Joie - Write me and tell me how things are going! I miss you!

Ryan and Amber - thanks for your wedding wishes. feel free to stop in and read about my going-ons, but i warn you...it's nothing interesting! i have read quite a bit of your baby journal and it sounds like you are really enjoying parenthood. thanks again for stopping by!

Acidman - altho i am a little preoccupied lately (the surf calls to me), I really enjoy your site. i don't, however, enjoy sand in the suit!

Mikey and Solee Tie The Knot
-a wedding story
Once upon a time there was a fair young princess who was in love with a handsome prince...okay, so I am not going to be THAT hokey. But this will be pretty sappy, so some of you may want to avert your eyes.

The real wedding events started on Saturday. Mom, Louise (family friend), Grandma, Amy (cousin), Shanta (sister) Sue (sister-in-law) and Verena (mother-in-law) gathered together at about 11 and started cooking. By the time I got there at about noon-thirty, after doing our final packing and house cleaning, they had a potato salad, an italian pasta salad, a coleslaw and two cheesecakes made. They had also prepared a marinade for the meats. They were amazing! We sampled the potato salad (like I always do!) and it was, of course, perfect. Verena stuffed her fridge to the gills and even sent the cheesecakes to stay in a friend's fridge! We ate tri-tip sandwiches (Verena smoked the meat in her smoker that morning...isn't she AMAZING?!) for lunch before rushing off to have manicures and pedicures. While the girls were doing that, Mikey drove down to San D to pick up photographer and childhood buddy, Brian. They also picked up Round Table Pizza for dinner. After dinner, Brian came up to stay with us in Temecula. I wish we could have stayed up late talking with him...but we were all too tired.

Sunday morning started early. We again gathered at Mike's folks' place. After a nice little chat and some breakfast I dragged my family and photographer to Lake Poway for...you guessed it, pictures. We took about a trillion photos and everyone was very nice about it. I can't wait to see them! We returned to the Hommels' and chatted some more with newly arriving guests. Mikey and I opened our gifts and were completely overwhelmed by the generosity of our family and friends. We have more kitchen gadgets than you can shake a stick at! We finished just in time to dash over to Peking House for our pre-wedding luncheon. I was a little worried about how everyone would react to the quaint little Chinese place we like so much. It was a BIG hit!! The food was fabulous, there were balloons and streamers up and a funny little man was playing a keyboard for entertainment. Mai totally outdid herself. She even gave me a gift of a purse and some "lucky money" to put in it. I am SO glad that we decided to go there. Everyone seemed to have a good time talking and eating. After we had stuffed ourselves to the gills I gave a house tour to those in the family who hadn't seen it yet. They all oohed and ahhed and generally made me very proud of our little home. Then it was back down to San D to check into our hotel room, have a very nice walk with Dad and fall into bed. I was exhausted!

I was hoping to sleep in Monday morning, but I was up around 6:30. Mikey and I hung out in the room for awhile having some alone time (not easy to come by with so much family around!) and then went down to talk with Grandma and have breakfast. Pretty soon Amy and Mom and the kiddos were up and we started doing our final preperations. Amy did a fabu job making adorable flower arrangements out of Gerbera Daisies. She made four sets for the tables and then a bouquet for me to carry. We also pulled the petals off the remaining flowers for Alexa (niece and flowergirl) to carry in her basket. We decided to let Devon (nephew) walk with Alexa and carry a little teddy bear. He REALLY wanted a job! Mikey, Kathy (step-mother and officiant) and I went to CostCo to get drinks and bread and other last minute things. Mom and Thom (father) went to the grocery store to pick up the meat, chicken and fish along with some other last minute things. I showed up late to the park to meet the Party Rental people, but they were really nice about it. They dropped off all the tables and chairs and dinner stuff. We all got lectured by an overdiligent park ranger who was upset with us for driving on the lawn! Kathy, Mikey and I did a quick run through of how the ceremony was going to go. As things were set up and arranged, I went back to the hotel and soaked in the hot tub for about 15 minutes by myself. I then showered, got a lovely back massage from Amy and got dressed. By 4 we were up on the hill finalizing set-up, greeting guests and taking a few pics. At 5 Kathy invited everyone to sit down and the ceremony started.

