Most Certainly Not

Sleep, Glorious SLEEP.

I'm not a cat napper.  Not by any stretch of the imagination.  I'm a Champeen Napper and I have medals to prove it.  For me to fall asleep during the daytime, it has to be a production.  There are certain pieces of clothing removed, while others remain; pillows are arranged a certain way; and no TV on as it is each night.

Today, I have slept like a CHAMP.  Just like I promised myself I would!  Hours and hours and hours of uninterrupted shut eye.  And, I feel FANTASTIC.

I have poked around the blogosphere a bit and I encourage you to check out the following:

My latest post at SpouseBUZZ will be of special interest to those in my family who read this blog and who, perhaps, ever ate Sunday dinner at Grandma Great's house.

An idea whose time is long overdue.  Kit at Euphoric Reality, who has followed the Pendleton Innocent 8's story more vigilantly than anyone else in the blogosphere, has started a fund to help the families supporting these brave heroes.  $200 has been raised so far.  The injury of knowing your incarcerated family member is innocent has been added to by the insult of not being able to make ends meet.  We're not talking family vacations and organic produce, we're talking babies who need diapers and men who need to call home collect.  Every little bit helps, so mosey on over and give what you can.

If you heard the news that the Veggie Tales were going to be appearing on NBC, did you know the censors at NBC would be clamping down on Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber?  M2 is finally old enough to appreciate the fun times that are Veggie Tales (although she wouldn't want to eat any of them!) that I had been poking around on-line to add to our collection.  I see that the references to God, Christianity and even Bob's tag-line at the end of each show where he tells kids that "God made you special and He loves you very much" will be axed.  We certainly wouldn't want kids to know THAT, would we?!  Brent Bozell has commentary.

Speaking of M2, she and her sister are doing well.  M1 made it to ballet and to gymnastics this week which is as much a testament to me as it is to her.  M2 and I hung out in the hall watching a Dora DVD while M1 danced.  Both girls went to gymnastics class mid-week and had fun.  M2 didn't cry at the start of class and flung herself around the gym appropriately.  M1 is starting to become a little more brave on the uneven bars and is a whiz on the balance beam.  M2's dance class at the end of the week was a success too; she tells me they wore both their ballet shoes AND their tap shoes during class.

Hubs and I are in the market for a new sliding glass door that allows access to the backyard via the dining room.  Ours is completely shot after having been at various stages of brokenness for the past two years.  Now that HE can no longer manhandle it into working, it's time for a new one.  Have to love it!

Halloween is coming!  M2 plans to be a pumpkin and I have her outfit ready.  M1 wants to be an "ice princess".  I believe Annie the Dog will be going as a monarch butterfly.  I'll be sure to post a photo of her.

That's us and our weekend so far.  What are all of you up to?

It's Only Wednesday?

Good grief!

I'm tired.

I haven't been here because even walking around takes entirely too much effort.  This weekend's paper writing festivus put me behind on sleep and I'm reminding myself that I'm NOT in undergrad anymore.  I'm not even in grad school anymore!  I'm in my mid-30's, I have two kids, 18-credit hours of workload and THAT, my friends, is a recipe for disaster.  I already told Hubs I am crashing out at 8 p.m. on Friday night and I will need to sleep until I wake up and if that's Sunday morning, I'm okay with that.  :)

I'm working on my resume tonight so I can meet with the Career Services guru tomorrow.  I have already had an offer from my crim law professor to help me find a clerkship downtown for the summer.  I'm taking her up on the offer.  It's something I want and it's something my grades could help me land.  Might as well use them while I have them, right?

At any rate, the girls' activities take more time and school obligations for them (parent-teacher conferences, etc) are ongoing.  I just keep reminding myself that I can do this because I have to and that they are only little once.

Alright...back to the grind.

Oh, and P.S.

All the little germ-ridden skanks at preschool have been horking all over my precious M2 and she is, again, hacking up her lungs, again, even though we JUST beat this bug, AGAIN....did I mention this is happening AGAIN?!?!?!?  Geesh!

New Baby Giraffe!

Is this the cutest family photo you've ever seen?!  Meet Libby and her new baby.  (Dad Davis not pictured). 

The Great Plains Zoo welcomed a new addition recently and they are holding a contest so you can help name the baby giraffe.

The zoo also shares tons of information about this magnificent creature.

My favorite piece of information?  That this "tiny" baby is actually six feet tall!  It's because his mother is so big that he looks so little.  My second favorite piece of information?  That giraffes give birth standing up so the first memory this baby has is of dropping six feet onto the ground.  Poor thing!

