Calvin and Hobbes Fest!

I have been immersed in de-cluttering and organizing, so not much time to blog. Also, a friend and I took another friend out for her birthday yesterday for a girls' day out. We saw the movie, Australia with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. It wasn't the greatest but it wasn't the worst either. It was good and it was definitely worth seeing Jackman in Australia.

UPDATE:
I just found Dave Barry's Year in Review at The Anchoress's blog. It is hilarious and a must read, check it out.

Monday Linkage!

1) Governor Sarah Palin: Conservative of the Year! Here are some excerpts from Ann's column:

The entire presidential election year was kind of a downer for conservatives. Once the “maverick” John McCain won the nomination, the rest of the year was like watching a slow motion car crash. Except at least a slow-motion car crash is occasionally entertaining. So it was going to be a long year.

Until Palin.

Liberals were angry at Palin because they thought she should look and act like Kay Bailey Hutchinson: Upper crust, prissy and stiff.

Palin had a husband in the Steelworkers Union, a sister and brother-in-law who owned a gas station, and five attractive children -- one headed for Iraq, one a Down’s syndrome baby and one the cutest little girl anyone had ever seen.

In a nutshell, Palin was everything Democrats are always pretending to be, but never are.

Palin was a kick in the pants, she energized conservatives, and she made liberal heads explode. Other than his brave military service, introducing Sarah Palin to Americans is the greatest thing John McCain ever did for his country.

2) Governor Sarah Palin is the 2nd Most Admired Woman of 2008--So much for all the talk about what a drag she supposedly was on the ticket. The Sarah Palin Calendar was also the best seller in office products on Amazon.

Of course, Hillary and Obama won for most admired men and women in 1st but what struck me as interesting is that behind Obama as #2 for men was George W. Bush. For a man that is supposedly so horrible and the worst president ever, thats pretty good.

3) George W. Bush: The Greatest Liberator Since World War II

4) Myths & Facts About the Real Bush Record
--For all of you Bush haters/bashers whether you be liberal, moderate or conservative, brace yourselves. I will be posting many more articles like this as we get close to the end of Bush's term. I will be hosting a blogfest dedicated to Bush the week before he leaves office.

5) George and Laura Unveil Official Portraits for the National Portrait Gallery --Mike always does a great job of posting White House pictures on events. I think the artist who painted the national portraits of President George W. Bush and Laura did a wonderful job.

Christmas Break, The Office and 24!

Our family had a pretty good Christmas. We had some family over to our house for Christmas Eve and we went to see some family on Christmas. Since then, we have done nothing but relax. My 3 younger kids played games on the Wii, my oldest daughter and my husband and I watched episodes of The Office and 24. The above video is a hilarious compilation of many of the pranks that Jim has pulled on Dwight, a must see if you love the show "The Office".

This next week I plan on doing some reading, being an "organizing nazi" and getting back to the gym. The organizing nazi comes from the whole "soup nazi" on Seinfeld. There was a guy on Seinfeld who ran a really good soup restaurant but he was really strict and if you ticked him off you were banned from the restaurant. So, at my house if you are really strict about something the word nazi gets attached. I'm planning on de-cluttering and organizing cabinets and closets that haven't been done in awhile and I'm putting myself and my kids to work, so thus I will be the "organizing nazi". Thats why we've indulged that past couple of days and done absolutely nothing because we are planning on next week being productive. Thats the plan anyway, I'm still planning on next week having some break time built in since we don't have to do regular activities.

Reflections on Staying Engaged in Politics Without Getting Cynical!

I was working out last night and started reflecting on some things. As I often do, I was thinking about the choice we all have to either look at things through a negative prism or a positive one. It is human nature to trend negative, we have to make a conscious choice to be positive. Although, there are definitely some of us whose personalities trend towards optimism more than others.

Since, my theme is optimism, I thought it was only fitting to post a picture of Tony Snow. His legacy is that one can be immersed in politics and not become bitter and cynical.

My reflections started when I was thinking about how people tend to judge others by lumping everyone together. It is one of my biggest pet peeves. I can't tell you how many times I've been told that "all politicians are corrupt". What bothers me about that is its an insult to the many legislators who aren't.

I first got into politics because of the lack of outrage over Bill Clinton's many scandals. At the time, I read an excellent book by Bill Bennett entitled, The Death of Outrage. A big part of Bennett's premise was that Clinton's numerous scandals had worn the public down into not caring about the integrity of the office of the presidency. Clinton's apologists used the defense that all men, even Presidents cheat, etc... This led to a dumbing down of society into believing that all politicians were corrupt, so it didn't matter.

It does matter, and we should care about the standards of politicians. Yet, we cannot paint them all with a broad brush. During the elections last month I heard a lot of people saying they were voting out the incumbents no matter what. This is so unfair to the legislators who have stood by their principles despite what so many others have done. No matter whether its politics or something else, judge people individually on what they have or haven't done. Don't unfairly lump them in with those who deserve to have consequences for their bad behavior.

In conclusion, there is already some good coming out of this election. Just like Bill Clinton energized me to get involved on the other side, Obama is doing the same thing. I have had numerous friends contact me about how to get more involved.

Right now, I am listening to, 25 Ways to win with People on Cd. One of the ways is to look for the best in others. That is hard for many of us, but it makes a big difference if we look at the glass as half full, instead of half empty.

Justice Denied is Finally Justice Served!

"Earlier in this case, at a bail hearing, I asked — said — to Mr. Simpson I didn't know if he was arrogant or ignorant or both. And during the trial and through this proceeding, I got this answer, and it was both."--Judge Jackie Glass

What a difference a judge and jury makes!! The difference between Judge Glass and incompetent Judge Ito is stark. Isn't it ironic that a wife beater ends up going to jail after being sentenced by a female judge? As Glass said, the evidence was overwhelming and most of it came from OJ's Simpson's own mouth. Simpson has always been ignorant and so arrogant that he thought he was above the law, but not anymore.

Most of the legal experts say that Simpson will serve at least 9 years before being eligible for parole. The odds of him being paroled are slim, so it looks like he will spend the rest of his life in prison.

Unfortunately, it will not give his children back their mother and it won't give the Goldmans back their son/brother. It won't be able to heal the deep scars he's left on so many lives, but at least there is finally some measure of justice.

Why I Haven't Had Time to Blog...

--I'm trying to get back in shape by hitting the gym hard. I let things go during the hectic election season.

--I've actually been in the mood to get caught up on housework. I have to take advantage of that when the mood strikes. Again, I neglected my house during election season.

--Christmas Season in general

--2 of my kids have birthdays this time of year

--I'm bonding with my oldest daughter by re-watching old seasons of 24 with her.

--I've actually been going to bed at a decent time

--And the list goes on...