Distinguished VIPs

After the 4th of July Roland and I flew to San Diego as guests of the 

Navy's Distinguished Visitor Program.

We flew out to the John C Stennis Air Craft Carrier while it was at sea someplace off the coast of Mexico, we experienced an arrested landing (the kind where the plane grabs a cable and you suddenly stop) toured the carrier, spent the night (in separate staterooms - no fraternization even if you've been married 28 years), toured more of the carrier, it is a pretty big place, and finally departed the carrier by a catapult launch off the ship.

It

was

24 hours of 

awesome.

And it looked something like this:

We are at the Naval Air Station North Island (NASNI - lots of acronyms in 24 hours) in San Diego. See those planes behind us? We got on one of those, a C-2 Greyhound, boarding from the back side. Their wings fold up once they are on the carrier. 

That's me in the pink.
Yes, I was the only person in pink. 5000 people on the aircraft carrier and I was the only person in pink. I didn't plan my wardrobe very well.
Roland is behind me in blue. 

All these men, and one other woman besides me, are the VIPs. 

The C-2 is not a fancy plane. We had earplugs under those earmuffs and couldn't hear a thing. We had to communicate with gestures. Those attractive green collars? They are life vests with supplies to keep you alive in the water for about 12 hours. They told us if we see liquid dripping from the plane cables it is a good thing.
Very reassuring. 

Don't we look calm and happy? 

I was freaking out. 

Before we boarded this plane they basically scared the heck out of us by explaining how dangerous this is, and then shoving us into this windowless, loud, shaking, vomit rocket. I popped a little Xanax to fend off the
claustrophobia and terror. 

I am proud to say that I didn't vomit, pass out, or cry, 

and I actually slept a little on the 1.5 hour flight to the carrier. There was nothing else to do. The 5 point harness and PDF limited most movement, the ear protection prevented communication. 

No peanuts, no soda pop, no bathrooms. 

Time to man up.

We landed without much warning.
One moment you are flying and then you "slam into the deck", that's navy lingo there,
and then you stop, suddenly, you stop because a hook on the plane has grabbed a cable that immediately stops the plane. 

That night I got to see an F-18 that accidentally missed the hook and just shot right off the deck -
lots of smoke and sparks! 

As soon as we landed they opened the back hatch, we were facing the back of the plane, and this was our view as we taxied across the landing deck.

See how the wings are folded against the planes? Also, notice how the sailors have different color shirts and vests - that shows what type of crew they are and what groups they are in.

Very quickly we were escorted off the flight deck. This is a working carrier, not for tourists, so we weaved around piles of cable, stacks of ammunition and fuel tanks, stepped over coils of rope and ducked under wings and propellers.

Very quickly they led us into the reception room, complete with a stunning, slightly swaying, crystal chandelier. 

We had a light lunch and met the Petty Officers who would be our guides for 24 hours.

We toured and toured. We went into every part of the ship where civilians are allowed, and sometimes got a quick peek into places where we aren't allowed. They are a pretty serious group, those sailors. They had just returned from Afghanistan and were preparing for a sudden and unexpected redeployment. Morale was a little low. People were stressed. I was impressed by the leadership on the boat (they call it a boat - I call it a floating city). Their top concern was the welfare of the sailors. I was very impressed by the sailors. Every sailor I met was hard working, professional, and devoted to their cause, proud to share with me why they were there and the ambition and hope they had for the future. But I am getting ahead of myself. Let's talk about the tour.

Captain's Chair. Roland in Charge of flight operations.

Sorry -- can't tell you exactly where we were -- that would make me a sucker.

 Helicopters were coming and going all day. They bring supplies and people and also are certifying for the new deployment. There are 9 ships in the fleet and occasionally we could see them on the horizon.

