Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3

If you're reading this then count yourself special. Internet connection has been spotty at best in D-town.

It goes up and I get excited.

Then it goes down and I get frustrated.

It goes up.

It goes down.

This is the roller coaster of my day.

Maybe if the internet gnomes and elves decide to work tomorrow I can put real time into a post. Until then this will have to suffice, I'm trying to hit the post button before it goes down again.

Short on time, long on answers

Comments from last post:

Jes said:
your brain explodes...i have never seen that happen. how interesting.

Nicolle said:
You had a Menudo poster?! What a treasure? Was it from when Ricky Martin was in the group?LIVIN' LA VIDA LOCA Katie!Woohoo!

Rsponses:

Jessica -
Brain can explode luckily skull keeps it all in there, but it does make thinking hard for 30 minutes (like swimming after eating)

Nicolle –
Yep, Ricky Martin was the stud on my wall. Random note of interest regarding this poster – I would get dressed in the closet because I thought that Menudo could actually see me (I was in first and second grade people, these things were possible to a 7 year old). I also kissed my poster of Kirk Cameron in 6th grade. I was dared to and hey I don’t turn down a dare. Kirk was a cutie too. I was one where he’s wearing the sweater tied around his shoulders but is looking sexily into the camera (or at least what I thought was sexily in the 6th grade). Wow this answer has become a verbal diarrhea of somewhat embarrassing things in my life. Well now you know.




Eddie said:

Wait no, Eddie you didn't say anthing, say something and I'll post it here.

Numbers, Benetar, and Menudo

Is it Friday? Today feels like a friday, not because I will be leaving for the weekend anytime soon but becasue today has been random. Fridays are always random. When I worked at kamp we had random Sundays and would do things backwards or out of order or etc. etc. etc. So today has been random. I feel like my life is in the hands of a man sitting on a couch with one hand tucked in his waistband and the other flipping channels on the remote. Everything is fast, short, and random. Here's a little computer work, now a little data entry, now so algebra skills, now a little lunch, back to the data entry, now some course planning, here's a little registration help desk, ok now a little Pat Benatar (we are strong, no one can tell us we're wrong . . . . love is a battlefield, oh, e, oh, e, oh, e, oh, e, oh), now reminicing about my menudo poster (it was first grade, I was living in Beaumont, they were big back then), now some more data entry, now my brain explodes. So randomness, yeah.

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Realizations

Isn't it interesting that we forget who our audience is in life. Who is reading this blog? Who is exposed to what I type here? Who is hurt but what I type here? Am I hurt by what I type here? People can make assumptions about me from just reading one of my blogs. They can make assumptions about my life, my work, my family, my friends. This is an open forum into my life. At least it is as open as I let it be. An incident recently brought this to my attention and made me consider what and about whom I decide to post.

PEOPLE, anyone can read these blogs which means the person you may be speaking of can easily read this. I find it an extraordinary conclusion to think that your blog can be an area you can freely express yourself with no regard for the consequences you might receive. If you choose to rant and rave on your site about your personal life realize that it just became public. You have opened yourself up to scrutiny. I remember hearing once that you should never put in print (in our case type) what you don't want exposed to the public. A website, blog, or online diary is even more dangerous. There are very few ways to block out the public, to select your audience, to prevent others from seeing what you type.

I know that I haven't posted anything that I would feel uncomfortable exposed to public scrutiny, and I hope that I have in no way put anything on this blog that would in any way hurt me or anyone else connected to me. I am thinking about it more now. Thinking about who I may influence, who I may hurt, who I may leave an impression on by my words.

Just think about it. Make sure that if you were confronted with your own words you would not be in a bad situation.

