Category Archives: Media/TV

{five favourites}: Miscellanea (LXXVIII)

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#5Faves

One

“Cantus” by Connie Dover. This piece is so beautiful that it’s bringing me to tears, y’all!

Two

This post from Kelly. I don’t care what she says — Kelly is an exceptional mom.

Three

This presidential debate “yoga” game. I definitely think doing this will be better than large quantities of alcohol in the long run.

Four

“Immanuel” by David Wesley. If you like Peter Hollens and you like Christian worship music, you’ll like him.

Five

“Build Your Kingdom Here” by Rend Collective. This is one of the songs I listen to when I need a pick-me-up.

Go love up Bonnie, DeBalino, and the others.

7 Quick Takes: Migraines, Eye Exams, and Secret Trump Apologists, Oh My!

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

*facepalm* Let me explain this in small words so that people understand because apparently, there are people on Facebook who are depriving a village somewhere of their chief idiot:

If your reaction to the news that he’s groped women, harassed them, and treated them horribly is anything other than “that’s horrible!” and possibly “I’m not voting for him” (I’m not saying that you have to like or vote for Hillary)… YOU’RE A TRUMP APOLOGIST.

If your reaction to this news is “well, I’ve been dealing with that all my life so why is this any different”, you’re missing the freaking point and… YOU’RE A TRUMP APOLOGIST.

If your reaction to the news is to deflect to Bill Clinton and what happened during his administrations, you’re missing the point (yet again) and *surprise surprise*… YOU’RE A TRUMP APOLOGIST. (And for the record, I was not old enough to vote in the 1992 and 1996 elections so you can stop claiming that I’m responsible for whatever he did.)

If your reaction is to cite 50 Shades of Grey as evidence that women are asking for it, you’re a disgusting human being and (not shockingly)… YOU’RE A TRUMP APOLOGIST.

If you’re reaction is to say “yeah, it’s horrible but I’m voting for him anyway”, you need a filter between your mouth and brain and *drumroll*… YOU’RE A TRUMP APOLOGIST.

— 2 —

And speaking of the stupid deflection to 50 Shades of Grey… This meme explains the problem in that logic very succinctly. It also illustrates why I am *INCREDIBLY* proud to have contributed money to the effort to kick Joe Walsh out of office and replace him with the amazingly wonderful Tammy Duckworth. 😀

Joe Walsh is a moron.

— 3 —

And for the record… You are not required to vote for either Trump or Hillary. If you find them both repugnant and are of the opinion that third parties take votes away from your chosen candidate, you have the option of simply not voting for a presidential choice on the ballot. HOWEVER… you *DO* need to vote for someone for the House, Senate (if there’s a Senate race in your state this year), governor, and for any local races because those people do the day-to-day governing. In the case of your House member and your senator, they’re part of one of the checks and balances on the President’s power.

— 4 —

Eye exams. One of the temple pieces on the frames of my glasses snapped on Tuesday and I had to find someone who could do an eye exam because I haven’t seen either an optometrist or ophthalmologist in probably 2 years. (They get pissy if you go in for glasses and your prescription isn’t current.) One local place was able to get me in this afternoon and when they checked my vision, we discovered that my distance prescription on my sunglasses corrects to better than 20/20 in terms of reading as well. As I’ve had reading glasses for 23 years and bifocals for 22 of them, this was a surprise. It’s also another sign that my vision improved after the HELLP Syndrome which is almost unheard of — usually, women have to get a stronger prescription for their vision after having it.

— 5 —

The timing is impeccable. Can I just tell you how fun it is to have an eye exam while dealing with a migraine? It’s just fabulous. The tech and the optician were both apologizing for putting stuff in my eyes and shining lights in because light sensitivity is one of my migraine symptoms.

— 6 —

Stormy weather. The Pacific Northwest is supposed to get hit with several *MASSIVE* storms this weekend with insane winds and atmospheric pressures that are apparently reminding one forecaster of what was seen during the 1962 Columbus Day storm that killed 46 people. (My Practical Accounting professor had me look it up during class today because I was bored and done checking my homework. It’s nice to be useful.)