Okay, back to my paper...I'm almost done, Mom.

Free The Dog.

For whatever reason, I have developed a fascination and appreciation for the A&E television show, Dog the Bounty Hunter as well as the show's close-knit, unconventional cast.  My first exposure to Dog was much the same as most--when he vowed to bring uber-scumbag, Andrew Luster to justice (note this article uses the word 'allegedly' to describe Luster's crimes, but I'm thinking the videotapes and 124-year prison term are enough to remove that qualifier) by tracking him, capturing him and returning him to California.

Now, Dog faces charges for taking Luster from Mexico (bounty hunting is a crime there...shocker) and bringing him back to face the music in Cali.  He's out on bail and hoping to make a deal to avoid time in a Mexican prison.  According to Dog's attorney, he would "offer an apology, pay a fine, forfeit the bail he posted in Mexico and make a charitable contribution." 

Frankly, I would think Mexico would be happy to rid themselves of an albatross like Luster. 

If only we were so vigilant about our sovereignty and what goes on within our borders.

Good luck, Dog!

I Know I Said I Wouldn't Be Here, But...

I wanted to get this off my chest.

I'm in paper writing hell with a stack of law books waiting on me to read them.

Hubs has guard duty this weekend which I realized, oh, Thursday...because, you see, I am responsible for my schedule and that of the children already.  With my school, their schools, gymnastics, dance, doctor's appointments and any other of the sorted emergency changes to them, somehow, keeping track of when he has to be where he's going just is not within my ability set at the moment.

What's that you say?  Oh, right.  I shouldn't have a problem because, after all, we've had the conversation a bagillion times that he needs to take responsibility and line up child care when he will be gone from sun-up until well after the kids' bedtimes? 

That's what you WOULD think, wouldn't you?

Well, if you did, you'd be wrong.

I'm stuck here with two children, rain outside, and no HOPE of silence until around 8:30 this evening.  By that time, I will be sufficiently exhausted and even less likely than I am now to come up with some brilliant argument with which to dazzle my teacher.

Can I tell you how sick I am of being on the hook for EVERYTHING that goes on around this joint?  It annoys the hell out of me because by the time he's done with this Guard business (eight more long years), the kids will be 15 (dear God) and 10 (oh, heavens!) and a lot less likely to need me to wipe their hind ends, trim their bangs, reach high stuff, wash their bed clothes after accidents, take them to the doctor, make their breakfast/lunch/dinner/snacks, give them baths, restart their Barney video or unlock the frozen computer screen.

Sigh.

Help.

Does anyone speak "husband" out there?

Does Your Tool Bench Talk?

Hasbro is voluntarily recalling its Talking Toolbench toy because the two play nails from the toy constitute a choking hazard.  Two toddlers have reportedly died after putting the nail in their mouths and the head of the nail blocking their airways.

More information, including the official recall form, may be found at the Hasbro website.

For Your Reading Pleasure...

This weekend will be all about crafting a paper that is due Monday at noon.  I doubt you'll see much of me here this weekend.  I don't want anyone to think my absence stems from being labeled a bigot by the deep thinkers of the drive-by commenting crowd (I seriously have considered printing the comments and framing them...a girl needs a good laugh, don't you agree?)  so I thought I'd leave you with some reading material.

First, Contact Right hits the nail on the head.  This is concise and on point.  You can always count on those serving our country to not mince words.

Next up, the Our Voices Together initiative created by a family who lost their matriarch on 9/11.  They want the world not to remember how she died, but how she lived and they carry on in her honor.  A $25 gift will put a student-sized desk in an Afghan school.  Many other ways are presented to help.  But, don't take my word for it...you'd better click especially if you've arrived with the intention of ignoring what I've actually written and inserting your own meaning into my words.

Remember the Indonesian Christians facing death for their supposed roles in a massacre of Muslims?  It appears the glaring evidence that they were the WRONG Christians went unheeded as evidenced by this update.  It's interesting isn't it that any old group of Christians will do to face the firing squad, but the actual, admitted terrorist in charge of the Bali bombings that killed over 200 people didn't have to answer for his admitted crime.  According to recent visitors to the blog, this isn't a salient observation because, well, I'm a bigot, don't you know?  Just call me Archie Bunker.

And, finally, my friend GunNutt brings you the information about Support the Troops and their Mission Weekend.

The Wait is Over!