Part II

I went out to celebrate the upcoming wedding of my friend Lindsay on Saturday. It was a fun time and I came to a very important conclusion. I realize that I am of the legal age to participate in alcoholic drinking. I have never partaken in this freedom I have both legally and in my opinion spiritually. There are various reasons that I have limited myself in this freedom. Sometimes these limitations have been from others when I was involved in ministries with students but I have overall had a self imposed limitation. I've never really known why I limited myself in this area but I've also never really had a deep desire to go out and try alcohol. It, thankfully, has never been a big draw for me. Now that doesn't mean that I push my choices on other people. We each draw our own lines on areas of this nature but this is my choice and I'm comfortable with it. But back to my Saturday night. For our celebration we ended up at a bar/club = alcoholic beverages sold there and a live band. My friends decided to partake in a drink or two though none of them were what I would call slap-happy drunk, actually most just had one or two drinks and were drinking water the rest of the night. But back to my conclusion. See there were many people at this bar who had consumed a lot of alcohol, too much in fact. And I realized beyond the effects of excessive drinking and the biological ramifications you also tend to loose all control of your mind. Not that you go crazy but some people do in fact loose the ability to even think. But more than that, you loose the ability to control what you say, how you reason, even the ability to reason. I like being very much in control of my ability to reason. You could say I'm a mind snob. I like being able to think, to think well, and to control this ability to think. So I guess you could say I reject alcohol becasue it would limit my ability to think (or think well). I may make random comments here and there but I know that I said them and I can quickly correct any missayings. When you are imbibed you loose that ability. So I accept this freedom but I'm going to go ahead and let it be a freedom that I don't partake of.

Call me a mind snob, I like that.

In response to a question posed at Me and My Skirt

So do I have a soul? Wow what a question. Is there some sort of medical test for this? A cat scan, blood test, one of those TB tests where your skin changes color? Or are we really just a sack of water and other chemicals living our lives with this finite future? Soulless guy you pose so many different thoughts that are very intriguing. I want to let you know that you have challenged me with a tough and imposing theory which I very much enjoyed pondering.

The following is a response but may diverge from your original thesis but oh well I’m just thinking here. I find it interesting that we as humans (and by we I mean whoever expresses these thoughts) split so definitely about being alone in the world (soulless) or part of a bigger picture (soulfull – but not in a blues song way). One side says that we are a cosmic goof up, a blip that happen to create this sentient being. And then that sentient being looked up and reasoned (not taking into account that somehow he gained this ability) that he was just a blip. We come from chemicals and are chemicals and will just become a different form of chemicals in the future. With that line of thinking are we really anything at all but a combination of various parts. Are a sperm and an egg each individual beings who form another being. What do we use as a basis of definition?

Part of being a human is that we want to know why. Why are we here, where did we come from, what are we, who are we? Questions, questions, questions. Each of them leads to another question. The idea we like though is that we can explain everything, which really means we can control everything. That is man’s eternal (which seems to be a word you disagree with) quest: To control. We want to control our destiny (we can make anything happen), control our body (define and determine every part of ourselves), control our history (know how we came to be and know how “we” (man) did it). We like and want control. And by knowing the hows, whys, whats, whos, whens, etc. we can control.

I am, by nature, a very inquisitive person. I like questions and I like answers. I like answers I can understand also. And if I can’t understand it I often don’t like it. But does that mean that I don’t accept what I can’t understand. Nope. I don’t fully understand how a plane actually stays up in the air, I’ve heard about lift and wind and jet propulsion and all, but I don’t fully understand it. I don’t understand why if a plane can fly, I can’t? It obviously isn’t a super power but I’m pretty sure if I ran off a cliff I just go splat. All this to say, I still get on airplanes. So I don’t understand flying but I do accept it as something that happens. Now I realize this is a fairly sad excuse for an example but it’s hard to make a point without stretching a little bit. So back to my original question, do I have a soul? How do I tell? You obviously can’t see a soul and you can’t touch a soul so what do you have left to tell if it’s there? Feeling? That is a tough one because I feel happy and sad but are those true things or something I have myself created? Besides the fact that feeling is such a personal preference and hard to define with clarity. My sad could be your depression, my happy could be you elated, my excitement could be your fear.