I walked myself up the aisle with Alexa and Devon leading the way. They did a great job tossing petals and being cute and distracting me from all the people looking at me. Mikey took my arm and we went to stand in front of Kathy. She gave a wonderful little blessing and read 1st Corinthians 13. Sue (Mikey's sister) read a passage from a Dean Koontz book that I came across one time and really felt was appropriate - all about love being strong but fragile and how it is sometimes heavy, but worth it all in the end. We invited the parents to come up and give a blessing or hugs or whatever they felt appropriate. Then Mikey and I exchanged our vows and our rings. Kathy gave short prayer and we shared a moment of silence. We were then introduced as Mike and Solee Hommel!!! By the end, I had been smiling so long and so hard that my cheeks hurt and Mikey was in tears. He told me, "This is the best thing I have ever done." As we got hugs and wonderful words from our guests Mom and Verena and Louise started the dinner grilling. We set out all the salads and the bread. As dinner cooked we all talked and mingled. Then we stuffed ourselves like pigs for the second day in a row! Dessert was cheesecake with berries on top and two delicious berry pies. Everyone raved! As dark fell, Brian took some really great pictures of us. By 8:30 we were finished with dinner. Everyone helped clean up and after the rental guy came to pick things up we all soaked in the hot tub. It was a perfect day! I can't think of a single thing that I would change. Everything was so meaningful and wonderful and... well... just plain perfect.

Tuesday morning we got up, packed, said our last goodbyes and headed to the airport. Our flight left San D at 9:30 and went very well. Calm and uneventful, which is just how I like my flights. We waited in the Honalulu airport for about an hour and had another easy flight to Kauai. And so began our Honeymoon. But that is another story...

I spent a wonderful two days with my mom and sibs. We lounged around the pool and generally relaxed the way one does when one is on vacation! We had dinner at Joe's Crab Shack, which is a wonderful, fun little place to get YUMMY seafood! Delicious! My grandma B came in yesterday and my father, step-mother and grandma H came in today. Todd and Louise and Arthur (very close family friends) also came today, altho it was just as I was leaving so I didn't get a chance to talk to them much. Tomorrow we are going to Mikey's parents' house to cook food for the big day. We are also going to swim in the pool and maybe go get our nails done! How exciting!! Mikey is feeling sick tonight. I hope it isn't anything awful. : ( I feel so bad for him when he is sick. Off to bed with me now. I spent too much time in the sun and burned. It always makes me feel so sleepy to spend a day lying in the sun! : )

My fridge is sparkling. I love it.

I am heading down to Mission Bay today. I am gonna room with my brothers tonight and be there to greet family and friends as they arrive. Hooray! Hooray!

YAY!!!! Amy is coming to the wedding!!! She has her ticket and everything!!! HOORAY!

And Amy - I apologize for being so distracted on the phone. I am just flakey these days. Do forgive me! We will talk when you get here! Love you!

So, just to show you absolutely, disgustingly organized I am I will tell you what I am doing this morning before work. I am going to finish addressing and sealing the announcements that are to be mailed to the rest of the family after the deed is done. Then I am going to finish getting thank you card addressed and ready to be written and mailed ASAP. I know, I know. It is a little anal. But I figure if I'm not anal about it, I will forget it completely and never send them. I don't want to be like those people who write to Dear Abby asking if it is too late to send thank you cards 6 years after the wedding. So here I go. I am also going to spoil the kiddos rotten today by taking them to the pool and out for lunch. I might even let them each pick a friend to go with us. Way less stressful than trying to entertain them at home. They have reached that point that all kids reach during the summer. They are bored with their toys, they are fighting with their friends on the block and they are really ready for school to start again!

