Friday, February 25, 2005
Family Matters
I dont think most people realize how much our old relatives really love company. I spent just over 24 hours this week in Rochester, Minnesota visiting my great-grandparents, who are 95 years old and live at a retirement home attached to and owned by the Mayo Clinic. They were so excited to see me, and so glad that I came to visit them. Even though it was quite possibly the most boring 2 days of my life, it was also I think the most meaningful and appreciated in a very long time. They are obviously too old to travel anymore, and therefore the only way they see anyone is if other people travel to see them. Their daughter and her kids all live in the Minneapolis-St Paul area, but all of my Mom's brothers and sisters live all over the place, so they rarely see our side of the family. I felt like by going to see them I had really done something important, and I felt the best about myself that I had felt in ages. Its quite a nice feeling.
Thursday, February 17, 2005
A little reminder...
A new bill is being worked through the Virginia lawmaking process to alter the wording of the state Constitution. This new wording would be added to the religious freedom section and would basically reemphasize the fact that Virginians have the right to free exercise of religion, that the government cannot force any religion or sect, or establish a religion, but adds the caveat that the people's right to express their religion, beliefs, or traditions as they choose on public property, to include public schools, shall also not be infringed upon.
I have been involved in more discussions on this topic than I can count, and I am almost relieved to see that someone in a position to have an impact is somewhat in agreement with me. Don't get me wrong- I am all for religious freedom and separation of church and state. I just finished reading a book about the Inquisition in England during the rule of Bloody Mary, and I can't imagine living in an environment like that. However, I am also truly of the belief that the Founding Fathers are turning in their graves over the way we have interpreted that idea in the last few decades. Whether people want to admit it or not, the basis of this country and all of our governing documents was faith. The reason people came here to begin with was to escape religious persecution. How can we say we are a religiously free nation when children get in trouble for participating in religious clubs or the morning flagpole prayer meetings, or are told they cannot wear their religious garb to school because it might offend those who are not part of their religion? Or when we let a person who has no faith win a lawsuit because he is offended by those who do?
I think that by allowing this reword into the Virginia Constitution, the state would be reminding people of the principles on which this country was founded. We are a melting pot. We are a mix of any and every culture and religion on earth, and we are proud of that. Why should we force people to suppress the very things about them that drove them or their ancestors to this country to begin with?
I have been involved in more discussions on this topic than I can count, and I am almost relieved to see that someone in a position to have an impact is somewhat in agreement with me. Don't get me wrong- I am all for religious freedom and separation of church and state. I just finished reading a book about the Inquisition in England during the rule of Bloody Mary, and I can't imagine living in an environment like that. However, I am also truly of the belief that the Founding Fathers are turning in their graves over the way we have interpreted that idea in the last few decades. Whether people want to admit it or not, the basis of this country and all of our governing documents was faith. The reason people came here to begin with was to escape religious persecution. How can we say we are a religiously free nation when children get in trouble for participating in religious clubs or the morning flagpole prayer meetings, or are told they cannot wear their religious garb to school because it might offend those who are not part of their religion? Or when we let a person who has no faith win a lawsuit because he is offended by those who do?
I think that by allowing this reword into the Virginia Constitution, the state would be reminding people of the principles on which this country was founded. We are a melting pot. We are a mix of any and every culture and religion on earth, and we are proud of that. Why should we force people to suppress the very things about them that drove them or their ancestors to this country to begin with?
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Good riddance!
Its finally over.
Two years and two weeks after reporting to the ship, I am finally gone. For those of you that knew me when I first reported, I was excited about it, and for the first, oh, 18 months or so, give or take, I was having a blast. I enjoyed the people I worked for, worked with, and who worked under me. But those same of you will also know that in the last six months, it has just gone downhill. I have not been happy; in fact I've been counting the days until I can leave since I got my orders in October. And now, that day has come, albeit a day early- I was actually supposed to leave tomorrow, but, in typical ship fashion, they screwed it up and I left today. Good riddance, I say! Its time to start fresh. New faces, new chances to excel as they always like to say. Wish me luck. But for now, time to enjoy a few days off!
Two years and two weeks after reporting to the ship, I am finally gone. For those of you that knew me when I first reported, I was excited about it, and for the first, oh, 18 months or so, give or take, I was having a blast. I enjoyed the people I worked for, worked with, and who worked under me. But those same of you will also know that in the last six months, it has just gone downhill. I have not been happy; in fact I've been counting the days until I can leave since I got my orders in October. And now, that day has come, albeit a day early- I was actually supposed to leave tomorrow, but, in typical ship fashion, they screwed it up and I left today. Good riddance, I say! Its time to start fresh. New faces, new chances to excel as they always like to say. Wish me luck. But for now, time to enjoy a few days off!
