There was something in the water in our neighborhood nine months ago...
Baby #1
Baby #2
Baby #3
And unfortunately we'll be moving before I get to meet Baby #4.

You all are amazing. A dog is too much work for me.

Posted by: Sarah at 04:01 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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We've got orders and plane tickets. We move in 34 days...

Posted by: Sarah at 01:44 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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One of my friends is thinking of starting a blog. This friend is quite shy and introverted, so we were talking about the pros and cons of blogging. She doesn't know if she wants to be anonymous or open, if she wants a family-centered blog or one where she talks about deeper stuff. And she's very concerned about who might read her blog. Because you never know.

I told her that sometimes you'd be surprised who reads your stuff: your first grade teacher, your husband's old commander, or your parents' next door neighbor (yikes to all of those). And I told her that even if she has an anonymous blog, someone might still find her: both a friend from high school and our local lawyer recognized me.

The funny thing about blogging is that even if you never say who you are, strangers will read about the best and worst days of your life. I've been enjoying reading knitting blogs lately, and I've been privy to some very personal stories. I gasped when the Etherknitter's husband's tibia popped through his leg. I choked up when Debi gave Augie his sweater. My heart leapt back on the train with Squeeky's mom. And I cried with Jeanie when her son lost his best friend. I don't know these people from Adam, but I am in on their lives. I am thinking about them. I am cheering on their intarsia. And for moments, when I am engrossed in a particular post, I feel like I am a friend.

For all the headaches and heartaches, blogging has been very rewarding for me. I never would've known Bunker if it hadn't been for blogging. I never would've gotten an email from Ben Stein or gotten published in a book without blogging. And I never would've found so many people who cheer me on.

So even though I think about quitting every single day, I'm still here.

Posted by: Sarah at 01:42 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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1 I think she should go for it! You inspired me to start me blog. I never really read blog until I read yours and then it became and obession. I truly enjoy it. There are days when I can think of nothing to write, but then I read other pages and I'm moved to write. OUR shy, introverted friend has some very wonderfull things to add to the blogging world and I can't wait to hear what she has to say. Baby steps grasshopper! That is all you need!

Posted by: Vonn at March 29, 2006 07:04 PM (dEgRi)

2 I sometimes think about quitting too. But YOU are not allowed to quit, Sarah!

Posted by: annika at March 30, 2006 12:57 AM (fxTDF)

3 I am quiet and an introvert myself. Blogging and almost 8 years as a military spouse has helped me to talk to strangers, and be more willing speak up more. The only bad side - I vented once, she read it, she didn't like it, she told who knows what to her husband, my husband lost a friend. All because of my frustration of trying to keep a woman with a drinking problem from driving home. Otherwise, I love it. Great way to clear the mind of things you are thinking about and trying to process. HH6

Posted by: Household6 at March 30, 2006 02:02 AM (Gj0PV)

4 I'm occasionally tempted by the possibility of starting my own blog, but I'm daunted by the time it takes. I've been invited to join a group blog of people in my field, and maybe I should reconsider accepting that offer. For me, the big dilemma is that if I am blogging under my own name, then I am going to feel an obligation to put a lot of time into each post, because it would be humiliating to put something out there that I later regret. If I just do it as "Pericles" then I take a lot less risk. On the other hand, it lets me say a lot less, and most people probably find anonymous blogs less interesting. I expect that people here will be torn on what advice to give me: The world doesn't need another liberal blog, but maybe it will keep him too busy to post here!

Posted by: Pericles at March 30, 2006 07:32 AM (eKf5G)

5 Sarah, I too enjoy reading your blog. Too bad you'll be leaving Germany just as we are getting back. Angie and I joke that I should move into her old house. Wouldn't that be funny. Well keep up the good work. PS love the quotes on this site-Vicki

Posted by: Vicki at March 30, 2006 10:29 AM (9TGkZ)

6 Pericles...I've told Sarah before that I think you should blog. I would actually read it (even though you are one of "them") :-) And for our wanna-be blogger friend...My only advice would be to make up nick names for your hubby, your child, and yourself. I'm contemplating going through my blog and editing all the times I used our real names...I never want someone I don't like googling my name and finding my site. Even though the information I'm putting out there is for everyone to see, they don't necessarily need to know that it's me.