I'm a little wired up. Not by the wedding so much as having family here and soon to arrive. I am super excited about it and it is upsetting my tummy and making it hard to sleep at night. The poor kids I babysit for still have one more day of Psycho Solee to deal with. I am going to take them out for ice cream to make up for it! : ) I have been doing nothing but babysitting, sleeping and reading for the last two days. Boring. Sorry.

One week from now I will be going to sleep as a married woman! Hee hee.

Hee hee! There is a comic strip that I really enjoy called "9 Chickweed Lane". One of the main characters is a siamese cat named Solange. Today's strip seemed aptly appropriate considering the blur of activity I have been in lately...

Check it out at comics.com

*Oh. this link will probably only work today. it will update to tomorrow's strip tomorrow i think. so check it out soon! or go to the one for today (7-20-02).

Hooray! My mom, sister, brothers, niece and nephew are all here to visit! I haven't seen them in quite a while. I enjoy it when they are here. Everyone is really tired today because they were up all night traveling. They got here and everyone crashed. In a little while we will be heading to the hotel (what? you thought maybe they all stayed with US? I may be a little crazy, but I'm not INSANE!!!) and we will swim and whatnot. Mikey and I took the little ones to the park for awhile. We played "Giant". That is a game where I stand up and growl and try to catch Devon and he laughs and runs away. He loved it! I loved it. I have missed him a bunch!

Today we got our haircut, vacuumed, and cleaned the kitty litter area all up. Our big list is just about gone! : )

Only 10 days left!

So...what is the update? Well, I have been cleaning and making piles and lists of things to remember. I have things set aside to pack and things set aside to bring to the park on the wedding day and things set aside to clean later! I have a list of what lists I need to make! (no, really, I do!) I have my announcements all addressed and stamped and ready to go. I have my thank you cards addressed (the ones who come automatically get a thank you!) and stamped. I have my vows written and my kitty instructions for the cat-sitter. I have decided on an outfit for Mikey and what shoes we will be wearing. I have finalized the rental things and arranged to get enough flowers to fulfill my needs. I have gone over the ceremony with Kathy and made my little calendar book and read the PREPARE (counseling thingy) results and played with my kitty. I also mowed the lawn and washed the car. Mikey set up the sprinkler system to water our garden while we are away and we received our tickets and things for the honeymoon. I still have to actually pack and vacuum and wash the laundry and the bed sheets. We need to get our haircuts and find vases that are allowed at the park (no glass) and practice my vows. My mom and sibs are coming tomorrow and the rest of the guests flood in next Friday. There are other things too, but I can't think of them right now. I have been a busy girl! And this is for a SIMPLE wedding. No wonder women go crazy before their weddings! Too damn much to think about!! But I am having fun. And Mikey and I are really excited.

Only 11 days left. Alright!!!

I have a feeling I am going to be really bad about posting for then next few weeks. My family starts arriving tomorrow and I just won't be spending much time online. I will try to keep you posted on what is happening, though! You will get all the details eventually! Thanks for all the support you have given me! You know who you are! Love ya!

So here it is...the moment we have all been waiting for...the moment I find out exactly what kind of vegetable I really am inside...

TA DA!



I'm a carrot! Loved by young children everywhere who are forced to eat their vegetables ~.^ I'm very open to anything that might oppose my general beliefs. I love to help and be helpful in anyway I can, I'm such a great vegetable!

Take the Vegetable Quiz by Krysten!

Okay...So Mikey's 48 Hour Contest submission "Scarecrow: Heart of Straw" is completed and ready for you to play! If you do play we would love to hear how it ran for you and what kinds of computer you were using. This is kind of a research for what direction we will take game development here at Hamumu Software. So pass it around! Play it. It's fun! Go here to get it.

