Verbosity by Har

Poetic Privation

2009-03-23T19:10:00.000-07:00

Ok. I'm out of poetic creativity, and very far behind. Therefore, I'm just going to tell you what I did for my February and March brand new things I've never done before, in accordance with my New Year's Resolution. No frills, just the facts. I'll try the limerick thing again next month. My deepest apologies to those of you waiting with bated breath for the next installment. hahaha

In February, I did 2 things I've never done before. First, I signed up for a personal trainer at Gold's Gym. Then, shortly thereafter, I cried at the gym for the first time. Read into that what you will......

In March, I read a book (which shall remain nameless...unless you ask me) and immediately became a vegan. I was absolutely horrified with the additives and chemicals added to our food supply. Don't believe me? Google it. I've had a few times where I've been more vegetarian than vegan, but haven't had meat in nearly a month. So far, no regrets in my choice!

How's that for short, sweet and to the point? Hope you are all having a marvelous day!!!

Monstrosities and Philosophies

2009-02-15T10:05:00.000-08:00

When I was in college, Lacey, my college roommate and still BFF, and I bought a “Grow Your Own Triops” kit. After our impulsive museum purchase, we decided that we were too chicken-esque to actually grow the little monstrosities. I mean, seriously. What if they escaped and decided to ambush us in our sleep?

As fate would have it, Triops came back into my life this past week. Breanne, London, Aaron and I went to The Living Planet Aquarium last weekend, and had a ball learning about all sorts of aquatic life and conservation. Afterward, we hit the gift shop, where after much deliberation, the kids decided the best purchase for their budgetary parameters would be a Triops kit, identical to the one Lacey and I bought. Much to my admiration, Breanne began the Triops growing process almost as soon as we got back to their house, and the next day the Triops were happily swimming away and cannibalizing each other. They killed each other off until there was just one left in the bowl. Talk about an intimate encounter with the whole “survival of the fittest” concept. Currently the single Triop is about an inch long and not quite as menacing as the attacking Triops I had imagined, yet he is kind of gross, and I am content in having my Triops experience vicariously. After all, a girl can’t be too careful…

One other thing I wanted to mention, for those of you who liked the movie version of “Rent,” the film of the very last live performance on Broadway was just released on DVD. It is awesome and completely worth renting…pun intended.

Resolution keeping!

2009-01-31T21:05:00.000-08:00

My New Year Resolution to do something every month that I have never done before is officially under way! Rowena, from Rowena's Rants, had the fabulous idea to write a bad limerick to commemorate each new experience. I've never written a limerick before today, so I guess I had two brand new experiences for January. Anything worth doing, is worth over doing, right? Anyway, here is my very bad limerick. Hope you enjoy!

I indulged in a facial with extractions,
For which women have such strong attractions.
And yet a pleasant experience was not in the cards,
For the solution felt much more like glass shards!
Who knew I would have such a reaction!

Happy New Year!!!

2009-01-01T17:30:00.000-08:00

I hope 2009 brings you all much love, health, happiness and adventure!!!

I LOVE this time of year. The New Year ranks right up there with Halloween in my book of favorite holidays. I adore the idea of a brand new start. A full year, all 365 days of it, as a blank slate for us to do with it what we will. So, in that spirit, I have resolved to do at least one thing every month, that I have never done before. I'm completely excited, but in need of some inspiration. I want to know what are some of the things you LOVE to do, that you think I might enjoy and that might be a brand new experience for me? I'm excited to see your creative ideas!

Very Merry!

2008-12-24T19:37:00.000-08:00

"And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn."

In the craziness of the past month or so, I haven't taken the time to post anything, but I didn't want to miss the opportunity to wish you all a very merry Christmas and the happiest of New Years. Thank you all so much for the wonderful influences you are on my life and for all the exciting adventures and memories to come!

Well...Now what?

2008-11-16T07:50:00.000-08:00

I have had the most difficult time deciding where to go on my blog, now that the election is over. Luckily, this week I had a phenomenal, life changing experience. This week I had my first sugar free Red Bull energy drink. To that end, I have to ask, "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE?!?!?!" Seriously, people. Why hasn't anyone told me how awesome these little cans of divinity are? I was not only energized, but they made me focus to a degree I didn't know was possible. Also, it didn't make me unbearably talkative, which is something all the other energy drinks I've ever tried, have done. The first Rockstar I ever had, literally made me talk non-stop from Spring Valley to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway during rush hour. Poor Lacey. Anyway, I'm off to get my Red Bull fix, then I think I'll move a mountain or two! Happy Sunday!

