Twitter Mini-Posts

Here are some things I have been up to lately as dictated to Twitter, since I havent been blogging as much, I thought I would provide the twitter account of what has been on my mind. So if you missed my witty blog posts, feel free to follow me on Twitter, although I make no guarantees on my wittiness.

Some from post-Beach (reverse chronological order):
choc cake and Wiiiiii.
b/c of the line at Eppies, I looked at the menu & ordered something different-pasta with pink sauce- delicious & tons of food. Yummy/so full.
Fair warning to all I hate answering the phone- b/c usually it means 10 people call while I am already on the phone.
Harold and Kumar- the original, I love having satellite- I appreciate more b/c we only get it for 3 mo a year.
I (heart) Jake Ryan...those dimples, that hair, and the eyebrows.
husband has never seen 16 candles, I wonder how many other boys havent seen movie
onto sixteen candles, classic.
love Chandlers ice cream, but they really need a sink to wash up afterwards.
fabios is fabulous.
to the weekend- pool, picnic and fun but how is it the work to do list never gets shorter? next week discovery!!
sometimes I sound more aggressive than I mean to, I gotta watch that.
off to the country store for lunch. yummy salad
Now that I have an IPOD I think it has jumped the shark- I still love it though.
:) I haven't been drivin to work, the exercise has helped my sanity.
phew glad that is over. Now onto the significant amount of other work.
sweating after riding bike to work, but at least I didnt wear my suit on the bike. Preparing for two court things today.
rode my bike back to work, something is clicking on it. Swamped with work, that is good.
beautiful day for a ...CLE? ugh.
I think I will be done for the evening, finally. Good conversation with neighbor this evening, I love it here.
I love Flickr. It is a good way to share photos without emailing them.
having most delicious salad ever from Blue Ridge Country Store. Finally a moment
walked to work today. feeling more productive at work as a result, still need to go to grocery store- no food in house after vacay.
Mellow Mushroom at 7:45- boys finally in bed, busy week ahead.
instead of cookin dinner: clean fridge, put up ceiling fan...very hungry and sweaty now.

Beach Week (6/12-6/20) Tweets:
hanging on the deck at beach
ready for a bike ride, wish I hadn't been so sick, this is only 2nd of week
I just finished the book "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. A good read wonder if this is a new genre of memoir?
time for another nap...second of the day
feeling slightly better, save for the sun induced itchiness.
awaiting eggs made by dboy and daddy
word girl is so much better than fox 'news'
help- Fox News is on in the room and its driving me crazy.
need more tissues...and its not from watching a sad movie
it throws me off when a client gets arrested, I know I am not meant to be a criminal defense attorney
beautiful beach day, lots of work to do
working at the beach, cant be bad right?

Fundraising deadline

Only one hour left till the end of the quarter- support your favorite candidates by going to their website and contributing today (even if it is after June 30- they will accept your money anytime).

Thank you.

Landis Guilty of Doping; Loses Title

The day Landis climbed and climbed and climbed into first place and the winner of the Tour de France in 2006 is a lie. The process has spoken, no one believes his theory of the case, in fact according to the decision of the doping court "Appelant's experts crossed the line, acting for the most part as advocates for the Appelant's cause, and not as scientists objectively assisting the Panel in the search for truth" (sic). I have to believe in the system, sure everything could be corrupt, but even my conspiracy theory brain recognizes its more likely that one person is corrupt than multiple levels of an administrative and testing process are corrupt. I will apologize personally if Landis is an innocent victim in all this. For the moment I know that the fans are the ones being victimized-

That historic day as described in Wikipedia
"On the following day's Stage 17, Landis stunned the cycling world with a 120 km solo breakaway attack that has been called "one of the most epic days of cycling ever seen".[9] The performance earned Landis comparisons to the famed rides of Eddy Merckx. At one point on the course, he was 9 minutes 4 seconds clear of Pereiro. Landis ultimately won the stage by nearly six minutes over Team CSC's Carlos Sastre and took more than seven minutes out of Pereiro's lead. At the end of the day, Landis sat in third place overall, 18 seconds behind Sastre and just 30 seconds behind the Tour leader. The next stage was a 57 km individual time trial, and Landis' strength in time trialing put him well within striking distance of regaining the tour lead. Landis finished third in the time trial of Stage 19, 89 seconds ahead of Pereiro and 3 minutes 31 seconds ahead of Sastre, to reclaim the yellow jersey with a lead of 59 seconds. Landis retained the lead through Stage 20, the procession into Paris, to win the 2006 Tour de France by 57 seconds.." As a sports fan, that day was one of the greatest in sports history- to have it all questioned a week later, I can still conjure up the heartbreak of the day the allegations of testosterone use came out. We fans lost and continue to lose when cyclists dope and sponsors let them.

The Tour starts again on Saturday. Will I allow myself to be victimized again by this event I love so much? My favorites are all gone from the Tour- Basso, Hamilton, Landis, Ulrich, Mancebo, Boonen, Vino, Contador, Levi etc. They are gone- some legitimately disgraced because of doping, others because of the knee-jerk reaction of the governing body of the Tour. Lets face it no one is innocent- even I know my hyperbole surrounding the epic day in the 2006 Tour feeds cheaters, advertisers, sponsors and the sport itself- if that drama doesnt happen- will I still watch? I will, but maybe others will not.

A whole team is out of the Tour because of last year DESPITE practically everything about the team having changed since last year. Astana has last year's winner on it- Alberto Contador- so he is unable to defend his title because members of last year's team (he wasnt on it) got caught up in a doping scandal.

There are bright spots and I hope this is a clean month for the Tour so next year we can begin to put the scandals behind and focus on the REAL drama, hard work and emotion of this incredibly demanding race.

Be the change...

I have been rained on twice in the past week- and I dont care a hoot. But other people really care- do you want an umbrella? are you sure you dont want a ride? Some folks think I have lost my mind walking in the rain, you should try it though, I find it delightful.

Given the primary experience of Hillary and the vocal cries of sexism in the heat of the campaign, I have been trying to be more cognizant of my own and other people's biases. It's depressing to pay attention. I have been more offended in the past week than I have been in quite awhile (and I work at not being offended).

I keep repeating the mantra of "be the change you want to be" to myself. I want politics to be about civil discourse recognizing reasonable people can disagree. Every time I turn around I am being tested- admittedly I want to rant and rail against people who are haters of the things I believe in. While that is the path of least resistance I recognize I have a greater obligation to civil discourse- I will work hard not to demonize those who disagree, but rather substantiate why I disagree. I may be snarky (sarcastic) at times, but I will try to be fair.

I want this presidential election to look different than previous ones. I despise Juvenile Court because of its ambush nature - I dont think presidential politics should be on who has the best oppositional research, it should be on legitimate policy differences.

John McCain and Barack Obama are extraordinary men, while I have a strong opinion about who should be President, its not because of a lapel pin, race, military service, or even their wives but on my opinion of the way the country should move forward. And it is that, an opinion, I expect some to disagree. Just do so respectfully and dont try to make me think my guy is bad, it wont work and you may have been misinformed.

Almost the end of the quarter

Fundraising kicks into high gear at the end of the quarter, and June 30th is the next deadline. Support my candidates by giving generously before the 30th of June.

I received the following statement upon contributing to Sen. Deeds campaign today, which neatly encapsulates why Creigh Deeds should be the next Governor of Virginia:

"I’ve spent my career as a listener and a consensus builder—fighting for your values and delivering results. But despite all the wonderful things happening in Virginia right now, I believe there is still important work to be done. With the right investments in our colleges and universities, we can create a research-based economy that develops new sources of alternative energy. We need to get back on the road to building a modern transportation system in Virginia that allows our state and our economy to grow. And, it is imperative that we retool our community college system so that we can train our workforce for the jobs of the 21st century. These are just some of the challenges I hope to tackle as your next Governor and I welcome your input and advice on how we can continue to make Virginia the best place to live, work and raise a family—the best place for all of us to call home." (emphasis mine).

Also, some of you may have received Tom Perriello's video today either via email or facebook (or both). I applaud Perriello's bold goals- $900,000 for this quarter? I genuinely believe he can win because he has the audacity to fight, fight, fight (that is my favorite line from an Ani DeFranco song Gravel). Its impressive to see someone follow through on their commitment to serve those who feel unrepresented here in the 5th.

Last, but not least, Obama is also seeking our support, and offering a t-shirt in return. From an email: "The financial reporting deadline for June is coming up this Monday at midnight. This will be the first test of our grassroots fundraising program since we declared our independence from the broken campaign financing system. We need to show that a campaign funded by ordinary people giving only what they can afford can go toe-to-toe with John McCain and the Republican National Committee. Make a donation of $30 or more by midnight on June 30th and receive a special edition Obama logo T-shirt: https://donate.barackobama.com/logotshirt"

Cindy McCain

Newsweek's cover story on Cindy McCain is worth a read. Cindy McCain is no longer someone I can overlook as trophy or minimize. She is, in my opinion which is not worth a lot, a strong woman who has endured despite some pitfalls AND has really walked the walk with respect to service and giving back. Not that I am voting for John McCain, but it is certainly not because of his wife. Luckily for the electorate either Michelle Obama and Cindy McCain will make excellent First Ladies.

I say luckily because we are not electing First Ladies, both nominees have married extraordinary women who are committed to their children, work and service. I am proud that both nominees have not married wallflowers but real strong women.

So take a look at the article if you dont know anything about Cindy McCain. Also media dont mess with any politician's children- that is just wrong.

