The Kidz Bop Slaying

I don't like the sound of children singing. Call me a cold and heartless person, but unless they are in a prestigious choir or they are a cute little button of a three year old trying to eke out The Itsy Bitsy Spider, I simply tune them out.

I can trace my disdain all the way back to elementary school music class. When it wasn't 'instrument day,' I would sit on the bleachers with the other kids and literally SUFFER through the sound of us all singing together. I always hated participating in holiday music festivals. I never owned a kid music tape or record (except for the Alvin and the Chipmunk records…but those were chipmunks singing, not kids).

And so we have the release of Kidz Bop 12, a horrific compilation of mega hit covers sang by tone deaf tweens and untalented adult leads. It debuted at number seven on the Billboard Charts this week selling 71,000 copies.

I did some iTunes research and backtracked through the Kidz Bop years. It appears that no song released after 2001 is safe from a kid friendly butchering…Snow Patrol, Rascal Flatts, Gnarls Barkley…if they've had a top twenty hit, chances are that an assault has been made on their musical integrity.

What do I really think is so wrong with kids singing top hit tunes that mostly suck anyway? Well, besides the REALLY terrible singing, let's look at the song selections…What Goes Around…Comes Around by Justin Timberlake. Seriously?! It's a song purely about infidelity and revenge! I don't think I knew many shady 12 year old hookers who was wronging the boys in my day. Ditto on Beautiful Liar…not that I even know who sings the real version of that useless garbage, but it sucks. They also attempt a hardcore 'rock out' (and hardly angry) version of Never Again by Kelly Clarkson. I had no idea that tweens were so head strong about love and loss! But wait, in addition to being 'angry' they can also be so 'sad' too, evidenced as they emotionally convey it off tune in their rendition of Boston by Augustana. And of course, they can all "stand under my umbrella, ella, ella" too. Didn't that song just come out like two months ago?

I guess I should really give some credit to my mother for protecting me from the shitty kids music trend. She managed to instill a true sense of musical appreciation in me. At a young age, our mom was making us compilations of Harry Chapin, Fleetwood Mac, and Led Zeppelin to stick in our tape players. We watched movies with great soundtracks like The Big Chill and Footloose (I saw it three time in the movie theater when I was five years old) and had a shelf full of great musicals. We decorated the Christmas tree every year while watching Billy Joel videos or collections of videos she'd record off of MTV. She'd go to concerts and come back and tell us all about them and then play the music for us (which wasn't always good…I don't know if I will ever listen to another Billy Squire or Journey song in my life because they got deathly overplayed in my house). And of course, I had THREE posters of Billy Idol on my wall in the second grade and a t-shirt that I sported to school every chance I got. My sister still has a killer collection of records (yes, records...we're getting old here) that she got from our mom.

So, here's my thought...If you want your kids to grow up with a true appreciation for music, let them listen to the real thing. Saturate them with all different genres. Rarely turn on the radio. Their (and your) reward? The singers will be in tune, the instruments won't be synthesized, and best of all, there won't be a bunch of obnoxious kids singing you the chorus.

Back to the Working World

After a long two and half months of not answering to anyone except the dogs whining in the morning to go outside, I'm heading back to work full time in community corrections.

Starting Monday, I'll be wearing the 'social service' hat again as an Intake Specialist for a non-profit in a neighboring city. My job will be to assess inmates for suitability in community intermediate sanctions...basically, I will be helping to reduce the inmate population by moving suitable inmates to other programs like residential facilities and house arrest. Some positives to this job:

1) No caseload...I just get to screen, test, and interview and then move them on to an assigned caseworker. 2) The company I'll be working for has saved the state something like $40 million by keeping people out of jail and by reducing reoffending. 3) My ego can become re-intact now that I will have a job title other than 'house manager' and 'full time dog mom'...not that I think staying home full time is bad...it's just not for me at this time in my life. 4) This will be my shortest commute ever at 17 miles.

Hopefully, I'll have some updates for you next week on what I think.

In the meantime, go listen to Jailhouse by Sublime. A fitting choice for the new gig and one of the few Sublime songs I never got sick of after our freshman year of college when everyone played the self titled disc over and over and over and over and...

32 Future Yertles

Warning: This post is exclusively about turtle eggs, so you may want to skip it if that bores you to death. My nephew Cedar just asked me over the phone today if I "could maybe send the turtle eggs in the mail to him for a few days." That I can't do, so I thought that posting this pic instead might make him happy.

We have been working on leveling our backyard, and unknowingly hit this clutch with a shovel last week. Three eggs were sacrificed, so I decided that the best thing to do would be to move them to a safer place until they hatch (mother turtles are DONE with the babies after they have laid the eggs). So I did some research online, created this nest, placed all the eggs in the same direction that I pulled them out in, and check them every few days to see if they are hatching. A snapping turtle had been in our yard a couple months ago while I was home in Oregon, so it can be assumed that these guys are due to hatch between now and the end of the month. Once they are hatched and done digesting their yolks (eww), I will take them out and release them in the swamp behind our house. I don't expect them all to hatch (some were very light compared to others), but will take some pics of the babies before I let them go and post those. Justin asked if we could keep one as a pet (but I think he is joking). We could, but I think that the chance of a monstrous snapping turtle chomp on a dog's nose or person's finger weed out that option.

Good Dirty Fun

I took part in a mud volleyball tournament over the past weekend and thought I would share some pics from the experience. My hesitation about spending a day in the mud quickly disappeared after I duck taped up my shoes (you have to if you want them to stay on in the mud and not get cut by the rocks underneath) and jumped in. We beat our first competitors 15-1 and ended up 4-2 to clinch a spot in the third place bracket. To the left is part of our team, The Itsy Bitsy Spikes, after three games. Not so dirty! There were some teams with people swimming, floating, and diving into the mud, but most of our team heeded the warning that sharp rocks were at the bottom of the pits (may have had something to do with our team being one of the fewer sober teams there).

I am pretty certain that true volleyball skills had little to donate to this tournament. Knee deep in mud with eight to a team, the spikes were few and far between, and several times, the ball would just thud onto the water right outside arm's length, splashing tons of lovely mud right up into your face. There were quite a few rallies though and it was hard to not just dive for the ball (though hilarious when people did...they'd lie there for a minute and then stand up, soaked and shocked, covered from head to toe).

We plan to participate again next year with a more organized team and stay the whole day (half of us had to leave eight hours into it before we finished the tournament because of other obligations). If they have one of these going on in your area, I recommend taking part...you will get a free mud bath and have a lot of fun.

Eight Random Things

I have been posting a lot lately, but I can't sleep and my sister tagged me to write 8 random things about myself and then tag 8 others to do the same (and has been harassing me constantly to get it done). What the hell is a meme? Apparently this is it. So here, have some facts about my first 29 years:

1) Not really a drama queen: I was the first female in my highschool class to become a thespian. Of course, I am not much of an actress (I had my own monologue in a one act play), did mostly 'techie' work, and purely did it to hang out with my sister and stay out of our crazy house, but it's a nice factoid. Later, the school ditched thespians and labeled themselves 'Drama Club' instead. I thought most of the Drama Club people were nuts.

2) If you know me, this isn't surprising: I actually won an award in a high school summer program for having 'The Loudest Volume of Voice." Hey, for two summers in a row, I lived in dorms with 70 other high school kids...you had to be loud if you wanted anyone to hear you. It was an awesome program though which allowed me 9 weeks out of every summer to escape from my house and also helped me to become the first person in my family to graduate from college.

3) Fish in the burbs: In elementary school, I lived in a suburb with a community pool. My favorite thing to do was these extravagant flips off the diving board ALL day...until one day. The lifeguard on duty said that I should be careful because my head was too close to the end of the board when I did my flips. After her comment, I could never bring myself to do another flip again and I am still pissed about it. Another part to this is that we got to live in the suburb because my aunt wanted us to grow up in a nice place, so she registered the house she owned in the neighborhood to qualify for low income housing which made it affordable for my single mom and three kids to live there. Thanks Aunt Marlene!

4) Which one are you again? I have had two boyfriends with the last name Gardner and dated two guys with the last name Turner. AND, in highschool I dated two guys named Brian at the same time, which made messages left for me in my absence hard to figure out..."Well, which Brian was it?" "I dunno." The Gardner men were close together and had similar first names, so people would accidentally refer to the new one as the old ones name. Oh gosh, this is a terrible factoid that surely will not make a father proud.

5) Duh nuh nuh nuh nuh: In high school, I had some guy friends in a neighboring town who created a song about me while we were on a spring break camping trip. It was essentially my name over and over. It went (as Julie Engel can sing perfectly) "Dun nuh nuh nuh nuh, Sarah C----." Two years later, a college classmate mentioned that he had been down by the river a couple nights before and 'some guys were singing a song with your name.' It was pretty embarrassing because I had a huge crush on the guy (well, maybe it captivated him, because he eventually asked me out and was my boyfriend for a couple months). I think there is actually a recording of that song out there somewhere.

