No national news and commentaries on this one; just an update on our lives right now.
Jenny is a few weeks into her new job, and deep into training. She says that she still likes it, so that's great. Obviously not too much to report on that front, since things are going well.
The big news right now, for me at least, is that I slipped and fell down a staircase at work last Wednesday. Fortunately, nothing is broken, but I did hurt my foot pretty good (or bad, as the case may be). It hurts pretty much all the time, but the pain is dull and not too bad, so it's bearable. I feel really bad, because it happened on Jenny's birthday, so it kind of took the spotlight off of her- not to mention that we had to reschedule dinner plans. Anyway, she has been really wonderful, taking care of both me and the stuff that I normally take care of like mowing the grass, cooking, etc.
We hosted a Murder Mystery Dinner Party last Saturday as well- our second one. We had a lot of fun with that, dressing up and acting out parts.
Well, that's all for now.
-Douglas
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Friday's Update
So, what's new in our lives (and my strange brain) since my last posting? Well, let's see...
Jenny has finished her second week at her new job. She says that she enjoys it so far. She's currently in training, and will be for at least the next few weeks. She recently made the comment to me that she doesn't "wake up dreading going into work" like she did with her last job, and so that's quite a change for her, and a positive one at that.
I'm working through a VERY busy period at my job right now. It should calm down the week after next, but this has been a pretty brutal week for me, especially with a few extra time-consuming projects on top of the normal crunch time. Not to say that I hate my job or anything like that, but I'm definitely looking forward to getting through this busy time.
This next topic has nothing to do with the economy, but a friend blogged about the Miss California USA controversy, and I have my own thoughts on that which I figured I'd share. You know me- I tend not to shy away from controversy...
(first off, a video to get you up to date with the controversies)
First, I think it's ridiculous that she is being trampled for her belief that gay marriage is wrong. Whether you agree with her or not, there is no need to attack someone for his or her beliefs. Proponents of gay marriage tend to consider themselves open-minded, but there is nothing at all open-minded about attacking someone else for having a different belief than you.
Second, I think it's ridiculous that she is being attacked for her past pictorials. Whether or not she is telling the truth in that the most risque pictures that have been revealed are candids never meant for public viewing is irrelevant. Did you see pictures or video of her, or any of the other contestants, in the swimsuit competition? It seems stupid to me to on the one hand judge a woman on her body in a swimsuit competition and on the other hand condemn her for past pictorials which included risque photographs. I think there is a line to be drawn, and if the pictures were pornographic rather than artful, then I think that would cross the line. But if your competition celebrates a woman's beauty, don't disqualify her for showing her body outside of the competition...
Finally, I'll go ahead and throw out my views on gay marriage, just to be extra controversial... I think there should be a state-sanctioned union, with no direct influence from religion. That union would provide the benefits currently ascribed to married couples. Straight and gay couples can join into this state-sanctioned union, which exists solely for purposes of taxes, benefits, etc. People can choose to be married by the church, and be married in the eyes of God, and the state will ascribe the benefits of a state union to them. And people can choose to enter into a union by the state, and the state will ascribe the benefits of the state union to them. That way, the state benefits that a couple receive have no basis in religion (separation of church and state), gay couples can receive benefits, and the religious institution of marriage (a church-ordained union between a man and a woman) is preserved.
To me, that seems like a win-win scenario, and the best option. But I understand that a lot of people disagree with this viewpoint.
That's a wrap for now
-Douglas
Jenny has finished her second week at her new job. She says that she enjoys it so far. She's currently in training, and will be for at least the next few weeks. She recently made the comment to me that she doesn't "wake up dreading going into work" like she did with her last job, and so that's quite a change for her, and a positive one at that.
I'm working through a VERY busy period at my job right now. It should calm down the week after next, but this has been a pretty brutal week for me, especially with a few extra time-consuming projects on top of the normal crunch time. Not to say that I hate my job or anything like that, but I'm definitely looking forward to getting through this busy time.
This next topic has nothing to do with the economy, but a friend blogged about the Miss California USA controversy, and I have my own thoughts on that which I figured I'd share. You know me- I tend not to shy away from controversy...
(first off, a video to get you up to date with the controversies)
First, I think it's ridiculous that she is being trampled for her belief that gay marriage is wrong. Whether you agree with her or not, there is no need to attack someone for his or her beliefs. Proponents of gay marriage tend to consider themselves open-minded, but there is nothing at all open-minded about attacking someone else for having a different belief than you.
Second, I think it's ridiculous that she is being attacked for her past pictorials. Whether or not she is telling the truth in that the most risque pictures that have been revealed are candids never meant for public viewing is irrelevant. Did you see pictures or video of her, or any of the other contestants, in the swimsuit competition? It seems stupid to me to on the one hand judge a woman on her body in a swimsuit competition and on the other hand condemn her for past pictorials which included risque photographs. I think there is a line to be drawn, and if the pictures were pornographic rather than artful, then I think that would cross the line. But if your competition celebrates a woman's beauty, don't disqualify her for showing her body outside of the competition...
