutely
necessary that there should be full liberty to tell the truth about his acts,
and this means that it is exactly necessary to blame him when he does wrong as
to praise him when he does right. Any other attitude in an American citizen is
both base and servile. To announce that there must be no criticism of the
President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only
unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.
Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or any one else. But it is even
more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about
any one else.

We are here today as truth-tellers.

And we are here to demand: "Give us the truth! Give us the truth! Give us the
truth!"

We are here today to insist that those who were elected to be ourleaders must tell us the truth.

We are here today to insist that our news media live up to its sacred responsibility to ascertain and report the truth - rather than acting like nothing more than a bulletin board for the lies and propaganda of a manipulative, dishonest federal government.

We have been getting just about everything but the truth on matters of life and
death . . . on matters upon which our nation's reputation hinges . . . on
matters that directly relate to our nation's fundamental values . . . and on
matters relating to the survival of our planet.

In the process, our nation has engaged in an unnecessary war, based upon false justifications.

More than a hundred thousand people have been killed - and many more have
been seriously maimed, brain damaged, or rendered mentally ill. Our
nation's reputation throughout much of the world has been destroyed. We
have many more enemies bent on our destruction than before our invasion of Iraq. And the hatred toward us has grown to the point that it will take many years, perhaps generations, to overcome the loathing created by our invasion and
occupation of a Muslim country.

What incredible ineptitude and callousness for our President to talk about a Crusade while lying to us to make a case for the invasion and occupation of a Muslim country!

Our children and later generations will pay the price of the lies, the violence, the
cruelty, the incompetence, and the inhumanity of the Bush administration and the
lackey Congress that has so cowardly abrogated its responsibility and authority
under our checks-and-balances system of government.

We are here to say, "We will not stand for it any more. No more lies. No more pre-emptive, illegal war, based on false information. No more God-is-on-our-side religious nonsense to justify this immoral, illegal war. No more inhumanity."

Let's raise our voices, and demand, "Give us the truth! Give us the truth! Give us the truth!"...
(Salt Lake City Rally Protests the Bush Administration and Congress

by Mayor Rocky Anderson, Wed Aug 30, 2006 at 04:44:35 PM EST)

September is...

September is, now the ninth month of the year, was named because it fell as the seventh month in the Roman calendar. The Dutch call it "fish month," and the Saxons, "Gerst-monath" (barley-month), or Hærfest-monath (harvest month), the Irish called it "the month of plenty", and the Welsh, "the month of reaping." In Slovakia September is "the time when the goats rut," and in Russia September is "the gloomy month or the month of dirt," but I think the Polish say it best when they call it "Old Women's Summer."

The weather traditions for September are:

• "If it be fair on the first day of September, it will remain so at least to the beginning of October."
• If the squirrels are burying lots of nuts in September, we'll have a hard winter

The full moon names for September are:

• Full Harvest Moon
• Full Corn Moon
• Full Barley Moon
• Wine Moon
  
• Singing Moon
  
• Sturgeon Moon
  
• Haligmonath (Holy Month)
• Witumanoth (Wood Month)
  
• Moon When Deer Paw the Earth

In September, Jupiter is something you should look for in the night sky. Other than the Moon, Jupiter shines brighter than anything. Jupiter is so bright because it is at opposition. This is a position similar to when we view a full Moon and like a full Moon, Jupiter will rise in the east at sunset, which makes it cconvenient to plan your night viewing trips. Don't forget the binoculars or a small telescope, because with them you can easily see the four big moons of Jupiter.

The Fall Equinox will be on September 23, 12:03 A.M. EDT. More about that as it approaches, but put it on your calendar now so you don't miss it!

September is...

