Who Really Cares

There is a new book out called, "Who Really Cares". I haven't read it yet, but just watched a 20/20 special on it. What the book has in it, was quite intriguing. The book compiles hundreds of statistics about charitable giving in the United States and who gives the most. What was surprising to many, is that conservatives give the most (most in money, their time, and even in giving blood) -- even though liberals make an average of 6% more than conservatives. Of the 25 states that give the most, 24 of them voted Republican. How odd that is, considering the richest states were not among the top 25. 20/20 suggested this was the case because liberals believe the government should be responsible for giving aid, and conservatives feel it should be the citizens' responsibility.

The 20/20 show went on to say that our government gives the most foreign aid of any other country in dollars. However, it is very low ranked when it comes to percentage of worth. But when you talk about citizens giving percentages of income to charity, Americans give a much higher percentage of their income than any other nation. During the tsunami, the US gave 900 million in aid -- however, Americans independently gave 2 billion. Why should our government always be responsible for giving? Don't we as Americans have an obligation to help our fellow man? I would much rather see our government cut foreign aid altogether, but then lower taxes so that Americans can give MORE.

So -- how much do you give? At my church, our priest recommends that each family give 1 hour of their salary to charity each week and that they volunteer their time in at least one charity. I have always thought that was a good starting point and have found it very easy over the years to automatically increase my donations each time myself or John gets a raise. We are so very fortunate to live the lives we do here in America. Isn't it time we started giving more?

Spare Me My Life!

My brother Jim sent me this YouTube video the other day. It's a Japanese TV show from the 80s that attempted to teach English using "real life" situations and aerobics. Apparently, this one tells you just what to do in a mugging. I am not sure why the second mugger has a handkerchief tied under his nose, but it adds to the humor.

Birthday Recap.

Turns out, turning 28 aint all that bad. I had a great birthday weekend. Events were:

• On Friday, we had donuts and coffee in the break room with my department in honor of my big day. Got to chat with employees I have not yet met and hear stories of the "good ol' days" from employees that had been there 20+ years.
• Had lunch with John and two of my coworkers at Blue Water Grille.
• Had dinner with friends at Damon's in Chantilly that night. Rob gave me a 40 and beef jerky -- his gift of choice. Also in attendance were Julie, Delvaux, Gill, Jennifer, and Karsten came with his beautiful daughter Maggie.
• Saturday was spent at my parents where my mother gave me a beautiful skirt and the keys to the Corvette for a joyride through Middleburg. John and I left Bailey with her and toured my High School grounds and the Purcellville area. It had been years since I was on Snickersville Turnpike.
• Saturday night we went to Gabe and Shelly's to pick up the futon they were giving away. As we were leaving, Genevieve starting having a cow and screaming that she "wanted to go home with John." I told them that I was making chili and they were welcome to come over. An hour later we were breaking bread with the Butler family and their newest addition, Aubrey. We ended the night watching Tech win and trying to get the girls to sleep at a decent hour.
• Sunday morning was spent Wii hunting -- with no luck.
• Sunday night we went to Houlihans in Centreville (GREAT food) with my in-laws. They gave me an Excitation as a gift. If you haven't heard of it, you MUST take a peak on the website (www.excitations.com). Basically, you get a gift card and the option to choose one of many adventures in your local area. My package was the blue package which included hang gliding, a hot air balloon ride, racing, learning polo, and much more. Although I would love to take a hot air balloon ride, it is for 1 person only, and that is the type of thing I'd love to do with John. I am leaning more towards a one-on-one session with a famous makeup artist since all my friends tell me I always look like I never wear makeup (which I do!!)

In summary, it was a great 28. I'm looking forward to what this year will bring.

Wii Wii Wii all the way home...

Armed with the assurance from my husband that "the manufacturing process" allowed for a large distribution of Nintendo Wiis to the states, I went against my gut (and every article I've been reading) and decided not to pre-order one. So this morning wii got up at 8:00 and drove to Target to ensure that just in case there may be a line, I would be at the front.

We walked in to see a flurry of activity, with many people standing in line, holding tickets. But surely I didn't need a ticket??? So I asked a kid standing in line and he promptly told me that the tickets were given to the 69 people that camped out last night and there were no more left. "Good luck," he called after me as John and I walked out the door.

So we drove to Fair Lakes to check out the Toys R Us. Yup. About 100 people in line in front of the store. Across the street? About 100 people in line at Best Buy. So we went to Kmart in Chantilly as one last try. Although there was no line, there was a sign on the door that read, "No Wiis Available."

So, alas. My wait for the Wii must continue a little longer. And finally, I will be able to tell my husband, "I told you so" for once in my life.

Deep Thoughts

My boss came into my office today and said to me, "Do you know what I like about this job?"

