One For The History Books

Election 2008 is now in the history books and without a doubt, this election is monumental for several reasons. First America has elected its first black president, voter turnout for this election was more than any election in the last century and lastly, one party controls the White House and both houses of Congress for the first time since 1994.

Now that it is over, one would think that I would be able to get on with life, but that is simply not the case. For the first time in my life, I am actually scared of the government and the direction that this new administration is going to take us. I honestly do not trust Obama. Likewise with Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. The three of them together have the power to do just about anything that they want in Washington - all without any checks and balances. Mark my words, for at least the next two years, President Obama will not use his veto power. Why would he use it when congress takes the same liberal view as he does.

I am totally fearful that the next two years, at the least, will see attacks on the Second Amendment, higher taxes for those of us that work and more entitlements for those that do not. I also foresee appointments to the US Supreme court as well as the lower courts of judges that not only take an extremely liberal interpretation of the Constitution and the laws of this country, but also legislation from the bench.

America wants change and that is what we will get, but I doubt that the change will be for the better. Entitlements, more government programs and more tax and spend. That is what we will get - same as any other liberal government.

The one good thing that I see from this election is that it is proof positive that Affirmative Action is no longer needed, but it will still be here in four years.

Rants, Raves and Reviews - November 2, 2008

Well, the month of November is upon us and though I have this inner desire to blog, I had no clue what to blog about - mainly because there is just too much. So without further adieu, here are a few rants, raves and reviews.

Reading the local paper this week, I discovered that schools across America held their "Kids Vote" elections and I was not disappointed with the results. Not that I agree with the kids, but that I fully expected that the results would turn out like they did. Obama won, thus proving that our liberal education system is once again successful in pushing their agenda and indoctrination of our children.

It is funny how politicians operate. The closer to the actual election we get, they either lie harder or the truth slips out a bit, depending on the polls. Case in point is that when things were looking really bad for Hillary, out poops the old 'when I was in Bosnia, I took three hits to my flack jacket while saving the life of the pilot and co-pilot of our plane that was shot down.' So is it any wonder that since all of the media polls are showing Obama with a bit of a lead that the truth comes about about his socialistic 'redistribution of the wealth.' First it was tax increases for those making $250K, then $200K. Biden piped in with $150K and so, not to be outdone, Obama says $100K. Why that means that a large percentage of the country will be paying more in tax so that the welfare system gets to dole out more to those that won't work. Remember comrade, "From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs."

But that is not something that you will read or hear about in the mainstream media. I know, you are probably thinking that I am now beating the drum of the GOP and the media bias, but this is something that I am not alone in saying - even mainstream media is confessing that they are biased.

On the lighter side of things, Lisi and I went down to the drugstore earlier this evening and I came across something that I cannot live without - Chicken Poop. "What the hell...?" you ask, but I must confess that it is for chapped lips. I swear to you that it is real.

Lastly, I thought I would share to you something that the media (again) forgot to say - only because they are tree-hugging-Bush-bashing libs: Since the President trash canned the Executive Moratorium on Exploration on the Outer Continental Shelf in July, gas prices have continued a downward spiral of almost $2.00 per gallon - nearly half the price it was. Congress failed to follow suit, otherwise, who can imagine how low gas prices would have fallen by now. Thus proving one of the basic rules of economics - when supply exceeds demand, prices drop.

Don't forget to vote on Tuesday and for those of us that observe it, I hope you changed your clocks back to standard time. Now I am only an hour ahead of my friends and family back in Arizona.

The Last Lecture

I have noticed, in the last couple years, there have been a lot of things out there that deal with the ultimate question - what would you do if you knew you were dying. From the song, "Live Like You Were Dying" by Tim McGraw to movies like "The Bucket List." I don't know if it is because the events of Sept. 11, 2001 forced us to realize our own mortality or if it was something more benign than that, but the result is the same - to take an introspective look at our own lives and become better people.

One such journey into the realm of self-evaluation and fulfillment that I have recently come across is from a professor at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh and is a true story of one man's look at his own accomplishments and how each of us can shed our inner "Eeyore" to become a "Tigger."

So, I encourage you all to make the time to watch this video. I assure you that you will be touched and you will have a whole new outlook on everything in life. The title of the lecture says it all - Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.

How I Spent My Summer...

Hey all! Just thought I would let you know that I have not contracted some mysterious virus, been abducted by aliens, nor have I been lying comatose for the last three months. I have been here dealing with some hectic things and trying to get back into the swing. So, here we go with what I have been doing all summer.


