The husband is busy finishing up his MBA before he deploys, so that's why I'm writing about so many TV shows. Anyway, today I watched that National Geographic show Aftermath: Population Zero. I wanted to watch it after Lileks wrote about it, but I guess I remembered him writing more favorably about it. I checked his post again during the show and realized that it wasn't exactly a glowing report. What he said was this: "If the Aftermath show has any message, itÂ’s how useless the world would be without people." I thought he meant that's what the program showed. Nope, that's just what Lileks himself took away from the story.

I can't get past the absurdity of the claim that all humans disappeared from the face of the earth in the blink of an eye, leaving their cars and microwaves running, but no animals were touched. I can't think of any scenario that would make that happen, so some of the animal scenes seemed pretty dumb. Though I did thoroughly enjoy watching a skunk eat Frankenberry cereal.

I did enjoy watching the physics of crumbling buildings. But overall I spent most of the time rolling my eyes at how evil and awful human beings have been for the poor earth. Yep, we ruined everything.

Lileks again:

IÂ’d love to read an interview with Gaia in which she says that her goal all along was to come up with a species that could produce Beethoven and make rockets to send the music deep into space.

Now there's something to mull over...

Posted by: Sarah at 11:13 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I just watched a show on the Discovery Channel called "Ocean of Fear" about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis. I had never heard this story before: the cruiser was sunk by the Japanese, and the survivors floated in the Phillipine Sea for four days, suffering dehydration, injuries, and shark attacks. Shark attacks. Can you imagine surviving a torpedo in war only to float among sharks for days? And then imagine having your hand bit off by a shark and being shoved off the raft to fend for yourself because your crewmates think you'll attract more sharks.

The wikipedia entry contains this sentence:

While the Indianapolis sent distress calls before sinking, the Navy long claimed that they were never received because the ship was operating under a policy of radio silence; declassified records show that three SOS messages were received separately, but none were acted upon because one commander was drunk, another had ordered his men not to disturb him and a third thought it was a Japanese prank.

Imagine if this happened today. I have never heard of this WWII disaster at all -- and perhaps that's just my ignorance -- but it would be a major scandal if anything remotely like this happened today. People like to blame Bush and Rumsfeld for everything under the sun, but it's not like mistakes haven't been made in previous wars.

And a commander getting too drunk to answer an SOS and letting 500 men die floating in the water, well, the word "mistake" doesn't even begin to describe it.

(And shows like this, this is why I usually watch reruns of cop dramas. At least they're fiction. This just makes my heart shudder. It's excruciating. I will probably fret about this story for the rest of the day.)

Posted by: Sarah at 09:57 AM | Comments (13) | Add Comment
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Charlie thinks that you should read this article about the oppression of his people: Why Do Palestinians Get Much More Attention than Tibetans?

He also thinks the Tibetan people could learn from the Tibetan terriers, such as how to hide.

Posted by: Sarah at 06:13 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Knitters watch a lot of TV. And since I've been cranking out baby gifts and scarves for my mama and squares for HCC, I watch a lot of TV during the day. Oh hooey, I won't even blame it on the knitting; I like watching TV. And I try to watch interesting things on the National Geographic channel, but they take more concentration than reruns of cop dramas, and I need that concentration for the knitting.

But I've discovered a funny side-effect of all this TV: I am starting to dream about TV characters as if they're people in my life, or as if I'm in an episode of their show. About a week ago, I dreamt about Calleigh Duquesne and Eric Delko. I just thought it was funny when I woke up. But two days later, I was solving a murder with Goren and Eames. The next night, I hung out with Wash from Firefly, and then last night I was a high schooler sitting next to Sam Weir. It's starting to creep me out.

I am turning into Mike TV.

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How do you know you're not in regular Army anymore? The husband gets reprimanded for wearing his hair too short.

Also, my husband said that he has some reading to do before he deploys. I said that it was fine, that we could sit together and read quietly. But he said that my idea wouldn't work because the reading he has to do is classified documents that he cannot take home from work. I replied that there were ways around this, you know. Just stuff the papers in your pants and socks. If it's good enough for Sandy Berger, it's good enough for us, right?

Posted by: Sarah at 02:33 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 Ha! Just tell him to put it in his "classifed" pocket for safe-keeping.

Posted by: Tootie at March 28, 2008 06:27 PM (DMJyM)

2 Hmm I'll have to remember your suggestion. I hate it when hubs says he has to go do some reading in the vault. I think its his way of making sure no one can bother him for a few hours!

Posted by: lea at March 29, 2008 02:26 AM (NJQf+)

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Sis B left a comment in the last post. Excerpt:

As far as entitlement... I'm always at a loss here. I have been in situations when I desperately needed a hand up. I have friends who have needed that as well. All of us have used what little we could get by with and managed to get back up on our feet. That's the way "the system" should work.

However, I also know people who have lived in public housing for SIXTY years. Without ever trying to leave. People like that ruin things for everyone else who just need a boost.

I totally agree with this. This is what Bill Whittle meant when he said, "we no longer have a safety net; we have created a safety hammock." I agree that there are times when people need help, and there should be someone they can turn to in a pinch. But I fear there just aren't that many "The Pursuit of Happyness" people out there. I think once you get used to getting something for free, it's hard to let it go. Or once you get used to the government taking care of things, why do it yourself?

I have had a battle raging in my head like this for months now, over something so trivial but completely representative of my beliefs. And it's become a value struggle for me. It's over prenatal vitamins. In the military, we get all prescriptions for free, including prenatal vitamins. But only after you get pregnant, not just while you're trying. I've been buying bottle after bottle of these vitamins for over a year now, and every time I buy them, I get a little mad that I have to shell out the eight bucks myself when I think the Army should just let me have them. For the past six years, I haven't asked for hardly anything from Tricare, so I feel entitled to those damned vitamins, especially since they'd give them to me for free if my body would just cooperate and get pregnant. And when I did get pregnant, I got a bottle for free. When I miscarried, I wanted to go in before the pharmacy found out I'd lost the baby and grab more of the danged vitamins.

It's so stupid and trivial that it seems laughable to write about it. But I think about it all the time: why do I feel entitled to those silly vitamins? Why does it make me mad to pay for them? Simple: because in different circumstances, I would get them for free. It makes me feel like I should get them for free all the time.

How I hate to admit that I have had such a thought.

It's really playing mindgames on me. I don't like the realization that I think the government owes me prenatal vitamins. I don't like the fact that I want to get them for free. I am considering punishing myself for my bad behavior by forcing myself to buy them if I get pregnant instead of taking any of them for free; that's how ashamed I am at my entitlement mentality. And I think I have a pretty hefty libertarian streak in me; I can only imagine what other people think the government owes them.

