kcobweb

Apologies if you've seen this before - it's new to me:

( Damn liberals! )

I went to a candidate's forum today - mostly local candidates and local issues. There was a program guide that contained statements from lots of the candidates. One of them said that a major priority of his, if elected, was to implement "bear bones" medical policies.... I know we live in Montana - but I didn't realize the wildlife had insurance coverage! My mom and I were nearly hysterical, though we had to do so silently, because it was the middle of the thing.

So why doesn't this kind of stuff get national media attention?

I tell you, it's enough to make one believe that there is a vast, right-wing conspiracy out there....

I had my first OB appointment today. ( Cut because I care )

And now I'm watching the Democratic convention off and on, although it's not exactly a thrill a minute here. But I was remembering watching the 1988 convention (look ma! I've been a geek for a looooong time!) and seeing Jesse Jackson speak. I don't remember what he said, just that he was damn damn impressive.

Eeeee! I just got an email that says I've been picked to go to a Male Health Education thingy in Miami in July! They were only supposed to pick a few per region, and ended up picking 3 from this state alone.... Travel for work makes me happy - because it's still enough of a novelty for me that I can enjoy it. Going to conferences always makes me happy, because I love the opportunities to mingle with similar folks and learn new stuff.

Mmmmm, Miami in July. Aren't you incredibly jealous of me?

The suck thing is that if I didn't get this, I was planning to go visit my sister that week or the week previous - see her, bum around Germnay, and maybe take a jaunt over into France (she's never been in her 4 years of living on the continent; I've just, well, never been). So it definitely messes with my vacation plans, but for a worthwhile cause.

So now I'm contemplating going later. Earlier in summer doesn't work as well with the sister's work schedule.

Of course, plane tickets to Europe currently cost $$$Arm.leg, so maybe this is the world trying to tell me something.

But I really wanted a chance - an excuse to work on my French!!

*******************

In other news, everyone today seems to be talking/writing again about the Curves thing. (If you haven't been exposed to this yet, go check out the article at Salon.) Here's my thought - okay, so the Curves CEO isn't a rabid anti-abortionist funding Operation Save America and the people who wave pictures of dismembered fetuses and call me a murderer and try to bomb clinics. He gives money to crisis pregnancy centers and abstinence-only programs. To say, "Oh, then it's okay - he's not a nut" is still not helpful to my perspective.

CPCs are in some ways *more* dangerous, because they mislead women under the guise of offering valid medical services. Similarly, abstinence-only-til-marriage education represents itself as being the only safe and effective way, while misleading children. So CPCs and AOUM are sneaky and insidious and try to make people believe they are not. That might be worse than the in-your-face protesters in front of clinics. I don't know.

And then - does this mean you should boycott Curves? I'm not a believer in boycotting every person out there who doesn't support my position(s) - okay, that could make life very tricky. I do think people need to draw that line individually for themselves. I don't like Domino's pizza, so that has never been an issue for me. :) I hate WalMart for many reasons even beyond the political (okay, just being in the parking lot there gives me a raging headache) - but a few times a year I find myself going there for something I just can't find anywhere else. No biggie.

I am in the midst of a workweek that involves as little onsite office time as possible. Bwahaha! I get to spend Thursday-Saturday of my workweek at a local conference which will either be incredibly cool or incredibly infuriating. Of course, I'm hoping for the former.

It snowed today. Yes, snow. First there was drizzly rain, and then the rain got thicker and more solid and then - big fat fluffy flakes! It's supposed to continue with this lovely mix o' stuff falling from the sky all week. We can hope, anyway. Maybe this means some of my flowers will actually grow.

This also means it's incredibly cold in my house. Thankfully I'm back at work now (that's at least one good reason to be here), where it's rather comfy and warm.

I have just one comment about the prisoner abuse scandal - that's that it sickens me that the best way we know how to torture and humiliate someone is by means of sexuality. I hate what that says about our culture, and theirs, and about our worldview.

I'm reading a good (scifi/fantasy) book right now which had a passage that seemed very applicable to the above debacle, plus the Iraqi war in general. I'll try to remember to copy it out later for y'all.

I have a spot on my finger that looks like an incipient wart. Except it hurts in a tingly sharp way, and I don't remember warts doing that. I'm going to try to wish it away by force of mental powers, which I sorta did the last time I had a wart. It's all mind over matter (plus a strong immune system).

Or maybe it's just a splinter. Somehow it's very hard to tell.

I get CPR training in half an hour - we're doing infant and child tonight (having done adults 2 weeks ago).

I had many other insightful/witty/brilliant comments and thoughts to share, but they all left my head when I started typing, naturally.

( Signs and Slogans from Sunday's March )

I really need to get my pictures developed. I want to send some to my 87-year-old pro-choice grandmother. :)

Courtesy of a co-worker:

( The real terrorism in America.... )

Not to gloat or anything... but it's gorgeous here.

Here's a fun little item for you:
http://www.chuckchamblee.com/dom/fun/yankee_dixie_quiz.htm
It's a dialect quiz. I scored "39% (Yankee). A definitive Yankee." I'm kind of a mixed bag (though I think it should have been higher), with one parent from New York, another from Texas who grew up in the Midwest - and I've lived all over myself. Hmmmm. I still love these things.

To switch abruptly to politics, I cannot express how irritated I am that Nader has entered the race. I hope he has great difficulty getting on the ballots in all 50 states - because we don't need him splitting the liberal vote yet again and handing things over to the Doofus. Another 4 years like this, and I'll be out of a job, because family planning won't exist anymore! (And we'll all have worse things to worry about!)

The weather's so dry that my nails are splitting and cracking horrendously, no matter what I do. I keep cutting them shorter - every day - and a few are as short now as they used to be when I bit them all down to the quick! And how professional-looking is that? (And my hair won't stay up either, but now we're getting into petty annoyances.)

I made an old-fashioned mix tape for my sister this weekend. She's in Germany, and tired of being so far from home, so all of the songs on it have American place names (states or cities, mostly) in the title or lyrics. It was really fun to compile. (And she'll be here in 2 weeks!!! Staying for over 3 weeks!!! Woohoo!!!)