Finally, I'll go ahead and throw out my views on gay marriage, just to be extra controversial... I think there should be a state-sanctioned union, with no direct influence from religion. That union would provide the benefits currently ascribed to married couples. Straight and gay couples can join into this state-sanctioned union, which exists solely for purposes of taxes, benefits, etc. People can choose to be married by the church, and be married in the eyes of God, and the state will ascribe the benefits of a state union to them. And people can choose to enter into a union by the state, and the state will ascribe the benefits of the state union to them. That way, the state benefits that a couple receive have no basis in religion (separation of church and state), gay couples can receive benefits, and the religious institution of marriage (a church-ordained union between a man and a woman) is preserved.
To me, that seems like a win-win scenario, and the best option. But I understand that a lot of people disagree with this viewpoint.
That's a wrap for now
-Douglas
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Random
I don't have any specific topics today, so I'm just going to ramble on and see where it takes me.
Jenny is on day 3 of her job right now. She says that it's interesting, but so far it's mostly just training, with not much hands on. I think she's anxious to get to the job. I'm still plugging away at my job, although with the end of the semester fast approaching, it's getting a whole lot busier. Not overwhelming just yet, but that will probably happen right after the semester ends, since one of my two student workers is quitting. Between trying to find a replacement, and being down at employee, it'll be rough.
One thing that has been weighing on my mind recently is that all great empires of the past eventually fell. The big one that most people think of is the Roman Empire, of course. It was the world's center of culture, learning, prosperity and comfort. But the empire eventually fell against a greater military might. You also have the Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire. This empire fell most to an insufficient military as well. Then you have the Egyptian Empire. Greatest empire of it's time, but it fell due to a combination of its military actions depleting its treasury and environmental concerns. Yikes! Sound familiar?
So, given that even the greatest empires in history have all fallen, where does that leave us? As US citizens, we live free in a country (empire) that is greater than any empire to ever come before us. We have enjoyed diverse culture, unprecedented gains in knowledge, centuries of propserity, and we have been quite comfortable in our shoes. The world is our playground- literally. We've just been sitting pretty on the top, without a care in the world.
Maybe it's time to start caring. On top of our usual huge government waste, our government is spending trillions of dollars trying to prevent a repeat of the Great Depression and trillions of dollars on the "War on Terror", which we will not be able to effectively fight until we end our dependence on foreign oil. Where does this money come from? You'll hear the phrase that we're borrowing from our future, because future taxpayers will have to bear the tax burden. Sounds good as long as you don't have any kids of your own, right? Not so much- we're borrowing money RIGHT NOW, and that money doesn't magically appear from the future, where the lowest tax rate is 75% just so we can pay interest on our debt. No, that money is coming from other countries, like China (at almost $750 BILLION). But what happens when our debt becomes so big that other countries no longer trust our ability to pay it back? At our current spending rate, that could very well happen. But that's OK, I'm sure developing countries with rapidly developing military might and technology won't mind when the US files for Chapter 11...
Right?
-Douglas Hughey
Jenny is on day 3 of her job right now. She says that it's interesting, but so far it's mostly just training, with not much hands on. I think she's anxious to get to the job. I'm still plugging away at my job, although with the end of the semester fast approaching, it's getting a whole lot busier. Not overwhelming just yet, but that will probably happen right after the semester ends, since one of my two student workers is quitting. Between trying to find a replacement, and being down at employee, it'll be rough.
One thing that has been weighing on my mind recently is that all great empires of the past eventually fell. The big one that most people think of is the Roman Empire, of course. It was the world's center of culture, learning, prosperity and comfort. But the empire eventually fell against a greater military might. You also have the Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire. This empire fell most to an insufficient military as well. Then you have the Egyptian Empire. Greatest empire of it's time, but it fell due to a combination of its military actions depleting its treasury and environmental concerns. Yikes! Sound familiar?
So, given that even the greatest empires in history have all fallen, where does that leave us? As US citizens, we live free in a country (empire) that is greater than any empire to ever come before us. We have enjoyed diverse culture, unprecedented gains in knowledge, centuries of propserity, and we have been quite comfortable in our shoes. The world is our playground- literally. We've just been sitting pretty on the top, without a care in the world.
Maybe it's time to start caring. On top of our usual huge government waste, our government is spending trillions of dollars trying to prevent a repeat of the Great Depression and trillions of dollars on the "War on Terror", which we will not be able to effectively fight until we end our dependence on foreign oil. Where does this money come from? You'll hear the phrase that we're borrowing from our future, because future taxpayers will have to bear the tax burden. Sounds good as long as you don't have any kids of your own, right? Not so much- we're borrowing money RIGHT NOW, and that money doesn't magically appear from the future, where the lowest tax rate is 75% just so we can pay interest on our debt. No, that money is coming from other countries, like China (at almost $750 BILLION). But what happens when our debt becomes so big that other countries no longer trust our ability to pay it back? At our current spending rate, that could very well happen. But that's OK, I'm sure developing countries with rapidly developing military might and technology won't mind when the US files for Chapter 11...
Right?
-Douglas Hughey
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