OK, this is purely an opinion piece, you may disagree with me and we'll still be friends. I have to admit right at the top that I've never been a John Edwards fan. He strikes me as being too slick and glib. On my scale of rating politicians those qualities are near the top of my list of unforgivable characteristics.
That being said... I watched some show on ABC last night about John Edwards affair. I think it was 20/20. (I don't watch anything on ABC so am not familiar with their shows or news people). I only saw the last 30 minutes, but I am even more appalled at the things John Edwards has done than I was before.
Can you imagine how his wife, Elizabeth must feel. If I were her I would be thinking, "I wasted my HEALTH on this jerk!"
I don't have a very high opinion of Andrew Young and his wife either, however, I'm somewhat impressed with their willingness to admit the wrongs they committed in this whole situation. I also understand that they will profit from the mistakes they made. I thought it was pathetic that he kept saying that he's now unemployable. He's not, he's just unemployable in politics. I'm sure he can get some other type of job, but I guess he feels some other type of job would be beneath him.
I guess the moral of this story is that we rarely acknowledge that we are capable of unimaginable actions. I got the impression that the Young's look at themselves and can't believe they got caught up in this mess. They just kept repeating, we were wrong for doing this, we were wrong for doing that. They also expressed sorrow and remorse for their roles in enabling John Edwards to perpetrate such a lie.
Wonder if John Edwards will bounce back from this? What his wife will do? How he'll make amends to the daughter he denied? Stay tuned, I'm sure we haven't heard the last of him.
1.30.2010
1.27.2010
The State of Vicki Address
Tonight is the State of the Union Address. I'm not really enthusiastic about watching it, and I may not. I'm not sure the true state of the Union is what we'll hear. However, I did think that today would be a good time to deliver my "The State of Vicki Address". The audience is quite small - only one person - me. Today I plan to look back over the past year and revisit my accomplishments, regardless of how small and insignificant. I plan to look ahead over 2010 and determine where I hope to be at the end of it. I'm going to strive for honesty in identifying the areas that need improvement, and humble in identifying the areas in which I'm succeeding. I will include ideas for helping to improve the lives of those around me, from my husband, to my children, to my neighbors, to my state, country, and the world. My goals will not be lofty, but hopefully, when completed, they will have made a positive difference.
1.26.2010
Books... as Far as the Eye Can See!
We have a great annual book sale here in Phoenix. It's the VNSA sale and it's held each year at the Exhibit Building at the Arizona State Fairgrounds. There are more than 600,000 books, yes, you read it right - 600,000.
The purpose of the VNSA Used Book Sale is to raise funds for three nonprofit human service agencies; Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation, Literacy Volunteers of Maricopa County, and Toby House.
This year the sale is being held on February 13/14, the hours are 8 am - 6 pm on Saturday, and 8 am -4 pm on Sunday. On Sunday all books are half price.
If you love books, you have to go to this sale. The prices are unbelievable. They have books from every category imaginable. It is very well organized, but be warned, there are tons and tons of people. This is the kind of thing that people line up for all night. (I think most of them are Science Fiction readers for some reason).
We usually get there around 8:30 - 9:00 on Saturday. We generally have to wait in line an hour to an hour and a half. Once inside, we split up and start shopping. We usually shop for an hour, meet up, sort through the books, and then split up again. We usually shop for 2-3 hours.
This year will be especially challenging because we're going to make a foray into the children's books. I'm determined to have a variety of books in my grandchildren library at my house. Plus, Katie wants me to buy some books for the baby to have at their house.
Jessica is flying in for the sale and we have a new strategy for this year. I'm going to combine our lists, type them up, and make copies for all three of us. That way, if we see something the other one wants, we can grab it up and then deal with it when we meet to sort.
We take our own reusable bags, they pass out plastic bags, but they don't hold enough books. This year, we're also taking our carry-on luggage. People zip them open and bungee the flap back and that way they can fill it with books and wheel it around. I figure we can also hang some of our filled bags off of them. I have "old shoulders" and they're starting to rebel at carrying 4-5 bags filled with hardbacks for 3 hours!
There are hardbacks, paperbacks, magazines, games, videos, dvds, cds, sets of books, maps, antique books, out of print books... literally anything related to reading is available at this sale.
They take cash, credit, or debit. They have a holding area where you can park your books for an hour if they get too heavy for you to carry around. There is a limited number of shopping carts, but you have to put your name in for them. It could be hours before you get one, so we don't bother.