6) My suppressed childhood: In highschool I had to tell a judge my opinion on the custody battle for my brother to either live with my mom or my aunt. I apparently told the judge that I thought he would end up dead if he had to live with my mom and her then husband. After, I yelled and screamed at everyone that I wanted them all to get along. To this day, I can't remember anything about that day except for what others tell me, but I am happy that my aunt raised my brother. Thanks again Aunt Marlene.

7) Speaking of: Well, since I have mentioned her a couple times already, lets just tell this story: My Aunt Marlene is actually not even related to us. She is the sister of my mom's first boyfriend after my parents got divorced. The two were not together that long, but we gained some great family members from the relationship...the boyfriend is now 'Uncle David' and their mom was our 'Grandma' who passed away while I was in high school. They did a lot to help us kids turn out okay.

8) Study by song: I used to make up songs out of the words in my textbooks in order to memorize important information and prepare for tests. It really worked.

So, now I get to tag eight other people. Sadly, my blog friends and 'regular reads' don't write so much anymore except for Benny K, who my sister already tagged, and Zach Braff, who, well, lets just say probably doesn't have time for this. So, this will bring me to tag...

#1 JB! JB leads an incredibly interesting life and surely has 8 facts to write about himself. So JB, write away and spread the love.

#2-8...Well, the rest are MySpace bloggers with private accounts, so what is the use in tagging them? But, I think that Marni, Louise, Liz, Sarah K St J, Julie, and Wes may actually take a stab at it because they write ever so often. So if you read this (in MySpace World), write something girls (and guy). So, there you go. Don't say I didn't try sister Jennifer.

Some From the Life of Sarah

Here are some of my opinions and thoughts of the moment...

DC: I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Washington DC last week. I got to spend time with my good Oregon friend Marni and her family while touring what I found to be an amazing city. We battled 100 degree heat the first day and then did an evening tour of all of the monuments and memorials that night. Two favorites of the trip: The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial and the US Holocaust Memorial Museum.

It was a sad reality check to walk through all the exhibits at the Holocaust Museum and realize that most of the women, children, and elderly people in the pictures did not survive. Some pictures actually have 'this man was executed shortly after this picture was taken' written right below.

This gets me to thinking...how did the world ever let something like the Holocaust happen? And how in this world are there some people who think that it never happened? And how IN THE WORLD are we still letting things like this happen in other countries everyday? Completely baffling and unethical.

A good movie about ethnic cleansing: The Mission. It's a genius 1986 film with Robert DeNiro.

On a lighter note, my other favorite feature of DC had to be The Onion, in print, free to take, at the entry ways to the Metro Station. I need a subscription to this now!

No mo Harry Po: I went to see Harry Potter the other night because the nine year old we were watching wanted to see it. I have to be honest and say that I find Harry Potter to be DREADFULLY dull and boring. Maybe if I read the books, I would be able to make it through a movie and like it, but I was literally bored to tears. Yes, I know most of the world just loves these movies. But I will never be one of them.

This is a good time for another 'this gets me to thinking'... I tend to have a problem with long movies set in fantasy. Lord of the Rings...possibly the most captivating trilogy known to cinema right? Can't stand them. Star Wars...the original three were good, but most recent ones drove me nuts. Maybe this has something to do with my attention span. Hmm. I have always been a bigger fan of nonfiction, reality, all the 'true story' flicks and books. But I really did have an imagination as a kid, I swear!

And lastly, a Sarah report: People, I am restless. I am going nuts being several states/days/hours away from most everyone who matters to me. Doesn't this always happen to Sarah when she lives far away? Maybe I will start working on warp speed time travel this week.

Song of the moment: Love Song by Sara Bareilles. So what if it was the free song of the week on iTunes two weeks ago...you can't help but want to sing along and love it.

A Wish Granted

I have been duplicating the posts from this blog into my MySpace blog. A friend honored my request to stick it to Ann Coulter by leaving this pic in the comments on that blog...


Love it! My sister also informed me of a great blog that captures politics called People in the Sun. Check it out. And here is another one called Coulter vs Predator. It's no longer updated, but what is there is pretty funny.

Travel Advice

I just got back from a three day road trip to Washington DC. According to my tiny Chicken Little resembling 15 year old cashier at Hardee's this afternoon, it's a good thing I went before 2009...

Her: Are you travelling today?
Me: Yeah (I think to myself...why else would I be in this truck stop mecca that is Breezewood, PA?)
Her: Where to? (She pushes up on the nose of her oversized glasses)
Me: Headed back to Ohio from DC
Her: Do you travel a lot?
Me: I like to.
Her: Well, you should really reconsider that because starting in 2009, they are raising the tolls on the roads by 25 percent!
Me: Oh, they are pretty spendy I guess.
Her: Yeah, when I get my license and can drive with someone, because I am 15 right now, I am going to drive my whole family to Ocean City. Have you been to Ocean City?
Me: No.
Her: You should go. That's where I am driving my whole family (didn't she just tell me this)...but we are going BEFORE 2009.
Me: Alright. Thanks for the tip.

After the conversation ends, she counts back my change and cheers to herself "Yah, I got the change right!"

I start to think to myself...Gasoline costing $3 a gallon and plane tickets in the hundreds...who cares? If I have to pay that extra two bucks at the toll road in 2009, I am never stepping foot outside my house again!

Thanks for the advice weird little Pennsylvania girl.

Duct Tape + Ann Coulter = PLEASE!

So, Ann Coulter thinks it's alright to use the word 'faggot' if you are using it in the right crowd...and by right crowd I mean 'right wing' crowd. Glenn Beck, a conservative himself, shot back at her that, no, it's not okay to use that word...ever...no matter what type of crowd you are entertaining. By the way, for a conservative news guy, I generally respect his point of view...it is quite opposite of how Ann Coulter goes about spouting her own.

I despise Ann Coulter. She is the epiphany of ignorance. I actually cheered a few years back when someone threw a pie in her face, and I quickly change the channel when her bug eyed bitchy voiced frame appears on the TV for fear of chucking the remote at it and breaking the screen. Why? She typically represents her side of conservatism with such hatred for the people she doesn't see eye to eye with. Those who are liberal, gay, or just pissed about the war will rarely hear a well thought out and educated explanation for why they should see it her way. Instead, she resorts to slurs, lashing out, and 'shock jock' type antics to push her points.

Those who know me know that I am pretty far left on most of my political views. And with that, I maintain strong opinions on some things...I'm sick of the war, support pro-choice, am all for same sex couples and marriage. I wish we'd cancel Columbus Day and label him a murderer instead, and think Bush is a big putz (vetoes stem cell research, takes away money from foreign countries that don't teach his abstinence plan in place of sexual health and education, cannot put together just ONE sentence that makes sense). I do however, listen to people's points of view. I try to understand where they're coming from, and maybe even get into educated debates with them.

On the flipside, I still lose it if you say 'that's so gay' or 'fag' around me. I can't stand racial or cultural slurs. I also wish that all those who are so set on removing all the immigrants from the US would step back and realize that they themselves are probably here from some long line of immigrants...know many people here who are 100% Native American? Didn't think so.

That is probably why I wish that someone would take a fat piece of duck tape and stick it across Ann Coulter's mouth. She tends to hit me on my 'flipside' way too often. And those types of people just tick me off.

I noticed tonight while watching Glenn Beck give her his POV, she actually shut her mouth and looked a little defeated. I hope that this is a true sign that she has to know, deep down somewhere, that she is almost always talking out of her ass and just hoping that her 'right wing' crowd will cheer her on.

Time to Love Spoon

And no, not the type that scoops my cereal...here is the Good and Not So Good...plenty of it too...

GOOD: Beavers win the College World Series 2 years in a row, Tar Heels boyfriend left defeated and pouting again (well, that part may not be good, but he'll get over it).

NOT SO GOOD: Humidity. Especially, 92 degree weather with high humidity. Smooth shiny hair isn't much of a trend out here.

GOOD: John Legend, Amos Lee, Rogue Wave, and now, Spoon...nothing brand new...but all so worth your ears!

NOT SO GOOD: That song by a 17 year old kid about committing suicide if she doesn't love him. Really bad. No clue who sings it. He kind of sounds like Akon (who is such a winner himself...have you heard his apology song? What a dumb shit).

GOOD: Golf...hate watching it, but really like playing it. Suburban life is swallowing me whole. Someone check my insides for robotic features.

NOT SO GOOD: Suburban teenagers with really nice cars that they drive really fast through the neighborhood on summer nights. Was I once that teen? Wait, we were worse...we did that in really crappy cars and egged houses. Gosh, I feel guilt.

And on a serious note of NOT SO GOOD...Abuse and domestic violence. Even one incident makes the list too long. A pro wrestler just killed his wife, child, and then himself. Here in Ohio, a boyfriend is under arrest for suspicion of killing his nine months pregnant girlfriend (and apparently assaulting her in front of their two year old). It's a true mess. What can we do to change it?

