Voting Required

I totally sympathize with all you whiners out there that think things are so hopeless that there is no sense in voting, but although I feel your pain I disagree 100%. Not only do I totally disagree with not voting I feel that it is careless neglect of your duties as a citizen. Citizenship is not merely an entitlement to live/belong with/to a certain group. It includes responsibilities to the other citizens of the group. As defined via Wikapedia (this is a pretty standard definition)

Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, or national community.

Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities. Active citizenship is the philosophy that citizens should work towards the betterment of their community through economic participation, public , volunteerwork, and other such efforts to improve life for all citizens.

That means that each of us has a responsibility to those around us to work to improve our community. Yep, that four letter word “work”, which means come election time you are responsible to your community to sift through the information, find out who stands for what and vote your conscience for the betterment of your community. It is not an easy task, but it is your responsibility as a citizen! I must admit that I was surprised to find that the State of Michigan does little to help us do our jobs, I am used to California where every voter is sent a bi-partisan booklet outlining all candidates and propositions and includes web addresses where voters can go to see voting records and further detailed information, but it was still my responsibility as a citizen to do my job and although it took longer than expected I did. And so should you!!!

I understand that it is difficult, this year has offered some of the worst soundbites I can remember! I am fighting the “we, as a nation, are on the edge of a cliff” fear that is being put out there, but I do believe that we are coming up on  the corner that is going to  lead us to said cliff and it is more important than ever that we as citizens get out there and vote. There are some very bizarre attitudes and interpretations of the Constitution flying around out there and it is pretty much number one priority to protect both the written and implied content of that document!

This leads me to where, after much research and indecision, my voting philosophy for this year’s election fell. Yes, it was the closest I have ever felt to ‘the lesser of two evils’ while in the voting box. There were one or two candidates I would like to have voted for, but I knew if I did that I would only be throwing votes away on a candidate that didn’t stand a chance. In the past I would have stuck to my principals and done just that, but this year as a citizen I knew that was not the best choice for the betterment of my community. The only thing that I was able to do this year, with a clear conscience, was to vote against the party that I feel is working to undermine the Founding Fathers intent, and the nation that they created through the Constitution. I would love to go into some of the GROSS MISUNDERSTANDINGS I know exist, but am trying very hard to not throw my towel in the ring and start ranting off the accusations and insults.

This sense of entitlement in this country is out of control. We have to stop thinking of ourselves as “the chosen” or even the greatest. We are one of many great nations. We have chosen to use a large portion of our funding on the military, so in that sense we may be stronger than others, but that does not make us better. Many would argue it does the opposite. We need to stop,on both the national and personal levels, thinking of ourselves above the community. We can not be strong as people or as a nation without putting the betterment of those around us on the same level as our own. We must hold true to our responsibilities to our fellow Americans and to the rest of the World!

So Please, get out there and cast your vote!

Please Don’t Burn This Post

Summer has kept me quite busy and has kept me well away from this rather annoying blog I have been playing at. However, this week I have been succumbing to anger and frustration on a daily basis. The ignorance that abounds in this world baffles my mind!

Although I know I should probably leave well enough alone, I can’t keep quiet about this. Some xenophobic ignoramus of a pastor down in Florida seems to think it is a good idea to burn copies of the Quran in remembrance of 9/11. Wow! Really? Is that truly meant to be a healing endeavor for the worst tragedy to befall this country in recent history (please note that this leaves room for the annihilation of the American Indians to be considered every bit if not more the tragedy, it just happened long enough ago that it is no longer a part of the average American’s conscience). For me, what Terry Jones is suggesting, is pretty much one step away from Nazism. Gross generalizations about people due to what book they turn to to worship God is hardly different than clumping people together based on physical attributes. It is all pretty much non-sense, and most assuredly grounded in fear and ignorance rather than the compassion and peace this world needs most!

