Month: April 2008

  • BlissFul Life

    Even though he sent me grocery shopping at midnight (knowing full well that's my bedtime) while I am sick and then had me up until 2 am looking at houses on-line and ate my lunch for his dinner.....I Love Me Some Him.



      

  • Voter ID

    Let me vent for a moment......

    SCOTUS decided yesterday in Crawford v. Marion County Board of Election that the state of Indiana can legally put the overwhelming burden of proof on voting citizens when they cast their ballot in the Indiana primary.  The case was decided as a proactive measure to reduce voter fraud at the polls and without proof of any incidents of such fraud.

    Problem.

    Big Problem.

    This opens the door to many many issues that have been repeatedly ignored or swept under the rug.

    Many Conservative pundits will have you believe that there is a plethora of voter fraud incidents occurring at the polls.  Ask them to show you proof.  They will tell you that many criminals, dead people, and crooks are casting fake ballots to stuff the ballot box.  HELLO?  Most 'criminals,' or at least the ones they are referring to, don't really care about the electoral process.....there are other things they are worried about - like staying on the run.  **Funny, but not really**  There is no overwhelming proof that incidents of voter fraud are rampant at the polls. 

    The forms of ID that are necessary really exclude certain sectors of the population from voting, mainly the elderly, students, and the homeless.  Many make the argument that you have to have a picture ID on you no matter what.  While this is true, many of the elderly who no longer drive or have a need for ID do not have one, this includes those who are in nursing homes. 

    The suggestion of using 'free' ID is false.  Most of the documents required to fulfill the ID requirement cost money.  Birth certificates and State ID's, and driver's licenses all have fees attached to them.  While the fee seems nominal, tell that to a college student or senior citizen who is just barely making ends meet. 

    While I do understand the premise that you need ID for everything else, this argument is not about requiring ID, it's about the hoops voters have to jump through to cast a ballot.  Other states who have Voter ID laws do not have as strict requirements as the requirements of the Indiana law.  For instance, Georgia allows voters to apply for a free Voter ID form and other states allow household bills with the correct name and address to compare to the voter rolls.

    The case also relies heavily on the use of provisional ballots for those who do not have sufficient ID.  It has been proven time and again that provisional ballots are not effective.  A provisional ballot allows a person to vote at the poll if they do not have proper ID.  They have to sign an affidavit at the polling location affirming they are the voter listed and their vote is not counted until they return to their county Board of Elections office (or other designated office) within 10 days (usually) to show valid proof of ID.  In one county (Philly, I think), of 33 provisional ballots administered at the polls, only 2 people returned in the time frame with the proper documentation.   For those without transportation (hence, no driver's license), this can be a problem, not to mention those who have a job that requires them to work 9-5 or hours in conflict with government office hours.

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    WAKE UP PEOPLE.........Courts Matter

  • Late Night/Early Morning Thoughts

    I love the way our arms intertwine when he snuggles up behind me.  His Hershey chocolate skin underneath my butter pecan arm as I wrap it under his forearm to intertwine my fingers through his.  My arm on top of his, but his hand on top of mine......side by side in the background; he at the head in the foreground.

  • And heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere we go...

    ....I leave on Sunday for work, returning home late Saturday night.  Once conference begins Tuesday that my organization is organizing.  Why is it only 65% along in the planning stage?  Today is Friday.

    You know what?  I'm not EVEN stressing about this one.  I'll do what I do best - FIX IT.

    ******************************************

    I wish I could embed a video of a mash up of Jay-Z's "Dirt Off Ya Shoulder" and Barack Obama.....I LOVE IT!  Anyhoo, here's the link:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yel8IjOAdSc

  • The Key

    Soooooo.....when I had the surgery on my foot and stayed with MSP for the first month or so, he gave me his key so I could come and go as I needed when he was at work or where ever. 

    I haven't given it back. 

    He keeps asking for it, but I've told him I'm not giving it back.  LOL.  He says I've jacked him.  I know he really doesn't want it back....he likes it when I come over or when I'm already asleep in bed when he comes home.  I know he does. 

    He says "I do want it back - you don't pay rent.  Duh."

    I'm not giving it back....not yet at least. 

  • That Hump....

    "If I could get over that Hump/then maybe I wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiilll feeeeelll beeeeeeeeettteeer"

    It's Wednesday.  Middle of the week.  Ugghh, and Aunt Flo (as used by Jane, Vik, and Rita) is visiting....I just want to get in the bed and go back to sleep.  I guess I could look at it from the brighter side....if she weren't visiting I would definitely panic.

    Or would I?

    I would.  I absolutely do not want to have a child without having a husband beside me.  Certaintively.  I imagine I would really freak out and tell MSP we have to get married TODAY!!!  I'm sure he would say "What's the hurry?  I'm not going anywhere."   But you don't understand......I just can't have a child out of wedlock.  That's not how it's supposed to be.  And besides, I'm not ready to have a child.  I'm still enjoying ME.  US.  WE.  *Sigh*

    I know we'll get married one day.  I know he is the one who will be my husband....the one I will get up to cook breakfast for....the one I will call first whenever I have good or bad news....my Person....the one I will do taxes with....the one who will drive me crazier but make me have fun along the ride.  We are both progressing down our marriage paths and know that it will take a lot of work and compromise from each of us to merge our paths into one.

    It seems that everyone I have talked to lately has asked  "When are you getting married?"  I'm in no rush but on the move.  One day I may just post "I's married now!" and that will be that.

