I'm not sure why I find this so hilarious, but I laughed for a good 15 minutes. So awesome.

I have never ever had a decent range. I've spent the last several decades cooking on unlevel burners and baking in ovens that don't heat evenly. In fact, my last oven only had 2 temperatures - On and Off. And I've still managed to put together some rather tasty meals. But now ... NOW ...



I have my very first brand new shiny range ever! Woohoo! *happy dance* Look out, Holiday cooking, here I come!

(I wonder if I can cook on flat surfaces and with even, reliable heating.)

Hey yall. I moved my blog from wordpress to blogger. The new title is Moon Gazing For Beginners and it's at moongazing4beginners.blogspot.com

=]

$700,000,000,000.00 to bail out the greed stricken corrupt big shots was shot down today. They'll probably get it to pass sometime this week but personally, I would like to watch them squirm a bit more.

$700,000,000,000.00 FRIGGIN DOLLARS. Thats a $3,200.00 tab for every Man, Woman and Child in the US.

I think they should make it a national ballot issue in November and let US decide.

My vote? Let em burn.

So today we had a get together out at my bother in law's house. Being a music obsessed family there was a great jam session with a lot of energy. To everyone's surprise, however, Daelan got up on the drums and rocked out like he'd been doing it for years. He kept right in beat with Mark's keyboard (on a 4 count) and even threw in a symbol every now and then at just the right time and pitch. Needless to say everyone was amazed and the "P" word was actually used a few times. Mark, one of my in-laws (who is the frontman of Mindchaser, and part owner of a local music store) want's to start him on lessons, most likely keyboard or piano (to learn how to read and understand music better.) It was amazing! He would use both arms together, and independantly while staying in rhythm and never losing a beat. he even did a cross over. Daelan has seen the guys play a few times but we all kinda figgered that he wasn't really paying all that much attention. Guess we were wrong! Course....he get's the music gene from both the Marlers and the Teeters. If I can figure out who it was with the camcorder....I'll get it posted somewhere.

Love everyone,
Amber

Wrote this today.
Let me sing you a song

I got to order myself business cards yesterday. I love my job.

BOO!

love and miss everyone so much.

Amber

Arrr Mayties Sep 19th is Talk like a pirate day.

Just finished My new toy
http://picasaweb.google.com/rmarler/StrumStick#

The rescued flags were small (12" x 8") on sticks (the type waved at rallies).

A few days after the convention was over a vendor noticed a pile of hefty lawn bags filled with flags next to a dumpster half full of them, gathered them up and turned them over the the local McCain campaign to use at the colorado springs rally. Many of the bagged flags were neatly bundled (from the factory) but the dumpstered flags were not.

I'll give the DNC the benefit of the doubt and surmise that they didn't intend to have them end up in a landfill. Calling them trashed flags is a bit harsh, more likely they were just left for Invesco field maintenance to deal with.

After the rally in the springs, there were boy scouts on hand to accept the leftovers and flags that people didn't want to take home. The scouts then visited local and regional cemetaries and placed them at the graves of vets.

The McCain campaign crew seized the opportunity to embarrass the Obama over their loose regard for the flag. The DNC organizers claim that they were supposed to go to storage but someone on their crew dropped the ball and left them at Invesco.

Proper care and disposal of the flag is a touchy subject for many Americans. I would think that any presidential campaign would be sensitive enough in that regard to take great care to see that appropriate guidelines would be followed.

My youngest was talking to a friend of hers on the phone today. This is her side of the conversation. (Reflections is a creative contest the school district sponsors - photography, writing, art, music, dance, etc.)

"I'm working on Reflections. ... Why? Because it's cool! ... Don't say you won't win! You don't know. ... You don't have to win to be proud of yourself."

Let's make this a family challenge. Ronnie & Tami have already signed on with me.
The rest of you need to, too.

www.29gifts.org

This is me ... http://givingchallenge.ning.com/profile/LeislB ... Sign up, then add me.

Come on! You know you wanna!