Oh and I forgot to mention in my last post on 6/23...love to GDD. If you knew him, you loved him.

Song of the moment: I Turn My Camera On by Spoon. Listen and like!

Beavs Kill the Heels Part II?

Today begins a very important event in the Sarah-Justin household for the second year in a row...

THE BEAVERS WILL PLAY GAME ONE OF THE COLLEGE WORLD SERIES AND BEAT THE TAR HEELS AGAIN!

Well, that is my hope at least. Justin's dad called me last night to cheer on the Beavers (even though his son is the Tar Heel)...yes that's right...he knows the better team to root for...or maybe he just likes me more.

Everyone in Beaver Nation better be cheering!

GO BEAVS!

Back, and As Always...A Little ADD

Well, I had a blog all written and it DISAPPEARED...a sign it must have been too boring to read. So, here is news in speed form...and sadly, it is probably still a little boring.

Back in Ohio...missing you Oregonians, but actually happy to be back to Justin, my dogs, my own bed. There is always something nice about losing the five pounds you gained while eating out for 2 weeks straight. Seriously, I ate everything I usually don't on my last trip home...two BBQ's alone on my last night in town, treat trips with my nephew, 8 Happy Meals because I did so much last minute eat and drive stuff, plenty of social desserts and drinks...bad I tell you.

Other randomness: We've been working on interior painting a lot...one night until 6 am***I have eight boxes of cereal in my cupboard right now***My allergies still suck***The Beavs are in the College World Series again for Baseball...GO GUYS GO!***

If you want to test out some good music, visit my new playlist on my MySpace. I have to say, every time I visit MySpace or talk about it, I think of Maya Rudolph on Saturday Night Live playing the teen who spontaneously yells 'MySpace!' midsentence during her appearances on the news. And then...I feel like a loser for having a MySpace.

Moving on from spontaneuos to gratuitous, have you seen Alpha Dog? That movie could have been so much more, but they had so many GRATUITOUS sex scenes where they could have been developing characters more...lame. If you want to watch a good movie about the drug business, stick with City of God...absolutely amazing and also based on a true story with the characters so well developed that you want to scream. Another good movie...Running With Scissors. That movie is so bizarre, but completely worth watching.

Well, let's hope my next post is a little less ADD...what the heck is this mess I just wrote?

Midnight in Good Old Oregon

Well, Washington actually...I'm five minutes north of the Oregon border at my sister's in Vancouver for a few nights. I just rounded out three nights and four days in Salem where I stayed at Robin's brand new house and ate too much everyday with she and Aimee.

While in Salem, we managed to get in a great girl's night with nine of us (thanks to Gwyn, Delainie, and Louise for doing the footwork to make it happen...so much fun!). My favorite part of the night was toward the end when a guy who knew Wes (who witnessed the tail end of the girl madness) commented, "It's awesome to see a group of people out genuinely having fun together...like, you guys actually all like each other. Most of the time in a group like this, people are putting up fronts and acting like they're too cool, but you guys look like real friends." Very true.

Well, I'll offer up a quick Good and Not So Good. It's definitely been a long time:

GOOD:

The weather in Oregon while I'm here...seventies and eighties everyday with clear skies. No rain. Yes, no rain.

Smokefree establishments: We managed to find three different places to go on Saturday night that were smokefree. Going back to Robin's to fall into bed not smelling like smoke was great.

Rogue Wave: Wait, let me say that again...ROGUE WAVE! JB, they're the best gift of music you could have possibly given me. I love them. They are just a perfect band and have completely satisified my need for new music. Listen to them people. You will like them.

Justin: Yes, Justin gets credit here for supporting me in turning down that job a couple weeks ago, then quitting it, AND THEN going on an 11 day trip back home, without him. Did I mention that Sarah means princess? Some days it REALLY shows. Oh, he's also been working on all kinds of house chores while I am gone, so thanks again. I do have relocation chores to do while I am here too, but it's all pretty painless when it's surrounded by several of my friends and family members.

NOT SO GOOD:

My intermediate sized car rental is a PT Cruiser. I just can't say I love the ride, style, or gas mileage much and really thought I was going to get something more car shaped. But it has been getting me from point A to point B no problem, so I think I will survive another week in the bright red thing.

Allergies: My allergies have transformed into a crappy cold. Pretty annoying. The valley has been walloping me the past few days. I've got allergies in Ohio, but not this bad.

Joblessness: Probably not a word, but I kind of need to get a job again when I get back to Ohio. I still dislike the job market there, and my sister suggests that I just get my stuff together and start freelancing. That would be pretty ideal for this girl who likes to write a lot. Someone just needs to kick me until I actually try to get something published.

Alright, go listen to Rogue Wave. I'm going to bed.

Four More Days With Psycho Bird

To the left is my new friend, Psycho Bird. PB, as I will call him, has been terrorizing our house for the past few days. He dive bombs the family room windows, sits tapping repetitively on this window. I don't know what we did, but PB looks a little pissed off (click on the picture to get a closer look). I am guessing that too, because he has unloaded quite a bit of his unmentionables on the ledge of this window. Anyone ever had a 'friend' like PB before?

In other news, only four more days until I head home for almost two weeks. I'm really looking forward to the trip. I wrapped up my job on Friday, so I am officially on vacation until I land a new position. I wouldn't mind that being sooner than later. The weather here in Ohio seems to be beating Oregon's right now...sun, sun, and more sun. Hopefully that rain will exit for the entire time I am in town.

I've added in a pic of Maggie for all to see. She is getting big. She unfortunately has no real interest in catching that frisbee in the pic with her, but plays a mean game of keepaway from Bailey. She grabs it and runs around the yard taunting him with it. Pretty cute. Bailey's pretty patient with her.

Alright, see most of you Oregonians in a few days. Can't wait!

Help Plan My Trip and Have Some Trix

Well, my sister called me after my last post to make sure I was okay. Apparently my tone was a little short and angry. In response, yep, I am fine. I just occasionally have a hard time when I have to be around stupid people. By choice, I try to limit my interactions with stupid people. But since I don’t live in a box, I will always have to DEAL with it right?

In other news, I am still trying to figure out a good time to come home. It seems like Memorial Day weekend and the surrounding time is pretty open for everyone I want to see, so it may be toward then and then some of June (as Jess has requested me to be home for her birthday). Let me know people.

So, I am quitting my job right before I leave for my trip. As some know, the current gig’s human resources department wouldn’t agree to a fair amount of vacation in my first couple of years…who can survive on one week a year for two years!? A quote I love: “Life is not work. It can’t be. It shouldn’t be.” Maybe the social service industry spoiled me, but I can’t sack up and live with no vacation. What is with the crappy American business vacation expectations anyway? And maternity leave? People, we can’t settle for it!

Okay, no more complaining. Here is some stuff that I am really excited about right now:

1) Trix cereal dropped the fruity shapes and converted back to round puffs of fruity goodness. Seriously folks, this is important to a cereal connoisseur like me.
2) Frisbee golf…We have an awesome course 2 miles from our house. It’s such a fun thing to do when the weather is nice. Speaking of…
3) The weather has been GREAT here. The trees are all blooming, the grass is green, and the sun has been pretty constant. A nice change that makes me realize I can handle living in Ohio.
4) My neighbors know that my name isn’t Susan now. We went to a get together at their house on Friday night, so the alternate name was blown. Well, I actually didn’t mind being Susan, but oh well.
5) Maggie is only 17 weeks, but already 30 pounds. She is virtually house trained too. Pretty smart puppy so far.
6) My trip home to Oregon! I may have to be a bit of a TRIPZILLA and plan a lot instead of flying by the unscheduled seat of my pants like I usually do. Anyone want to go to Seaside for a day?

That’s all for now.

A Rant Before Bed

So, everyone has heard the guy who says, "I'm kind of a prick" or "Some people don't like me, but screw them." The statements tend to be uttered by narcissistic assholes who people grumble about all the time and wish would just go away. They're the 'one uppers' at all the get togethers, the ones who have to chime in on everything, the ones who have a track record of making friends who they think they're 'tight' with, and then losing them pretty quickly. They clearly have characteristics that need changed, but won't do it...no, it's just not in the 'prick' code of ethics to admit one's faults and actually, gulp, try to better themselves.

Not that these 'pricks' didn't before, but I've decided that they just irritate the shit out of me. Why would you be proud that you are a prick or that people don't like you? Are these guys just too above the world to care that they make everyone else's lives less enjoyable.
I often feel like telling these guys, "Yes you are an absolute prick. Now shut the f**k up and swim to the island where all the other pricks are and compete for one another's attention until the last 'one up' causes a big brawl that leads to all your untimely deaths."

Ahh, I feel better. Now repeat the rant with 'girl' in place of 'guy' and 'bitch' in place of 'prick' if you feel that I have unfairly attacked men tonight. There are definitely female versions who are just as bad.

