...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!