Depression & Hollywood

Heather Locklear has admitted herself into treatment for depression and anxiety. Normally I would have nothing to add to this. However, I was pretty horrified when the boys and I were driving to the Belmont Spray Park last night and the commentator on the radio (107.5 which I promptly changed the station) stated "oh it must be so difficult being beautiful, even at her age, working and rich..." as though those things disqualify her from depression.

Depression is an illness, it is not related to your lifestyle or all the trappings in it. With respect to Locklear- it is easy to see how depression could have been triggered- her (now ex) best friend began dating her husband as soon as HeatherL separated from Sambora.

Seeking treatment for depression is commendable, not something to be mocked. Moreover, pain is completely individual - we are in no position to judge another's mental status or just as we are unable to determine whether someone has an invisible physical illness. I prefer to support someone who is depressed, not marginalize depression for entertainment value, even if the person who is ill is rich, beautiful and otherwise fortunate (maintaining the facade can be even more troubling for those folks).

No recycling in rentals

Sandbridge is lovely- I love Virginia so I particularly grateful to be able to vacation in such a wonderful spot. We have been coming here for a ridiculous period of time, like 18 years or something like that.

Needless to say, much recyclable material is created while we are here. When we started coming here, Sandbridge had a place to go to recycle, so every other morning or so, someone would venture over there with our glass, aluminum etc. it was not the best task, but everything is better on vacation anyway.

They closed the place to recycle, so we didnt recycle for a few years and never really understood why they closed it.

Blue trash cans came to Sandbridge awhile back and recycling came to the curb and recycling was easy.

This year, the blue trash can is here- but the recycle trucks dont take recycling from rental homes because too many people were putting trash in the blue cans.

We are at the beach- I think of the beach as the front line on environmental issues and we cant recycle at our curb? For a long time, I thought it was a pain in the a$$ to recycle, but Chris has positively influenced me and now I can say it is obvious we should be recycling. Charlottesville's system has helped too- since we pay per trash can and recycling is free, the difference between recycling and not, is dramatic.

I am sorry but I cannot bring the recycling home- its a lot and the cars are already small and loaded.

To think in problem solving mode for one minute- the blue cans look similar to the black cans- so why not make the recycle containers different? In cville, the smaller bins are for recycling and while it may not be as easy for the operator of the trash truck, I suspect the value of recycling over the long term would be greater. I am not some great mind or anything like that, but it seems like the City of Virginia Beach or the rental companies or the solid waste disposal companies could bring recycling to vacationers, making all of us better citizens as a result.

what I learned at Rotary

Last night's topic was somber- "The War Tapes" a documentary told from the inside out. It was shown at TED a filmmaker's honor.

Soldiers received cameras and their equipment had mounted cameras on them. I watched the trailer and the directors talk at TED. Needless to say it was very moving.

what I learned
1. itunes has the documentary for $9.95
2. positive news coverage for theses soldiers is that the soldiers helped when told not to and this is the seriously under reported story of the war. If a bombing happens outside the fence and hurt Iraqis, it is the US medics and troops responding in these crisises. they don't have to, the humanity demonstrated by these soldiers everyday far outweighs the treachery portrayed by the media.

so I will get the documentary and learn more, and find a way to make a difference. The presentation reminded me of a recurrent thought I have:

"mommy, what did you do during the war?"

Annual 5th CD Dem Dinner

I copied Gordie since he laid it out so well (thanks).
The 5th District Committee is holding their annual dinner nearby in Lynchburg. Here are the details:

here: James River Conference Center
5th and Court Streets
Lynchburg
WHO: Tom Perriello 5th District Candidate for Congress

David Toscano
57th District Delegate (Charlottesville)

Shannon Valentine
23rd District Delegate (Lynchburg)

Brian Moran
92nd District Delegate (Hampton)
Chair, House Democratic Caucus

Ward Armstrong
10th District Delegate (Martinsville and nearby counties)
House Minority Leader

Cost: $45 per person contact Jennifer at jlm2z@hotmail.com

Transportation: If you want to save gas, Fred Hudson has rented a bus.
This is not your normal bus that you used to take to school. This is a very nice bus, well fitted out with very comfortable seats, that is really a first class way to make the trip to Lynchburg. Also, there will be wine available at not cost to the riders. And you get all of this for $20.

Parks&Rec

Some notes on the Parks and Rec Dept.
Washington Park pool is open 10-8 M-F- be there or be square.

Belmont Spray Park is up and running. Some who have attempted to use it may have been disappointed to find it closed, but since the heat wave it has been open. We look forward to seeing you there!

GreenLeaf Park has its own spray park. I can attest to the fun of it. We had Dboy's bday party there, it was awesome (but brutally hot for us adults who hung out in the shade-luckily there is plenty of that at Greenleaf).

Meade Park's pool will be demolished at the end of the season so that a new pool can be built by the beginning of next year.

Its almost July so it must be drugs

UPDATE: Boonen will not participate in the Tour this year as a result of his positive cocaine test last month. The governing body ASO states this is not a doping case- then what the heck, let the man ride.
All of the best looking, talented cyclists are out of the Tour this year, my heart is broken.

I am looking at my groups on Facebook, I am in the group called "Cycling dominates my month of July" or something like that. All this talk on the message board about Tom Boonen, who is my second favorite sprinter (Robbie McEwen is my first favorite).

Well Tom tested positive for cocaine last month prior to the start of the Tour of Belgium. Phew- dodged a bullet there. He will not be sanctioned by anyone, the Tour de Suisse may attempt to keep him out of its race, but that decision may be overturned. All of this I found out when I stopped by cycling news. Apparently reading cycling news once every two days in June is not enough. The website doesnt think anything bad will happen to Tom as a result; isnt cocaine a performance enhancing drug? Why wouldnt that be banned. I like Tom, but if he is doing cocaine, might it be possible that he is doing other drugs?

We have our tivo all ready to start the Tour de France, but for now it is mostly the boys catching up on all their favorite Noggin shows, luckily we arent home much.

Its only a speech...

But I know how important speeches are to the American people. Today Clinton will mercifully concede. CNN is reporting that her speech will be crucial to uniting the party and moving beyond the bitterness of the primary.

When Al Gore gave his concession speech in 2000 after the Supreme Court decision in Bush v. Gore, he set the tone of reconciliation that Bush propounded during his campaign (a whole book could be devoted to how he has failed in every respect).
Mr. Gore really demonstrated his leadership abilities in the moments he made that speech and he helped the country begin to heal. Obviously what we ended up with was less than satisfactory for the majority of us who voted for Gore, but the truth of the matter is- it was no longer about him, it was about moving the country forward. Today, I hope to see a generous and sincere Clinton graciously concede so that we can move forward as Democrats and a country.

VP for Obama

I am on the Webb for VP bandwagon. Obviously, Obama should choose a running mate based on who he feels comfortable, has needed experience and will serve him loyally. During the campaign, I was absolutely, 100% against Clinton being Obama's running mate. I see her a bit more softly now. Even while criticizing her, I have been hoping she would generously and humbly concede when she in fact concedes. If she admits that Obama won this primary, it will go a long way to mending my relationship with her. I know she is real concerned about our relationship - NOT.

What I am saying is if she is willing to concede she may not be the self-serving, Rovian page book borrower that I thought in the heat of the campaign. In that event, she may not try to undermine Obama at every turn as a Vice President. If I could believe that then I believe she might make an excellent VP selection (just dont tell my dad I said that- I might get kicked out of the family).

Finally, I dont think Obama should be pressured to pick anyone, so while I support Sen. Webb, I know I dont have a vote in that decision until well after it is made.

Buddy the dog

Our dog is sick, so sick we didnt even care that it would cost an arm and a leg. He has allergies- always has, so he frequently is scratching himself. But when he started getting a runny nose and sore joints, we had to take him to the vet. He has a 105 degree temp, he could barely walk and had awful skin issues on his tail. Poor dog. The vet was real worried about him, which made us freak out more too. The antibiotics, IV fluids and other treatment turned him around quickly. He tested positive for a tick borne disease which in dogs are relatively easy to treat. The deterioration happened so quickly- on Wednesday he was fine, by last night we thought we should take him into the emergency vet. We waited till morning and took him to our vet. He has to be quiet this weekend, and if he doesnt stop scratching he has to wear boxer shorts (so far, so good though). I wouldnt have imagined such a quick turnaround, but he even jumped on the bed to sleep tonight, this morning he couldnt walk. Phew.

New firm - so refreshing

Working in an office is so good. This week because of the heat one member of the firm whipped up a tuna salad for the rest of us so we wouldnt have to venture into the heat to get lunch. How nice. I am constantly grateful for the interaction with people, the conversation range from silly to serious and are respectful.

The last time I started at a brand new job it was 8/27/2001. Two weeks later, Sept. 11, happened and I sat aghast as the staff used racial epithets in front of me. I firmly (but carefully since I didnt know them) told them not to use that language in front of me. I ended up being the target of the staff after that episode- I was grateful to leave that awful environment. I feel pretty fortunate not to have been offended or offended anyone in the past five weeks. w00t

The firm I work with is so refreshing and a welcome change from my previous isolation.

parents as grandparents

My parents are so different as grandparents. Things are a lot more secure for them than they ever were while my brother and I were growing up, so obviously that helps. But being around them, I get the distinct impression that the joys of grandparenthood are the hidden secrets of parenthood. I say this as my boys eat plain pasta and veggies for dinner (parent of the year here).