OK, so let's expand out to something less trivial than vitamins. My husband went in the field this past week. He needed certain gear from CIF, but they didn't have everything he needed. So he was in a bind: he had to have it for the field, but he couldn't get it from the Army at that moment. So he had to buy his own gear, stuff he could've gotten for free if the supply sergeant hadn't been on leave when my husband inprocessed. Stuff like a pistol holster, magazine pouches, etc. It was infuriating to spend all that money on stuff he's entitled to. But it made me think about Kim du Toit's Walter-Adam Fund. His readers raised money to buy things that the Army was theoretically supposed to provide for soldiers, like scopes or rangefinders. But the du Toits insisted that soldiers who fought in our Revolutionary War fought with the guns they owned and shirts on their backs. That our nation was founded on people providing for themselves instead of waiting for the government to hand them what they need. And, the du Toits continued, that if some were willing to go fight, we should be willing to back them financially, and not just through our taxes. That we have a duty to go above and beyond what the government does for our troops.

Kim du Toit rephrased this very old and lost-in-cyberspace post when he wrote about renewing the Walter-Adam Fund.

I know, I know: the Army should be getting them this stuff, not private individuals. That’s the ideal. But anyone who’s ever been exposed to the .mil knows that this doesn’t always happen—and in fact it can’t always happen. That’s where we step in. It’s not the government’s Army—it’s our Army. The Army is supposed to feed and support these kids at all times, and they do a pretty good job of it. Yet, if they were fighting on our soil, and during a lull in the fighting a soldier came to your door and asked for some food and drink, would you turn him away with the words: “The Army is supposed to give you food and drink”? Of course you wouldn’t. You’d empty out your pantry, or take food off your own plate if you had to.

In keeping with the NoR’s motto of “One Citizen At A Time”, therefore, these funds are run on pretty much the “One Soldier At A Time” philosophy too. I can’t get a regiment new tanks or Bradleys, but I can help improve the lives of a few soldiers, actual breathing individuals to whom I can write and speak, and then share that with all of you.

And if we can get them gear rather than just care packages, stuff which will help them kill enemy bastards, then so much the better. We are the Nation of Riflemen, after all, not the Red Cross.

This has stuck with me for the years, years, since I donated to the original Walter-Adam Fund. The du Toits believe so much in having the government stay out of our affairs that they're willing to put their money where their mouth is and spend their own money -- after they've already provided for our nation's defense via taxes -- to provide gear for the soldiers at war. I am humbled to write on the same internet as such people.

And it's a swift kick in the rear when I think that I've gotten hung up on vitamins.

The thing is, I don't like the feeling that I am entitled to anything, be it vitamins or a pistol holster. In the end, I am responsible for the baby I may have, and my husband is responsible for his own safety. If we waited for the government to do these things for us, they might not get done, even if it's the government's job to do it. They're supposed to give my husband the gear he needs. Well, what if they can't? Ultimately, we need to step up to the plate and assume the cost.

I'm rambling worse than Sis B thought she was. In the end, what I am trying to say is this: If something needs to get done, I need to do it. If my baby didn't get enough folic acid and then had problems, how could I possibly have the nerve to blame the government for not letting me have free vitamins. If my husband doesn't have enough rounds to be safe because he doesn't have magazine pouches on his body armor, we can't blame the supply sergeant for that. It's our lives and we're in control.

So what happens when we move to a society where everyone is getting more and more things for free? What happens when every woman gets free prenatal vitamins? I am certain that most of them won't have the same moral dilemma I have with receiving them. And what happens when the government says that everyone is entitled to affordable college or health care or social security? And then they run out of social security like they ran out of pistol holsters? Few people are gonna suck it up and go out and buy their own like we did. There's only so much social security money to go around, and what happens when people start screaming to get theirs?

Entitlement isn't just about welfare or government housing. It's about expecting the government to do anything for you, including things they're supposed to do (like pistol holsters). The only person you should count on is yourself. Buy your own vitamins, get your own magazine pouches, and plan for your own college or retirement.

If more people lived as if there were no safety net, we sure wouldn't have this safety hammock.

Posted by: Sarah at 08:08 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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1 I just deleted another long disseratation about what happens when you get things for free. Now I feel like I have to call someone and argue about this.

Posted by: airforcewife at March 28, 2008 08:45 AM (mIbWn)

2 Rambling or not, this is a great post. I've never forced myself to put it into words like you (and du Toit) did, but this is exactly why I am so serious about "troop support" non-profits. If something needs to get done, I need to do it. Exactly. The military/government isn't taking as good care of our troops as they ideally should (could?). Things are better in many ways than they were back in 2002/2003, but there are still problems--gaps, foul-ups, inefficiencies, delays, etc. So, we step up to fill in. And one of the great things about this kind of "stepping up" is that, for us civilians, the military then becomes more and more ours, reinforcing a bond that is vital for a healthy society.

Posted by: FbL at March 28, 2008 02:32 PM (rW1/8)

3 I know this is completely beside the point, but he will almost certainly be happier with a holster that he buys himself as opposed to the issue item. And if it's any consolation, I was a machine gunner and had to carry the silly thing around with me on the base because not only could they not provide me with a pistol holster--they couldn't provide me with the pistol (!). Too many FOBbits traded in their M-16s for pistols for convenience, so I had no backup weapon. On the plus side, people give you more space when you carry a SAW into the PX. Sig

Posted by: Sig at March 28, 2008 08:58 PM (7uphd)

4 I felt supremely guilty about all of the fertility efforts made on our behalf for free. Beyond the vitamins. Things people without healthcare or with pretty much any other healthcare can't even afford to consider. For free. And further down the line, for small small fractions of the cost to those outside the tricare world. It is a great thing. I preferred buying the prenatal vitamins at the local corner drugstore. Between the lines at the walter reed pharmacy and dc traffic, getting my free vitamins raised my blood pressure too much I would have needed more free medication to regulate it. But I have to admit the cost of college bothers me greatly. I can't stand that the price of textbooks goes higher and higher every semester. It is absurd to me that we have to limit how many classes we take by how many books we can afford to buy. I don't want things for free. I just wish there was a measure of sensibility and fairness in some things.

