Never Forgotten

The black & white bumper stickers w/ the POW/MIA logo & inscription: Not Forgotten are commonplace. A far more concrete commitment is an effort to fulfill this promise. There's a funeral for a US soldier next week at Fort Snelling National Cemetery (like Arlington, but in Minnesota). He was MIA in 1950 in Korea.

A while ago the identification was made of the Vietnam soldier buried at the Tomb of the Unknown at Arlington. It was questioned whether or not we could have such a monument in the future, due to the marvel of DNA identification testing. I suppose we would be better off being able to de-commission it. Ideally, because we weren't killing our fellow citizens; but at a minimum, because no one was left in the limbo of anonymity.

What else do they have of mine?

I've had enough problems in my life with computers. Mix my driving record with some felon and spend the night in jail: do not pass go, definitely don't get $200. Have I mentioned recently that I hate Comcast? What total fuck-ups.

The information to anyone astonishes me.http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif Okay, so don't care where Al Franken was living 2 years ago. I really could care less where Dr. Phil votes, although I would care that he only gets one. Still - what are these people doing for a life? Wouldn't you rather go to the movies than request FOI documents on Dr. Phil's voting record? How's that workin' for you?

True Love

Our Son #1 has obviously discovered True Love. This evening, finishing dinner, he announced that he wanted to go outside and play with Josie (the next-door neighbor's youngest daughter). She's also 4. No big deal, happens every evening.

He then announced he wanted dessert. Obviously no surprise. He then stated his intention of going outside to share his dessert with Josie. Wow.

15 minutes later, upon receipt of his cookie, he pitched a fit that it got broken to share with Son #2. But .... he then asked Papa to break his piece in half. Why? So that he could take it outside and share with Josie.

Swappin' spit ain't got nothin' on sharing Pepperidge Farm cookies.

Beginning or End?

The boys' newest video wonder is Jungle Book. The original. well, not the one with pages... The Bear Necessities version. (auf Deutsch)

The video starts playing, the credits start rolling, and Michael starts demanding that I start the video, that 'it's the end!'

Of course, having been made before I was born, the movie credits are ... at the beginning.

Political videos: ordinary, not-as-advertized, wow, and finally, well done

Ordinary:
Nice, old-fashioned 'get your attention' method, but it's still around because it works.




Not-as-advertised
"Shock" ad? Who is MoveOn.org kidding? This isn't shocking. Give the mom the same script and then ending with the 12-month old little Alex in baby-sized desert fatigues, lying dead in Faluja ... that would have been shocking. Or end it with an adult man in desert fatigues lying dead in some hell-hole in Iraq, with the mom saying "and I didn't want you to have little Alex's daddy either." Less shocking, more relevant.



Wow
You want a shock ad? Try this one. Right after the Hispanic/Latino/Mexican group, Somalis are the next biggest social/ethnic group in the Twin Cities. (nothing astonishing in the script, just the fact it was made)



Well done
okay, so we already know I'd rather vote for the Zipper/Chewy ticket than McCain/X . But this was better done than most I've seen, even if the computer editing isn't. The title caught my eye initially: "McCain: How he stopped worrying and learned to hate YouTube"

The Imperial Jesus

'The Family' appears to be an interesting book, of the flavor 'god, just kill me now, before they destroy my life and the world'.

The Minnesota Independent ran a long article with the author. Toward the end is his reflections on how H. Clinton fits in with the conservative Christian group of his book.

Total Guilt Trip

So, Friday rolls around, and I would have succeeded in completing my first full week of work in 4 years when I came home that night. The boys are eating breakfast. Peter is having a cup o' joe. I am heading out the door, saying good-bye.

Michael: Where are you going, Mama?

Me: I'm going to work. [there's a phrase unused for 4 years]

Michael: I don't want you to go to work!

Me: why not?

Michael: You need to stay here.

Me: why?

very long, thoughtful pause.

Michael: to be with me.


Four years old!!

four years old!