David will be 5 this week- Andrew will be 4 in a month. I am the luckiest mom around because my mom and Pauline take such pleasure in babysitting my boys three days a week. The really awesome part is how excited the boys are to spend time at grandma's house- every week, three times a week. When the boys were younger, someone told me that mothers really suffered from the mobility of the nuclear family- no longer were we so close to a family support network. In my case, I am in 100% agreement. My family has been able to thrive as a result of my mother's sincere desire to spend a lot of quality time with my children.

Now my dad is moving to Texas for at the most 5 or 6 years. Never mind my own denial and sadness. My dad, living in Baltimore for the past decade or so, has visited at least once a month, or more, since the children were born. His wife, "grandma' Sherry is a favorite of the boys too since she plays computer games with them and has an seemingly boundless amount of energy to play with them. The boys love it when they come visit- so much so, that David just assumes we are going to Texas with them when Grandpa and 'grandma' Sherry move there. David likes the idea of traveling by plane to Texas too, in congruent thoughts but he is only 4 still.

I leave out Chris' family in this discussion but I dont mean to suggest they are irrelevant- Chris's mom frequently brings my boy's cousins to play and plans her days off to coincide with time she can help us out and spend quality time with the boys all this while living three hours away.

Finally, my parents do not seem old at all to me (their bdays are this month too-nor are they imho). I remember vividly thinking my grandparents were elderly. I get the distinct impression my children dont think of my parents (or Chris' mom) as elderly because of the very active and important role they have played in their upbringing. Of course, some day when the children are older, they will tell me their impressions (as my brother and I constantly amaze my parents with our impressions). Today I know they are so loved and engaged by their grandparents- and obviously I am very grateful.

Turn VA BLUE!! Obama in Prince William Thursday

Virginia is in Play- we should get used to going places in Virginia and supporting the Democratic nominee for President!
From the Obama Campaign:
Please join Barack Obama for a Rally in Prince William County, where he'll talk about his vision for bringing America together and creating the kind of change we can believe in.

Rally with Barack Obama

Nissan Pavilion
7800 Cellar Door Drive
Bristow, VA

Thursday, June 5th
Doors Open: 3:00 p.m.
Program Starts: 6:00 p.m.

http://va.barackobama.com/bristow

The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are NOT required, but an RSVP is strongly encouraged (use link above). Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis.
For security reasons, do not bring bags. Please limit personal items. No signs or banners permitted. No outside food or drinks are permitted on property, with the exception of clear and sealed water bottles.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you cannot make it to this event but would still like to support Barack, you can make a donation here:

https://donate.barackobama.com/wecan

New RPV Chair

Waldo's take on the Republican Party of Virginia squabble is biting. This weekends convention helped solidify the RPV intent on becoming irrelevant to a majority of Virginians and helping me elect more Democrats. Thanks.

The Virginia Republican seems to be promoting the opposite of what the Sorenson program seeks to do: promote dialogue bipartisan(ly) so that we can be pragmatic in finding solutions to Virginia's problems.

This evening (6/1/08) Event

Tonight in Scottsville- the Hackensaw Boys and Sons of Bill are playing in Dorrier Park. Its free. For more information- check out this website.
This is quite a lineup for a free concert. The only problem I have is that it is a long drive and it is Sunday. Tune in to see whether I actually go, and if you go, tell me about it or say hey.

musings, with no links too lazy

Today I graduated from Leadership Cville. I hope people in our community will consider applying for it. One of the fellows in the last year’s Sorenson Class (documented by Across the Aisle), is this year’s Chamber’s Small Business Man of the Year recipient- Grant Tate. I have had the honor of knowing Grant Tate casually for about a year, I am more familiar with others in his organization Bridge, LTD- Jennifer Till and Connie Brennan. I particularly appreciated his comment (because they awards are always a surprise) “now I know why my brother flew into town” so cute and honest. I appreciate that about Grant and his team.

I celebrated JustChildren’s 10th bday last night at the old Michie building. The program at the Legal Aid Justice Center is remarkable, and involves any educational related legal issues. Congratulations to JustChildren and LAJC.

"Across the Aisle" appeared on PBS last night as I mentioned I was at a bday party so I only had a chance to watch the last fifteen minutes. The program was well done and I look forward to see the whole thing soon.

On the tv front, I haven’t watched General hospital in months- is that progress? I barely keep up with the show online, I also barely watch anything except ten oclock news, Frazier and Seinfeld as I am falling asleep. Although this evening I did get sucked into the Lost finale- I do follow that online, particularly the WaPo’s Lost chats, and btw wtf? This show is unbelieveable. Oh my goodness, that ending was completely unexpected.

Chris is setting up the directv for our annual Tour de France three week marathon. It was nice of the WaPo to write about cycling today- about the performance enhancing drugs and David Millar, reformed doper.

I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea- I look forward to a good night sleep soon, I told Chris that it feels so dumb to expect sleep to make me feel less tired- it just doesn’t, and I have no way of feeling less tired until the c-pap makes an appearance in my house.

Self-serving

We know the Clintons very well- from the 8 years in office and the middle of the night move to NY to run for Senate and finally Hillary's run for President. I feel like the past 16 years have provided a window into the type of person Hillary is.

Hillary- we know its not about getting the votes counted, its about you breaking the rules, not following the rules after you agreed to them and then crying sexism and foul when the DNC/state parties couldnt find a way to manipulate those FL and MI votes so that you would win. At this point, it would be difficult to convince me she has anything but her own self-interest, not her supporters, the party and certainly not the people who stayed home on their primary day in MI and FL because they KNEW their votes wouldnt count.

At least CNN no longer has the story as a headline. Perhaps this is just her way of showing that she is a fighter as she negotiates with Obama to bow out of the race. I really hope that is the case, because I dont want to think the worst about her. I look forward to this primary season being over.

Sleeping health

Prior to starting Sorenson, I worried about having a roommate overnight in the hotel on the weekends because of my unladylike snoring. My husband complains occassionally so I know it is not a pleasant thing. Well my roommate that first weekend was surprised and unpleasantly so. Of course I am embarrassed and mildly concerned. I decide I should definitely pay the extra money for a single hotel room so as not to disrupt others sleep.

Shortly after that weekend, I participated in the MS Walk- the team leader is a doctor, who is heading to a 'sleep' fellowship in Durham next year (I learned as we walked). I give her my symptoms and she calmly warns me I need to get checked out because people with Sleep Apnea are at higher risk of strokes, heart attacks and all those really worrisome things.

So I go to my primary care physician (who is a nurse practicioner in a large practice- but to me he is a doctor). He refers me to a sleep study because of my symptoms (headache in the morning, chronic fatigue, moodiness, naps etc). Last night was the sleep study.

I got a lot of wires attached to me- its a comfortable room- like a hospital room with the tv that swings from the wall. I fall asleep around 11:30. In order to be diagnosed with apnea one has to have 15 obstructions an hour, according to Helen my nurse- that sounds like a lot to me, so I doubt I will have it. If a patient has the requisite symptoms of apnea, the nurse will put a c-pap machine on the patient, to see if that will alleviate the apnea. The c-pap is a very romantic machine that one wears over her head and puts over her nose and air blows into the nose and somehow manages to trick the brain into not obsructing.

After an hour and a half, the nurse came in to tell me I wasnt sleeping and she put the c-pap on me. I guess I have apnea. I slept well the rest of the night despite having a million wires hanging from me and adjusting to the air blowing into my nose.

Helen told me that I was dreaming for a very long time and she tried to wait till the end of my dream before waking me up (isnt that nice?). I wont get my own c-pap for a few weeks. The doctors will review the results of the study and prescribe a c-pap.

This may be more than you ever wanted to know about me, but something I want to emphasize to stress the importance of treatment since the effects can be bad, and the treatment fairly simple. Finally- I want to say the symptoms for apnea mirror the symptoms for depression- if you snore, stop breathing during sleep, need to take a nap during the day or always feel tired, well it could be apnea and I recommend talking to your doctor about both depression and apnea. My nurse said it best "you wont be moody anymore," my relief was palpable. It just doesnt feel good to be tired all the time.

By the way, apnea is hereditary. I appreciate my Sorenson experience that first weekend, even if embarrassing, it has led to this optimistic prognosis for my fatigue and headaches.

Dont worry i wont buy it right now

Since I bought my IPOD, I am no longer allowed to purchase things- reasonable since first paycheck doesnt equal black balance sheet- oh well (food notwithstanding).

Because I researched my Ipod purchase, I have all sorts of new recommendations on my Amazon page. One of the recommendations is this fun game (Dance Revolution Hottest Party Bundle, with dance mats) made for Wii.

When I saw the movie Baby Mama, I mentioned it was a long commercial for Karaoke Revolution- thankfully I didnt purchase that game (I dont really care about singing).
But Dancing sounds like fun. I cant dance to save my life, but in the privacy of my living room, with the boys laughing and the dog barking, it could be fun and a little bit of exercise that I cant seem to get to.

It is expensive so I wont be making an impulse purchase- I cant imagine regularly playing the game. Already I dont play the Wii games as much as I thought I would, even though we have fun games.

So I will wait, and perhaps by my fifth or sixth paycheck (or add ten), if I am still interested I will discuss it with Chris and make a reasonable decision. :)

muddled thoughts on local govt

I appreciate Council providing an outlet for people to express their views for and against the preferred alternative of the water plan. In the end, I hope we can move forward with an elongated time line for the preferred alternative and determine whether dredging options are actually cheaper.

