Like many, I have been disgusted by the Republican Party's nomination of Sarah Palin and the subsequent lies that have been spewed on her behalf. I was forwarded an email to stand up and let other women know that Sarah Palin does not represent our rights. Here is the blog that is coordinating women around the country to let their voices be heard. Please send them an email and let them know why you, as a woman, do not support this candidate as second-in-command for our nation.
Here is the email I sent:
As a woman in the United States, I find it disgusting that the Republican party could nominate a woman as VP who is the antithesis to everything women have worked for for the past 50 years. Sarah Palin is not a friend of women and might even hate them based on her political stances. She is against reproductive rights, sex education and birth control. It is utterly ridiculous that this person with very little experience in politics and lack of diversity in life could be put a heartbeat away from the presidency. I am afraid for my future and the future of my children if this woman is allowed anywhere close to the White House. The McCain/Palin ticket is one that sees women as second class citizens and actively tries to diminish our role in the world. They do not support equal pay and want to take away our choices. I do not care about her personal family issues but I do worry about her neo-con crazy religious beliefs being made into law. Women across the country need to stand up to this politically charged maneuver by the Republican Party and show them that women want someone who is a representative of our rights, male or female.
This is exactly what I expected. I was spoiled and still am.
From AngryChad & Ei-Nyung:
-Father went to college -Father finished college -Mother went to college -Mother finished college -Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor -Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers? -Had more than 50 books in your childhood home -Had more than 500 books in your childhood home -Were read children's books by a parent -Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18 -Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18 - Figure Skating, Ballet, Gymnastics -The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively -Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18 -Had or will have less than $5000 in student loans when you graduate -Had or will have no student loans when you graduate -Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs -Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs -Went to a private high school -Went to summer camp -Had a private tutor before you turned 18 -Family vacations involved staying at hotels -Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18 -Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them -There was original art in your house when you were a child -Had a phone in your room before you turned 18 -You and your family lived in a single family house -Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home -You had your own room as a child -Participated in an SAT/ACT prep course -Had your own TV in your room in High School -Owned a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College -Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16 -Went on a cruise with your family -Went on more than one cruise with your family -Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up -You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family
I'm back! I was so busy reading everyone else's blogs that I forgot I had my own. However, since I rarely have anything to post about this will probably be the only 2008 entry and its not even that great so you should probably just stop reading now.
Concerts
Tomorrow night I will be attending my fourth Bon Jovi concert. I cannot believe that I've seen Bon Jovi that many times, I'm only 27. So because of this monumental occasion I started thinking about all of the concerts I've been to and the list is long and eclectic. I don't know if going to concerts is a big thing everywhere or just in Detroit but I want to know what concerts you all have been to (they cannot be half as embarrassing as some of mine.) Here it is for those of you who are interested. The only one that is in time order is the first one.
New Kids on the Block (I was 9) Paula Abdul / Color Me Bad Rod Stewart Brooks & Dunn (During my country phase in the early 90s) Aerosmith (3x) Bon Jovi (4x) NSYNC (3x) Justin Timberlake (2x) Backstreet Boys (2x) Journey 98 Degrees Tom Petty / Black Crowes Limp Bizkit / Eminem Dave Matthews Band (2x) NIN / Queens of the Stone Age The Decemberists (2x) Prince Barenaked Ladies (2x) Janet Jackson Death Cab for Cutie Porcupine Tree Sheryl Crow Goo Goo Dolls American Idol Tour (2x) Harry Connick Jr. Christina Aguilera Mandy Moore
I think this may be it but it's really hard to remember. Oh, and I could've gone to the Madonna Blonde Ambition concert but my mom thought I was too young and refused to take me. Child Abuse!!! The only concert that I wish I could've gone to in the 80s is of course Michael Jackson.
Lost: Is anyone else still watching this show? Since they came back from the break in January, every episode has been excellent. We've gotten more answers in the last 8 episodes than we have in all three seasons (although every answer still brings about 9 more questions). I don’t want to spoil anything for those who are waiting for the season dvd to catch up but I like this show a whole lot more now than I even did in the first season. If you're not watching it yet, go rent the seasons and start NOW.
Heroes: Following in a super close second to Lost as my favorite show is Heroes. The character development and plot has moved so quickly in this show that I feel like I've been watching it for years. Much faster than Lost. I have no idea how its going to end but I'm hoping that the explosion will happen. I prefer a darker ending for the season instead of the rainbows and flowers ending where the heroes save the day! Boring. I know I will be surprised whatever happens because the writers have yet to disappoint me.