 From the Admiral's lookout we watched as F 18s (Hornets and Super Hornets) took off one after another:

 And then landed.
It is amazing how they land on an angle on a deck that is moving forward and pitching and rolling. We couldn't take our eyes off the flight deck. There was constant activity. It was mesmerizing.
The sailors work extremely hard in a very dangerous environment.

Finally they took us down to the flight deck to watch launches and landings.

Turn down your volume a bit to watch this:

This was just about as thrilling as it gets.
Teeth chattering, heart pounding, eyes tearing up, amazing.
I kept trying to hug Roland and tell him how lucky we are, but he was worried about the no fraternization rule and kept stiff arming me. 

We saw where sailors bunk, where they eat, where they go to the bathroom (I got to use both the men and women's facilities!) where they work, where they work out, where they relax. We got to know the fighter pilots and the helicopter pilots, the shooters, shipping agents, mechanics, ordinance (things that go boom!) officers, the radar folks, the ammo people, the chefs, the chaplain, the Captain, the Admiral, the chief petty officer, the list goes on and on and on. I wanted to see the brig but they wouldn't let me no matter how sweetly I asked. 

We ate a fancy dinner in the officer's dining room and then around 22:00, they took us back to the flight deck where we watched jets take off and land in the dark, no lights on the flight deck, hardly any lights on the aircraft.
You heard them before you saw them. 

We were bone tired. As we walked to our very nice and clean staterooms the entire ship listened to the evening prayers via intercom.
The ship chaplain shared a reassuring story and then prayed on the intercom.
I thought it a peaceful and calm ending to a dangerous, hectic, and slightly overwhelming day.

We retired to our staterooms.
My roommate and I were ready to sleep until the jets started landing over our heads.
We were right under the flight deck.

I am not kidding when I say that we couldn't even carry on a conversation when the aircraft landed. 

It was so LOUD! 

The cable that catches the plane would recoil, apparently right over our bed. It happened about every 5 minutes until midnight. All we could do was laugh about it.

Day 2: 

Suddenly, it was 5:30 and time for breakfast. 

Since our first step on the Navy Station we had been encouraged to visit with the sailors. Everyone told us to talk to them, get to know them. But we were constantly being addressed by important people and it seemed disrespectful to visit with the sailors when captains and admirals are telling you exciting stories. 

I finally decided to sneak off and talk to them. Visiting with the sailors was the best part of the VIP experience.
They were so happy to talk to me, it made me feel like a celebrity when they were actually the people I was so anxious to get to know!

I had breakfast with these 2 Seamen and fell in love with them immediately. 

They are the same age as Gabe and Noah and I found myself going right into mom mode with them. I tried to shake hands when we left but they insisted on hugs, telling me they don't get many mom hugs, and I actually got kinda teary eyed about Seaman Kershaw.
I am still feeling parental and hoping all is well with them.

 Hangar Deck. Watch your head and your step! Lots of activity and action on this deck.

 The only thing that I didn't get to see was the elevator moving planes and helicopters up to the flight deck. 

I sweetly asked all kinds of official looking sailors and they got on their radios and tried to make it happen but apparently the Navy doesn't change plans to accommodate a lady in a flowered shirt from Colorado.

 Did I mention that I was the only person wearing a flowered shirt on the entire ship?
5000 people looking all kinds of bad ass and me in my flowered shirt. 

 That's my man. Trying to look like this happens everyday.

This was a reverent moment for most of the VIP's. 

They were giddy and giggly and there were lots of seriously mean posed pictures taken.

 From the moment we were invited to be VIP's Roland couldn't wait to meet the Shooters. 

The Shooters stand in front of the jets until it is safe for the jet to take off.
It is very dangerous, if that launch accidentally activates the shooter is dead.
 Roland talks about Shooters when he trains so having a lunch with them, interviewing them, and being invited to sit in on their training was a full circle moment for Roland.

 Suited up and ready to board the C-2 for our catapult launch off the carrier.
The catapult launch is probably the highlight for most VIPs. 