"What?" I asked.

He responded, "Nothing!"

I thought that was pretty funny.

In Remembrance of Steve Cavanaugh

You'll be missed by all.

Remembrance

by Ray Bradbury

And this is where we went, I thought,
Now here, now there, upon the grass
Some forty years ago.
I had returned and walked along the streets
And saw the house where I was born
And grown and had my endless days.
The days being short now, simply I had come
To gaze and look and stare upon
The thought of that once endless maze of afternoons.
But most of all I wished to find the places where I ran
As dogs do run before or after boys,
The paths put down by Indians or brothers wise and swift
Pretending at a tribe.
I came to the ravine.
I half slid down the path
A man with graying hair but seeming supple thoughts
And saw the place was empty.
Fools! I thought. O, boys of this new year,
Why don’t you know the Abyss waits you here?
Ravines are special fine and lovely green
And secretive and wandering with apes and thugs
And bandit bees that steal from flowers to give to trees.
Caves echo here and creeks for wading after loot:
A water-strider, crayfish, precious stone
Or long-lost rubber boot --
It is a natural treasure-house, so why the silent place?
What’s happened to our boys that they no longer race
And stand them still to contemplate Christ’s handiwork:
His clear blood bled in syrups from the lovely wounded trees?
Why only bees and blackbird winds and bending grass?
No matter. Walk. Walk, look, and sweet recall.

I came upon an oak where once when I was twelve
I had climbed up and screamed for my brother to get me down.
It was a thousand miles to earth. I shut my eyes and yelled.
My brother, richly compelled to mirth, gave shouts of laughter
And scaled up to rescue me.
"What were you doing there?" he said.
I did not tell. Rather drop me dead.
But I was there to place a note within a squirrel nest
On which I’d written some old secret thing now long forgot.
Now in the green ravine of middle years I stood
Beneath that tree. Why, why, I thought, my God,
It’s not so high. Why did I shriek?
It can’t be more than fifteen feet above. I’ll climb it handily.
And did.
And squatted like an aging ape alone and thanking God
That no one saw this ancient man at antics
Clutched grotesquely to the bole.
But then, ah God, what awe.
The squirrel’s hole and long-lost nest were there.

I lay upon the limb a long while, thinking.
I drank in all the leaves and clouds and weathers
Going by as mindless
As the days.
What, what, what if? I thought. But no. Some forty years beyond!
The note I’d put? It’s surely stolen off by now.
A boy or screech-owl’s pilfered, read, and tattered it.
It’s scattered to the lake like pollen, chestnut leaf
Or smoke of dandelion that breaks along the wind of time...

No. No.

I put my hand into the nest. I dug my fingers deep.
Nothing. And still more nothing. Yet digging further
I brought forth:
The note.
Like moth wings neatly powdered on themselves, and folded close
It had survived. No rains had touched, no sunlight bleached
Its stuff. It lay upon my palm. I knew its look:
Ruled paper from an old Sioux Indian Head scribble writing book.
What, what, oh, what had I put there in words
So many years ago?
I opened it. For now I had to know.
I opened it, and wept. I clung then to the tree
And let the tears flow out and down my chin.
Dear boy, strange child, who must have known the years
And reckoned time and smelled sweet death from flowers
In the far churchyard.
It was a message to the future, to myself.
Knowing one day I must arrive, come, seek, return.
From the young one to the old. From the me that was small
And fresh to the me that was large and no longer new.
What did it say that made me weep?

I remember you.
I remember you.

November 17th, 2006

In order to celebrate the anticipated wedding of TomKat on November 17th*, I figured we should gather at Damon's in Chantilly at 6:30 for ribs, beer and trivia. Anyone that wants to come is welcome -- hope to see you there!





* or my birthday

Only in America...

People in countries around the world are literally dying in order to get the right to vote. Here in America, apparently we have to PAY people in order to get them to vote:

Arizona | Proposition 200: $1 Million Voter Reward

Would establish a "voter reward" random drawing every two years with a first prize of $1 million or more in an effort to increase voter participation. Voters who cast ballots in primary or general elections would be eligible to win. The money would come from the Arizona Lottery and private donations.

More Addicting Fun.

A couple of these I got right away, others I am still trying to figure out.

http://www.freeonlinegames.com/play/8370.html

Good News for Delvaux, Bad News for the Rest of Us

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/15532333/?GT1=8717

Halloween 2006

Thanks for all the help Delvaux!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoHRYKiGAD8

One Man's Take on Revelations

Robert Conte, Jr. is a Catholic philosopher that (supposedly) figures out future events by interpreting the Bible. Some would say he's genus -- some would say he's crazy. Even if you don't believe what he has to say, it is still some interesting material. He correctly predicted in 2004 that the next Pope would be named Benedict. I guess only time will tell if he's right about the rest of this timeline...

