Do you rent or own -- with a mortgage or clear and free?
What's your phone number?
Give me the name, ages, and birthdates of everyone in the house!
What's your origin and race?
Does anyone live elsewhere, like a second home, nursing home, college or military?
If I showed up on your doorstep and asked these intrusive questions, I'd promptly be shown the door -- if not escorted away by the local police.
But those are all on the CENSUS FORM.
The government claims they need this for projecting future needs. The status of my mortgage ... and do I have enough money for a second home? Maybe it's to project how much more tax they can charge me.
In this age of internet -- where we scarcely have any privacy -- this is one sector to which I won't easily relinquish my information.
We replied: 1 Adult Male; 1 Adult Female.
And for the race, origin sections: AMERICAN!
Minor question: Why is the form provided in so many different languages? We speak English. But, then, that's for another blog.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Jesse Kelly
Sunday afternoon, I went to a "meet-and-greet" for Jesse Kelly, who is running for congress in Arizona -- against Nancy Pelosi-clone, Gabrielle Giffords. With the morass of health care facing us, we had written Sen. Giffords to voice our concerns against the passage of this bill.
She sent us back the boiler-plate letters, affirming her commitment to passing the bill.
We told her we would work diligently to see her defeated; she re-affirmed her commitment. Was no one reading our letters? So we started researching candidates running against her.
Jesse, who is tall -- maybe Lincolnesque, is a conservative sharing values we hold dear. See his site at: http://www.votejessekelly.com/. He is a father of one son, with one on the way. He is a businessman who has run an interstate family business, balancing a budget, paying bills, taxes and employees. He is a US Marine veteran. He is pro-life.
And he is not a politician. He gives us a fresh start. Is that enough? You need to hear him speak. Watch for him at 4th of July observances in Marana and elsewhere. Check his schedule. Read and hear for yourself.
He has my support ... I hope he will have yours. Give a listen.
She sent us back the boiler-plate letters, affirming her commitment to passing the bill.
We told her we would work diligently to see her defeated; she re-affirmed her commitment. Was no one reading our letters? So we started researching candidates running against her.
Jesse, who is tall -- maybe Lincolnesque, is a conservative sharing values we hold dear. See his site at: http://www.votejessekelly.com/. He is a father of one son, with one on the way. He is a businessman who has run an interstate family business, balancing a budget, paying bills, taxes and employees. He is a US Marine veteran. He is pro-life.
And he is not a politician. He gives us a fresh start. Is that enough? You need to hear him speak. Watch for him at 4th of July observances in Marana and elsewhere. Check his schedule. Read and hear for yourself.
He has my support ... I hope he will have yours. Give a listen.
FREEDOM
Ok, so I've given up hope of being light and funny. Things are too intense, too critical and too irritating.
Tonight I looked at where I am and decided -- beyond a doubt -- that I am a conservative Independent, pro-life, pro-country, pro-FREEDOM, and a pain-in-the-ass. Stevie supplied the last bit.
But maybe that makes me a bit more cutting and more, lol, of a pain-in-the-ass to the status quo.
Our country is GREAT. I don't want apologies!
Obama say we cannot expect to be first in medical, space exploration. WHAT? Totally unexceptable. We will be first and best!
It is only the stupidity and the restrictions of the current administration that face us. Even given those, I believe we will persevere!
Come-0n, guys. So stupid to believe these lies out of Washington. Let's change this administration. We are much better than that.
Tonight I looked at where I am and decided -- beyond a doubt -- that I am a conservative Independent, pro-life, pro-country, pro-FREEDOM, and a pain-in-the-ass. Stevie supplied the last bit.
But maybe that makes me a bit more cutting and more, lol, of a pain-in-the-ass to the status quo.
Our country is GREAT. I don't want apologies!
Obama say we cannot expect to be first in medical, space exploration. WHAT? Totally unexceptable. We will be first and best!
It is only the stupidity and the restrictions of the current administration that face us. Even given those, I believe we will persevere!
Come-0n, guys. So stupid to believe these lies out of Washington. Let's change this administration. We are much better than that.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Santa Clause 1, 2, 3
Christmas is coming and for the past week ... I've crawled into bed by 8 pm each night to watch the yuletide specials. There's been Santa Clause 1, 2 and 3 and multiple Hallmark Channel specials, but so far have not seen the perennial "It's a Wonderful Life".