So if you can’t see, touch, or feel it does that mean it isn’t there? How do you even prove that a soul doesn’t exist? How do you prove that a giant pink invisible elephant isn’t standing right beside you? Reach out and touch it? What if it’s not only invisible but also formless? Listen for it? What if it doesn’t make a sound? The questions go on and on. The fact is you believe it is there or not. I may believe that a giant pink invisible elephant follows me everywhere I go and you have no way to absolutely disprove that this is true.

So now we are stuck at a big division in the road. See I believe I have a soul. In fact, I know I do. How you might ask. Or better yet you may challenge me to prove it. And I wish that I could pull my soul out and show it to you, but I can’t. See my soul is who I am. It is the intrinsic part of what makes Katie, Katie. I refuse to believe that I am a cosmic hiccup. I’ve thought long and hard about my origins, human life’s origins. If we in fact came from chemical soup then where did that soup originate? If the big bang is true, where did the materials for this explosion come from? Show me the starting point.

The entire thesis of evolution rests on the idea that material moves from one form to another over time adapting to its situation. So tell me the original form and where it came from. If we all come from Oxygen and Hydrogen then where did they come from? Please remember that I’m not being argumentative (well maybe just a little but hey we are disagreeing so it is an argument, but a nice kind intellectual one). I’m just trying to function within the confines of the idea.

See I’m supposing that if you believe in the soul you believe that there is something bigger than yourself out there and if you don’t you think we are alone (chemical compounds). That also places you on opposite sides of where we come from. Either we evolved (which lends itself to no soul) or we were created (which lends itself to a soul). So I’m trying to draw a line of thought incorporating these items. Now if you believe we were created and have no soul or we evolved and have a soul then that is a whole other conversation but I’m guessing I’m supposing correctly.

So prove to me I have no soul and I’ll prove to you I do. The thing is we both know we are right in our own conclusion because we each believe in our own conclusion. So to change each others conclusions we have to change each others beliefs. That is a whole other conversation for a whole other day.

I’ve typed way too long to be doing this at work. I’m not sure I even answered your question or replied to your statements in a way that you expected but those are my two (or two hundred) cents on the matter.

By the way, my younger sisters are identical twins and while I do like to refer to them as freaks of nature (hello the embryo split people and that is not predictable, therefore a freak of nature –again man wanting to define and control, and if we can’t we use the work freak – i.e. uncontrollable and unexplainable). So your question about the souls is interesting to me. I do believe that my sisters each have their individual souls and I do think that they have had them since conception. This comes from a belief that if they were each created by God then he obviously knew that there would be two lives instead of one and though I can’t understand but I do accept He created two people with two souls from one embryo. Pretty fantastic if you ask me.

Hold your horses

Yesterday was not the best day on record. It was a trying and frustrating day. Sometimes I wonder if it is a downfall that I can't walk away from things if they aren't done well. I always thought this was a strength but it doesn't seem to be working out for me. But I HATE settling. I HATE doing things halfway or only good enough. I know what I am capable of and I know what is possible and I HATE, HATE, HATE not going all the way with a project or task.

This is not my blog for the day. I will write something funny or interesting or all around pleasing but not quite yet. I'm still recovering from yesterday. It ended on a good note though.

Check out Me and My Skirt for a new post.

Singlesness, Singleness is what I long for . . . . .

Singleness is what I need
Singleness, Singleness is what you want for me
Oh Lord

Ok so there may be some sort of blasphemy involved in taking a worship song and warping it in my brain to apply to my life today. But, then again, I'm actually being sincere.