Posted by: wifeunit at March 30, 2008 09:56 PM (9Qx0C)

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I want to do a knitting update. But I can't. Everything I am making is a present for someone who reads the blog. I can't ruin the surprises. But -- get ready to gasp -- I am getting ready to start making something for myself soon. It's been a long while. I am going to make one of these Magknits shirts for summer. For me. Mine, all mine. Also I am itching to make socks. I plan to give these more-fun-than-cables socks a go while we're in the car heading back to the Midwest for block leave.

Mmmm. Selfish knitting.

Posted by: Sarah at 05:27 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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1 Those knit t-shirts are COOL! Can't wait to see what phrase you knit in.

Posted by: CaliValleyGirl at March 28, 2008 06:37 AM (U2RJu)

2 tee hee. I'm reading the blog. thanks for not spoiling any surprises . sounds like you are on the go? i hope your families are well!

Posted by: Kate at March 28, 2008 10:46 AM (JIGe1)

3 Ooh, I read your blog, so what am I gettin'?

Posted by: Oda Mae at March 28, 2008 10:55 AM (A5BOd)

4 I'm ENTITLED, right? And I get it for free?

Posted by: Oda Mae at March 28, 2008 10:56 AM (A5BOd)

5 Yeah, what Oda Mae said. Where's our free stuff?

Posted by: Mare at March 28, 2008 12:00 PM (EI19G)

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Hillary Clinton was in town today, and they broadcast her speech on the radio. I happened to catch quite a bit of it because I was driving a long distance today. And a lot of it made my skin crawl.

I'll be fair here; it's not just Hillary. John McCain's speech the other day made me want to puke, what with his global warming and closing Gitmo. I don't like listening to politicians in general. I hate how politicians promise everything to everyone. If I'm elected, I'm going to do this and this and this. No details, no actual plans that can be analyzed for efficacy, just feel-good drivel. Ick. I want my politicians to be like my husband or my dad, putting out the vibe that life is hard and you have to make tough choices sometimes. You can't always get everything for free, and government isn't here to grant your every wish. I want Rachel Lucas' news network called "Tough Shit, America."

Instead, politicians promise the moon. Hillary said she's going to create more jobs, make college more affordable, give everyone health care, fix social security without privatizing it, and a host of other stuff. And all of this is supposed to happen without raising taxes on the middle class. Well, the poor don't pay squat, so guess who's footing the bill: people who actually do create jobs.

I don't want politicians doing most of this stuff. Make college more affordable? College should be a privilege, not a right, and newsflash: not everyone should go. Moreover, you don't have the right to borrow money at 2% interest so you can better yourself. Get real. I've been reading Milton Friedman's Capitalism and Freedom, and he advocated no government funding of higher education at all. No state-run universities, nothing. That's hardcore. But education is not the role of the federal government.

And creating more jobs, what an empty promise. She said that the backbone of any economy is "making things" and that we need to stop losing our manufacturing jobs. Why? John Stossel says

Manufacturing jobs are no better for America than other jobs. Some argue that they are worse. How many parents want their children to work in factories rather than offices? Increasing service jobs in medical, financial and computer sectors while importing manufactured goods doesn't hurt America. It helps America.

I think it was Neal Boortz who said a while back that manufacturing jobs are beneath Americans. That thought raised my eyebrows, but I see what he means. Why would we want to increase the sector of the economy with the lowest skilled jobs? Let's work with our brains, not with our fingers.

And during the question period, someone asked Hillary what she'll do to fight racism. Tom tapdancing Cruise. I don't want my president to do anything to fight racism, save not being racist himself. Otherwise, the federal government has no business meddling in race relations. Blech.

Hillary also told a sob story about why we need health care for everyone. Some girl in Ohio got pregnant and couldn't afford the $100 fee to see a doctor. In the end, she had to get taken to the emergency room and she and the baby died. Sad, terrible story. But here's the bitch in me: if you don't have $100, why on earth are you having a baby? Don't get yourself knocked up if you can't afford to protect the baby's health or your own. I don't want the Face Of Health Care Woes to be that rich SCHIP family, but I don't want it to be pregnant unwed girls either. I don't want to foot the bill so some other pregnant girl doesn't have to pay to go to the doctor, when we saved every spare dime we've made for the past six years so we'd be ready for our own baby.

The speech closed with a question on what Hillary planned to do to prevent heart disease. She actually said the phrase, "We're gonna have to do more to change people's behavior." Gulp. That's not the government's job either.

Bleh, government makes me ill.

Posted by: Sarah at 02:12 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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1 I had this really long comment typed, but I don't want to subject anyone to my endless tirades about entitlement attitudes.

Posted by: airforcewife at March 27, 2008 02:47 PM (mIbWn)

2 I just had a conversation this morning with a friend about this! I'm with AFW, I could go on and on about entitlement issues. It makes me sick.

Posted by: ABW at March 27, 2008 04:47 PM (Y3JJK)

3 I'm with you on listening to Hillary. Or any political speeches, for that matter. I always want to slap her, though, moreso than the other candidates. In fact, (and I cannot believe I am putting this in type), if by some miracle for her campaign I have to choose between her and McCain... I'm voting for McCain. As far as entitlement... I'm always at a loss here. I have been in situations when I desperately needed a hand up. I have friends who have needed that as well. All of us have used what little we could get by with and managed to get back up on our feet. That's the way "the system" should work. However, I also know people who have lived in public housing for SIXTY years. Without ever trying to leave. People like that ruin things for everyone else who just need a boost. So I really don't know what the answer is. I'm torn between compassion for people who are down on their luck, and the whole "Tough Shit, America" concept. Recovering from bad decisions shouldn't be easy. At the same time, I don't think people should die or children suffer because of lack of funds (regardless of the decisions which led them to the rough spot). I think I'm rambling and exhausted. I should delete my long comment like AFW, but I'm too dang stubborn for that. I might come back tomorrow and clarify. Because that's what you need, more wordiness in your comments.

Posted by: Sis B at March 27, 2008 06:41 PM (0ZS+T)

4 I read the Stars and Stripes the other day - rag that it is - and of course Ann Landers, or Dear Abby or whatever's in there. The writer was a single female, had bought a house and her parents lent her the money at a low rate of interest so she could afford it. She's writing to say that her parents paid for the weddings of her two sisters (she's forty and has no plans to marry) so she was ENTITLED to the money and her parents should just give it to her and erase the loan, since they didn't have to pay for nonexixtent wedding. SMH. (Are you impressed I'm up with the 'urban' culture? That's "shaking my head" for those of you who aren't sad enough to bookmark the online urban dictionary.)