 The launch propels the plane from 0 to 165 MPH in 2 seconds. I couldn't video it because there is no way to hang onto your camera when you go that fast. 

This is how it went down:

We load the C-2 facing the rear of the plane and harness ourselves in. They close the door and taxi to take off. The plane starts to rumble and shake, very hard shaking! I feel so happy I took the Xanax. The guys in the front (back of the plane) start circling their arms over their heads - that means HANG ON HERE WE GO! and suddenly I am out of my seat, pressed up against the 5 point harness, arms and legs straight out in front of me, my tongue is even pulled out of my mouth. Honest. This lasts 2 seconds, just long enough for me to realise what is going on and then suddenly it stops and we are airborne. 

Pure exhilaration.

Everyone is whooping and yelling, you can't hear it because of the ear protection and the loud plane, 

but you can tell that we are all very happy to still be alive. 

We safely landed at the NASNI and hurried off to the airport to catch our flight back home to the cabin. We marveled at how luxurious, comfortable, safe, and quiet commercial flights are.
The entire way home I kept telling Roland how amazing it all was.
AMAZING.
He kept telling me how amazing it all was.
AMAZING!
"Can You Believe It!?" we said over and over.

John C Stennis CVN 74

Facts:

Powered by 2 nuclear reactors (we didn't get to see them)

Flight deck area: 4.5 acres

Height: 244 ft (24 stories)

Number of Aircraft: 70 tactical aircraft

Aircraft Elevators: 4

2 anchors that weigh 30 tons each

Accommodations: 6,200 souls

Meals served daily: 18,600

Eggs eaten at breakfast: 12,000

Mattresses: if lined up end to end they would stretch more than nine miles

Average age of sailors: 26

Average age of flight deck sailors: 21

Fresh water per day: 400,000 gallons

What I took away besides the totally cool ship hat and lapel pin:

 I was filled with appreciation for the men and women on this ship. I felt gratitude for the work they do and sacrifices they make. I met Dads and Moms who miss their children but do their job without complaint. I was impressed by the quality of people on this ship. I know that they are on best behavior when VIPs are around, and we could hear our approach/presence being announced, but you can't fake that level of professionalism. I felt mostly patriotism, and a desire to hug each young sailor, tell them how wonderful they are, and thank them. It certainly did change my notions on what it is like to be in the Navy. I will forever view sailors with great respect. 

And, now when I hear about an aircraft carrier in world events I am glued to the news. I feel ownership. 

You should too.

Tea Party Part II

In the post below I talked about the Tea Party I attended. I asked JD to leave a comment and he sent me an email instead. He has a lot to say about this topic and I like the way he says it. He is easy to understand, even though English is his 3rd language, and he looks at our country through a world view that is refreshing.

I am impressed by JD. He is a serious competitor. He likes to win and isn't afraid to work hard to win, on the track, on a bike, and in business. The man is married to an amazing woman and they have beautiful, smart children. He is an excellent public speaker, generous with everyone he meets, and is constantly hosting parties and dinners. I am proud to have him post his guest opinion on my blog.JD and some of his smart beautiful children.

JD - I turn it over to you (its a little long, but worth your time):
.............................

I came here in 1992 as a young man. I felt that even though I could not speak the language and with very little money, I was more likely to succeed here compared to Socialist France. After 15 years of hard work I am now a VP over the country in my business line in one of the biggest bank in the country. I know I would have never had this opportunity back in France in my own language and culture. My wife and I had hard times getting there, we had good times, but if I had to do it again, I would do it all over again; the good and the bad.

I applied for citizenship after 911. That is when I realized I shared more common values with America than any other country. I lived and worked before in France, Switzerland, Spain, England (very short) and The US, I did not choose where I was born. My only choice was to apply for citizenship here. I feel this is the place I enjoy the most, I want my kids to grow up here, and believe they are most likely to succeed too.