I and the rest of God’s country would appreciate it if you’d keep us in prayer that there are no fatalities and no widespread power losses.

— 7 —

A kindred spirit. You know your professor is a kindred spirit when you get all the references to literature, movies, and TV shows that she throws into quizzes/pre-tests/tests. Our last test had the business owners named after characters on The Office and our pre-test for the chapter test this coming Monday had names from Pride and Prejudice.

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: October 2, 2016

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For Today… October 2, 2016

Simple Woman's Daybook

Looking out my window… dark. It was allegedly 70F but felt colder. It’s down in the 40’s right now.

I am thinking… about what to write tonight for the Write 31 Days challenge.

I am thankful… that my boys (the Giants) clinched a play-off spot. (Yeah yeah yeah… the Dodgers clinched the NL West but I don’t give a crap about that.)

One of my favorite things… Tillamook ice cream.

I am wearing… jammies. Church clothes were my indigo shirt, black slacks, my black cardigan, and black flats. I traded the flats and slacks for jeans and a hoodie after church.

I am creating… Excel files to submit to my Excel teacher.

I am watching… The Big Bang Theory re-runs.

I am hoping… my boys win the NL Wild Card game!

I am learning… how to do T accounts and various kinds of financial statements. I have a test on Tuesday!

In my kitchen… Mom made stroganoff and apple pie tonight.

In the school room… Daniel continues to do well and his teacher is smitten with him.

Post Script… Here are some American foods that foreigners find absolutely disgusting. I knew about some of these from the various exchange students that I interacted with in two of Jon’s parishes.

Shared Quote… From Nadia Bolz-Weber several years ago:

Reporter from the Grand Forks Herald: “what would you say to the folks who think that tattooing the body is a desecration of God’s temple”

Me: “that they should for sure not get any”

A moment from my day… I was telling someone about Tim Hawkins’ “hand-raising church” schtick today.

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

7 Quick Takes: The “Your Notebook Is So Pretty” Edition

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Apparently, I might be able to #bulletjournal? On Monday, my Accounting teacher collected all of our notebooks before giving us our homework quiz so she could grade our outlines (for those who decided to do theirs on looseleaf paper, she collected those) and upon seeing my notebook, someone blurted out that my notes were so pretty and precise and that I must be an engineer. Considering that I can barely draw a straight line even with the help of a ruler, I was suitably honored to hear this. #egostroked

Apparently, I might be able to do a #bulletjournal someday… if the #bujo can be in pencil. 🙂

— 2 —

A song for today. I went to the chapel service held by the Campus Christian Fellowship this week (think Intervarsity or Cru) and this song was sung. I’m kind of in love with it.

— 3 —

Interesting… Apparently, the Depression changed our eating habits and how we look at food. I might have to check out the book reviewed in this article.

— 4 —

Proud of my home state. Because of the accounts scandal at Wells Fargo, California’s State Treasurer John Chiang has suspended business relationships with them for the state because he feels they should be punished for their wrongdoing. Considering they’re a crappy bank to use (I just ended my banking relationship with them after 18 years because of bad behavior on their part in the last few years), I’m happy that he’s taking a stand against them instead of being bowed by them because they are kind of a goliath entity in the financial world.

— 5 —

An interesting suggestion. Elizabeth Scalia of Aleteia.Org has an interesting suggestion: read aloud to someone. Even though I can read by myself now, it’s fun to be able to sit and listen and crochet while listening to someone read.

— 6 —

*facepalm* This personal anecdote about racism has been making the rounds on Facebook. My question to y’all: would you have stepped out of your privilege and comfort zone and stood up on behalf of Ashley (the protagonist)?

— 7 —

An explanation on the Dr. Sears sitch. Last month, I blogged about anti-vaccination law activist Dr. Robert Sears being charged with gross negligence and facing the possibility of losing his license to practice medicine in California and shared the story on Facebook. One of my more crunchy friends from college is a fan of his vaccine book and schedule and emailed me to ask why I thought this was such a big flipping deal.

