Quiz!

I passed this quiz, but barely. How well did you do?

How Much Do You Know?

Okay, so I'm a little bored. How about this quiz?

Are you?

The quiz site is Go To Quiz and I had a lot of fun just choosing a bunch of different ones. I wonder why taking quizzes like this is so much more fun than quizzes and tests in school. Weird!

My Only January Post

Well, I was wrong - I can admit it. Ramee, you were right to have faith in a Kansas jury. It's good to know.
Kansas Juries DO Care about justice

In other news: I cut off all of my hair (okay, not all!). It's a "long bob" although not extremely long, and has some layers. Looks cute and ready for spring. I am hoping it will spur the weather on to get warmer. I am hoping to post some pictures here and on Facebook once I get some taken and uploaded to my computer.

How many of you readers were able to watch the State of the Union address? I had to work that night, so I missed it but I'm interested in hearing what you thought. Considering the problems this country has right now, I have to say, I am still very supportive of Obama. I knew solutions wouldn't come quickly. I wish some things had been taken care of, but then, I let my representatives know that, so I guess I've done all I can. Also, any thoughts on the resolution that is being introduced from some in the Republican party who want candidates to agree with 8 out of 10 of their positions, or not get funding. I think it's called the Reagan principles? Since I have some Republican friends and family; shocking I know!; I am really interested to see if they would be considered "true" Republicans. I don't think many would when it came down to the specifics involved in each of the principles, but I don't know. But it's an interesting thing to watch, in my opinion.

Also, I have been staying up with a new blog. It's funny and shocking and really interesting and I thought some of you might be interested.

Here's the link:
Remember OUR childhoods?

Home

I think this will be a rather long post, since I have some stuff - even if it's semi-boring- to say.

N and I returned from Kansas the day before yesterday. Amazingly, we had clear roads and clear weather the entire way. We must have gotten lucky, because when we left on the 19th we missed all the bad weather, and the same thing happened on our way home.
It was a busy and fun week. It's always amazing to me how quickly our visits back to Kansas go - we had a whole week and yet when we got back on Sunday, it felt like we'd never even left. Christmas always goes too fast. This was our last Christmas in Andale, I think, since we usually congregate at my brother's house, and they're moving to western Kansas. I got some great gifts, and I think gave some great gifts so that was nice. And basically, N and I just hung out with family and enjoyed not having to work. I got to see my nephew's basketball game, and played a lot with my younger nephews. It was sad that my sister and bro-in-law and their two girls couldn't make it down, we missed them.
I was very happy to be able to get lunch with my oldest girlfriends - even though it always seems so short, because we all have places to be and people to see. But it's always so great to see them.
I'm working on getting laundry done and the apartment cleaned up a bit so things are more in order - have to find space for new things and move some older things around. Isn't that always the way?
I am still addicted to HGTV and the Food network, but cable is so expensive that I don't think I'll be able to feed my addiction anytime soon: I will have to stick with my books and DVDs. I really want to start cooking, thanks to watching all those cooking shows.
And, see, I was wrong - it's not a long post, but it IS kind of boring.
Happy New Year's readers, and don't drink and drive!

It's Almost Christmas!

YAY! I love Christmas - I love the lights, I love the decorations, I love the music, I love giving and getting gifts. Today, I pulled out N's stocking and tried to find mine (it has sentimental meaning, since my mom made it) but couldn't find it - meaning it's hidden in some box in a corner somewhere, laughing as I try to figure out which one. After Christmas, I'm going to have to go through everything and label the boxes precisely with my ultra-cool label maker. But I digress.

Will be coming to Kansas for the holidays and get to see my family; so exciting! I'll hopefully be able to catch my nephew's last basketball game at Andale (they're moving) and hang out with all the kiddos. This year, I have two new nieces and a new nephew to spoil - thanks to Nick and us getting married and all. It's so much fun to tell people, when they ask how many nieces and nephews I have, that I have 9! They're so surprised. Yesterday, a patron commented that I looked too young to have that many. I was very gratified, since I know I'm starting to look older.

I am also excited about seeing my friends and eating great pizza - yes, in that order, but only slightly, since I LOVE Gambino's pizza! I totally miss it, since we don't have one in Iowa. And my family always has great food, so my fitness classes will come in handy after Christmas: I'm taking three: yoga, cardio, and aqua aerobics. I'm very excited about it, because I won't have excuses to not exercise.

Anyway, though somewhat pointless, my blog is now new. And has a far lighter topic.

Happy Holidays!
Happy Winter Solstice!
Merry Christmas!
Happy Hanukkah!
Merry Ramadan!! - Is that even correct?

Quotes I'm Thinking about Now

"If men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament." - Florynce Kennedy

"A myth is a religion in which no one any longer believes." - James Feibleman

"Human beings are the only creatures that allow their children to come back home." - Bill Cosby

"Just think of the tragedy of teaching children' not to doubt." - Clarence Darrow

"We are all atheists about most of the gods that societies have ever believed in. Some of us just go further." Richard Dawkins

"In literature as in love, we are astonished at what is chosen by others." - Andre Maurois

"It is now quite lawful for a Catholic woman to avoid pregnancy by a resort to mathematics, though she is still forbidden to resort to physics or chemistry." - H.L. Mencken

"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same god who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use." Gallileo Galilei

"Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else." - Judy Garland

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

Mandatory Counseling BEFORE Getting Pregnant

I was thinking about abortion, choice, life, all that today - I got drawn into a debate on this major anti-choice website. I usually try to avoid it - trying to reason with many of the commenters on sites like that is like banging your head against a wall. Mainly cause they twist what I'm saying and are really talented at doing so. Anyway...one of the things that came up was laws about mandatory counseling before an abortion. Personally, making sure a woman knows everything isn't a problem - what's a problem is the wait-period...and assuming that women don't ALREADY know these things or WON'T ASK or something....but still. I was thinking of that and then thought that perhaps, before a woman gets pregnant - or starts trying- there should be mandatory counseling about the risks of pregnancy. So I looked them up. Some I already knew, some are really rare, etc. But anyway - I thought I'd post a list. I think women should know everything they need before they decide to try for a pregnancy. (By the way, I've been thinking about the whole pregnancy thing for awhile now and even with all these risks, I STILL want to try eventually...I wonder what that says about the whole mandatory counseling thing, other than that's it's an inconvenience? Just a spare thought)....

Sorry for the wall of text:

Normal, frequent, or expectable side effects of pregnancy:
exhaustion, altered appetite and senses of taste and smell, nausea and vomiting, heartburn and indigestion, weight gain, dizziness and light-headedness, bloating, swelling, fluid retention, hemmorhoids, cramps, yeast infections, congestion, bloody nose, acne and mild skin disorders, skin discolorations, mild to severe backache and strain, increased headaches, difficulty sleeping and discomfort while sleeping, increased urination and incontinence, bleeding gums, pica, breast pain and discharge, swelling of joint and join pain, leg cramps, difficulty sitting, inability to take regular medications, shortness of breath, higher blood pressure, hair loss, tendency to anemia, curtailment of ability to participate in some sports and activities, infection including from serious and potentially fatal disease (immune suppression during pregnancy) extreme pain on delivery! hormonal mood changes, including normal post-partum depression, continued post-partum exhaustion and recovery period (especially for c-sections)

Normal, expectable or frequent PERMANENT side effects of pregnancy:
stretch marks, loose skin, permanent weight gain or redistribution, abdominal and vaginal muscle weakness, pelvic floor disorder, changes to breasts, varicose veins, scarring from episiotomy or c-section, other pemanent aesthetic changes to the body, increased proclivity for hemmorhoids, loss of dental and bone calcium (cavities and osteoporosis)

Occasional complication and side effects:
spousal/partner abuse, hyperemesis gravidarum, temporary and permanent back injury, severe scarring requiring later surgery (especially after multiple pregnancies), dropped uterus (especially after multiple pregnancies) pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, gestational diabetes, placenta previa, anemia, thrombocytopenic purpura, severe cramping, embolism, medical disability requiring full bed-rest, diastasis recti and torn abdominal muscles, mitral valve stenosis, serious infection and disease, ectopic pregnancy (risk of death) broken bones, hemorrhage, delivery complication, refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease, aggravation of pre-pregnancy diseases and conditions, severe post-partum depression and psychosis, ovarian cancer( from fertility treatments) coronary and cardiovascular disease (6 plus pregnancies)

Less common complications:
peripartum cardiomyopathy, cardiopulmonary arrest, magnesium toxicity, severe hypoxemia/acidosis, massive embolism, increased intracranial pressure, brainstem infarction, molar pregnancy, gestational trophoblastic disease, malignant arrhythmia, circulatory collapse, placental abruption, obstetric fistula

More permanent side effects:
future infertility, permanent disability, death.

Random Thoughts

I read this very interesting opinion in the New York Times the other day; the guy was arguing that Republicans are basically voting against anything Obama or the Democrats write (bill-wise, etc.) merely because of a form of sour grapes - ie. because Obama likes it, than it's clearly bad - even if it's something that might be good for the country. I thought it was an interesting idea. I mean, politics is messy and requires compromise, something that a lot of people have trouble with, even me, when it comes to certain things/issues. But compromise also requires BOTH sides to be willing to discuss, and debate, and argue the merits of their idea and then come to a conclusion that either makes both sides NOT want to vomit, or at least that both sides than say, okay, this is the best we can do. But if the Republicans (and even Democrats, I'm not saying it's only one party) just say no outright merely because Obama is promoting it, that means our government isn't really working. I think that's sad. I realize that a lot of people are firmly against some things: healthcare, taxes, the war, etc. or for some things....but well, you can't always get your way. Aren't we all supposed to have learned that in kindergarten?

My job is going really awesome. I absolutely love being a children's librarian - although I am working a lot of hours in circulation. But I think that's good, because I get to meet a lot of people and start to know familiar faces. Always important for someone dealing with the public.

I'm doing a lot of research and reading in preparation for writing. Some of my favorite authors (the ones that are alive and can give advice) say that writing about what you're interested in and would like to read is the best way to finish. So I'm taking their advice and have started on a campaign of reading lots of nonfiction and finding out about things. It's kinda fun actually. Normally, I read a lot of fiction - and I'm still doing that. But I'd forgotten how much fun it is to just learn and read about things for no particular reason: it's not for class, or research for a paper, or a presentation. It's just cause I think it'd be cool to learn more about say, architecture or hauntings....

N and I have been looking at houses lately - a lot of the ones we like (shocker!) are out of our price range...but then, we're pretty picky and we want something we'll really love, not just something that fits for right now. Of course, we're not quite needing a house, but we wanted to get started on our research and find out what's out there, the prices and what we can get for that, all that fun stuff.

Also, I just read this great story - definitely an example of free-range parenting (you know, the non-controlling, helicopter parenting so prevalent today) and I just loved it. Thought I'd share, in case none of you saw it.

see the story here