Blogging

Looking back on all of my posts to this blog, it is not hard to see that there has been a hole. It isn't that I have not tried to blog, but that I just haven't been able to finish one. Some excerpts of those drafts include:

• "When we signed the lease for our now former home, the landlord was a fairly nice young guy. Seemed to be a great place, but then after you live someplace for a year, you really get to understand the issues of the place and that of the landlord as well." - 06/29/08




• "Tonight's All-Star game will be held at Yankee Stadium and will feature two important historical events in Major League Baseball: The Hall of Fame and the History of Yankee Stadium, because this is the last season in the historic park. One thing that will definitely be missing is 'Shoeless Joe' Jackson's rightful induction into the Hall of Fame." - 07/15/08




• "One of the things that I find interesting with each election is the pollsters that attempt to figure out how an election will turn out based on demographics of certain groups. These groups are usually based on party affiliation, gender, national origin, pro-life/pro-choice and gun owner/anti gun people. There are two other demographics that I would much rather see, but probably won't - racists and sexists." - 08/30/08

Our Home

I would have to say that the most hectic thing that has transpired over the course of the summer has been our living situation. Needless to say, we have now come to the end of the turmoil and can really (legally) start to talk about it all.

As some of you know, we started having problems with our landlord/home in the winter of 2006-07. Our furnace had decided that it was not going to be like a normal furnace and evidenced this to us by first heating totally inefficiently while costing a small fortune (over $300 per month) and then by firing up with a small explosion each time (when and if it would start). I explained this to the landlord and he promised to have it looked at. When the lease came up for renewal in May, he again promised to fix the furnace as well as insulate the basement to help keep the first floor rooms a little warmer. Neither of these things transpired.

We also were subjected to the landlord's self-renovation of the other half of the house throughout the spring of 2007 and had to deal with the constant sounds of power tools, hammers, etc. from early morning through late at night as he worked to remove plaster and lathe, completely remove a wall and install laminate flooring. The only break we had was for about a week after the city building inspector chastised him about performing construction without a permit. He finally moved back in with his ex-wife in the middle of the summer of 2007 and had some friends of his living next door to finish the construction. Late fall saw the end of the construction but the noise was not abated as the new neighbors were very loud and obnoxious with their parties and stumbling home drunk at 3:30am several nights during the week.

October 2007 we received a letter from the landlord that addressed the complaints that we had - namely the noise from the neighbors and the issues with the furnace. The landlord decided that since his home inspection in 2005 did not say there was a problem with the furnace, he was not going to have it looked at and that as far as the noise was concerned - deal with it. So, we bought space heaters to heat a couple rooms in the house for the winter and for the noise, we repeatedly called the cops.

Towards the end of January or the first part of February, the tenants next door complained about the fact that their furnace was not working and, since they were friends of his, he called to get the furnace fixed - on their side of the house, not ours. I was livid and it was all I could do to keep from planting my boot in his rear. Lisi and I started looking for a house of our own. First part of April came and we get notice that the landlord is not renewing the lease and expects us to be out in 15 days (never mind the fact that it was not an eviction and our lease was not set to expire until the first of June. So, we withheld rent to offset the costs of our heating. Completely justified by the laws in IA, or so one would think from reading said laws.

The landlord slapped us with an eviction and separate $5,000 small claims suit, then missed the eviction proceedings. Since the eviction was dismissed (but not the small claims action) he slapped us with another eviction and second small claims action, again for $5000. Because he did not show up for any of the hearings on the second small claims action, that was dropped, but the eviction was moot because we were already moving out. All said and done, he was awarded a grand total of $75 plus interest.

The logic of this whole ordeal is beyond my comprehension and a simple cost analysis proves that the land still lost in the long run. The place we were living in still hasn't been rented out and so the landlord is out $3,500 in lost rent. He paid filing fees of $60 per case with and additional $35 for service and he was awarded $75. My math comes up with a net loss of $3,620 for him. If you take into consideration that he kept our deposit, he is still in the hole nearly $3K. As for us, we no longer have to deal with him and his parties, although we also lost a great view of the river. Our new landlord is great and hey, our rent and utilities have gone down drastically, so it is a win in the long run for us.

Our Car

When we packed up our very best crap in Arizona, we also packed up and brought our 1991 Honda Accord. When I got here, I applied for and received personalized plates that said ZONIE, and thus the car was christened "The Zoniemobile." She was a good disposable car that I bought for $300 in 2002, but last fall, she died a miserable death and had to be disposed of for salvage of $200. A search for a new car brought about another disposable for $400 - a 1994 Pontiac Grand Am and she was given a nickname of "The Blue Bomber," or "Blue" for short. She wore her nickname well as she had rust spots, rusted out exhaust system, no window cranks, fuel leak and rusted brake lines - the latter two I fixed when I bought her. As with all Grand Am's from there period, she suffered from one major ticking time bomb - bad head and/or head gasket. From what a lot of people have been telling me, it was common for that motor to be running fine and then, without warning, either the head would crack or the head gasket leak. The end of July, she gave up the ghost and started spewing steam out the remnants of the exhaust system. Time to find a new car, but with crappy credit, crappy economy and no savings, I have to either depend on others or utilize my old military standby - the "Leather Personnel Carrier." All I can say is that I thank God I live closer to work than I did six months ago.

The Art

It is amazing how many of us do not listen to that little small voice we each have until it is too late. That silly little voice seems to say what we perceive to be the 'stupidest' things, however we discover much too late that the voice was right and we neglected to act on what the voice was saying. I have kicked myself in the seat of the pants for that too many times in my life. I heard that voice in the fall of 2006 and it wasn't just whispering, it was yelling at me, "YOU SHOULD GET INTO ART." Not as a spectator, but as a participant. More specifically it said that I should paint.