Kevin Lynch makes a good point- one which I am unable to refute- Council approved of this plan because they were repeatedly told the dredging options were prohibitively expensive (and it was too difficult to get rid of the material, hence the expense). Turns out the dredging options may not have been so expensive.

When one doesnt have the accurate facts its impossible to make an appropriate decision. This city is blessed with wonderfully smart people- yet we cant agree on what facts to use? Mayor Norris is correct, we must compare apples to apples with this water supply mess.

At the same time when do we as a community decide?

When do we decide on the MeadowCreek PKWY? Did we already decide? It's just not clear based on the recent decisions. Also what about the neighborhood appeal of the BAR Fried decision? When will there be a decision on it?

Recently sidewalks were constructed on Calhoun Street. The neighborhood is very grateful- but when was that decided and how? For example, how should other neighborhoods go about getting additional sidewalks in their neighborhoods (ps- why are any streets in cville being built without sidewalks? all new streets should be required to have sidewalks)? Last time a remarkably similar issue was before Council, Council opted not to take any action- yet less than a year later there are new sidewalks? Thank you, but how can we replicate the process if there is no apparent process?

Leadership means making hard decisions, even unpopular decisions. I believe the Councilors are being purposefully deliberative so that they can have all the information to make the decision. I hope they have the information to make a decision on June 2.

notes on public hearing on water supply

1. Gary starts for background. 2004- ten comm meetings, 2 year process, approved by all. Permits have beem applied. Feedback to build on work session to build from.
2. Judy Mueller hopefully you came to the work session where subject was studied in depth. see the slide show with a lot of numbers, talking fast. what to do the material you dredge is important to her. Preferred alt stays in watershed, innovative, won't silt in and has an excellent mitigation. more support for the approvd plan. b back later...

YMCA LOCATION

At Council tonight. Lots of people here to discuss the water plan, I am here to support the plan for the YMCA created by an open and thorough, community driven process with the shortened timeline. This plan is far superior to the default location in the contract. I am supporting the process.

excuses, excuses...

Wow- those Clinton supporters are brutal- suddenly in the last two days crying sexism- not from the Obama campaign, because they cant point to anything there, but at the media. Of course, the Clinton supporters choose to target the Obama campaign- not Republicans the real anti-women/sexist group.

What is the problem? I am a woman, I recognize my own biases and certainly that of others, sexism is alive and well. I am proud that Hillary is a strong female candidate. I just dont agree with her.

The argument that if I dont agree with her, then I disagree with the Democratic party is specious at best and dangerous at worst. As all of us know about the 'big tent' that is the party, and my favorite 'dissent is the highest form of patriotism" I disagree regularly with the party and my fellow party members. I am kind of proud of my dissent/disagreeable nature (just kidding). How does change happen- people not agreeing and working together for a common end. Because Hillary honestly believes it is her way or the highway and uses mean-spirited, Rovian tactics to get her way. That is too close to the current administration for my comfort.

I support Obama- he is a male (forgive him for all the advantages conveyed to him as a result- oh wait...) but his message more closely reflects my own wishes for this country, while the policy is remarkably similar to Hillary- in that contest it has nothing to do with male/female but business as usual v. change.

Yeah John Edwards!

Two reasons I support Obama, one is John Edwards dropped out of the race. So it is a happy day today that Edwards has seen Obama's campaign as bold. Edwards believes too. I was also grateful that Clinton said it would be a big mistake for her supporters to vote for McCain- I didnt know whether she would be able to say it and I appreciate her support for party unity.

Bipartisanship or something like that?

I have been mulling over the experience I had this past weekend at Sorenson. While I learned a great deal from the program (agriculture and negotiating public policy), I have found a few issues-

1. As all of you know I support Creigh Deeds. He has been a mentor and an inspiration to me. I admire his determination and intellect and his absolute commitment to serving all Virginians. I am not working for Senator Deeds, I will try to help him win by talking to people, raising money and blogging about him.

I find my competitive spirit towards those favoring Senator Deeds' opponent hindering my relationships with them. Its unfortunate because this bad feeling I have will be what is left (in the Party) after this bruising primary is over NEXT YEAR.

2. Attempting to overcome my utter repulsiveness towards those supporting the so-called Marriage Amendment, I sought out a classmate to assist. Needless to say, it did not go well.

SO here it is- three months into the program, I love it-but man I am uncomfortable. I suppose one has to be uncomfortable to learn. Is anyone else "learning", is this the way it is supposed to be?

Bush/Hager wedding

Congratulations to the newlyweds! I am impressed with the dignity they have held themselves to over the past few months leading up to the wedding. They are both level headed, good people- marriage is hard for even the most level headed around us- so perserverance and commitment remain the fountain for marriage.

At the Stonewall Jackson hotel this afternoon we saw the preparation for the most gorgeous looking reception. The event was quite a to-do= with the lime centerpieces with sticks hanging out of them- I am sure they were not sticks, but it kind of had that notion to it. The chairs all had...this is where I am deficient as a girl, I have no idea what to call these things- maybe covers- white with a green bow on the back- every single one. It looked nice, but I kept thinking- what if there was no bow? How much more did that cost? And the cake- wow it was spectacular looking- five layers, green studded- it looked like jewels were encrusted in the cake. The family was staying at the hotel and they were having a good time, which is all that matters oh and they actually get married.

To the Hagers- Cville will see you next weekend at Henry's graduation! Two events in two weekends- how exciting, or are you skipping the walk on the lawn for your honeymoon?

Giro starts today in Italy

Danilo Di Luca is the favorite to win again this year. something about that guy I dont trust. Anyway- in the cycling news article- Contador looks to be a favorite, especially since his team Astana has been uninvited to the Tour. In the article, Contador is described as having great domestiques- Levi Leipheimer and Andreas Kloden. Those two are team leaders in their own right so its amusing to hear them described as domestiques.

What a cool Friday

Today was mother's day at D&A's preschool. They both served me lunch individually within an hour. It was very cute- hummus on pita, strawberries, veggies and ranch, chips and salsa and brownies. I got one strawberry from each, one chip from Andrew and 1/2 chip from David. Very funny. And a 1/3 cup of punch "it tastes like ginger ale but its not" "what is it?" "its punch" with a huge grin and burst out laughing like he got away with something.

The poultry plant smells bad when you first enter. We were not able to see the evicerations because the workers were done for the day- we saw the leftover parts and blood and I am grateful we didnt see it. The rest of the plant tour involved parts of the turkey we are used to seeing it, still revulsion still overcame me at points. Deli turkey meat will take awhile for me to eat again.

The Staunton Grocery is a restaurant in Staunton on Beverly Street- it was delicious. The chef made a speech beforehand on how he opened this place to use the locally grown foods in new and productive ways and to serve the farmers and economy of the valley. Very noble thing. While I didnt expect the apple crisp deconstructed with rhubarb cream, mint and caramel to be like it was- I am adventurous, so it was cool. Also the BEST coffee so far this trip- no way anything will be able to beat it till Shenandoah Joes.

Off to the depot and baja. BTW- CREIGH DEEDS for GOVERNOR.

In the morning I have to argue in favor of the ten commandments in school- I got figure out how to make those arguments- my assumption is if I just act belligerent I will get the point across that the foundation of this country is the Bible so we should instill these moral values in our children at a young age. I will win by being righteously indignant.

poultry and workers

I may have had my last chicken meal for a long time. Today I am taking a tour of a poultry processing plant in Harrisonburg. I get to see it from the manager's perspective- the whole day is sponsored by the poultry group.

When I interned for the Virginia Justice Center at the Legal Aid Justice Center in the nineties (so long ago), we went to where the workers lived. The workers live in trailer parks outside of town- everything about the place reeks of poverty and third world country. The mothers and fathers worked separate shifts to take care of the children. No toys, no books, the insects- and an atmosphere of squalor. Does that make sense? I suppose I am using my sensabilities to describe it- I mean no disrespect- it was just one of those places, like most places I went those two summers- where you wore your oldest, sturdiest shoe and lifted up your pant legs to walk around, looking at the ground the whole time. All of those places- the people we met were hard working, loyal, and shy. A lot of times the workers would cry as they told us how they got here or what they have had to endure with their families, employers or the distance between here and home.

These worker's salaries deducted the time the workers had to go to the bathroom, or worse the boss wouldnt let them go to the bathroom. There was also an issue of who was to pay for their uniform. The American workers we suspected were not exploited this way.

All of these issues are actionable, but to the workers legal action was worse than not being able to go to the bathroom or paying for their uniforms. They were very loyal, and obviously appreciated the work.

While I am interested in the processing of poultry and how it works; my main concern is the workers and if what they have to go through is worth the couple cents off the cost of chicken.

Attorney General Sues Car title lender

I saw a bunch of commercials last night for Cash Title Loans. And now I find the Attorney General is suing them since they are breaking the law. How nice of the Attorney General to rid the Commonwealth of all predators- although I am not optimistic the outcome will prevent people from signing on to these awful deals.

"Clinton Touts Support From White Americans" is the headline

Hillary just because you are losing doesnt mean you need to stoop so low.

Change means not having to deal with politicians who see only in black and white. Oregon, West Virginia and Kentucky Democratic voters bring Obama to the National Convention and end the pathetic desperate efforts by Hillary to minimize Obama's achievements.

WAHU Fox News @ 10

What happened to John Rodgers, the news anchor for the 10 oclock news on Fox? I miss the guy. I like Dan Shutte a lot because he has a sense of humor, but where is John?

