Twisted Fairy Tales

Still on a reading kick...

I love Fairy Tales. I think that they are the building blocks for society.

But, I also love the Twisted Tale... it's the fairy tale told in a different manner, either in the opposite direction or from a different point of view. Or from different source materials. Everyone in the reading community has heard of Gregory Maguire, and if you haven't, then you've heard of his most famous work... Wicked. Basically the more in depth story of the Wizard of Oz from the Witch's point of view. I love this book. I want to see the Broadway show, I am loving that marching bands have been acting out this book/play for over three years now. Any time a book can take the world by storm like this, it encourages reading. And I love that.

Gregory Maguire has taken on other fairy tales too... Snow White, Cinderella, etc. You just have to look for them. He has also written a sequel to Wicked - Son of a Witch, which is amazing.

So, I was obviously more excited than surprised when I read on the South Side Confidential blog this morning that Maguire had written a third book in the Wicked series. A Lion Among Men is brand new and available (I hope) to move into my house as soon as possible. It is obviously written from the point of view of the Cowardly Lion (real name? Brrr.) Check it out.

www.gregorymaguire.com/books/lionamongmen.html

Red Rover, Red Rover, send a good book right over!

Anyone who has known me for any given amount of time (even the early years) knows how much I love to read. I am voracious with books. And I hate to part with a good book, it's the main reason that I don't go to the library. Sad, I know. You can always tell when I am really poor and really desperate for a new read... I'm at the library and not Target or Half Price Books.
I was so excited when Scott and I started dating (over 6 years ago!) and I spotted a book on his bedside table. First thought, "He reads!!!" Next thought, "He reads a lot!!!" (It was a series book.) Scott and I talk about books a lot. I've read his, he reads mine. I'm a speed reader who can read, watch tv, and talk to people at the same time (which drives him nuts.) He's a slow reader who mutters the book out loud (which drives me insane!) Scott and I have been reading to Weston since before he was even born. We started his library when I was 6 months pregnant with Scott reading to him all the time. I'm sure Weston loved it, since he always kicked when Scott was reading. Weston's library is growing too. He got 6 books as gifts from friends and family. He got knight-head bookend banks from our friend Traci just the other day. He's well on his way too!
Along the same line of thinking... if you haven't heard, I loves Weston's daycare. They are wonderful, brilliant and by far the best a mother could hope for. Weston and all the other kids are so happy there and I can see the progress each other them makes daily. So obviously, Kris and Todd read to the kids every day. But, they also have someone come into once a month to read to the kids. A program called Red Rover comes into their home and reads a few books to the kids every month. Sometimes she drops off bags of library books for the kids to enjoy until she comes back. Red Rover is a group effort by Scholastic Books (where I just bought Weston his first shipment!!!), local public libraries and Children's Services. It's a wonderful program, and if I didn't need more money to live on, I would so totally do it as a career. Get this - they also leave one book for each child to take home to build their library! Very exciting!

PORK

When the political humdingers... or Republicans, talk about "PORK" are they referencing Iowa? Or is this something completely different? No one I ask seems to know. And honestly, every time I hear the word "Pork" coming from a Republican mouth, I think I feel a little offended.

Can anyone help me out? What's "PORK" other than "the other white meat?"


ANSWER:
Ok... so after asking almost everyone, and not finding any answers, I went to the one person that would know. I went to Onthank's owner and Super-Republican, David Fisher. And I honestly think he was very excited to answer my question! So... here is the answer for "PORK."
PORK is a political term used by both parties and all independents to describe a popular practice in government. Everyone does it, some better than others. David made it sound like PORK was an acronym for something, but couldn't think of it.
PORK is the art of "You scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours." Better explained by, if I were and Iowa Senator in session and the Alabama Senator had a bill in Congress asking for $50 million to build a dam in Alabama, I would tell the Alabama Senator that I would give my vote to his $50 million Bill if his Bill gave me $500,000 for the museum I want to build in Des Moines. Basically filling his Bill with my stuff to get it all passed.
Thanks, David!!!

Time For Some Campaignin'

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Happenings in the Land of Erin

Ok... I am sitting at work, where due to the economy I have had to revert to my original job at Onthank plus my current jobs with a few modifications. The problem with this is the fact that they had to lay people off. I know that if that hadn't happened, we all may have had to take a salary cut, or worse, I could have been the one laid off. So, I am still thankful to have a job given this economy. But... here is the most current problem: it's not that I find myself above my old job or above the customer service people, it's that I was only on the Order Desk for six weeks two and a half years ago (!!!) the first time around, and the last 2 weeks of that I was learning my Purchasing position. So, basically what I am saying is that I feel sort of under-qualified for my Customer Service position. That, and I hate being on the phone. Since business is basically as slow as it can be, I am generally just bored. I mean, it's a completely vicious cycle.
Speaking of vicious Cycles: our economy sucks. People are spending less money due to rising energy, food and what used to be gas costs. Companies are selling less due to lack of consumer demand. Because their sales are down, companies are forced to lay off employees and streamline all of their work in order to stay afloat. More people become unemployed as lay-offs rise. So now, people have less money and what little money they have, they aren't spending because you never know when the next round of lay-offs will occur. Less people doing more work, so general morale is down - people don't even have enough money to drink! And now we're back at the beginning of the cycle. Welcome to the New and even Suckier Millennium Depression. How will the world dig itself out? Who knows... I keep hearing that the US owes China tons of money... is that true?