Now, if there is one thing that I can say with all of my heart, that would be that I hated art when I was growing up. I mean, I liked to see it and still do, just that if you were to give me a pencil and blank paper, you would end up with either a picture of a polar bear in a blizzard (blank white paper) or stick figures to represent people. I could doodle out some block lettering or maybe a basic building, but as far as I was concerned, my artwork fit in more with Abstract Expressionists like Jackson Pollack or Jane Frank than it does a Claude Monet or Grant Wood. With that in mind, I decided to spend the least amount and get some watercolors. I was amazed at what I could do.

Now I have started dabbling in oil paint. This is an expensive hobby, but well worth it and an easier medium than watercolor. I have completed my first attempt at oil and, though I was not 100% satisfied with the final result, I am willing to stick to it and have started my second piece.

While on the subject of art, I have also been a longtime fan of photography and been snapping pics for ages. This is the first year that I have ever a fair with my photos and I didn't do too bad, with each photo taking a ribbon (one blue and two red).

Other than that, work has been good to me and I have been sort of keeping an eye on the political scene and the current situations that are going on around us all. So, I have been here and will continue to be. Hopefully, I have seen the end of this long train and will be posting again on a regular basis.

Flood of 2008 - An Update On Us

I know that there are a lot of you that have expressed a concern as to how we are doing and if we are experiencing the floods, tornados, etc.

So far, we are doing pretty well here in Dubuque. While we are being inundated with an enormous amount of rain, we are fairly lucky. I think that our luck has more to do with the geography of the area more so than anything else. For those that do not know, Dubuque is situated in a hilly area, complete with a lot of steep bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River below.


There are a lot of roads that are closed because of the flood waters. One of those closures has affected Dubuque in a rather interesting way. US Interstate 80, one of the most traveled interstate highways in this country is shut down between Des Moines and Davenport. All traffic has been re-routed to US Highway 20 through Dubuque. This has caused a lot of congestion and adds anywhere between four and six hours to a trip from Davenport to Des Moines. I don't think that I will be taveling anywhere on this highway until the closure of I-80 has been fixed.

The Cedar River, which runs through Cedar Rapids and Cedar Falls, and the Des Moines River are really getting hammered. Not to say that the Mississippi and Maquoketa Rivers here in Dubuqueland aren't getting their share, but I don't think that the flooding is as bad here as it is to the west a few miles.

As far as tornados are concerned, there have been numerous watches the last few days and weeks, but nothing more than some straightline winds of 80MPH that we had a few days ago. Again, probably more attibutable to the geography of the area, but who knows.

While I am talking about tornados, I would like to ask for you all to keep the Boy Scouts from Camp Little Sioux and their families in prayer, as well as all of those that have been hit by tornados.

Though we are expecting some more nasty weather tonight and Sunday, the rest of next week appear to be rain free. One can only hope that this is the case so the rivers and streams here can go down some before we start getting more rain and flooding.

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Image © copyright 2008 Tracy Huff~Carlson. More photos on the flood by Tracy here

Where's A Plumber When You Need One

Stumbled across this story about the toilets on the International Space Station not working and then it hit me.

"This 'house' cost how much to build and the crappers don't work?!?"

Tornado Warning for Dubuque, IA

Well, we had a pretty good storm this evening. Even a tornado warning for Dubuque.
For my friends and family back home - here is some real lightning and thunder.

BTW, I errantly state that the storm is moving from the east. Storm was moving from the Northwest and headed east while the clouds were moving opposite.

Youngest Daughter of Steven Curtis Chapman Killed

(from the website: http://stevencurtischapman.com/)

MARIA SUE CHAPMAN, DAUGHTER OF STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN, DIES IN ACCIDENT AT FAMILY HOME

NASHVILLE, TN...5/21/08... At approximately 5pm on the afternoon of Wednesday May 21st, Maria Sue Chapman, 5 years old and the youngest daughter to Steven and Mary Beth Chapman was struck in the driveway of the Chapman home in Franklin, TN. Maria was rushed to Vanderbilt Childrens Hospital in Nashville, transported by LifeFlight, but died of her injuries there. Maria is one of the close knit family’s six children and one of their three adopted daughters.

More than five years ago, Chapman and his wife MaryBeth founded The Shaohannah’s Hope Ministry after bringing their first adopted daughter, Shaohannah, home from China. The ministry’s goal is to help families reduce the financial barrier of adoption, and has provided grants to over 1700 families wishing to adopt orphans from around the world. Chapman is a five-time GRAMMY ® winner and 54-time Dove Award winning artist who has sold over 10 million albums and garnered 44 No. 1 singles.

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It is truly sad when a tragic accident like this happens. My heart and prayers go out to the Chapman family.

BTW, I also found this video on the Steven Curtis Chapman website that was just recorded two months ago and features Maria.

What Would You Do?