For awhile Dan would say "I am Dan Shutte in for John Rodgers tonight..." and now, maybe they still are saying it. What I fear is he has been terribly injured and he is recovering, but slowly. Anyone know? Anyone else care? John is the only one who can really get the First Look feature correct, all of the other anchors do not have the timing down. As you can tell, I watch the 10 o'clock news- no other news programs. Honestly there is only about 5 minutes of news in the 30 minute program- about the amount I can tolerate.

Seriously though- what is going to happen in the summer when there are no UVA sports to report on, the sports guys need to look at some professional sports- baseball, NBA finals, even more Nascar would be more tolerable than all UVA, all the time (which usuallly only means one sport story all about UVA Lacrosse or whatever in the 3-4 minute sports time).

And because Stacy Berman has improved signicantly, I will give a shout out to her! Good job. I appreciate her, even though the forecasts have not improved, I dont think it is appropriate to blame her for that- is it?

Wahooptie

As stated earlier this month, my favorite taxi service is Wahooptie. After JenontheEdge said she worried about the conditions of the vehicles, I asked Joseph, one of the owners (and musician who opened for Ryan Shaw last Sunday at Outback) what is the deal with the vehicles?

He assures me the vehicles are fine. None of the problems they had are the result of poor planning or out of shape engines. The fleet is running, and running well. If you would like to sit in an orange or green limo and be driven around by guys who know this town, call/text to 434 249-TAXI.

invitations I like to receive

There is a benefit to being on all the email lists I am on; invitations like this one:

I wanted to extend an invitation to a get together that some friends are holding this coming Monday from 5-7. There is no cost, just fun, free food and free wine.

I have been attending a few things lately, so I might just attend this one.

So happy to hear

Jennifer McClellan has decided to use her super delegate vote to support Obama!
She "appreciates the valiant run Senator Clinton made and will always admire her, but has decided to cast her superdelegate vote for Senator Obama."

I have always admired her and now we support the same candidate for President. Now if only I could speak as well as her in public.

Ice Cream

Ice Cream is a delicious spring/summer/winter/fall treat. It is also one of my favorite songs by Sarah McLauchlan "you're love is better than ice cream..."

I have been paying close attention to prices lately, and I only really buy ice cream when its on sale (2 for $5; buy one get one free, you know the drill). So I was thinking of buying the first ice cream of the season last week :) and I am reviewing the Breyers options- and I notice some containers look smaller than others. And sure enough the cartons of the fancy Breyers are 1.5 quarts; while the mundane (but equally delicious in my mind) are 1.75 quarts.

All of us remember when ice cream was sold in half gallon containers right? It wasnt that long ago. No way was I going to be ripped off my .25 quart so I opted for two 1.75 quart cartons, and the flavors are still delicious and there may be .25 quart left for Chris in the one in the freezer. Luckily I did get two and one is still in the deep freezer (he wont know though because he doesnt read my blog often enough- and none of ya'll are going to tell-right?)

Did I mention I have been eating ice cream instead of dinner lately? I have been getting home late, having not eaten since lunch, so I figure instead of dinner then ice cream, I will just have ice cream. Its the ice cream dinner diet. No just kidding, I am making up for Lent when I didnt eat any dessert.

Chris'isms

Chris is a firefighter and an engineer. Two things he knows a lot about are safety and logic. While I mock him for some things such as the length of time it takes him to build or repair something- the reason is that he actually does it right (with incessant research and discussion with multiple groups of friends) So I am convinced he only wants the best so sometimes he constructively criticizes.

I have learned a lot from Chris but two things I can no longer tolerate seeing because of his concern for these safety issues. So I perform this public service message, so I don’t have to be annoyed when I see these exceptionally common concerns.

1. WEAR A BICYCLE HELMET & WEAR IT CORRECTLY.
I am not really talking to grown ups here- I am not the government, I wont tell you what to do, even if it is a good idea. If you have a child, start a good habit by making your children wear a helmet. However, a helmet is of NO VALUE if the helmet is not properly placed on the child’s head. The helmet is supposed to protect the brain- this is true particularly for the frontal lobe. Place the FRONT of the helmet on the forehead and strap it snugly (two fingers width). Do not place the front of the helmet in the middle of the head- it will not protect the front part of your child’s brain- where all the good stuff is.

2. Car seat safety- Chris read the instruction manual for the car seat. He is a firefighter, he knows about car seat safety. Three issues, one is less of a concern for me, but you can judge for yourself.

a. the top part of the buckle needs to be placed around the sternum of the child- not down by the diaper.
b. the straps needs to be tightened, not loose.
c. the infant seats have a handle for carrying the seat- that handle should be lowered when driving and not ready to be picked up. Convenience sometimes trumps safety here, presumably if you have done a and b, there will not be a concern about the handle. Thankfully D&A are done with those seats.

I can do it mommy

Andrew is three, lately I have been calling him almost 4- but he is turning four in July, so he is still very much three. Today he rode his bike without training wheels. At one point I helped him get started up a hill and as soon as he got it he told me “I can do it mommy” not in the proud way, but in the way that says, “stop helping me mom.” When did they become teenagers?

Then David read a whole Clifford book to Daddy and Andrew before going to bed. He likes to remind me daily how he is getting bigger and bigger every day. Yippee.


One of my favorite songs lately- (I havent downloaded because it is new to me, and it could get annoying)- "Dont Blink" by Kenny Chesney- again for the nostalgia aspect, not for any true musical value.

I turned on the evening news
Saw a old man being interviewed
Turning a hundred and two today
Asked him what's the secret to life
He looked up from his old pipe
Laughed and said "All I can say is."

Don't blink
Just like that you're six years old and you're taking naps and you
Wake up and you're twenty-five and your high school sweetheart becomes your wife
Don't blink
You just might miss your babies growing like mine did
Turning into moms and dads next thing you know your better half
Of fifty years is there in bed
And you're praying God takes you instead
Trust me friend a hundred years goes faster than you think
So don't blink
...it goes on.

technology&how we think

Great conversation at the Moms Night Out we had last night for preschool moms. We tend to talk about our kids A LOT - but in a good, supportive, non-competitive way. I really appreciate the women - this is our third night out this year.

I annoyed them with my technology talk (twitter, blogs, texting, facebook etc). Someone mentioned an article on how we communicate is becoming more minimal- literally the space available to write or communicate with someone is tiny (cell phone screens, facebook status, tweets, and the quick blog post). How is that impacting our brain- and the structure of how we think?

Sadly, I am unable to consider these questions - instead I rather hurridly go about my day and try hard not to think about things- just move to the next thing. I am constantly receiving input- and my output is fairly blah and quick.

I have written in journals since I was in 6th grade. I quit drinking after writing who I wanted to be and what I actually was, I got over broken romances by re-reading all of the journal entries on how pathetic the boy was and to this day one of my favorite things to do is write a note to a friend/acquaintance and send it snail mail. Clearly I am not a talented writer- but I have always relied on it. I can definitely tell my writing is not as comprehensive. I can think of a line "the perfume of the lilacs ..." but then to take it a step further and create the plot and character and theme I dont do that anymore.

Then someone asked what would I do without any newspapers, internet, computers, or music for a few weeks? (assuming no children around)
What would you do?

I said I would write-

They said they would read- then I remembered I like reading so I probably would sleep, read and write and take long baths (so I would probably have to clean the house too). A break from the input would be helpful to de-clutter the mind, however I also think of blogging as my new journal. Or perhaps it is in lieu of talking on the phone- I dont know.
Thoughts?

What I woke up to this morning

Last night was not too late of a night, but it was a long week and Chris is sick so we slept in a little. OK kind of a lot- it was around 10 when I finally heard something I couldnt ignore from the boys- not crying though. I cant really remember what the sound was, perhaps pouring out of the huge rubbermaid container of outdoor playthings- balls, helmets, hockey sticks-everything everywhere.

OK- no big deal. I turn the corner to the kitchen, the macaroni and cheese boxes have been opened and some macaroni has been placed in a measuring cup- ready to make for lunch. There was only one box open upon further examination- so no big deal. A small amount of chocolate chips on the stove, not sure where those came from- I asked Andrew- he got them from the freezer (which is on top of the fridge). He wanted to put the chips in a cake we were allegedly going to make.

Round the next door into the living room and we find about 8 or 9 cups full of milk. They were trying to sell milk to everyone. Sweet milk and non-sweet milk. The sweet milk was the french vanilla creamer. Heads shaking, we begin to clean up the milk. Chris gets a pitcher and begins to pour the milk into a pitcher, he asks Andrew to show me what is at the bottom of the cup- it is loaded with chocolate chips- two more cups had that in them. They keep talking about how yummy the milk and chocolate were. We really couldnt argue with them- the longer you stay in bed as a parent- the more of a mess you will come out to.
I asked David
"did you use all the milk?"
"yes" he responds.
"where is the jug" seeing that it is not in the recycling
"um...lets see, I had it over here, and then I was taping the top...I dont know where it is" - taping the top?? I thought, shaking my head.
When we came back from the park I found the pitcher amid the rubble of outdoor toys.

They did eat breakfast though made themselves cereal. And thankfully they did not go outside- they were definitely trying to escape.

Hope Community Center hubbub

Too bad about the Hope Community Center closing because they could not raise the money to abide by the zoning laws of our city. I appreciate what the Shelter and the Bares are trying to do- if it was a good model to begin with, then private investors or community foundations would invest in it and make it work, perhaps they still will. In the meantime, I encourage the Bares to work with the City to make a sustainable model then its more likely the City will fund it.