But no fear. If worse comes to worse, I'll pull out the videos of the ones I missed and watch them locally. Somehow, it's more fun if they are on TV. But the video is still close at hand.
Each day, I've unpacked more of the Holiday decorations -- giving hubby a new surprise each night. The tree will wait until the sons come home to help decorate.
Our only casualty so far has been the lovely pointsettia I bought for the front yard. You would think it would survive in Arizona, but a brief span of 40 degree nights quickly brought it to its knees.
I pulled the plant inside yesterday, but fear it may not recover. It looks pretty wilted, but is now sitting beneath a window covered in sunshine. We will see. If it recovers, it will become an indoor plant. Can always get something plastic for the yard.
Cheers.
But no fear. If worse comes to worse, I'll pull out the videos of the ones I missed and watch them locally. Somehow, it's more fun if they are on TV. But the video is still close at hand.
Each day, I've unpacked more of the Holiday decorations -- giving hubby a new surprise each night. The tree will wait until the sons come home to help decorate.
Our only casualty so far has been the lovely pointsettia I bought for the front yard. You would think it would survive in Arizona, but a brief span of 40 degree nights quickly brought it to its knees.
I pulled the plant inside yesterday, but fear it may not recover. It looks pretty wilted, but is now sitting beneath a window covered in sunshine. We will see. If it recovers, it will become an indoor plant. Can always get something plastic for the yard.
Cheers.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Countdown is on ...
Considering that my son at http://sampson81.blogspot.com/ gave me a plug on his blog, I suspect I should start trying to write more often. But it's tough going ... when morning and night are both dark and daylight hours are packed full of work.
All of which leaves me prone on the sofa at night with a glass of wine and not much incentive to post.
The good news is that both sons will be home for Christmas! Arriving a bare 8 days from now ... which also means the housecleaning, dog-washing, package-wrapping, bed-making and cookie-baking are way behind schedule. But I'm not daunted a bit ... where was that wine glass?
Hubby has also been home on a Christmas time break, finishing up all kinds of projects on his list. Between putting up new towel racks, tiling the bottom of kitchen cabinets (a grand idea from one of his buddies) and hanging pictures for me, he's out of breathe too.
Just picture us ... stretching out on our Lazyboy sofa. Cheers.
All of which leaves me prone on the sofa at night with a glass of wine and not much incentive to post.
The good news is that both sons will be home for Christmas! Arriving a bare 8 days from now ... which also means the housecleaning, dog-washing, package-wrapping, bed-making and cookie-baking are way behind schedule. But I'm not daunted a bit ... where was that wine glass?
Hubby has also been home on a Christmas time break, finishing up all kinds of projects on his list. Between putting up new towel racks, tiling the bottom of kitchen cabinets (a grand idea from one of his buddies) and hanging pictures for me, he's out of breathe too.
Just picture us ... stretching out on our Lazyboy sofa. Cheers.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
The List of Lists
Hubby has a new game. And he's enjoying it tremendously. He'll stand over me while I'm seated, bend his head down to my ear, and murmur sweetly:
"Oh look! I have bags under my eyes!"
He is such a charmer.
Excuse me, while I go burn his dinner and hide his remote.
*****
We were compiling our "Top 10 List" and couldn't decide whether to call it "Things That Make Us Laugh", "What Were They Thinking", or "Dumb, Dumb and Dumber". You decide.
10. Somalian pirates firing on French naval flagship. Oops.
9. Bank robber who swipes his ATM card before handing teller the hold-up note.
8. Congress passing bills without reading them
7. Actually, anything Congress does ...
6. That $25,000 electric Cupcake Car in the Neiman Marcus' Christmas Book
5. Bathroom Breaks Before Boarding -- on Nippon Airlines
4. A dancing Tom DeLay -- and those red pants
3. One-Child Rule: China's Gender Imbalance Leaves 30 Million Men Without Wives
2. Rare Hunk of Elvis' Hair Up for Auction
1. NASA bombing the moon
'SOUNDS-LIKE' WINNERS:
Who do the descriptions make you think of? We picked our choices; send us yours.
"Oh look! I have bags under my eyes!"
He is such a charmer.
Excuse me, while I go burn his dinner and hide his remote.