Candidates Propose Gas Tax Holiday

First came Senator John McCain's proposal to suspend the Federal excise tax on gasoline from Memorial Day to Labor Day this summer in an effort to ease the cost to drivers over the summer driving season. Senators Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama both mocked the idea as "too little too late" and not enough. Now Clinton has jumped in the McCain station wagon and is likewise asking to suspend the tax for the summer, leaving Obama standing at the side of the road.

Mrs. Clinton goes one step further than Mr. McCain in that she desires to replace the nearly $9 billion deficit to the budget with placing a tax on the revenues of the oil companies. McCain supports shifting the burden to the general fund.

The White House, with Mr. Obama in agreement, has said that the tax holiday would save the average consumer approximately $30 over the length of the summer. White House spokeswoman, Dana Perino said that there are no plans from the White House to suspend the excise tax over the summer.

I wholeheartedly agree that the tax holiday is a short-term fix to a long-term problem and it IS too little, too late. I also feel that Mrs. Clinton needs to go back to school and learn basic economics as it is quite apparent that she does not understand how the burden of the tax would only be passed on to the consumer again - thus costing the consumer more in the long run than they are paying now.

I do not come here without a solution however. My proposal would be to release the strategic oil reserves into the market, thus increasing supply and lowering the cost. Secondly, stop paying for the pumps to not run. Open all the pumps and let the oil flow into the system, thus increasing the supply and holding the cost down. Thirdly, open up ANWAR to exploration and drilling and build new refineries. This may mean telling OPEC and the NIMBY's (those that cry "Not In My Back Yard") to shove it, but that is how you get things done. That would solve both the short-term and the long-term problem of high fuel cost.

Another proposal would be to accept that oil is not a limited resource from dead dinosaurs and accept that it is more plentiful than the oil companies would have us believe. Again, I argue that if oil is from dead dinosaurs, then how did the dinosaurs get stuck in the tar pits?

A good read is the book, "Black Gold Stranglehold" by Jerome R. Corsi and Craig R. Smith which tells how the myth of "fossil fuels" is a ploy by the powers that be to increase the prices of oil.

Earthquake Hits Midwest

A predawn magnitude 5.2 earthquake hit the midwest this morning at 4:37am CDT. Epicenter was in southern Illinois and was felt as far away as Chicago and Des Moines. There were no injuries from the quake.

The quake happened on the 102nd anniversary of the Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906.

I did not feel it as I was asleep (like a good boy).

http://cbs2chicago.com/local/earthquake.downstate.illinois.2.702914.html

An Idea for Next Year

I know that my April Fool's joke caught a few people off guard - well, honestly only 3 of the nearly 100 people that came by didn't fall for it - and now I am looking forward to next year's version.

If only I had a couple hundred friends to pull this one off.

http://www.maniacworld.com/frozen-in-grand-central-station.html

Do I have any volunteers?

In Memoriam - Charlton Heston

Charlton Heston, actor, author, political activist and past president of the National Rifle Association passed away on Saturday, April 5, 2008. He was 84.

Mr. Heston starred in over 100 roles including the part of Moses in "The Ten Commandments" and Judah Ben-Hur in "Ben Hur" in an acting career that spanned over 50 years.

His most memorable role was off-camera, as the President of the National Rifle Association. The only person to hold the post of President of the NRA for three terms, he stepped down in 2003.

APRIL FOOLS!!!!

OK, I want to start by saying that I love each and every one of my faithful readers, so I think I should let the cat out of the bag.

I posted my last post to this blog this morning before I ventured out to work. Naturally, I sent out emails to all my family and friends that advised them to look at the blog. Why go to the blog when I just could have sent it in the email, you may ask. Well, email is still a little quirky in that I may format an email one way and it will be received another, but the webpage or blog page formats exactly the way I want it to all readers and the format is what is key here.

In the previous post, I started off with two key words that are in all caps and bold face - PAYING ATTENTION. That coupled with the date (ie. April 1) should have clued people, but I didn't stop there - I also highlighted certain letters in the post. These letters are red in color and so they should stand out, but just in case, I will point them out for you...

April fools prank!

For those that know me very well, I love to do some silly and funny things or say funny things, as, my profile says, "To Zonie, life is a never ending supply of fodder for a stand up comedy routine - a little something to make others laugh. Welcome to the insanity... "

The last time I pulled an April Fool's prank, I was about 9. The night before, I laid awake in bed for a bit trying to come up with the ultimate prank and after about 30 minutes or so, I came up with not only the prank, but also the plan. Early the next morning - long before anyone else in the house - I got up, went into the kitchen, got out a glass and grabbed the sugar bowl. I proceeded to take all of the sugar out of the bowl and put it in the glass. Then I reached in the cupboard and pulled out the salt and poured the salt into the sugar bowl. I then poured the sugar back into the jar and cleaned up any evidence before returning to my bedroom. I remember laughing for what seemed an eternity.

