The Quick Fix

We are a nation of quick fixes, and that is one reason why the issue of Sandy Hook, Columbine, and others have taken place.  Think about it for a moment.  Rather than find the reason for things that are wrong, we immediately jump to the quick fix rather than find the reason why.  For example, if you go to the doctor with a pain, they prescribe a pill rather than find the reason for the pain.

However, according to Michael Moore, there are three others; poverty, fear/racism, and the fact we are a "me" nation.  A lot of what he says makes a great deal of sense and I believe in many aspects he is right, especially about the fear thing. I have blogged about this before and I firmly believe it is one of the main reasons our nation experiences more instances of gun violence than any other nation in the world.

All of those things cannot be fixed quickly and will take time - possibly generations of time - before anything is changed and we see a difference.  But I believe if our country is to move forward we need to implement things that will make a change now.  So for Christmas and for your New Year's resolution maybe look at how you can take steps to turn things around.  If you want to keep the reason for the season in your heart, you have to make room by removing hate. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

School Daze

The news of the events in Newtown CT saddened me like no other event has.  I have not been able to stop crying since I heard about it.  It is as if my own child was involved in the shooting and I am overcome with emotion every time I hear coverage.  Things like this just should not happen.  Little children should not be mowed down by gunfire.  School should be a safe environment where learning and happy memories take place. However, in this country more and more gun related violent acts are occurring at an alarming rate.

I cannot say that it is the lack of gun laws that is causing this, but I do admit that there is something lacking somewhere.  I am not a gun owner and have no real reason to have one.  I have participated in target practice and found it to be fun, like anyone else. But frankly firearms frighten me, I suppose because I know the deadly consequences of pointing a gun in the wrong direction.  I quite honestly don't think I could kill a person no matter how badly they may have hurt me or how much I dislike the person.  I guess it is just not in my nature to feel those things.  For that reason I can't put myself in a position to understand what goes through those people's heads.  I suppose one could call me a pacifistic, except I have a horrible temper.

Despite the laws these guns are getting into the wrong hands.  Despite the laws, people are getting shot every day for every type of reason.  I firmly believe that unlike other countries, our culture is one that relishes power in any type, and frankly that is what guns provide.  I read a book a while ago called The Culture of Fear. The author examines our fear and determines we are unique because of it. Along those lines, Michael Moore's video, Bowling for Colombine suggests that because of this culture America is obsessed with guns.  Both of these sources have helped me understand why guns are so desired, but neither of them suggest what can be done. I know that because of the Newtown CT incident that there will be much talk about gun control and gun rights.  The same thing happened after the West Virginia Tech event, the Aurora CO incident, and the Tucson AZ incident.  I only hope that this time something will come of all that talk.

Twelve

12-12-12. It is the last repetitive date we will see in our lifetime. I didn’t think of that, one of my friends on Facebook did and it is totally correct.  Not until 2101 will we see this again. We had other repetitive dates in our lifetime and my favorite was 01-01-01.  I don’t know why but it was.  I suppose because it was my first and on is always in love with their first.

I don’t know if anything special will happen on this day.  I checked online and found that today’s date is a polygon and if we were to have a name for the numbers then it would be called ‘trihectatetracontaheptagon’ day. The US president was William Howard Taft (Republican), "Never Again, Never!", directed by Lewin Fitzhamon, was one of the most successful movies released in 1912. Henry Armstrong, a boxing great, was born on that day but otherwise nothing special happened. So in history this day holds no significance other than the arrangement of the numbers in the date.

The number 12 itself has significance and there are many instances listed in the Wikipedia article about the number.  There are 12 months of the year, there were 12 disciples of Christ, there are 12 days of Christmas, there are 12 hours marked on the clock, In Hinduism, the sun god Surya has 12 names, there are 12 Petals in Anahata (Heart Chakra.), there are the Twelve Labours of Hercules, and 12 of anything is called a dozen. There are several other items of significance for the number in various disciplines; sports, films, technology, and the Bible.  If something memorable does happens today then so be it, but for all intent and purposes it is just an ordinary day. UPDATE: Another cool site talks about all the repetitive dates.

Stickers

In the beginning of this year, I came into work after a long weekend to find a calendar on my desk.  There was no note as to who it was from and no one claimed the gift when I asked around.  The calendar features pigs in various costumes and settings, some of which are very amusing. December’s pig is dressed like Scarlett O’Hara complete with a grand staircase behind her and posed on a suitcase featuring stickers from various destinations all over the world.  I looked at the picture today after flipping the page to this month (I know, I was late) and considered the world of stickers.

Children love stickers.  When I was working on the campaign last year we went to an outdoor festival and the children were clamoring for the campaign stickers we had.  I guess they may associate them with rewards and get a good feeling from them.  But adults like stickers too and some even collect them.  I guess I like stickers too but I don’t go crazy over them.  I somewhat collect political stickers and put them on a clipboard that I use for campaigning.  It matches the collection I have of political buttons I suppose.  The buttons are displayed in my guest room and a few are stored in a overflow box decorated with patriotic stars and stripes.

I suppose bumper stickers are stickers for adults. I used to think they were really tacky and had resisted putting any on my car until recently.  I still will not put a bumper sticker on the bumper, but I have a few on the rear window.  I like magnets more for the car.  I have two magnets on the car but I have a lot on my fridge and a few in my office cubicle.  I get a magnet whenever I travel and it sort has become a thing for me to do now.  But stickers to me are too temporary and once one peels them off they are no good to put back on something. Maybe magnets are similar to stickers in a way, but the bottom line is that it is all about a collection, I think. Since the dawn of time humans have been collecting things so maybe that’s where the fascination comes from.  Humans are often funny creatures.

Date Night

I follow several blogs online.  Some are about cooking, some about miniature building, and some are about gardening.  The other day I came across a posting for a blog named Not Without Salt, a cooking blog that has some great recipes on it. This particular post talked about something called Eaton Mess, an English dessert that the author took some liberty with. Many of the recipes I read of hers are great and often look wonderful.  I try to replicate some, but often my attempts don’t look as appetizing as hers.  Perhaps as she is an art major, there is a level of artistic skill that I just don’t possess.

The other day she was talking about a date night she spends with her husband.  They have young children and when the children are in bed, they turn their attention to each other and concentrate on their adult world.  I somewhat envy her not because of her young children or her young marriage, but because she has time to enjoy with her husband.  It seems as if I am always doing something outside the home.  I realize that much of these obligations are things that I have taken on myself and I only have me to blame for my lack of time, but I envy the time she talks about where she can spend quality time with her mate.

My husband and I do try to enjoy each other’s company and have done a pretty good job through the 28 years we have been married.  We don’t set up a specific date night, but often one of us will express the need for one realizing we haven’t done one in a while.  We usually leave weekend nights to watch movies on our DVD player, or have a fire in the fire pit, and enjoy a glass of wine at the same time.  I know those evenings don’t result in “sparkling conversation” as my stepfather was fond of saying, but it’s the togetherness that we share.  Our son is grown and flown so we don’t have to worry about him going to bed or worry about when he is coming home (trust me, there is always worry going on about him – well at least on my end), so it’s just the two of us.  But I think we have made the best of our marriage and our partnership through some pretty rough patches in our lives. I agree that it is important to have a date night with your significant other to rekindle the attraction you first felt for each other no matter the path each of you has taken.  It seems like time together away from the world is a piece of the formula that couples are looking for when aiming for a long marriage.