I don't do the good old-fashion Catholic guilt-trip! Where the hell did he learn it from!?? Where? Cut my heart out and pour Drain-O on it! I'm a horrible mother! He isn't even going to be at home! He's going to be @ Kinderstube (the german pre-school)!

God, this shit sucks.

I like my job, though.

Sunday morning, 2 days later:

Me: Come on, boys, it's time to get up & get dressed.

Michael: Where are we going?

Me: It's Sunday. We're going to church.

Michael: I don't want to go to church. I want to go to Kinderstube.


Gregor doesn't fling himself at me, when I come home anymore. The last 2 times he's run, arms out, joyfully across the yard, right up to me, and then zoomed around me, to catch the cat. Again today.

I like my job, though.


So, I signed this confidentiality-thing as a condition of employment at Honeywell. Which means I can't actually tell you exactly what I do for work. But, I was watching my boss today, and as he hectically told me for the 3rd time today that he would need to postpone our meeting, I simply said, "I used to have your job. I so totally sympathize."

I like my job.

1.2 million sq. ft.

1,200,000 sq. ft. =
27.55 acres =
0.11 sq. km =
11.2 hectares =
1,111.111 times bigger than our house in Lansing =
1,114,836,480,000,000,038,753,601,580,957,696.00 barns*

Or

1.2 million sq. ft. = 10 minute walk from my office to the front door of the Honeywell plant in Golden Valley.

I've gotten lost very single time I've walked more than 20 feet out of my office door. With a map. Luckily there's a bathroom in the safety department's area, or else I'd have exploded or resorted to leaving a trail of breadcrumbs. Which would probably have gotten run over by the NASCAR forklift truck speedway.



*no clue what this 'barns' is, but it's awful damn small. It was just an option on the 'unit conversion' program.

Enjoying our new home

We can sit in our front yard, watch the boys play, and the dogs & cats & bunnies stroll down the sidewalk, listen to the neighbors chatting, and enjoy life on a warm summer evening.



don't know why the front image doesn't show up ... this one has more Gregor.

DE 2:0 PO

Peter & I spent a few hours today @ the Glockenspiel pub in St. Paul watching the Germany:Poland game in the group games for the European championship. It would have been more enjoyable if the TV hadn't repeatedly shut off. Including shutting off for one of the goals. The crowd roars in frustration for the 3rd of 4th time the t.v. goes blank. A couple minutes pass. Several men decide they need to pee. Silence in the pub. Then a woman's voice in the corner yells "It's 2:0!" There is a groan of joy mixed with anguish at the fact we can't see it. The fellows in the john hear us screaming, and figure Germany just scored a 2nd goal. Nope. We screamed in jubilation simply because the game came back on.

All in all, it was fun. A small hoard of German ex-pats made a lively group. Who needs the Olympics? UEFA & World Cup are where it's at.

Miraculous change? or simply depressing status quo?

I started to write "As a lighthearted Summer activity..."

I then read all the way through Sen. Nelson's legislation highlights including the elimination of the electoral college.

Go write you legislator. and mine. all of them. the 2 presidential candidates. Anyone else who will listen. tell them to fix the damn system.

This includes just about everything I think is fucked up with the Great American Democratic "I Might Get My Vote Counted" system. For a group of men who were so totally focused on "No Taxation Without Representation", it's amazing that the electoral college has lasted this long. My vote doesn't actually count. I am therefore without representation. I shouldn't be required to pay taxes. [well, at the moment the IRS is screwing that up too, but that's another story ...] What about that old "one person one vote"? Perhaps that only counts for the oligarchs in the country.

Or, as someone else put it, create a Constitutional crisis, if we get a repeat of 2000.

15 seconds of fame

On Friday, I attended a forum hosted by Minnesota Public Radio regarding the current relationship between the Media and the Public. One of the media people there was taking notes. It was a chat about how We The People see the current and the desired relationship between the public and the media. It was interesting. Certainly biased simply based upon the fact all 14 of us are MPR listeners and are (with one or 2 exceptions) college educated and interested in politics/media. That said, it was still interesting. If you look about 80% of the way down the page linked above, one of the things I said got quoted. If it ever gets broadcast, I'll let you know.

bumper sticker of the month

The only bush I love is my own

Relief at last

Sitting at Caribou Coffee.