Maybe half an hour or an hour later, my mom woke up and started my dad's coffee. Once the coffee was done, mom poured dad a cup and promptly placed two heaping teaspoons of "sugar" into the coffee. My dad took one sip and, after yelling a few explitives at my mom, wanted to know why she was trying to kill him. Mom was puzzled and took a sip of the coffee. Unbeknownst to them, I was in the kitchen laughing as hard as I could without bringing attention to myself. How wrong I was. Once I was caught, I was restricted from sugar for a year - no pre-sweetened cereal, nor sugar on my Cheerios, etc., etc.

Looking back, I really should have chosen a different prank to pull than that, but I did get the last laugh, because to this day, I still do not drink my coffee with sugar in it and I also have a dislike for sugar on my Cheerios.

So, what I am saying is that despite the fact that Lisi and I have survived one of the worst winters in Dubuque history and definitely the worst in our lives, we are staying put, at least in Dubuque. Also, I am saying that there is one rule you must remember when you have a comedian in your life - pay attention and keep looking out for that wise crack.

Peace and Love to all.

Mike

Fed Up and Moving

For all of you that are PAYING ATTENTION - we are moving back to Phoenix, effective May 1, 2008.

Though we love Iowa and dreamed of returning to Dubuque from the day that we left, Lisi and I have decided that we are sick and tired of all this snow and that we will tolerate the heat far better than the cold and snow.

We just arent as happy as we thought we would be originally and are once again ready for a change. We have already learned the best way to load up seven cats into one car with ease. We know the route, albeit in reverse. But most of all, we have come to the realization that we screwed up by moving back here away from the warmth.

So Goodbye Iowa, we bid you a fond farewell!

Hey Hil, Are You Listening?

On Friday of this week, I was fortunate enough to listen to the AFA Report on American Family Radio. For those that have not listened to it, it is a roundtable discussion of the day's events from a Christian perspective and is sometimes light and entertaining, but is always informative.

The guys had an interesting take on an article written by Peggy Noonan in reference to the Hillary Clinton vs. Bosnia lie - a take that made me relisten and then look up the article by Ms. Noonan. As you may or may not know, Peggy Noonan was a speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan and is always very cautious with her words. She also has a knack for making you look at the dictionary every once in awhile, which is a good thing as far as I am concerned.

I encourage you to read the article by Ms. Noonan as the article really tells it like it is. Hillary is at her lowest point and is drawing straws and shaping them to make her look better than her opponent when she should be counting her losses and stepping out of the ring.

Of the article, I must say that the whole thing can be summed up in two paragraphs:

What, really, is Mrs. Clinton doing? She is having the worst case of cognitive dissonance in the history of modern politics. She cannot come up with a credible, realistic path to the nomination. She can’t trace the line from “this moment’s difficulties” to “my triumphant end.” But she cannot admit to herself that she can lose. Because Clintons don’t lose. She can’t figure out how to win, and she can’t accept the idea of not winning. She cannot accept that this nobody from nowhere could have beaten her, quietly and silently, every day. (She cannot accept that she still doesn’t know how he did it!)

She is concussed. But she is a scrapper, a fighter, and she’s doing what she knows how to do: scrap and fight. Only harder. So that she ups the ante every day. She helped Ireland achieve peace. She tried to stop Nafta. She’s been a leader for 35 years. She landed in Bosnia under siege and bravely dodged bullets. It was as if she’d watched the movie “Wag the Dog,” with its fake footage of a terrified refugee woman running frantically from mortar fire, and found it not a cautionary tale about manipulation and politics, but an inspiration.

"The worst case of cognative dissonance in the history of modern politics." I just love that line and would have to agree that Ms. Clinton's perceptions have completely been muddled though I think that Ms. Noonan is being too kind as I would have to say that either Ms. Clinton is a pathological liar or that she is suffering from a severe case of dimentia. In either case, she has no place as the leader of any country.

It's Officially in the Books

I know that it is quite strange that here I am, end of March and I am posting yet another blog entry about the snow. Not that I necessarily want to post about the snow, but that I have to - and then I hope that this will be the last for this winter season. I have to because I can now say that I have lived through one of the worst winters in Dubuque history.

Yes, folks, it is now officially a record breaking winter. As of 6:59pm CDT today, we had received 76.2 inches of snow and surpassed the 135-year record of 75.7 inches set in winter 1961-1962. If I wasn't so darn tired of this 'endless winter' I would probably be jumping up and down, but alas, I am just thankful to have survived it. However, the worst is not over as we are looking at rain starting Saturday and continuing through next Thursday. Sure it will melt the snow and the frost, but the down side is that the ground is completely saturated and any rain will only run off and cause flooding.

Has Spring Sprung?

According to the calendar, it is mid-March. This is supposed to be the beginning of spring, but to anyone walking about in all this snow and ice, you would think that it is still winter and that there is more yet to come.

Well, Lisi and I went to our wonderful and local Irish boutique (Shamrock Imports) the other day and my how things really stay the same. I did find out that the annual St. Patricks parade has been canceled this year though, because Dubuque's finest feel it would be too dangerous with all the snow and ice out there yet. Maybe next year.