Posted by: Oda Mae at March 28, 2008 12:26 AM (1xh4T)

5 I listen to Neal a lot. I've heard him make similar comments & usually it has to do with people who are not educated, but who see good, honest jobs as beneath them because, you know, they are BETTER than that. Not sure if that's the rant he was on when you heard him, but usually it's more of a: Hey, get off your arse & go to work & quit making the rest of us pay for you." No, a job sticking together parts is NOT worth $35/hour, so don't be surprised when your jobs move south BUT don't lie around whining that McDonald's only pays minimum wage when you didn't finish school or take advantage of opportunities in life either.

Posted by: Guard Wife at March 28, 2008 03:52 AM (GPWZ1)

6 "Manufacturing" doesn't always mean "low-skilled"...see my post Misvaluing Manufacturing. Also, there is a lot more manufacturing going on in the U.S. today than journalists and politicians seem to realize; see this. Much of the employment decline in U.S. manufacturing is due to improve productivity, just as farm employment declined while food production went up. There have also been many government actions & policies which have been harmful to U.S. manufacturing, and a high % of these have been sponsored by Democrats.

Posted by: david foster at March 28, 2008 04:53 AM (ke+yX)

7 There are times in life when people need help, and I think it should be there for them. Someone can't help getting laid off from a job. Or their spouse leaving them with the kids. But they are not entitled to it for life. I totally agree that higher education is a privilege and not a right. It's also become an industry. It's like our educational system has been extended to 16 years and you have to pay for the last 4.

Posted by: Mare at March 28, 2008 04:56 AM (EI19G)

8 I could write a whole blog post on employee attitudes about jobs being beneath them, but lacking the skills to do a better job...I think I just might. But I wanted to put in my 2 cents about manufacturing in the US. I think there is always room for highly efficient/good quality manufacturing. For example, Germany still does a lot of manufacturing: its secondary sector is about 35% of the work force, and German products are held in high esteem: Zwilling knives, Audi, VW, Posche, Mercedes, BMW, Siemens products, etc, not to mention plants making many of the sub-components for these products. And because the manufacturing is highly mechanized, the employees are actually paid quite well. I remember when I had a summer job in a factory in Germany, and I parked in the employee parking lot among many Mercedeses, VWs and BMWs. So, if America were to take the same tact and focus on highly efficient high-quality manufacturing, there would definitely be a world market for that. It was pretty interesting: recently we got an inquiry from China about our manufactured product, and they wanted to sell it there...and we replied: well, we don't actually have plans on opening a Chinese factory anytime soon. And the representative protested and said: no, no, no, we want American-made products! They are very prestigious here in China! It's all relative, I guess...

Posted by: CaliValleyGirl at March 28, 2008 05:29 AM (U2RJu)

9 It would be nice if we focused on high quality manufacturing... which is actually more like craftsmanship, I think. And some people are better suited to working with their hands than solving complex equations. I had one student in school who was consistently getting low grades in academic subjects - his parents were mortified he wanted to be a foreign auto mechanic and came in to talk about preparing him for college. I asked them if they had realized he would make a LOT more money being a mechanic than he would, you know, teaching. and one of the points I can't help but resurrect from my deleted Russian-novel-length comment was about Hillary's "poor pregnant woman". I got pregnant at 17 - with no insurance. That's why medicaid will cover ANY pregnant woman no matter how much money she makes. They also cover ANY child under a year of age no matter how much money a parent makes. The thing is, you have to actually go sit in the Social Services office for hours (sometimes days) and actually bring in documents and fill out paperwork. In other words, you have to take some sort of responsibility for your own actions. I know, I know, it's totally fascist of them to expect someone to actually jump through some hoops for medical care! Politicians pushing these programs count on the fact that few people have any understanding of what is already in place or what is required for them. So they leave crucial details out of their "oh, the poor victims!" speeches.

Posted by: airforcewife at March 28, 2008 06:05 AM (mIbWn)

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As I was leaving my house tonight to have dinner with friends, I noticed a dog wandering on my street. I started to drive away since I was already a few minutes late, but I changed my mind and called the dog over to me. He had tags, but nothing that indicated where he belonged.

(Incidentally, what is up with that? We get dogs roaming our neighborhood all the time, and none of them ever have a tag with their address or phone number on it. What is wrong with people?)

He did have a tag noting that he was chipped, with a 1-800 number. I took him home -- he followed quite willingly -- and called the people. They tracked him down and called the owners; no answer. They left a message saying I had their dog and to call me. I left this dog in our backyard while I went to dinner.

I should've remembered Mare's warning. He was a beautiful husky mix, just so handsome. He also apparently had the husky's digging fetish. I got home from dinner and he was gone, leaving me with a major hole under the fence. Now I know how he disappeared from his owner's house.

I hope he's OK and found his way home.
I'm kind of sad; Charlie wanted to keep him.

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Hilary Clinton's foreign policy experience is that once she went to Bosnia when someone might've had the opportunity to shoot in her general direction. Hmmm. I think that means Jessica Simpson also has the same amount of foreign policy experience. After all, she says she heard mortar rounds in Iraq.

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Last night I went to my first political rally, to support Fred Smith for governor. I met him last fall when I was invited with other bloggers to his home. And since our state primary is approaching in about five weeks (lordy loo, we still haven't gotten anywhere near voting here), Fred Smith is out and about, again with his good friend Lee Greenwood.

Now, all I really needed to know about this candidate is that Lorie Byrd is working for him. That's pretty much a good enough endorsement for me, and I probably would've voted for him just based on that knowledge. But I really like Fred Smith's stuff, and I hope he makes it all the way to the top. Most of my friends are internet-based, but if any of you reading this live and vote in the same state as I do, please consider reading about Fred Smith and voting for him in May.

So I got all pumped up on patriotism again last night, my drug of choice. Of course Lee Greenwood sang "God Bless the USA" again, which brings the house down. And I can't get enough of the song he wrote for Fred Smith's campaign:

But honestly, the thing that touched me the most last night was something so small, so unnoticed. The stage in the auditorium had two flags on it, the US flag and the state flag. And before the rally got started, I noticed some men from Fred Smith's staff fussing around the US flag. They left and came back with a cinder block and lifted the flag stand up onto the block. A lady sitting behind me asked her husband why they were bothering with that silly brick.

The American flag was bigger than the state flag and was too big for its stand. It was dragging on the ground, and these men had set to work getting that flag off the floor.

My heart grew three sizes.

That's a heck of a campaign staff. No Che flags in this bunch.

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The Washington Post put out an article on why the recent crop of Iraq war movies aren't doing so well. What's their take?