California's Proposition 8 - A few thoughts

2008-10-30T16:32:00.000-07:00

As I’m from Idaho and currently reside in Utah, I know I don’t really have a say in what California does with their constitution, but the 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gives me the right to say what I want to, so here goes. =D

Ever since I began hearing about Prop. 8, I’ve had the niggling little thought that I’d heard this before. Where you ask???? In my U.S. History classes… Yes that’s right, it sounded familiar because we’ve all heard these arguments before! In 1896 the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of “separate but equal” when they ruled that racial segregation was acceptable, in Plessy v. Ferguson. When we studied the court’s decision to overturn that archaic law in 1954 with their decision on Brown v. Board of Education, did we not think with pride of how far we had come since that distant past? When it comes right down to it, denying marriage to people in same sex relationships is nothing more than another attempt at separate but equal. In fact, many of the exact arguments used against desegregation, especially when it came to interracial marriage, have been resurrected in the rhetoric concerning Prop. 8. For instance, on January 6, 1959, Trial Court Justice Leon Bazile, while he was hearing the case against Mildred and Perry Loving, said, “Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, Malay and red, and He placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with His arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that He separated the races shows that He did not intend for the races to mix.” This argument, minus the racial specifics, is one of the keystones of the supporters of Prop. 8. It’s the argument that God never intended such unions, that they are unnatural and an abomination in his eyes, and as such, we need to prevent them. Ultimately, the Supreme Court ruled that these types of laws violated our 14th Amendment right to Equal Protection, and deemed the laws unconstitutional when they handed down their decision in Loving v. Virginia (1967). They said, “Marriage is one of the ‘basic civil rights of man.’” and that denying marriage based on the “classifications so directly subversive of the principle of equality at the heart of the Fourteenth Amendment, is surely to deprive all the State's citizens of liberty without due process of law.”

While I don’t plan on picking apart every minute detail of every argument in favor or against Prop. 8, I believe it’s worth mentioning a couple of gross misstatements. The first is about what will happen in California’s schools if the proposition fails. There are arguments that if California’s constitution isn’t amended to specify that the traditional definition of marriage is the only marriage recognized, that children will be forced to learn about same sex marriage at school regardless of their parents wishes. This isn’t true. Under the California Education Code, public schools are under “local control” when it comes to what is taught in their schools. One of the locally-decided curriculum choices is whether or not to teach sex education (Cal. Ed. Code 51933). If the local school district decides to teach sex education, then the “instruction and materials shall teach respect for marriage and committed relationships” (Cal Ed. Code 51933(a)(7)). IF a local district decides to teach sex ed, a “parent or guardian of a pupil has the right to excuse their child from all or part of comprehensive sexual health education” (Cal Ed. code 51938).

The final argument I’ll address is that because domestic partnerships are recognized in California, marriage becomes unnecessary. What they overlook is the uncertainty surrounding the term domestic partnerships. During emergency situations, especially, the domestic partner may not be recognized immediately by those handling the situation as family and someone who is able to make decisions on behalf of the other partner when that partner can’t make the decision themselves.

We could talk for days about the religious and cultural aspects of Prop. 8, but what it really comes down to is this is not as much about gay rights as civil rights and human rights. It comes down to the fact that we would be advocating another type of segregation. We would be advocating it so adamantly, that we would be willing to amend the constitution, the very skeleton of California’s government, to add our discriminatory language specifically to deprive other citizens of their constitutionally guaranteed equal protection under the law. We’ve learned the lessons of history and we have come further than that.

“It is often easier to become outraged by injustice half a world away than by oppression and discrimination half a block from home.” – Carl T. Rowan

Please keep your comments polite. As Rowena, from Rowena’s Rants, says, “I have no compunction against deleting rude comments at my own hyper-sensitive discretion.” Thanks!

Princess Har

2008-10-24T20:40:00.000-07:00

"You are Ariel! Headstrong and feisty. You have a mind of your own that's full of romantic dreams about the world around you. Exploring exotic places is your ultimate dream, and although you can be a little naive you'll realize that there is something to be gained from your family's wisdom."

