Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: Ludacris
Despite it being a Monday, it hasn't been too bad. Everyone complains when we spring forward an hour but man, falling back this weekend was nice. I actually woke up early this morning and didn't mind quite as much getting out of bed.

My bro, B and his daughter L came down for the weekend. Everyone hates his new girlfriend because she's such a yo-yo. One minute she wants him around, the next she is out with all these other guys. I have firsthand experience that love is truly blind, but she doesn't love him for goodness sake. So we spent the weekend dodging that subject. And then he has the nerve to compare her to my ex. I think our 7 yrs together doesn't exactly need to be compared to him and his one month f*ck friend. I just kept my mouth shut though.

I am glad I did the early voting. Now I can sit back and watch what I know is going to happen anyway. Oh well, guess we'll have to wait him out another 4 yrs and maybe THEN people will understand what a flippin idiot they made our president. He can't even pronounce America, folks! There isn't a 'u' in the word the last time I checked. I went to college in TX when I was studying to be a teacher (that grand idea is long gone but that's another story) while he was still governor and got to witness some of his handiwork up close. To continue to receive government funding, schools were required to give their students a TAAS test at certain grade levels. In essence, if a certain amount of kids did not pass, the government withheld funding.

So, picture this. These kiddos don't get a bit of learning that is not geared towards this damn test. Three quarters of the year is focused on making sure these kids pass this test, then the last quarter they pretty much goof off. The school is poor, the kids are poor, the kids don't pass the test, the government withholds more money. I believe, boys and girls, this is known as a vicious cycle. This school was right across the street from my college and it was truly awful to see. I worked with a second grade girl who could barely, barely read. It breaks your heart to know these kids and this school barely have a fighting chance. And our current president helped put forward the TAAS test when he was governor of TX.

Thanks Mr. President. Now we'll be sure and have another generation of Texans who read as well as you.

TGIF
Seems like every Friday morning I wake up and think thank goodness it's Friday. And then right after that I think, man I am one big cliche. I guess that's the curse of the working woman.

I emailed "A" again today. Her husband was shipped out to Iraq last week. I graduated with her and her husband and we're just 24 yrs old. It gives me this sick feeling when I realize that if we are too young to be sent overseas, what about these 18 yr olds? It's easy to pass off the blame and say we could have avoided war if Gore had been president. But you can't say that for sure. I am interested in seeing Farenheit 9/11. I have heard it paints a pretty horrid picture of what all is going on over there.

I just don't feel like having our troops over there is doing us any good. Many of the native people don't know why we're there either. It's like we go in these countries, take down their ruler (who admittedly is usually a terrible dictator) then we act like it's our own personal puppet show. We bend their arms and legs into positions we think they should be (government-wise I am meaning), then we sit back and go "Ok, this looks cute, now ACTION!" Then if they don't act like WE feel they should we step in and say "No, no, no, like this...Take it from the top." Have you ever played dolls with a little girl? My niece will say, "Now you say this. Now you do this. NO! Do it like this!" Gotta control the show.

I don't fault people for wanting to help other countries. But we can't save everyone. We can't control everyone. We can't force every country to work just like we do.

Now that was a bit of a political rant I hadn't planned on. Suffice it to say I am trying to comfort a friend 8 hrs away that her husband is not going to be killed by an enemy or even a "friend."

The Maiden Voyage
Mood:  chatty
Hmm. Everyone and their dog, kitty and gerbal seem to have a blog these days so why can't I? I wrote on opendiary.com for a couple yrs but once they started wanting money it kind of turned me off to the whole thing. But, perhaps helped along by that English degree, the need to write and be heard has been eating at me.

And so it begins...