For now, Kuntz agrees with Bochco: "We're bombarded by information about [Iraq] 24 hours a day," he says. "We already know plenty about it. We don't need to learn more about it from the movies. Right now, it's something people want to forget and escape from. I speak for the American public when I say, 'What a bummer.' "

I speak for my blog when I say, "What a jackass."

They go through this huge list of anti-war movies and wonder why the public isn't interested. Hmmm, let me take a stab at it: Make a movie like 300, and people will flock to the theater. Make the soldiers the freaking good guys, and you've got yourself a hit; make them rapists or dupes or Tools of the Bushitler Oil Junta, and no one wants to see your damn movie.

Maybe dumb people think the Iraq war is a "bummer" because all your movies present it that way.

You know, Neil tried to shop his blog Armor Geddon around as a book. No one wanted to buy it. They told him it needed more inner-angst. He needed to be more conflicted about his role in the war. He needed to not rejoice when they blew up a house full of terrorists. Eventually he gave up, because they weren't buying what he was selling: a book about a soldier who was proud of his platoon and proud to support the mission.

But I bet people would've bought his book. Regular, average, everyday Americans want patriotism, heroes, and victory. They don't want inner-angst and movies about soldiers who got stop-lossed and don't really want to be there.

Sheesh, any waitress or truck driver could figure this out. But apparently journalists from The Washington Post think it's a mystery.

Posted by: Sarah at 09:03 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Must...stop...fingers from typing.

Stop talking about not having a baby.

Just stop.

No one wants to hear it. No one cares. I mean, they do care, but they don't need to hear about it every day.

Just talk about something else. What's Obama doing? Talk about that guy who died and came back to life. Something, anything else.

But all I can do is sit here and think about how it wasn't supposed to be like this. Having a baby was supposed to be happy, fun, natural. I never envisioned this for myself.

Oh lord, I'm Dante Hicks.

Just, bleh. Talk about something else. Don't write about this anymore. The more you write about it, the more people comment and send you emails, which means the more you think about it, which means the more depressed you get.

Duh. Stop it.

Posted by: Sarah at 08:46 AM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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1 *hugs* I left something for you over on my blog. The SPAM filters aren't letting it through, though.

Posted by: Stephanie at March 25, 2008 10:35 AM (kzbE/)

2 "Oh lord, I'm Dante Hicks." Without the facial furniture and pants tucked in the boots, naturally. Nice to know that the hometown heroes are all worried about the same things. All my best. And, oh yeah - what's up slut? (think we'll be explaining that one to everyone else also?) I'm hoping for you. - trr

Posted by: Sarah's pinko commie friend at March 25, 2008 10:53 AM (c0h9C)

3 Meh, could be worse. No one could send you emails or comments. How 'bout a Charlie update? Cute dogs fix everything. Serioulsy? What do you think about Hilary 'mis-speaking' about Bosnia?

Posted by: Mare at March 25, 2008 11:02 AM (EI19G)

4 Howzabout we talk about my musings over my dog's orientation? The way he pined about Charlie leaving, I have my suspicions... That would explain his fastidiousness and penchant for velvet dog beds, though.

Posted by: airforcewife at March 25, 2008 11:30 AM (mIbWn)

5 I wouldn't call your posts about trying to conceive 'entertaining' but I am totally mesmerized by the window into your life and feelings. I know how you feel! Three years and three miscarriages fucking sucked and I really didn't overly blog about it but now wish that I had. And I, too, thought that it was getting too obsessive..... But your feelings and experiences are so true. It is a human suffering, my friend suffering, and when I read about how you're doing and not about stupid Hillary or slippery Obama, I am relieved. Talk about overkill! Obsessive? Yeah, but I am, too, and so are probably most of your loyal friends and readers! I have full faith that whatever road you are led/forced down, you will not only make the best of it, but by sharing, help others who are feeling exactly as you are but don't know how to say it. And now that I am personally out of that shit-storm, I can't give good advice.... Except to keep on truckin! I would tell my husband on the 'lottery nights' to "make a deposit" for me to sleep on. It worked eventually, but damn if I hadn't given up hope that last time.... "Do it if you want to, but I'll be watching Craig Ferguson." How much is too much? You'll know when you get there....

Posted by: Allison at March 25, 2008 07:28 PM (2PnS2)

6 Allison makes some excellent points. I've never been through the experience but have watched it really really suck for a lot of my friends. Write about it, don't write about it. Do whatever you feel you need to do to get through it. We're here because we like hearing what you have to say. Having friends gets you through some of the crappiest times in life.

Posted by: Mare at March 26, 2008 04:58 AM (EI19G)

7 If writing about it helps, then do it. Write it here, or put it down on paper. There's always the satisfaction of the 'delete' button when you're finished, or you can set it on fire or tear it to shreds when you are done. If posting helps, then do it. Don't worry about what the rest of us want to read. If you want/need our support, we'll always be here to provide it. No matter what the topic.

Posted by: Ann M. at March 26, 2008 08:19 AM (HFUBt)

8 Sarah - I agree with the others. Sometimes it just feels better to write it out. This is your blog. Write if you want to. I dont even know you but I will keep reading. I will keep hoping that your dreams come true & that where ever the road leads, there will still be happiness. Take care -

Posted by: Keri at March 26, 2008 05:48 PM (HXpRG)

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Posted by: mysekstv at April 14, 2008 02:41 PM (4ypBx)

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Oda Mae sent a touching link: a 5-year-old boy "enlisted" in the Army as part of the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Sniff.

Posted by: Sarah at 03:56 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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LauraB asks a pertinent question in the comments section:

So for those people who cannot/have not/may never conceive - isn't there a point at which you just have to surrender to it and live your lives together even if it is childless?

I have thought a lot about this too over the past year.

Look, I am an obsessive type person. I think that if you're going to do something, you do it wholeheartedly. So when we weren't quite ready for children, we were actively preventing the possibility. Every single time, no exceptions, for many years. So when we decided it was time for a family, it just wasn't in our nature to take the whatever-happens-happens approach. I am an all-or-nothing gal; I immediately started maximizing chances for baby to happen. I read books, websites, sought tips, everything. I began charting immediately. It was the exact opposite of the diligence with which we had previously prevented pregnancy.

My ultimate fear isn't necessarily that we might not be able to have kids. It's that I might not be able to "switch off" this diligence. We are trying to have a baby; at what point do we give up? When do you give up hope? Because, really, it's the hope that kills you. It's the hope, every month, that you might've gotten what you wanted.

If a doctor told me tomorrow that I would never have kids, that there was no chance of it happening, I could mourn and then move on. And I would recover and go on to lead a happy and normal life. Because I wouldn't be trying anymore.