Dont buy into the Center's story that the City didnt support them- the CDBG task force allocated money to them for FY 2008-09 which was subsequently approved by Council.

Why come to the Council to prop up the shelter in the middle or at the end of the budget season, when everyone else who receives money followed the rules? Why should we bend the rules? Why not just follow the rules in the first place? I deny teh Center's decision to close because they couldnt meet the zoning requirements is the City's fault - and while I am usually eager to blame the City- in this case, it is unwarranted.

What can we as a City do to help those folks left on the street by the closing? What ever happened to the Shaddyac money? What is happening with the homeless service providers that 70 people/families would be on the street tonight?

Deep thoughts-not

I am not feeling blogalicious right now- so many interesting things are going on in my head, but nothing really worthy of an audience (hey dad!). SO I will do my lists of random miscellaneous items
1. Holy cow- Springsteen was awesome, still kind of get that feeling when I think about it.

2. New job- awesome. I twittered this morning (are you twittering? let me follow you, or vice versa) that I am doing real lawyer work, not soul sucking administrative work. I like this type of practice of law - I am sure it will get crazy and stressful, but after my first day- things are pretty good- for example there is diet coke in the fridge for me!! I didnt put it there. I like working in an office.

3. a complaint about this weekend- "dont make me, please!? do I have to?" I am sure it will be awful and I dont know how to make it better, its all about attitude, I do not have the right attitude for this weekend, I am trying to summon it, but nothing has worked so far.

4. Have you noticed the abundance of taxi-services lately in town? Before it seemed there was only Yellow Cab. Now I see all sorts of vehicles riding people around (in larger cars than the yellow cab people). My personal favorite has to be Wahooptie- you can text them to come pick you up- that is so cool.

Lowes and Twitter

I started twittering- because I like the word. The concept is not something I am sold on, but since the cool kids Marijean and Jim are doing it, I thought I should figure out what it is all about. I am @jmckeever if you would like me to follow you or me to follow you. Stalking is fun.

I concur with Patience’s sentiments on Lowe’s.

Foxfield Weekend Recap

Foxfield is totally different with children. I didn’t really get to wander and see the randomness and chaos that is FF (until the end when the rain forced us to head out at the same time-talk about chaos).

We found a babysitter and I am not telling you who it is- he is an anomaly. He went to FF, sober driver, didn’t want to party after FF and was happy to come over and watch our children sleep while he studied (I mean we even have guitar hero and he didn’t even play video games). The babysitter gave us the opportunity to go out on Saturday night with our friends.

So what did we do with our evening? Baby Mama drama (which may be a long commercial for Karaoke Revolution because now I want that video game), Gamestop drama (for preordered Mario Kart at Midnight), late night with friends and finally to bed. I am a bit bummed we didn’t go to the bars- I say this even though I don’t drink. With the children, I didn’t get to socialize so much at FF, so I kind of wanted to hang out and talk with old/new people. Perhaps this Friday.

I am easily entertained- I enjoyed Baby Mama even in its predictability. A rousing endorsement by me on music or movies should not sway you to do anything different. And at the risk of repeating myself I kicked Greg’s behind in Ms. Pac Man!!! I rock at those 1980’s video games.

MP3 Uploads

I love the one-click at Amazon for mp3 downloads- anytime I am reminded of a song-I can buy it. I am kind of embarrassed by my purchases so I will not reveal them at this time. Let’s just say I am not a snob about music.

Ivan Basso will be Back!

Ivan Basso, my favorite bike rider has signed with a ProTour team Liquigas. Basso is confident he can win the Giro again- which is held in his home country of Italy.



The last time he won the Giro- it was emotional- his wife was pregnant, his mother had passed away urging him to win the Giro. Starting in 2009 he will have the opportunity to defend his title so long as those durn bureaucrats decide for some reason or another to prolong his suspension, an unlikely scenario. But one doesn’t have to look far Tyler Hamilton and Floyd Landis among the riders still not able to return to the sport, for reasons not entirely clear and entirely undemocratic and unfair.

Spring in Charlottesville

Since Spring is this very brief (the humidity starts early), allergy filled time here in Charlottesville all the activities are pretty well put into about 6 weekends. This is just not enough time.

Tonight we had a lovely picnic at Pen Park with the whole preschool. The place was filled with lovely picnic blankets and colorful dishes. This was a no waste picnic so we brought our own plates, silverware, cups etc. So much food- it was a potluck. The weather was so wonderful, I saw lots of new friends and some folks I hadnt seen in awhile.

Then off to the Dogwood Festival one more time, we got there around 7:30- the line for the ferris wheel was lengthy but no one complained. We left at 8:30 and people were pouring in, with little children, brave parents. David rode his first ferris wheel with Daddy and firefighter Chase. And I got my bike back (imagine me walking with my bike and two kids over the bridge to CHS with darkness quickly descending. I was a bit frazzled to say the least. Tomorrow I will ride my bike to my new job. How fun.

Boys are still not asleep so I better calm them down. Charlottesville is high energy in the spring, I am glad to be feeling better so I can enjoy it.

Prom, Foxfield and Dogwood Parade- same day?

This is not good planning.
First- I cant see the Jeopardy bus in the parade if I am in traffic trying to get to Foxfield.
Next How can I possibly go out after FF if all the sitters are at prom (or if they are in college they are highly unlikely to be able to babysit after FF)?? College friends come into town several times a year, this is one of them- now we have to stay home with our kids post FF. Once they are in bed we wont be able to do the Corner crawl which is really just us sitting at Maartens and seeing everyone. Instead we will have to be at home, play Wii and harass our friends by texting and calling them at all hours. It will be like we are in college again, but cheaper and earlier wake up times.

Dont drink and drive- have fun safely - and be forewarned the magistrate will be at festivities on Garth Road, so um, how can I say this politely, dont be an a$$ or the County's finest will haul you off to the drunk tank.

Interchange Vote

This post may upset some folks (hey Peter!). Part of my charm has to be my willingness to say things that make my friends upset, right? Its my father in me, if I am making someone mad, I am probably doing something right. So here goes...

(hold breathe, shut eyes tight) I support the interchange committee's recommendations and believe Council should allow the interchange process to move forward (slowly open eye and release breathe). Now then. Here is Peter's take on the subject. Here is CvilleTomorrow's report on it and the podcast of the hearing.

The Interchange Committee has 22 people on it (at least, and not me fyi) and a website. They have been working hard for two years to come up with an appropriate interchange for the 250bypass/McIntire Rd intersection. The process has been open, thorough and reflective of the differing values of this community.

The interchange is needed, what a great way to access the park for people who really want to enjoy that part of the park. How many more accidents have to happen there (I just passed another one yesterday)? It is not the decision of this City Council whether the interchange goes in, that decision has been made, and federal monies have been allocated. The design is certainly subject to debate- but a two year debate made in good faith and in public has just occurred- lets get this thing moving forward.

Here are my retorts to some of the dectractors of this design:
1. I understand many opponents are loathe to view this as three projects (interchange/McIntire Extd/MeadowCreek Pkwy) because the federal environmental impact statements would be required if the three were one project, however this is not a good reason to postpone change at this failing intersection. VDOT now requires environmental assessments similar so I am not convinced by this theory any longer.
2. The project is too big. There is more grass in the final product than road. There is room for pedestrians, bicycles, probably emergency vehicles will be able to move safely through the intersection. My friend Virginia lives close to this project, she derisively calls it the "monstrosity," reasonable people can disagree and I hope she still likes me after this post. I know the committee tried to lessen the footprint of this interchange, they have to follow federal guidelines of safety because of the federal monies- this is not taking land willy nilly and putting into a road- this is a careful, narrowly tailored solution to a very large problem.
3. Historical resources. This is the one area I dont have an adequate response. Except to say the process was open, thorough, and took into account the differing values of the community.

I know people on the committee worked hard to get a good outcome, it's not their own interest committee members are looking out for, it is the City's, the environment, the traffic, businesses, and all people moving through that intersection- all the things we want them to take into account- or that we would take into account when making a decision.

When this large of a committee can overwhelmingly approve a design option, it is nothing short of amazing. How can we ask our Citizens to take so much of their time on a project only to be dismissed so easily? Their work should be applauded, not rejected. My opinion is that to thwart the entire project based on political issues with the parkway is not sincere or in the communities best interest.

Neverending spring cold/allergies/cough/flu

It's been a month since we were in NC with sick children, I have been healthy about 48 hours since then. Today I went to the doctor for the third time in a month (not counting the children's multiple appointments). She gave me five different drugs to take, including an asthma med, Zyrtec, nasal spray, Mucinex D, and ... one other thing I cant remember. She says if I dont feel better in 3-4 days, I can fill the script for antibiotics (a different one than I was on early this month).
So for all those sick of my cough- it may be going away, then perhaps I will be able to sleep and otherwise function again. I have no coherent diagnosis but who cares, I have drugs.

PA Primary night

I am glued to the computer awaiting polling (real, not exit) results. This is one of the fun things about politics, waiting for the polls to close and getting results- until your guy loses or it wraps up way early in a landslide victory.

But as I surf, this headline from ABConline greets me- Anticipating Win, Clinton Asks Why Obama Can't 'Close the Deal'
Now I just feel sick. I really cant stand the way she politicks, or the media for feeding into her BS.

So many things wrong with the logic:
1. Why cant you win Hillary?
2. Why cant you win on your own without smearing your opponent using the pages of Rove's playbook?
3. UM, have some results come back that say definitively you won, its only 8:04 by my clock?
4. Why havent you closed the deal Hillary?
I am so sick of politics as usual the way she eptimizes it.