Fall Hat Month, Be Kind to Editors & Writers Month (Check the link for ways to be kind.), Library Card Sign-Up Month, Metaphysical Awareness Month, Read-A-New-Book Month, Sea Cadet Month, National Literacy Month, Children's Eye Health And Safety Month, Children's Good Manners Month, Marrow Donor Awareness Month, Modern Rock Month, National Chicken Month, National Cholesterol Education Month, National Coupon Month, National Hispanic Heritage Month, National Honey Month, National Little League Month, National Mushroom Month, National Organic Harvest Month, National Piano Month, Wild Rice Month, National School Success Month, National Sickle Cell Month, National Sight Saving Month, Save the Tiger Month, Southern Gospel Music Month, Stop The Violence And Save Our Kids Month, National Sight Saving Month, National Youth Activities Month, National Rehabilitation Month, Great American Breakfast Month, National Gum Care Month, Baby Safety Month, College Savings Month, Hug a Texas Chef Month (Can Texans be more annoying?), Self Awareness Month, Internet Safety Month, Biscuit Month, Childhood Injury Month, National Sewing Month, National Youth Pastors Appreciation Month, National Ovarian Cancer Month, National Please Your Mate Month or Pleasure Your Mate Month, Update Your Resume Month, Healthy Aging Month, Childhood Cancer Month, Pediculosis Prevention Month, Potato Month, Pain Awareness Month, Self-Improvement Month, United Planet Month, National Shameless Promotions Month, National Subliminal Marketing Month, Humor in Business Month, Classical Music Month, Civics Awareness Month, International People Skills Month, International Square Dancing Month, International Gay Square Dance Month, Blueberry Popsicle Month, Cable TV Month (Do not celebrate this- celebrate Read-A-New-Book-Month!), and Reunion Planning Month (Perfect timing for all those people moving away... plan now when you are to come back!)

National Toasted Marshmallow Day, August 30th

National Toasted Marshmallow Day

Say good-bye to summer with a toasted marshmallow.

That's all I can write because I am still at work, in a meeting, and I am supposed to be taking minutes.

(Please, someone send me a text message that I have an emergency at home!)

Lemon Juice Day, August 29th

Lemon Juice Day

Lemon juice. Love it! Love it sweet, love it savory, love it fresh squeezed on calamari... um, um, there is nothing better!

There are so many things that we can do with lemon juice. We can write secret messages with it. (Just take a cotton swab and dip it in lemon juice and write your message on white paper. When you are ready for your message to be revealed... hold the paper up to a lamp or other heat source. Voila! Secret message revealed!)

We also can use lemon juice for many, many different beauty routines. It can lighten discolored elbows; exfoliate dead skin; diminish the appearance of freckles and age spots; lighten and condition your hair, or as a dandruff treatment; or it can be used as an astringent toner for oily skin. Who knew lemon juice was so versatile!

But perhaps the best use for lemons is for food. Yummy, yummy, food. One of my favorite uses for a lemon is to squish it have to death and the stick it in the butt of a chicken or a Cornish Game Hen before baking it. With a little sprinkling of herbs and olive oil on the top, you have a lemon infused chicken when you are done. Yummy!

My Favorite Lemon Cake:

Grandmother's Pound Cake

1 Cup Butter
2 Cups granulated sugar
2 1/4 cups sifted flour
6 eggs
Juice of one lemon
1 Tablespoon of lemon rind finely chopped
3 teaspoons of vanilla or 1 teaspoon lemon extract (your choice)
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Optional: 1/4 cup poppy seeds

Use mixer and cream together butter and sugar. Add flour and eggs alternately, one at a time to creamed mixture. Add lemon juice, vanilla, and salt. Bake one hour and 20 minutes in creased and floured angel food cake pan at 325 degrees F. Let cool for 10 minutes then turn out on cake rack. Serve plain or with summer fruits.

(This recipe has been modified to make me happy from the A Taste of Oregon Cookbook)

So, everyone, take a second and have something with lemon juice today! It's so yummy!

Race Your Mouse Around the Icons Day

Race Your Mouse Around the Icons Day

It's Race Your Mouse Around the Icons Day, and if you have time at work to do that, here are some fun, time-wasting games that you can use your mouse for today: Big Red Button, Wordspell, Kill Mosquito, Newton's Nightmare, Little Man, The Urinal Game

Enjoy!

Make Your Own Lucky Day Day, Women's Equality Day, August 26th

Make Your Own Lucky Day Day

I stalled my post about Make Your Own Lucky Day Day, because I just had a feeling about today. Yeah. Today has not really been a lucky day. Apparently, all the oasis in the north Utah County area has been bought out by people doing weddings and stuff, so normal people who just want to arrange flowers for a birthday present... can't. (I have the flowers, and the container... and now what do I do?)

So, now, I have three hours to make a black veil to wear for my costume (All those Utah wedding people are really missing out on the Gothic wedding market.) And figure out how to arrange flowers without oasis. Any ideas would be helpful... or if anyone knows where there might be some extra Felix Felicis lying around...