I'm glad we all like our candidates. It does feel good to have a candidate that you really relate to and that espouses views very like your own. My candidate supports my tree hugging, peace loving, got my gay on, let a woman choose, take care of the weakest among us self. I'm proud of my American values.

Palin in particular could never be "my" candidate though, despite her hottie-ness and go get 'em gumption - I do actually admire her gumption. Her church is having a "pray away the gay" conference and based on her defense of marriage support I'm pretty sure she agrees with her pastor. I'm also all for repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell - it's a bunch of bull anyway. I served honorably and I'm proud of my service. I was hot for girls back then, hell I'm in a relationship right now with her. The only security risk it poses is the need to hide your sexuality. And if they could be open, at least you'd know.

I definitely disagree with abstinence only sex ed - I think it's a disservice to our teens. Why not give them all their options - including abstinence. I don't give a rat's patootie that Palin's kid is pregnant. That's her own row to hoe.

Drilling in Alaska is a stop-gap measure and tree-hugger that I am I'd really like us to get serious about renewable fuels. We have the technology to fuel our cars on dozens of things OTHER THAN fossil fuels. Why not use it?

To be completely honest, it isn't so much that I can't stand McCain/Palin or anything like that. It's just that I'm fed up with having fundamentalist beliefs thrust on me and being used against me. I'm hardly a one-issue voter, but seriously, how can I NOT look at how the LGBT rights issue(s) affect me personally. Even when nothing is done, all the attention drawn to it all just riles up the people who think they can pray me straight and makes my life more difficult than it would be if I was allowed to just live my life. Am I the only one that thinks its ridiculous that I have to check my employer's anti-discrimination policy because the federal one and all but 6 of the State's policies don't cover my orientation? Consider what it's like to wage a constant vigil on pronouns and live 40 hours a week back in that closet or risk reprecussions in the workplace for which I have no recourse? I've already been moved around one office because some bible-thumper was uncomfortable and would have been canned if the office manager hadn't vetoed it. I'd like to have the automatic hetero privilege that comes with a marriage certificate. I'm willing in the meantime to commit privately and do up dozens of legal forms to get 1/3 of those "rights". My problem with that whole can of worms is that I don't think the State should marry ANYBODY. Civil Unions for all and let the churches do the "marrying." Seems like that'd be fair.

I just got home from the McCain/Palin rally in Colo. Springs and I was fortunate enough to shake both their hands.

McCain has a pretty stout grip and Palin's grasp left me a bit aroused.

I was also lucky enough to be given a pair of the rescued flags that the Obama tossed in the garbage at Invesco field.

The day was actually quite inspiring. For the first time since Reagan left office, I am confidant that we have a solid candidate.

Twenty-nine gifts in twenty-nine days.

http://www.29gifts.org

I am SO doing this. Do it with me?

Bad foot day.
The end.

!!VENT ALERT!! -- CARBON OFFSETS -- !!VENT ALERT!!

http://www.carbonfund.org/site/pages/how_it_works/

So ... if I'm understanding this correctly, Carbon Offsets lets you figure out how much carbon you're emitting, then you can take this number and offset the damage by making a donation (through a carbon offset agency like this one, for a small percentage) to an environmental agency - renewable resouces, reforestation, etc. - to absolve you of any ecological or environmental wrong-doing? Wouldn't it make more sense (not to mention do more good) to just make the donation to whatever environmental agency you support and then cut back - even just a little - on your emmissions? It's not that hard to do really - turn your thermostat down just 1 or 2 degrees, recycle your pop cans and paper and milk jugs, run all your errands in one trip, fly commercial, yadda yadda. You know ... "Leave your campground cleaner than you found it." Little things add up.
This whole Carbon Offsets thing sounds no different to me than paying somebody else to play a little extra with their kids so you can ignore yours, or making a donation to a domestic violence shelter so you smack your spouse if you're having a bad day, or giving a speech taking a stand against sex crimes to absolve yourself from not taking "NO" for an answer on last Saturday's date. It's just icky & wrong.
How are people seeing this as a good thing? Paying the priest has never absolved the sin.