It seems pretty official

In the WaPo weekly feature involving two strangers dating, the magazine asks the participants to describe their love lives up till now- since I am married, I thought I would describe my take on my post-law school work up till now:
Hard-working, driven lawyer gets bombarded by marital break-ups, abusive parents and hundreds of cases in the first year out of law school (while planning her own wedding) with no training, followed by motherhood, and employment with a hotline organization that doled out free legal advice (not very satisfying for driven lawyer), thought to have ended the path by starting-up a partnership in Charlottesville, turns out there was more to the story.

I am wrapping up business at my law firm to start as an associate at Jones & Green on May 1. I have a new computer thanks to this new law firm- its at the office. I have business cards- that is real official, an email address. Jones & Green is a great law firm, they have been a partnership since 1990 and have been in this community for almost twenty years as lawyers. The practice is general, focusing on civil litigation, estate planning, family, business, personal injury, and real estate. I do some education and contract drafting and disputes. For now the law firm doesnt have a website--this will be my first order of business (fortunately they were planning on getting a site up soon).

Here are varying reactions I have heard
1. "Can I work part-time?" That is Chris' wishful thinking- that cannot happen til at least the kids are out of preschool.
2. "are you sure?" um, yes, but I am trepidatious.
3. "what about your law partner" happily we are on good terms and will continue to remain on good terms (she does elderly law, estate planning, education and guardianships- give her a call for advice/counsel on these issues).

Here are my reactions:
1. Yeah-staff!!
2. Experienced lawyers will mentor me? Yeah!!
3. I dont have to do my own administration work, and someone will write letters/make copies for me? Really? I thought I went to law school just to learn how to work the copier.
4. I can make a salary and not just pay firm bills with my salary?
5. Yeah!!
6. What do you mean I cant take four day weeks and three weeks of vacation in a three month period? What about hour long lunches, or two hour meetings full of political discussions, naps (j/k)?

OK so its almost official- transition is scary, but I remain optimistic.

Seminole Trail Volunteer Fire Department Fundraiser

From Chris:
On Tuesday, April 22nd from 5-7:30pm, Chick-fil-A on Woodbrook Dr. is donating 15% of their profits to the local Volunteer Fire Department, Seminole Trail Volunteer Fire Department.

Here's the link to the release on the website.

Go enjoy Chick-fil-A milkshakes and dinner on Tuesday evening and the Seminole Trail Volunteer Fire Department will benefit. We thank you for your support!

Nascar Clothes

Grandma took the boys to a store yesterday to buy short sleeve shirts to keep at her house, seeing as she babysits weekly for me she likes to have extra clothes for them and since I am a completely unreliable source for clothes she purchases them herself (thanks mom).

Apparently the boys were amazed and delighted at a hanger full of two piece NASCAR outfits(shorts/shirt sets). Imagine my surprise when I pick them up and they have new Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart sets! They are soo excited by the outfits, both are wearing them today (Jeff is red, Tony is orange). Jeff Gordon's outfit looks like Lightening McQueen a bit, Tony Stewart is sponsored by Home Depot, so it has a Bob the Builder, construction worker orange about it.

I have been watching racing lately. I like jr. and Edwards, even J. Johnson and Stewart. Gordon would not have been my first choice (a couple of years ago maybe, but then he dumped his wife, got himself a new family, I thought he had a bit more character than all that). The races have had great finishes so it has been easy for me to get into the competition and sport of it.

I will get a photo later, they look so cute and are so happy with their new clothes, I cant be complaining about their choice of racer, since they have no idea who Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon are (I am teaching them).

Awesome Sprint Finish in Belgium

Cycling News reports Cavendish from TMobile won the 96th Scheldeprijs Vlaanderen by sneaking and sprinting beside Tom Boonen. Boonen was raising his arms, declaring victory as Cavendish rode by him and stole the race from him. Apparently Robbie McEwen came in third and Eric Zabel from Team Milram came in 4th, off the podium but certainly in the mix.

The Sprinters are fun to watch especially the first week or so of the Tour before the mountains rise up (as Phil or Paul would say). The race can be pretty dreadful until the train (peloton) decides to catch up to the leaders (typically the train is driven by the teams who have great sprinters on them), then the peloton greets the leaders and flies by them, the sprinters arrange themselves in front behind their lead-out men and get catapalted to the finish line, if they are lucky there are no crashes or run-ins with objects on the sidelines. Sprint finishes are very exciting and competitive, any competitive soul will love it.

News from the Mudhouse

Mudhouse now accepts credit cards!! Oh happy day.

And the Mudhouse raised its prices, Bummer.

My au lait used to cost $3.00, now it costs $3.22.

However, if you have a Mudhouse card, and you buy 15 items you get a free coffee drink (I dont think that has changed).

Remembering Kyle Wilson

Bruce at Raising Kaine has a poignant post about a firefighter in Prince William County who died while on duty at this time last year.
"Kyle was emblematic of what county government and its employees need to be about. Helping folks in trouble. Never checking for ’status’ or ability to pay. Just helping. Dealing not with the failures of the federal government, but dealing with fellow humans in distress."

Thank you.

david can read

I am not a mommy who brags about her children, everyone already knows they are awesome :)
Seriously, I had an interesting discussion about preschool at sorenson this w/e. I understand why republicans may not want to fund pre-K education, however the preschool teachers are essentially subsidizing our children's education since they are paid so little. Then I chatted with an ed of a preschool at a party who mentioned that one of her teachers had received a Habitat for Humanity house (yes the teacher works full-time). We were both in disbelief.
I maintain that preschool education isn't affordable for middle class people. Chris and I hve made significant sacrifices for our boys (in addition to not paying on my variable interest student loans from law school). These sacrifices make sense to us and as you can tell from the title of the post my 4 year old is getting a lot out of it. He reads EVERYTHING! He read the word neighborhood earlier.
My kids will be able to compete because of our priorities and sacrifices, its the other children though that I worry about. I want their classmates to be able to start at the same start line. Without valuing pre-K ed, Virginia students will have significant disparities among them caused only by economics.

boycott pw county

I barely ate yesterday. I had court in Prince William. These two are related. I refuse to spend money in PW county until less crazy people control the purses. I have very little power to truly make change, but where I spend my money is one important way.

Boonen takes the Paris-Roubaix

I have to find someone to route for in the Tour since Astana is out of the tour (thus last year's winner will not be able defend his title).

Tom Boonen of Quick Step is a perennial favorite to win the green jersey (sprinter) in the Tour. He definitely stepped it up at the Paris-Roubaix by outsprinting Fabian Cancellara from CSC and newcomer Ballan from Milram.

In the meantime, Astana won the first stage of the Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey. The good part about the nightmare that Astana is undergoing means the rest of the world may witness good cycling in their countries.

While I despise what the Tour does politically, I will continue to support the Teams and riders in it.

Creigh Deeds for Governor

Because I am not actually involved in the campaign, I want to post my suggestions to the Deeds campaign.

1. World wide web fundraising;
2. Website- improve it, make it more interactive and interesting;
3. NoVa is in play;
4. Spend plenty of time in Hampton Roads;
5. GOTV- obviously;
6. Your suggestions here...
I suspect the campaign is working on all of this.

People I talk to believe that Moran is going to win the primary (they are all from the other side of the state). I do not know how Moran can win against McDonnell. McDonnell has positioned himself as a centrist candidate, something Moran cant pull off given his primary residence in Alexandria.

The word is any candidate can now win if they are from northern Virginia. Apparently no longer can statewide candidates win if they are not from NOVA/Richmond. I find this depressing, unrealistic and frankly foolhardy on the part of those pundits. I believe Creigh represents Virginians, I know he can beat McDonnell (he almost did a couple of years ago) and he will serve all of us by working with all Virginians.

Elitism, bitterness

I just read a blog post on VABlogNewsNet or whatever (see sidebar), that tried to call out Dems for accepting liars in our country (and used the term Barack Hussein Obama- clearly not someone I want to highlight on my blog). I did however find it hysterical that this fellow was appalled Democrats accepted liars in their candidates.

I read the whole article and the blogger was oblique- did not actually mention this alleged lying. I cant help but wonder why this guy would accept such liars in the White House, people who would stretch the meaning of the word torture and then actually torture people in the name of safety, or start wars in the name of hypothetical WMDs, then restate the reasons for the war to reflect their own interests and not actual reality? Finally these liars- I have to assume this blogger supports the Republicans- even if he doesnt believe they are misrepresenting the truth at every turn- have never been concerned with telling the truth to the American people- how can he accept that? National Security, perhaps?

Hypocrisy is rampant, I try hard to check myself, but it is difficult not to be a hypocrite. The people I support however arent trying to hurt more American lives through endless war brought on by these lies fed to us by this administration.

Whoa that was cool (Sorenson Month2)

This month's Sorenson session was held in Richmond and we played the budget game. Our optional session was an awesome tour of the State Police Academy with some training! So many people to thank and much to process and learn from.

Where to start? How about being trained in the "Shoot, Dont Shoot" scenario by a Trooper, who despite being shot multiple times, he did eliminate the threat. Very impressive people are working at with the state police. He suspected immediately I was a lawyer when I asked a question about why he shot in the mock-scenario when the suspect appeared to run away (but subsequently came back). We all had a good laugh. The training gave me some insight about verbal warnings, but um...I am not a good shot (I say somewhat shamefully given my husband's prowess in hunting). In the scenario, my bad shot led both my partner and I to be eliminated by the threat (although I joked that because I was a lawyer the trainers didnt put bullets in the scenario's weapon).