I, know, I know, this is all my own fault for leaving it to the last minute. What can I say... I'm not only absent-minded, I'm a procrastinator.

Women's Equality Day

This day was created by a Joint Resolution of Congress in 1971 to commemorate the passage of the 19th Amendment, (which passed on August 26, 1920). The 19th Amendment granted all women in the United States the right to vote. Check out this U.S. Census page for some interesting facts about American Women.

My two favorite facts were:

1. 31 percent of women ages 25 to 29 years who had attained a bachelor's degree or higher in 2004, which exceeded that of men in this age range (26 percent). 88 percent of women and 85 percent of men in this same age range had completed high school.
2. 77 cents- The amount women age 15 and older, who worked full time, year-round, earned for every $1 their male counterparts earned in 2004. This amount is up from 76 cents for every dollar in 2003.

Which just goes to show- we still have a ways to go for that equality.

And now I had better get back to my black veil making... but I do have to give a big thank-you to Soccer Dad for the links from his blog. Thanks!

Kiss and Make Up Day, August 25th

Kiss and Make Up Day

Or, if one didn't have anyone to Kiss and Make Up with, one could, if one were getting an MRI today, Kiss and Make Out with a cute doctor. Right?

Can someone make sure that Dr. Gregory House is at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center supervising the MRI staff today? I need some lip action!

Waffle Day, August 24th

Waffle Day

Hmm, waffles. Little squares of syrupy yumminess. Mr.Breakfast.com takes us through all the confusion about what day is officially Waffle Day. We celebrate Waffle Day because:

"National Waffle Day (August 24) is the anniversary of the first U.S. patent for a waffle iron. Cornelius Swarthout of Troy, New York received his patent for a "device to bake waffles" in 1869. His early waffle iron was used in conjunction with coal stoves, consisted of a griddle and a cover and required flipping of the device to cook both sides of the waffle. At present, National Waffle Day is at best a "bizarre" or "unique" holiday" - the fluff stuff of radio DJ commentary. Waffle promotions at some restaurant chains have helped to keep the holiday alive, if only barely." (Mr.Breakfast.com)

If I were still speaking to the former not-favorite roommate that forever borrowed my favorite perfectly-weighted and finished Belgian waffle maker, perhaps I would make my favorite waffles for dinner. I should just go out and buy another one, but I have been really indecisive lately, and I haven't yet fixated on what will be my new perfect waffle maker. I guess I need a training waffle maker. A transitional waffle maker.

Well, if I buy a transitional waffle maker today, I will make these waffles. And if you make them too, please do not pronounce Willamette like will-a-met-tae; it is pronounced will-AM-it (like damn-it). We from the the Pacific Northwest like our localities pronounced correctly. (And don't you even get an Oregonian started on you weirdos that say Or-e-gone.)

Anyway, the best waffles ever:

Willamette Valley Waffles

1/2 cup butter
1 Tablespoon sugar
Dash of salt
2 egg yolks
1 cup plus 1 Tablespoon flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk plus 1 Tablespoon lemon juice till curdled)
2 egg whites
1/2 Tablespoon hazelnut, almond, or vanilla extract
2/3 cup very finely chopped filberts (hazelnuts are called filberts by old-time Oregonians)

1. Cream butter and sugar.
2. Add the egg yolks and blend.
   
3. In a separate container mix flour, salt, and baking powder.
   
4. Using low speed on mixer, alternately add the buttermilk and flour to the egg yolk mixture.
   
5. Add the flavoring, of which I prefer vanilla, and then double it, but hazelnut is also very nice, but do not double it.
   
6. Beat the egg whites in separate bowl until stiff, and then fold into batter (very important step).
   
7. Lightly fold filberts into the mixture.
   
8. Spoon batter onto a preheated waffle iron, spread out the batter and cook according to directions on waffle iron.
9. Eat!

(This recipe has been modified to make me happy from the A Taste of Oregon Cookbook)

Twosies Days, August 22nd

Twosies Days

Okay, I totally admit that I am making this day up. But, I think that I need to celebrate the rash of twos that have invaded my life in the past two days. Some of these pairings have been delightful; some have not been delightful. Whatever fates there are out there that have decided that I need two of everything... well, let's stop with the sharp objects already!

