ICE (In Case of Emergency) is a campaign to help paramedics and hospital staff know who to contact in case of an emergency in which you are unresponsive. Most people now have cell phones, but how does anyone, but us, determine quickly which person in our contacts to call? So a paramedic came up with the idea of ICE. All you do is program your emergency contact in your cell phone under ICE. If you have more than one number or contact list them as ICE1, ICE2, etc. As this grows nationally, we will be able to help medical professionals find the right contact, saving time and stress for them and us.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Not just your imagination
I did change the title. I never liked my title, but I had to pick something, and I wanted something that reflected the imperfections in life. Not because that is all I want to talk about, but because life isn't perfect and those imperfections can be some of the most interesting moments.
So, now it's "Sometimes it's a Boat." Which plays into my love of a good obscure reference. It's a line from Winnie-the-Pooh. The whole passage is:
"I ought to say," explained Pooh as they walked down to the shore of the island, "that it isn't just an ordinary sort of boat. Sometimes it's a Boat, and sometimes it's more of an Accident. It all depends."
"Depends on what?"
"On whether I'm on the top of it or underneath it."
I realize that most people probably wouldn't worry too much about their title, but I like words. Finding the right ones is very satisfactory. By the way, if you have never actually read Winnie-the-Pooh or House at Pooh Corner, you really should. The language is brilliantly simple and they really are just as much for adults as children.
So, now it's "Sometimes it's a Boat." Which plays into my love of a good obscure reference. It's a line from Winnie-the-Pooh. The whole passage is:
"I ought to say," explained Pooh as they walked down to the shore of the island, "that it isn't just an ordinary sort of boat. Sometimes it's a Boat, and sometimes it's more of an Accident. It all depends."
"Depends on what?"
"On whether I'm on the top of it or underneath it."
I realize that most people probably wouldn't worry too much about their title, but I like words. Finding the right ones is very satisfactory. By the way, if you have never actually read Winnie-the-Pooh or House at Pooh Corner, you really should. The language is brilliantly simple and they really are just as much for adults as children.
Friday, April 18, 2008
New car
We have a new car. The little blue car was totaled and we traded the truck. It's funny how used to things we get. It's a little sad to let the cars go. But we are happy with our new car; it's a 2005 Ford Freestyle. The Freestyle is a crossover between a wagon and an SUV. It's made on a car chassis not a truck like the SUV, so it handles very well. It's loaded up with power everything, something neither of our old cars had, and it can seat seven. The third row folds down flat, sort of like the "stow and go" seating you see advertised.
Gabe sometimes likes it because it's big and it can play his favorite CD, but sometimes he says he doesn't like it. He can't get in by himself, it's too high off the ground and there's not good hand holds for him. Plus we yell at him more than usual for kicking the back of the seat with his muddy shoes. :) It's a bit confusing for him. Sometimes he thinks we are getting the blue car back when they fix it, so we have to tell him again that the car can't come back. He actually cried when he finally understood that we don't have the truck anymore either. I feel bad for him. He's had a lot of drastic changes in his life lately. It must be hard to keep adjusting when you are only three years old. It makes me worry about the move this summer.
We still don't know where we are going. Matt's been sending out info and talking to people all over. The people in the Netherlands have asked him to come give a talk (which is an interview), but that wouldn't happen until June. I hope to know before then. The reason it may happen in June is that Matt will already be in Europe. He has been accepted to the conference in Germany for grad students and Nobel Laureates.
I am starting the end of the school year craziness. I have parties to plan for all the different age groups. I have done some great parties for the junior high kids and they want me to recreate the magic. :) I know I sound full of myself, but they really were fun parties. Two years ago I created a Fear Factor themed party. They ate gross stuff and got messy. Last year was even better though. I did a Survivor theme and divided them into tribes: Benjamin and Judah (two of the seven tribes of Israel). Matt even made a contraption that they had to fill with water to a certain level to drop the bag of puzzle tiles that they then had to solve. It's going to be hard to top that. I'm considering using The Amazing Race somehow, but I haven't figured it out yet.
Chi is fine. He seems to be fearless. Nothing seems to faze him. He's a happy little guy (most of the time), who so wishes he could move on his own. But, boy, does he demand attention. He wants all eyes on him. And so does his brother. We are going to be exhausted all the time at this rate!