See today is V-Day. Not Veteran's Day but good ol St. Val Day. Today is the day to show your special someone how much you love them, or in my case to ponder the absence of a special someone. Now SVD is a wonderful opportunity for all the single gals (and maybe guys) to let thier bitterness monster out and rip on the state of singleness. I must confess that there have been many a times that my own BM (bitterness monster not bowel movement) has burst forth with anger and frustration (again not bowel movement you sicko who is laughing). I have lamented the state of singleness, daydreamed about my prince charming, looked on with distain and pure hatred to all those lovey dovey couples who insist on talking baby talk in my presence, I've questioned what may be wrong with me, what may be wrong with him, I've questioned the what ifs, the what could have beens, the why in the worlds, I've done it all. (Note: the above was a horribly constructed sentence, it is in fact not even a sentence, but I am too much in the groove of thought to go back and attempt to correct it. So grammer cops allow me this one misstep.)

So I've deconstructed my entire dating life (or lack there of) and come to this conclusion:


I enjoy my singleness. I really do. I'm actually content in my current state of being. Not resigned, resignation means that you accept the status quo but not with a whole lot of happiness and you pretty much have given up and you just accept your fate. But not me, I am happy being single. I have tons of "me" time, my whole time is "me" time. I have the freedom to make decisions without weighing the consequences of my other half. I can go where I want to go, do what I want to do.

Now don't go thinking I want to be single for the rest of my life. I want to be married, I want to be a mother, I want to be a grandmother. I anticipate with joy the day that I will walk down the aisle and pledge my love, devotion, and life to another. I want to be a helpmate to my husband, I want to encourage and support him in all his life. I want to look into my child's eyes and have my heart swell with joy at this life that I am priviledged to mold and encourage.

But this is not my lot at the moment. I am exactly where I am supposed to be and experiencing all the things that singleness brings.

So much love to all my married friends, I am overwelmed with happiness that you have found your lifelong mate. Much love to all my single friends, enjoy this time in your life because singleness is a temporary state and is not returned to after marriage.

Happy Valentine's Day to all.

New Blog

I'm a dual blogger. Check out my sister site at http://meandmyskirt.blogspot.com/

Check it out, bookmark it, come back daily.

The prayer bandit strikes again

Ok ok God is going to punish me for this one day very soon. I do feel some guilt and remorse for doing these things while other people are praying. At least this time I wasn't involved in the prayer when I struck.

We had a teacher luncheon yesterday. Lasagna, garlic bread, spinach salad, cheesecake, chocolate covered strawberries. Sorry that was me wiping the slobber that is now trailing down my chin. So we all got our plates from the buffet and sat down. Many of us had already started eating as others joined us at the table.

I took a bite of a regular piece of sourdough bread and it was ok then I took a bite of my garlicky scrumptious bread and knew that the sd bread just wouldn't do. Instead of wasting the bread because of all the starving children everywhere that would somehow end up with my bitten piece of bread I decided to donate it to a neighboring teacher as he thanked God for his food.

So in plain sight of at least four other teachers I reached across and perched it on his salad, bite missing and all. I then went about my conversations waiting for his exclamation of providence and blessing that he had received a piece of bread, albeit already sampled, while in prayer.

It took him a while to notice this little piece of bread-blessing but when he did he so kindly asked his friend (a new teacher no less) if he had placed it there. I quickly turned my head and entered into a conversation so that I would not give myself away. He proceeded to question the others sitting next to him (I was a good person away and did have to stretch to deposit my gift on his plate). There was group giggling as everyone knew the culprit but they were being accused at I was not.

This teacher (and a good sport) then shrugged and bit off the part I had bitten off. The teacher in between us then exclaimed in horror and pointed out I was the culprit. I got ratted out but it was funny and he being such a good sport, shrugged again and swallowed.

So beware to all of you out there. If we're in a group it is best to suggest I pray or you may find a little surprise when you rise from blessing the food. A Katie blessing of your own food no doubt.

In a Funk

I'm in a funk. A nasty, horrible, never ending funk. Everything is going just wrong enough today to annoy and frustrate me. There is no bright side to look at, no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, there isn't even a rainbow, just dark nasty drizzly rain that smells like metal. The rain that never seems to end and the rain where you realize that you left your windows down 10 hours too late. I'm not is a state of utter dispair, end of the world, rip my hair out, curl into a little ball and mumble things. I'm just funky, yucky, junky, funky. Everything is ending up wrong today and I'm saying all the wrong things and supersentitive to the fact that I'm probably furstrating and annoying everyone who comes into contact with me. I hate the funk.