So... next week is Scott and my 4th wedding anniversary. We usually celebrate by going out. And this year, we actually have 2 sitters lined up, so tradition can continue. But will we have the $ to do anything? Who knows? Let me get to the point... does anyone have any brilliant, yet inexpensive, ideas for what Scott and I should do on our special day? We need a refresher coarse on the fun of being married... if you know what I mean.
By the way... Save the Date for Halloween Next Year. It's our 5th Anniversary, Scott turns 40, I turn 30 and Weston turns 1, it's a big year for us!

Speaking of Big years and birthdays... check out this article on the Slate. Hilarious and totally true! Though, no one ever paid for my birthday dinners or even offered. Then again, I never expected it of my friends. But the general idea is true and it's very well written.
http://www.slate.com/id/2202646/

Mid October Blues...

This week has been... uneventful? no... thrilling? not exactly... depressing? a little. I don't know what's going on exactly, but this week has gone on forever. The beginning of the week was very promising. Work was going fast, and there seemed a lot to do, but then someone was out sick for 3 days... 3 whole days! That's like being on your death bed (or maternity leave) for Onthank. Then West got sick with Croup. (Basically a nasty cold that settles around his tiny , still growing, vocal cords.) He never appeared sick other than the congestion and the barking cough. He really seems on the mend right now. Today has been the longest day of my life. I swear. I'm covering for another sick person on the order desk, so you'd think I'd be busy doing another person's job... but alas, it's not quite busy right now. Hell, it's not even steady right now in the distribution business. Get this... the economy is so bad now that Scott's job at the State Liquor Warehouse is slow! And October is their busiest month of the year. Yeah... as a state, Iowa is so poor that the people cannot afford to drown their sorrows in something stronger than beer, and the stores are barely buying. Now that's when you know America is in trouble.

On a side note... I really feel that my whole life right now is completely wrapped around a tiny little boy. I feel like I used to have something to say, but now everything is about Weston. And not that there is anything wrong with that, but I feel like I used to be more involved in the world. And now? Now I just don't care. I'd rather sit at home and look at my son. I don't even care who wins the election. I don't want a republican, but I'm not sure if I trust Obama or more precisely, Obama's experience. I don't feel like I know enough about either of them, and if either of them can do anything to fix our problems. I also have this sick feeling, that one way or the other, whomever is elected President will not be able to serve his 4 years, so I am almost ready to choose a President based solely on the VP candidate. In which case, I hope Sarah Palin is ready to head back to Alaska... you know, Russia's neighbor. I might just go to the library and vote early tomorrow, just to be done. So I can stop thinking and talking about it.

1 minute until I can leave work. Phew, another week of my life gone. Sad, really.
If you get a chance, please check out the South Side Confidential blog... my boss Ed's daughter Kelli is the author. She is high-larious! and very conscientious. trust me... read her blog. She's the type of write I used to dream of being. Now... I just dream of writing a cook book.

Work...

Ok... so I am back at work. Day # 2.

They have rearranged my responsibilities, supposedly for the better. But I have to learn how to do all of the Pricing for our system... as a back-up! This is a huge undertaking for me, it's a lot to learn, only to be a back up. I personally think that they are afraid that the man doing Pricing is going to get hit by a bus (God forbid!) and they will lose all knowledge of their system. I am also taking on Samples for flooring... also a lot of work. The funny thing? I am once again taking on portions of a manager's job (just like I did 2 years ago) just to alleviate the pressure off of him.It's insane. And he doesn't even have the time to teach me his job!

But when I came back yesterday, I brought lots of pictures of West along. Check out my office! Still reasonably clean! I did come back to an easy day in all fairness... everyone had done my job well enough to get by.
West did great at daycare. They love him, saying he is just the easiest baby. Which is generally true. He gave me the biggest smile! And he has a little girlfriend!

West had his first round of shots Tuesday at 2 months old. He screamed so badly. We both cried. It was horrible. But he was such a good baby all day. Smiling, sleeping, eating - on and off all day.

Uncle Nathan kept propping West up on the couch taking pictures... for almost 30 minutes! This is my current cell phone wallpaper.