Well…

1.) His failure to actually research the kid’s vaccine reaction (and it would have been very well-documented if he had done so) if he had another one. I know from my own kid that having a paper trail is essential and having all of the records is vital if your kid has any problems, so much so that one specialist will not rule on anything unless they’ve seen all the records. I have never had a doctor take my word for it on almost anything related to Daniel — everything has to be backed up and it is considered to have never happened if it isn’t documented. This means that he would have needed records from the kid’s prior physician, ER records, or urgent care records from when the mom got the kid treatment for the vaccine reaction… because what mother wouldn’t take their kid in if they were having a reaction like that?!?!?

2.) By excusing the kid from future vaccines (and not just the one to which he reacted badly), he put both the kid at risk of contracting a disease that could have landed him in the hospital or killed him as well as anyone else who can’t be vaccinated for health reasons. One of the reason that they started requiring such a strict policy in California is that there were outbreaks of diseases like pertussis (for which you cannot vaccinate infants) and measles in the state that could have been prevented if parents hadn’t claimed phony “conscience” reasons for not vaccinating themselves or their kids. Having been in this situation, it is *HORRIFICALLY PAINFUL* emotionally to have to watch your kid suffer to breathe or to have your kid end up with a horrible side effect from a hospital stay. I know I would be angry beyond words and pondering a lawsuit if Daniel had gotten something like pertussis as a baby because someone unvaccinated (for no rational reason) was in the waiting room with him and Daniel died as a result. THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY IN 2010!!!

3.) For the love of all things holy, IT HAS BEEN PROVEN BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT THAT VACCINES DO NOT CAUSE AUTISM. Dr. Andrew Wakefield lied and his lie was heinous enough (he spread false information for his own gain) that The Lancet had to retract what was written (a big deal because lawsuits had been decided using the false information which created an entirely new headache for the legal system in the UK and the US) and his name was stricken from the British Medical Record (a.k.a. he lost his license to practice medicine in the UK). There is a lovely infographic which gives all of this information PLUS links.

4.) After one appointment, the child claimed he had been hit in the head by a hammer and Dr. Sears did not report it to CPS. He is a mandated reporter and if he heard something like this, he is required by the state of California (and every state in the nation) to report this to CPS and do an in-depth evaluation. He didn’t. That is a serious breach of protocol and could mean that the child (if he was being truthful) could be an abusive home and in danger. That’s lawsuit material right there.

An interesting response detailing why he’s being charged with gross negligence is here.

And yes, I know that this was not a quick take but I felt like this explanation needed to be presented. 🙂

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: September 25, 2016

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For Today… September 25, 2016

Simple Woman's Daybook

Looking out my window… dark. It was in the low 60’s today and very nice.

I am thinking… about how to structure my study time this week.

I am thankful… that they arrested a suspect in the Cascade Mall shooting.

One of my favorite things… Homer being a snuggly kitteh.

I am wearing… jammies. Church clothes today were a black cardigan and jeans from Kohl’s, a black t-shirt from Old Navy, and my black flats. I ditched the flats and cardigan after church. I was also wearing my 49’ers necklace that Rebecca made for me so I could rep my boys at church.

I am creating… plans for Write 31 Days.

I am watching… “Lock-Up: San Antonio — Extended Stay”. I’m kind of addicted to police/jail/forensic shows.

I am hoping… the Giants make it to the wild card game!

I am learning… how to write and solve problems with T accounts in my Practical Accounting I class.

In my kitchen… Mom made Guinness stew tonight.

In the school room… Daniel continues to do well in his autism program.

Post Script… I love this piece on how to live through anything.

Shared Quote… I seriously feel like this is a fitting quote that refers to everyone who tells me that Daniel’s autism is due to us vaccinating him. (For the 1500th time, vaccines do not cause autism.) Let’s also not even get into the political applications of it…

A fitting quote for these days.