My friend Kristin (a lovely Sleeping Beauty) sent me this fun quiz! It tells you which Disney princess you are most like. I am most like Ariel, who is one of my favorites, and judging from my blog layout, I'd say fairly accurate. LOL I'm glad it didn't tell me I was Cinderella. That's just a lot to live up to. :0) I was 44% Ariel, 11% Jasmine, 22% Belle and 22% Pocahontas. I was 0% Cinderella, Snow White and Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), among others. I know you are all completely shocked by me not having any resemblance to those graceful, neat, well mannered ladies. Tell me who you end up being the most like! http://www.greatestjournal.com/quiz.bml?Q=16354

Early Voting

2008-10-19T21:33:00.000-07:00

You don't have to wait until November 4th to vote! Isn't that great??? Any Utah voter who has been registered for at least 30 days can vote early! Early voting in Utah takes place between October 21st and October 31st at lots of locations. You can get information on all the voting sites and their hours at http://www.leaveyourprint.com/. Happy voting!!!

It's all fun and games...

2008-09-08T21:45:00.000-07:00

Most of the time, I consider myself a fairly even keeled, generous, “live and let live” kind of gal. So, what is it about a board game that brings out the cut throat, “must win at all costs” chick that lives somewhere in the dank, dark recesses of me? Her most recent appearance was over a game of “Scrabble”, preceded briefly by a game of “Smart Mouth.” It all starts out innocently enough, with lots of “Great word, Mike!” and “Good job, Bre.” One “great word” too many, though, and voila…out comes scary, must win girl! So the next time you decide you should trust the “live and let live” person checking the dictionary on the word she just challenged you on, just remember, it’s very difficult to tell the difference between her and her evil twin who only appears in an attempt to crush your will to spell. Scrabble anyone???

One Wild Day!

2008-09-08T20:55:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Bobette, Trina and Autumn came up here to go to the Hogle Zoo with me! We had a fabulous day watching the snakes slither, the elephants play with sticks and hay and the stuffed monkeys just hangin' out. By the way, Trini, I didn't anticipate that you would believe me when I said, "Hey! Look at that monkey!" or that you would look straight up at the bird's behind hovering right over your head when I said "Look at that!" Honest! :) I'm so glad they were all able to come to enjoy such a perfect summer afternoon and I'm looking forward to the next time we're all able to get together again!

By the way, the Hogle Zoo is currently working on a "Renew the Zoo" initiative. The bond will help pay for an Arctic Exhibit that will bring polar bears back to the zoo, as well as an African Safari exhibit that will help build a new home for, among other African animals, my favorite giraffes! Anyone interested in allowing the zoo to place signs in their yards or volunteering to help raise awareness, you can find information at: https://www.hoglezoo.org/renew-the-zoo/

I BELIEVE!!!

2008-08-28T20:29:00.000-07:00

The general election is on November 4. Remember to register to vote now so you don't have to worry about it closer to the election. For those of you living in Salt Lake County, the Salt Lake County Voter Registration site is at: https://secure.slco.org/cl/voterreg/

To give the victory to the right, not bloody bullets, but peaceful ballots only, are necessary. - Abraham Lincoln

Change doesn't come from Washington, it comes to Washington. - Barack Obama

Utah Museum of Fine Arts

2008-08-25T19:22:00.001-07:00

The Utah Museum of Fine Arts has a fantastic exhibit right now called "Monet to Picasso" on loan from the Cleveland Museum of Art. It's only here until September 21, so get up to the UMFA if you get a chance! It's awesome!

My first blog rant!!!

2008-08-25T18:24:00.000-07:00

Bre was all excited to agree or disagree with me, so tonight I'm giving her and anyone else who would like to, a chance to do so. =D I was listening to a well known conservative talk show host tonight (who shall remain nameless) who was ranting about the Democratic National Convention taking place in Denver right now, taking steps to be more environmentally friendly. He was sitting there criticizing the wooden keys, biodegradable balloons, environmentally safe paint, etc. In fact he said he was encouraging his viewers to "leave their blenders on all the time" in an attempt to eat up the energy and carbon emissions that the DNC would conserve. What an example this talking head sets for his viewers! It's typical 3 year old mentality, "If I can't do it, no one else should either." It occurs to me that he didn't have any better ideas! In fact, the only ideas he seemed to have on the subject were criticisms toward those trying to take action. While he was set on making these attempts look foolish, it made me appreciate the changes the DNC is trying to implement. Even if it's not the silver bullet cure for global warming, it's a step. It's an attempt. We may not be able to change the world all at once, but something... anything is better than nothing. So here's to those trying to do something!

Irony

2008-08-23T20:56:00.000-07:00

So, looking at it now, I'm struck by the irony that my verbose blog was started out with a post that has a grand total of seven words! Let's try this again! WELCOME TO MY BLOG! I'm excited to share my random thoughts with you all and am looking forward to any and all feedback you want to give me! Agree? Disagree? I want to hear it all!

Hello to all!

2008-08-18T21:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my blog!