• Two knives dropped on my toes
  
• Two sushi band-aids on my toes
  
• Two places where I realized that perhaps I was a bit wrong and perhaps a bit emotional and reactionary the first time I read Harry Potter V
  
• Two very unusual symptoms to my M.S. treatment (That's it, I'm done- I'm really done. Don't tell me that I'm being emotional, or illogical, or stupid about my treatment... I really, really, really don't ever want to stick that needle in my leg ever again!)
  
• Two compliments by complete strangers about the color of my eyes
  
• Two times my right earring fell out of my ear and right down my shirt to an embarrassing place in front of important people
• Two times where I had to say "Excuse me" and step out of the room to fish out the stupid earring
  
• Two thought-stopping comments from important people about embarrassing earring incident
• Two false fire alarms
  
• Two free meals
  
• Two compliments about my latest hair color
  
• Two boys who took me to a movie
  
• Two times where I blabbered on too much about work in front of the boys (When am I ever going to learn not to do this? Nobody wants to hear the boring stories of a mid-level manager at a local-quazi-governmental agency. And speaking of that... I am not a secretary anymore. Should I change my blog name? Thoughts anyone?)
  
• Two curiously intriguing, but possibly life-threatening invitations for future activities with the boys... (Hmm, how much do I want to spend time with the boys? Enough time to get my eyebrows burnt off?)
  

Poet's Day, Spumoni Day, August 21st

Poets Day & Spumoni Day

In order to combine a celebration of Poet's Day and Spumoni Day, I only needed to look as far as John Berryman, and his poem "Dream Song 4". But, only read it if you want a famous poet to mention spumoni on your Poet's and Spumoni Day. If you are okay with obscure poets poeting about spumoni, scroll on down to the next poem, which is more about food, and less about lusting after married women.

Dream Song 4: Filling her compact & delicious body
by John Berryman

Filling her compact & delicious body
with chicken paprika, she glanced at me
twice.
Fainting with interest, I hungered back
and only the fact of her husband & four other people
kept me from springing on her

or falling at her little feet and crying
'You are the hottest one for years of night
Henry's dazed eyes
have enjoyed, Brilliance.' I advanced upon
(despairing) my spumoni. —Sir Bones: is stuffed,
de world, wif feeding girls.

—-Black hair, complexion Latin, jewelled eyes
downcast ... The slob beside her feasts ... What wonders is
she sitting on, over there?
The restaurant buzzes. She might as well be on Mars.
Where did it all go wrong? There ought to be a law against Henry.
-—Mr. Bones: there is.

For lighter poets poeting about spumoni, we can check out Ken Wanamaker, and his poem "Song of My Supper". Warning: it will make you want to eat!

Song Of My Supper
after Whitman (by Ken Wanamaker)

I sing linguini
capped with marinara
twirled on silver tines.

I sing this fine cabernet
squeezed from grapes
plumping in the Tuscan sun.

I sing warm crusted bread
drenched in oil
sprinkled with parmesan
grated by rough hands and smooth whistle.

I sing spumoni filled with cherries,
the waiter who hands me the spoon,
slender hands pouring cappucino
in my waiting cup.

I sing candles on every table
Alfredo sauce spilt on ties
toddler'’s cheeks full of pasta
mantillas nodding quietly.

I sing that famous boot
treading the Mediterranean
desert tray in tow
the wandering tenor's O Solo Mio.

If that is all we have, perhaps we need to challenge other poets to write about spumoni. Or perhaps, we need to resign ourselves to the fact that spumoni is not the stuff that poets are inspired by.

Bad Poetry Day, August 18th

Bad Poetry Day

I always knew that there were some bad poems written by good poets, and some good poems written by bad poets.

I also knew that there were some really bad poets who wrote a lot of bad poems.

Today, while doing a quick "bad poetry internet research session" I learned aboutJulia A. Moore. Julia just might be the one of the top bad poets of all time. She has been called "a mile post in the history of bad poetry," and America's "greatest super-comic poet." Apparently, she read some of the critical reviews of her poems, because she wrote these emotional lines:

Some Editors of the papers
They thought it would be wise
To write a column about me,
So they filled it up with lies. "To My Friends and Critics" Julia A. Moore

Boy, did she fry their hides. Note to self: when trying to write an "angry" poem, don't let it rhyme.