Gabe sometimes likes it because it's big and it can play his favorite CD, but sometimes he says he doesn't like it. He can't get in by himself, it's too high off the ground and there's not good hand holds for him. Plus we yell at him more than usual for kicking the back of the seat with his muddy shoes. :) It's a bit confusing for him. Sometimes he thinks we are getting the blue car back when they fix it, so we have to tell him again that the car can't come back. He actually cried when he finally understood that we don't have the truck anymore either. I feel bad for him. He's had a lot of drastic changes in his life lately. It must be hard to keep adjusting when you are only three years old. It makes me worry about the move this summer.
We still don't know where we are going. Matt's been sending out info and talking to people all over. The people in the Netherlands have asked him to come give a talk (which is an interview), but that wouldn't happen until June. I hope to know before then. The reason it may happen in June is that Matt will already be in Europe. He has been accepted to the conference in Germany for grad students and Nobel Laureates.
I am starting the end of the school year craziness. I have parties to plan for all the different age groups. I have done some great parties for the junior high kids and they want me to recreate the magic. :) I know I sound full of myself, but they really were fun parties. Two years ago I created a Fear Factor themed party. They ate gross stuff and got messy. Last year was even better though. I did a Survivor theme and divided them into tribes: Benjamin and Judah (two of the seven tribes of Israel). Matt even made a contraption that they had to fill with water to a certain level to drop the bag of puzzle tiles that they then had to solve. It's going to be hard to top that. I'm considering using The Amazing Race somehow, but I haven't figured it out yet.
Chi is fine. He seems to be fearless. Nothing seems to faze him. He's a happy little guy (most of the time), who so wishes he could move on his own. But, boy, does he demand attention. He wants all eyes on him. And so does his brother. We are going to be exhausted all the time at this rate!
Monday, March 31, 2008
I'm alive!
What a week. It was a bit rough, but then Thursday happened. I was going home from work and a truck with a snow plow on it pulled out in front of me and hit my front passenger side. The car is a wreck. The hood is all folded up and the side is dented in. The passenger window was completely smashed and the side mirror was folded into the car. It was a big mess.
I walked away with a sore shoulder and an abrasion on my neck. And I was alone, so I am thankful for that. And a big yea! for Toyota's safety features all working properly!
We haven't received the official word yet, but we think they are just going to total the car, so we are going to have to go car shopping soon. It is not exactly the timing we would have wanted, but we were wanting to go down to one car and have that car be larger than the Corolla, so I guess we just have to move up our time table.
Monday, March 17, 2008
I'm back
Well, it's been a long hiatus, but I will work at getting back to posting weekly. Malachi is now 2 months old and he is starting to show some personality. He smiles a lot, especially when you smile at him. He really responds to Gabe and I think he already wishes he could keep up with Gabe. Oh, in case you don't know or recall, Chi was only 5 lbs. 7 oz. when he was born; he is now up to 11 lbs. 12 oz! Growing like a weed. In two months we have gone from needing the "newborn" size clothes to being able to fit some 3-6 months clothes. Crazy.
Gabe loves being a big brother. I think he sometimes gets frustrated when we are focused more on Chi, but he really doesn't get that jealous. He calls Chi his baby. And one of the great side benefits for us, and I have no idea why now, but Gabe now just goes to sleep at night. No more needing us in the doorway or anything. It's fantastic. Now if I could just get the other one to sleep through the night... :)
Easter is fast approaching which means I am really busy at work. Maybe I am just getting the hang of things or maybe I am mellowing out, but I don't feel very stressed about it, just busy. Actually, I know what I want to get for Gabe's basket and so I am kind of excited. He likes the PBS show "Word World" and they now have toys. Everything in the show is made out of the word so the cow is made out of letters that spell cow. It sounds weird, but it's cute and well done. So I am going to get him a "Word World" toy. And I get to put Cadbury Eggs in his basket this year. Finally he likes something other than just plain chocolate and it turns out to be Cadbury -- he is definitely my child.
Matt just got back from the APS meeting, but unfortunately there are no job prospects. We hoped his network and his advisers would make this round easier, but I guess it is going to just be good old-fashioned job hunting.