Now my biggest frustration has been this horrible "deja vu" feeling with what is going on in the country. I feel I know where we are going and it is not good. I already went through that many years ago. Back in 1981 the socialist (Mitterand) won the French election by promising something for everyone. Could not get elected on popularity, so he had a giveaway for everyone. Originally not very popular, he barely won the election by giving away something to everyone.

• Older workers could retire earlier.
• Dramatic expansion of the welfare system.
• A minimum income for everyone even if they are not working.
• For workers, more vacations, less work for the same pay; Employers forced to keep employees they don't need
• Huge increase in government program which would offer lots of jobs to everyone.
• For retirees, higher retirement benefits.
• His campaign motto at the time (1981)... and I am not kidding... Hope and... "Change!..." He got elected!.

Soon after the elections a lot of big companies got nationalized. This was a way to support companies in trouble, but also bring some revenues to the state from good companies. As a result, major international investment went away from the country and a lot of companies closed. Unemployment went from 8% to 10-12%.

They supported an open door policy for immigration. Most of this immigration came from Muslim country (North Africa) who never wanted to integrate to the Judeo Christian traditional French culture. They obviously wanted to maintain their cultural and religious difference. Most would come unable to work because of language differences, living in their own community on government subsidies and bringing more family members every years. Those minorities now represent close to 20% of the population and growing fast... obviously they will never vote against the hand that is feeding them and they are a huge support for the socialists. They have impacted France’s international involvement in modern conflicts, as they refused any involvement with countries fighting Muslim brothers... No Iraq, very limited Afghanistan. They require government funded mosques all over the country.

A third of the country is now working in a government position... so obviously, those people when voting, will never vote against big government either... Makes it hard to change a government when you have half the country that will vote for you, no matter what. It is the addiction of socialism, just like cocaine... you might not like it much after a while, but you just can't get away from it. Your existence depends on it.

Finally, after many scandals and corruption, a few years ago a true conservative was elected (Sarkozi), but even if his intentions are right, you can't just take away benefits that have been there for 20 years... You can't say... "You retired 15 years ago... sorry, now you have to go back to work!" "You had free healthcare? ... Sorry now you are going to have to pay for it!", because this has become an entitlement in everyone's mind. He would get lynched if he would even try.

Anytime he tries to change anything from the public sector the country goes on massive strike from the millions trying to protect their turf! So now the conservative government is forced into a pseudo socialism because a socialist was in power.

With the socialist promoting "open mindedness" to everything BUT traditional values, Europe has become a kingdom of immorality and "laissez faire" Where the ones to be shun are the ones promoting traditional values and family values.

Here in the US, I am neither a republican nor a democrat. I just consider myself a conservative (in values). I blame both the republicans and the democrats for the bailouts that started 6 months ago under Paulson (a rep!). I am amazed to read in the European socialist press, the EU socialist economist think the bailout will not work! I get scared when I hear socialists from Europe telling me OUR bailouts are too big!

I have seen because of my job, the government coming to my bank, last fall, and forcing us to take a bailout we did not need. Now my company has to pay 400 million every 3 months just in dividends, back to the government for money we didn’t need. It is like if the government was coming to you and giving you money you don't need and asking for a monthly payment... Thanks for the help... but no thanks...!!

At one point we felt that by being one of the few survivors due to our conservative banking practices, we would reap the benefit of the unwise banks dying. But instead the government wants to artificially maintain the bad companies at the detriment of everyone else. In a world where no one looses, no one wins either... except the government!

Under the threat of nationalization (which means your stock is worth "0"), our stock has lost 75% of its value when we should have been rewarded for being one of the few standing strong. Many of my friends have lost, in a few months, 3/4 of their retirement. Then because of this bailout, the government is telling us what to do, forcing us to lend or not to lend, changing our compensation, threatening to fire our management if we don't comply. We are trying to give them the bailout money back to free ourselves from this insanity. But so far the government is refusing to take anything back from us and other big banks. Their foot is still on our throat and they use the bailout to control the banks.