Posted by: Erin at March 30, 2006 12:48 PM (l3CR4)

7 It's all fine & good to be anonymous... until someone keeps calling you by your real name in the comments hahahaha

Posted by: the girl at March 31, 2006 07:57 AM (FmIVz)

8 Most would probably say that I am very shy and introverted as well but I think that the expression of writing is different for some reason, so I think your friend will find it to be very easy. Things will flow I never thought I would enjoy it but I have surprised myself.

Posted by: Nicole at March 31, 2006 10:59 AM (Sa9Kb)

9 The girl, I had to go check to see if I was guilty of that...and I so AM. I'm sorry! :-) And I've thought about that on my site too...do you tell everyone that you want to be anonymous, and not to use your real name?

Posted by: Erin at March 31, 2006 12:48 PM (/vUGb)

10 Thank you for crying with me, and don't stop blogging -- I just got here!

Posted by: Jeanie at April 02, 2006 01:41 AM (AOZRE)

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Now is not the time to get sick.

My husband was promised that his orders would be ready today. And not a moment too soon, since we're leaving in about four weeks. That means there's a ton to get done, and since I'm scheduled to work tomorrow and Thursday is Sergeant's Time, everything needs to get done today: final out, household goods, plane tickets, etc.

And I feel like I've been run over by a truck.

UPDATE:

I guess it doesn't matter anyhow, since the husband didn't get orders today anyway. I normally try not to complain, but they've been telling him every day for two weeks now that his orders will be done "tomorrow." It's getting a bit frustrating.

Posted by: Sarah at 03:05 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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1 Just reading that brings me back to last August...waiting, waiting, waiting...of course, I think we can ALL relate to that one! So much for starting the process 12 weeks out, eh? The norm now is probably closer to 4-6 Good luck!

Posted by: Nicole at March 28, 2006 10:28 AM (Sa9Kb)

2 Hate to say but...Get used to it. The only orders Uncle Sugar can cut in a timely fashion are the ones you a) Don't Want or b) Weren't expecting. Good luck R/ Ed

Posted by: Ed at March 28, 2006 12:14 PM (7l7Gd)

3 Getting sick sucks... I completely agree! Your turn, Erin.

Posted by: Pericles at March 28, 2006 05:49 PM (eKf5G)

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My favorite episode of From the Earth to the Moon is "Spider", in which engineers build the LM. How do you design something to go somewhere we've never been and do things that have never been done before? These engineers had to tackle issues we never have to think about here on earth. And it seems scientists are working on these issues again as they prepare to go back to the moon as a stepping stone to Mars.

Once planners choose a base, the astronauts will immediately need to bring a host of technologies to bear, none of which currently exist. "Power is a big challenge," Toups said. Solar arrays are an obvious answer, but away from the poles 14 days of lunar sunlight are followed by 14 days of darkness, so "how do you handle the dormancy periods?"

Next is the spacesuit. Apollo suits weighed 270 pounds on Earth, a relatively comfortable "felt weight" of 40 to 50 pounds on the moon, but an unacceptable 102 pounds on Mars. "You can't haul that around, bend down or climb hills," Lee said. "Somehow we have to cut the mass of the current spacesuit in half."

And the new suit, unlike the Apollo suits or the current 300-pound shuttle suit, is going to have to be relatively easy to put on and take off, and to be able withstand the dreaded moon dust.

After three days, Apollo astronauts reported that the dust was causing the joints in their suits to jam, "and we're not talking about three outings," Lee said of the next moon missions. "We're talking about once a week for 500 days -- between 70 and 100 spacewalks."

Dealing with dust is also a major concern in building shelters on the lunar surface. Toups said it might be possible to harden the ground by microwaving it, creating a crust "like a tarp when you're camping." Otherwise, the dust pervades everything, and prolonged exposure could even lead to silicosis.

Dust also makes it virtually impossible to use any kind of machinery with ball bearings. Civil engineer Darryl J. Calkins, of the Army Corps of Engineers Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, warned that the combination of dust, low gravity, temperature swings and the high cost of flying things to the moon is going to define the lunar tool kit in unforeseen ways.

"You can't put a diesel up there; you can't put a 20,000-pound bulldozer up there; and none of our oils or hydraulic fluids are going to survive," Calkins said in a telephone interview. "We may have to go back to the 19th century to find appropriate tools -- use cables, pulleys, levers."

And even then, it will be difficult to level a base site and haul away the fill because there's not enough gravity to give a tractor adequate purchase. Instead, Calkins envisions a device that can "scrape and shave" small amounts of soil and take it away bit by bit.