2009/2010 to 2039/2040: the first part of the tribulation, including the first Six Seals and the first Six Trumpets.
2009: U.S. President Hillary Clinton becomes Prolife.
2009: Pope Benedict XVI suggests building a Church, a Temple, and a Mosque in Jerusalem.
2009: A small war among the Arab/Muslim nations consolidates power with extremist leaders. Iran and Iraq lead them.
2009/2010: Pope Benedict XVI dies. The next Pope, Peter the Roman, enforces true doctrine and practice.
The First Seal and First Horseman of the Apocalypse: World War 3
2010: New York City is struck by a nuclear bomb, sometime between June 1 and December 31.
2012: The Pope, Peter the Roman, is captured during the war, tried, convicted, blinded, and imprisoned.
July of 2013: Rome and Vatican City are struck by a nuclear missile, because the Arab forces could not hold the city.
2010 to 2018/19: World War 3. The Arab forces conquer Europe, Scandinavia, parts of Eastern Europe, northern Africa.
The Second Seal and Second Horseman of the Apocalypse: Worldwide Civil Unrest and Violence
2010/2011 to 2018/2019: the civil unrest is more widespread than World War 3, including rioting, street crimes, etc.
The Third Seal and Third Horseman of the Apocalypse: The Great Famine of the 21st Century
2013 to 2020 or so: Most severe in Europe, the great famine affects developed nations more than poor nations.
2013 to 2019: During the Famine, like the Prodigal Son, the Protestant Churches repent and seek unity with Catholicism.
The Fourth Seal and Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse: Death from a Variety of Causes
2014 to 2020 or so: Many others die from a variety of other causes (not directly from war, civil violence, and famine).
The Inter-war Period between World Wars 3 and 4
2020 to early 2030's: The Arab forces occupy and oppress a vast territory.
2020 to 2023: All Christian Churches are united in one holy Catholic Church with seven parts.
The Fifth Seal: The Great Martyrdom
early 2030's: Christians are massacred in the occupied territories. It will be more severe than the Jewish Holocaust.
The Sixth Seal: World War 4 - an all-out nuclear war
about 2033 to 2037: Spurred by the great massacre of Christians, with approval from the Angelic Shepherd, the U.S. and its Allies, and the great Catholic monarch, attack the occupied territories. The Allies call upon the help of Almighty God, and they win the war, but at great cost. Both sides use many nuclear weapons. Millions upon millions are killed.
about 2037: The most faithful Servants of God are given a visible Seal on their foreheads. They are protected by God.
The Seveth Seal is divided into Seven Trumpets - only Six of the Seven Trumpets are for this generation
First Trumpet (2038) Pieces of broken Comet Tempel 1 fall to earth and burn up 1/3 of the land.
Second Trumpet (2038) One large piece of the same comet falls into the ocean causing great destruction.
Third Trumpet (2038/2039) Nuclear fallout from the war, and ash from the fires of the comet, contaminate the waters.
Fourth Trumpet (2038/2039) Nuclear Winter, due to World War and the effects of the comet pieces.
Fifth Trumpet (5 months in 2039) Something like locusts, but not natural, afflicts anyone without the Seal.
Sixth Trumpet (late 2039 or early 2040) Three Days of Darkness kills 1/3 of humanity, then the planet is healed by God.
2040's and 2050's: the reign of the great monarch and the Angelic Shepherd; a time of relative peace and holiness.
last part of the 21st century: the great monarch's kingdom is divided into four less holy kingdoms.
22nd century: The world continues to become more sinful. Russia becomes the dominent world power.
23rd century: Africa, India, and China become allies and the dominent world power, causing much harm.
24th century: The reign of the ten kings begins. Nine of the ten kingdoms reject Christianity very thoroughly. The one that includes Israel tolerates Christianity. There is very much sin in the world, and even in the Church.
25th century - the 2420's: The Antichrist rises to power in the kingdom of the North (Europe). He fights within that kingdom to increase his power to the point of dictatorship.
2430: The Antichrist defeats the Christian king of the South (Israel, Middle East, Northern Africa). The Pope of that time, the last true Pope before the return of Christ, is killed.
2430/2431: The Antichrist defeats the kings of Africa and of the East; he now controls two more kingdoms.
2431: The other six kingdoms submit to him. The symbolic beast with ten horns and seven heads is the ten kingdoms led by these seven leaders: the Antichrist plus the six remaining kings.
2431 to 2437: The nearly seven years of the reign of the Antichrist.
the first half of his reign: the Antichrist consolidates power worldwide by military force; he greatly exalts himself.
the second half of his reign: the Antichrist loses a battle to Christians. He then tries to destroy the Church by giving power and approval to apostates and heretics. The false prophet is a woman who is an antipope. The two prophets of Rev. 11 preach the truth. They are killed, raised from the dead, and assumed into Heaven.
2437: The Antichrist attempts a fake ascension into the sky. The Archangel Michael throws him down; he is broken but not dead. His reign ends. Faithful Christians go out and preach the Gospel, seeking repentant sinners.
2437: Jesus Christ returns with the Virgin Mary. More time for preaching and repentence is given.
2438/2439: The Seven Bowls of God's Wrath (i.e. the Seventh Trumpet) is given to the unrepentent wicked of the world.
about 2439/2440: The first Resurrection, for those who died as martyrs (and perhaps some Saints who lived as marytrs)
Thereafter: Then Jesus ascends to Heaven (Second Ascension) and Mary is assumed into Heaven (Second Assumption).
Next: Jesus sends the Holy Spirit (Second Pentecost), this time on the whole world.
Then, beginning in the 2440's: The Millennium of peace and holiness, when Christ reigns, not in the flesh, but in the Eucharist, and through the other Sacraments, and through Tradition, Scripture, Magisterium.
* * * * * * * * * * * * The Millennium continues for well over a thousand years * * * * * * * * * * * *
And then: The events of Revelation 20:7-9 occur: a rebellion against all that is holy; but the rebels are destroyed by God.
And sometime after that: The General Resurrection of the just and unjust.
And at that time: God takes away Heaven and Purgatory and Earth and Hell. And God makes a new Heaven and a new Earth and a new Hell. But Purgatory is no longer needed "...and death shall be no more." (Rev. 21:4).