Tonight's the NIGHT!  After a too long summer off, Grey's Anatomy returns to ABC on its new night (Thursday) at its new time (9 pm).

Even the writers of Grey's blog!  Happy Reading!

I'm In Love

Meet the newest addition to the soon-to-be-lawyer arsenal.  Isn't it gorgeous?

You can check out the specs on this little beauty (it holds a laptop!) at ebags.com!  I can't wait to try it out and see if it's as functional as it is fabulous looking.  It came in a little drawstring bag to protect it during shipping.  How nice!

Click on the small pic to make it bigger so you can REALLY take a look!

Did I Mention I Have a Paper to Write?

Like I don't have enough on my plate today, but for actual readers of the blog who know me and who have spent more than five minutes trolling around on this site for something to cry about, it would be obvious that the little exchange in the comments section of this post would require an entirely new post in response for benefit of the bleeding hearted, slow witted.  And, I say that with the utmost love I can muster because really, it's what we're all about here, isn't it?

Brian, actually, when I read Michelle Malkin's post and saw :

"Fabianus Tibo, Dominggus da Silva and Marinus Riwa were condemned to death because they were found guilty of masterminding a massacre of 200 Muslims in Poso during inter-faith clashes in 2000."

I kept reading.  Because I wondered why, had these men actually been responsible for such a heinous crime would anyone care if they were executed?  Then, believe it or not, I read the very NEXT sentence and uncovered:

"Their case has drawn international attention, with both Christian leaders and human-rights activists protesting that the court convicted them under heavy pressure from Islamic militants."

Usually, I don't put a great deal of stock into what human-rights activists or other so-called watch groups have to say unless they are named and I can look into their credibility.  So, I did some digging around and found that the charges these men were convicted of were less than iron clad.

The men and scores of witnesses provided information which supported their alibis of being elsewhere when the incident occurred.  I am not a student of Indonesian law, but I doubt seriously "reasonable doubt" is a part of it.  I also infer that "heavy pressure" from Islamic militants is not strongly worded letters to the editor of an Indonesian paper or amicus briefs offering persuasive reasoning why this trio should be put to death.  It created a red flag for me that perhaps these men, as had been explained in the outside sources I was reading, are mere scapegoats in an incident that has not been completely investigated.  And, that witnesses to the incidents (Christian and Muslim alike), including a kidnapping victim, offered testimony that supported the trio's alibis and created serious questions about the veracity of the accuracy of the information in the charges against the trio.  None of that was considered by the court in this case.

I'm also not of the mind that a conviction necessarily equates guilt.  That's simply too naive and narrow of a viewpoint to even attempt to justify.

In looking at the region in which this story is centered and the violence that has erupted there particularly since 2000, the effects of creeping radical Islam are more evident.  It is a microcosm of the larger picture and what the sleeping giants in the world will have to conquer should they desire not to live under Sharia law.  I'm not sure about you, Brian, but I have no intention of allowing the beheading of young schoolgirls to be considered a reasonable response to any dispute.  It isn't a problem located "over there".

As far as the rest of your comment goes, I've not been successful in connecting what you've written and attributed to my "logic" to anything I hold in actuality.  I suppose it's possible I lacked clarity, but I also highly doubt you've read every single thing I've ever written here so it's also possible you are making monumental, judgmental leaps that are without support.

I can sum it up pretty quickly, I think, though.

It is my assertion that terrorists (accused, suspected or otherwise), have ZERO right to claim benefits from an agreement to which they are not subject or signatories.  Terrorists are routinely not representative of a country whose uniformed military engages in action on that country's behalf.  Their tactics and ROE are barbaric in nature and don't ascribe to any semblance of guidelines you would find in acceptable practices in warfare.  I don't think providing rights to people who are also not subject to the responsibility is a good idea in any event.

I am not a proponent of true torture.  People who define 'torture' as a cold room or being kept up late have as much credibility in my mind as people who toss around phrases like "I was raped at Starbucks this morning!  $4 for coffee?!" or "Making your child do household chores without paying them an allowance is child abuse."  The enemy we face in radical Islam is one who set new standards of torture, which they are quite proud of--videotaping themselves and all.  I'm sorry if I can't muster sympathy for those who engage in or support openly/silently/financially those who consider sawing off other human beings' heads with a rusty pocket knife a fine activity in which to engage.

I hope that's finally clear.  If not, I'm not sure how more clear I can be except to say:

Radical Islam = bad

Torture = bad

Sharia law and sham trials = bad

Writing your paper so you don't flunk = good