Rain

When I walked out to our car today, it had been raining all night. The fallen fall leaves were all over the ground, creating mini dams and forcing the rainwaters to find another way to flow across the parking lot. I stepped in a mini lake of a puddle held in place by one of the leaf dams.

Good Samaratin

So today I had an odd experience with a good samaratin.

My Ryan and I were commuting to work together as we do most mornings (with him driving and me half asleep in the passenger seat) and driving congested traffic slow on the captiol beltway, a gentleman pulls up next to us on the left shoulder of the highway. GS rolls down his window and motions for Ryan to do the same. Then GS informs us that our rear tire is low and he just wanted us to know. GS said that it is not flat, but rather low and that we might want to inflate it when we get where we are going.

My first reaction was thankful. That could be dangerous and good for someone to let us know as we are unable to see our rear tire while driving our car on the highway.

My second reaction was thinking what a weird situation. Who is so bored in traffic or such a good person these days that they feel the need to pull up next to you on the shoulder while you are both inching along at about 5 or 10 mph and inform you that your tire is low. You would most likely notice it when you got out of your car at your destination.

Then I just wondered about how odd the entire situation was, but I guess anything to liven up the morning commute. So if you read blogs Mr. Good Samaratin on the Beltway who drives a white Jeep, Thanks! Thanks for the heads up on our tire and thanks for the excitement during the commute.

It's like a new years resolution....

... I keep thinking I will post more, but I never tell anyone so that no one will hold me accountable when I don't. Don't give me credit for that thought, I borrowed it. However I do enjoy the breif moments when I log in and blog a little something.

Today I am thinking about what I think about. I know it's a little twisted (maybe deep?) but just try it for one whole day. Take conscious note of all your thoughts. Are they positive or negative. Are they about concepts or people. You read that your thoughts are not a byproduct of your attitude as much as your attitude is a byproduct of your thoughts. You have more control over what you think about, so stop thinking about how bad today is and start thinking about how good it is going to get. I find it helps me to keep a smile on my face. Maybe it will work for yours?

Knitting

I have always been a half-crafter. I get all excited about making something crafty but somehow it ends up in the land of unfinished projects (somewhat like the land of lost toys?). My husband just sighs and rolls his eyes when I take on a new craft.

First it was the quilt, I made him go fabric shopping with me at 8 p.m. one night because I was going to make a quilt. I made about 8 squares and quit at that. It's sitting in the project basket.

Then my sister taught me to cross stitch. Tons of fun! I made 2 or three, and then quit after starting the 3rd. It got hard? It's also in the basket.

Then my mother re-taught me to crochet. That's fun! I made a blanket for my new nephew. I made a purse for my sister. I started a wrap and that's sitting in my car.

My sister came to visit and was knitting a blanket. It looked fun. She re-taught me to knit. the blanket is sitting about 1/4 finished in the project basket.

Now I want to learn to knit bigger things, and read patterns, and make sweaters or something. Will it happen? Who knows. I like to believe that I'll finish all of these projects and start many more. I like to think I'm crafty...

Parking Lot Carnivals

Let's start with an explanation... These are when the five or six flashing light rides and the twenty or so "win a stuffed toy" games come and take up residence in the K-Mart parking lot for a week or so. You pay a couple dollars to get in and you pay for tickets to ride rides and you pay for carnival food and you pay to play games to win a prize that you could have bought inside that K-Mart for less than you spent to win it.

Now this is something semi-new to me. I don't ever remember doing these as a kid. Since I've been older I have taken my brother-in-law to the fair (much the same concept but in a field rather than a parking lot) and I have seen these all over the place.

So last night, Ryan and I passed one of these fairs at about 9 at night, so we turned around and went. We ate a funnel cake (with only powdered sugar, none of that fruit stuff on my funnel cakes!) and we rode a ride. We got off of the ride laughing so hard and headed home. I guess it's a little odd that we did all that just for one ride, no prizes and a funnel cake. Sometimes you just have to be a kid again.

In case I've inspired you... http://members.aol.com/parklinks/carnivals.htm

Immigration Strike/ Protest/ What?

With the debate on immigration and illegal immigrants (aka undocumented aliens) and their right to citizenship in the united states, I just have one question... What?

I understand the debate, I see both sides, and here I sit in the middle somewhere not taking a strong stance to either side. However... that is not what I am wondering "what?" about. My question is if you are going to take a stand, can you just take one?

Let me detail. A few weeks back, all across america people marched in major cities to show that they did not agree with congress' discussion on sending all illegal immigrants back home. They wanted to show that immigrants are an important part of our country and that they need to be treated as people. Well to commentate from me, no argument there. Many people immigrate to this country every day for differing reasons and some do so illegally (or again, undocumented) as the process of immigrating is not an easy or inexpensive one. I am not making a judgement call on whether the people who have entered the united states without the "proper documentation" are right or wrong, instead I am just stating that it happens.

This march was very effective in getting the issue to the forefront of every news show, every newspaper and in the minds of everyone across the country. That is, everyone who is not worried about Tom Cruise and Katie (I'm sorry, Kate now?) Holmes starring in a movie together and will this effectively ruin their marriage. Therefore, they (who are they anyways? the organizers of the march?) decided to stage an immigrant strike. Prove to the americans that immigrants are important to the economy and that we can't send them back to their home countries. So May 1st, every immigrant (legal and illegal?) planned to not go to work, school, and not do any shopping. Thus showing everyone else that immigrants are important to society.

Now here comes the confusion, and I'm not talking about whether this is supported and which groups are telling people to do so and which are saying don't or if they gave congress enough time after the march to choose to escallate the protests, etc. Nope, none of that is my confusion. I am confused in that this is a country founded on immigration. Who are we talking about when we say that this is a protest by all immigrants. Unless you are a native american indian, I think you shouldn't be working, learning, or shopping today. I thought the debate was about illegal immigrants and whether we should offer them ways to get citizinship or whether the government should round them up and send them back to their home countries. I thought the people who immigrated legally were not up for discussion at this point. My understanding is that here in america we understand that we need these people to fill the jobs they are filling as we have given them a work visa to do so? Or maybe this issue has been confused by too many people wanting to utilize this platform to push an agenda. Even when those who planned this boycott (all of those, 3 or 4 major groups across the country) specifically said in today's news that is not the case and that they care most about the immigrants rights.

Blogs

I have had some "free time" at work and have been reading blogs from time to time. Just anyone's. No rhyme nor reason for the ones I pick, just that they are there...

I find it interesting to voyer into other's lives. I think I have said this before.

It makes me wonder who reads my blog. Anyone? Will I ever know. I wonder if some random person is reading my blog right now. And do they enjoy it?

I hope so. And if you are reading, I'll leave you with a thought... one of my favorite deep thoughts from Jack Handy... If you are ever robbing a bank and your pants suddenly fall down, I think it's okay to laugh. And to let the hostages laugh too. Because come on, life is funny.

Springing Spring

Spring came and went already this year. And it didn't stick around too long.

That's not true... It just cooled down.

So, with the advent of spring comes the flowers blooming. When was the last time you stopped and looked at the flowers. Admired the varying colors. Maybe even, although cliche, stopped to smell the flowers? I look up and see buds on the trees, look down and see sprouts poking out of the ground. And even my potted calalilly in my kitchen is starting to poke through the dirt again (I thought I may have killed it but kept watering the dirt anyway).

I am awaiting the first storm of the spring. Not a little sprinkle. I'm looking forward to a nice big thunderstorm. The kind that would have come with a tornado if I was in the midwest.