Category Archives: Politics

7 Quick Takes: Best Week Ever

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

REAL public health challenges. Here are 6 diseases that should worry you more than Ebola. I’m thankful that I’m current on my vaccines for 3-4 of them (measles, pertussis, and influenza/pneumonia). I can attest to the scariness of RSV though — Daniel has had it twice (nearly killed him the first time) and had to be vaccinated for it during his first year of life because the fatality risk was so high.

— 2 —

Vote early! Vote often! I just got my absentee ballot in the mail. The gubernatorial race here isn’t even close (Jerry Brown has a 20-point lead over his challenger) and neither of our senators are up for re-election so I think the only tight races are the ones for the various House seats and maybe for some of the propositions? I don’t have access to TV so I haven’t been forced to watch all the political ads.

— 3 —

An interesting argument. One of Jon’s seminary classmates linked a blog post about how a growing church is a dying church. I’m inclined to agree. We get asked frequently in call interviews how we would grow the church and “attract young people” but very rarely is the congregation doing anything themselves to actually make their church a welcoming place. (I’m not talking about doing things like replacing the organ with a rock band and watering down the theology — I’m talking about being actually friendly to outsiders and making people feel like it’s a place where they’d like to belong.)

— 4 —

Cynthia Jeub speaks out. I remember watching Kids by the Dozen on either TLC or the Discovery Channel and seeing the Jeub family of Colorado. Apparently, things weren’t so rosy in that household and daughter #3 Cynthia is speaking out. I’m watching the blogs on this one to see how this all turns out. I’m saddened to hear what Cynthia is saying because I hate seeing abuse or hearing about it in any form.

— 5 —

New blog. I’m starting a blog separate from this one that is related to health issues and my journey to develop healthier habits. If you want the URL, email me (jen at grace-filled dot net).

— 6 —

Baseball. The Giants beat the Nationals to advance to the NLCS and the Cardinals did the same to the Dodgers so I now have my two favorite NL teams playing each other. I’m not going to lie — I’d like it if the Giants won this best-of-seven series and went on to win the World Series but I’ll also root for the Cards if they do the same. I think my greatest joy is the Dodgers being knocked out as I’m married to a Dodger fan and I live among them down here in southern California. Maybe I should start wearing all my Giants gear when I leave the house… (Relax, I only have two pieces.)

— 7 —

Prayer request. I would muchly appreciate it if you could lift up some serious prayers for the Lenaburgs as they are dealing with the reality of Courtney’s last days. Mary (Courtney’s mom) is one of the most amazing people I’ve been blessed to know online and has the same sense of humor that I do (pretty dark given what we both deal with on a daily basis) and I wish I could take the pain from her.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

7 Quick Takes: More on Dismantling Dr. Deisher’s Study, The Truths/Lie, and Traits of Kids Who Stay in the Church

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

More on dismantling Dr. Deisher’s autism/vaccine study. Simcha Fisher has more on the dismantling of Dr. Deisher’s study which links vaccines to autism. As the mom of a kid with autism who is also immunosuppressed, I’m thankful someone is doing it. Bad science drives me crazy, especially since I do have the scientific background to read the studies.

And no, I’m not mentioning this to piss people off — I’m honestly really perturbed at people who make stupid remarks about causation and autism. I have access to more resources on the subject than the average person because of my relationship with UC Davis Medical Center and the MIND Institute (which was created for the purpose of studying this subject) so I also have access to some of the latest information.

And seriously, I will throttle the next person who tells me that Daniel would be cured if I fed him a gluten-free diet. It helps with some kids but not mine. I’m also dealing with him being incredibly underweight so I have to really maximize the calories and carbs are one way to do that.

— 2 —

The traits of kids who stay in church. I saw this on Facebook and thought it was pretty accurate. It’s why I never force my kids to get confirmed when I teach confirmation — their faith needs to be THEIRS and not just something that their parents are forcing them to do. (Seriously, promising your kids that they can stop going to church if they go through Confirmation does not change their minds so please, for the love of all things holy, STOP IT!!!!)

— 3 —

Two Truths and a Lie. So I decided to play this last week and got a few comments on here and a whole bunch of guesses on Facebook. I think I’ll devote a Quick Take to each statement in the interest of telling some interesting stories.

— 4 —

I’ve been thrown and passed around by the fish throwers at Pike Place Market in Seattle. This one is actually true. I was on a Girl Scout trip to Seattle and British Columbia and we were at Pike Place Market. Being the ditz that I was at 17, I asked the guys at Pike Place Fish if they were the ones who threw the fish at people. One of them replied, “No, we’re the people who throw the people at the fish. See?” He then proceeds to pick me up (at the time, I was 5’1″ and probably 120 lbs) and started passing me like a sack of potatoes to some of the other guys who did actually throw me a bit.