Nacissism, ugh.

A Reactionary Post to Guns

Well, not really that reactionary, considering this is how I feel most of the time, even on days when someone hasn't taken two 9mm guns and killed over 20 people and injured almost 30 more. Get ready for my rant, because here I go…

Here is my reaction to the tragedy at Virginia Tech today: GUNS ARE STUPID!

Many will say that it isn't the guns that are stupid, but the people who use them. True, maybe. In that case, I can't support that the lame gun control we have in this country is enough for all those stupid people. How is it so easy to get a gun here?! When is it going to actually change?

My neighboring cities in Ohio are prime examples of poor gun control. One dead teenager after a game of Russian Roulette. One 17 year old girl shot in the face by an abusive ex boyfriend. She is still in the hospital recovering from her wounds. One brand new mom and a store cashier shot dead in a robbery last year. A POLICE OFFICER shooting a teenage boy dead in what appeared to be a spook situation where the shot was not needed. More robberies, more domestic violence cases. You read about shootings EVERYDAY here.

I think that the only purpose for having a gun should be hunting (FOR FOOD ONLY, and only if you're not an idiot like Dick Cheney). Even then, how many hunting accidents occur every year? And how many people abuse hunting laws by shooting too many animals or shooting unnecessarily for sport?

If we are going to allow guns to be such a prevalent part of our society, we need to create more education and laws. Every person who owns a gun OF ANY KIND (except water, and maybe a Red Ryder beebee gun) should be REQUIRED to undergo psychological testing, take gun handling classes, purchase proper locking cases and safety equipment, AND have that gun subject to a yearly 'audit' or 'fingerprinting' so that the owner is made to be completely responsible for that gun. Treat it like a fucking diamond that you would never let out of your sight. If none of that works, I say we take Chris Rock's advice and start charging people $5000 per bullet!

Truthfully, when all is said and done, this kind of violence just makes me pretty sad, and I just hate guns...to a point that I actually consider myself to be somewhat 'afraid' of them. But in most cases, a gun in America has proven that it is not a good means of protection, or even a good 'recreational toy' to play with…compared to other developed countries, we are just too careless with them. What do other developed countries do to keep their guns so under control? I hope we figure it out soon.

A New Name and Proof of Global Warming

Name change? So, our next door neighbors, Jeff and Debbie, think that my name is Susan. They've called me Susan on three occasions and I have yet to correct them. Once as I walked away with Maggie and was beckoned back to show Jeff the dog, once when Jeff got home from work and yelled, "Hey Susan" to me, and once to Justin..."Hey, we saw Susan walking the new puppy." Each time has seemed an inopportune time to correct them, so I just continue to let them call me by the OTHER most common 'S' name in America. I'm not sure how long I will be able to carry this out as we have been invited to join them in a backyard get together once the weather gets warm. But then again, warm weather may not really exist here...

Bipolar weather...Last week we had a 70 degree day that ended with a very brief 3.6 magnitude earthquake. The next day...SNOW and a tornado 40 miles away in a neighboring county! What the hell? The following day...massive rainstorms. This place is on crack. It's been in the thirties for four days straight now. Well, now that I have referred to the weather insensitively as bipolar and on crack, lets move on to the next subject, shall we.

Music: At this moment, I think people need to pay more attention to Amos Lee and Citizen Cope. They're both amazing. And while I dig Mat Kearney, he doesn't seem to need a shout out because he's doing pretty well commercially. So come on, find the love for those two! Oh, I also love this song called Young Folks by Peter Bjorn and John. Listen to it!

Dreams: A friend of mine was recently put in a shitty position by her then boyfriend (also a friend of mine, but since that event, well, I'll keep my mouth shut), and I still haven't let the thought go that I want to call him and yell at him. But alas, it's not really my business EXCEPT for that he needs to give her something back so that she can actually come visit me! Well, I had a dream last night that he walked into a bar and I poured my drink all over him. I guess that will have to be my revenge for now.

Here's my sappy ode to you all: Being far away from Oregon again makes me realize how many great friends I have. Some I have known 17 years, others only one or two. Not to be a MySpace dork, but it has been a great way to keep me from going absolutely insane while I am 2400 miles away from all of you. I still get to watch babies get bigger and everyone's lives as they develop and change. Anyway, I just appreciate that I haven't been written off because I am so far away. Besides coming home on trips, I hope we will actually land back in Oregon for good one day. And remember, we have a couple of guest rooms here for visitors!

Alright, that's all for now. Congratulations to Robin for selling her old house and landing an awesome new one. I can't wait to see it! And to my sister Lexy who was hit in the face on a line drive last month, had to have surgery as a result last week, and still went on to pitch a no hitter this week for Utah State. She's hardcore. Have a great week all!

You Want to Know What I Think?

Well, I am irritated. Many of you have seen the story about the twelve year old boy who just died because of a 'toothache' that didn't get taken care of soon enough. This resulted in an infection that travelled to his brain, eventually killing him. I imagine that there are a lot of people out there who will chalk this up to bad parenting, but I urge anyone thinking that way to pause, read the story, and look at the crisis that is a lack of quality healthcare in America.

While working with foster kids last year, it was always a struggle to find a dentist who would take them on, even when they had teeth in obvious need of care (which was often). Most kids came in with plenty of cavities and decay, and it would still be three months out before they had a chance to sit in a dentist's chair. I had one kid with a tooth abscess, on the Oregon Health Plan, and they still wouldn't take him on a walk in emergency basis. One month after he joined our program, he was still dealing with issues related to his tooth because no dentist would complete needed treatment in one session. It was ridiculous. Deamonte Driver's death could have clearly been prevented.

On another note, I am increasingly irritated that I have to witness another 20 months with Bush as our president. I feel that he is fighting a war that his daddy left behind when he got the short stick in 1992. How does this man acquire so much power to do what he wants, whenever he wants, when so many people disagree with him. Can't someone stop this sputtering idiot? I have friends who have been a part of this war, probably disagree with me, and enjoy their time in the service. I just think too many innocent people are dying. How can we justify little kids and innocent bystanders getting bombed, maimed, and killed.

Okay, a little more. I am starting to see commercials for school loans that you can get OAC and then pay off after college. The one I have seen showcases an African American man who says he never thought he'd have the resources to go to college. THEN, I watch a 20/20 episode a month ago that follows a family with a teenage son going to high school full time, working every other waking moment, and hoping he can go to college, but thinking there is no way he will be able to afford it. So my reaction...why is Federal Aid for college so under advertised? I remember being a young teen thinking there was no way in the world I would ever be able to go to college because my family didn't have money. All the movies I watched showed struggling kids who only made it on athletic or academic scholarships, but never the FAFSA. Most kids I worked with last year had no idea what a FAFSA was. High schools and social programs need to make this funding source more available and user friendly to their kids.

On that note, ANY OF MY FRIENDS IN SOCIAL SERVICE...you can get a refund on your school loans for working with at risk youth and low income families. I found this out in the fall, filed paperwork, and had a BIG credit on my school loan 6 weeks later. You can apply every year, and it is easy. Contact me if you need help doing it.

And lastly, having worked in an office setting for the past month, I clearly realize that I need to work in social service again. I feel guilty everyday for not working with kids and families. Its like a part of me is missing. True, social service has its moments of absolute burnout, but I just don't think the corporate slave culture is going to ever cut it for me. And why is everyone in corporate culture so damn pissed all the time. The camaraderie among coworkers is quite lacking in comparison to the 'warm fuzzy' liberals I have worked with all my life. Not to say there aren't some nice people, but it sure is a different environment than what I am used to.

Okay one more lastly...I am currently in a flood and flash flood warning zone here in Ohio. See, all this snow has been sitting around in freezing temps and suddenly the temp has spiked to 45 degrees with tons of rain. What the fithifuh? Man, I miss me some Oregon.

Memories of My Favorite 'Dad'

Friday isn't a joyful anniversary, but it's one that I've had on my mind all week. It marks the one year anniversary of Steve Botens' passing. Things have happened this year that he'd be extremely proud of...his daughter Robin became a clinical supervisor at her work and passed her licensing exams, Trina got married, Beavers baseball won the national championship and the football team pulled their heads out of their butts and managed to get back into the polls and the respect of Beaver Nation...well, maybe he had something to do with that.

Even though we've spent a year without him, I know he isn't out of the loop. I like to think that he is keeping track of us from where ever he is, that he has the best 50 yard line season tickets to Beaver's football games, hits every Blues Festival across the US, and that he's up in Heaven playing ally oop with our buddy Greg who's up there too (something they loved to do). He's showed up in my dreams a few times in the past year, and it's always a nice surprise...sadly interrupted when I wake up again.

I am very proud of Robin this year. I can't speak for her, but I know it's been a hell of a year. Anyone who knew these two together could clearly see that they were meant to be together, soulmates in the form of a father and daughter. Robin definitely has a stellar guardian angel now.

