I'm not a republican but i'm not really a democrat either.  I'm kinda in the middle.  I voted but I don't pay a lot of attention to all of the campaign election crap.  I get soooo sick of the negative campaigning. 

And then tonight - a stupid 30 minute obama infomercial was on.  Good lord.  I kept waiting for Billy Mays to come on and tell me how great he is - and "if you vote now, i'll throw in Joe Biden for free!!!"  I had to put my ear phones on so i couldn't hear him speak.  There is something about his voice that really grates on my nerves.  I'm just not sure if I could handle him for the next 4 years.

AND - i think I would be more inclined to like him if he would take all of the hundreds of millions of dollars he spent on this infomercial and on all of his stupid commercials that come on every 5 minutes - if he would take that money and give it to the people that he keeps saying he wants to help.  That would impress me.  His campaign - his method of force feeding you his policy by having a commercial on every channel every 5 minutes (and that includes the radio) just doesn't work for me.  It' also a personality thing with me.  I'm stubborn - i'm a Taurus - i can't help it.  And there is something about EVERYONE trying to convince me (in very annoying and obnoxious ways) to like Obama - and that makes me like him less.  I don't try to force any of my beliefs and opinions on you - you are here reading my page of your own free will.  And I'm not trying to make you feel stupid and like your vote is worthless because you couldn't pass a test on where both parties stand.  Leave me alone.  It makes me mad that I feel like I can't say what I really think because all of the pro-Obama-ites are out there just waiting to insult and lecture me on why i'm stupid for not liking him.

I know it's completely ignorant and I will admit that I don't know much about either candidate's policy - but i do know that I don't agree with the government "bailing out" the banks, the people who don't pay their mortgage, and why should the government bail out US automakers because they didn't hop on the hybrid bandwagon. (Don't give me the whole American jobs BS either.  I know for a fact that Toyota manufactures a lot of vehicles in the US.)  Is there no survival of the fittest when it comes to business?  I agree that the country needs help and that the economy is crap - and I don't have any ideas on how to make it better.  I just don't think a government bail out is the right thing. 

The American dream is not to fail until you get bailed out by the government. The American dream is to bust your ass and EARN it.

(I voted early so save your lectures and snarky comments for someone else.)

Around 10:00am, I get a call from his school - saying his eye is swollen and red.  I knew it didn't look like that when he left the house and the teachers said he was fine when he initially got to school but at some point he said to the teacher his eye hurt and it looked like this. 

He swears no one hit him or poked him, and that he didn't run into anything. 

He says he got toast crumbs in his eye.  The dr said he had an allergic reaction to something he got in his eye and that Benedryl should help.

This is another good reason why I don't have a toaster.

While I love new techie toys - i'm not so sure about this keyboard. 

1.  I love my Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard. Ever since I started using it, I no longer wake up with painfully numb hands.

2.  The keys are LABELED!!!  Granted I don't look at my fingers while I type - I ocassionaly do need to look when I need to do CTRL or ALT something. 

However, this new keyboard does have some quality that might be addictive:  "By far the most satisfying thing about the keyboard is the noise that it makes. Das Keyboard describes the key mechanism as "slightly clicky," which misses the point. It's loud. The keys offer real resistance, too. Again, in common with the Model M, the keyboard uses a buckling spring mechanism that incorporates individual mechanical switches rather than a single rubber membrane. The result: typing feels like crushing tiny glass crystals with miniature hammers. It's addictive—like popping bubble wrap. And it makes the sort of noise that keyboard designers have for years fought to conceal. "

I think this keyboard - despite it's cool popping bubble wrap sound - just might be too geeky for me.

http://www.daskeyboard.com/

I would like to quickly mention how glad I am that I tried the bath in the kitchen sink thing.  Last night, I stripped down Parker and put him in his "bath" and I cleaned the kitchen while he took a bath.  I loved it!  Anytime I can multi-tast is a great time.  I don't have to feel guilty that I couldn't clean the kitchen because I needed to spend that time giving Parker a bath and I didn't have to feel guilty that I didn't give Parker a bath because I need to clean the kitchen.  I did them both at the same time.

And Bill says to me, "are you being careful?"  JEEZ.  It's not like I put him in the sink and then went into the living room and turned on the tv.  Could I get a little credit for being a decent mom?

