Friday, February 27, 2009

American History 101

Allow me to veer off my usual course of refusing to talk about anything political outside of my home for a minute. This is not a partisan post by any means, merely a lesson to some poor misguided folks.

First, the story. Taken from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Anti-stimulus protesters rally at the Arch
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

ST. LOUIS -- More than 1,000 people braved chilly temperatures downtown today to protest President Barack Obama's stimlulus aprogram and to throw tea into the Mississippi River.

The gathering was organized by several local conservatives. There was no official crowd estimate, but the gathering filled roughly one fourth of the grand staircase from the Arch grounds down to the levee.

Among the speakers was former football Cardinals tight end Jackie Smith, who took a bullhorn and said, "We are mad as hell and we need to stay mad as hell. Don't let up."

Smith asked the crowd if this was their first protest rally, and most raised their hands.

Bill Hennessy, said he got the idea for the tea party from comments made last week by CNBC business commentator Rick Santelli about the stimulus program. Santelli urged people to have another Boston tea party.

Before the crowd went down to the Mississippi River, Hennessy urged everyone to rip open their tea bags and dump the tea without throwing the paper into the river. The group ended the 50-minute rally by lining up on the river's edge and doing as asked.

Whether or not me, you or anyone else agrees with the TARP funds being doled out in Washington is not the issue here. If you agree fine, if not fine. However, if you so strongly disagree with the program there are more efficient ways to go about showing your displeasure with the government.


Let's start with the extreme inaccuracies in comparing this protest to the Boston Tea Party. The American Colonists were protesting taxes levied against them by the British government, and efforts of the British government to control their consumption of goods. They dumped tea into Boston Harbor that was a shipment from Great Britain. They were voicing their anger directly to the entity they were disagreeing with.

Dumping random packets of tea into the Mighty Mississippi to protest an economic stimulus package is accomplishing nothing more than being wasteful. A much more effective and relevant way for these people to protest the government bailout package would be to refuse the tax cut they're above to receive in their paychecks.


I highly doubt we could find many Democrats, Republics, Libertarians, Independents or non-voters who would give up their anticipated tax cut though. Don't you?

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Help Wanted

We have a brand spanking new set of mattresses coming our way in a couple of weeks. I am uber stoked about this. The thought of a bigger, cushy bed is so exciting. There is one small hitch in our giddy up though--it's a bigger bed.

We're going from a full to a queen.

As I said, it's the mattress set, so just the box spring and mattress and not the bed. That's immediately the first thing that comes to mind that we need to purchase. We could just find a bed frame as a temporary fix, but that's still something on the list of things to shop for. Then there's the issue of sheets, blankets, a comforter, bed skirt, curtains to coordinate with new bedding and new pillows as ours our worn out. The list goes on and on.

Any ideas on where to look for these items in stylish patterns and hues at don't break the bank prices?

Monday, February 23, 2009

Waiting

I don't say this very often, or confide in too many people about this, so mark this momentous occasion. It probably won't happen again.

I admit it. I have the itch. I'm so ready to get married. It's just a matter of waiting on Maverick to ask what I'm doing for the rest of his life. Being the budget keeper of our relationship, I know exactly why he's waiting and I'm cool with it. However, that doesn't change the fact that every single day I think about how much I'm ready to share a lifetime of beautiful, committed, undying love with him.


Now I'm not your average girl. For me it's not about the event. I don't daydream about imported French silk and Italian lace dresses, or floor length gowns in the perfect shade of butter cream for twelve bridesmaids, or taffeta colored clothed napkins and regal place settings for a formal dinner at a reception with 250 people and all eyes on me. That's not to say there is anything wrong with that either. It's just simply not my style. The thoughts of my wedding are about me, the man I love more than anything on Earth and our future together. Loving each other so much that we want to share one life for all eternity and sharing that special moment with our immediate families, extremely close extended family members and our dearest friends.

That's it.


If you asked me where I'd want this to take place the only answer I could give you is that my dream location is any beach in the Caribbean. What kind of dress you ask? No clue. Something white in whatever style I try on that looks the best on me. What about flowers? I honestly doubt I'd even want to deal with worrying about carrying them around, and if we're getting married outside in God's beauty why would you need to dress it up? I have zero thoughts on a reception either. I'd guess that if there was a meal involved we'd just decide on some items that the house chef does well.


It's entirely possible that all of this might change when the time finally comes to seal the deal. Doubtful but possible. Nothing is ever impossible, so I won't say it's completely out of the questions, but I highly doubt either of us will care a great amount about the details.


There is one item though that I do care
about immensely. The ring! This is one thing I daydream about very frequently. I don't mean to sound materialistic, but it's the only piece of jewelry I'll have forever and wear everyday. It should be special. The only problem is that I want to be truly surprised by the proposal.

Knowing this, I've made sure that Maverick and I have talked about diamond shapes and ring design numerous times. He knows my favorite cut, my next favorite cuts, the cuts I absolutely do not like at all, the metal I prefer, the design features I prefer and the ones I would never wear. I've even made sure to point out two friends I trust who he could go to for a little guidance. I'm constantly noticing rings on my friends (or even random women we see out in public places) and making sure I point it out to him. I also drag him into stores to browse. Poor guy. He's such a trooper about it though. He always smiles though the process, and I can see him taking mental notes every time.


It really is quite sad how often I think about the ring. A couple of days out of the week I secretly shop The Interweb and sit and drool at things like this:




There it is! My dream ring! I've had it pictured in my head for so long, but never quite found the exact thing in my searches until today. I promptly sat and drooled for about 30 minutes.