Remind me when I'm a parent . . . .

One of the great benefits of working at a school is this wonderful things called Staff Appreciation. This event is really just an opportunity for our staff to stuff our faces with amazing food that our wonderful parents provide. I love these days, one becasue of the food, and second the moms go out of their way to make our teacher workroom/lunchroom beautiful and thematic. These moms are amazing and they bring their home decorations to turn our lackluster workroom into a celebration of food. The theme today was love (for valentine's day). There was red, white, and pink decorations everywhere from blinking red heart lights to candles, blocks spelling out I (heart) valentines, table cloths, napkins, lamps, and a big heart hanging from the ceiling. It was amazing. Then the food - sandwhiches, soups, chips, veggies, fruit, etc. etc. etc. and then dessert - OH MY WORD the dessert. Tiramisu cake (yummy it is addictive) regular cake, chocolates, pretzels dipped in chocolate, and then party gifts of cute mason jars with chocolate. It was amazing. And the best part is that they do it all over again tomorrow for the elementary teachers and since I work full time I get it all again tomorrow.

So remind me when I'm a mom to treat my children's teachers well because I know how much this means to them.

They're Baaaaaack

The birdsassians are back. I can see them in their stealth manuevers right out my window. Whoever sent these evil henchmen will pay. If only I had a shotgun, starter pistol, or fireworks I would disrupt their mission. Oh no they spotted me and have retreated. I will have to somehow create a stakeout for survelliance. I will keep you apprised of any furhter activity. Krae out.

It was a sad day on cubicle row . . . .

I had to leave a dear friend behind today. It pained me to say goodbye to him but he was holding me back. As I turned and left I remembered all the good times we had. The work we had done together that was so productive, that big handbook project where we spent hours working together. It brought tears to my eyes as I realized what a great team we had made. It is so hard to admit to yourself that your partner is just not keeping up anymore. It makes you doubt yourself, it makes you question everything life. To come to this decision to look him in the face and tell him we can't go on together, that you have to leave him behind and move on to a new work mate. It rips your heart out as you see the realization in his eyes that he's just not the same person anymore, that realization that his time is up. So goodbye dear friend, dear co-worker, I will treasure all the times we had together. These last few days will in no way tarnish my memory of your great work, your desire to be and do the best. Your replacement has a long way to go before he holds such a tender place in my heart. Goodbye Bic White Out correction flued with the nice soft sponge. You gave it your all and just got too old. You lost your milky white coverage. Don't despair it happens to all the white outs. I will fondly remember all the words we wiped from existance together. Rest in peace in my trashcan.

Who did it?

Ok who put the sign on my car? Who did it? Who painted the large target on my front hood and windshield? Who released 50 trained birds in the neighborhood of Denton Bible Church yesterday? Who fed those birds food that would easily digest and therefore cause them to turn my nice white car a nasty shade of polka-dot brown. I now hate birds.

Oh My WORD

Can a day be any crazier? Can I do any other things that are any more unproductive for my job? What in the world.

Today is crazy. Everyone is sick, and at a small private school that is like your arm, leg, and head being cut off and then being told to swim the English Channel with one hand tied behind your back. CRAZY.

I have been as productive as an anorexic at a pie eating contest.

The above comment does not in any way condone anorexia. It does not make light of the disesase. It was only meant to show the extremity of my productiveness. This concludes my politically correct disclaimer.

So today that's about all you're gonna get.

Talking about my America

Now why is it when a person is overwhelmingly obsessed with their sports team they are called a super fan, when a person is supercommitted to all things pop culture they are considered trendy and hip, but when a younger member of this country is excited about, or even just willing to tune in to the State of the Union they are considered weird (thank you Jessica) or a 40+ year old man (thank you Amanda Sue, I don't know you but I think I'm going to like you even with the sarcasm)?