And I was never one of those women who loves babies or wanted to be a kindergarten teacher her whole life. This may sound terrible, but there's a part of me that's ready to throw in the towel because the more elusive it gets, the less important it feels. The less emotional it feels. I think human beings ought to procreate, and I think that people with stable, loving homes like ours are a good place for kids. (And Mark Steyn makes me think I need to have ten of them, to shore up our numbers.) I was always fairly matter-of-fact about having a baby anyway, and this year of over-thinking it hasn't helped any. My husband re-convinces me every day to keep trying, because I'd love to abandon hope and forget about it.

It's the trying, the hope, that's beating me down.

Posted by: Sarah at 03:30 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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1 I think that it wears every couple down after awhile. The hope really is the worst thing--especially when you get no answers from tests and the like. Because they just feed into that 'maybe next time everything will be fine' thing. As hard as it was for me to be "wasting cycles" (or whatever you want to call it) while my husband was deployed, it did serve as a good mental and emotional break for me. There was no pressure, no hope, no possibility of failure, no nothing. Just a chance to recharge myself and the ability to think about why it was important to me and if it was still worth putting myself through it again when he got home. While your husband is deployed, you get to take that same kind of time and switch it off a bit. See how it feels. By the time he gets back, you may have your answer.

Posted by: Ann M. at March 25, 2008 04:03 AM (HFUBt)

2 Ann M, I totally get that. The first thing I felt when he said he was deploying was the weight lifted, freeing me from the albatross of procreation. It was a relief. Of course, a day later they told me we could bank sperm and keep trying while he's gone, so the weight was right back on

Posted by: Sarah at March 25, 2008 04:08 AM (TWet1)

3 I have to echo Laura, I pretty much always knew I wasn't going to have kids. So I never watched the clock. It was never about wanting or not wanting them. It was about being able to be a parent with the right person. I can't stress how important that was. While there are times I have been sad about it, I've never been miserable because I know it won't happen. I think it becomes this huge merry go round of pressure and disappointment, month after month after month. And when people tell you to relax they aren't necessarily just trying to be nice. Check out the studies on relaxation and fertility. Think about what stress biochemicals do to your body. I know a few people who took a break from worrying about it for a few months and went back to it with a better mindset.

Posted by: Mare at March 25, 2008 05:50 AM (EI19G)

4 I think that it's important to "try it on for size" so to speak. About midway through the 4 years we spent trying to have our daughter we took a break. Stepped off that merciless hope rollercoaster. It was incredibly therapeutic to envision the future without any kids at all, and to see how I really felt about that. It took about 10 months, and then I was ready to get back on again. We are going through something similar now with secondary infertility, trying to envision our family as complete. Hang in there.

Posted by: dutchgirl at March 25, 2008 08:41 AM (i1RnJ)

5 We haven't been trying nearly as long as you guys. And I couldn't handle the pressure after a few months. You're a stronger, more masochistic person than I. :p To echo dutchgirl up above me, my husband and I were just talking the other day about how much we like having the other one to ourselves. I mean, that's why we came together in the first place; we love one another. Whether we have kids or not, there is a future for us. More importantly, there is the present. Anyway, until we have kids I need - for my own sanity and for our relationship - to enjoy our alone time.

Posted by: Spants at March 25, 2008 09:06 AM (9r4Kb)

6 I know/have known many couples in your circumstance and a good handful who have opted to never have children. I cannot imagine that option, but it is there and it is their choice. On the other hand I am so happy to have little pieces of my loved one show up in our children. It really is the future and it also shows us the past. I look at them and wonder when did that trait first appear, how did that ancestor actually look. Ok, so I am a genealogist but that's one of the pluses you are longing for. And I'm truly sorry if that hurts you for me to say it. I have every hope and expectation that some day you will have your baby.

Posted by: Ruth H at March 25, 2008 09:28 AM (w9ltj)

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Ask and ye shall receive. Nope, not a baby, a deployment.

He's now leaving, and relatively quickly. Not on that perfect assignment I wrote about, but on a different one. (Months ago my husband warned me that I wasn't going to like leaving "regular Army" because I wouldn't be able to blog about anything he's doing. I am starting to see that this is true. I am a blabbermouth at heart, and his top secret clearance is killing me.)

You know, I sat on that Rear D info for weeks. I couldn't bring myself to write about it because we didn't want to accept it as our fate. Finally, I decided that I had to put it in print and make it real. Ha. Two days later, the whole thing was moot. I can't help but think about one of my mom's friends. It seems that my mom bumps into her every time our story changes. First my husband was leaving right away, then his timeline got bumped way back, then it was Rear D, and now we're back to leaving. I bet my mom's civilian friend can't believe that we get jerked around like this, but it's true. This is how the military operates. When my husband asked me if I was OK with finding out so suddenly, I just waved him off with a hand. I am really quite used to this, actually. And when another solder looked at me with care and concern at the ball the other day and asked how I was dealing with my husband's sudden departure, I think I freaked him out with my nonchalance. His eyes got big when I waved him off too. But seriously, this is his job, this is what he's in the Army to do, and we wouldn't be here if it bothered me. A soldier's job is to soldier.

So he goes in the field this week, comes back, we have some block leave, and he's outta here. Lickety split. And he's an "operator" now (I think that is the squirrelliest label ever, so I use it all the time, like White irony), so it's not one of those 15-month deployments. He'll be home in early 2009.

This deployment junkie is getting her fix.

Posted by: Sarah at 04:37 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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OK, AirForceWife made me cry the other day, and today it was AWTM's turn. Her Being a Mother on Easter post is so sweet.

I am so grateful to still have my mom. And I hope someday I have a little boy whose brain gets crazy at times.

Posted by: Sarah at 10:43 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Man, my husband's friend has some sweet toys. Look what we got to do today.

We did some pistol shooting first. I was no good with the .357 Sig, but I did better with the 9mm Beretta. I think I improved a little from my first trip to the range back in October, especially after I tried a different placement for my left hand. It made the kick a lot more manageable. But the real fun was the AR-15.

I look awkward as all get-out in this picture, I think, but I actually was pretty darned proud of myself here. (I want to submit this to the Army and see if they'll let me deploy. Not bad for my very first try.)

But I don't look nearly as good as my smokin' hot husband.

Overall, I was a lot more comfortable this time around. I had fun and improved my meager skills. And the rifle was a lot of fun, though my shoulder is already feeling it.

I'm looking forward to going back. Good thing my husband has a single buddy who's happy to exchange ammo for a home-cooked meal.

