Simply Me

Fellow Marylanders: The powers that be in Annapolis want more of what's in YOUR wallet

Today begins the new Maryland legislative sesssion for 2012. Without batting an eye lash, our "fearless leader" wants to raise taxes.  At a minimum, gas taxes and/or sales taxes. 

I don't know about you, but my wallet has gone dry.  This well is done. All done.  I cannot sit by another year and do nothing while the 'experts' in Annapolis tell me a pack of lies and half truths to spend more money than we, as a state, have available.

Why do we need a higher gas tax?  Because, the Transportation Trust Fund has been raided, REPEATEDLY FOR YEARS by the good folks down in Annapolis.  A trust fund that is supposed to be LEFT ALONE and used SOLEY for the purpose of fixing our roads and bridges.  Instead, we robbed Peter to pay Paul, and our friends down in the big "A" are standing at our door with their hands out. Again.

Apparently, the idea of a gas tax was getting some negative attention...so the Governor threw out an even bigger boogie man:  INCREASED SALES TAX!  Oooh....are you scared now?  Will you happily accept that 5 cents or 10 cents gas tax now?  Unfortunately, too many Maryland citizens will say, YES! PLEASE!

Please, if you are a citizen of Maryland, consider taking some time in the coming week and reach out to your representatives down in our state capital. Tell them that taxing us into oblivion is NOT what this state needs right now.  

http://wbal.com/article/85420/2/template-story/Opening-Day-Of-Session-OMalley-Floats-Sales-Tax-Hike

It's time for our state to behave in the responsible way that many families have had to behave: spending only what you have and no more.  In fact, spending less than what you have and putting a bit a way for a raining day.  It *can* be done.  It has to be done. 

My wallet thanks you.

REPOST: Where were you?

Because I'm feeling the same way this year as I've felt every year for the last 9 years, I'm reposting last year's blog entry:

 

When the world stopped turning, on that September day?

 

 

 

Another year. And I still don't have the words. The words to describe my emotions of that day. The words to describe how I feel every time the anniversary arrives on my calendar. 

I know today will be full of frustrations for me. I have "normal" things that have to be done today. All around me, people will be doing their "normal" things and I will be irritated by them. How can they do that? Don't they remember? 

Of course they remember, but like me, they have "normal" things to do today. Life has gone on, just as life always does. 

9 years later and our country hasn't recovered. To me, the state of our country is far worse. The deep divide among the people of this country is growing ever larger, every day. Has it always been like this? Has the dislike and distrust always been so visceral? Or was I simply naive before 9/11/2001? 

 

 

 

 

Do you think this would work?

As those of you who know me personally, on Facebook or on the NSBR forum at TwoPeas, you already know that our house was burglarized some time during the day on Friday. We lost some computer related items, but nothing that isn't replaceable with a few hundred dollars. The kids, unfortunately, were the ones to discover this upon their return home from school. The policeman who took the report feels there was a good chance the arrival of the bus was what scared them off. 

Yes, that means he felt the scum were in the house just before our kids walked in. 

Yes, I'm still sick to the stomach at the reality of that statement. 

All things considered, this could be so much worse and I am grateful for that. At the same time, as each day passes, I find myself getting angrier and angrier. How dare these despicable creatures violate us like that? How dare they take things we have worked hard to earn and buy for ourselves? While we will eventually replace what was lost (and are happy it wasn't more), doing so will mean other things will take a backseat on the priority list. It will mean disruption and inconvenience. And after we do replace these items? Whose to say they won't come back and steal them again? That's the one that keeps making me pull up short. 

Obviously, we have to shake this off and move forward. We will do things a little differently and keep our fingers crossed. Pray that my anger diminishes and I stop allowing it to seep out at those who least deserve it. And take care of your own...its so easy to believe that no one would do this to YOU. 

Where were you?

When the world stopped turning, on that September day?

 

 

 

Another year. And I still don't have the words. The words to describe my emotions of that day. The words to describe how I feel every time the anniversary arrives on my calendar. 