But in the end, "you have to learn how to do it, with real people," McKay said. "This is hard, but we can learn it. And if we do it right on the moon, we will be able to answer my ultimate question: Can Mars be habitable? I think the answer is 'yes.' "

I love that first sentence: "bring a host of technologies to bear, none of which currently exist." It reminds me of Michael Crichton's insight on the horse:

Let's think back to people in 1900 in, say, New York. If they worried about people in 2000, what would they worry about? Probably: Where would people get enough horses? And what would they do about all the horseshit? Horse pollution was bad in 1900, think how much worse it would be a century later, with so many more people riding horses?

But of course, within a few years, nobody rode horses except for sport. And in 2000, France was getting 80% its power from an energy source that was unknown in 1900. Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and Japan were getting more than 30% from this source, unknown in 1900. Remember, people in 1900 didn't know what an atom was.

I can't wait to see what these scientists come up with.

Posted by: Sarah at 04:41 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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I couldn't help but guffaw when my husband pointed out the funniest quote from France's labor riots:

You'll get a job knowing that you've got to do every single thing they ask you to do because otherwise you may get sacked.

Heaven forbid you have to do what your boss tells you to do.

Posted by: Sarah at 04:24 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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1 Those wacky French! All this time we had it wrong, you're not supposed to do what your boss tells you to do.

Posted by: Vonn at March 27, 2006 10:14 AM (dEgRi)

2 I would have liked to have heard the context. It is either pretty funny or not funny at all, depending on whether we are supposed to be thinking about cases where the boss is only making reasonable, work-related demands or cases where the boss is asking for, let's say, sex. It is probaboy the former; I'm as ready as anyone to call the French whacky. I'm familiar with a lot of cases in this country, though, where people have been sacked after refusing to follow orders that were neither reasonable nor job relevant.

Posted by: Pericles at March 27, 2006 04:42 PM (ra2qX)

3 You're familiar with LOTS of cases in this country? You're a freaking human resources tech at Total Fina SA? Yes, I'm sure you are very familiar with complex labor laws IN FRANCE and their application and some common abuses of that system...Or you're just a tool who has to say something contrary on this blog all the damn time. Hmmm...yeah I'm gonna go with the latter. FAMILIAR and LOTS smell and awful lot like bullshit to me. I'm declaring shenanigans!

Posted by: Joe D at March 27, 2006 11:32 PM (OH/4Z)

4 Joe- I am familiar with a lot of cases in "this country," as in the U.S. You're right; I know very little about the labor situation in France, and nothing about cases of bosses making illegitimate demands on workers. My point was just that when you say "You've got to do what the boss says," you always have to qualify that, at least in your mind, with the phrase "as long as it ia reasonable, job-related demand." It is not buillshit, though, when I say that I know about a pretty good number of cases in this country. I've never given any indication on here of who I am or what I do for a living, and I don't think I'll start now. I'll let my arguments stand o fall on their own. Suffice it to say, though, that questions of illegal and unethical labor practices fall within the purview of my job.

Posted by: Pericles at March 28, 2006 12:24 PM (ra2qX)

5 Pericles, I'm sure your comment wouldn't have been taken the way it was if you weren't ALWAYS debating with Sarah. Every once in a while, it would be nice for you to just say, "Good point, Sarah." (And leave it at that) I do enjoy hearing your opinions...but throw her a damn bone for chrissakes. It's difficult to be criticized over and over and over. And I think we are all pretty clear on where you stand on a lot of issues...so saying something nice won't make us doubt where you are coming from. Seriously.

Posted by: Erin at March 28, 2006 04:58 PM (SWlCy)

6 Erin- I'll make you a deal. I'll contribute one post where I agree with something Sarah says, and leave it at that, for each time that you post a comment that disagrees with something she says, and leave it at that. Seriously, I'm sorry if I have crossed any lines in my posts here. I may not agree much with Sarah or most of the other commentators, but I've tried very hard not to remain civil and not to make any personal comments about anyone. If I didn't think that most of the people here were intelligent and willing to listen to people who disagree with them, I wouldn't bother posting or even reading. I've never thought that I was criticizing people by disagreing with them. To my mind, expressing reasoned disagreement with someone, instead of just scoffing at them, is kind of a compliment.