I can feel the release of tension. Rather like the end of this last semester. The only things remaining in the apartment are the sofa, the dresser, and the vacuum cleaner. Waiting for a pick-up truck to get them out, now that the elevator works.

Opa and Oma are leaving tomorrow morning. The kids (especially Michael) will probably be devastated. Their source of maternally un-approved chocolate and other sugar-containing substances will be gone.

Moving Day - Part 2

It's added at the bottom of Part 1, below, starting 5 p.m.

Moving Day. - Part 1 and Part 2

8:45 a.m. The moving van just showed up. Gregor going bezerk as Ilse drags him bodily away from the excitement. It’s not as big as Peter imagined. Of course, there’s that English:Metric conversion factor that probably doesn’t translate well.

9:37 a.m. Michael is getting into the swing of his new job: Doorman. P & B are schlepping the first pile of stuff.

9:56 a.m. Am just informed that Michael isn’t a doorman because he isn’t a man. He states that he isn’t a door-boy, either. “I’m just Michael.”

10:48 a.m. The first truck load is leaving. Our neighbors across the hall are equally disappointed in the absence of a functional elevator. Peter hasn’t mentioned it, but I’m pretty sure he’s frustrated at the (lack of) speed.

11:20 a.m. five 12” subs, please

11:55 a.m. subs, pretzels, veggies & beer in fridge. So, does the word pretzel come directly from German, or Yiddish? Inquiring minds want to know.

1:40 p.m. joyous news that the elevator should be repaired by 6. Since Peter’s colleague is going to be here by then, we should be able to actually move the pain-in-the- ... well you get it ... pieces of furniture.

2:30 p.m. Finished registration with the Kinderstube (German pre-school). Michael announced that he wanted to stay. We hope this is still his opinion on Monday.

3:31 p.m. Back to moving.

3:32 p.m. Micha: “I like wenig Arbeit. I don’t like viele Arbeit.” [i.e., “I like little work. I don’t like lots of work.” Out of the mouths of babes.

3:41 p.m. Wow. apparently I forgot to finish the mountain of electronic stuff necessary to start my new job. Wow. like I definitely have lots of time today!

5:24 p.m. truck is full. Waiting for Peter’s co-worker to schlep the stuff off to 16th Ave. Where’s the phone # for Dominos?

5:42 p.m. Alex arrived. Pizza ordered. sigh. I want a nap. Guess I should go finish packing the kitchen.

===

Part 2

5:49 p.m. It’s raining.

7:02 p.m. Dominos! ?? I ordered for 7:30 delivery, didn’t I? well, I guess that’s why the oven has a ‘warm’ setting.

7:15 p.m. “In the Lowery Tunnel. We’ll be home in about 10-15 minutes.”

7:43 p.m. The Crew arrives. Pizza still warm, although 2 pieces of the Brooklyn-style pepperoni are already missing. Yum.

8:20 p.m. Pizza gone. Beer gone. Children totally hyped on adrenalin.

9-ish Oma, kids & I arrive at the New Home. Get the boys settled? Ha. The obsession with Oma seems to evaporate when they are hitting that wall of exhaustion, when Mama returns to her role as Comforter.

9-ish + 10 min. Feet washed. Milk drunk. Giraffe/Llama in hand. Bedtime songs sung (ABC, Froggie Went a’ Courtin’, and Scarborough Fair, by request).

9-ish + 12 min. Unconscious children.

10:57 p.m. Last truck load for the day is empty.

11:33 p.m. Our bed is sort-of-made. Made enough to be warm and off the floor.

11:34 p.m. Good Night, Minneapolis.

I’m going to curl up in the nice warm cocoon of my duvet and read my book until Peter gets back from dropping the truck off at Old Home.

We’ll send invitations to the house warming party. It will be in June, so you have no excuse about the weather. We’ll try to avoid any more tornadoes until then.