I have to say that my favorite bad poem of the day is: "The Early Frogs" by Harry Edward Mills

The Early Frogs

O, I love to hear the frogs
When they first begin to sing;
How they vocalize the bogs,
And vociferate the Spring.
How they carrol as they croak,
How they mingle jest and joke
With their solemn chant and dirge
On the river's slimy verge.

O, I love to hear the frogs,
For their monotone uncouth
Is the music of the cogs
Of the mill wheel of my youth.
And I listen half asleep,
And the eyes of mem'ry peep
Through the bars that hold me fast,
From the pleasures of the past.

O, I love to hear the frogs,
For their melody is health
To the heart that worry flogs
With the lash of want or wealth.
And the cares of life take wing,
And its pleasures lose their sting,
And love's channel way unclogs
In the croaking of the frogs.

Can I just repeat those last two lines for you all who didn't really pay attention... "And love's channel way unclogs; In the croaking of the frogs."

Yes, yes it does. I can see that clearly now since I have frogs.

Pink Toenail Month, Admit That You Are Happy Month

1. I am happy because I have pink toenails.
2. I am happy because I bought Eats, Shoots & Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make a Difference! for an eight-year-old's birthday present, and have decided against it because I want to maintain my position as favorite faux-aunt. Now I have a new book! Happiness! (Okay, maybe I did just buy it for myself. Shut-up.)
3. I am happy because I can can list much more than "internet search engine" under "Proficient Computer Programs" on my resume. (Yes, this is an "I am better than someone" item. I have never claimed to ooze inner peace.)

National Relaxation Day, World Day of Reiki, Best Friend's Day, August 15th

National Relaxation Day, World Day of Reiki, Best Friend's Day

It's time to take a little time to relax, spend some time with your BFF, and go try out some Reiki Therapy. Personally, I think that I am going to fudge the therapy a bit and get me some of that Cranio Sacral Therapy instead. And I will probably do it by myself, because I don't think that I can convince any of my BFFs (Boy Version, Girl Version, Former-Roommate Version, or The-Only-Still-Single Version) at the last minute that they should play with me all afternoon.

Oh, well. I probably won't be able to convince my boss that I need an afternoon off to take a massage anyway. I suppose that I will just compose an Ode to Bestest Friends to celebrate.

(Please, no-one hold your breath on that one. I would hate to loose any one of my readers because they died waiting for an Ode.)

Left-Hander's Day, August 13th

Left Hander's Day

It all started with Ehud, son of Gera. Then Joan of Arc, Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, Ramses II, Aristotle, and Nietzsche joined up too. Matt Groening is one, which is probably why Ned Flanders and Bart Simpson, Lisa Simpson, Montgomery Burns, Moe Szyslak, Martin Prince, Nelson Muntz, and Krusty the Clown are too. So are Nancy Drew, Joe Hardy, Tom Riddle, Homestar Runner (yes he has no arms, but he plays the bass left handed) and Big Bird. Lewis Carroll, Mark Twain, Eudora Welty and H.G. Wells-all part of the club. As was Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Ringo Starr, Billy Corgan, David Byrne, and Robert Plant. And what would a left-hander's page be without homage to Babe Ruth, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Ty Cobb, and Tommy Lasorda.

Yes, left-handedness is a gift. It should be celebrated. Only 10% of the world's population are left-handed, and scientists don't know why. They think it might be genetic, but they haven't found proof. In my family we are pretty sure that it is. My Grandma's uncle was left handed. She is left handed. Two her sons are left handed, and two of her grandchildren are left-handed. It's great. At Christmas dinner, half of the table is left-handed.

We left-handers confuse baseball pitchers, give our friends hours of enjoyment at the bowling alley. Some people say that left-handers are the next step in human evolution. Others say that left-handers have been oppressed by years of linguistic abuse, are more likely to be schizophrenic, alcoholic, delinquent, dyslexic, have Crohn's disease, mental disabilities, get into accidents, or die young, and have problems with kissing right-handed people. I must say, I have never had a kissing coordination problem, but I often have hugging-head-bonking problems. I thought that was normal, now I am totally blaming it on my left-handedness!

And next time I am in Las Vegas, I am totally visiting the Left Handed Liberation Society.

Left-handers Unite!

LL and Absent's Silly Party

There might be some video... there might... but there might have to be some bribes to get it posted since there is singing involved.