I love this country, this is the only one I have ever chosen. But I see people falling in the same trap the Europeans fell into by wanting to taste the socialism "Cocaine".

Sometimes I feel we get the government we deserve, and I should not complain; but sometimes I feel people are lied to until they believe their life will be better if they only "embrace Change". So I am not sure who is to blame here... I am amazed to see many believe we will be smarter than the Canadians, the Europeans and will not fall into the same traps... just like those trying cocaine and saying... I am smarter and won't ever get addicted.

Change, is not always good.

Check in again to see the picture he is going to send me.

Making History at the Tea Party

On April 15th, tax day, I attended one of the Tea Parties you probably heard about. I was curious, not quite sure what the whole thing was about, but feeling like maybe I agreed with them. So Whitney and I headed downtown and met JD and Kelly at the party.
The police man we asked told us there were a couple of thousand people there but the newspaper reported only 1500. Glenn Beck said the media would play it down (paranoid voice). The paper also said people were angry. I saw a few passionate people, outspoken people, and people who had to yell to be heard, but I didn't see many angry people. In fact, it had a party atmosphere. It is a tea PARTY after all, right? For the most part people were cheerful, friendly and well dressed. I saw the cutest purse!
See the guy in the Uncle Sam hat with tea bags hanging off it? My friend, JD, had a tea bag jammed into his sun glasses. He was born and raised in France and told us he had to watch this. He said he lived in France when it turned socialist and it is following the same pattern here, just that it is much worse here than it was in France. I wanted to ask him more about that, but we decided to move closer to the stage and lost him.

Dang. JD, if you read this, please comment and tell us more.

It's time to stand up for what you believe in. I felt so proud to be American at this rally. When the entire crowd sang the National Anthem loud and said the Pledge of Allegiance with pride it brought tears to my eyes. I'm proud to be an American.
Not so proud that my grandchildren will be raised in a country so very different than the country in which I grew up .

Boo!

Did you watch McCain's concession speech last night? It was great. I voted for McCain and I was proud of his campaign and his speech. But I was ashamed of the republican audience.

Did you hear the rednecks booing every time he mentioned Obama? Shame on them! Poor sports and rude too! Obama is our president now. Most of my fellow Americans voted for him. I didn't want him for the president, but I know enough to go over and shake his hand and say, "Congratulations. Let's work together to make America great!"

We teach this simple concept at Y-Ball games for 6 year olds. The teams meet on the court and losers and winners respectfully shake hands/highfive and say, "good game". Who are those country bumpkins that boo the winner? He won by a landslide, fair and square. The look on McCain's face when the people booed seemed to say, "Please, don't! We are better than that." He seemed embarrassed.

I am thrilled and proud that Americans would elect a black man. I was impressed at Obama's acceptance speech. I hope that he is everything he tells us. I hope that we have change for the good. I am willing to work with them to make that happen.

I respectfully say, "Good game."

Vote

I voted today.

I voted for the best person.

Booze

In the last few weeks I have had 2 weird situations regarding alcohol, or more specifically, my lack of alcohol intake.

Situation #1:
At a neighborhood brunch everyone is drinking mimosas and they keep offering them to me. I decline. After their 3-4th drink this is the conversation I had with the lady who use to be a dancer in big Broadway shows, on Broadway.

Broadway: Are you SURE you don't want one? they are SO good (can you hear the slight slurring?)
Me: No thanks (smile)
Broadway: Why not? Don't you drink?
Me: No, not really, (Smile, glance around looking for escape)
Broadway: Never? You never drink!? (big red lips in surprised OH! shape)
Me: No. I don't (please don't talk so LOUD).
Broadway: So, then, are you a teetotaler? (practically yelling now)
Me: Umm, Yes. I guess I am (big smile, this is the funniest thing I have heard in a long time)
Broadway: OH! I am so PROUD of you! (Hugs me, pulls back and gazes lovingly at me, hugs again). Can I get you some coffee?