One group’s interpretation of a/the book does not equate to a religion of evildoers. In the fourth century, Emporor Constantine, the first Roman Emperor to become a Christian, had over 3000 Christians executed because their interpretation of the Bible did not agree with his. That is more than the number of Christians who died at the hands of the Romans during the well known 1st century “Christians to the lions” persecutions. Which shows the damage that just one individual can do with the swords of religion and personal interpretation. All Christians are not held accountable for the atrocities of Constantine, nor should all of Islam be held accountable for 9/11.

So, to counter the fear and ignorance and draw attention to the ability for compassion that all religions/belief systems/people share, I have decided that rather than destroy a book that I have never read (not quite true, I have read bits and pieces of the Quran before, but I guarantee Mr. Terry Jones never has) in remembrance of 9/11 I am going to read it (at least parts of it) and share some of the quotes that I feel are appropriate choices to highlight passages that have the power to dissolve fear and foster understanding and unity whether you are Islamic, Christian, Buddhist, Agnostic, Hindu, Wiccans… I think you get the picture.

As I remember 9/11 in my own way I will try to remember that fear is driving me too. I will try and replace the fear of the anger that I feel Terry Jones’ act will breed, with compassion I will attempt to understand what drives him to do something that is seemingly so counterproductive. As I search for and write the quotes below I will take their meanings to heart and remember that we are all, even Terry Jones, on the path that we are on for a reason and will pray that we all learn the lessons that we need to move ourselves and the world forward with peace and compassion.

“O mankind, truly We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. Truly the most noble of you, in the sight of God, is the most God-conscious. 49: 13 For every community (of faith) We have appointed ways of worship, which they aught to observe. Hence, do not let those (who follow other ways) draw you into dispute on this score, but summon them to their Sustainer: for you are on the right way. And if they argue with you, say: God knows best what you are doing.” [Quran 22:67]

“Truly those who believe, and the Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabaeans – whoever believes in God and the Last Day and performs virtuous deeds – surely their reward is with their Sustainer, and no fear shall come upon them, neither shall they grieve. ” [Quran 2:62]

“Hold to forgiveness; command what is right; But turn away from the ignorant. ” [Quran 7:199]
“It may be that Allah will grant love (and friendship) between you and those whom ye (now) hold as enemies. For Allah has power (over all things); And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. ” [Quran 60:7]

“To each community among you We have prescribed a Law and a way of life. If God had so willed He would have made you a single people, but His plan is to test you in what He has given you: so strive as in a race in all virtues. The goal of you all is to God; it is He that will show you the truth of the matters in which you differ.” [Quran 5:48]

“Forgive him who wrongs you; join him who cuts you off; do good to him who does evil to you, and speak the truth although it be against yourself.” — Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of God be upon him)

“The best of God’s servants are those who, when seen, remind one of God; and the worst of God’s servants are those who carry tales about to do mischief and separate friends, and seek for the defects of the good.” — Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of God be upon him)

Highway Robbery

Yep, I am aware that I disappeared for a ridiculous length of time. Especially considering I did nothing during which to otherwise occupy myself. Call it decompression. There seemed to be all kinds of nothing going on and I just needed to shut down for a while. I did do a lot of reading. The rate at which I am burning through books has brought something disconcerting to my attention. I have been an admitted bibliophile for longer than I dare to remember. My biggest nightmare whenever the prospect of having to move (hopefully not something that I will have to consider again, at least not for a VERY long time) comes up, is the thought of boxing and lifting my library.

Shortly after hearing nothing but good reviews about the Kindle and e-books in general, with the moving dilemma in mind (at that time I knew there would be a minimum of one more move in my future), I made the switch to digital. I have never really looked back, especially now that you can get great color graphics when needed via the iPad. I felt really great about going digital! I was saving natural resources, and better yet, the Kindle is lighter than most books and pops easily into my purse for reading anywhere.