The Office: Okay maybe this is my favorite show, I can’t decide anymore. The Office is definitely the second best sitcom ever on TV (following behind Arrested Development of course). Every episode makes me cry either from laughing so hard or frustration over Jim being with stupid ugly Karen ;). The side characters bring so much to every episode and there's so much to take in that you almost have to watch an episode 2 or 3 times to catch all the jokes. Kelly, Creed & Toby are some of my favorite side characters. The Jim and Pam story is easily 100 times better than Ross and Rachel and I was a HUGE Friends fan. I don’t understand people that don't like this show. I'm convinced that some people won't ever like a sitcom that doesn't have a laugh track. Morons.
MPAA: The MPAA has just announced that they will now give any movie that shows "gratuitous smoking" an automatic "R" rating. SIGH. Once again, some organization has taken it upon themselves to nanny the masses. The MPAA is a horrible institution that needs reorganizing in the worst way. They could care less about violence in movies but boobies, sex and smoking are bad. People of any age are going to smoke if they want to regardless of if they saw it in a movie or not. They're also going to have sex. Forcing producers, directors and writers to water down their creations because of the MPAA's personal issues is not helping society and is producing more and more crap movies every year. That's why people have stopped going to the movies, because they suck. The movies I want to see are only shown at "arthouse theaters" and there are only 2 of those in my area. I don’t want to see remakes of classic TV shows or 3rd, 4th, and 5th sequels. I want to see originality but unfortunately "R" rated movies don’t make as much money and therefore have gone by the wayside. :(
Frittata Follow-Up So yesterday we made Red Pepper, Mushroom & Goat Cheese frittatas. It was delicious, confirming my theory that goat cheese makes everything taste great. This time we took pictures but because we were lazy yesterday we haven't taken them off the camera yet. They will soon be posted.
In addition to the frittatas I also spent all day yesterday making this: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/beef-stew-in-red-wine-sauce. I was worried because I halfed the recipe for just Chad and I and when the beef and red wine mixture came out of the oven, it didn't look too appetizing. But after we added the pancetta and vegetables and a little bit of water, it was DELICIOUS! It was so much better than I anticipated and definitely worth the time spent on preparation. I made fresh bread in my bread maker to go with the stew and it was a hearty and delicious dinner. I love making dinner on sundays because I have so much time to try new recipes. Now everyone, leave me a new recipe to try next sunday. :)
Best Breakfast Ever On Sunday Chad and I tried out a new recipe for breakfast. We made an Asparagus and Canadian Bacon Frittata. It was delicious, super easy and looked very impressive. From now on every weekend we're planning to mix up the ingredients and try different frittatas. Next weekend it will be a Red Pepper, Mushroom and Goat Cheese frittata.
Here is the recipe for those of you that are interested:
5 large eggs 4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan 2 tablespoons milk 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest 1 teaspoon kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 4 ounces medium asparagus stalks (about 8), woody stems trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 4 medium slices Canadian bacon (about 2 ounces), coarsely chopped
Position an oven rack in the upper part of the oven and preheat the broiler. Whisk the eggs, 3 tablespoons of the cheese, the milk, lemon zest, salt, and pepper to taste together in a bowl. Heat the olive oil in an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the asparagus and Canadian bacon, and cook until the asparagus is crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low, pour the egg mixture into the skillet, stirring gently to distribute the fillings evenly. Cover, and cook until the bottom sets, but does not get too brown, about 9 minutes. Remove the cover, scatter the remaining 1 tablespoon of cheese over the surface. Run the frittata under the broiler until the top sets and browns slightly, about 1 minute. Set aside for about 5 minutes before unmolding. Slip the frittata out of the pan onto a cutting board, cut into wedges. Serve warm or room temperature.
Here is the video of my 2002 cheer team's stunt routine at the state championships. This is my favorite video because everything hits so perfectly. We tied with another team for the championship that year but it was a team that we were friends with so it was a big party when we both won (this is an obvious lie but the politcally correct thing to say, everyone wants to win it alone and never have to share a title). You can barely see me at the bottom of the screen but every once and a while you will see my hand go up and at the end you see me jump up and run to the girls. I was a freak at competitions. I usually had to stand in front of the girls behind the judges and they would all watch me for clues telling them what to do better. But at States I had to sit in front of the judges and I didn't do well with sitting, I was way too nervous. By the end of this round I had fallen off my chair and was sobbing because nothing fell and everything was perfect. It's a very stressful sport because at any moment things can go very bad. So here you go:
A big thanks to Chad for being a genius and pulling our routine from the dvd and posting it on youtube for me. Love you sweetie!