Posted by: Sarah at 06:06 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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1 If you ever make it to the Ft Lewis, WA area, I would be happy to take you shooting. If you get the chance to try a SIG P228 in 9mm, I think it will fit you well.

Posted by: R1 at March 22, 2008 10:28 PM (y1Xat)

2 Not too suprised the .357 SIG was not good for you - a very snappy round. Although many do not like it the Beretta M9 is the sidearm of Freedom these days. Hope we get the chance to to do this too - Mrs. Badger 6 likes shooting as well.

Posted by: Badger 6 at March 23, 2008 12:45 AM (P7vKl)

3 I'm jealous you guys are wearing short sleeves.

Posted by: Mare at March 23, 2008 04:28 AM (MVOoL)

4 Dang, I'm so jealous.

Posted by: Erin at March 23, 2008 05:41 PM (y67l2)

5 I don't think you look awkward at all--more like a pro

Posted by: Kate at March 24, 2008 05:33 AM (JIGe1)

6 You both look great. Your hair, too, looks FABULOUS which, by the way, is VERY important when handling firearms...just ask Police Woman, Angie Dickinson.

Posted by: Guard Wife at March 24, 2008 06:55 AM (BslEQ)

7 Ahhhh, gun porn. Love it. Can't wait to get to the range myself but it needs to warm up a bit here first.

Posted by: tim at March 24, 2008 07:33 AM (nno0f)

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I came across a link on MSN to an article called We Can't Get Pregnant and It's Driving Us Apart. I read it with fascination because I can relate to many parts of it. And while our troubles aren't necessarily driving us apart, I can absolutely see how they might for some people. It is stressful, it is all-consuming, and it is heartwrenching. And if you deal with your emotions differently, it can be an awful process. My husband was strong and optimistic all last year, but lately he's been the one who's getting hit the hardest every month. We're trying to be a comfort to each other, but we're both stressed and disheartened. It's really rough.

And this paragraph, this just resonates.

Throughout this three-year ordeal I've felt perpetually sad. I've become a hermit because I don't want to hear friends who got pregnant easily say, 'Just adopt.' I want to watch my belly grow, feel my baby kick and give birth. Normally, my mom would be my support, but she keeps telling me supposedly inspiring stories about women who went through multiple IVF tries before conceiving naturally.

Everyone has a story to tell you. Everyone knows someone who had that Miracle Baby™, and they think that will make you feel more optimistic. It doesn't. And everyone says "just relax and it will happen." Everyone thinks they're being helpful, when really they sometimes cause more pain.

Two weeks ago I was at work when a young mother apologized for her two year old's behavior. I said it was no big deal, and I laughed and said that I like watching parenting styles in action. This girl asked if I have kids, and then followed with, "Well, why not? You have a wedding ring on; why don't you have a kid?"

Ick.

And even the people who are a lot less boorish than this chick, even they can punch me in the gut. My husband and I have finally taken the steps needed to start getting fertility testing done, to see if we can figure out what's going on. We don't mind telling people that we are taking this step, though we have decided that we are not going to discuss the details or results of the tests with anyone. But when I gingerly told a friend the other day that we have an appointment to get tested, she said, "Oh, I bet there is nothing wrong with you." Funny, I didn't realize you have a medical degree. Thank heavens you have determined that there's nothing wrong with us.

Other people have said that we just need to get drunk and have fun. To which I replied that if all we needed to get pregnant was booze, we'd be the fricking Von Trapp family by now. Also not helpful.

There's really nothing you can say to a couple who is disheartened and discouraged. But for starters, don't say things like, "You're lucky; I get pregnant every time my husband and I are in the same room!" For couples trying desperately to have a baby, being told they're lucky is a slap in the face. They don't want to hear about your husband's super-sperm and how fertile you are, because even though you don't intend it this way, it comes off sounding like you think you're a better human specimen than they are. For already fragile egos, hearing you talk about your hardy genetic material is painful. And they sure don't want to hear you refer to your fertility as a curse.

My two-cents is to never speak in declarative sentences. Don't tell them what you did as if it's the surefire way to get pregnant (got drunk, stood on your head, waited for the full moon, went to Hawaii). If it's worth a darn, they've already tried it by now. Don't say that you're sure it will happen for them soon, because you are not at all sure of that. There's nothing worse than having someone tell you they are sure you will have a baby; there are no guarantees in this process. And don't ever ever ever tell them to "just relax." I am ready to kick the next person who says that to me in the crotch.

Instead, play Obama and tell them you "hope" everything works out for them. Tell them you hope the testing brings them more understanding, that you hope that they don't obsess about it too much, and that you hope that they know that you care about them and are wishing them the best.

And then just be a friend. The couples going through this, they are miserable. They think about it constantly, and it is right in their face every two weeks. Their entire outlook on life -- what it means to be a parent, what one's role is on this earth, etc -- has changed because of this process, and it's a very vulnerable time. Please don't make it worse by telling them your best friend's sister's neighbor got pregnant unexpectedly and so of course they will too.

But these are just my thoughts; your mileage may vary. I am ultra-sensitive to anything that smacks of criticism or ignorance these days, and hearing that I should try to time the baby for winter because I'm a knitter just makes me want to slap someone.

Though I did get a big laugh when one friend said that we have too much money and education to get pregnant, and that our best bet is to start doing heroin and attending local high school proms.

Posted by: Sarah at 05:37 AM | Comments (12) | Add Comment
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1 I never know what to say. I have two real life friends who have gone through this. One friend eventually had a baby, one didn't and got a boob job instead. I feel strange talking with either of them... my perspective has changed but I still don't have a damn clue what to say. My friend who eventually had a baby was absolutely amazed that I didn't do a pregnancy test the day after my period was due. She said in her circle of friends, everyone had to try so hard and had been through so much, that they knew to the moment when they could test. I felt like an ungrateful heel at that point, even though I didn't mean anything bad and neither did she. I still believe that in whatever capacity you one day become a mother, you are going to be an extraordinary one. (I hope that's ok to say and I don't get a swift kick to the crotch when I finally meet you.) Oh, and I am TOTALLY with the heroin/prom idea. If that's not a surefire road to getting knocked up, I don't know what is.

Posted by: Sis B at March 22, 2008 06:26 AM (0ZS+T)

2 I was getting the same kind of crap from the fertility doctors as we were being tested. A lot of, "these tests will all probably come up normal." Which always makes the process feel worthwhile. I even had one doctor, during the same appointment, tell me that I should consider myself lucky after three miscarriages because at least we know I can get pregnant and they had people who couldn't even do that, AND that because all my miscarriages were so early, that 'some doctors' wouldn't even count them as pregnancies. Unfortunately, people say stupid crap--sometimes they're trying to be helpful (at least, that's what I HOPE they're doing) or just out of ignorance. Just know that you have every right to tell them to mind their own business or to drop the subject.