Posted by: Pericles at March 28, 2006 05:48 PM (eKf5G)

7 Pericles, Fortunately, I'm friends with Sarah...so whenever I disagree with her, I'm able to say it to her face. It doesn't happen very often, but I sure do let her know when it does (and it has happened fairly recently). The difference is that I make a point of telling her when I agree with the way she groks something... I think you are a pretty respectful person. I enjoy hearing about other peoples' opionions just as much as the next guy...but I also like to see warm and fuzzy comments to a friend that I think deserves them. Do whatever you want, dude. It is, as they say, a free country...Yay for that.

Posted by: Erin at March 30, 2006 12:42 PM (l3CR4)

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The Girl sent me this link with Charlie in mind: Game of fetch turns ugly
I don't know if Charlie could swallow a whole stick, but he appears to be working himself up to the challenge: two days ago he threw up a couple of pieces of tree bark.

In other Charlie news, he's gotten too smart for this house. Our kitchen pantry has a flimsy folding door, and Charlie has taught himself to open it and feast on the garbage. He bites the wooden slats and pulls! So now we have to have something constantly blocking the door, which makes my life annoying because I have to move a gigantic space heater every time I need to get food or throw something away.

I took some photos of the husband and the pup wrestling on Ace Ventura night. This one turned out hilarious:

Stay tuned for photos of Charlie's birthday party in April; he's inviting six of his closest friends over for cake...

Posted by: Sarah at 01:34 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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I just had a long talk with Erin about how pessimistic and depressed I've been feeling lately. I can't read LGF without wanting to cry. My stomach is still in knots about Iran. And I just watched Season 2 of 24, which is reason enough to want to crawl in a hole. I'm losing it. And then I remembered Smink's advice:

First, go buy a six pack and swig it all down.
Then, watch “Ace Ventura.”
And after that, buy a Hard Rock Café shirt and come talk to me.
You really need to lighten up, man.

I don't have a Hard Rock shirt, but maybe my "I saw the Pope -- Des Moines 1979" shirt will work? And we certainly have beer and Ace Ventura. That's what my husband and I will do tonight, because I sure need a way to relax.

I also found that my spirits were lifted reading the Tanker Brothers blog today. I realized that I want to focus on reading MilBlogs for a while; soldiers always make me feel rejuvinated.

Posted by: Sarah at 11:44 AM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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1 Hey, LGF makes me cry, too.

Posted by: Pericles at March 23, 2006 12:19 PM (ra2qX)

2 LGF makes me angry - it's the new McCarthy for a new era of fear. Also, I swallowed a pop can tab accidentally, and I'm quite worried about it.

Posted by: Will Somerset at March 23, 2006 03:05 PM (eIQfa)

3 Reading some Churchill might help, Sarah. Things looked pretty bad in the mid-late 1930s, too, and we came out of it OK. Try "The Last Lion: Alone" by William Manchester.

Posted by: David Foster at March 23, 2006 08:13 PM (qzQdM)

4 Not that I expect you care especially, but FYI, I have not been around much lately since a while back I had a few very severe seizures and have been busily bouncing around to hospitals to neurologists to radiologists to oncologists. At this point they are not assuring me that I will be alive through the end of the year, though it is still an open question whether I will recover - there are still seemingly endless tests that need to be done (and redone). On the plus side, MRIs do offer one a fair amount of time for contemplation and self reflection, just use good earplugs. Sadly I still have to work, though fortunately I can telecommute a lot, and I have good insurance. So I have been trying not to waste time on the internet (this is just a slip), but instead spending my time with things more important - reading good books that needed to be read or re-read (thank God for Plato and Plotinus) and spending more time with my Piano. There were a lot of things I never got around to. Now I realize that there are a lot I never will master that I wish I could have - lots of Chopin's beautiful waltzes, Beethoven's brilliant Sonatas (but still too hard dangit), Bach inventions, (the Goldberg variations are definitely not going to happen, alas, though they probably never would even if I live to be 100) and so on. I will be working on what I can, though since the meds make mind a bit fuzzy and my hands a bit slow, it is all the more time intensive. And of course, most of all, I need to hang out with the kids as much as possible. Kind regards and best wishes. Even if I fully recover I'll not be back, as I realize I should be spending my time on more important things. Sophia and me

Posted by: Mr. Silly at March 24, 2006 03:37 PM (xJvll)

5 Mr Silly -- I truly am very sorry to hear that. Though you and I never saw eye to eye, I certainly have never wished you harm or sadness. I hope that you do recover and live every moment to the fullest. All my best wishes, Sarah

Posted by: Sarah at March 24, 2006 03:51 PM (016Fe)

6 I found myself in the same boat as you today... so as I was reading through MilBlogs, I found you. Great site for me to find tonight. First: love your post on March 16th. Secondly: love the link you have to Homestar Runner. Many of my friends/family don't 'get' Homestar, but my husband is a HUGE fan. Now that he's 6 mo. into an 18 mo. deployment, there's no one for me to throw lines back and forth with. So it made me smile. Thanks for that!