  • Focused Impulses

    So I'm a little weird.  Okay, maybe a lot weird.  I was in a meeting and looked at my 2 weeks unshaven legs and said "I need to get my legs waxed."  Mind you, I haven't waxed my legs since I moved to DC.....too expensive when compared to what I paid in Tampa, but I knew I didn't want to shave (it's such a CHORE because I'm so nit-picky, not to mention the bumps and stuff....save it for the birdies) and I knew that I couldn't comfortably keep wearing pants much longer.  Remember, I'm still in a meeting and this is just racking my brain.  After the meeting (which lasted 1 1/2 hours), I went to the salon in the basement of the building and booked an appointment for this evening.  Impulsively focused.

    Sheesh....why can't I channel this energy towards work?

    MSP has put me in the dog house.  He bought tickets to see Chris Rock a while ago, after asking me if I wanted to see the show.  Of course.  I love when he plans things.  So the show is Sunday.  I have to go out of town for work on Sunday.  I'm gonna miss the show.  He planned the event and bought the tickets.  My boss asked me if I could leave out on Sunday instead of Monday.  I could have made my reservations to leave on Monday.  I forgot about the show.  I messed up.  It's all my fault, and I'm more upset at myself because I know how he is.  He won't take the initiative to plan future outings because this one fell through.   Le sigh.

    I'll be in the dog house for a while.  This, I've accepted.

  • Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh.....

    That's it....that's what I feel inside and the first thought that comes to mind when I think of MSP.

    So, I had one of my bunions removed late February.  Don't frown your face up.  I've had them all of my life.  I distinctly remember one day in the first grade when I had my favorite outfit on....this purple jumper and my favorite brown flip flops.  Cheryl, who sat right next to me, had 'funny' looking feet.  At least that's what I thought.  She didn't have that curvy bone on the side like I did.  I thought she was weird.  Then, I remember looking at the feet of the other kids around me, and I realized I was the one with 'different' feet.  I remember my grandmother asking me about my bunions when I was in high school. 
    "Why do you have bunions?!  You know that comes from sticking feet the size of Texas in shoes the size of Rhode Island."  Whatever.  I thought that I had done something wrong as a kid.  You know, you see the pretty shoes but they aren't in the size you need so you tell your mama that your toe really doesn't hurt so that she'll get the cute ones? 

    What? You didn't do that?  Okay, okay.  I did it only once.  I was NOT about to wear those plain patent leather black shoes when the other pair had this pretty lace bow on the top of them that matched my Easter dress.  Nope.  Not having it.  My mother knew the deal, anyway.  The week after Easter those pretty bow shoes disappeared for eternity, and my mother knew back then that my shoes were VERY important to me.

    Anyhoo, bunions are a genetic condition.  A medical deformity.  Not the first one I've encountered of myself.  Most people instantly recognize the deformed muscles in my cheeks.  I always thought of having them removed early in life to avoid the painful state that is inevitably caused by bunions.  I saw an ad seeking participants for a post bunionectomy pain reliever research study.  Hey! Why not?  Free surgery?  Free follow-up care?  Compensation for completing the study? YES!! 

    Hold on.....

    I'll be a guinea pig, but I want to make sure it's safe.  I consulted my side doctor, Dr. Mish.  She looked over everything with a fine tooth comb and gave me things to discuss with the research group.  The study required me to be under medical supervision while taking the study drug, which meant I would have to stay 3 nights in the research facility.  Great - I would have immediate medical attention if necessary.  I met the surgeon and he explained the procedure, took x-rays of my foot, and explained, in detail, the necessary follow-up and care.  He also told me that he does his incision on the side of the foot, whereas most make the incision on the top of the foot.

    Okay, so the morning of February 25th, MSP drove me to the facility and waited until time for the surgery.  The anesthesiologist asks me what's my favorite drink.  MOJITO!!!! 

    "Well, I'm about to give you 10 of them right now."  I smiled, said Hello to the surgeon, looked at the ceiling........

    ........and was being awakened.

    "Okay, time to get up....here let me help you."

    Now...the study drug: BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!  It was a combo of morphine and oxycodone, I think.  At any rate, my idea of painkillers is to GET RID OF THE PAIN!!!  Not so.  Whenever I took the study meds my pain level decreased one level...from like a 7 to a 6.  On top of that, my BP had to be a certain level in order for them to administer the meds.  No big deal, right?  Wrong!  My normal BP is low......around 86/61 or something like that.  Well, my BP needed to be at least 100/whatever.  BIG PROBLEM.  If I was in pain and wanted meds...my BP was never high enough.  The nurses began to feel bad for me and show me tricks to get it higher before the pain became excruciating.  More times than not, I had to take the back-up meds, Motrin, or wait until my pain became worse.  Ironically, pain makes your BP go up.......but I wanted meds BEFORE I felt the horrible pain.

    MSP took EXCELLENT care of me.  He's definitely a keeper.  For the first week and a half I basically set up shop on his couch.  He shopped, cooked, and cleaned with no complaints or problems, on top of working his normal thousand hours/week and doing the coursework for his PhD.   He gave me the extra special treatment and the icing on the cake was washing my hair for me. 

    Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

    So lucky am I.

    Anyhoo...I was in a bulky shoe boot for 8 weeks.  I took 2 weeks off from work, partly because I REALLY needed a break and partly because it was recommended to take the full 2 weeks off by my podiatrist.  I was not about to be caught looking un-fly because I had a boot on....no ma'am!  I bought some cute metallic flats to offset the un-fabulousness of that bulky shoe boot.

    By the time I went to Tallahassee for my chapter's 35th anniversary, I was a boot-walking pro!!!!  I even got a few shout-outs in the club from the DJ!

    At any rate, most people never noticed I had a boot on my foot because I was fly every where else.

    The boot officially came off Friday and I celebrated by buying new sneakers!!!!  I'm now confined to sneakers for 2-3 weeks...no running, jumping, etc.  At this rate I'll be in heels by June.  Sigh.  I would post before and after pics of my foot...but that would be ummm....TMI.  LOL!