— 5 —

I’ve kissed a banana slug. Actually, I have… several times while being a camp counselor when I was 18. And yes, it is true… your lips and tongue do go numb.

— 6 —

I’ve never voted Republican in a California election. This one is the lie and only Kym got it right. (Then again, she’s known me for a really long time and we’ve actually met in person.) I *have* voted Republican in a California election for the purpose of knocking out a candidate I really didn’t like. (I voted for John McCain in 2000 to try to knock George Bush out of contention… and we all know how badly that turned out for me.)

— 7 —

My weekend plans. Jon and I are headed down to San Diego this weekend so he can supply preach at the church that his great-grandfather started. He also has two weddings and it made no sense for him to drive back up from one wedding to go down the next morning and preach so we’re getting a hotel room. Daniel will be staying with my in-laws and I’m excited to get a weekend away.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

7 Quick Takes: Scottish Independence, Jen Being Peripatetic, and Fall Shows

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Scottish independence vote. For those who want to know the result of the Scottish independence vote and don’t want the commentary, here’s your answer. For everyone else, here is commentary and information.

— 2 —

An update on Courtney. I posted prayer requests related to Mary and Courtney ~3 weeks ago. Today, they made the decisions for what will be happening in the coming months. There are various ways you can help — the Amazon.Com wishlist and GoFundMe are just two of them. I can also tell you from experience: Mary writes the *BEST* thank-you notes.

— 3 —

Napa Valley will love this news… Apparently, there is a study that claims that drinking wine is better than going to the gym. I think my mommy blogger friends will agree to this one.

— 4 —

A sign that I’m getting back to “normal”. I don’t know if it’s serious cabin fever from the heat or the fact that my foot is probably sprained (foot injuries make me more peripatetic than usual — perhaps my body not wanting to be told what it cannot do) but I have been *DYING* to go for walks every morning. After not doing it for at least 4 years, I’m covering 2-3 miles without a problem… even in 93F heat! Thankfully, it was only 73F when I went out today. I’m happy that I have a doable course for the Run for the Little Flowers worked out.

— 5 —

Prerequisite baseball take. The Giants are still 2.5 games behind Jon’s boys. They could still take their division… provided Jon’s boys lose a few more. (Of course, I’m also living in Dodger country so my opinion is not popular.)

— 6 —

Two truths and a lie. While I was on my walk this morning, I had a random thought for a Quick Take: play the game “Two Truths and a Lie” which is one of those weird mixer games from college and youth group. The rules are pretty simple: make three statements about yourself and people have to guess which one is not true. Leave your answer in the comments and I’ll let people know which is which next week.

Here are my three:

1.) I’ve been thrown and passed around by the fish throwers at Pike Place Market in Seattle.

2.) I’ve kissed a banana slug.

3.) I’ve never voted Republican in a California election.

— 7 —

Oh. Em. Gee. My shows start again next week!!!!!! I am so incredibly excited because The Big Bang Theory, and the various NCIS incarnations start again on Monday. I don’t have access to a TV so I have a feeling that I’ll be doing a lot of watching while crocheting on the morning after each show comes out.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

7 Quick Takes: Vaccines, Cobras, and Cats That Are Grounded

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Word, Simcha. Simcha Fisher had a really wonderful piece this week on science, Catholicism, and fear. I remember people spitting nails over her post on vaccinating her kids so I wouldn’t be surprised if there is some blowback on this one. (It turns out I was right: She put out a response today addressing the behavioral and spiritual components.) Given that I have a suppressed immune system (thank you prematurity!) and I live with two other people with suppressed immune systems (again, thank you prematurity and thank you cancer!), all I have to say is, “Word, Simcha.”

Seriously, the whole CDC whistleblower thing on Facebook was stupid and I have to bite my tongue in several groups that I’m part of because of the large number of “anti-vaxers” that are present and get pissy because I would be hesitant to let their unvaccinated kids play with my kid who has a suppressed immune system. Oh… there’s also a higher risk of febrile seizures for kids on selective and delayed vaccine schedules — click here for details.

— 2 —

One of the stupidest things I’ve heard in a while. A few months ago, someone shared a blog post in one of my Facebook groups that set off my “brain exploding” filter. Apparently, the author of the blog post argues that diseases like mumps, measles, and chicken pox aren’t bad because they survived them as a child and don’t remember them being particularly awful.

Yeah… no. I think somebody needs to turn in their license to breed.