Posted by: Emily at March 24, 2006 08:36 PM (ux3w4)

7 Mr. Silly: Stay strong, man.

Posted by: Pericles at March 24, 2006 10:48 PM (eKf5G)

8 Mr. Silly, I am saddened by your news. To think about all the bickering that has occurred in recent months, it makes me realize how menial it is in the grand scheme of things. I love my daughter with all my heart, and as a mother I sometimes get defensive when I read comments that have attacked her personally or miscontrued what she actually was trying to say. It must be very difficult to be burdened with this sadness, and I pray that either a miracle will occur and you will get well or that you will be able to live life to the fullest before it is your time to go. I've always told my kids not to judge a person until "you have walked a mile in their shoes." In light of your situation, my on-line exchanges with you now make me realize that I need to be more tolerant and understanding of those with different opinions even if I do disagree. It doesn't hurt to get one of life's lessons even at the age of 59. Take care and God bless. Nancy Sarah's Mama

Posted by: Nancy at March 26, 2006 04:20 PM (6s7Zq)

9 Mr. Silly, good luck to you in your efforts to recover your health, and consider that (from my family experience, for whatever that's worth) true, deep-seated optimism has a way of making itself medically apparent. As a cellist, my favorite Chopin is his cello sonata as recorded so intimately by Du Pre and Barenboim, which I someday hope to sit down and tackle... :-) IMHO, the passion generated by political difference has no place in the deeply personal circumstances of illness, and I sincerely wish for you a full recovery. -Piercello

Posted by: piercello at March 26, 2006 11:29 PM (plBen)

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I saw some show yesterday with some newswoman talking about the anniversary of OIF I (honestly, I can never be bothered to keep the shows or the people straight). At the very end of the segment, she said something in closing about the toll of the war blah blah and something like "in a war whose outcome is far from certain." What a defeatist way of ending the show. I'd like to think my country isn't interested in getting into wars we're not sure we're going to win. And I'd like to think that three years in we're still committed to winning instead of being "far from certain." I wish she had ended the program by saying that the road may be hard but the US is not ready to give up. How different everyone's view of this war would be if newspeople threw a dash of optimism into their reporting.

LGF got an email about casualty statistics that's really something to ponder. Anyone who has a loved one in the fight should read it. It also brings up the same thing that I said while my husband was gone: a soldier's job is to soldier. These are things we should all keep in mind as we settle into OIF IV.

Posted by: Sarah at 02:25 AM | Comments (14) | Add Comment
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1 Dang. Thanks for the link.

Posted by: Erin at March 22, 2006 06:38 AM (5IZsN)

2 BTW...Can't wait to hear how Will and Pericles argue this one.

Posted by: Erin at March 22, 2006 06:39 AM (5IZsN)

3 I too would like to think that my country isn't interested in getting into wars it isn't sure it can win. Sadly, the reality seems to be somewhat different.

Posted by: Pericles at March 22, 2006 08:31 AM (eKf5G)

4 By the way, I thought that the LGF statistics about casualty rates were silly. I'm not one to harp on the casualty rate too much, because we'd be justified in staying in a war with a much higher casualty rate if the reasons for going to war in the first place were stronger. Still, this is just playing with numbers. The implication is that you're safer fighting in Iraq than here. The problem is that the numbers for the U.S. death rate includes people dying of old age. To make it meaningful, let's see the death rate for people in the prime of their life, as the troops are. Also, let's throw in not just death numbers, but also numbers for serious injuries. How about a statistic for the number of amputations in the U.S. versus the number for troops in Iraq? One of my conservative friends was scoffing at the civil war talk after the mosque bombing, saying that the number of people killed in sectarian violence after the bombing was not much more than a bad month in Detroit. Maybe he was right, but this was a week after the bombing, i.e., a week versus a month. I'm not saying that no liberal has ever played with numbers the same way, but if they did, LGF would be all over it.