NEXT

of course, the elevator was fixed at about 1 a.m.

Just pictures

Photos are from: Minnesota Zoo, Murphy's Landing (historic site)

Bernhard & the boys















Michael the Voyageur. French fur-trappers at Murphy's Landing let him sit in their boat.



























Lounging, 19th century style









Ringing the school bell.

Why can't it just be simple?

Got the key.
Got the house (almost) packed.
Got the furniture.
....
Got no elevator?!

Our building's elevator went on the fritz on Monday night. Are hoping it will be fixed Thursday (tomorrow) or Friday. We have no way to get our large furniture out of the building. And everything else will be a total pain. Had a little chat with the management to explain that we will not be out of the apartment by the 31st. And we don't plan on paying rent for the extra week.

God! Peter took a week off of work to help with this. We hired a rental truck. I scheduled my job start to accommodate this. Aaargh!

More pictures:


Street view. We're the right half of the duplex; car isn't mine; man is.














This is going to be the dining room. Same style for the bedrooms. The boys will continue their indoctrination of sharing.










Kitchen. Rather 60s. Big enough for 2! If I can't have the really cool ceramic stove top, at least I'll be cooking with gas.









Laundry room / boiler room / work room / storage room.















Whatever you want to call it: den, playroom, basement. It's carpeted and containable.

Got the keys

we picked up the keys to our new house this morning. There are now 2 boxes sitting in the soon-to-be dining room.

If you're bored and want some exercise on Thursday, come and visit! Pictures available soon.

Got plans for the 1st of September? Come visit!

Freedom of Speech. Freedom to Congregate. Two cornerstones of the politicians who forged our Constitution. Can't very well screw the king and the greatest empire on the earth, if you can't meet publicaly. Oh, I guess they did. Which is why the oppressive monarchy across the ocean didn't want them to.

We the People are stuck with the same damn crap.

"This protects free speech…the strength of the proposal is that it sets forth responsible guidelines for police to address any problems." -- Yup, the strength of the new rule is not to protect the people, it's to strengthen the Police State.

I don't know why they don't just give up the fake concern for the law and just enact friggin' martial law during the convention.

Protesting in the street in violation of some fascist effort to squash my rights?

Sign me up!

This is exactly the sort of thing that on GPs gets me to *want* to go hangout on the streets of Mpls during the RNC just to enjoy my constitutional rights of Free Speech and Freedom of Assembly.

I got arrested once on a stupid problem with parking tickets. I got arrested once on a case of mistaken identity (you try being named Smith). Those are stupid and a good party story, respectively.

I would be proud of getting arrested defending my constitutional rights. Collecting on the sidewalk, as long as it doesn't spill into traffic or into private businesses ... yup, sign me up.

Freedom of Assembly:
"If the assembly in public is expected to involve more than one participant, its organisers are obliged to notify [authorities] of the upcoming event few days in advance in writing. However, legislation does not foresee an authorisation procedure, hence the authorities have no right to prohibit an assembly or change its place unless it threatens the security of participants or is planned to take place near hazardous facilities,...prisons, courts,... The right to gather can also be restricted in close proximity of cultural and historical monuments.

The regional and local authorities can issue secondary regulations, but limitations and prohibitions on public events can only be introduced by Federal Laws."

sounds okay? not so bad? the Feds can't go changing this ... uh, Yeah, but the above quote is from current Russian law. Unlike Boston 4 years ago. Or like the dorks here want.

In Michigan, the state gov't regulates and rather tightly restricts the right to assembly on the capitol grounds. This is okay with me. One must 'reserve' a space for the day, with a first-come first-served rule. They have given permits to the KKK and some rabid left-wing group. As discovered during the KKK demonstration, they didn't restrict the right to assemble on the sidewalk across from the demonstration area. I'm okay with needing to 'reserve' a spot in front of the capitol. Not here! The Minneapolis City Council wants to make people "voluntarily register" to "reserve" a designated spot in public areas. With the ability of the police to forcibly evict you, if you haven't "registered".

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. -- apparently Congress can't, but the Minneapolis City Council can.