I've thought about it a lot over the past year and have decided that whenever I get married (one day, hmmm), I am going to walk part of the aisle by myself to represent Steve. Yes, I know my own dad now, but Steve was my dad for most of my life...actually, I still say he is, but my bio dad earns credit now too.

This is getting long, but writing this is what makes me celebrate his life instead of moping all week. I went over what I read at his memorial service last year (Thanks Robin for forcing me up there to read...I would have regretted it if I hadn't), and wanted to post it...

Thank you...for taking me to my first Beavers football game, on my first camping trip, with a caravan of 14 other kids to see Tom Petty, and every movie we saw in high school before, and even after, we got cars (just because you were that cool).

Thank you...for making me my own pumpkin pie every Thanksgiving, breakfast in bed complete with syrup on the side, and a wide array of dinners that only people like you and I with huge appetites could appreciate.

Thank you...for giving me a safe place to live for a year in high school, a safe place to be all those other years, and for allowing the jungle of high school and college kids to hang out at your house all the time. I will always remember your laugh that could be heard from miles away, the weekend adventures, the kindness and patience. You gave me an extra sister, a feeling of family, and too many great experiences and memories to count. You were the dad I needed, the security blanket I always wished for. Thank you for being my "dad." I will never forget you. Know you are missed. I will always love you.

Thanks for reading. Steve was someone who it would be impossible to forget, and I was very fortunate to have him in my life.

I Am Temp, Hear Me Yawn

Hey out there. It's been a month since I last wrote. Here are some updates, opinions, and other stuff:

A job, sort of: Well, two days ago I started a job temping for a random industrial district company as a receptionist. This is so not me, but I'm going to social service interviews and hearing, "We'll call you in three weeks when the numbers are up." No offense to anyone who enjoys being a receptionist but I find it so damn boring and unrewarding...plenty of encouragement to look harder for a better job. Pam from The Office, if you're listening, I still think you are great...but then again, you're a fictional character.

Spoiled kids: This is random, but I've decided that if my children ever act like any of the following, I will probably have to have them euthanized: Paris Hilton and her entourage (including those obnoxious rich boys, Nicole Richie, Ms. Lohan, her Chihuahua), the spoiled little shits on MTV's Sweet Sixteen ("Oh my God, why did I get a Beemer instead of a Jag?! Mom and Dad, I hate you!"), the second set of spoiled little shits on Laguna Beach ("Like, totally, omigod, I hate everyone!"), or the showcase of people they are including on that new show High Maintenance 90210. How in the world do people raise idiots like this? Ugh. Clearly, my two months off have been filled with a little too much television watching.

Another dog? Justin and I are considering taking his sister's 6 year old Chesapeake Bay Retriever Mix, Chelsea. They have twins and no room for a dog. Now, do we want another thundering mutt in the house? Hmmm. Bailey would love it.

Ohio: Well, it's STILL not Oregon, but we're making the best of our 19 degree nights and snow filled days. There are about ten of us out here from Oregon, so when we spend time together, I just pretend we're home. It is actually kind of fun here. Tomorrow night, we are going to catch our second Cavaliers game. And I finally found an awesome sushi restaurant called Pacific East. Don't know what they're doing to make it so good, but they've saved my sushi craving sanity!

Back to that whole euthanizing my kids thing. I don't think I would actually do this, but damn, those self serving spoiled dimwits drive me nuts.

Well, it's 7:00 to most of those who are reading this, but for me, it's already 10:00. That means I am going to get ready for bed so I can get up in the morning for my hopefully very temporary job. To the Oregonians, I hate you for having 50 degree weather right now, but I'll let it go because I miss you all. Sigh.

Heading home for the week!

This dog to the left probably looks sad because he doesn't get to come on the trip to Oregon with us tomorrow. Or maybe he is just really in love with his new buffalo. I dunno.

We are flying in to Portland tomorrow and staying until the following Friday. Even though we have only been gone six weeks, I am ready for a trip home to see everyone. A few of the top things on my agenda:

1) Visiting with my nephew Cedar. I haven't seen him in over a year (bad aunt, I know), and he just moved back to Oregon with my sister. He can be a nutball, but I look forward to hanging out with him nonetheless. Don't mean to leave out the rest of the huge family clan, but sorry, the 5 year old kid trumps everyone this time.

2) Sushi, sushi, and more sushi. Anyone who likes the stuff, please schedule me in for lunch or dinner this week! No surprise, but sushi in Ohio just isn't as ocean fresh as that in the Pacific Northwest (I mean, you can't fish this stuff out of Lake Erie now can you?). Mio and Yoko's will be my best friends this week.

3) Seeing all my friends and family. If they haven't written me off yet for moving to Ohio, I'll be visiting up an down the I-5 corridor...okay, only between Vancouver, Portland and Salem, but everyone has a car. Speaking of, I won't have a car, so I love anyone who wants to drive me around.

So, there you have it. My only goals of this trip.

More to share:

1) Happy belated holidays to everyone.

2) Thanks to the fantastic JB for sending me an awesome new collection of music all the way from Australia. Since I only received it yesterday, I have made it to, A, Aqueduct...but so far I love what I hear and am sure that the rest of it will make my ears smile too. I'm gonna load some of it on my iPod for the plane.

3) Oh, for Christmas I got Justin tickets to the University of North Carolina vs. Virginia Tech game on January 13th and it's going to be on ABC at 3:30 EST...so tune in and look for us. On this same thought, can anyone tell me how the people who sell tickets on eBay sleep at night? Savvy business people or selfish bleeping jerks? I can't decide.

4) My song of the moment is Take It From Me by The Weepies. It's on my MySpace page if you want to hear it.

Alright, gotta go pack!

Now That's a Stick!

Bailey has a talent for finding the biggest sticks to play fetch with. He dug this one out of the snow today while we were out enjoying our first afternoon of true Ohio winter weather. 

Coming to You From (Almost) Smokefree Ohio

Well, it's been a while hasn't it? Though not entirely settled in here in Ohio, I thought it'd be a good time to post an update...

Referencing the title: The Ohio elections a few weeks ago proved quite Sarah friendly with a vote to ban smoking in all public places! Most of you know my disdain for tobacco products, so the ban couldn't be coming at a better time! On my last visit in October, Justin and I ate at a restaurant and I had to move seats because the smoke from the bar area was just cruising right in to interrupt my lunch. And work places actually advertise here that they are smoke free. My lungs are very content.

Drive slowly and with caution: There's a lot of wildlife in our area, including herds of deer, cute little bunnies, possum, squirrels, and a handful of geese who slowly meander across the street. Unfortunately, there are plenty of roadkill to show for it. Combine that with the insane amount of cops who strictly enforce the 35 mph speed limit on RURAL roads, and you probably don't want to speed or drive like a lunatic. This doesn't mix well with the V6 engine on my new car.

Why the snow warnings? So far, we've had pretty mild weather. The barometer has hit 60 degrees everyday for the past week. Everyone warns that the lake effect/snow belt/damn Ohio snow will be here soon, but for now, I am enjoying the outdoor friendly days.

I need a job: I've been job shopping and had my first interview yesterday. I am noticing the my industry pays terribly out here and that most jobs require you to be a licensed social worker. Looks like I should think about making a change.

I hate leaves: When we moved into our house, our one acre property was conveniently left with a nice heavy blanket of leaves. Credit goes almost entirely to Justin for cruising around on his new John Deere yard tractor to pick up the leaves, but I spent one day out there yesterday and part of this morning raking and bagging the remainder and there are still a ton left!

Five in a row: We got a pool table for the basement, and that's my record number of legit hits into pockets. Pretty good for a girl with few pool skills.

Oh, GO BEAVS! I didn't do a weekly post of the Beaver's football game scores this year, but they definitely made me proud. I may have had a mild heart attack during the final minutes of the Civil War! Now that we're bowl game bound and almost back in the poll rankings, I need to take back my slam of them early in the season. All hail Serna!

That's plenty for now. I'm off to, hmm, clean or something more exciting. Hope to see many of you Oregonians (and Washington family members) in about a month!

Turbo Post!

Life has been busy. Our moving truck is on the road to Ohio, my last day of work is tomorrow, I'm trying to sell my car, and I am spending my last days in Oregon running around in my home town of Salem. I get on the plane Saturday to head out and I am pretty excited.

I'll get back into the groove of posting once my life mellows out a bit and I actually have time to sit down and do it.

Oh, there's been a lot of rain in Oregon over the last couple of days. It is crazy.

Okay, talk to you all from the Midwest in a little while.

Easily Entertained

On my way home from work Monday, I narrowly missed my first car vs. animal tragedy.

I was winding through my neighborhood when a squirrel darted out into the street. I slammed on my brakes so hard that the car skidded (hey, I have swerved for a buttefly before), but then saw no sign of the squirrel fleeing away. I decided to back my car up to see if I had flattened him, and there he was...alive and frozen in the exact same position of absolute terror I had seen before I came to a screeching halt. He wouldn't move.