Posted by: Pericles at March 22, 2006 10:10 AM (eKf5G)

5 Well, hell must have frozen over because Pericles and I agree on the statistics. I think the better comparison would be to past conflicts. Yes, each life is precious and an unbelievable heartache to families who love them. But as military equipment improves, casualties and deaths decrease. Those statistics would be more meaningful than a comparison to the public at large.

Posted by: Oda Mae at March 22, 2006 03:06 PM (93sjs)

6 "But as military equipment improves, casualties and deaths decrease." Unfortunately, as the enemy's military equipment improves, casualties and deaths can also increase.

Posted by: Amritas at March 22, 2006 03:18 PM (+nV09)

7 Damn pericles, you hit the obvious before I even got a chance.

Posted by: Will Somerset at March 22, 2006 06:54 PM (eIQfa)

8 http://www.redstate.com/story/2006/3/20/21940/0381

Posted by: Oda Mae at March 23, 2006 02:18 AM (fRZNM)

9 What do numbers prove, exactly? If the war is just and good, then endless sacrifices are justified. If the war is illegal and immoral, than just one death is a crime.

Posted by: Will Somerset at March 23, 2006 04:37 AM (eIQfa)

10 Will, The numbers don't really prove anything, but you already knew that. But I'm confused. Who determines the legality of war? What makes the war immoral? I'm so sick of hearing people use these words to describe the conflict in Iraq! The immorality of this war isn't absolute just because people like you say it is. I'm sure I can pretty much predict what you might respond with, but seriously. I want to know how you can justify calling this war illegal and immoral (try to do it in 100 words or less...I have a low attention span).

Posted by: Erin at March 23, 2006 05:55 AM (EnpkF)

11 Prove a controversial legal and moral position in 100 words: good luck with that, Will! I think the trick is to say that any time you are talking about shooting people and blowing them up, the initial assumption should be that this is illegal and immoral. It is up to to those who think that law and morality permit war in this particular case to prove otherwise. War is guilty until proven inncocent. One can argue that Saddam's failure to comply with the cease fire agreement is a legal justification for the war. Morally, it would be harder to justify. Traditional just war theory allows for preemptive but not preventive war; you can shoot first when you're about to be attacked, but not just because you speculate that years down the road a country might attack you. My own moral criticisms would center on the President's obligation to the troops not to put their lives at risk when no important objective justifies it. I'd also say that it was a moral failure to ignore the generals' advice about the number of troops. The Bushies ignored our moral obligation to be rsponsible for order in the country after we overthrew its government.

Posted by: Pericles at March 23, 2006 08:17 AM (eKf5G)

12 Erin, The initial cause for war was the imminent danger posed by Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction. The American people and congress agreed to the war because we didn't want Saddam perpetuating his own 9/11 with a nuclear bomb. This threat didn't turn out to be try. Moreover, it seems as if intelligence was skewed by the administration to create a cause for war rather than detect one. Colin Powell, a man who survived two tours in Vietnam morally intact, calls it a 'blot' on his record. So what are we left with? Taking out Saddam was right just because he was a dictator? When this war started, human rights were only a very minor reason to enter Iraq. Human rights became more of an after-the-fact justification only when it turned out that there were no WMD or prewar links to international terrorism. The extreme measure of military invasion should be reserved for stopping ongoing or imminent mass slaughter, and that wasn't happening in Iraq in March 2003. Humanitarian intervention might have been justified to stop the Anfal genocide in 1988 against the Kurds, but there was nothing like that going on in 2003. Clearly, Saddam was an awful dictator, but there are many awful dictators in the world, and toppling an awful dictator, in my view, does not justify military intervention. And even if you did want to justify this war based on the human rights issue, the fact is that Saddam is charged with killing 148 Shiites, illegal imprisonment and torture in a crackdown launched after an assassination attempt against Hussein in the Shiite village of Dujail in 1982. Killing 148? Shit, the green river killer almost has that topped. And how many civilians have been killed as a direct result of Operation Iraqi Freedom? 20 000? 30 000? How ten of thousands are maimed for life? But let's remember that this is called Operation Iraqi FREEDOM! So then there's the freedom angle. Allright, fair enough. Let's see how it plays. I hope they are all free and democratic at the end of the day. But I'll say this: When Operation Iraqi Freedom is over, the Iraqi people better be the free-est people on the face of the planet. They better have so much freedom they can fucking fly. And so I will end with a quote from Richard Hass, former aide to President George H.W. Bush, and president of the Council on Foreign Relations: "The war has absorbed a tremendous amount of U.S. military capacity, the result being that the U.S. has far less spare or available capacity to use in the active sense or to exploit in the diplomatic sense. It has weakened our position against both North Korea and Iran. It has exacerbated U.S. fiscal problems. The war has also contributed to the world's alienation from the U.S. and made it more difficult to galvanize international support for U.S. policy toward other challenges. Iraq's legacy could also lead to renewed American public resistance to international involvement." I'm going to go outside now and do a cart-wheel. A cart-wheel for freedom.