People did you forget all that you learned about our government, our history? Are we so obsessed with our own personal lives that we take for granted the shear amazingness of this thing called democracy.

I watched the State of the Union, I got excited, and yes I even choked up. In case you didn't tune in I want to tell you about two of President Bush's special guest in his wife's box. One was a woman from Iraq whose father died, I believe under Hussein's regeime, and she voted for the first time in her entire life in the Iraqi election on Sunday. She held up her index finger to show the ink used to mark she had voted. Later he introduced a set of parents whose son was killed in the taking of Falluga. The mother had mentioned to her son when he was on leave that she wanted to protect his like when he was a child and the son told her that it was his turn to protect her. The two women embraced and I got choked up.

If you want to know what this war accomplishes. Look at these two women. One who had to lose her son, who holds dog tags in rememberance of the price he paid. One who lsot her father but for the first time got to have a say in her government. Who proudly displays a blue finger to mark the event. Two women with different backgrounds, different sacrifices, but connected.

I realized last night that I wish I had one ounce of the honor that mother did for a son who answered a call from his country, who died in a foreign land never knowing the product of his sacrifice, who with his life gave an Iraqi woman to share in a freedom he might have once taken for granted. I wish I had one ounce the excitement and hope that this Iraqi woman had that her vote was counted, that her voice was heard, that it was even allowed to speak and to say this is my opinion on our country.

So poo poo on you who think I'm weird. I'm not the reason that our generation is considered apathetic. How quickly we take for granted the freedom we possess, the freedom we have to vote, to express our opinions, to question our government, to seek change, the power in our voice.

Last Sunday one woman's voice was heard for the first time in her country. You who have that freedom from birth, why do you so easily take it for granted?

Get ye self educated . . . .

Ok everyone. Today is a historic day. Do you know why? No, not for that, nope that’s not right either. Give up?

Today is the State of the Union.

"The President shall from time to time give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient." Article II, Sec. 3, U.S. Constitution

Now I realize that not everyone shares the warm fuzzy feelings that I have for all things governmental. I realize that many are you are probably upset that your normal programming is being pre-empted by a man you might not have voted for. Well get over it. The President of the United States is addressing Congress tonight and you the voter, his constituency. He is going to put forth his ideas, plans, and vision for the future and as a member of this country and a participant in this thing we call representative democracy you better listen. See this isn’t just another speech by a guy up in Washington; it is the vision for the future of our country by our elected leader. Hello people, democracy only works when the people who it protects, supports, and provides for participates in the process. And while it is commendable to vote every four years that isn’t the end of your part in the process. So I encourage you to tune in at 8:00 central/standard to our President as he addresses you, the one who he works on behalf of.

To get you in the mood, I have included the first ever state of the Union Address by President George Washington and some interesting historical highlights.

The First State of the Union Address
President George Washington

Friday, January 8, 1790

FELLOW CITIZENS Of the SENATE, and HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES,

I EMBRACE with great satisfaction the opportunity, which now presents itself, of congratulating you on the present favourable prospects of our public affairs. The recent accession of the important state of Northcarolina to the Constitution of the United States (of which official information has been received)--- the ruling credit and respectability of our country--- the general and increasing good will towards the government of the union, and the concord, peace and plenty, with which we are blessed, are circumstances auspicious, in an excellent degree, to our national prosperity.

In reforming your consultations for the general good, you cannot but derive encouragement from the reflection, the measures of the last session have been as satisfactory to your constituents as the novelty and difficulty of the work allowed you to hope.-- Still further to realize their expectations, and to secure the blessings which a gracious Providence has placed within our reach, will in the course of the present important session, call for the cool and deliberate exertion of your patriotism, firmness and wisdom.

Among the many interesting objects which will engage your attention, that of providing for the common defence will merit particular regard. To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.