Sunday, February 13, 2005
The LSAT is over!
They always say you get dumber after college, and they also always say the Navy will dumb you down. Both are true, as I discovered yesterday morning when I took the LSAT. Not dumb like stupid, but dumb as in an inability to think in any logical or analytical manner. I had the worst headache by the end of that test... but well see, maybe I actually did OK. Ill let you know in 4-6 weeks!
Thursday, February 03, 2005
Inbox (1 new), Junk Mail (6 new)
There needs to be a "do not call" list for email.
Maybe they could call it "do not Spam," or something. I don't know. All I know is I am so sick of getting emails with "Better than V^i^a^g^r^a" or "C*ial#is" or"Diet Pills as Seen on Sixty Minutes" as the subject lines. Believe me, if I wanted to be getting emails about Viagra or Cialis or herbal remedies or Diet pills or free gift cards or containing porn, I would ask for them. But please, please stop sending them to my inbox. Where do they get my email address anyways? I have a very obscure email address, and Ive had it for almost 8 years. I dont particularly like the email address, but everyone knows it, from all of my past lives since high school, and apparently the 8-10 junk emails I get a day are a really small number compared to the 30-40 that some of my friends are getting. I am just afraid that if I get a new account it will be ridiculous.
Maybe Ill write my congressman. If they can do it for telemarketers I bet they can do it for Spam.
Maybe they could call it "do not Spam," or something. I don't know. All I know is I am so sick of getting emails with "Better than V^i^a^g^r^a" or "C*ial#is" or"Diet Pills as Seen on Sixty Minutes" as the subject lines. Believe me, if I wanted to be getting emails about Viagra or Cialis or herbal remedies or Diet pills or free gift cards or containing porn, I would ask for them. But please, please stop sending them to my inbox. Where do they get my email address anyways? I have a very obscure email address, and Ive had it for almost 8 years. I dont particularly like the email address, but everyone knows it, from all of my past lives since high school, and apparently the 8-10 junk emails I get a day are a really small number compared to the 30-40 that some of my friends are getting. I am just afraid that if I get a new account it will be ridiculous.
Maybe Ill write my congressman. If they can do it for telemarketers I bet they can do it for Spam.
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
Idolaholics Anonymous
Hi, my name is Rebecca, and I am addicted to American Idol.
Even when I know the show is going to suck (the auditions all do), I still must watch it. If I did not have DVR, I would probably work my schedule around making sure I could watch it. I didn't know about it until the very end of the first season, so I didn't care so much about it then. But then season two started, and we were all at SWOS, and it was our normal show, and I just couldn't stop. The hardest part about leaving on deployment was knowing that I was going to miss most of season three. I even watched that stupid "From Justin to Kelly" movie when it came on HBO. Maybe its just fascination- I have always been a singer, and the first time I remember doing a solo performance was in my elementary school talent show in 4th grade, and all the kids accused me of lipsyncing Debbie Gibson's No More Rhyme. Then I hear some of these kids that get on American Idol and I can't help but think that I could do that. But then Im always afraid I would be that girl that the judges just laugh at. But then again, maybe not.
I think its time to make a deal with myself. For next season, if there are auditions anywhere near me (like within driving distance) and Im not underway, Im going. Why not. Just like anything else, I don't want to spend the rest of my life wondering, what if I had tried out. And hey, they had that Marine who couldn't do pushups, why not a Naval Officer?
Even when I know the show is going to suck (the auditions all do), I still must watch it. If I did not have DVR, I would probably work my schedule around making sure I could watch it. I didn't know about it until the very end of the first season, so I didn't care so much about it then. But then season two started, and we were all at SWOS, and it was our normal show, and I just couldn't stop. The hardest part about leaving on deployment was knowing that I was going to miss most of season three. I even watched that stupid "From Justin to Kelly" movie when it came on HBO. Maybe its just fascination- I have always been a singer, and the first time I remember doing a solo performance was in my elementary school talent show in 4th grade, and all the kids accused me of lipsyncing Debbie Gibson's No More Rhyme. Then I hear some of these kids that get on American Idol and I can't help but think that I could do that. But then Im always afraid I would be that girl that the judges just laugh at. But then again, maybe not.
I think its time to make a deal with myself. For next season, if there are auditions anywhere near me (like within driving distance) and Im not underway, Im going. Why not. Just like anything else, I don't want to spend the rest of my life wondering, what if I had tried out. And hey, they had that Marine who couldn't do pushups, why not a Naval Officer?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)