Situation #2
End Of The Season Football Party. Four of the moms are sitting and chatting while the boys tear up the restaurant/game room. My friend is telling a story about a Halloween party and starts describing a drinking game. Suddenly, right when she is getting to the good part, she stops, gasps a little and says:

"Oh Robin! I am so sorry! Making you listen to how bad I am!"

Everyone turns to look at me. I'm confused and surprised. I am probably the only real non-drinker they have ever met. Its like I'm a freak.

I don't care if others drink, smoke, or stare at the sun.

I wish she wouldn't have apologized to me, but I understand why she did. I have a friend who is vegetarian for religious reasons. When she comes over and I have been frying up some bacon, or chicken, my first impulse is to apologize to her. I think the reason I feel apologetic is because I admire her religious convictions and want to convey that to her. I apologized to her once and I saw how uncomfortable it made her. So now I stop myself from apologizing for eating meat. It is her decision to be vegetarian, not mine.

Why do we do this? Why do people apologize to me for drinking? Why do I apologize for my messy house? My body size? My grubby clothing (rarely in grubs, but I feel the need to apologize when dressed so)? My thirst for Dr. Pepper?

I think it is because we worry that people will think poorly of us if we aren't like them.

Let's trust each other to hold high opinion of those different than us. I'll not think poorly of you for living your life differently. And I will assume the same from you. I'll not judge you for an unmowed yard or cluttered car and hope that you extend me the same courtesy. I think it comes down to being real.

But, if I catch you staring at the sun I might tell you to stop. It's the mom in me.

Football Parents Out of Control

So, I have shared with you that Ike is on the worst football team ever. Ever. The team we played today has an uncle who plays for the Denver Broncos and they are sponsored by Under Armour. They win most of their games by the mercy rule (5 touchdowns vs. 0). They are famous and feared in 6 grade circles.

Half way through the game Ike got hit hard, "pancaked" is what everyone there called it. It was a blindside block after the play. Right in front of me. Right on the sideline where I was sitting and Roland was holding the flag. It was horrible - the sound- my son's limp body. Roland was there in an instant. Ike wouldn't move and then the pain hit and he started to cry (just a little - he's tough you know) and he moved, but only his arms. I was worried about his legs.

Right off the bat (before Ike started moving) the under armour parents started a fuss about the legality of the block, they were ahead 40-0 and they were worried about a penalty. One of the Underarmour parents, let's call him Bully, started yelling about the block being legal and Roland turned from Ike and yelled back, "Bullsh*t".

And then all hell broke loose.

Bully started yelling, very loud, at Roland. Roland turned back to Ike and ignored him. Bully advanced and started threatening Roland, calling him "little man who uses big swear words in front of kids." Bully is literally foaming at the mouth. I am not exaggerating.

Now things are really escalating, parents are upset, Bully is coming up behind Roland and looking for a fight, "Do you wanna fight?! Look at me again and I'll take you out!" he yells.

This is the best part. I wish it wasn't Ike that was hurt or I would have had my camera out to capture this on film just for you. Just when we are all sure that Bully is going to far, my friend, Laura, grabs my arm and says, "You stay here!". She jumps up and gets in Bully's face and yells at him "STOP! He is that boy's father! Leave him alone!" Bully yells back in Laura's face, with his foaming tabacco mouth. Laura yells at him to stop, "He is that boy's father! What are you trying to do!?"

Bully looses control, starts yelling and SHOVES Laura!

At this very time all the parents are yelling, a woman yells that she is calling the cops, the ref threatens to throw Bully and Laura off the field. At this very time the opposing coaches start fighting and have to be seperated by a ref. At this very time I am frozen in my seat, waiting for Bully to punch Roland and hoping that Ike will move his legs. At this very time Ike finally moves his legs. Big relief. I can finally move.