Posted by: Ann M. at March 22, 2008 09:10 AM (HFUBt)

3 Count me in the "don't know what to say" column, but "wants desperately to help in any way possible". I remember when I was having miscarriage after miscarriage, no one could really say anything that would make me feel better, either - even if they had been through the same thing already themselves. And doctors - they generally suck at the nice. I particularly like hearing, "Your body thinks that your male fetuses are intruders and attacks and expels them much as it would a cold virus." Great. I'm giving myself abortions? Thanks so much for the info doc. Could work on that bedside manner a bit, maybe. We joke about AFG's surgery, that we "finally figured out what was causing all those kids", but the truth is we wanted more, and were told that my body just couldn't do it anymore, there was too much damage from the number of miscarriages (I check the 9+ box when I go to the doctor, but that's just because they don't have my number actually present on the form). For my part, I truly am sorry if I inadvertantly say something that is hurtful, it is certainly not meant that way. It just comes out that way because I do so want to help, and do not know what to do.

Posted by: airforcewife at March 22, 2008 11:04 AM (mIbWn)

4 I LOL at the heroin and proms joke. I'm glad that you can laugh about something in this process because you are right, it's quite an ordeal monthly! I knew I could have had it much worse. The first specialist we saw told me at our initial visit, "don't worry, you are a known commodity, you already had one." that always bugged me! I hope I never say anything stupid to you, because I also hate stupid platitudes--like i never say things when someone has died that that person is in a better place or other dumb stuff like that. i try to only say things that are more like this: "i'm sorry for your loss." So I leave it at that.

Posted by: Kate at March 22, 2008 12:24 PM (576n8)

5 Well, you've finally run me out of supportive things to say--they don't really apply. Just know I wish I could fix whatever is making this so hard for you. Hang in there and don't let this do you in. *hugs*

Posted by: FbL at March 22, 2008 12:28 PM (rW1/8)

6 I hate to know that I am probably in the "said the wrong shit, and the wrong time club"... I am guessing I am one of those folks, but I do hope the Drs. find out something. Anything... And I want you to to have a baby and name him Fred... or Frederica whatever... No go find the herion

Posted by: awtm at March 22, 2008 02:55 PM (i0YYY)

7 What I hated hearing after my miscarriage was, "Well, at least you know you can get pregnant!" As if that was the only step to having a baby. :\ We now have our baby, but if you don't count the two months he was home after a four month training (during which we decided we would try to start a family), just before the fifteen months he was deployed (the first month in which I miscarried), it took six months to finally conceive, and I didn't lose the fear of miscarriage until after I could feel Baby moving regularly. Now that Baby's out in the open, there's a whole new world of stress and terror – but I won't go into that, because I don't want to join the "Scaring Sarah" club (if I haven't already). I don't have advice. It just happens when it does. Don't lose heart . . .

Posted by: deltasierra at March 22, 2008 03:43 PM (7uphd)

8 I'm sorry.

Posted by: Allison at March 22, 2008 07:28 PM (2PnS2)

9 I'm SURE I have said the wrong thing at the wrong time countless times even though I should know better since I could have written this post myself a few years ago. I've been trying hard to just listen rather than talk, but I haven't quite perfected that either yet. I appreciate you not chucking me in the back of the head, though, and giving me a chance to prove I can be a decent friend. P.S. If you need help finding a Prom dress, let me know...I bet we can find you something phat...or def...or sick or whatever it is these kids say nowadays.

Posted by: Guard Wife at March 24, 2008 07:01 AM (BslEQ)

10 Hearing 'Just relax.', 'You need to relax.', 'If you would just relax . . .', etc. was my absolute worst nightmare. It is a great concept. It might be true. But my mind has a mind of its own. And it is a better woman than I to not be un-relaxed dealing with wanting and trying to have something everyone else seems to know just how to get. All the best.

Posted by: wifeunit at March 24, 2008 07:59 AM (iUJSf)

11 Forgive me but I am very curious about a point relating to all this - and that is how people get so caught up in the "having children" thing. I am a very black/white thinker. Not a lot of grey which may also = less emotion. I knew the odds were against me (age) and when the unexpected yanking out of the innards came, I surrendered to it. Wasn't going to happen. Ever. So for those people who cannot/have not/may never conceive - isn't there a point at which you just have to surrender to it and live your lives together even if it is childless? I mean no harm in the question. For me it simply wasn't something to dwell on. Even when it was possible I didn't watch the calendar or fret. Perhaps that need to parent isn't in me...but do you ever just let it go/surrender to that possible reality? Mind you, that doesn't stop us from spoiling our friends' kids terribly. With the best wishes and hopes for you both...

Posted by: LauraB at March 24, 2008 11:41 AM (edQ4y)

12 Wow! Cool news!Sounds a little weird, but interesting anyway. what do you guys think about it?

Posted by: ryanstiles1 at April 06, 2008 11:37 AM (htmWW)

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I read an article in The Australian the other day that begins like this:

A few years ago I joined some colleagues on an academic conference jaunt to a large private university in the American northeast. The approved conference itinerary was to take us directly from our swish Chicago hotel to the campus gates, in the hygienic manner of the modern business traveller.

For reasons too complicated to retell, on the return trip we found ourselves becalmed in a village in the backwaters of rural Indiana, in the old American heartland. The streets we strolled down were lined with wooden bungalows, and there was a flagstaff with the Stars and Stripes in every other front yard. We ate in rural diners by the highway with orange-tinted windows, stained wooden cubicles and waitresses with chequered aprons.

Much like Columbus, we had voyaged in search of streets paved with gold, and instead we had accidentally discovered America.

I remembered this article this morning as my husband and I ate breakfast at the Waffle House. If I knew a foreign visitor who needed to see a slice of the USA, I'd seriously make a stop at the greasy spoon. All walks of life, all races, all ages at the Waffle House, crammed into a smokey, loud, friendly place. And the work ethic at the Waffle House! Those cooks and waitresses move fast. None of this we'll-cook-your-schnitzel-when-we-damn-well-get-around-to-it business at the Waffle House, nosiree. The manager's washing dishes, six waffle irons are going, and waitresses are waiting in line to bark words like "scattered" and "smothered."

At the Waffle House, America is a spectator sport.

Posted by: Sarah at 05:45 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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