As much as I read the impact of a Kindle versus the impact of printing 100’s if not thousands of books seemed like a win win situation. However, the increased popularity of the expanding e-book market seems to be driving the prices up. To me it seems absolutely absurd that I should be paying the same price, or nearly, for a digital book that requires very limited effort/manpower/cost other than the initial upload as I would to order the first edition hardcover from Amazon. The overhead is SO minimal in comparison that I feel like I am being held at gunpoint and being asked to hand over all my valuables. Highway robbery! Those of us that have made the switch and joined the digital revolution paid our dues when we bought our readers. We should not have to turn around and be ripped off when purchasing our books when there are no loggers, paper-makers, printers, binders, warehouse-dudes, loaders, truck-drivers, deliver-folks, janitors, salespeople and the multitudes of others asking for a cut of the profits the price should be MUCH less.

So, all in all I am a bit sad. I am either going to have to slow my reading way down and search out books that are not so overpriced, or I am going to have to stow my Kindle and make my way back t the trusty used book store. One thing I did learn years ago in that required high school econ class was that the only way to reverse this trend of unnecessary rising prices is to stop paying them.

If the V’s are so techno savvy why is Anna reading a Kindle..

So, the other day I was catching up on this season’s episodes of V. I took a double take, a rewind and a pause. There was a scene where Anna was sitting at her desk reading a Kindle. No lie, on a starship with cool clear touch screens that have brought up any data you can imagine in past episodes, the leader of this super advanced people is reading a Kindle. Yeah, Kindles are great, I love mine, but only about a year after they were released mine sits lonely on the bookshelf unless I am going to be out in the sun or don’t feel like hefting the heavier iPad. In just a year, us lowly earthlings have already surpassed the wonder of the Kindle. What in the universe can Anna gain from a Kindle that she can’t get from much cooler techno sources? We are talking about people with blue energy and the ability to heal anything. She can beam herself into her whole race’s minds. I find it hard to believe that she couldn’t just absorb Moby Dick out of the ozone. Why would she have to bother herself with holding a Kindle and having to push a button to turn the pages? My only conclusion falls in one of two camps. Either the actress that plays Anna is heir to the Amazon legacy, or she got really bored between takes and was sucking down a chapter or two. I truly hope that the writers for the show did not purposely write a Kindle into the scene that would pretty much turn me off of the show for good. For anyone interested in this lovely easter egg I am pretty certain it can be found in the Fruition episode. Although it may have been Heretics Fork.

Since we are on the topic of TV show blunders, I must admit I was pretty disappointed in the Lost finale. Man up and commit to something. Don’t give us the typical and predictable walk into the “light” with no answers. I was so hoping for something fresh and different. It ended in the easiest tye up the ends way possible. Not the way I wanted to say farewell to the island. On the positive side they gave us many good episodes.

Today was splendid! If you are fortunate enough to be my friend or I am fortunate enough to be yours, hop on over to my facebook page to see via video what a great day Syd and I had at the beach! According to my computer it is 88 degrees. We spent most of the day just chilling in the sand and playing fetch in the water. Yep, both of us were in the water. Still a bit too cold for the boobs and the pits, but I was in up to the waist and Syd swam her booty off. Good stuff!

Well, that is my rant for the day. Heading back out to enjoy the weather. You should do the same!
😉