Gabe loves being a big brother. I think he sometimes gets frustrated when we are focused more on Chi, but he really doesn't get that jealous. He calls Chi his baby. And one of the great side benefits for us, and I have no idea why now, but Gabe now just goes to sleep at night. No more needing us in the doorway or anything. It's fantastic. Now if I could just get the other one to sleep through the night... :)
Easter is fast approaching which means I am really busy at work. Maybe I am just getting the hang of things or maybe I am mellowing out, but I don't feel very stressed about it, just busy. Actually, I know what I want to get for Gabe's basket and so I am kind of excited. He likes the PBS show "Word World" and they now have toys. Everything in the show is made out of the word so the cow is made out of letters that spell cow. It sounds weird, but it's cute and well done. So I am going to get him a "Word World" toy. And I get to put Cadbury Eggs in his basket this year. Finally he likes something other than just plain chocolate and it turns out to be Cadbury -- he is definitely my child.
Matt just got back from the APS meeting, but unfortunately there are no job prospects. We hoped his network and his advisers would make this round easier, but I guess it is going to just be good old-fashioned job hunting.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Matt is Mad
Matt asked me to blog about this. As most of you know, I love NPR. It is what is usually on when I am in the car. So on my way to pick up Gabe from daycare, I was listening to "Fresh Air" as usual, and there was an interview with a guy (I forget his name) who wrote the book "Free Lunch" which is about why the rich get richer, the middle class can't catch a break and the poor get poorer. His perspective is that we can point a finger to the government's tax policies.
In this interview he pointed out that the middle class has suffered continually since deregulation, which was supposed to be so great for the little people because it would make government smaller and encourage the market to regulate itself. We'd all be better off. A generation later, we are worse off. Deregulation didn't achieve what it promised and in fact, it's only real contribution was to strip away consumer protection. There is more money in the this country, but it is all in the pockets of the already rich. The average person does not have the buying power they once had and more and more people are going into debt not for luxuries, but for necessities. A huge percentage of our population can't afford and does not have health insurance and pensions are a thing of the past. We work for less money and have fewer benefits.
What angered Matt so much that he wanted me to blog about this, is the tax benefits that huge corporations get. All those big box retail stores that are so prevalent now, get crazy perks. For example, sales tax. We have no choice in paying sales tax and most of believe that it is going to things like the police department or fire department or schools, so we are okay with it. But the large retailers like Wal-mart, Cabela's, etc. get to keep the sales tax. It's part of the deal they make when they go into an area. They have to publish this fact, but it is couched in economic terms that most of us don't understand so we never know. These corporations come in and say they'll build and bring all sorts of benefits to the area, but they aren't going to pay property tax and they are going to keep the sales tax. So when you go into Wal-mart and purchase something and pay your sales tax, you just handed an extra chunk of change directly to the Walton family. This is how most of the larger retailers make their money, not actually through the sale of merchandise. Also, smaller businesses are not granted these perks.
Think about Target's ads for a minute. They like to tell you how much money they give back to the community for schools and so on. But they keep the sales tax, so they are really not doing a extra service, they are just giving back money they should have given up in the first place; not only that, they are not giving back the level of the sales tax, so they are still ripping off the community all they while telling us how great they are for helping us. Kind of makes you see red, huh?
I can also tell you that he explained how Bush used this to make his fortune. He didn't do with oil, he did it be playing these exact tax games when he and his partners bought the Texas Rangers. There is more to it that would probably make you even angrier, but at this point I would say, go listen to the interview or go buy the book. I can only type so much. Matt is so mad. He does get worked up about the injustices he sees in the world, but man is he angry about this. He says he not really certain what to do about it, but that he wants to make sure everyone knows about this.
In this interview he pointed out that the middle class has suffered continually since deregulation, which was supposed to be so great for the little people because it would make government smaller and encourage the market to regulate itself. We'd all be better off. A generation later, we are worse off. Deregulation didn't achieve what it promised and in fact, it's only real contribution was to strip away consumer protection. There is more money in the this country, but it is all in the pockets of the already rich. The average person does not have the buying power they once had and more and more people are going into debt not for luxuries, but for necessities. A huge percentage of our population can't afford and does not have health insurance and pensions are a thing of the past. We work for less money and have fewer benefits.