I know today will be full of frustrations for me. I have "normal" things that have to be done today. All around me, people will be doing their "normal" things and I will be irritated by them. How can they do that? Don't they remember? 

Of course they remember, but like me, they have "normal" things to do today. Life has gone on, just as life always does. 

9 years later and our country hasn't recovered. To me, the state of our country is far worse. The deep divide among the people of this country is growing ever larger, every day. Has it always been like this? Has the dislike and distrust always been so visceral? Or was I simply naive before 9/11/2001? 

 

 

 

 

How about some Christmas in July?

I'm working on getting my photos organized, edited, deleted, whatever. It's part of my goal to get through the steps of the class "Library of Memories (LOM)" at Big Picture Scrapbooking. I've signed up for the class 3 times now...thankfully, you only pay the first time and then get two more chances at it.  Despite Stacy's advice to the contrary, I have to get my 5 years worth of photos in order before I can move on. Of course, that's not something I've managed to do DURING the classes 10 week duration (nor the at least 4 weeks of pre-course timeline) in any of the three years I've attempted to participate in the course.

I really believe this system could work for me. The problem is ME not the system. Anyway, I've been going through photos in the last week as part of this project. Yesterday, I was going through the files from our 2009 Christmas Card photo shoot which included the horses. I'm always amazed at how much better images seem to me when I allow them to "age" for a time. I'm so glad I didn't get delete happy last November! I have some real gems that I didn't really see back then. 

The saddest part of it all? I only ended up handing out the photo cards I created to a handful of people at work AFTER Christmas. I had grand plans to get them all addressed and ready to be mailed the weekend before Christmas, but that's when Missy colic'd on us and I lost 3 solid days to that insanely stressful experience. Doing cards was just not a priority after all.

Instead, I have discovered some delightful images some 8 months later that I think will make a lovely blog entry for today. Enjoy!

L to R:  Izzy, Sarah, Missy, Baby, Casey & Cha Cha 

 

 

And this is the card that most never saw:

          
 
  

 

Memorial Day 2010: Book Suggestion

A couple of weeks ago, Master Joe Nawrozki held a special program during our Wednesday Tae Kwon Do class. Master Joe is the man charge of the Tae Kwon Do program that Casey has been enrolled in since February. He is a decorated Vietnam War veteran who feels the need to share his experience as a veteran, especially to the young people he meets through his Tae Kwon Do endeavors. 

He annually invites fellow veterans to come and speak to the students and their families about their experiences as veterans. It was an amazing experience to listen to these two men. 

Mr. Bob Griffin, the father and grandfather of two of Casey's fellow students, was a sergeant major in the U.S. Army Special Forces. He was briefly captured and held during one operation. Because of his Special Ops assignments, he could only share so much because much of what he did over there is still classified. 

The other guest was our county's State's Attorney, Robert Cassilly. I've voted for Mr. Cassilly in several elections but am embarrassed to admit that a) I didn't know he was a Vietnam veteran; nor b) that he was confined to a wheelchair due to his injuries he suffered as an Army Ranger at age 19. His story was equally inspiring and like Mr. Griffin, had me in tears. Their love for their country and especially for their fellow soldiers was very moving.  

Mr. Cassilly spoke to us about the nurses he encountered during his time as a soldier. He wanted to be sure we understood the vital role these women played. Did you know there is a memorial to these amazing women? I did not but was excited to learn about it from Mr. Cassilly. I have definitely added it to my list of "must see" places during my next visit to D.C.  You can learn more about the memorial here:  Vietnam Womens Memorial in D.C.

Master Joe told us that Mr. Cassilly had written a novel based on his experiences as an injured war veteran. The novel, "Decoration for Valor", centers around an injured soldier and two nurses and how their lives intersect during a very difficult time in their lives and in the turbulent time that our country was experiencing. You can find this novel at all major book sellers and possibly in your own local library.