John Cleese on stupid people.
(HT: Giphy)

The author may not remember these diseases being particularly bad, but my parents and in-laws sure do. They remember women losing their babies because of measles and rubella as well as classmates being hospitalized. There’s also the fact that I’d prefer not to watch my kid suffer from a disease that we have the capability to prevent, especially as getting any of those diseases would likely land him in the hospital.

— 3 —

Help Give A Child A Shot. Angie of The Jammie Girl wrote a post this week about Walgreens’ program to donate immunizations to the Third World for every shot they give from September 2nd through October 13th. I have to have a flu shot because my father-in-law has multiple myeloma and me getting the flu puts him at serious risk, so I’ll be heading to Walgreens in the next few days. (There’s also my child who hasn’t met a virus he hasn’t wanted to befriend and those friendships have an annoying habit of landing him in the ER.)

— 4 —

Preeclampsia Registry goes global. My email from the Preeclampsia Foundation this morning spoke of the Preeclampsia Registry being accepted into the Global Pregnancy CoLaboratory. It’s funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as part of its PRE-EMPT initiative and it means that there will be funded research studies into the causes and pathology of the condition. For a list of some of the studies, click here. If you’re a preeclampsia survivor and haven’t joined the registry, please click here and share your information.

— 5 —

Cobra fun. For those who haven’t heard the news, an albino monocled cobra (basically, a white cobra) escaped from someone’s house and bit a dog. Thankfully, it was a dry bite (the snake has either been defanged or the venom glands have been removed is what they’re guessing) but said snake is loose in Thousand Oaks, California. It’s about 70 miles from here (thus I’m not going to see it) but I’m still not happy about going outside.

On the other hand, a number of fake Twitter accounts for it have sprung up and those are pretty amusing. (Here, here, here, and here.)

**UPDATE** The cobra has been captured.

— 6 —

Cobra-pranking. There’s a backstory on this one: When I was 4 or 5, I was terrified of cobras and other kinds of snakes getting into my room at night and biting me. My parents calmly explained to me that there were no cobras in San Jose, California… and then found out a few years later that the mascot of the middle school I attended was the cobra. (Go Castillero Cobras!) It has become a running joke in our family so the news of the albino cobra on the loose in Thousand Oaks led to a lot of interesting things being put on my Facebook wall.

I had taken my mother-in-law to Target and while talking to the cashier, the two of them decided to prank me by announcing over the loudspeaker when I arrived that a white cobra had been spotted in the store and Target wasn’t responsible for anyone getting bitten. (She had also joked to me when she called me to tell me that she was in line that she wanted to yell “cobra!” to scatter people so she wouldn’t have to wait so long.) Apparently, I took too long to get there so this cashier went on break before they could prank me; but she was pretty proud of herself.

See? I get no respect.

— 7 —

My in-laws’ cat is seriously grounded. My in-laws’ cat Felicity escaped out the back door and is refusing to come in. I’ve done the cat call, left her treats, etc. and now all I can do is wait up for her. She doesn’t have the best sense in the world and I’m a bit concerned about her becoming coyote chow…

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: August 17, 2014

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY August 17, 2014

Outside my window… sunny and incredibly hot. It was 93F earlier and that’s warmer than I like.

I am thinking… about the messes that I have to sort out tomorrow. There’s the SSI mess, the car insurance mess, and the mess with Daniel’s transportation. I am so NOT happy about this.

I am thankful… that we went to the teacher meet n’ greet on Friday at Daniel’s elementary school — we found out that none of his paperwork had been processed yet so I had to go back over with my BINDER OF FUN and give them copies of Daniel’s IEP, his immunization record, his birth certificate, the most recent school psychologist report, and copies of the most recent evaluations for PT and OT. We also got to meet Daniel’s teacher who was a bit shocked that she now had one more kid in the class. Apparently, her class roster has been shifting around quite a bit and Daniel’s placement in her class on Monday hadn’t reached her yet.

In the kitchen… I had to put the Skittles up high because Daniel was trying to climb on the counter to get them.

I am wearing… charcoal-colored “Strike Out Cancer” shirt from 108 Stitches and khaki shorts.

I am praying for… guidance, the ability to forgive someone, for Daniel’s first day of school, and a few special intentions.

I am going… out to dinner with Jon for his birthday tomorrow.

I am wondering… who put me on the Rick Perry for Governor mailing list. I got an email from Ted Cruz today asking me to stand up with Rick Perry. I traced it and apparently, my email address was put on a Romney for President list without my permission. I was tempted to email them back and tell them that I’d rather chew ground glass than support Rick Perry but that would be wrong. #bluestateproblems

I am reading… Motif for Murder by Laura Childs. My mother-in-law also lent me Designated Daughters, the latest Margaret Maron book, this weekend and I couldn’t put it down.