A moment from my day… I’m enjoying the various videos on bullet journals out there. I would love to have one but I am too much of a perfectionist and I lack the ability to draw a straight line.

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

The Cascade Mall Shooting

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I honestly don’t usually weigh in on stuff like this but…

1.) I live in Skagit County (where Burlington is located).
2.) It’s my local mall and I was in the area earlier in the day.

I heard about it last night when my cousin’s wife Facebooked us about an hour after it happened. We’re one town south of there and on the southern edge of that town so we wouldn’t have heard any ambulances or police cars. When Mom told me about the Facebook mess, I turned on the TV and they reported that the Burlington-Edison High School football game was being evacuated and then my phone started buzzing with an alert from the community college that the campus apartments were being locked down. The college cancelled all classes today which I think is kind of excessive, given that the mall is 3 miles away and it’s highly unlikely that the shooter would be on campus when there are woods near the mall where they could hide.

People here are in shock because Burlington (and the town where I live) are small towns where this kind of stuff never happens. I was at Fred Meyer today, which is across the street from the mall, and there is still a lot of police tape, road blocks, and there’s a police SUV patrolling the parking lot. There were cars in the parking lot but I think they were all police detectives and cars of people who hadn’t been able to get them last night because it was an active crime scene. South Burlington Blvd., the street where the mall is located, is where most of the box stores like Costco and Home Depot are as well as an outlet mall that draws people from all over the area and even a few from across the border in British Columbia. If they wanted to pick a place with a lot of people, they definitely succeeded.

There are some people on Twitter making stupid comments about how they’re looking for a Hispanic male but it was probably a Muslim terrorist; and also how “Allahu akbar” apparently sounds a lot like “como estas?”. I’m trying not to flip my spit at them because seriously… PEOPLE DIED LAST NIGHT!!!! I can also say that it’s *HIGHLY* unlikely that the shooter was of Middle Eastern extraction but it’s totally possible that they were Hispanic because we have a pretty big Hispanic community up here. (It’s an agricultural area so we have a number of migrant workers who have settled here and a lot of churches here have Spanish ministries, including mine.)

So… if y’all could please keep those affected by the shootings as well as Skagit County in your prayers, I’d greatly appreciate it. If you want reliable details on what happened and what the latest news on it is, the websites for Seattle news stations are here, here, and here.

**UPDATE** A suspect has been arrested. Details here.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: September 19, 2016

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For Today… September 19, 2016

Simple Woman's Daybook

Looking out my window… dark. We had a wonderful rainy weekend, some sun yesterday, more rain today, and I think we’re clearing up again.

I am thinking… about my Excel/Access class and how I’m going to structure my week to get in the work I need to get done.

I am thankful… that my first Practical Accounting class went well today. It seems like it will be a fun class.

One of my favorite things… Daniel not being wired and going to sleep without a fight. That isn’t going to happen tonight. 🙁 On the other hand, he had a good day of school today.

I am wearing… jammies. My outfit today was my charcoal shirt from Old Navy, jeans from Kohl’s, running shoes from (now defunct) Sport Authority, and my blue hoodie from Costco.

I am creating… this entry. 🙂

I am watching… COPS. It’s an addiction.

I am hoping… the Giants make it into the wild card game.

I am learning… about accounting basics and balance sheets.

In my kitchen… Dad made a fabulous tri-tip yesterday for Sunday dinner.

In the school room… Daniel continues to have a fabulous time in his class.

Post Script…

Shared Quote… I saw this on Facebook and it seemed appropriate. (Artwork done by Lori Hetteen.)

This seems to apply to my life.

A moment from my day… One of my favorite songs to use when working with Confirmation kids.

Closing Notes: I am honestly disgusted that Ashley Madison (the dating site for lechers has a commercial on DISH Network’s non-local channels. Its existence is horrible in the first place but encouraging people to step out on their significant others is evil.

Hosted by The Simple Woman.