Coming Soon to a Theater Near You

So, today I disregarded many poor reviews on Amazon and started reading “The Crossing Places”. I almost didn’t get the book. Over and over the reviewers gave minimal stars and claimed that the book was too slow moving. That there was a lack of action. Wow!  Have we become so restless as a culture? I am not sure what it was, but something kept drawing me back to the book, and by the time I read through the kindle sample bit (the first 5 chapters) I was more than hooked. I am finding the pace of the book interesting. There is plenty of action, balanced with necessary character development to have me not wanting to put the book down, and already playing the who-done-it guessing game (only 40% in). I was reluctant to even take a quick break to drop these thoughts, but felt it was necessary before I was sucked into the frenzy of living and forgot what I feel needs to be said. We have become so inundated with info overload and our high speed lifestyles that we have come to expect over-stimulation everywhere. Even in one of the few stripped down bare bones relaxing pastimes we have left, reading. We have grown accustomed to books written solely for the purpose of converting to the screen. Books full of non-stop actions sequences that translate all to well into box office dollars. Books by Brown, Cussler, Connelly, and the like. Forgotten are the days when books were the domain of authors and movies were the domain of screenwriters. I do not mean this to say that books are better than movies, but to point out the inherent differences in what these two forms of art/entertainment bring.  Both are incredible art forms and are best left in their separate worlds. Let’s let our books be books and our movies be movies, and not live with the expectation that they are one in the same.

I am in no way a Literature snob (just because I happen to be an English major and happen to be madly in love with Milton and Dante) I love a good thriller or adventure novel now and again, but I am beginning to fear for the day when books are judged in the same lines as our celluloid or the evening news. We read books to escape our hectic lives and relax. They are meant to be savored and enjoyed over time. They are meant to take you somewhere you have never been. Books are meant to show you what life is like through the mind of another.  These things take time. Books are not meant to be quickly devoured, with all the ‘boring’ bits skimmed over. I have heard it said that ‘the devil is in the details’, well, when it comes to reading there is a lot to be found in those quiet interludes not just the devil, although sometimes he is there too. Please don’t knock a novel just because Tom Hanks or Brad Pitt haven’t signed on to play the lead roll.

So, thanks for this moment of your time. Pick up a good book and enjoy. I am back to mine!

in defence of facebook

It’s been pretty quiet around here lately. The weather has been wonderful, but I have been a bit mopey with mom out of the country and haven’t been enjoying it as much as I should be. I try to reason it away by telling myself there is plenty of summer yet to come, but we all know better than that. Summer is going to fly by and I better snap myself out of this and get out there and enjoy! On the brighter side, with one family member off the grid I have found another one. Yep, another member of the Luptak Clan has surfaced. It seems that now all of dad’s known children have reunited. At least verbally. We are planning a face to face meet and greet for this summer.

So with all of this nastiness floating around about facebook’s lack of security I say the benefits out weigh the detriments enormously. There is not another social network out there that would have made it possible for all the Luptaks to reconnect like we were able to with facebook. If you are worried about your security, the answer is plain and simple, Do not post anything that you don’t want the world to know. By nature, the internet is an open platform. It was created as a means to share information. If you don’t want to share it don’t post it. It is time to put on our big people panties and accept responsibility for our choices/mistakes rather than always seeking to place blame somewhere else.  And that suggestion goes way beyond the facebook issue. There is nothing cooler than someone who is strong enough to admit to their own mistakes. So let’s put a few lawyers out of work and stop all this talk about quitting facebook day. Own up or hush up. That’s my rant for the day and I am 100% owning it, and posting it to facebook and beyond without fear.

Now it is time to get out there and enjoy the sun 😉 !

Cashew Pork by Popular Demand

I had a couple people request this and although this is totally not what the blog is for it seemed the easiest way to get the recipe to those who wanted it. So if you stumble upon this wondering what I am up to that is the reason. I tried typing this up in facebook once and lost it all before I hit comment. In an effort not to have to type it again I have scanned the recipe from the book and am uploading the image here. Since it is probably naughty to do I am citing the source, The Best Simple Recipes, More than 200 Flavorful, Foolproof Recipes that Cook In 30 Minutes or Less page 312 published by America’s Test Kitchen. Enjoy! I think it would be good too if you added some red bell pepper and scallions just prior to the garlic and ginger. Either way YUM!