Hamumu Software - FREE Gamelets Page

Or you can go to the website of the guy who hosted the contest LudumDare. He's pretty awesome. There are lots of other games that were submitted and some of them are even good! Be forewarned that all these games were done in only 48 hours so there is no guarantee of quality. In fact some of them wouldn't run for us at all. And others are written for platforms that many people don't have. (Mac or what have you)
Scarecrow: Heart of Straw by Mikey is the one under the name "Jamul". In my completely unbiased opinion it is the best. Others that are worth playing...
Flame Game by bluscreen is very challenging...
Orbital Sniper by Sol HSA was fun. Sniper games are the best.
Cthulu by sinsolent is a very high quality puzzle game. It is one of the best. (WARNING - graphic violence) Written by the only woman to enter the contest! You go, girl!
Guardian Angel by Codexus is quite funny if you are in a mood that enjoys kicking dogs and knocking kids off skateboards. You're doing it for a good cause tho!
Some of the other games have little bugs that crash your computer and make you reboot, but these ones should be safe. Anyway, go here to see them all...

LudumDare Contest Entries

I am having the worst stomach ache today. Ugh. All crampy and painful. To the point of having to remind myself to breath! I hate it. Oww. Oww. Oww.

ONLY 13 DAYS LEFT! WOOHOO!!

I haven't talked to Joie in a million years! If you are reading this...I hope you are feeling better and I am looking forward to chatting with you again soon! I miss you!

from the Topics Blog...What do you do when you're tired, but can't sleep? Do you lie in bed hoping to fall asleep or do you get up and do something?

I HATE not being able to fall asleep. It doesn't happen to me very often, but when it does it is usually when I have something important to get up for in the morning! Anyway, I usually lie there for at least an hour hoping that if I am still enough and keep my eyes closed long enough I will fall asleep. If that doesn't work then I get up and go online, watch tv or read. Each of these things distracts me from whatever is keeping me awake and allows me to eventually go back to bed and fall asleep. Unfortunately, my problem is rarely not being able to fall asleep. More often I wake up a gazillion times during the night. I am sleeping and I wake up enough to roll over, fix the blankets and/or pillows as needed and check the clock. Doesn't sound like much, but when you do it every hour it really disrupts your sleep. I haven't figured out a way to stop this from happening, but I have learned that it is not a good idea to look at the clock. I avoid it whenever possible. That way I don't stay awake thinking about how few hours or minutes I have left! I am a glutton for sleep!

I sure hope no one has been trying to call me today. My Mikey is participating in a 48 hour gaming contest and has had the phone lines filled up. He has been hanging out in the chat room while he codes. His game is coming along well and should blow away the competition! It is a very informal little contest with no real prize other than the adoration and respect of all the other contestants. The last one was a 24 hour contest and Mikey's game won 2 categories...sound and code. His game was also one of the favorites. I might be a little biased, but I am always amazed at the fabulous, professional work Mikey puts out in such a short time. His games not only are playable and interesting, they have adorable graphics, great sound, a plot, and neat little extras (menus and title screens and credits and whatnot). And he is so organized with his coding. It is very impressive. He is very talented! He's my Mikey! You will have to check out the latest contest entry when it is all done. I will let you know how to get it. Then you can all be amazed at the super game he wrote all by himself in 48 hours! : )

So. It is 88 degrees in the shade here. I'm hot.

Today I have been Accomplishing Things. Yes, it is so important that it needs capital letters! I have been feeling disgusted at the state of my house lately and particularly worrying about how I am going to feel coming home from my wonderful honeymoon to this STY. So I decided that a deep cleaning was needed. So far I have re-organized all my closets (my walk-in with all my clothes and teaching supplies was the worst), done all the laundry, straightened the office and super cleaned the spare room. I changed the sheets on every bed in the house and went thru all my linens, bagging the ones I don't ever use for a local charity. I also watered my garden and semi-cleaned the rest of the house. I will be deep cleaning the rooms that are used more often a little closer to the day we leave. Doing it now would be a waste of time! This evening I plan to file all the paperwork that has been piling up for months. I am exhausted and sweaty but I am also intensely satisfied. Some people go in for deep tissue massages. I do deep cleaning. What ever makes your socks go up and down (this is something my sister says - isn't it sillly?).

this blog can be quite irritating. it has been chosing to be difficult the last few days.