I am honored to now own a signed copy of this book. I'm already several chapters into it and am very impressed with Mr. Cassilly's ability to relay this story in an honest and captivating manner. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of this book for yourself. Then let a veteran in your life know how much you appreciate what they've given to us and our country.

Memorial Day 2010

Around our house, it's been a quiet day. Our lives are so busy on an average day that I like to keep some of our days off quiet and relaxed. I had hoped to visit D.C. today but ultimately decided it wasn't a good idea. Instead, I thought I'd share some other things about the special purpose of this day.

In 2007, I did go to D.C. on Memorial Day. I got up literally at the crack of dawn and drove down to Arlington National Cemetery. For reasons I still don't really know, I didn't realize how big of a crowd I would be encountering. As early as I got there, the line to get into the cemetery was miles long and growing behind me. In fact, I got there early enough that the site wasn't even open yet. Once I realized that my original plans of seeing the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier wasn't an option due to the crowds and the impending arrival of the President making security even tighter, I chose to walk around in areas not quite as crowded. 

It was an inspiring experience. I was entranced by the quiet that surrounded me. I saw images that moved me in every direction. I understood how this had become a favorite place of photographers to come. Trying to capture the feelings and emotions that come with visiting such a place is very hard to do. I've meant to go back in the last 3 years but have yet to do so. 

You can see the other photos I took that day here:  Arlington National Cemetery

More Memorial Day related posts coming this week. Stay tuned!

I love everything West Wing...

NBC Video

This link will probably only start with the West Wing topic video for a few hours.  If you get to the site and it's playing something else...scroll down through the video list.  If you don't know about the West Wing connection to the 2008 Presidential election, you have to go look!

Let's move on

President-elect Obama was not my candidate.  Truth be told, neither was Senator McCain.  It's no matter now though.  He will be our President in January.  I pray that whatever my fellow Americans saw in him that made them rally behind him so fervently will truly be used to the benefit and support of this country and ALL its citizens.

 I saw something different.  I saw a future where my standard of living will be impacted in a negative way despite working hard and doing what is right for my family.  That's why I voted against him.  May I be proven wrong.  The next 4 years will tell.

 Now we have a Democratic President, House and Senate.  The voters have spoken.  So be it.  

And now the *real* fun begins!

The time is here! The voting is almost done.  Will we have that definitive answer sooner rather than later this time around?  Or will it be too close to call?  Will there be cries of "foul!" again this time around?  Will the supporters of the losing candidate be able to swallow the bitter pill of defeat with grace and with speed?  I sure hope so.  

My daughter is especially caught up in all of it this year.  She was oh so kind to remind me that by the time the next Presidential election rolls around in 4 years that she will be eligible to vote and in her first year of college.  

:::::shudder:::::  Someone hold me!  I don't like these little jolting reminders of how little time is left of my daughter's childhood.  I wish we could both take off work/school tomorrow and stay up watching the coverage together.  I guess that's something we should plan for in four years time.

So what else did you do on election day?  To make getting in and out of our polling place easier, I worked from home today so that I could run over to the school (very close to home) at a time that was considered as a "slow" time.  It worked.  I was in and out in 10 minutes.  

Once my work day was done, I made a quick run to to the grocery store. I've begun craving some dishes that I used to have regularly back when I lived with my unofficial "foster family".  My "foster mom" would make these dishes that would initially have me turning up my nose.  I quickly learned to trust her!  Most of these dishes are fall/winter fare as they require some baking or are a bit on the heavy side, so making them in the late spring and summer isn't as appetizing.  

Tonight we had a dish called "Rice Pie".  It's a meat shell with a tomato based rice and cheese mixture that you pour into the shell and bake.  I made a big salad for everyone and some garlic bread. It was all pretty much devoured.  "Home cooked meal" is not a norm around here. So it's appreciated when it does happen.  And it felt good to see everyone enjoying it so much.

A quick thanks to all the recent round new and returning visitors who are leaving such nice comments!  They are greatly appreciated.