Click for larger Image

The Tender Buds of May

Michigan Dogwood

I had totally forgotten the unbelievably wonderful scent of  lily of the valleys. As I take in my first Michigan Spring in many, many, many years memories from childhood return in fits and starts. But today is not a stroll down memory lane. Today it is all about the tender buds of May. The wonderful flowers that now surround us. Visually my favorite has always been the dogwood. Other than my on going passion for tulips I can’t think of a time when dogwoods did not rate at the top of the list. I missed them dearly while I was away. We had them in California, but pretty much they were limited to around the 4000 foot above sea level area. To see them was always a drive and the short window of bloom time limited me to seeing them only once a year, and that didn’t always happen. To be back here and have them all around is counted amongst the many small pleasures that will always be there to comfort me and keep me from questioning why I left family, career and friends to move back here. No regrets!

lily of the valley

Now for the olfactory pleasures! The lilacs and the lily of the valleys! WOW! So yummy!!! I could never forget the lilacs and their wonderful scent. They will always remind me of mom. All I have to do is smell them and images of mom smelling, picking and trying to transplant in the unwelcome California climate them. She did get some to grow at the house she has in the delta, but now that I am back here and see the real thing again that California bush seems so haggerd looking and hardly has half the fragrance it is meant to have. As for the lily of the valley. I had totally forgot how awesome and powerful the scent they give off is. I am very excited that I have a ton of them on the hill in front of my house. They are just now starting to bloom. I imagine a week from now I am most likely just gonna move my trusty ole’ gravity chair right in the middle of them and spend my day soaking in their smell. Again another thing that reminds me just how fortunate I truly am. When things aren’t going the way I want and I get in one of my snippy nasty moods someone out there needs to remind me that I am so much more fortunate than most.

Lilacs

Life in general has been plugging along. The last week or so as many of you know has found me trapped at home nursing a wounded dog. Sydney’s leg is pretty much healed. Enough so that it no longer breaks open. I did learn, the hard way, this weekend that she is even more afraid of thunder than I had previously thought. While I was out and about being human and adult (at the bar drinking and listening to awesome music) there was a bit of a storm. I had left Syd, as always, in her very strong, never been broken out of before, metal crate. I returned home to be greeted by her at the front door. It seems that she super freaked so badly that she brought down the rear wall of her crate. Proving yet again that the stars of fortune are shining down on me. I find it unbelievably unfathomable that she freaked out that bad and survived without seriously hurting herself. So, bolstered by the fact that she did not destroy the house (in the past I would have returned to find everything 5 feet high and below chewed to smithereens) with her separation anxiety induced furor, and out of fear of the what could have happened during the storm I have put the crate out in the garage and I am going to slowly introduce Syd to the joy of staying home alone in a calm and un-crated manner. If you all could keep your fingers crossed for me I would appreciate it.

Until next time, get out there and take the time to stop and smell the flowers!

Don’t Box Me In…

I may not feel like it today, didn’t particularly accomplish a whole lot, but for the most part I have finally adjusted to having to self-motivate. I have set regular business hours and stick to them. If I want to avoid returning to the cubicle farm and maintain the ability to work in my striped pajamas and bunny slippers with Sydney there to keep my toes warm I have to work harder and smarter than ever before. All week I have rolled out of bed with the alarm and had myself fed, awake, at the desk and ready to work by 8:30. It feels really good to have some structure back in my day-to-day, and feels even better knowing that my commute is only about 5 paces. Sydney may be missing the impromptu drives to the beach, but I believe even she would admit that she would rather give up a few trips to the beach than see mommy trudge back to a cubicle in which case we would both be locked up boxes all day :-(. So onward and upward for both our sakes, and here goes the shameless promo… If you know of anyone with any design needs either print or Web based send them my way! The sign is up and it reads OPEN. Syd will thank you personally!