1. Do you live in a house, an apartment or a condo?
We have a fabulous little house with a green and shady backyard, a side garden, a little raised patio, a tiny kitchen, a garage and a little front porch. It is perfect for us.
2. Do you rent or own?
We are the proud owners of our little plot of grass. We bought it back in October and it was one of the best decisions of my life. So much better than renting and with CA prices, not that much more expensive.
3. Does anyone else live with you?
My soon-to-be hubby, our kitties - Huzzah and Pizzazz, and a whole bunch of uninvited ants. They will be leaving soon!
4. How many times have you moved in your life?
Let's see...wow. 14 times. That is a lot more than I was expecting. 10 of those times are within the last 6 years. College is a hard time to settle down!
5. What are your plans for this weekend?
My better half is busy with a 48 hour game development contest, so I will spend my time cheering him on, reading and getting the house ready for the upcoming wedding and honeymoon trip. Lots to do in the next 16 days.

Everyone send lots of healing thoughts to Mankato, MN. My cousin is sick and we need her better soon! She is supposed to be coming out to my wedding! So come on - help! : ) Thanks!

I had the most HORRIBLE dream last night. I was fighting with someone I love very much. In the heat of the battle this person (who was NOT in a sound state of mind) pulled out a gun and threatened to shoot me. At first I trembled and screamed and begged for this person not to shoot me. Then I realized that I wasn't really all that scared. I stood up, threw my hands into the air and shouted, "If this is what it takes for you to come to your senses and see how crazy you have become, then go ahead. Shoot me!" I woke myself up because my real self was trying to shout these same words in support of my dream self. Then I was upset with Mikey because he didn't know I was having a bad dream and wake me out of it. Poor Mikey! Turns out he was having a bad dream too. The heat the last few nights has really been playing havoc with our sleep!

My cats have discovered a new favorite toy. They LOVE bubbles. They are fascinated by the way they float and land and then *pop* just as you get near. Zazzy is especially interested. As we are brushing our teeth she sits and cries at us until we get out the bubbles for a pre-bedtime spree. It has become a new tradition for our evenings. And it is REALLY cute! Someday I will figure out how to do pictures on here and I will show you how adorable it is!

Our dinner tonight had many homegrown components...our green peppers went into the saute, my tomatoes went on my salad, and best of all...two ears of FABULOUS corn on the cob. It was so good. Very sweet! I am sad that there are only 3 more ears on the plants. Next year we are planting way more corn!! There is nothing quite as tasty as something you raised from a seed!

I spent the day with Kaitlyn and Allystar, my two babysitting charges. It is interesting to see the gaping difference between the ages of 6 and 12. Kaitlyn is still spending her time coloring pictures and watching Nick Toons and chatting with me (any new adult is a great person to talk to!). While outside with the neighborhood kids she made a "nature collection" consisting of rocks and sticks and small bugs and leaves in a plastic bag. She was totally into it. Allyster, as part of the pre-teen population of the block, was much more interested in the other kids, especially the girls. There are about 6 pre-teens that get together and flirt with each other. It took me awhile to realize that is what they were doing. Because to me it looked like they were throwing twigs in each other's hair, chasing each other, shouting insults and generally doing things that made me want to say "knock it off". But I didn't because I didn't want to disrupt the delicate learning process! They are so funny at that age. And scary because I know it is just a little while until they pass out of that innocent stage into something much more exciting and much more dangerous!

Are you a romantic or mushy person? What kinds of things do you do, expect, or like? What is the most romantic experience of your life thus far? Also from the Topics Blog

I am a HUGE romantic. I am into fate and destiny and sappy songs and holding hands and snuggling and surprise gifts and gushing on and on about how fabulous my Mikey is. I am a romance junkie! What do I do? I try to notice and comment on the things my love does, whether it is amazing or average. I make little "hello" phone calls from work. I make cards or write letters for no reason. What do I expect? I look for kind words, little surprises, and the occasional washed dish. I like snuzzles (like a snuggle, only with more zing!) I really like secret notes that I find hidden away somewhere for some future day.