The weather is warming up a tad though. Supposed to be in the 40's all week and that should take a fair chunk of the snow with it. Most jobsites that I am on are like a mud bath now, but this melting of the winter is surely to cause a huge problem. Too fast of a melt and the river, creeks and streams are all going to flood. Won't affect us here at the house, except what gets in the basement, but will be nasty for those low-lying areas and further downriver. Will be interesting to see how this all goes down.

Lastly, I thought that I would let you all know that I am going through a bit of a musical change at the moment. To make a long story short, I will tell you that I have discovered a liking of Gaelic/Celtic music and particularly the band, Runrig. I love their style and am just plain hooked on their tunes. Even Lisi is started to get annoyed with my listening and singing their songs all the time. Oh well, she will either get to like them too or will just be annoyed.

Where are the 'Chicken Littles" Now?

This winter is one for the record books, and not just here in Dubuque. Winter records are being tied and (more often than not) shattered all around the globe and yet it is not being reported on the same level as those reports about Global Warming.

• China reports coldest winter in 100 years;

• Antarctic sea ice is at record levels;

• Snow falls in Middle East;

• Record cold in South America, Australia and Greece to name a few.

While the talking heads of the likes of the Weather Channel's Heidi Cullen and former US Vice President Al Gore are pushing their agenda for Global Warming, they are in the middle of a backpedal because the latest reports show that the earth is actually cooling. These reports are not just hypothetical or even projections, but hard-core readings from the scientific community showing that the earth's recent cooling trend (-.7 degrees) pretty wipes out everything the Global Warming kooks have been able to attribute to greenhouse gasses and man's ultimate demise.

So, what does this mean? The end of Global Warming? A pending Ice Age? Neither and both. I have sided for years with those that espouse the theory that the climate is cyclical and that there is little that man can do to change that. As I was born and raised in the desert Southwestern US, I remember years when we would have floods that were so bad the bridges would wash out and areas of our communities would be cut off by the normally dry washes running bank to bank. I also remember years when it was so dry that the lakes would practically dry up completely.

History shows us, even the casual observer, that the climate cycles. Late 1800's cold, early 1900's warm and dry (remember the Dust Bowl?). Early 1970's cold. Early 2000's hot. Seems to me every 30 years the temps fluctuate from one extreme to the other. I am just a casual observer though, not a scientific scholar.

Then again, there are a lot of us non-scientific types out there that have come up with some pretty ingenious theories that proved to be be remarkable life changers (eg. Christoper Columbus, Thomas Edison) and there are those that are still seen as quacks of the likes of Darwin and Freud. Famous one and all.

The following articles were used in preparation of this post: http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/columnists/story.html?id=332289

http://www.dailytech.com/Temperature+Monitors+Report+Worldwide+Global+Cooling/article10866.htm

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080227/D8V2CFRO0.html

Here We Go Again

I know, it is the weekend and I really should be out doing something. I have photo shoots I am planning and have overdue. I really want to go fishing, go to the museum, practice my drawing or watercolor in the field or something - anything other than being cooped up in the house on a day that I am not at my "daily grind." Alas, I sit here in my home office and surf the 'net, play Dark Ages of Camelot and work on my websites and blogs. All because we are dealing with yet another cold blast of snow and ice.

Being that I am from Arizona - a place that even areas that are supposed to get snow get very little of it - driving and even walking in this stuff is very, very foreign to me. I know how to do it, but it is not yet ingrained as second nature. Therefore, for the protection of myself and others (mostly to protect others from my inexperience), I chose to stay off the roads and indoors when at all possible.

Staying indoors does have it's drawbacks of course. Naturally, these storms have been hitting late-week or on the weekend and so the only times that I have available to do the fun and relaxing things I want to do are cancelled by the weather.

I am not alone in the complaining about the weather here this winter - even the natives are a bit anxious and complaining. In my opinion, I think that means that it is a particularly bad winter, which gives me plenty of reason to complain.

...And Then Again (God Has a Sense of Humor)

I should have known that just as soon as I thought of and started writing that last post on Perspective is Everything, God would throw a comment in there for me.

This morning, I prepared for work, listening to the weather radio and taking into account the fact that it was indeed warm - so warm in fact that virtually overnight all of the snow melted - but slated to get colder as the day wore on. I dressed for what I thought was appropriate for today with all the extras for this evening's wind and colder temps. I forgot that God would kindly bring me back to humility.

At midnight, we were at 39°F. Our high today was 41° at 5am. The low so far (as of 10pm is -6°F. However, you must also realize that the wind is howling at a brisk 30MPH gusting to 40MPH which translates to a wind chill of -35° to -45°F. If the National Weather Service models hold out, we could have wind chills between -45° and -50°F tonight.

As far as "perspective" is concerned, that means a shift of 50° (or 100° if you factor in the wind chill). Much more than I was talking about a couple days ago.

All this proves two points for me. One is that God has a pretty interesting sense of humor and, two, this IS Iowa where if you don't like the weather today, stick around because it will be different tomorrow.