I am so excited! Every year I find an unexpected treasure, as well as many of the books on my list. If you're a reader, you need to check this sale out; one visit and you'll be hooked! For more information and list of the categories available check out the website http://vnsabooksale.org/
The purpose of the VNSA Used Book Sale is to raise funds for three nonprofit human service agencies; Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation, Literacy Volunteers of Maricopa County, and Toby House.
This year the sale is being held on February 13/14, the hours are 8 am - 6 pm on Saturday, and 8 am -4 pm on Sunday. On Sunday all books are half price.
If you love books, you have to go to this sale. The prices are unbelievable. They have books from every category imaginable. It is very well organized, but be warned, there are tons and tons of people. This is the kind of thing that people line up for all night. (I think most of them are Science Fiction readers for some reason).
We usually get there around 8:30 - 9:00 on Saturday. We generally have to wait in line an hour to an hour and a half. Once inside, we split up and start shopping. We usually shop for an hour, meet up, sort through the books, and then split up again. We usually shop for 2-3 hours.
This year will be especially challenging because we're going to make a foray into the children's books. I'm determined to have a variety of books in my grandchildren library at my house. Plus, Katie wants me to buy some books for the baby to have at their house.
Jessica is flying in for the sale and we have a new strategy for this year. I'm going to combine our lists, type them up, and make copies for all three of us. That way, if we see something the other one wants, we can grab it up and then deal with it when we meet to sort.
We take our own reusable bags, they pass out plastic bags, but they don't hold enough books. This year, we're also taking our carry-on luggage. People zip them open and bungee the flap back and that way they can fill it with books and wheel it around. I figure we can also hang some of our filled bags off of them. I have "old shoulders" and they're starting to rebel at carrying 4-5 bags filled with hardbacks for 3 hours!
There are hardbacks, paperbacks, magazines, games, videos, dvds, cds, sets of books, maps, antique books, out of print books... literally anything related to reading is available at this sale.
They take cash, credit, or debit. They have a holding area where you can park your books for an hour if they get too heavy for you to carry around. There is a limited number of shopping carts, but you have to put your name in for them. It could be hours before you get one, so we don't bother.
I am so excited! Every year I find an unexpected treasure, as well as many of the books on my list. If you're a reader, you need to check this sale out; one visit and you'll be hooked! For more information and list of the categories available check out the website http://vnsabooksale.org/
1.25.2010
January Sleep-over
Our granddaughter came to stay Friday night at our house. I try to have her over to spend the night once a month. It gives Dan & I the chance to get to know her better, for her to get used to us, and for Katie & Gabe to do whatever they want or nothing at all.
The baby is almost 8 months old. She pulls herself up and "cruises" on the furniture. She babbles constantly and clearly says da-da. (Of course Gabe is known as Papi, so da-da doesn't do much for him!) She loves our dogs and crawls all over trying to chase them. They're not so sure about what to think about her being mobile.
Gazing adoringly at Gramps
What a cutie!
Standing up - her new favorite position
Playing dolls with Grammy
More standing...
The baby is almost 8 months old. She pulls herself up and "cruises" on the furniture. She babbles constantly and clearly says da-da. (Of course Gabe is known as Papi, so da-da doesn't do much for him!) She loves our dogs and crawls all over trying to chase them. They're not so sure about what to think about her being mobile.
Gazing adoringly at Gramps
What a cutie!
Standing up - her new favorite position
Playing dolls with Grammy
More standing...1.22.2010
It's Raining, It's Pouring...
We've had such an exciting weather week here in Arizona. Those of you living in the Midwest will read this and wonder what the big deal is, but for us the weather has been very extreme.
We've had some rain every day this week. Some of those days have produced copious amounts of rain. The area that I live in had over 3.5 inches yesterday alone. Last year, we only received around 3 inches for the entire year! Maybe this year we'll achieve the 7 inches annual rainfall that's the average. We're certainly off to a good start.
We also had a tornado watch last night. If that's not exciting enough, we had two tornado warnings! Wow. Of course, we didn't have any tornadoes, but for a town that gets excited when it rains for 15 minutes straight during the monsoon season, this has been excitement overload.
The rain should end tomorrow and we'll go back to the same boring forecast as usual: sunny and warm, sunny and warm. That will last til March when the forecast will change to sunny and hot, followed by June when the forecast changes to sunny and really hot!
The last time we had five days in a row with rain was in 2005. We were due... and I've thoroughly enjoyed it!
We've had some rain every day this week. Some of those days have produced copious amounts of rain. The area that I live in had over 3.5 inches yesterday alone. Last year, we only received around 3 inches for the entire year! Maybe this year we'll achieve the 7 inches annual rainfall that's the average. We're certainly off to a good start.