Presidential Joke Day, August 11th

Presidential Joke Day

Before we get all excited about the piles and piles of jokes we can tell today, it turns out that Presidential Joke Day was declared by congress after a press boo boo made by Ronald Reagan.

It is a day set aside for U.S. Presidents to make jokes. This is how it all began. On August 11, 1984, President Ronald Reagan was testing a microphone before his regular Saturday radio speech, and did not realize the feed was live. He spoke into the microphone, "My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you I just signed legislation which outlaws Russia forever. The bombing begins in five minutes." A bit of surprise for the radio listening public.

Since Presidential Joke Day was started by a few mis-spoken words ... let's review a few words that our current president might have wished he hadn't said.
___________________________________________________________________

• "You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test." -Yes, him or she can, because literacy is not much more than reading, right? Source: United Press International, "Bush Proposes Increase in Education Funds," Mark Kukis, Feb. 21, 2002


• "So for the students here, take heart in this concept. He gets a Ph.D. I get Cs. I'm the President and he's the advisor."-While on a college campus, Bush makes note of the education gap between himself and a professor. (White House, "President Discusses Strengthening Social Security in Iowa", March 30, 2005)

• "See, free nations are peaceful nations. Free nations don't attack each other. See, free nations do not develop weapons of mass destruction."-Like nuclear weapons? So W., does this mean the U.S. is not a free nation? Source: The Chicago Sun-Times, Oct. 13, 2003

• "We need to thin our forests in America." -Yeah, those darn trees are ruining our air quality with all that pollen. Trees harbor too many animal species that cost the government money when we clean their carcasses off of our freeways. Trees reduce soil erosion. How are we supposed to turn the rest of the U.S. into Texas if we don't have more soil erosion? Yep, let's get rid of those horrible, awful trees. Aug. 11, 2003 Source: The Arizona Republic, "In Arizona, Bush Touts His Idea to Thin Forests," Aug. 12, 2003.

• "I'm also not very analytical. You know I don't spend a lot of time thinking about myself, about why I do things."—Bush, reassuring us that the wartime president of the most powerful nation on earth does not think too much. Source: Federal Document Clearing House, "Roundtable Interview of the President by White House Press Pool," June 4, 2003

• "A dictatorship would be a heck of a lot easier, there's no question about it." There are so many times he makes this comment...Kindaa makes one wonder... Source: Business Week Online, "A Gentleman's "C" for W," Richard S. Dunham, July 30, 2001

• "First, let me make it very clear, poor people aren't necessarily killers. Just because you happen to be not rich doesn't mean you're willing to kill." -Bush, speaking about poverty, attempting to show open mindedness toward the plight of low-income citizens. Source: Public Papers of the Presidents, "The President's News Conference With President Macapagal-Arroyo of the Philippines," May 26, 2003

• "There's an old saying in Tennessee-I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee-—that says: Fool me once, shame on [pause] shame on you. [Pause] Fool me [long, uncomfortable, agonizing pause] you can't get fooled again." Isn't this taking not wanting to admit guilt a little too far? Source: The Washington Post, "The Reliable Source," Lloyd Grove,septat. 18, 2002

• "See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda."-—Bush finally explains his political strategy. (Washington Post, "The Ostrich Approach," Dan Froomkin, May 25, 2005)

• "I glance at the headlines just to kind of get a flavor for what's moving. I rarely read the stories, and get briefed by people who are probably read the news themselves."-—[Emphasis added] Probably. Thanks for keeping up with your nation's issues. ( Washington, D.C.,septt. 21, 2003)

• "We need an energy bill that encourages consumption."-Yes, because the American people need encouragement to consume more than their fair share of the world's resources. Source: Trenton, N.J.,septt. 23, 2002

• "And so, in my State of the —my State of the Union -or state my speech to the nation, whatever you want to call it, speech to the nation, I asked Americans to give 4,000 years- —4,000 hours- over the next -the rest of your life- —of service to America. That's what I asked 4,000 hours." -I guess we can be happy he's not really asking for 55 lifetimes of servitude. (Bridgeport,connn., April 9, 2002)

National S'mores Day, August 10th

National S'mores Day

Everyone loves S'mores.