I pulled up alongside him and looked over to the sidewalk. Another squirrel (I'm guessing his pal) was standing up, frozen in fear as well. I shouted at my almost victim squirrel in the street and he finally darted off to his pal and they cruised away.

I'd like to think that two lives were saved that day...the squirrel I almost hit, and his pal who would have been traumatized for life had he seen his best bud get murdered.

Okay, gotta continue packing for my weekend trip to Ohio. Oh, note to all. I head to Ohio for good on November 11th. That's Veteran's Day by the way, for all you patriotic folks.

Maybe I Should Post More

I'm getting good huh? Like, one post per month. Ahh well. Here are some updates...

Moving right along...An awesome house has been secured in Ohio, and I am pretty excited about moving even though it will be sad to leave everyone. I am going out for one more visit on the 20th and then should be moving away at the beginning of November. The kitchen in this house is amazing, so I think that maybe I should take some cooking classes or something. Otherwise, I'll just have to get used to staring at all the nice cupboards and countertops. A favorite feature of this house (besides the one acre lot, nice big windows, and cool back deck) is that it actually has a tub big enough for me to take a bath in. No big deal to some, but I have always seen no relaxation in scruching up in a short tub.

It'll be hard...to leave this awesome fall weather. It's 70 degrees right now, headed for 80 in a couple of days. This has been the most fantastic summer and fall ever. Really, ever.

Looking for a winning season...My poor BEAVERS football team sucks this season. I haven't even logged their wins and losses this year. It's just too depressing. I haven't even watched a whole game yet. I am a disappointment to true Beaver Believers everywhere. Sorry. Maybe if I start watching, they'll start winning. No? Okay.

My how fast...a year goes. This weekend marks the one year anniversary for Justin and I. Sadly, we won't see each other until the following weekend, but it still puts a smile on my face.

Getting older...a couple of happy birthdays going out to two girls I love dearly...Trina hits 28 tomorrow and Aimee checks in at one year below 30 on Friday. Must be why Aimee chose to go out drinking and partying all night on Friday. Don't worry, I'll be there to support your last year in the young crowd.

Oh yeah...did I ever mention that Justin got me golf clubs as a present last month. We went and played on a par three and I think I did pretty good. I didn't even break or throw any of my clubs or land any balls in water. A couple of bushes and trees, but otherwise I see me going pro in a year or two. No to that too? Okay. Anyway, it's a fun game and I look forward to mastering my skills. Especially with my driver...I can't seem to do anything but slice to a hard left.

Carry Me Ohio?

It's been a while, so I figured it about time to come on here and add some MAJOR updates...

DUN DUN DUN...

I am flying out to Ohio on Friday to go visit Justin. Why? Because he started a job out there today. What? Yes, most of my friends and family know that Justin decided to leave his current company and take a job in Ohio. Soooo? So the current plan is for me to join him out there when we are able to land a house (he's in temp housing right now). Didn't you just move back, like, 17 months ago!? Indeed I did, but I kinda adore this guy and think it'd be quite nice to be out there with him. Hmm...If all goes as planned, we'll be relocated by mid fall. The town is close to Cleveland, so if you know any connections, people, jobs, anything, send a message my way.

This is, undeniably, a HUGE deal. But I supported his decision to consider and go for the job and support the plan to move out there too. It's damn scary, and I have to admit that I will miss everyone...but on the other end it is very exciting and I get to continue to be near the person I love (sigh). While living in CA and UT, I was always a good visitor, and I am hoping that won't change much. In the meantime, I am still working at my job in Salem and living in our house...which I must say seems a little empty without Justin.

Oh, I'll give free prizes to the first person who actually comes to visit us in Ohio.

A MOVIE TO GO SEE

My girlfriends and I went to see The Last Kiss yesterday. It was well done with great acting. I don't want to say much, because I don't want to give away anything. But hey, Zach Braff...expect some backlash on the street from women who mistake you for the character you played in the movie. And they won't be happy. Poor Zach.

AND SO

I hope to see everyone more than once in the next several weeks, maybe have a girl shindig of some kind.

Here's some new songs that I am enjoying. Sewn by The Feeling was a free song of the week on iTunes...I am oddly obsessed with the tune. Oh, and I am embarrassed, but I've decided that my guilty pleasure is crappy Nickelback tunes. I play them for about two weeks and then write them off. It must be attached to my nights as a youngin watching MTV Headbanger's Ball. Their song of the week...Far Away. I even bought it on iTunes...go ahead, make fun of me. I deserve it.

Bye all.

Vacation Time!

In honor of my vacation, here is a quote that I won't need to worry about until the day after Labor Day. It's from The Little Book of Stress (the little book that gives you tips on how to get stressed)...

Schedules...Make them whenever possible. Include an unrealistic number of tasks. Agonize over why you're constantly falling behind.

And here is one that just made me laugh...

Pets...Research shows that people with pets live longer. Never get a pet. And encourage your friends' and neighbors' pets to run away.

Time to get back to doing nothing. God, I love it.

Shooting Stars!

The dork in me must present what I will most likely be doing this Saturday night...watching the meteor showers...

PERSEIDS (maximum August 12, 23h UT [4pm PDT; 7pm EDT])

Moon: Waning Gibbous (major interference)

Best viewing window: Saturday evening, August 12, from the end of evening twilight through Sunday morning, August 13.

Recommended for: Anyone interested in meteors; just remember that the Moon will detract from the show.

The Perseids are probably the most-watched annual meteor shower. The shower has a very long duration, from about July 15 through August 25. The shower is most interesting around its peak on August 12 or 13. This year, the waning gibbous Moon will be a big nuisance, riding high in the sky during the morning hours when the Perseid radiant is high. In addition, the shower's normal peak will occur during daylight for North American observers. The radiant is above the horizon the entire night for observers north of latitude 32N, but it is fairly low at the end of evening twilight. Evening Perseid rates are low, then, but there are usually enough meteors to be interesting. The Moon is also low in the evening this year, and hopefully rates will not have fallen too far from their peak. East Coast observers will be favored this year. Serious observers will watch all night long, and deal with the Moon as best they can. Face the darkest part of your local sky, and if the Moon is in your field of view try to block it with some sort of obstruction.

Rates for most observers will probably top out at around 15-30 Perseids per hour, with a few sporadic and minor shower meteors added to the mix. Die-hard observers may be watching on adjacent nights; unfortunately, there are no Moon-free periods this year.

Perseids are fast meteors and tend to be fairly bright on average. An occasional fireball is seen, but these seem to depend on the luck of the draw.

My favorite other parents, Kay and Dougie, have invited me to a viewing party on their farm in Sublimity. Kay said it's BYOB...Bring Your Own Bed.

Last year, I tried watching these from the park above the Rose Garden. While I admit that I had a blast with a group of friends, it was just too bright to see many stars. In high school and college, I watched them out at Kay and Doug's, and it was always a great show, so I am hoping to make it out there.

The best part of the meteor showers? Getting to wish on all the shooting stars...that's like 50 in one night!

In Line for Zach Braff...

Zach Braff's new (highly anticipated by me!) movie, The Last Kiss, comes to theaters on September 15th. Considering that I still have a pretty strong love affair with Garden State, I am guessing that this will become an instant favorite.

Braff doesn't take on all the creative facets of movie making for The Last Kiss, but did get to have all the influence on the soundtrack which includes Snow Patrol, Cary Brothers, Aimee Mann, and Joshua Radin. Oddly enough, it also includes my favorite Coldplay song and a longtime favorite tune of mine by Turin Brakes called Painkiller...which is nice because I thought I was the only person in the world who had adoration for this song.

That's all I have to report at the moment. Take my advice and go see this movie in September. Here's another trailer in case you aren't convinced yet.

Crisis Averted for Another Beautiful Bride

Trina and Steve tied the knot this weekend in a beautiful outdoor ceremony outside of Ashland, Oregon. Here are Aimee, Robin, myself, and the lovely bride at the reception.

Trina looked beautiful. Oddly enough, a short 48 hours earlier, I had accidentally chipped her front tooth while on the bachelorette rafting trip. To make the story short...I was sitting next to her on the boat, turned around to talk to her, elbowed the bottle she was holding, and WHACK...it took off a small piece of her front tooth! It was small, but noticeable to the bride, and of course to those of us in the raft who knew it just happened.

I assumed total chaos would ensue followed by a disenvite to the wedding, but no...Trina remained calm, had an emergency dentist appointment the following afternoon, and made it to the altar with a perfect smile. For those of you who missed the event, I have added a short slide show of the event to my MySpace for you to check out.

So to Trina, I love you and wish you and Steve an eternity of happiness. Thanks for letting me catch the bouquet at your wedding. You didn't even knock me out with it or take out any teeth as payback. But just remember, when my big day comes, you get to take the first punch.