Other than generating work and laying out the business I have been having fun lately. Have had some visitors and have had the opportunity to get out and play some. The nice weather has been a great blues buster. It is pretty hard to mope about when Mr. Sunshine is beating through the windows. Also, since my actual client based work-flow is light right now I get to spend time doing my favorite parts. Training and playing! I have had my camera out a lot lately. I have built some Flash animations just for the fun of it and I have downloaded some Adobe betas from the Adobe Labs site. Flash Catalyst is a blast. However, I am starting to think that Adobe is making things too easy. Catalyst makes it possible to set up complex interactive ActionScript files without having to write a single line of code. And rumor has it there will be a lot of code free animation behaviors built into the CS5 version of InDesign as well.  Hopefully, the general public will continue to remain clueless or we will end up with Flash designers on every corner, and we will all have to try living off of happy meal wages. For now luckily that is not yet the case. So, back to work!

Enjoy The Silence

Well, I was going to title this Earthworms, Condoms and Rubber Balls, but I realized that was nothing but a silly trick to increase readership (although if you read on you will read something about all of the above), and it is a tad beyond me to stoop quite that low. However, I have been noticing a reverse trend in my readership. It seems that the horrible whinging blogs that I write solely for my own satisfaction get a ridiculous number of hits and the nice hey this is what I am doing in MI blogs that some of you actually asked for get next to nothing as far as readership goes. So, in the future do not put it past me to stoop! In this case the title would actually have been accurate and if you read on I promise you will read about all three of the above listed items.

I suspect that the smooth running will soon be over. Right now I can’t complain, things are pretty darn good. Not that long ago the pessimism typed out two sentences back would not have been typed by these fingers. Seems odd that as uncomfortable as I was in California I guess I was more of an optimist (I still like to think of myself as one, but have been noticing a trend toward pessimism in my day to day dealings). Here I am immeasurable more content, nay I say happier, but it seems that there is always a challenge right around the corner. Maybe it is in fact the happiness and contentment that are making things, which I am confident happened in California too, seem worse, or if not worse more noticable and seemingly more prevalent. None the less, right now I am savoring every moment that I can. There are still things going on that I am powerless to change even though my stubborn mind feels that everything should be the way I want it. But right now I am okay with all of it. I haven’t felt the urge to get loaded in over a week and I have slept through the last 4 nights sans-pills. Sydney and I have been beach combing, roller blading and raking the yard. I am hoping to have at least 95% of the leaves to the road before the vacuum on wheels starts making the rounds (2 days from now). It’s gonna be close. We have saved the worst bit for last. The upside, the bad bit is pretty close to the road.

As far as the raking goes, a few of you have heard me babbling about what I and more likely you had thought was my severe exaggeration of the extant that my lawn (that term is used VERY loosely, should just call it a yard) has been neglected. Today I found irrefutable proof that I have in no way been exaggerating. As I was raking along I discovered a concrete walkway that I don’t think anyone even knew existed. It was buried under about 1.5 feet of leaves, under which there was about 1/2 to 1 inch of fully composted soil (not to mention some of the ickiest creepy crawlies I have seen in a while and an earthworm the size of a small snake ~check earthworm off the promised list). I can’t even begin to figure how long it has been since that patch of land has been raked! The leaves from that section are patiently waiting in the middle of the yard until tomorrow to be moved. I am letting all of the odd looking creepies wiggle their way out before I start hauling the leaves to the road. Now for the condom. Yes, I actually found one of those in the yard as well. I hope it doesn’t wreak havoc on the vacuum on wheels because there was no way in heck I was touching that thing! I’d rather give the earthworm a kiss! So, all that is left is the rubber balls. I have no freakhin’ clue what is up with all of these little pink and yellow rubber balls. They are ALL OVER my front yard! Somewhere in my childhood memories I vaguely remember that they might have something to do with fishing? I think… The closest I have come to fishing in the last 20 years was watching the crab vendor on Fisherman’s Warf pull my yummy dinner out of the crab pot during crab season.

Signing off for now form the ( most likely temporary, but I will take what I can get) drama free zone! Enjoy the Silence 🙂