Governor's Day

Saturday was Governor's Review Day at Rice-Eccles Stadium. All of the Utah Army and Air National Guardsmen (and women) march into the stadium and line up to be saluted by Governor Herbert. I've been around James now for 4 Governor's Days and I have never attended one of these. Usually it has been because James doesn't like participating in it, tells me it is stupid, and that I shouldn't go. I thought it was pretty cool, though, and I think I'll make it a point to go every year.

The most interesting part of the whole morning was that the service people kept passing out. I guess standing at attention for nearly an hour in a hot uniform on a really warm day can do that to a person. I felt bad for them, but it actually became comical. "There goes another one," we'd say as we watched sink holes appear in the perfect formations. A couple of them even required a stretcher. This poor little boy behind us was quite concerned, "Mommy, are they really dying out there?"

After the Governor's Day celebration, we went to lunch an Noodles & Co. and then to the Utah State Fair. It was a long, hot day, but fun!

Um . . . I don't think they want you to go there.

So, we all do dumb and stupid things sometime, but I just had to laugh last night at some other lady's stupidity.

I stopped at the gas station by my house to fill up. It's a Conoco station with doors on both sides of the building. Two windows and the glass door on one side are all boarded up. It looks as if someone tried to break in through the glass or something and they are waiting for the repair work to start. (I wouldn't be surprised since we've had a slew of break-in's in our neighborhood . . . but anyway.) Not only are the door and windows boarded up, but there is caution tape strung across that whole side of the building and big orange cones placed about every 5 feet. I'm pretty sure that the gas station people don't want you to use that entrance.

So I'm standing at my car, filling my tank when this woman in big sunglasses drives up to a pump. She gets out of her car and walks toward the building. Without hesitation, she lifts up the caution tape and stoops beneath it. She walks to the boarded up door and pulls the handle to open it. It doesn't open. She pulls on the handle a second time. It still doesn't open. She looks around as if looking into the windows for some assistance, but the windows are boarded up. She grabs the deadbolt on the door and taps it. She tries the door handle again. Nothing.

She gives up and walks back to her car.

Bird, bird, bird, the bird is the word.

Thanks Mom and Dad for a quick overnight getaway to Snowbird.

We had a great time!

He's the President, for goodness sake!

I received this e-mail at school today:

"Murray City School District
Information regarding President Obama’s speech to students

On Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. . . . Individual teachers may choose to show President Obama’s address for educational purposes. Those teachers will send permission slips to the parents of their students. Each parent will make the decision to allow their student to watch the speech or opt out. An alternative activity will be available for those students that opt out."

Oh my goodness!

Since when do we need permission to listen to the President! Since when do we need permission to teach our students those extremely controversial and partisan values like "stay in school" and "do your best." This is the most ridiculous thing that I think has ever happened in my career (next to getting the day off from school for the prom a few years ago in Tooele). The election is over. He's the PRESIDENT! Feel free to disagree with his policies if you will, but insisting your kids aren't allowed to listen to a speech? Give me a break!

I remember a few years back, after the war in Iraq was just beginning to appear as less than a success, Hillary Clinton spoke out in the Senate against President Bush's polices for the war. Crazy people like Hannity and Beck called her "un-American" and an "ex-patriot," saying that she had no right to be in the Senate because she disagreed with the President. These same types of voices today are the people who are pushing against President Obama and don't want there innocent little children to be told to stay in school! The story is the same, the parties have just been reversed. What a joke!

Talk about brainwashing and socialism . . . make sure your kids are sheltered and not allowed to listen to anything that may potentially go against what you think. Make sure they become clones who follow blindly and do as you say without being able to think and distinguish ideas for themselves. That'll create a more democratic productive society, won't it.

My final thought is this: Barack Obama is the President of the United States of America. He is in a position that is one of the most respected in the world. He got to that position by winning a free and democratic election. Like him or not, he's our leader for at least the next four years. We don't have to agree with him, but he deserves our respect. Not in my lifetime has there been a President who wanted to "talk directly to students across the country on the importance of taking responsibility for their education, challenging them to set goals and do everything they can to succeed (from whitehouse.gov)."

Let the man speak and let the kids listen!

Would you like some cheese with your whine?

Why yes, I would! I like cheese!

Whining ahead. Whining ahead.

Whining ahead. Whining ahead.

I am doing the best I can, but it's only the second week in to this (school teaching and school studenting) and I am running out of time. I have 1.5 hours every other day to write 3 lessons plans and grade 200 papers! On the day I don't have a prep at all, I barely have enough time during lunch to put in my attendance, check 8 million e-mails, go to the bathroom, and hopefully snarf some food so I don't pass out during the next 2 classes. It is absolutely crazy!

In other news, last week James and I literally spent hours of our time trying to help with a sewage backup/flood in 4 of the units in our complex. Luckily it wasn't our house, but unluckily, we are the people on the HOA board who everyone calls in emergencies (and non-emergencies alike). The short end of the story is that a contractor hired by WVC to lay some fiber-optic cable along the street, crashed into a sewer line. The long end of the story involves stinky sewage in homes, ruined flooring, huge messages, plumbers, electricians, backhoes, disaster clean-up crews, and insurance that doesn't want to pay for anything. After 2 days, the plumbing issue was finally repaired, but who knows when this will actually be resolved and the poor homeowners will get their homes put back together. What a mess!!

Today we had a knock at our door and one of our neighbors (not affected by the sewage), who is also James' only counselor in the Elder's Quorum (and has been for months because he can't get anyone else called) came to tell us that his home had been broken into during the day today. We have had a slew of car break-ins in our complex this summer (5 that I know of), but this is the first home break-in. They took all kinds of things from computers and a Garmen, to jewelry and running shoes, and even birth certificates. What a mess! I feel so bad for them.

We joked last week during the sewage outbreak that we were ready to put up a "for sale" sign to get off the HOA board. Now maybe we should move so we don't get broken into. Oh well. I'm only kidding. Yes we live in the heart of West Valley City, but crime can happen anywhere.

We actually contacted a realtor to look into moving (not last week, but several weeks ago). We thought it might be beneficial to look into low home prices to move to a bigger place than ours and one that has a yard. The problem is, according to the realtor who did some research for us, we would be able to sell ours for about $8000 below what we owe on it. I guess we could cushion the hit if we had to, but we don't have to, so we are staying put for now.

We really do like our home and we have put a lot of effort into it, but . . . you know . . . we always think the grass is greener somewhere else.

I do know one thing though, the grass was definitely greener when I didn't teach 4 classes in a row every other day. It makes me tired!

. . . okay, the whining is done now and I will look toward the positive blessings I have in my life (that post would, of course, be much, much longer than this one, but not near as interesting and well . . . I need to get back to my homework.)