A free people ought not only to be armed but disciplined; to which end a uniform and well digested plan is requisite: And their safety and interest require that they should promote such manufactories, as tend to render them independent on others, for essential, particularly for military supplies.

The proper establishment of the troops which may be deemed indispensable, will be entitled to mature consideration. In the arrangement which will be made respecting it, it will be of importance to conciliate the comfortable support of the officers and soldiers with a due regard to economy.

There was reason to hope, the pacifick measures adopted with regard to certain hostile tribes of Indians, would have relieved the inhabitants of our southern and western frontiers from their depredations. But you will perceive, from the information contained in the papers, which I shall direct to be laid before you, (comprehending a communication from the Commonwealth of Virginia) that we ought to be prepared to afford protection to those parts of the Union; and, if necessary, to punish aggressors.

The interests of the United States require, that our intercourse with other nations should be facilitated by such provisions as will enable me to fulfill my duty, in that respect, in the manner which circumstances may render most conducive to the publick good: And to this end, that the compensations to be made to the persons who may be employed, should, according to the nature of their appointments, be defined by law; and a competent fund designated for defraying the expenses incident to the conduct of our foreign affairs.

Various considerations also render it expedient, that the terms on which foreigners may be admitted to the rights of Citizens, should be speedily ascertained by a uniform rule of naturalization.

Uniformity in the currency, weights and measures of the United States, is an object of great importance, and will, I am persuaded, be duly attended to.

The advancement of agriculture, commerce and manufactures, by all proper means, will not, I trust, need recommendation. But I cannot forbear intimating to you the expediency of giving effectual encouragement as well to the introduction of new and useful inventions from abroad, as to the exertions of skill and genius in producing them at home; and of facilitating the intercourse between the distant parts of our country by a due attention to the Post Office and Post Roads.

Nor am I less persuaded, that you will agree with me in opinion, that there is nothing which can better deserve your patronage, than the promotion of Science and Literature. Knowledge is in every country the surest basis of publick happiness. In one, in which the measures of government receive their impression so immediately from the sense of the community, as in our's, it is proportionately essential. To the security of a free Constitution it contributes in various ways: By convincing those who are entrusted with the publick administration, that every valuable end of government is best answered by the enlightened confidence of the people: And by teaching the people themselves to know, and to value their own rights; to discern and provide against invasions of them; to distinguish between oppression and the necessary exercise of lawful authority; between burthens proceeding from a disregard to their convenience, and those resulting from the inevitable exigencies of society; to discriminate the spirit of liberty from that of licentiousness, cherishing the first, avoiding the last, and uniting a speedy, but temperate vigilance against encroachments, with an inviolable respect to the laws.

Whether this desirable object will be best promoted by affording aids to seminaries of learning already established, by the institution of a national university, or by any other expedients, will be well worthy of a place in the deliberations of the Legislature.
Gentlemen of the House of Representatives,

I SAW with peculiar pleasure, at the close of the last session, the resolution entered into by you, expressive of your opinion, that an adequate provision for the support of the publick credit, is a matter of high importance to the national honour and prosperity.-- In this sentiment, I entirely concur.-- And to a perfect confidence in your best endeavors to devise such a provision as will be truly consistent with the end, I add an equal reliance on the cheerful cooperation of the other branch of the Legislature.-- It would be superfluous to specify inducements to a measure in which the character and permanent interests of the United States so obviously and so deeply concerned; and which has received so explicit a sanction from your declaration.
Gentlemen of the Senate, and House of Representatives,

I HAVE directed the proper officers to lay before you respectively such papers and estimates as regards the affairs particularly recommended to your consideration, and necessary to convey to you that information of the state of the union, which it is my duty to afford.

The welfare of our country is the great object to which our cares and efforts ought to be directed.-- And I shall derive great satisfaction from a cooperation with you, in the pleasing though arduous task of ensuring to our fellow citizens the blessings which they have a right to expect, from a free and equal government.