Someone finally got Bully out of there. Roland walked Ike off the field. Laura sat down by me, shaking. Everyone cleared out fast. I spent the rest of the game feeling like everyone was staring at us, watching Ike's every move across the field, and feeling very proud of Ike, Roland and Laura.

So proud of the way Ike handled himself. So proud that Roland didn't smear Bully. So proud that Laura would stand up to Bully.

The ref called unnecessary roughness.

Math? or HSM?

Today in Algebra my 6th grader will be watching HSM. Poor Ike probably wishes he hadn't mentioned it.


I have been on a rant since last night about how ridiculous it is to show movies, especially like this one, in math! Ike complained about how he would rather go outside and play football. I bet there isn't one kid who hasn't seen this show and most of the girls have it memorized.

If I were a teacher and needed a babysitter (heaven forbid) for my class I would at least get some artsy foreign film:

• Children of Heaven
• Secret of Roan Inish
• Rabbit Proof Fence
• Whale Rider
• Cave of the Yellow Dog
• The Red Balloon (especially for young children, no words, no subtitles)
• I Am David
  

These are all wonderful shows that few kids get to see and they are all available on NetFlix.com. They are different than Hollywood movies. There isn't a lot of action or special effects, but they show kids in a different culture, coping with the same things our kids cope with.

I just think it is such a waste when you have 12 year olds captive to not give them something new, something unique, something that makes a difference. It makes me want to be a teacher so I can do it right.

The F Word

I wrote this in Febuary 2007.

Feb 6, 2007

On Sunday evening I went in to tuck in Ike and found him crying in bed. He told me that an 8th grader has been mean to him after he gets off the school bus. He called Ike a faggot (sorry, it is a very bad word and from now on we will call it the F word, the other f-word) and was going to kick his a$$. Well, we can't have that.

Yesterday Gabe went to pick up Ike because I was at DIA getting Hannah. I made Gabe promise not to talk to the bully. He didn't talk to the bully and Ike made it home safely.

So today I found out who the boy's mom was (information readily supplied by the other bus stop moms) and with Ike by my side, and in a careful voice and manner, we told her what was going on. She lashed out at me rudely and told me that was because Ike had called her 1st grader a f-word. I looked at Ike, who looked shocked, and asked him if he did that. He said nothing. I asked again and he said nothing. Finally I asked him to apologize. He apologized and then I asked the mom to please call off her 8th grader. She seemed appeased but very unpleasant.

As we walked home Ike began to cry again and told me that he didn't call the 1st grader a f-word but he did kinda tease him because he was playing with a girl's toy. So we had a little lesson on why it is important to tell the truth all the time, even if you are accused of something you didn't do.

After we got home I found out that yesterday when Gabe picked up Ike one of the bus stop moms told Gabe and his friend Brock who the bully was. Brock approached the bully and asked if he knew who had been picking on Ike, because Ike's big brother was looking to rough him up a little and make him stop. The bully said he didn't know who it was.

So this is what I imagine happens at the bully house tonight: Mom comes home and yells "you little f-word! Ima whip your a$$! You got me yelled at today at the bus stop!" and then the bully says, "Mom! Dude! his big brother is gonna get me! everyone is talking about it" then tomorrow she shows up at the bus stop with a baseball bat to get revenge on me for her older son.

This probably ends with the husbands having a throw down in the round-about.

The happy ending to this story is that a few months later the bully moved out and we all celebrated.

Dear President Bush

Dear President Bush,

The days are growing shorter. Here in Colorado we are expecting our first blizzard any day now (not much of an exaggeration). Fewer daylight hours means more artificial light in my house.

You signed a law banning the sale of incandescent light bulbs in 2012 - 4 short years from now. I voted for you. You didn't consult me on this. You should have because I would have stopped you dead in your tracks. It was not a very BRIGHT idea.