My most romantic experience? I think that would have to be my first "date" with Mikey. It happened toward the end of my first face to face visit with him. (We met online, for those who are confused at this point. I flew out to meet him for a week over my spring break a couple of years ago.) We spent most of the week just hanging out together, but on one of the last days we drove to the shore. We walked along the beach and ate ice cream. We drove around touring the beachfront towns. Then we went to an old, wooden roller coaster and rode once. (This was a big deal because it is something we both love but don't do very often.) It cost a bunch and lasted about 7 seconds, but it was a blast. Then we went to an oriental restaurant where Mikey impressed the waiter by pronouncing the names of the dishes correctly. The whole day was filled with laughter and talk and it ended on the beach watching the sun go down. Mikey snuggled me up in his jacket cause I was chilly. It was a wonderful day.
We have had lots of great days together since then, but that one sticks out. Probably because it was the first. (I also like the day we went to Magic Mountain and Mikey was brave and rode a ride he didn't want to because I wanted him to go with me.)

Do you keep up with world events? Why or why not? from the Topic Blog

I read headlines in the paper. Occasionally, I read the first paragraph of the article. I rarely, if ever, read the whole thing. Why? Because so much of what is "news" today is made up of things I don't need to know. And what I DO need to know is SO big and scary and overwhelming that I can't deal with it. I am afraid that I am a typical American. I have lots of opinions, but none of the time, brainstrength or interest for them to be INFORMED opinions. So, if someone mentions something that is in the news I usually have a vague idea what they are talking about. I rarely have many details tho.

I aplogize to anyone who stops by here lately hoping for a new post or interesting thoughts. I am just not thinking interesting things these days. It is all boring and mundane and routine. I wish it weren't. Sorry.

HOT. it's so HOT. my knees are sweating. wow.

This is from the Alt. Friday Five...I know, I know...I'm late! So sue me!

1. Do you enjoy eating? Why or why not?
Eating is one of my favorite things. I associate it with my mother's cooking, sitting at the dining room table with my family having a lively (often heated) discussion, and celebrations.
2. What are your favorite foods? Why? Are certain feelings or situations associated with the food(s)?
There are so many foods I like! My very favorites include Shrimp Scampi, Potato Salad (my mom's, of course), bread - French, potato and Herb and Olive Oil in particular, grilled salmon, and...raspberries with vanilla ice cream. I associate carrot cake with my birthday because that is what my mom often made (at my request). Macaroni and cheese, rice-a-roni and baked beans or canned corn are comfort foods. I like to eat them all together and carbo load! Frozen dinners, usually Budget Gourmet, mean that I was too lazy to put together a decent meal.
3. What are your least enjoyable foods? Why? Are certain feelings or situations associated with the food(s)?
There are very few things I won't eat. I'm not crazy about yams or sweet potatoes but I will eat them occasionally. I don't like the way peach fuzz sticks to my tongue. I absolutely won't eat an egg unless it is completely fried or scrambled. My mom and my Mikey are the only two people I trust to cook me an egg! Actually, I have a big texture thing. I can't eat anything that has a snotty texture - oysters, eggs with runny yolks, bread pudding. My gag reflex kicks in!
4. What are your comfort foods, the kind that satisify you emotionally when you're stressed? Why?
Like I said above - mac and cheese, rice-a-roni, corn. Also frozen peas, mashed potatoes, pasta. I am a huge fan of carbohydrates! And chicken paprikash with dumplings, because if I am having that I am at home with mom!
5. What food decisions have you made in your life and why did you make them? For example, if you're a vegetarian, how did you decide to make this change in your life?
About 6 months back, I started counting my calories. I was trying to lose weight for my wedding and my health and I set a limit of 1200 calories. That is really not much, but after a couple days of feeling hungry I realized that it was enough to just about satisfy me. After I lost the 25 lbs I was trying to lose, I raised the limit to 1500 and eventually stopped keeping a written record. But it has made me much more conscious of what I am putting in my mouth and why. I realized that most of my eating was triggered my boredom or stress. I still allow myself the occasional pity party with a bag of chips but it is much more controlled. Also, I was raised in a half vegetarian household (dad was, mom wasn't) and as a result I was exposed to lots more vegetables and vegetarian dishes than most kids. I still eat lots of veggies and actually crave them if I haven't eaten enough. Meat is more of a side dish at my house.