All right, I'm sure that there are whole websites devoted to the hatred of S'mores, and secret societies that meet in the darkness behind boy and girl scout camps all around the country to tell their horrific S'more stories.

If you do have a story about toasty-hot marshmallow and melted chocolate from your formative years that is still traumatizing you, perhaps you shouldn't read the rest of this post.

I love S'mores. I love them cooked over the campfire, over the burner of my kitchen stove, in the microwave, and I love, love, love the indoor bar version made with Golden Grahams. I have been known to request it instead of birthday cake.

Now, what makes the S'more so great is that you can have just a regular old S'more, with a graham cracker, a marshmallow, and plain chocolate, and it tastes good. But you also can get all Martha Stewart-y and make your own marshmallow (which I have never done, and probably won't ever do), or you can get fancy with the chocolate [My favorite chocolate to use is a Nestle Crunch Peanut Butter Mini. Which, honestly, makes the best S'more ever! (How can you top melted chocolate, marshmallow, and peanut butter... mmmm!)], or you can do special combinations of chocolate-graham-cookie thing, or you can add extra ingredients. (Edgy won't like that one). But, there are lots of extra ingredients that you can add to a S'more and not mess up the flavor thing. I have seen people wrap their toasted marshmallows in M&Ms before squishing the whole mess between the graham cracker shell, and I have to say, it took talent and creativity to pull it off.

So, everyone, have a very happy National S'more Day!

Bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, wanna bagel, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, hate spread sheets, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, gonna sneak outfor anhour before lunch bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, Bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored...

Book Lovers Day, August 9th

Book Lovers Day

So, I really, really like books. I think that the invention of the printing press was the most important invention in the history of the world, except for maybe soap. Okay, so soap was a really good invention, and so was deodorant. And scented candles are really nice too, but not quite as nice as the printed word, and binding... as in book binding, not feet.

But, I am really, really tired, and LL is coming to visit me tomorrow, so I need to go to bed now so we can stay up all night tomorrow night giggling, and talking about boys, and psychology, and movies, and fashion, and maybe if we go onto a really random tangent, rocket science, because she knows lots of really cool stuff like that. Woo hoo! LL!

Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night, August 8th

Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night

Most of us might consider zucchini a vegetable, but biologically, zucchini is actually a fruit. And since it is a fruit, zucchini should go well with chocolate, right? Of course right. Well, at least here are a lot of Chocolate Zucchini Cake recipes to try out if your neighbor leaves a bunch of zucchini on your doorstep tonight.

If Chocolate Zucchini Cake isn't your thing, you can try Zucchini Pancakes, Cheese and Sausage Stuffed Zucchini, or *yummy yum* Zucchini and Yellow Squash Tian.

Sigh. I don't think that anyone I know is growing zucchini. I think if I want to be surprised tomorrow morning, I will have to go buy some to put on my own doorstep.

August's Sky Watch

August 8th- N. Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower. Faint, medium speed meteor shower. July 15 - August 25, with a radiant in central Aquarius. Possibly not visable at all due to the full moon.

August 9th - Full Moon

August 10th - Neptune at Opposition. The blue planet will be at its closest approach to Earth. This is the best time to view Neptune, although it will only appear as a tiny blue dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.

August 12th - Perseids Meteor Shower. The Perseids is one of the best meteor showers to observe, producing up to 60 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower will peak this year on Saturday, August 12, but you should be able to see some meteors for most of the month of August. On the 12th, the light from the nearly-full moon will cause some problems for viewing the smaller meteors. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation of Perseus. Best view will be to the northeast between 2am-4am.

August 23rd - New Moon

The Weeks of August

The Weeks of August

August 1st-7th
Simplify Your Life Week; World Breastfeeding Week; National Fraud Awareness Week;

August 4th-14th
Smile Week; Exhibitor Appreciation Week; Psychic Week; Don't Wait! Celebrate! Week; Hosiery Week; Elvis Presley Week;

August 13th-21st
Thanks For all Gifts Week; Volvo Car's "Buckle Up" Week; Knights of Columbus Family Week; Aviation Week; Resurrect Romance Week; Weird Contest Week;

August 20st-28th
Friendship Week; Religious Software Week; Save Your Smile Week;

August 27th- September 3rd
Be Kind To Humankind Week; Sobriety Checkpoint Week

August is... Month

August is... the eighth month of the year and (according to Wikipedia) "was named in honor of Augustus [Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus]. The month reputedly has 31 days because Augustus wanted as many days as Julius Caesar's July." The full moon in August is called the Sturgeon Moon, Full Red Moon, Green Corn Moon or Grain Moon.