While I am all for having lots of energy and a pretty planet that is not warming, I need my incandescent lights! Fluorescents light bulbs -CFLs- give me a headache and eyestrain. They make my home feel like a laundry mat. They flicker and stutter and hardly warm up in time for me to get in and out of the garage.

Costco no longer sales incandescent bulbs and I blame you for the frustration I felt in the bulb isle. What about my freedom of choice? You took that away!

I do have them in my house. I have 17 CFLs in non-high use areas, the garage, closets, basement, lights that aren't used daily. I use 9 halogen bulbs. But I need those 23 incandescent bulbs.

I think you are going to have a SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) nation in the winter of 2012. Parents will yell at their children, grades will go down, workers will be less productive, bank tellers will be snippy, drivers will fall asleep at the wheel, gangs will take over, there will be brawls at the Christmas sales, PMS will be rampant- even in men. All because we have CFLs. Oh - and the mercury poisoning - bad news.

So, I am stocking up on incandescent bulbs. I need to protect my family. The law doesn't ban the use of the bulbs, just the sale of them. I need roughly 10 bulbs a year...so 100 bulbs should get me through 10 years - longer if I can get the kids to turn off the lights.

You really should have called me about this.

Your Constituent,

Robin

War in Colorado

Colorado Springs has 5 large military installations. Fort Carson Army Base, Peterson Air Force Base, United States Air Force Academy, Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station and Schriever Air Force Base. I was completely unaware of the effect this large military presence would have on me when we moved here (we are one of very few people in our neighborhood whose job is not related to the military in some way).

I am embarrassed to admit this, but before we moved here I had a negative opinion of the military. That opinion was fed mostly by the media who portrays the military as uneducated, harsh, men who enjoy inflicting pain. How very wrong that is. I am surrounded by men and women who are leaders in the military. Our bishopric is made up entirely of retired officers and the YW secretary is a Lieutenant Colonel. They are honest, generous, faithful, intelligent, hard working, warm loving people. I have never had better neighbors than those we have now.

I have a good friend whose husband has been in Iraq for 6 months and will be gone 6 more months. She has 5 kids under age 11. He is an Army doctor in the trauma center where he works on soldiers and Iraqis. Recently he worked on an Iraqi who planted a roadside bomb, was hurt and sent to Adam for help. He helped him. Watching his wife, Liz, get through this as gracefully and calm as she can is inspiring. Many of the moms at the bus stop are officers or officer's wives. After the bus leaves they stand around with their coffee mugs and talk about deployments and assignments the same way I talk about my husband’s business trips. My next door neighbor was in Iraq last year leaving behind his 2 teenage kids. I get an email every other week from a man in our ward who is a police officer in Iraq – he has 2 teenage sons. He sends stories and pictures of his interactions with the Iraqi people – mostly uplifting and always fascinating.

Right after we moved here we were at a party and I asked a handsome guy what he did and he casually said:
"I work at Space Command."
I was amazed and immediately asked, "Wow! What do you do there!?"
"Sorry, I can't tell you." he said, with a smile.
That has happened several times and I still get a little James Bond thrill from it. Infact, if they don't say "Space Command" I feel a little disappointed.

These people have shared experiences with me, both good and bad, about the war. Nearly everyday there is a front page personal story about the war. Most of the time they are obituaries and I am compelled to read every word. The media here handles the war in a patriotic supportive way, but they don't shield us from the gory details. They also do a much better job of sharing the good stuff that is happening in Iraq due to our presence there.

Many Americans have disconnected with the war. They are tired of hearing about it and it is so very far away, it hardly affects the daily life of most Americans – besides, there is the tragedy of Britney Spears to think about.

Do you have a family member there? Have you been asked to grow a victory garden? Or give up all your medal so they can melt it down for ammunition? If every American could experience living here during war time, having friends and neighbors who are affected by it as mine are, there wouldn’t be such a disconnect.

I am sure I wouldn’t have this opinion if we still lived in Boise.