I am hoping… to get some freelance work once Daniel goes back to school.

I am looking forward to… my dentist appointment on Thursday so that maybe we can get to the source of my jaw pain.

I am hearing… Daniel talking to himself and looking through books.

Around the house… robots vacuuming and cleaning floors.

From the learning rooms… working on writing letters and numbers.

A favorite quote for today… “I have learned now that while those who speak about one’s miseries usually hurt, those who keep silence hurt more.” — C.S. Lewis

One of my favorite things… ice chips.

A few plans for the rest of the week: taking Daniel to school in the mornings until transportation for the district is worked out, probably dinner with Jon tomorrow night, dentist appointment on Thursday, and whatever else life throws my direction.

A peek into my day… Here’s my “What I Wore on Sunday” picture.

Me pondering the grandfather clock.

Shirt: Old Navy
Skirt: Kohl’s
Shoes (not pictured): Naturalizer

Then there’s the cute little boy who will be starting kindergarten tomorrow…

Mommy loves Daniel. Daniel loves Mommy.

What I Wore on Sunday

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: Mass for Immigration Edition

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY July 21, 2014

Outside my window… dark. It’s almost 1 a.m. It was a long day and I’m finally getting to blog this.

I am thinking… about what I’ll be doing with Daniel in a few hours when I have to get up.

I am thankful… that I got to go to the Mass in Recognition of All Immigrants at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

In the kitchen… nothing at the moment but I’m pretty sure there will be something cooking/baking tomorrow.

I am wearing… my Momcat shirt and running shorts.

I am praying for… the children being deported after being separated from their families and sent north to cross the border to escape the poverty and violence of their home countries.

I am going… to Target tomorrow for some things.

I am wondering… some things about the call processes we’re currently in at the moment.

I am reading… In This Mountain by Jan Karon. It’s a hard read for me because Fr. Tim is dealing with serious depression and I know it all too well.

I am hoping… I sleep restfully tonight.

I am hearing my “Bach and Chant” playlist on iTunes. Currently, it’s the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles.

Around the house… it’s silent as everyone else is asleep including the kitties.

I am pondering… too many things in my heart which is why I’m up blogging.

A favorite quote for today… “If you are interested enough to have read thus far you are probably interested enough to make a shot at saying your prayers: and, whatever else you say, you will probably say the Lord’s Prayer. Its very first words are Our Father. Do you now see what those words mean? They mean quite frankly, that you are putting yourself in the place of a son of God. To put it bluntly, you are dressing up as Christ. If you like, you are pretending. Because, of course, the moment you realise what the words mean, you realise that you are not a son of God. You are not being like The Son of God, whose will and interests are at one with those of the Father: you are a bundle of self-centred fears, hopes, greeds, jealousies, and self-conceit, all doomed to death. So that, in a way, this dressing up as Christ is a piece of outrageous cheek. But the odd thing is that He has ordered us to do it.” — C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

One of my favorite things… quiet. It’s a rarity with a five year old boy.

A few plans for the rest of the week: working with Daniel on school stuff as well as whatever errands are thrown into the mix.

A peek into my day… *cues the “What I Wore on Sunday” script*

I got permission to join Jon and his dad for the Mass at the cathedral on Sunday afternoon and his dad pulled some strings to get me into the “reserved” seating. I knew that receiving the Eucharist at Mass would be off-limits to me as a non-Catholic so I made plans to go to a normal worship service where I could commune this morning wearing my outfit from last week (which has been washed since).

My Sunday morning worship attire.

Dress and camisole: Kohl’s
Shoes: Naturalizer

When my father-in-law told me that I’d be sitting in the reserved section, I thought that it meant that I’d be able to get a seat in the sanctuary instead of being in the overflow outside on the plaza. (I’m on Cipro at the moment so direct sunlight is no bueno until Wednesday.) Little did I know that I’d be up on the raised part of the altar platform in the front row of one of the sections with the “ecumenical guests”. Even more surprising to me was when I was introduced with the “ecumenical guests” by name and people were applauding for me as well as flashbulbs going off. (I joke about marrying into the “Lutheran mafia” because Jon is a 4th generation pastor; but my father-in-law *IS* a big deal in the ecumenical community and this was a rare look for me into his world.) I leaned over to the diocese’s ecumenical officer who was sitting next to me and told him that I was so NOT worthy of this. His answer: “Yes you are.”

Me outside the cathedral with the cornerstone.

