i've decided to quit my blog. i don't think anyone reads it anyway.
so, goodbye and good luck. and remember...Life Is Not A Rehearsal.
peace.
marie
Friday, June 27, 2008
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Sad Day for Hillary Fans
well, it looks like it's all over for Hillary's bid to be our next President. i'm very sad. i think she would have made an excellent leader. she has what it would take to turn this country around. it's my hope that she will agree to be Obama's V.P. running mate. i feel fairly confident that Obama will beat McCain in the general election. i will support him as our Democratic nominee 100%, but will need some time to mourn the lose of Hillary before i can move on.
here's a shout out to Pedro, the 96 year old farmer in Costa Rica who is a huge Hillary supporter! "Hola, Pedro!"
i got a call from a young man who works in D.C. for the Victory Fund Leadership Institute. they want me to run for an elected office here in Delaware. they support openly gay candidates. i'm gonna do it. i'll keep you posted.
be well.
here's a shout out to Pedro, the 96 year old farmer in Costa Rica who is a huge Hillary supporter! "Hola, Pedro!"
i got a call from a young man who works in D.C. for the Victory Fund Leadership Institute. they want me to run for an elected office here in Delaware. they support openly gay candidates. i'm gonna do it. i'll keep you posted.
be well.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
2008 Summer Olympic Games
i'm a huge fan of the Olympic Games! i went to the summer games in Atlanta with my sister Martha in 1996. it was awesome! my favorite event that we attended was the softball game between the U.S. team and the team from China. i have watched every Olympics summer games for as long as i can remember. i usually watch some of the winter games as well, but much prefer the sports of the summer games.
this year's event will take place in Beijing, China. there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the location. China does not have the best track record when it comes to the civil and human rights of its citizens. there has been a lot of social unrest there recently. the most disturbing of which was the way the authorities treated the Buddhist monks who were protesting China's actions in Tibet. here's a link to a good report of what's happening:
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24389895
so i'm torn. should we, as a country, participate in the Olympics and thereby support the Chinese government? if we don't, then are we just making the athletes suffer? they've worked so hard, and all of their young lives, to get to this point. i don't know that an all-out boycott is the answer, but it just feels wrong to me to go over there and pretend like everything is ok.
this year's event will take place in Beijing, China. there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the location. China does not have the best track record when it comes to the civil and human rights of its citizens. there has been a lot of social unrest there recently. the most disturbing of which was the way the authorities treated the Buddhist monks who were protesting China's actions in Tibet. here's a link to a good report of what's happening:
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24389895
so i'm torn. should we, as a country, participate in the Olympics and thereby support the Chinese government? if we don't, then are we just making the athletes suffer? they've worked so hard, and all of their young lives, to get to this point. i don't know that an all-out boycott is the answer, but it just feels wrong to me to go over there and pretend like everything is ok.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Happy LGBT Families Day!
it still amazes me that there are people in this country who believe that gay men and women can't, or shouldn't, be good parents. there are states where gay people can't adopt children. and in some of those states, gay people can be foster parents. so in other words, we can take care of someone else's kids while they're in drug rehab and taking parenting classes, but we're not good enough to keep the kids permanently. how silly to think that a child must have a male parent and a female parent in order to grow up happy and healthy. how many kids come from broken "heterosexual" homes? homes where the adults' relationship is unhealthy, where there is domestic violence, or where a single parent struggles to keep afloat. i know a good number of gay/lesbian couples with children who are providing a loving, healthy, happy home. where the kids are well adjusted, intelligent, and compassionate. what could be better than having 2 loving and devoted parents? it doesn't matter if one is a man, one is a woman, or both are men or women.
Gail and i are lucky to live in a state where we are able to be foster parents, and can get a dual-parent adoption if we get the right judge. we're fostering a wonderful little girl right now. she's about to turn 1 year old, and is funny and smart and very cute! we don't know what will happen with her case, but we know that if her bio-mother's parental rights are terminated, she may be adopted by a gay couple.
and that is how it should be.
Gail and i are lucky to live in a state where we are able to be foster parents, and can get a dual-parent adoption if we get the right judge. we're fostering a wonderful little girl right now. she's about to turn 1 year old, and is funny and smart and very cute! we don't know what will happen with her case, but we know that if her bio-mother's parental rights are terminated, she may be adopted by a gay couple.
and that is how it should be.