We also had a tornado watch last night. If that's not exciting enough, we had two tornado warnings! Wow. Of course, we didn't have any tornadoes, but for a town that gets excited when it rains for 15 minutes straight during the monsoon season, this has been excitement overload.
The rain should end tomorrow and we'll go back to the same boring forecast as usual: sunny and warm, sunny and warm. That will last til March when the forecast will change to sunny and hot, followed by June when the forecast changes to sunny and really hot!
The last time we had five days in a row with rain was in 2005. We were due... and I've thoroughly enjoyed it!
1.20.2010
Wake-up Call
Well, the Republican won in Massachusetts. Wow. I appreciated Scott Brown's comment that this was a "win for Independents". That's my thought, too. I'm sure there will be plenty of Republicans gloating over this win, but they are missing the bigger picture. This was not only a wake-up call for the Dems, but for the Republicans also.
People are tired, angry, and frustrated at the way things work in Washington. The Congress has had the lowest approval ratings for months. Yet, they continue to ignore the outcry and conduct business as usual.
Even if you're not very political it's easy for your voice to be heard - you can vote. Mid-term elections will be held in November. You can be prepared by paying attention to who's running for what in your state. Get to know the candidates; it's never been easier than it is now with the Internet. Vote for the person who most matches your belief system. Don't fall into the trap of thinking your vote doesn't count. I don't care if your spouse/family/friend votes for the exact opposite of you; that doesn't cancel your vote. EVERY vote counts.
2010 is going to be a fascinating year! Make sure you play an active role in deciding our futures.
People are tired, angry, and frustrated at the way things work in Washington. The Congress has had the lowest approval ratings for months. Yet, they continue to ignore the outcry and conduct business as usual.
Even if you're not very political it's easy for your voice to be heard - you can vote. Mid-term elections will be held in November. You can be prepared by paying attention to who's running for what in your state. Get to know the candidates; it's never been easier than it is now with the Internet. Vote for the person who most matches your belief system. Don't fall into the trap of thinking your vote doesn't count. I don't care if your spouse/family/friend votes for the exact opposite of you; that doesn't cancel your vote. EVERY vote counts.
2010 is going to be a fascinating year! Make sure you play an active role in deciding our futures.
1.19.2010
It's Election Day! (and misc. items)
1. Today is the special election in Massachusetts to replace the late Senator Ted Kennedy. It is going to be an exciting election, and could well set the tone for the 2010 Election Cycle.
I am a political junky (plus I'm addicted to the news in general), so the fact that it's time for the mid-terms is exciting for me. I have long been a proponent of more than two political parties. The first time I could vote for President, I voted for the independent candidate. I am registered as a Republican, but I'm very independent and tend to vote for the person, not the party.
This year, I'm watching the Tea Party candidates with interest. In my opinion, they have the best shot of any group (in my lifetime) of becoming a true third party choice. At this point, regardless of who wins in Massachusetts, this race has been a referendum on health care reform.
It remains to be seen if anyone in Washington, DC is listening...
2. I am so thrilled! Four people have contacted me regarding donations for the orphanage in Haiti. This weekend we're going to the 99 cent store to buy baby shampoo, etc. I plan to call the office in CO before I ship to confirm their needs and shipping instructions.
3. It rained here yesterday, and there is a chance of rain every day this week. Yippee! They are forecasting that we may get up to 3 inches from this series of storms. That's more rain than we had the entire year of 2009. I plan to soak up (no pun intended) these cloudy days, they are so rare here.
I am a political junky (plus I'm addicted to the news in general), so the fact that it's time for the mid-terms is exciting for me. I have long been a proponent of more than two political parties. The first time I could vote for President, I voted for the independent candidate. I am registered as a Republican, but I'm very independent and tend to vote for the person, not the party.
This year, I'm watching the Tea Party candidates with interest. In my opinion, they have the best shot of any group (in my lifetime) of becoming a true third party choice. At this point, regardless of who wins in Massachusetts, this race has been a referendum on health care reform.
It remains to be seen if anyone in Washington, DC is listening...
2. I am so thrilled! Four people have contacted me regarding donations for the orphanage in Haiti. This weekend we're going to the 99 cent store to buy baby shampoo, etc. I plan to call the office in CO before I ship to confirm their needs and shipping instructions.
3. It rained here yesterday, and there is a chance of rain every day this week. Yippee! They are forecasting that we may get up to 3 inches from this series of storms. That's more rain than we had the entire year of 2009. I plan to soak up (no pun intended) these cloudy days, they are so rare here.
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