"Does it bother you now - the mess I've made?
Does it bother you now - the clothes you told me not to wear?
Does it bother you now - all the angry words you said?
Does it bother you now that I'm not there?"

Dido

Hee hee! Mikey is making me a game! I love it when he does that! He knows that I really like playing breakout, so he is making me a game of similar style. But I get to decide about how it looks and stuff. : ) It is fun to watch it go from nothing to a playable game. I really like watching him code. (Sometimes it gets boring but I enjoy seeing how one little change in the code can make a huge change in the finished product.) I am off to support and supervise. I will share my game with you all when it gets finished!

So...we went to Mikey's aunt and uncle's house yesterday and stayed the night. They are fun, but exhausting. They try so hard to please...feeding and giving and all that...it is hard to know when to take and when to say "no thank you" and when they are serious and when they are offering because they think you want something. I can't compliment anything in that house for fear that Kakey will give it to me! It is tiring! We had lots of fun tho. Kakey made a yummy lunch and we saw Men In Black 2. Pizza for dinner. Then we got up and had homemade strawberry jam on toast before going to the beach and an art fair. Then they took us out to lunch. When we got there Kakey had a pile of things for us...a little indoor grill, some oven mitts, 2 bags of Doritos, a lemon squeezer, a chinese checkers game...see what I mean...anything and everything. And this is AFTER giving us a brand new garage door for a wedding present. I am overwhelmed by them. They are very sweet.

tumbleweed are drifting past as the eery ghost town music plays in the background. the sign over the saloon swings in the breeze and a mangy dog sniffs his way past the empty jail.

I have become a fan of Linkin Park. I like the sound of it and they have meaningful, if angst filled, lyrics. I think I would have really enjoyed them as a teenager! I was into angst filled music then. These days I relate more to the cheerful, romantic stuff (like Dido) but I am still drawn to Mikey's Linkin Park cd from time to time. I mean...just listen...

"i tried so hard
and got so far
but in the end
it doesn't even matter
i had to fall
and lose it all
but in the end
it doesn't even matter"
- In The End

or this...
"do i trust some
and get fooled by phoniness,
or do i trust nobody
and live in loneliness?
because i can't hold on
when i'm streched so thin
i make the right moves
but i'm lost within"
- By Myself

I think it is important as a teen to feel that there are others out there who are feeling as badly or worse than you are. I know that I was often wrapped up in self-pity but listening to Allanis or one of my other "angry" cd's would somehow make me feel better. To be able to sing those lyrics and listen to that powerful beat (the Crow soundtrack was great for that!) was a wonderful outlet for me. I remember blasting my stereo and throwing my stuffed animals against the wall as hard as I could (don't worry, they volunteered for the mission) and feeling so much better afterwards! I am so glad I'm not 17 anymore! I just laugh when people say that "those are the best years of your life". And I tell my students (if they are old enough to be hearing it) that those are NOT the best years...that it gets SO MUCH BETTER. Imagine never being any happier than you are as a scared, confused, hormone-ridden teen with no control over your own life. Ugh. Don't ever tell your kids that it doesn't get better than that!

Okay...enough ranting. My house smells delicious! Naan with sweet onion on top is baking in the oven. Lovely!