Friday, May 16, 2008
life is crazy!
my life has been so busy that i'm not finding time to post messages to my blog. sorry to those who are actually logging on to read it. anyway...
Gail and i leave for Costa Rica on Sunday. we're very excited! we are doing some really cool stuff. the first part of the trip centers in the northern part of the country where we're doing a canopy tour, riding in a small cage on wires suspended up in the tree tops through the jungle. we're told that 90% of the wildlife lives in the canopy and never sets foot on the ground. we're staying in a hotel that's within sight of an active volcano. we will be able to sit on our balcony and watch the "fireworks" at night as the volcano erupts and spews lava. we're also taking a river tour in a raft with a guide who will point out and explain local flora and fauna. we expect to see all sorts of monkeys, snakes, bugs, and tons of different birds. the second half of the vacation consists of laying on the beach in the southwestern part of the country, taking walks into town, and generally relaxing and reconnecting with each other.
sounds great, doesn't it?! well, i'll post a blog when we return. in the mean time, have a nice 2 weeks.
Gail and i leave for Costa Rica on Sunday. we're very excited! we are doing some really cool stuff. the first part of the trip centers in the northern part of the country where we're doing a canopy tour, riding in a small cage on wires suspended up in the tree tops through the jungle. we're told that 90% of the wildlife lives in the canopy and never sets foot on the ground. we're staying in a hotel that's within sight of an active volcano. we will be able to sit on our balcony and watch the "fireworks" at night as the volcano erupts and spews lava. we're also taking a river tour in a raft with a guide who will point out and explain local flora and fauna. we expect to see all sorts of monkeys, snakes, bugs, and tons of different birds. the second half of the vacation consists of laying on the beach in the southwestern part of the country, taking walks into town, and generally relaxing and reconnecting with each other.
sounds great, doesn't it?! well, i'll post a blog when we return. in the mean time, have a nice 2 weeks.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Washington, D.C.
just got back from a 3 day advocacy conference in D.C. it was a work thing, so we were advocating for MS issues. but i have to tell you, i love being on Capitol Hill!
i'm a political junkie for sure. we had appointments with the health care legislative aides for Senators Biden and Carper, and for Congressman Castle. they are all young, energetic, smart and committed people. i really enjoyed talking with them. i'm passionate about the political process, and still a little naive about the idea that every person's voice can/should be heard. we had lunch in the cafeteria in the basement of one of the Congressional office buildings. i was in my glory as i eavesdropped on the conversations that were going on around me. the wheeling, the dealing, the schmoozing and the subtle threats. the backroom deals, the glad handing and the palm greasing. i love it all! every bit of it! i was so pumped up after our last meeting on the Hill that i sent a text message to Gail to ask if she would be willing to move to D.C. if i got some kind of political job down there. she's wonderful, so of course she said "yes." it's a dream of mine to some day be in politics. either as an elected official, or in some other capacity such as lobbyist, advocate, etc.
it's most likely that i'll stay in Delaware and run for office here, but you never know.
i wonder if i can be ruthless enough to survive the wild and dangerous jungle that is American politics? i think i'll give it a try. i'll post my campaign web site information here (once i decide to actually run for office). oh. and don't be surprised if you come out of your house one morning and see a yard sign with my big, goofy face on it.
this will be even more surprising for those of you who don't live in DE. ha, ha.
i'm a political junkie for sure. we had appointments with the health care legislative aides for Senators Biden and Carper, and for Congressman Castle. they are all young, energetic, smart and committed people. i really enjoyed talking with them. i'm passionate about the political process, and still a little naive about the idea that every person's voice can/should be heard. we had lunch in the cafeteria in the basement of one of the Congressional office buildings. i was in my glory as i eavesdropped on the conversations that were going on around me. the wheeling, the dealing, the schmoozing and the subtle threats. the backroom deals, the glad handing and the palm greasing. i love it all! every bit of it! i was so pumped up after our last meeting on the Hill that i sent a text message to Gail to ask if she would be willing to move to D.C. if i got some kind of political job down there. she's wonderful, so of course she said "yes." it's a dream of mine to some day be in politics. either as an elected official, or in some other capacity such as lobbyist, advocate, etc.
it's most likely that i'll stay in Delaware and run for office here, but you never know.