Saving the world, one laptop at a time

What a phenominal idea... OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) is a non-profit project that seeks to create a $100 laptop in order to educate the world's poorest children. With money saving ideas like a crank (for power) and no harddrive (USB ports instead), this could not only revolutionize technology, but how we educate.

More here: http://laptop.org/

My next purchase.

https://www.aerogrow.com/store/step1a.php

Thanks, guys -- I'll miss you too.

Movin' On

I just resigned yesterday. I am not a quitter and I do not give up easily, but the conditions at my job were so bad, I really had no choice. I will be starting at American Systems on October 16th as an FSO. They offered me a pretty nice raise and a lot of great benefits, so I'm making the move. Is it the right decision? Only time will tell.

This Nation Has Secrets -- Big Whoop!

I am so sick and tired of the media and their "earth shattering" news stories about how this nation has secret this and secret that. Those secrets are called classified information and millions of cleared citizens have access to those secrets everyday. Those secrets are what is keeping this country safe and what are keeping the bad guys out. I personally don't WANT to know what our government is doing behind those SCIF walls. There are some things we're better off not knowing. Can you imagine if we tried to orchestrate D-Day in this day and age? The plot would be leaked to the media so fast that our soldiers would be killed before they were even halfway there.

In my job, it is my responsibility to make sure that this country remains safe. I brief hundreds of people a year about what could happen to them if they divulged classified information. What a slap in the face to the security community for one Geraldo or Katie Couric to blast all over the news the whereabouts of our secret bases or the intricacies of our spying missions. I could be thrown in jail for divulging such things and even given the death penalty. What do they get? An Emmy.

The Solution for Everything!

I was talking to a good friend of mine yesterday about a decision that I may have to make in the not too distant future. I was quite confused about it, and didn't really know what to do. She gave me some great advice that I thought I'd pass on.

When you cant decide, flip a coin. The coin flip isn't supposed to make your decision, but it's supposed to tell you how you'd react to a decision. So if you act really upset when it lands on your "heads" decision, you'll know that the right decision is "tails".

I think I know what I need to do for this one. Thanks, Bobbe.

More Family Photos...

After my grandparents passed away, my family started to divide up the items. My aunt got all of the family slides and negatives. She had no where to keep them, and asked me if I could store them for her. I have about 2500 slides from the 1950s to the 1980s and about a hundred black and white negatives from the 40s. I've started scanning the black and white negatives and have found quite a few lost family treasures. The below pictures are some of my favorites.

Ode to Dawson's Creek (thanks, Rob)

Withering, torrid, tormented soul floating through life just

waiting for the moment

when clarity

will be obtained. Craning neck trying to peek around the next corner knowing that

whatever is next must be better than

what is.

With each step into the future, tears are shed for the past as

whatever is now can never be as good as

what was, and yet

what has not become is

what is

wanted most. Each new discovery is an adventure to be conquered and

with each heartbreak, the end of the

world. Sappy music to cry to as a soundtrack to off balance hormones,

whispers to ignore in a hallway of divas

while trying to master seven subjects in an eight hour day. And still,

what I

wouldn’t give to be fifteen again.