My fourth of July celebration has been mostly garden related. I spent much of the morning making water rings for my lovely plants. We are adding to our sprinkler system so they won't be completely neglected while we are gone on our honeymoon. Angie is coming over to feed the kitties, but I don't want her to have to spend the time it takes to water everything. Unfortunately, we bought the wrong size of some little piece so we have to go back and get the right size. All the improvements we do around here are so haphazard! Neither of us knows much about fixing things. We always manage, but it takes several tries. Thank goodness for Home Depot and their wonderful return policy! : )

We are cooking today. I have made Strawberry Shortcake (cheap berries at the store yesterday) and Mikey is making an Curry based chicken. We are also making Naan bread. It is so fun to putz around in the kitchen together. I can't wait for dinner!

So - at the risk of starting a fight - what do y'all think about the brouhaha over the "Pledge"?? Do you think the words "under God" are offensive? Unconstitutional? Traditional? Important? What do you think about the pledge in general? Why? If you dislike it - what would you prefer? Come on...let's talk!!!

My Opinion

I have never liked the idea of teaching our children to spout of this jumble of words that makes no sense to them. I mean, kindergartners can't even begin to understand the concepts behind this recital and often don't even know what the words really are. It is educational brainwashing at its best. Don't get me wrong, I am proud to be American and part of the democratic process. As a letter to the editor in my paper this morning said - it isn't perfect, but it is better than the alternatives. I also think that children do need to be taught to respect our country. After all, if you don't respect it why would you bother to keep it clean or vote or care about the people? So I think respect is important. However, I think it is important to respect people while you are teaching respect! Including the word "God" instantly makes many people uncomfortable. Yes, it is a small fraction of students in a class. Yes, they can just not say the pledge. Yes, this has become a traditional part of the school day. Yes, we could just let it go. But that is, fundamentally, unconstitutional. Unless we change the pledge somehow to include all forms of religion or anti-religion, it is not allowed. My preference? I really like the song "America, the Beautiful". I like how it celebrates the one thing we all can agree on - the beauty of America in all its different forms. It encourages children to respect the land, rather than the politics and factions. It doesn't exclude anyone. And it is fairly easy to sing! In my classroom, I am not going to require children to say the pledge. I am going to teach them "America, the Beautiful" instead. So there you go. My humble opinion on this exciting topic. Now it's your turn...what do you think?

One of my favorite things in the whole world is fresh bread. At the Albertson's (grocery store) near us they put out freshly baked loaves of French bread every day at 4 pm. It smells fabulous and is warm and yummy. Tonight for dinner I had tomatoes with oregano (both grown in my own yard) seasoned with salt, pepper and oil, a couple chunks of French bread and a delicious necterine. YUM. Summer food is the best!!!!! And since I tried on theskirt to my wedding dress and it is actually a little BIG on me I am no longer worrying about the diet! Hooray!

Okay...I know I said I would be reading the Celestine Prophecy and discussing it...but I hope no one is holding their breath out there! I started, I really did. I am into the 4th insight. But I am way more interested in reading Stephen King's IT for the trillionth time at the moment. I just wasn't in the mood for something so...meaningful. Anyway, I still intend to discuss it...I just don't know when. So there.

We went to the dentist today. I do not like going to the dentist. I have never had any horrible experiences, I just don't like having someone messing around in my mouth. I like having my teeth clean but it always hurts. And it makes me feel guilty because I KNOW that it wouldn't hurt if I went every 6 months like I was supposed to and if I remembered to floss every day. All in all, the dentist is a physically and emotionally draining place to go. I have to go back after our honeymoon to have some cavities filled. Poor Mikey has to do the same. Bleh. I hope this will be enough to motivate me to floss every day but I have my doubts. Humans are weak creatures! I told the hygenist that I needed a recording of her voice telling me all the horrible things about losing my teeth so I could play it any time I started slacking off. : ) We'll see what happens.

"Whhhhheeeeeeee. I'm a pop sensation!"

I was watching TV last night and this made me laugh. The grand prize goes to the one who can guess who said it! : )

Sorry - I was wrong about the date yesterday...for some reason I thought it was the 29th. One would think I might have realized it wasn't when I saw the date write there in my post, but NO! Anyway, the 29th was really our ante-versary. Thanks for the well wishes, Joie! I am pretty excited!