i wonder if i can be ruthless enough to survive the wild and dangerous jungle that is American politics? i think i'll give it a try. i'll post my campaign web site information here (once i decide to actually run for office). oh. and don't be surprised if you come out of your house one morning and see a yard sign with my big, goofy face on it.
this will be even more surprising for those of you who don't live in DE. ha, ha.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Sour Grapes
there's an entire story in today's paper consisting of Billie Jean King's opinion about Danica Patrick's IndyCar race win. Danica is the first female race car driver to win an IndyCar race. it's a huge accomplishment, and one that she has worked long and hard for!
well...BJK has her panties all in a bunch about the media coverage and attention that Danica is getting. King begs to differ when people call it the most significant women's victory in sports history. she wants to remind people that she had it much harder 35 years ago as a woman tennis player. and she wants us to remember that she beat a man, Bobby Riggs, in a now infamous match. King thinks her victory was more special than Danica's.
I say baloney! BJK was a great tennis player and she certainly deserves praise for making strides for women in professional sports. but she played a sport that already had female athletes competing against each other. the match against Riggs was just a media circus, and an opportunity for publicity for the sport of tennis.
Danica is competing in an all-male sport (at least before she came along). she doesn't have the opportunity to race in women-only races. she MUST compete against men if she wants to drive race cars professionally.
i love you BJK, but why try to steal Danica's thunder? it's her turn to be in the spotlight. step down already. sheesh!
well...BJK has her panties all in a bunch about the media coverage and attention that Danica is getting. King begs to differ when people call it the most significant women's victory in sports history. she wants to remind people that she had it much harder 35 years ago as a woman tennis player. and she wants us to remember that she beat a man, Bobby Riggs, in a now infamous match. King thinks her victory was more special than Danica's.
I say baloney! BJK was a great tennis player and she certainly deserves praise for making strides for women in professional sports. but she played a sport that already had female athletes competing against each other. the match against Riggs was just a media circus, and an opportunity for publicity for the sport of tennis.
Danica is competing in an all-male sport (at least before she came along). she doesn't have the opportunity to race in women-only races. she MUST compete against men if she wants to drive race cars professionally.
i love you BJK, but why try to steal Danica's thunder? it's her turn to be in the spotlight. step down already. sheesh!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
happy birthday to me!
what was happening in 1965?
Average Cost of new house $13,600.00
Average Income per year $6,450.00
Average Cost of a new car $2,650.00
Average Rent per month $118.00
Gas per Gallon 31 cents
Loaf of bread 21 cents
Sony introduces it's Betamax video recorder
Popular Films: Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, Goldfinger, My Fair Lady
Popular Musicians: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Moody Blues, Dusty Springfield, Tom Jones
Average Cost of new house $13,600.00
Average Income per year $6,450.00
Average Cost of a new car $2,650.00
Average Rent per month $118.00
Gas per Gallon 31 cents
Loaf of bread 21 cents
Sony introduces it's Betamax video recorder
Popular Films: Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, Goldfinger, My Fair Lady
Popular Musicians: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Moody Blues, Dusty Springfield, Tom Jones
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
falling baby
did anyone else see this story on CNN? it seems that a post office employee who was delivering a package to a house caught a 1 year old baby after she fell out of a 2nd story window.
the details tell us that the mother put the child down for a nap on a bed that was pushed against the wall under a window, and the window was open (no screen or anything). according to the mother, she turned her back for just a moment and the baby crawled out of the open window. the baby fell onto the head of the postal worker as she was standing below the window. luckily she had good reflexes and was able to grab the baby after being bonked on the head. she saved that child's life!
the story also says that no charges have been filed against the mother.
can you believe it!? no charges??????? that mother is an idiot and almost got her precious little girl killed! how can anyone be that stupid?
www.cnn.com/2008/US/04/22/baby.caught.ap/index.html#cnnSTCVideo
here's the link to the video of this story
the details tell us that the mother put the child down for a nap on a bed that was pushed against the wall under a window, and the window was open (no screen or anything). according to the mother, she turned her back for just a moment and the baby crawled out of the open window. the baby fell onto the head of the postal worker as she was standing below the window. luckily she had good reflexes and was able to grab the baby after being bonked on the head. she saved that child's life!
the story also says that no charges have been filed against the mother.