Shirt: Kohl’s
Slacks: Kohl’s
Shoes: Naturalizer
Sunglasses: Nike (they’re prescription ones — one of the best investments I’ve ever made)

The Mass was amazing. It was half in English and half in Spanish and I was thankful to be familiar with Catholic liturgy because I’m probably the only native Californian who doesn’t speak Spanish. (I can read it passably but I can’t understand it when it’s spoken.) It was definitely “smells and bells” worship with a very zealous thurifer (the person swinging the thurible with the incense). The priest proclaiming the Gospel was so clouded in incense that he looked hazy from probably 10 feet away where I was sitting. The archbishop preached half in English and half in Spanish and it was an excellent sermon. There were also the relics of St. Toribio Romo González who was martyred in the Cristero War with some ranking Knights of Columbus guarding the statue with the relics in it. (They did not have their swords but they still looked pretty impressive.)

The tapestries from where I was sitting.

At the end of the Mass, the archbishop came to greet all of the “ecumenical guests” and speak with us individually. I’m glad I asked how to address him before that point (answer: “Your Grace”) and I was flattered that I was able to meet him. The picture above was taken afterwards once people were leaving — it would have been offensive to take pictures during Mass.

My necklace.

The story of my necklace: A family friend and her family were missionaries in Afghanistan in the 1980’s and the beads are the famous blue glass of Herat. She doesn’t have any daughters or daughter-in-laws so she made me the necklace from the beads for my 30th birthday in 2010. It’s the equivalent of receiving the family jewels and given my heart for the Afghan people (and for their food), I was honored to receive it.

Now go see Holly and the other pretties at Fine Linen and Purple.

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook

7 Quick Takes: Independence Day, GetRather.Com, and The News from Here

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

A better way. Someone decided to send me Elena’s post on the recent Supreme Court decisions. (To those who are doing this: cut it out. I’ve got better things to do with my time and my energy than block you on here for trying to start a flame war.) Rather than expressing my true feelings on what she has to say (which I will just say are not complimentary to her), I thought I’d tell y’all about a better way that removes the issue entirely: go to GetRather.Com and download the version for your browser of choice. You can put in the terms you want to not see in your Facebook/Twitter feed (for example: Hobby Lobby, Tea Party, Abby Johnson, Matt Walsh, and Obamacare) and the app/add-on will either mute those specific statuses/tweets or replace them with something pleasant like pictures of cats. You’re welcome.

— 2 —

Orphans. Do you see this precious sweetling on my sidebar? Brett (the little boy on my sidebar) needs a mama. If you think you might be his mama, click on his picture with all possible speed. Currently, I’m crocheting a baby blanket to raffle off to raise money for his grant.

— 3 —

Read this. Hevel posted some pretty poignant Quick Takes related to the kidnap and murder of 3 Israeli teenagers by Hamas. I highly recommend reading them.

— 4 —

And while we’re at it… Can I just say to those who have published screeds on how Bowe Bergdahl is un-American because he *might* have deserted (it has not been definitively proven) that y’all suck? I mean, seriously, people are acting like they would have preferred that he shot himself which truthfully, he could have easily done given the level of depression and mental illness he was suffering. I’ve read accounts from both sides of the coin (both “right-leaning” and “left-leaning”) and the behavior described leading up to his disappearance was clearly suicidal behavior.

As tomorrow is Independence Day, I will definitely say that I’m glad to have a commander-in-chief who doesn’t leave anyone behind, regardless of how much crap people will give him for it.

— 5 —

Independence Day plans. There’s a festival and parade in the town where I’m living but it’s supposed to be 97F here so I’ll probably stay indoors until things cool down significantly in the evening. There are a number of civic fireworks displays visible from my in-laws’ porch so I’ll probably watch those. (I live in a tinderbox so setting off my own is soooooo not happening.)

— 6 —

Update on Freya. The day after her return, the little deviant jumped onto my father-in-law’s bed, chased his obese orange tabby patch cat Alyssa off the bed, chased her around the room and under the bed, and finally into the closet. Freya then cuddled up to my father-in-law, offered to help him eat his torta (as he was telling me this, her tail was on the dirty plate), and spent the day kissing up to him. She helped him nap, helped him with setting up some speech-to-text software (which now has commands for “Freya” and “meow”), and tried to supplant Alyssa at every turn. We are hypothesizing that her time away was for “plotting and conniving” rather than the “mental health day” suggested by my mother-in-law.

— 7 —

Show Kelsey some love. Jon’s cousin Kelsey is headed to Lithuania for a year as a missionary. She’ll be working at LCC International University as a residential director. If you’d like to show her some love, here is one of her fundraising updates.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.