Perspective is Everything

Living in the Upper Mississippi River Valley, we have a wide range of weather. Our climate affords us temps that are well below zero in the dead of winter and in the upper 90's in the heat of the summer.

This winter has been a bit on the colder side of our norm and there has been more snow this winter in comparison to the average. Though it is hard for a desert rat like myself to get adjusted and acquainted with, you learn to cope and adjust by wearing the proper amount of layered clothing and the right thicknesses depending on the weather conditions. For me, this can include a pair of sweats, a pair of cotton socks, a pair of thermal socks, jeans, long sleeve shirt, undershirt, second sweat shirt with hood, insulated coveralls, insulated boots, jacket and gloves. I also take with me extra socks, gloves, knit cap and a head sock - the latter of which is probably the best piece of winter gear that I have ever come across. When I leave for work in the morning, I look like the 'Sta-Puff Marshmallow Man' and it is extremly difficult to bend over and tie my boots up. It is a ritual, but a neccessary one.

Each morning, I get out of bed, check the weather and my email and then turn on the weather radio and listen to the National Weather Service report and forecast. Based on that, I determine what layers I dress in and what I can forego. For the past few weeks, I have had to wear all this clothing as we have been below freezing and I work either outside or spend an extraordinary amount of time outside. This morning was not an exception as the temp was only 20°F so hurridly I threw on all my layers. It didn't hit me until I was getting in the car outside that I was a little more toasty than I thought I should have been.

A valuable lesson was learned this morning. I have even joked in recent days that we were going to have a heatwave and that I should break out my shorts, but I never imagined it to be true. What I didn't figure into the equation of what to wear was the difference in temp. Yes, it was only 20°F, but it was 30° warmer than yesterday. Comparing the temp this morning when I left for work to yesterday when I left, we WERE in a heat wave.

I know that my ideal comfort temp is around 70°F - same as most people. If I was to add 30° to that, I would be baking like when I was in Phoenix. Take 30° away from that and I am looking for a little more clothing. This I completely understand, but I just was not ready for the surreal experience I had this morning with temps below freezing and the idea that I would have been comfortable with a long sleeve shirt and pants.

Something else that hit me while I was driving to work is the teperature differential over the course of a year here and in Phoenix. From the coldest low in the winter to the hottest day in the summer, here in Dubuque that is a 115° difference. In Phoenix, it is only a 75° difference.

Now, If I could just convince myself that perspective is everything in the summer.

Reality Check

There are times in our lives that we get so complacent in the mundane that we forget what is real and what we are supposed to be doing. We think that our daily grind is what we are supposed to be doing, when yet there comes a knock or a phone call that really jolts us back to reality.

That is the way it was on Tuesday. I had been harried by work, which only makes a bad day of work even worse. I was a bit down because of the decision that I had to make because the candidate I was supporting for president had dropped out of the race. I was dealing with the cold and the fact that not only is it cold outside, but it is cold inside, too. I was struggling with a decision that my boss made that I thoroughly disagree with. Top it off with the mental anguish that I really want to be doing something totally different with my life, but that I seem to be mired in the quicksand of life and stuck on just about every project that I have started.

I really thought it couldn't get any worse, then I got that phone call from 'Reality' that has made me stop and look at everything in a new perspective - the right perspective.

I met Stephanie in January 2005 through an online group back in Phoenix. The group is all about friendship, kinship and helping others. More times that not, we are that soft shoulder for each other to cry on, that well needed hug and a sympathetic ear to listen. We laugh together and we cry together. We may not always agree, but we are friends. Ironically enough, the group is about 90+% women and yet, I am accepted. Funny is that I am the appointed "Shining Knight and Protector" in the group - a title that I have enjoyed and had to use on a few occasions.

Stephanie and I met for coffee on a few occasions, chatted on the phone a couple times and spent countless sessions together on instant messaging. She was my big sister and friend and more times that I can even count, she was there to bring me back to reality when I was going off the deep end. We had not been as close of friends since both of our families moved on from Phoenix to different parts of the Midwest, but we still emailed each other occasionally and still shared Christmas cards. This Christmas, it was a 'Santa on a Harley' card - as soon as I saw it on the wall where Lisi had put it, I chuckled and knew before looking inside that it was from her. That was Stephanie. Each morning since that card arrived, I have looked at it on my way out the door to go to work and it is a reminder that she is there for me if I need her.

That phone call the other night came from a mutual friend of ours. The news was shocking and totally from out in left field. It was something that completely caught me off guard. My friend Stephanie had passed away.

Stephanie was barely 40. She was, for the most part, in great health. Sure, she had some problems years ago, but had moved on and been doing great from what I know. Now she is gone from our presence and, though I have dealt with death all my life to the point of being content with it, her passing hits me pretty hard for a lot of reasons.

Though she is gone, I will still have her in my heart and my memories. I will probably be reeling from this for a bit, but I know that I will all too soon have the worries of the weather and work and dreams put on a shelf, but I am hoping that - like she would always do - Stephanie will jolt me back to what is real in life and keep me looking straight at what I need to focus on.