can you believe it!? no charges??????? that mother is an idiot and almost got her precious little girl killed! how can anyone be that stupid?
www.cnn.com/2008/US/04/22/baby.caught.ap/index.html#cnnSTCVideo
here's the link to the video of this story
Monday, April 21, 2008
crazy cats cont'd
Chaya (a.k.a. scaredy cat) - came into our home after i ran her over with my car on I-495, she's a loner and doesn't hang with the other cats, likes to play by herself, will push her way into the bedroom at night to visit with me, has a chin, her meow is a cute little squeak, she's always hungry
Harry (a.k.a. Bubby, Boo Boo) - he's a terminal adolescent, likes to run around the house as fast as he can like a crazy man, picks on his sisters way too much, can say "mamma", he's very long and heavy, his face looks like a lion's, he's not very graceful, he can be a big cuddle bug at times
Harry (a.k.a. Bubby, Boo Boo) - he's a terminal adolescent, likes to run around the house as fast as he can like a crazy man, picks on his sisters way too much, can say "mamma", he's very long and heavy, his face looks like a lion's, he's not very graceful, he can be a big cuddle bug at times
Friday, April 18, 2008
crazy cats
our 4 cats are all very different. not just in appearance, but in temperament and personality too. over the next few days, i will describe their general personality traits and regale you with some of their most famous and funny antics. come back soon. you don't want to miss these stories!
Pickles (a.k.a. "The Queen") - your lap is to be available to her at all times, she expects you to pet her and scratch under her chin for as long as your hand strength holds out, she can be very aloof, she looks at you like you're a peasant when you annoy her, ever heard the term caterwauling? that's what she does when she wants to play and it sounds creepy, she's laid back most of the time, and the most gentle of the four (unless provoked to the breaking point by her brother)
Millie (a.k.a. "Hippie Chick") - our pretty little Calico girl, very fastidious, has been known to clean the heads of her brother & sisters, has a neurotic tendency to scratch at walls and doors, she's a talker and will let you know what she wants, she's also sometimes a bit sassy when she is told "no", she fights incessently with her sister Chaya (they have slap fights), she's a great cuddler when she's in the mood
Pickles (a.k.a. "The Queen") - your lap is to be available to her at all times, she expects you to pet her and scratch under her chin for as long as your hand strength holds out, she can be very aloof, she looks at you like you're a peasant when you annoy her, ever heard the term caterwauling? that's what she does when she wants to play and it sounds creepy, she's laid back most of the time, and the most gentle of the four (unless provoked to the breaking point by her brother)
Millie (a.k.a. "Hippie Chick") - our pretty little Calico girl, very fastidious, has been known to clean the heads of her brother & sisters, has a neurotic tendency to scratch at walls and doors, she's a talker and will let you know what she wants, she's also sometimes a bit sassy when she is told "no", she fights incessently with her sister Chaya (they have slap fights), she's a great cuddler when she's in the mood
Pictures of Ty
ok, so this post is just to tell you that there are pictures of the cutest girl in the world at: www.marieeldreth.myphotoalbum.com
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
child abuse
so i'm driving to work this morning and traffic was stop and go on I-95. at one point when i was at a complete stop, i glanced over at the car next to me. what did i see? i saw a woman driver who was puffing away on a cigarette, the windows were all up, and there was a toddler in a booster seat in the back. the entire car was filled with smoke.
is this not child abuse????? how is it EVER ok to force a child to inhale second-hand smoke? the child has no choice. he/she is trapped. it is common knowledge these days that smoking causes cancer, and that second-hand smoke is just as dangerous if not more so. what are these adults thinking?! they say they love their kids, but yet they put their own unhealthy desires ahead of the health and safety of their children. research has shown that children of smokers are more prone to asthma and respiratory infections, and don't do as well in school as non-smokers' kids. why would you want to make your kids sick? it's a form of poisoning. if you smoke around your kids, you're poisoning them and should be prosecuted as such! i don't know how smokers justify this in their own minds. can anyone tell me? i'm very interested to hear an argument that would convince me that this is ok.
some states are now passing laws that make it illegal to smoke in a vehicle when a child is present. hooray for those states!