George Washington, January 8, 1790


Historic Higlights:

1790: George Washington delivers the first one in New York City.

1801: Thomas Jefferson sends his text via messenger to both houses of Congress. It's not until

1913 that the address is again given as a speech.

1862: Abraham Lincoln calls for emancipation of slaves.

1913: Woodrow Wilson revives the tradition of delivering the speech to Congress, but subsequent presidents rarely did until 1934.

1923: Calvin Coolidge's speech is the first broadcast over radio.

1935: The phrase "State of the Union," popularized by Franklin D. Roosevelt, becomes the common name for the address.

1947: Harry Truman's address is the first carried by television.

1966: For the first time, the opposition party gives a response.

1986: Ronald Reagan's speech was postponed for a week after the space shuttle Challenger disaster.

1998: Bill Clinton delivers his address less than one week after the Monica Lewinsky scandal became public and one day after he uttered what's perhaps his most famous quotation: "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky."

2002: George W. Bush includes Iraq, Iran and North Korea in what he describes as an "axis of evil."

Does that make me weird?

I love the History Channel. I really, really like to watch it. It is the perfect go-to channel.
It has shows on everything you ever wanted to know and things you probably need to know. It fulfill my quest for random and in depth knowledge. I love it.


I think there is a point where in normal acquaintance conversation you cross the line into over-sharing. This is a point where I have stopped listening and am now visualizing shoving article within my reach into my ears. Sometimes this includes personal items that you think I want to know. I really don’t need to know about the schedule of your day, how you were supposed to get your hair cut and then something happened and you wanted to make asparagus for dinner but it was so wilted at the grocery store, and then you ran into so and so in the frozen food aisle and then you share with me their innate information (by the way if I don’t know you that well, then I don’t want to know about people that barely know – stop the insanity of passing on non-knowing knowledge). I am all for get to know you conversation, building friendships, but hey if I’m in the middle of doing something or going somewhere I really don’t want to have a conversation that offers no nutritional value.


I’m very specific on my food. I am a recovering “picky eater” and I’m making strides but hey a girl’s got to have her standards. See I will eat a piece of candy that has fallen on the floor if I deem the floor to be fairly clean. What are those standards you may ask, well here are a few: Visible sticky stuff, visible wet stuff, the traffic flow prior to the fall, the presence of hair of any kind (this negates all bathrooms, dog areas, etc. as viable floor eating areas), visible dirt, how long has the food actually been on the floor, what type of food fell (i.e. is it in itself a questionable food to begin with, hard items that are not porous are good to drop, but sticky or wet-like items are dead before they even hit the floor). I have other food standards, the following items are off-limits: mashed potatoes with any foreign substance in them (peas, meat, etc.); corn-nuts; cream savers; gravy (any kind); SOGGY BREAD – this is the mother load of no-no foods, and this of course means dumplings are out as well as crackers in soups; things in eggs, i.e. omelets. Pretty much a standard rule should be that all food should stay within the confines of its selected areas on my plate. I am not a food mixer. My dad is, my mom is, but I am not. I like segregation when it comes to food. In fact I would be perfectly happy eating of the separated trays of the elementary lunch room. Now I am not a high maintenance eater, I have actually explored food areas that I would once not even thing of treading into but I am a little bit specific in certain areas.


I love to google things. I love to investigate the what, when, where, why and hows of things. I’m a nerd. I’m ok with this, my nerdom and I have made peace and we have decided to accept each other and live in harmonious nerdishlisness.

I am fairly capable. In everything. I don’t especially like this capability (not culpability) but it is what it is. I think it is a product of many factors, 1) I’m a self-starter, 2) I was very independent at a young age, 3) My singleness (when you are going it alone it is kind of hard to track down someone to squish your bug or carry your luggage) 4) My organizational/administrative skills 5) My can-do attitude (sometimes becomes must-do). So the point of this self realization is to say that while I am capable I would most happily welcome the ability to lay my capability aside and have someone there to remove the need for me to be.