I can't say it enough - Parker loves Stewart.  The only times I have heard Parker give a big hearty laugh was while he was playing with Stewart.  I love it!  And I sooo loooove that Stewart thinks it's great too; he likes getting the big laughs out of Parker.  Last night, they were playing with some matchbox cars and I promise you, I have never heard Parker laugh so hard.  Stewart was crawling around on the floor, and Parker was following him.  He was laughing so hard that he would crawl for a bit and then stop and sit up to keep laughing.  It was so precious.  I wish I could have captured it on camera - but it seems like everytime I pull out the camera the smile fades or the action stops.  I just wanted to sit there and ejoy the moment.

Upated at 10/22/08 at 9:04pm - I was NOT saying that bill was being an ass.  Obviously the humor was lost in the black and white.  I thought it was funny he said that - and he thinks i depicted him as an ass.

I'm not one to get offended easily.  I can handle off color jokes and even asian jokes.  I don't get offended - it is what it is, a joke.  I do try to correct my dad when he makes a blanket statement about latin americans being "mexican" (love ya dad!!!)  It's just not a thing with me. 

I would also like to point out that people out here in the country are a little bit ignorant and rude.  I am very much a city girl - i drive like a city girl, I like to shop in the city, i have city manners.  I am also smart and educated.  I am sensitive to the feelings of those around me.  But out here in West Virginia, I have experienced a lot of general rudness.  Walking in the parking lot of Wal-Mart, this guy practically burped in my face as he walked by right.  Right in front of me he burped.  I whipped around and said "Pardon me!?" and he looked at me like he had no idea that he just burped in my face.  The kids out here are being raised a little differently.  Stewart has been in daycare since he was 6 weeks old - and never have I had a problem with him coming home saying some of the things he says now.  Maybe it's just the age - but I tend to think it is parental influence, or lack of.  My biggest irritation is all of the confederate flgs.  I can't tell you the number of Confederate flags I have seen - being flown in people's front yards, not just decaled on a car or tattooed on a body.  Someone actually took the time to put it up on the flag pole.  I just can't understand why you would have such a public display for something that stood for something so wrong.  It is offensive, and ignorant, and irritating.   West Virginia wasn't even a southern state - (Bill just educated me last night.)  When Virginia decided to join the south, West virginia became a separate said because they didn't want to be a part of the south.  THE ENTIRE STATE WAS AGAINST IT.  So what are they trying to say by flying this flag?  In this day and age, I don't think it is appropriate. It doesn't look cool.  It doesn't make you cool or a rebel or whatever.  It makes you look like an ignorant racist.

You don't even want to get us (Bill and me) started on the Redskins.  The name is offensive and on top of that - it is the team for the capital of this country - the Redskins?  What the $*%&!  All of the other teams are sporting names like Capitals, Nationals, United - and then the NFL team is the Washington Redskins.  It's probably the main reason why we loathe the team so much. 

But the point of this blog is -  last week I was getting my hair cut, and I hate getting my hair cut because I don't enjoy the obligatory small talk.  It's uncomfortable.  I don't know her and she doesn't know me.  Just let me relax and you cut my hair.  I rarely get out of the house ALONE, so please just let me enjoy it!  Anyway - so during all of the miserable small talk, she says to me:

"You people have such beautiful hair."

All I could do was smile.  Who are these "people"?  I wanted to tell her that the phrase "you people" has such a negative connotation.  I knew she meant well - but the execution of the compliment failed!  So now, over a week later, it still doesn't sit right with me.  I guess because she thought it was ok to say it like that or that she didn't realize what she said.  I would have had no problem if she said, "Asians have such beautiful hair."  Better yet, she could have just said, "YOU have beautiful hair."  Who says YOU PEOPLE anymore?  It's just asking for a fight.

I've heard of a lot of people bathing babies in the kitchen sink - i always felt kinda weird about that idea so i never did it.  We always got in the bath together.  But Stewart is too old to get in the bath with Mommy.  So I tried putting Parker in the kitchen sink (sans dirty dishes) and Stewart happily took a bath alone.

Parker LOVED splashing around.  This was soooo much easier.

He's cute.  He tries to pull up on EVERYTHING.

This includes his brother . . .

. . . and his daddy.

And this is what happens when he grabs a handful of daddy's leg hair to pull himself up.  (HOW CUTE IS THIS FACE!!!?)