But we'll keep you close as always

It won't even seem you've gone

Cause our hearts in big and small ways

Will keep the love that keeps us strong

(from Michael W. Smith's "Friends")

Changing of the Political Landscape

There is really no wondering whom I had chosen as the candidate that I stood behind. I even posted a link to the Fred08 website on my homepage as soon as he announced his candidacy.

There were many reasons that I stood behind the Fred Thompson campaign. Fred has taken a strong stand on every plank in the Republican Platform. He is not afraid to say what is on his mind, even if it is not what others wanted to hear. He is down to earth.

Long before he made the announcement that he was throwing his hat in the ring, I told several people that Fred had the Ronald Reagan approach and ability to communicate. How funny it was to actually hear the media refer to some of the other candidates in both parties as being 'Reaganesque.'

So, now that Fred has withdrawn his candidacy, I have had to look long and hard at who I would support. John McCain was my senator for many years back in Arizona and I even supported him when he ran in 2000 against George Bush, but I really don't think that I can support him now. Looking back, I think the only reason that I did vote for him is because I was more familiar with him than I was Bush and I thought he was the better candidate. This time around, circumstances are different and I have done a lot of research into all of the candidates and where they stand. McCain just isn't conservative enough for me and he flips too easily (just look at his stand on illegal immigration). As sad as this sounds, I think that Governor Janet Napolitano is more conservative and more consistent that McCain.

So, that leaves me with Ron Paul, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani. As I see it, Rudy is a flippy as McCain and Ron Paul is almost in that same boat with the added benefit of just being way too odd.

Of the final two - Romney and Huckabee - I am still a little upset at the fact that it seems every time I heard Huckabee talk, it was to bash the other candidates in the field instead of putting his best foot forward. Yeah, Romney also did some bashing, but I really feel as if it was more in retaliation to Huckabee's antics than it was as a campaign ploy to garner votes from the others.

So, I will probably go with Mitt. Not that I like the guy nor that I think he is the best person for the job, but that he is the best choice I have of the candidates that are still in the race. That could change as the primaries continue and candidates make choices like Fred made today, but for now, I think I am pretty much in Mitt Romney's corner.

Image from FredThompson Flickr site

What is Bush Trying to Do?

This week, President Bush visited the Middle East with the intentions of seeing a peaceful end to the Israel/Palestine clash. Every president in recent history has taken this path and every president has failed at bringing an end to the violence and creating a peaceful coexistence between Palestine and Israel. What is different with this visit is how Bush plans to do it. The Bush plan obviously is for Israel to give up more land for Palestine.

President Bush appears to have taken the side of the Palestinians against Israel and wants Israel to concede more land to Palestine. Has he been asleep? Doesn't he realize that every time Israel has made concessions and given up land, the Palestinians still blow up Israeli buses and want more land?

Mr. President, Palestine does not want a peaceful coexistence with Israel. Palestine wants an annihilation of the Jewish people and will not be happy until that day comes.

Iowa Caucus 2008

I have voted in countless elections and even consider myself very knowledgeable in the political process. Now I can say that I REALLY know the political process.

Being a newcomer to Iowa (as of May 2006), this was my first caucus. People that I spoke to before hand had mixed ideas of the caucus process, even fellow Iowans, but nothing prepared me for what it is really like. Voting for my candidate was the primary reason for caucusing last night, but I was more interested in what happens at the caucus and how it works. I walked away with more than I ever envisioned before last night.

It seems that there are two distinct ways to caucus - a Democrat way and a Republican way. They start the same with a general meeting and listen to people speak about each candidate, but that is the only similarity. From what I understand, the Dems then break out into groups based on candidate and try to lure others to their group. Thus they pick the candidate they are choosing - based on who has the most bodies grouped.

For the Republicans, the caucus breaks from the general meeting into their respective voting precincts. After precinct business such as electing precinct officers, a vote is taken of the candidates and tallied. Other business such as suggesting Platform Planks (items you would like to see the party support) and finally choosing delegates to represent the precinct at the County Convention that is held later conclude the evening's business.

In my previous experiences, the electoral process was very sterile and, for the most part secretive. I knew practically nobody, went into the booth and marked my ballot. With the caucus process, I was with my neighbors - some whom I knew - and I actually feel that I contributed something to the process as well as walked away with something in return. I can hardly say how candidates finished in my precincts from previous elections, but I know how my vote counted and where my candidate finished in this caucus - third.

Also, in previous voting engagements back in Arizona, the only thing that I walked away with after the primary election was a sense of satisfaction that I voted. Because the caucus process is so 'hands on', I actually walked away with something else. I will, for the first time, be attending the County Convention as a delegate in March. It is really exciting to not only see the political process happening, but to also be an integral part of that process.

So, for now, I will do my part for Fred as the election process moves on to New Hampshire and then on to Super Tuesday and the rest of the US. Then, we will get another learning experience on March 8 at the County Convention.

As a side note, I am really happy to see that Fred Thompson did finish pretty good here. While some people wrote him off because of (as they term it) his late entry, I think that he showed that he has what it takes.

Go Fred Go!