*****
We were compiling our "Top 10 List" and couldn't decide whether to call it "Things That Make Us Laugh", "What Were They Thinking", or "Dumb, Dumb and Dumber". You decide.
10. Somalian pirates firing on French naval flagship. Oops.
9. Bank robber who swipes his ATM card before handing teller the hold-up note.
8. Congress passing bills without reading them
7. Actually, anything Congress does ...
6. That $25,000 electric Cupcake Car in the Neiman Marcus' Christmas Book
5. Bathroom Breaks Before Boarding -- on Nippon Airlines
4. A dancing Tom DeLay -- and those red pants
3. One-Child Rule: China's Gender Imbalance Leaves 30 Million Men Without Wives
2. Rare Hunk of Elvis' Hair Up for Auction
1. NASA bombing the moon
'SOUNDS-LIKE' WINNERS:
Who do the descriptions make you think of? We picked our choices; send us yours.
- IN A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN: Glenn Beck
- WE LOVE TO ABHOR: Tie between Nancy Pelosi and Michael Moore
- NEVER THOUGHT WE'D FEEL SORRY FOR: Hillary Clinton
- NEXT OUT THE DOOR: Safe School Czar Kevin Jennings (we hope)
- COULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED TO A NICER GUY: Roman Polanski
Young Fogeys ...
Just got off the phone from talking with a longtime girlfriend. And we both wound up lamenting those sudden aches and pains of old age.
And we're both only 23 ... or 24 ... well, give or take a few decades that we won't talk about.
Forgetting the pains, there are multiple advantages to aging ... one being all the fond memories you acquire.
I still recall 5-year-old son, Alex, sitting on a hilltop at the town fair one cool summer evening. We'd wandered past all the arcades, he had ridden all the rides and now we were enjoying greasy hamburgers from the food court.
But when he looked up at me and said "this is the best-est hamburger ever" ... one of those moments was made.
While that moment is only in my memory, others are in the myriad boxes of images and negatives stuffed in my closets. Lately, I've been repackaging our photo albums, trying to get these into some semblance of order. But it is slow going -- trust me, there are a LOT of pictures.
We all go through stages in life, and growing old is just another -- but maybe one that is much more entertaining. We can wear loud colors and bright purple hats with enormous feathers. We can eat, sleep, drink, and - most importantly - shop when we want. We can be as eccentric, outspoken, cranky or opinionated as we want. We get a reprieve and can practice all that early childhood behavior we once learned to control.
And what happens? Everyone chalks it up to old age. If I'd known it was this much fun, I would have turned old long ago.
The only thing I have not figured out is this business about weight. I always thought when you got old enough, it wouldn't matter what you weighed. Who would care. You could get fat.
But, sigh, I must not be that old yet. For all the fun and hollaring, am still on a diet. Go figure.
Maybe in another 10 or 20 years ...
And we're both only 23 ... or 24 ... well, give or take a few decades that we won't talk about.
Forgetting the pains, there are multiple advantages to aging ... one being all the fond memories you acquire.
I still recall 5-year-old son, Alex, sitting on a hilltop at the town fair one cool summer evening. We'd wandered past all the arcades, he had ridden all the rides and now we were enjoying greasy hamburgers from the food court.
But when he looked up at me and said "this is the best-est hamburger ever" ... one of those moments was made.
While that moment is only in my memory, others are in the myriad boxes of images and negatives stuffed in my closets. Lately, I've been repackaging our photo albums, trying to get these into some semblance of order. But it is slow going -- trust me, there are a LOT of pictures.
We all go through stages in life, and growing old is just another -- but maybe one that is much more entertaining. We can wear loud colors and bright purple hats with enormous feathers. We can eat, sleep, drink, and - most importantly - shop when we want. We can be as eccentric, outspoken, cranky or opinionated as we want. We get a reprieve and can practice all that early childhood behavior we once learned to control.
And what happens? Everyone chalks it up to old age. If I'd known it was this much fun, I would have turned old long ago.
The only thing I have not figured out is this business about weight. I always thought when you got old enough, it wouldn't matter what you weighed. Who would care. You could get fat.
But, sigh, I must not be that old yet. For all the fun and hollaring, am still on a diet. Go figure.
Maybe in another 10 or 20 years ...
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