Seaside Sunset

We went to Seaside last weekend to spend time with Justin's family, and the weather was awesome...around 80 degrees, which is something I have never experienced on an Oregon beach. This was Thursday night's sunset.

A Good Week to Be a Beaver

I don't know how I have gone this long without posting some recognition for the Beaver's clinching of the NATIONAL TITLE in the College World Series!!! Go Beavs!

It was quite the rivalry in our household...as many know, Justin is a graduate of UNC and still a diehard Tarheel. He got in a few jabs at our 'second rate team,' but then had to watch as the Beavs came back in game two, and then stole game three...victory for the underdogs.

I am guessing that our two teams won't be playing each other again in any sport for quite some time, so I am proud of the Orange and Black for beating the Carolina Blue. Thanks Beavs!

North Salem Angels

Well, here we have reunion picture post #1, courtesy of Julie, from the Friday night pre-reunion event. This would be Camille, Kelsey, and myself enroute to the second destination of our night. Sadly, JB had to miss the event, so I sent him a pic of three of his favorite Oregonians, which he has posted to his blog too. Once I figure out how to post many pictures in a feature, I'll get some more up, but this one just made me laugh.

Some More Useless Info

Jay-Z has impressed me with his boycott of Cristal because of ridiculous comments made by Frederic Rouzaud, managing director of Louis Roederer, the company that produces it. Hmm, I wonder if he will be getting a pink slip soon.

We should all be helping these musicians get famous: Sun Kil Moon, Joshua Radin, The Fray, and lets keep working on Snow Patrol too. Their new CD is as good as the last. And I am currently on a high note with That Old Pair of Jeans by Fatboy Slim. It just puts a smile on my face.

That Old Pair of Jeans is also currently my song on MySpace. I continue to like this social site and have added a slide show to my page with pics of friends and family.

Alright, I am going to go make myself useful now. Gotta clean, get ready for my high school reunion weekend, and get some sleep maybe. Have good weekends out there.

And oh yeah dad, Happy Father's Day! Of course, I will call you and shout the message on Sunday as well, but it's been another great year having you in my life. Thanks for that!

Justarah?

This is my before I go to work post of the day...

I hate hybrid names for celebrity couples. It is annoying and irritating. I thought it was funny for a minute back in the day...my sister and her boyfriend combine to Bennifer, like the original comboed celeb couple Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck. But she didn't like that much, so I stopped.

So now, we have Brangelina, Vaughniston, and Tomkat. Stupid. Vaughniston?! Who came up with this? They have names, and I am sure they'd appreciate if you used them.

Really, I have no other opinion on it. Just felt like complaining about something.

So here, different combinations that Justin and I could go by: Justarah, Saratin, Ustah, Simait, Chimmons, Chammins...and my favorites...Simcha and Chasim. Hmm, I don't think Justin will go for any of these.

The Battle for the Birds and In Laws

Well, Wes will be happy to know that a pair of ducks have landed in in our neighborhood again. Justin, as you will see, is particularly excited this time:

Justin: So when you got home, were my ducks in the yard, or did you scare them away?
Me: What? I didn't scare them away. They were in our neighbor's yard.
Justin: What? The neighbor's yard?! When I went to the store they were over there, so I went in and got bread and made a trail of it to our yard. When I got back from the store, they were in our yard again.
Me: You are competing for the attention of the ducks with our neighbor!?
Justin: Yeah, I even put on my Ducks shirt so that they would notice. (This is a lovely bright yellow shirt with MIGHTY OREGON emblazoned across it in green).

Justin also suggests that we methodically plan Bailey's bathroom trips so as not to scare the new couple who are settling in. They seem to be bouncing back and forth between our yard and next door, so hopefully, Justin will win this battle of the birds...I don't really think our neighbor really cares though.

On another note, I feel pretty sorry for my sister right now. Her mother-in-law from hell is in town (if you don't believe that she is bad, read my sister's posts). This woman has an odd need to talk about me, is terribly conservative and ignorant, and irritates my sister to no end. No offense Jennifer, but I am glad they aren't my in-laws.

So, for my sister, I recommend that everyone go listen to Lord Kill the Pain by Red House Painters and think of ways my sister can survive another 2 weeks with the in-laws.

Twenty Days Later

Hmm, 20 days since the last post. Figured I should just write something, whether or not it is exciting!

It's been a semi busy 20 days. My sister Lexy was out visiting from Utah with her husband, so family activities were a plenty including dinner with fourteen people and a night of pool (wow Dad, you REALLY are good at pool!). I also had my girl's night in Salem with a crew of high school girls. We brushed up on who's who in the yearbook and tried hard to embarrass each other with stories from our dramatic days at North. I have been slacking on the job apps, but did get accepted again by DHS for interview referrals and think I will probably end up going the way of the state worker.

Here is what's coming up:

My ten year high school reunion...I'll be running around Salem the weekend of June 16th to catch up with old faces. Once again, I actually enjoyed high school, so I am excited for all the stupid events and hob nobbing.

Jessica's bday party...This weekend marks year 28 for Jess with a bizarre bash in her backyard complete with a Metallica cover band, and apparently, a big tub of pudding to wrestle in. Yeah, that part doesn't sound very appealing to me. Oooh, I have matured so much in the past year.

New projects with Justin...We built a walk in closet (well, I helped) and plan to build a bed soon. Justin has a smattering of projects that deserve their own post, so I will write that soon. They include a self designed leaf blower extension that reaches the highest rafters of the roof...very interesting.

My kids leave...With the end of the school year coming, a lot of my clients head home to their families for good. It's scary to cut the ropes on my little former juvenile delinquents, but I have high hopes for the ones who have earned the chance to go home and prove themselves successful.

Oh, and proof I am really getting old. I had one of my 14 year old clients in the car with me and he was running my iPod. He selected I Just Died in Your Arms Tonight by Cutting Crew. I said, "Wow, you actually like this song." And he said, "Oh yeah, I just love oldies." Ouch.

Back With the Good and Not So Good

I haven't written about my likes and dislikes for a long time, but today I am feeling very opinionated (and hungry), so while I eat my lunch, I will serve you some sides:

GOOD:

1) Justin returns from a four night business trip this evening, so I won't have to miss him until next week when he leaves for another three night trip. Speaking of Justin, I never mentioned that he was served a big promotion at work about a month ago. He is the youngest person in the history of his national company to hold the spot (sorry, I won't mention the title or company because he is a little more private than me...no MySpace, no blog). It is a big deal, and I remain proud of him for getting there.

2) The sun is out, the sun is out!

3) My younger sister Lexy and her husband Ben are in town visiting, so we get to hang out. Last night, we went out for my dad and his wife's 23rd anniversary in a loud group of eleven. I enjoyed the chaos and was highly entertained by my younger brother Kyle who sat next to me singing, "I love salad and breadsticks." I am not sure he knew people were listening, but it cracked me up.

4) I applied for, interviewed, and quickly got a job offer for a program manager position at a residential girl's program in Portland...but decided to turn it down. The pay wasn't what I was looking for and I was pretty mixed about heading back into residential, even with the title. So I continue on the application path. That means a little more commuting until further notice.

NOT SO GOOD:

1) Don't ask how, but I suckered myself into watching the final episode of Seventh Heaven. I have only watched this show about two times in ten years, but have some adoration for final episodes. Let me tell you, they have something to celebrate yanking this show. The acting is horrendous! Now, I'll admit that I think it is a good 'family friendly' show, but to cap the series with the announcement from three of their seven kids that they are each pregnant with twins was absolutely idiotic. Only in television.

2) Moving on with television, I have noticed that affairs and divorces are THE thing to have when you are in TV world. I don't want to make TV the scapegoat for people having affairs in the real world, but I can't help but think that tons of people watch Desperate Housewives and shows like Extra and Access Hollywood and think about the exciting prospect of living like these jerks. Can't we just take a bunch of this crap off the air and require people watch more of the educational channels? Maybe people will pay attention. (Oh, and sorry to some of my friends who watch DH...but I just think it is highly over rated.)

3) I need to take a really long vacation to a really far away place. I took a three day weekend last weekend and it just didn't cut it. Hmm, maybe I will work on this one.

4) Some of my friends have decided to skip our ten year reunion. As I presented to Julie...come on, don't you guys want to go with me and make fun of all the guys who still think they are cool because they played football in high school? I am going to start Operation Go to Our Damn Reunion and start pumping up the troops. We only have one more month.

5) Speaking of our ten year reunion, I joined a Yahoo forum a while back that exclusively includes people from my graduating class. I did this so I could keep informed about what was going to be happening at our reunion. Well, some new former classmates have joined and turned it into their personal chat room to talk about warcraft games and write 'lol' and 'winks' back and forth to each other (one of these includes a girl who intentionally filed her nails into sharp razor like talons and clawed her sister's face during high school). Guys, this is what personal email is for...no one wants to read these besides you. Now I will probably get kicked off for bashing the forum, but I just HAD to get that out.