Posted by: Will Somerset at March 23, 2006 02:57 PM (eIQfa)

13 Will: No.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at March 23, 2006 09:36 PM (RbYVY)

14 No cart-wheel?

Posted by: Will Somerset at March 24, 2006 03:44 PM (eIQfa)

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I just talked to my Swedish friend, and somehow something came up about a unit leaving for Iraq. She asked if we were still sending soldiers to Iraq, you know, since the bombing started this week.

Oh lord.

When I flipped out about the media's misrepresentation of the air assault, I honestly didn't even think about the repercussions for the global media. I didn't stop to think that the German media might be telling Germans that the US started bombing. What a mess they've caused.

Posted by: Sarah at 10:24 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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We went to Prague today.

Golly, I just love Europe.

MORE TO GROK:

Pertinent link: 17% of Americans view the US negatively

Anyway, I was just being snarky with my photo. However, I will say that my husband and I are two of the stingiest people you'll ever meet, which is part of the reason we hardly ever travel. So it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth when we spend money to go to another country and have to see crap like this. We also went to the Museum of Communism, and while we were happy to see them tell communism like it is, I was extremely disheartened to see that some of the stuff in the gift shop made fun of the US and George Bush. This just doesn't seem very appropriate to me, nor did the other poster that said something like "Remember when the US stood for freedom?" I don't see why that kind of "joke" has a place in the Museum of Communism.

Posted by: Sarah at 04:32 PM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
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Sweet merciful crap.

Right now on MSNBC on TV, they're announcing that the US has launched the biggest "air strike" in Iraq since 2003. This would be news if it were true, but what is really going on is an air assault, which is nothing like an air strike. An air strike is planes dropping bombs; an air assault is helicopters dropping troops onto the ground so they can kick down doors. Big whopping difference, news folks. Maybe you should get your damn terminology straight before you start blabbing your mouths.

As of right now, the MSNBC homepage has this graphic:

Which leads to this article: U.S. launches largest Iraq air assault in 3 years
Correct information in the article, which the military spoonfed them; incorrect information in their flashy photo.

Oh media, how I roll my eyes at you.

This is not just a nitpicky difference. The two words are completely not interchangable. Why didn't someone correct the anchorwoman, who repeated "air strike" several times? Oh, that's right, because no one at MSNBC has the first clue about the military.

Posted by: Sarah at 01:21 PM | Comments (15) | Add Comment
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I haven't had any knitting content on the blog lately because everything I was making was a secret. But now the baby knitting is over and I'm just trying to pass the time until we move. I can't start anything big, so I've just been working to keep my hands busy. In the past two weeks, I've made two pairs of socks, a scarf, and a cozy for our portable DVD player.

The scarf sprung from a challenge from The Girl. The husband and I went to see King Kong over the weekend, and I knew that I didn't want to sit for three hours without knitting. So I told The Girl I was going to try out my Blind Knitting in the darkness of a movie theater for the first time. I realized that knitting in the dark is a bit different from knitting in the light. Even though I normally watch TV while knitting -- and I can even watch subtitled flicks -- I can still sneak peeks at my work. But there were no peeks in the movie theater. I found it takes more touch to knit in the dark; I had to put my finger on every stitch in order to knit it. And I was only brave enough for garter stitch! The process was much slower, but I think in time I'll get better. Now I just have to decide if I want to take knitting to see Superman Returns or X-Men: The Last Stand. I had trouble concentrating on that scarf when King Kong was fighting three t-rexes, so I'm not sure I'll be able to concentrate at all during two movies that will be the highlight of our summer! But maybe I can perfect my Blind Knitting before Spiderman 3...

Posted by: Sarah at 05:56 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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1 Sarah - have you tried knitting with fun fur? It's all the rage here in the states right now. The scarves look adorable and they're quite warm. Not sure if you can get the fun fur there, but, when you get here - go to Michael's or the Rag Shop and you'll know what I mean.