is this not child abuse????? how is it EVER ok to force a child to inhale second-hand smoke? the child has no choice. he/she is trapped. it is common knowledge these days that smoking causes cancer, and that second-hand smoke is just as dangerous if not more so. what are these adults thinking?! they say they love their kids, but yet they put their own unhealthy desires ahead of the health and safety of their children. research has shown that children of smokers are more prone to asthma and respiratory infections, and don't do as well in school as non-smokers' kids. why would you want to make your kids sick? it's a form of poisoning. if you smoke around your kids, you're poisoning them and should be prosecuted as such! i don't know how smokers justify this in their own minds. can anyone tell me? i'm very interested to hear an argument that would convince me that this is ok.
some states are now passing laws that make it illegal to smoke in a vehicle when a child is present. hooray for those states!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
freedom of speech
ok. here's the deal. Bush threw out the first pitch at a Washington Nationals baseball game, and the crowd booed him. now i'm reading letters to the editor of the Washington Post and other papers from people who are offended and think it was unpatriotic. one guy even went so far as to say that he bets that none of the booers would have the guts to fight for our freedom and help spread democracy around the world. huh? did the rest of the world ask for it? do they really want to be like us?
isn't freedom of speech (i.e. booing the president) part of democracy? don't we live in a "free" country where we should feel safe expressing our views? if an elected official does something we don't like, it is our obligation to tell him so. it is our right and duty as American citizens to say what we think. keeping quiet is the same as condoning the behavior. don't be one of those people who likes to bitch and complaing, but doesn't do anything to change things. stop all your whining and DO SOMETHING!
write a letter to the editor of the local paper about an issue that's important to you. check the state government web site to see what bills are currently under consideration and call your state rep or senator if you see one you have an opinion about. every person is important and every voice can be heard. you can make a difference. believe me, i've seen it myself. if you want more suggestions about ways you can get involved, leave me a comment and include your contact info. i'll be glad to help anyone who wants to boo the president, or whatever.
"We must become the change we want to see in the world."
- Mahatma Gandhi
Monday, April 14, 2008
my 2nd post
i was just thinking about this stinking presidential election. who else is already sick of the debates, yard signs, and crappy commercials? raise your hands.
at this point, i just want the whole thing to be over! i voted for Hillary in the primaries, and i still support her as our next president, but either she or Obama will certainly be a million times better than that nutcase we have in office right now. i will even go out on a limb and say that McCain would be 2 or 3 times better than Bush. am i right, or am i right?! come on all you sheeple and think for yourselves! THINK!
let's just get a Democrat in there and start cleaning up the big pile of stinking mess that is Bush's legacy to us. my friend has offered her house as the place where we'll have our "Goodbye Monkey Face" party in January. monkey foods, monkey games, "pin the brain on Bush", pinata so we can beat the crap out of him, etc. fun, fun, fun!!!
at this point, i just want the whole thing to be over! i voted for Hillary in the primaries, and i still support her as our next president, but either she or Obama will certainly be a million times better than that nutcase we have in office right now. i will even go out on a limb and say that McCain would be 2 or 3 times better than Bush. am i right, or am i right?! come on all you sheeple and think for yourselves! THINK!
let's just get a Democrat in there and start cleaning up the big pile of stinking mess that is Bush's legacy to us. my friend has offered her house as the place where we'll have our "Goodbye Monkey Face" party in January. monkey foods, monkey games, "pin the brain on Bush", pinata so we can beat the crap out of him, etc. fun, fun, fun!!!
wow! my first post!
well. isn't this exciting! my wife has been bugging me to start a blog for a long time, so here it is.
i'm not sure if other people will want to read my forethoughts and opinions, but that won't stop me from writing.
so...let me welcome you to my blog! i will be posting my opinion about all things that are interesting to me. i will tell you what i think about G/L/B/T issues, the war, politics in general, the presidenatial election, animal rights, care of our children and defenseless, stupid people (sheeple), violence, bodily functions, sports, weed smoking, etc.
please come back often, and i welcome your responses to my 4thoughts.
i'm not sure if other people will want to read my forethoughts and opinions, but that won't stop me from writing.
so...let me welcome you to my blog! i will be posting my opinion about all things that are interesting to me. i will tell you what i think about G/L/B/T issues, the war, politics in general, the presidenatial election, animal rights, care of our children and defenseless, stupid people (sheeple), violence, bodily functions, sports, weed smoking, etc.
please come back often, and i welcome your responses to my 4thoughts.
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