It was all good fun, but so freakin serious too. How is that possible? I am comfortable calling people heros who do things most people wouldnt do to protect other people (did that make sense?), this includes my hero husband who goes into burning buildings to get people out, soldiers (this includes all the services in my shorthand), EMTs and police officers. The low pay, the harassment by some citizen (and some lawyers) and the DANGER, are all reasons to run away from this job. Yet, the officers/deputies/troopers I know are all 'salt of the Earth' people (I dont want to gush too much, but I am not going to qualify my statements either since we all know a few bad apples make the whole basket seem bad). Thank you to all of those who serve, and thank you to all of those who give us regular folks the opportunity to look inside and see your side of the story (which so frequently is not the story printed in the newspaper).

We also met one of the 6 digital forensic specialists at the State Police Academy- thank goodness there are people willing to do this important, meticulous and often disgusting job. The fellow told us if the General Assembly and Governor tripled the staff in his office, they would still be overworked. State employees work hard.

Budget game- we did balance the budget- a budget none of us would ever be re-elected if we it wasnt a game. The game isnt too realistic, but it is enough of a scenario to understand the dynamics at play.

I started with my values to try to frame my revenue and spending priorities. I wont go into everything but my main goal was to extend a hand that people could reach up to get if he/she chooses. One particular interest of mine is community college funding. I worried I would be isolated in my support, it was refreshing how many of us valued the community college system and sought to find ways to fund the needs of the CC system. The taxes were an issue and on this topic I will play the Vegas card, and let what happened at the tax level stay at Sorenson.

We did this exercise for 5 hours, worked through lunch, no breaks just battling and trying to compromise. Politics rarely played a role, pragmatism ruled the day (not to say we agreed by ANY stretch). Generally the chair (shout out) controlled the debate and kept too much emotion/partisianship/politics from creeping into the debate. Yet we struggled a lot. The fatigue, critical analysis, verbal advocacy on the fly, patience (or lack thereof) created a high pressure environment. We had no press, no real constituency, no "no new taxes pledge" and a fake budget to work with, imagine how challenging it is to do the people's business with all the pressures faced by our legislators. (I kept saying- "I have to get to my press conference" whenever I lost a vote-I am hilarious).

I am not a person who bites her tongue (shocking to all of those who know me-I know). I am hoping to learn to be more strategic and pithy with my words and not to undermine myself with my admittedly hilarious comments at the expense of real work getting done. That is my goal for the next couple of months is to measure my comments to what is really important (I hope this will help me be taken more seriously AND give people a reason to listen). Also- I heard a complement someone told a third party (not about me) last week about integrity. I want to be seen as a person with integrity (as this person very clearly is), and when I am joking all the time or commenting rather off-handedly that is not necessarily the hallmark of a person with integrity. Just thoughts I have been having. Sorenson really gives one the opportunity to think about things- which I dont have much time for otherwise. I am privileged for the challenge and opportunity.

MP3 downloads- who knew it was so easy and fun??

I heard a Prince song on the radio this afternoon from the Purple Rain album. My family used to have this album back in the 80’s and I have no idea what happened to it. I have lots of nostalgia about it that I won’t bore you with at this moment. But I really want the album, it is a classic and I thought I should order it/buy it/yadda yadda.

So Chris and the boys are driving home from their weekend away, and I am surfing Amazon- I can download the mp3 right now and be listening to it in a second!! I have CDs burned to my Media Center but I have never downloaded music from the internet. BUT NOW I HAVE!!! The practice of law will be much improved with my ability to choose songs to listen with one click!

Purple Rain is an amazing album and I am glad to have it on my computer. In a musical twist, I also bought the Rodney Atkins song “These are my People.”

I soon may not be able to resist the power that I have to buy all these songs I like (for $.99).

Shows my kids arent allowed to watch (not that they notice yet)

I always thought my mom was being a bit prudish when she didn’t allow us to watch certain tv shows. I vividly recall mom wouldn’t allow us to watch Three’s Company, Facts of Life, Dukes of Hazards, ok there were others, I cant recall them at this time.

The other day David was watching “That 70s Show” while I cooked dinner, there were grown-ups in the room, I knew adult themes were present- and he laughed at one point when everyone else laughed- I pulled him to me and asked “whats funny?” he didn’t know, isn’t that cute? Anyway, I told him to find something else to do- and he did!! Almost 5- he still listens, I will enjoy this for as long as it lasts.

NOT ALLOWED TO WATCH:
Two and a Half Men- could this show be any more blatant?
American Dad, Family Guy these two are hard because they are cartoons (so they should be kid friendly, but nooooo).
CSI, Cold Case, any shows of that genre.
Access Hollywood or other entertainment type show.
General Hospital
The news.

We don’t have cable so I don’t have to worry about the really bad stuff as much. There are other shows that I cant think of right now, perhaps because tv watching lately has been confined to Callou and Clifford.

Shows they like (besides PBS)
The Simpsons- the boys are allowed to watch the Simpsons rarely and only with a grown up. Both of them love Wheel of Fortune (letters are cool) and Jeopardy too (the daily double is the attraction- “ooh a daily double” they have no idea what that means, but they love the sound and graphics).

Unsolicited Advice

I usually leave real estate issues to Jim Duncan and other more knowledgeable bloggers, but this house still has not sold and it requires a comment.

The house is small, the lot is large, certainly a larger home could be built on the lot. The house has been for sale for at least a year. A house two doors down recently came on the market, it was under contract within a week.

The price has been reduced, but only modestly (the price is still greater than $320,000). The agent actually OWNS the house and is selling the house (owner/agent).

I will never use this agent- he/she does not know how to price a house or move a house. Research your agents prior to hiring one and for goodness sake be reasonable about the sale price. And if you are a Realtor- do not let your own homes sit on the market forever, it does not set a good precedent.

Hillary's backtracking...

Just from the past week:
Her compelling, dramatic stump story is incorrect.

Another error in judgment with respect to NAFTA and her free trade policies with respect to Columbia (slight international incident follows).

No such thing as a pledged delegate- I have railed against this in the past- we are having our convention soon here in the 5th district (May 17th?) check out our website for additional details (www.cvilledems.org), all of the pledged delegates will be pledged according to the vote we took in February- turncoats need not apply, further you will have some 'splainin' to do if your pledge is changed.

"Obama cant win", "oh wait, I didnt say that", um "thats a no" what are you saying?

Admittedly-politicians stretch, backtrack and mislead, even Obama. The issue for me is the arrogance/paternalism associated with the Clinton's misrepresentations, it reminds me of the Bush-Cheney line, "so?", which means to me "we can lie, we know what is best for you and America."

Change we can believe in, people ask me "change what?" so here is a mini-rant-change to me is telling the truth v. political expediency, truth-finding instead of research based on the desired outcome and trusting the American people (we want the truth and are willing to sacrifice in the best interest of the country- Afghanistan v. Iraq- no wag the dog wars).

raising money

I had this great conversation last month about fundraising for candidates. The professional fundraiser was so confident in his prowess in helping candidates fundraise (candidates have to make the pitch- he pumps them up). He mentioned there are not a lot of female fundraisers and that he didnt know if his system would work on women (he relies on testosterone), which I found interesting.

I raised a good amount of money for my own campaign, a lot of in kind donations make the # look impressive. I hated every minute of fundraising- I do not know how to make it easier for candidates to make the pitch- except for nowadays fundraising is a politicians first job (so disappointing), so they have to even if it is awful.

I will get to a point, but first, I am half way (59%) to my goal of $1000 for my MS Walk fundraiser. My initial goal was $217, I blew by that with one email. Thank you to all of you who donated. The walk was last week, it was great. Team MICU rocks! A cure for MS is within reach, I am praying for the day to be sooner rather than later.

Finally, I was the youngest member of a group invited to be a fundraiser for Creigh Deeds. OK I may not have been the youngest in the state, but I think I was in Chville. I had no idea what this meeting would be about, my friend said "money" and I recoiled in horror "I dont have any money" I told my friend. He said "oh you dont have to" "what??" was my response.

OK so I learned. I want to raise $5000 for my choice for the next governor of Virginia Creigh Deeds. I havent actually told the campaign yet, because I am not that good at committing to raise money since my kids are in preschool, perhaps when they are in public school...but I digress. I want to be called a city bumpkin (as opposed to pioneers etc from the Bush campaigns). Will you help me elect Sen. Deeds? I am happy to tell you more about why in future posts.

Stay tuned for far more sophisticated fundraising goals and pitches.

Iraq, tv, support troops

Last night's Frontline was another winner. The show gave the Bad Voodoo National Guard platoon cameras and the troops taped their thoughts and actions over the past nine months. Bad Voodoo isnt home yet so the ending isnt definitive, but I will keep watching online and praying for their safe return.

One fellow had broken up with his girlfriend over his leave, it had been 'rocky' while he was in Iraq so when he returned home they decided to take a break. The kid is young for sure, only 22. That is just one story in the platoon, there are thirty guys. The director of the documentary is very good at telling the stories (including when the IED blows up in front of an Iraqi checkpoint and the powerlessness of the platoon in the face of a crappy mission and anonymous enemies).

Bad Voodoo has a website, here is something you can do- send a care package- here is where you can learn more about Bad Voodoo and how to support them.

I am sure other platoons have websites, search for some, perhaps more obscure ones and help them out if you wish.