Alright, how about some songs...I am currently into Happier by Guster. Not a new song, but I love it. Out of My Mind by James Blunt and Boston by Augustana also get my vote.

Creepy

Whenever I walk my dog past this house, I feel very creeped out and uncomfortable. Through fall, winter, and spring, these two dolls have been staring at me out the window, their hands in the waving position, the little spring green outfits. I have no idea why the owner assumes that this is a cute idea. All I can think of are those ghost stories about dolls that kill you and how many poor little kids go home and have nightmares after walking past this scene.

My idea is to take a similar doll and put it on the sidewalk, waving toward these dolls. Then maybe the owner will realize how bizarre this is. Then again, they may like it and add some more. 

Lift Me Up

I have been in a negative mood for a few days, so I figured that I would try to find some mode of inspiration to get me out of the funk...so today, I offer a Suess-ism...

On Success

So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)
KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!
-Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Ahh, I feel better already.

Message to Wes

My coworker Wes said he is going to stop reading my blog if I keep writing about ducks. So, I decided to write a blog about Wes so that maybe he will be drawn to read it still.

Okay, that's a lie. I just wanted to write that a NEW duck couple has moved in up the street. And sadly, the late Mr. Duck got picked up by a street sweeper before he could be buried.

Sorry Wes, my life will get more exciting soon. Until then, I think you should start a blog about your partying antics, political views, busy life, and cute kids. You always have good stories and your myspace is very entertaining.

And lastly, I miss being your officemate. I am still bitter that we all got broken up.

Resident Ducks (Minus the 's')

This morning, Justin called me on his way to work and reported that Mr. Duck was lying in the middle of the road and that 'it doesn't look good.' Sadly, Mr. Duck has moved on to a bigger and better world. He has been moved to the side of the road, and I think he needs to have a proper burial of some kind.

The sequence of events leading up to his death seem odd to me. First, it was he and Mrs. Duck, proudly waddling around the neighborhood for two weeks. Then, she disappeared and he would cruise around alone, quacking up and down the road and sidewalks. As recently as yesterday, Mrs. Duck was coming out of the woodwork to feed on a front lawn, looking remarkably thinner. But the last time I saw the two of them together was late last week.

I am guessing that Mrs. Duck nested in a backyard to hatch some ducklings and left Mr. to his own defenses. Did he die of a broken heart?

I truly assume that the neighborhood wasn't the safest place for the ducks to be hanging out and a cat or dog got him. If Mrs. Duck appears out in the open with a trail of ducklings any time soon, I am going to call a bird rescue and have them lead them back toward the park so that they can grow up safe and sound...the products of a mysteriously broken home.

Mr. Duck, your neighborly spirit will me missed.

The People Around Me

Here are some clips from my life and the lives of the people I adore:

Devil child...My sister called me yesterday to tell me that she is sending her son to live with me. Sounds as if he has been quite the hellion lately...

Cedar had to go to the dentist yesterday to have a tooth checked out for a possible cavity. Upon arrival in the dentist's chair, he refused to open his mouth. Jennifer and the staff tried everything to coax him into opening his mouth, including threatening to never let him have candy again. He finally did for one small moment, and there is definitely a little cavity in there. Unfortunately, he was tight lipped the rest of the trip.

On the way home, Jennifer said that Cedar yelled from the back seat, "When we get home, I am telling Daddy that you are MEAN!" Hmm, he has some of the same dramatic flair his mother had at a young age. For now, I think that I will just continue to enjoy being the aunt who he gets to visit.

Becoming buddies...When Justin acquired me as a live-in girlfriend, he also gained the company of a huge dog. This is a big deal. The first thing that Justin's parent's pointed out when they found out we are living together is that they are surprised that Justin let my huge dog move into his house. Sweetly, Justin tells me that it makes him realize how crazy he is about me, that he would allow this ball of fur and bad manners to cohabitate with him as well.

I see the two bonding quite often now actually. I catch Justin sweet talking Bailey and petting him, and Bailey giving him the big tail wags and doe eyes. They have also started jogging together, and Bailey appears to idolize Justin for hours after they return. Justin is hell bent on teaching Bailey how to heel, something the poor leash walking animal has never really had to do thanks to overspoiling from my camp. But, I took Bailey for a walk the other day, and he actually stayed by my side. Impressive.

Car wrecking...A couple of weeks ago, my youngest sister totaled my dad's car. Just so you are informed, this is car wreck #2 in just 5 months for the younger sibs. I am once again just glad that Lauren and her boyfriend are okay, but my dad said I need to make sure to not catch the family car wrecking bug.

Me...I have been back in Oregon over a year now, but nixed writing a post about it. Still on a new job hunt, so if any of you know the perfect match for me in Portland, send some suggestions. Preferably something with a huge pay raise.

June visitors...I am excited that BOTH Vince and Jonathan are travelling out here in June to visit for our friend Jessica's birthday. Jon sent the email yesterday, so I am officially recording that he said he'd come so that he can't back out. Guilt will follow in mass amounts if we hear anything differently in the next two months.

Slumbering girls...I may have mentioned it before, but on May 20th, I am getting together with several girlfriends from highschool and we are having an old school overnighter. I am guessing that we will get in less trouble than we did in the old days, but then again, we are going out in our lame hometown of Salem, so it could get interesting.

Alright, gotta go see my old officemates. They split us up, and we are all a little bummed about it. But we are getting more work done. Hmm, I am guessing that our boss had this all planned out.

Resident Ducks

This is the newest couple to take up residence in the neighborhood. A park full of ducks, geese, and other feathered friends is only one block away, but these two have been settling in on a different lawn on the street everyday for the past week, cruising down the street and sidewalks on their webbed feet...they are quite social. I am thinking about asking them over for a dinner party...guessing we would have to serve a poultry free dish and brush up on our quacking skills. 

Hello, It's Me

I seem to have taken a short sabbatical from this blog writing, but feel it is time to update you people out there on what is going on in my busy-ish life.

Announcing...A big decision in our relationship and life...Justin and I decided to live together, so at the beginning of the month, Bailey and I waved goodbye to Beaverton and moved on over to Portland. Very exciting. Oh, I owe a big thanks to the Andersons for setting me up with 1/2 their house for the last year. You guys were great!

My Dad's birthday present...I am trying to make this a surprise, so I can't spill much. My sister and I have put together a pretty cool gift for the tall one's birthday, and it has been a little time consuming. My thinking is one more week to go and plenty of time to get it finished...hopefully my procrastinating tendencies don't take over.

Taxes...I decided to complete my taxes this weekend...one federal and two state tax filings later, I am looking at a decent payback from Uncle Sam. God, how boring is this news?

As if three in a year weren't enough...After 10 months at my current job, I have decided to re-enter the job market again. While I adore my coworkers, the 500 mile weekly commute just doesn't conjure up the same feelings of love. So I doctored up my resume this weekend and applied for four new positions in the Portland area. Don't worry, I will continue to drive back and forth and back and forth and back and...man, I hope I get a new job soon.

MySpace, I actually like this thing...You can catch up with friends and actually be a little more interactive in their lives, even when they are far away. I should have done this when I lived in Utah and actually did live far away from everyone! No one has tried to enter my bubble yet who I have no desire to talk to...so that works.

One year...In a few days, I will celebrate my first year back in Oregon. In my opinion, there is plenty to celebrate. It kind of feels like I never even left the state, but I am glad I did because I got to see that the grass is nice on the other side, but never as nice as it is at home...for me at least.

New song...Over My Head by The Fray. I admit that I am getting old and first heard this song on Kink. A sign that I am getting old and plenty of proof that I need to write a blog about getting old.

Maybe next week.

The Sister's Blog

My sister has decided to start a blog. Introducing Balance. Jennifer tends to be highly opinionated (like me) and full of interesting information (occasionally unlike me), so you should enjoy it. The first post is pretty entertaining.

In the meantime, I patiently await her slow ass arrival back to Oregon. Currently, the ETA is between 3-9 months. Can't you just decide already?

Crash Wins and I Try MySpace

I forgot that the Academy Awards were on last night, and probably wouldn't have watched had I remembered. Beside the point, it was nice to wake up today and find out that Crash won best picture last night! This is a movie that I adored and even devoted an entire post to back in September. I guess this will be my only apology ever to the Academy: Sorry I make fun of you all the time for your predictable picks...you now have one point toward my good side, well two because you gave it best screenplay too.

Now, I sadly announce my conversion to mainstream crap...I decided to join MySpace purely to communicate with old friends. Maybe I can help catch all those jerks who use the site to be assholes to other people. Hmm, I wouldn't mind a new job. Do you think they'd pay me for it? By the way, I won't be using the blog space that they supply. I just posted a link in it to this blog instead. I can hardly keep up with this one, so there is no point in having two.

Link to my MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/ccsarahcc

Well, I gotta go and help Justin to create dinner. As many know, I am not a pro in the kitchen, but I am trying...I swear. Be right there baby.