Posted by: Kathleen A at March 14, 2006 08:06 AM (7qm8p)

2 Sarah, My mom is so excited to learn. She wants to know what knitting needles to bring and yarn...SHE CAN't WAIT...if you are still up for a lesson let me know, you can email me at home and let me know

Posted by: Stephanie at March 14, 2006 08:17 AM (Y1m/K)

3 My husband probably wouldn't let me sit next to him if I brought knitting to Spiderman 3 haha So glad you took me up on the dare!! I think that's just priceless.

Posted by: The Girl at March 14, 2006 03:42 PM (Od6M1)

4 That picture doesn't do my new scarf any justice! And I love that I can say, "Yeah, my friend knitted this in the movie theater while she watched King Kong." The color and everything is perfect. I wore it at home (by myself, on the couch) tonight because I love it so much! Thank you...

Posted by: Erin at March 14, 2006 06:30 PM (HjVHY)

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It's a coincidence that I made a cake yesterday, but maybe it's not too late to add Milosevic's name to it so he can have the same "honor" as Arafat and Saddam. "Suck it, Slobodan" has a nice ring to it too...

Posted by: Sarah at 04:10 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I just had a wistful moment at my new job. We recycle old used folders when a new client comes in, and today the folder that was on top to use was Heidi Sims'. It was sad for me to stick a new label on that folder. But at least I'm excited that Heidi will be visiting next week! I can't wait to spend some time with her now that I've gotten to know her better.

Posted by: Sarah at 09:04 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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1 Sarah, If I may ask...where do you work? I've been curious because I worked at ACS when we lived in Germany and I've been wondering if you're there or somewhere else. Have a good day

Posted by: Nicole at March 10, 2006 12:32 PM (1ECnr)

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I'm Nobody! Who are you?
Are you—Nobody—Too?
Then there's a pair of us!
Don't tell! they'd advertise—you know!

Earth heard a rumor that there's water on Enceladus...

Posted by: Sarah at 06:17 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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After the Incident, I knew we had to get a professional involved. Charlie's hair has been steadily getting more tangled. I handed over one big mess of hair to the dog groomer today...

and this is what they handed me back...

He doesn't even look like the same dog! But I'm sure this hair situation, although a bit chilly for our snow, will be much better for summer in South Carolina.

Posted by: Sarah at 08:38 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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1 He looks really sweet. Winston always looks like a different dog when they cut his hair too.

Posted by: Stephanie at March 09, 2006 08:46 AM (Y1m/K)

2 Ohhh... those Teddy Bear eyes. So sweet.

Posted by: Ruth H at March 09, 2006 10:13 AM (mcTrg)

3 Look at that face.....well, now that you can see it, that is. :-)

Posted by: Tammi at March 09, 2006 11:28 AM (lfQya)

4 Do you want me to crochet him a doggie sweater? He looks cute shaved but I must say I liked the hair in the eyes look too

Posted by: Angie at March 09, 2006 03:35 PM (SA3c9)

5 By summer you'll have to have him shaved again.

Posted by: Kathleen A at March 09, 2006 11:04 PM (7qm8p)

6 Oh my goodness, what a difference! He looks like Toby did a couple of months ago when I got him groomed. He looked like a little rat when I picked him up. I found out the next time I went in that they had gotten the files mixed up and cut Toby's hair really short. One nice thing--it grows back quickly! And Charlie's stil the sweet, lovable pup that he was before he got his haircut. I sure miss his kises when he'd come into the bedroom and literally fly through the air and land right on my face so he could give me kisses! It won't be long before I see all three of you! Charlie's "new do" makes him look a little angelic! Your Mama

Posted by: Nancy at March 10, 2006 03:07 AM (6s7Zq)

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Colby Buzzell has another article out in the March issue of Esquire. Personally, Buzzell is a bit too existentialist for my taste, but this article features our friend LT A who was injured in Mosul. I can't believe LT A remembers pushing his own intestines back into his stomach...

Posted by: Sarah at 03:57 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I suppose today is a milestone of sorts, though I don't really know how exactly it should be celebrated. My husband returned from Iraq one year ago today. I feel blessed that I've had him for 12 consecutive months without another deployment on the horizon; that's something to cherish in today's military. And that's all I have to say about that.

Posted by: Sarah at 07:58 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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This article will give you a lump in your throat. Heck, I got misty-eyed just reading the title: At his 80th birthday party, Holocaust survivor meets soldier who liberated him

Posted by: Sarah at 07:48 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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