What angered Matt so much that he wanted me to blog about this, is the tax benefits that huge corporations get. All those big box retail stores that are so prevalent now, get crazy perks. For example, sales tax. We have no choice in paying sales tax and most of believe that it is going to things like the police department or fire department or schools, so we are okay with it. But the large retailers like Wal-mart, Cabela's, etc. get to keep the sales tax. It's part of the deal they make when they go into an area. They have to publish this fact, but it is couched in economic terms that most of us don't understand so we never know. These corporations come in and say they'll build and bring all sorts of benefits to the area, but they aren't going to pay property tax and they are going to keep the sales tax. So when you go into Wal-mart and purchase something and pay your sales tax, you just handed an extra chunk of change directly to the Walton family. This is how most of the larger retailers make their money, not actually through the sale of merchandise. Also, smaller businesses are not granted these perks.
Think about Target's ads for a minute. They like to tell you how much money they give back to the community for schools and so on. But they keep the sales tax, so they are really not doing a extra service, they are just giving back money they should have given up in the first place; not only that, they are not giving back the level of the sales tax, so they are still ripping off the community all they while telling us how great they are for helping us. Kind of makes you see red, huh?
I can also tell you that he explained how Bush used this to make his fortune. He didn't do with oil, he did it be playing these exact tax games when he and his partners bought the Texas Rangers. There is more to it that would probably make you even angrier, but at this point I would say, go listen to the interview or go buy the book. I can only type so much. Matt is so mad. He does get worked up about the injustices he sees in the world, but man is he angry about this. He says he not really certain what to do about it, but that he wants to make sure everyone knows about this.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Undecking the halls
Well, Christmas is over at our house. We have packed everything away. Somehow it always makes the house look really clean to take down stuff. I guess I just don't deal well with clutter for too long. (Which is weird because I am a clutter-y person.) Gabe was fine with the decorations going away, but he's having "Polar Express" withdrawls.
I doubt we will do anything for New Year's. I don't think I have even stayed up the past few years, but Matt and I have been watching all the seasons of "Buffy" again so maybe we'll have a "Buffy" marathon.
Gabe has been loving all his new toys. He cooks many things for us in his kitchen and he keeps borrowing things from around the house to make it more complete. He got a dish towel and he also pulled a book from the bookcase that is his recipe book (it is actually a French language book).
We rearranged his room to make room for the kitchen and also his baby brother.
We decided to have them share a room even though we have 3 bedrooms. This way some of the extra stuff we have still has a home and we are hoping that it will be good for Gabe to have some company in his room. We can always change it if it doesn't work. We have set up the rocking chair and changing table in the spare room so that the bedroom doesn't get too crowded.
Gabe knows that his brother should come after Christmas so now he is getting impatient. He's also throwing fits right and left which leads me to believe that he is nervous. I wouldn't mind the pregnancy being over, but I would still like a couple more weeks. I have been feeling all the signs that the baby is moving down and having some random and irregular contractions, so my body is getting ready. I know all of this could go on for awhile, but I am hoping that it means the baby is going to come a bit early. But I suppose every pregnant woman hopes that at the end of the pregnancy.
I doubt we will do anything for New Year's. I don't think I have even stayed up the past few years, but Matt and I have been watching all the seasons of "Buffy" again so maybe we'll have a "Buffy" marathon.
Gabe has been loving all his new toys. He cooks many things for us in his kitchen and he keeps borrowing things from around the house to make it more complete. He got a dish towel and he also pulled a book from the bookcase that is his recipe book (it is actually a French language book).
We rearranged his room to make room for the kitchen and also his baby brother.
We decided to have them share a room even though we have 3 bedrooms. This way some of the extra stuff we have still has a home and we are hoping that it will be good for Gabe to have some company in his room. We can always change it if it doesn't work. We have set up the rocking chair and changing table in the spare room so that the bedroom doesn't get too crowded.
Gabe knows that his brother should come after Christmas so now he is getting impatient. He's also throwing fits right and left which leads me to believe that he is nervous. I wouldn't mind the pregnancy being over, but I would still like a couple more weeks. I have been feeling all the signs that the baby is moving down and having some random and irregular contractions, so my body is getting ready. I know all of this could go on for awhile, but I am hoping that it means the baby is going to come a bit early. But I suppose every pregnant woman hopes that at the end of the pregnancy.
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