These old English weather proverbs about August leads me to believe that British weather is a bit different from weather in Utah. (Fog in August?) (Wilson's Almanac)

• "A fog in August means a severe Winter and plenty of snow."
• "For every fog in August, there will be a snowfall in Winter."
• "If a cold August follows a hot July,
  It foretells a Winter hard and dry."
• "A halo around August moon presages rain."
• "Pale moon doth rain, red moon doth blow,
  White moon doth neither rain nor snow."

Brownies at Brunch Month; Happiness Happens Month; Family Meal Month; National Win with Civility Month; National Immunization Awareness Month; National Inventor's Month; Get Ready for Kindergarten Month; Children's Eye Health and Safety Month; Children's Vision and Learning Month; Spinal Muscular Atrophy Month; National Catfish Month; National Golf Month; National Eye Exam Month; National Water Quality Month; Romance Awareness Month; National Peach Month; Foot Health Month; Pink Toenail Month; American Artists Appreciation Month; Admit You're Happy Month; Beauty Pageant Month; Clown Month; Eye Exam Month; Family Fun Month; Peace for Our World Month;

Birthstone: Sardonyx or Peridot, symbol of happiness
Flower: Poppy or Gladiolus

August 1st, Day of the Storm

I had decided not to blog about the weather today. Talking about the weather can be so tedious. But, when I saw that our little Provo storm made it into the Washington Post, making it quite famous, I had to comment about my experience, because I am a blogger, and something that I personally experienced made it to the Post!

But, first the Post:

(Washingtonpost.com) Storm Damages Utah Airport; Cuts Power Tuesday, August 1, 2006; 11:22 PM

PROVO, Utah -- A storm packing rain, hail and 80-mph gusts of wind Tuesday ruined roofs, destroyed trees and cut power to thousands of people as it raged across northern Utah.No deaths or serious injuries were reported.

At Provo Airport, several small planes were flipped over and the roof of a fire station collapsed on a fire truck.

About 4,000 homes and businesses were without power in Provo, and some outages could last as long as three days, Mayor Lewis Billings said. Rocky Mountain Power reported 22,000 homes or businesses without electricity in the Salt Lake City area, and 1,200 outages in Park City.

Hours after the midday storm had passed, there were still 6-inch piles of hail in shaded areas.

At a Sizzler restaurant, waitresses served food despite a wind-blown gap in the roof.

"We just told our customers that we would get their food to them as soon as possible," Akasha Francom told the Daily Herald. "We had to help our cooks with flashlights because it just left them completely in the dark."

Another server, Ashlee Warren, witnessed the sudden alteration to the restaurant.

"Something went flying past and I said, 'I think that was our roof,'" she said.
© 2006 The Associated Press

This article is a very bland description. If you want better more colorful details with pictures and charts go here or here.

My personal experience. Whoa. I have never seen rain fall in sheets like that before. Ever. And I am from the land of big rain clouds. There were sheets blowing in two directions. We couldn't see from our front office window to the end of the sidewalk. The rain gutters couldn't handle all the water, so they just stopped trying. The water just poured off of the roof and totally beat the living hell out of the poor plants that just happened to be planted in the flower beds below. And then the hail came. And it came sideways. I didn't know that hail came sideways. It piled up like snow, and stayed with us long after the sun came back to visit. Then it melted into the back hallway and made our carpet squishy.

At the office we didn't have power for about four hours, from about 11:20 to 3:15. Thank goodness for battery backups on computers, and cell phones, or we would have been completely bored, sitting in the dark, braiding each other's hair waiting for the power to come back on.

(I'm kidding, we were plenty busy helping clean up yards and calm down our tenants... especially the ones with powerlines down in their front yards- see above picture.)

What is the most amazing thing to me was as I drove home tonight to Pleasant Grove, where I live, not too far away from Provo, Pleasant Grove didn't have a single leaf or branch on the ground. The pavement was dry. Southwest Provo looks like it got a visit from a hormonal cave ogre, and Pleasant Grove just 14 miles up the road, has a nice cool breeze.

Sometimes my life is so schizophrenic.