These are Shapiro's 10 most memorable quotes for 2007, in descending order:
10. "I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has been the worst in history." -Former President Jimmy Carter, referring to the Bush administration in an interview with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette newspaper
9. "I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy. I mean, that's a storybook, man." -Sen. Joseph Biden, referring to rival Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama
8. "(I have) a wide stance when going to the bathroom." -Idaho Republican Sen. Larry Craig, explaining why his foot touched the foot of an undercover police officer in an airport men's room
7. "I'm not going to get into a name-calling match with somebody who has a 9 percent approval rating." -Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, referring to Republican Vice President Dick Cheney
6. "There's only three things he (Republican presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani) mentions in a sentence: a noun and a verb and
9/11." Sen. Joseph Biden, speaking during a debate for Democratic presidential candidates
5. "I don't recall." -Former U.S. Attorney Alberto Gonzales' repeated response to questions from members of Congress about the firing of U.S. attorneys
4. "That's some nappy-headed hos there." -Radio personality Don Imus, referring to the Rutgers University women's basketball team
3. "In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country." -Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, during a speaking engagement at Columbia University in New York
2. "I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because some people out there in our nation don't have maps and I believe that our education like such as in South Africa and Iraq and everywhere like such as and I believe that they should our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S. or should help South Africa and should help Iraq and the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future for us." -Lauren Upton, the South Carolina contestant in the Miss Teen America contest, when asked why one-fifth of Americans cannot find the U.S on a map
And, my personal favorite....
1. "Don't tase me, bro." -Andrew Meyer, a senior at the University of Florida, after being hauled away by campus police during a speech made by Sen. John Kerry
Have you ever seen someone get tased? I have, many times... it's not pretty. I watched our whole Sheriff's Dept. get tased... the guys did it so they could testify in court as to the actualy feelig/effects of being tased.
In case you haven't seen a true tase for yourself, here's an early Christmas present from me. Were the cops right or wrong? Well, to me that's not what's important here. What's important to me is that if I ever have a cop tell me I'm getting tased, you better belive I will stop resisting. There's nothing worse than a strong volt of electricity raging through your body and then risking peeing your pants in front of a room full of university students and a presidential candidate. Talk about a bad day!
May your New Year go out with a bang and not a sizzle!
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Dirty Underwear
First, an update to my last post. Grant got a hat in the mail from the car dealership and I got NOTHING. Bah Humbug to them!
We have had an interesting time with our 10-year old. After doing five loads of her laundry on a weekly basis, I noticed that she was putting clean clothes in her hamper and that was why I felt like I was always washing her clothes. I am guessing she does this because she is too lazy to put them into a drawer. For example, she would change from her play clothes to a shirt, which she would wear to dinner and then put it in the hamper. I would tell her, "your shirt is not dirty, you can put it away and wear it again." But, she didn't listen and the shirt would end up in the hamper and in the washing machine, along with other clean clothes. Same thing with pajamas. Wear them once, they are in the hamper. She has four pairs of PJs, so after the fourth day I noticed she was wearing long t-shirts, which also ended up in the hamper. Now, I talked to her about this over and over again but since she isn't the one doing the laundry, she never changed.
Well, guess what? I got sick of it and refused to do her laundry anymore. I bought her a little detergent thing and told her and my husband that I am no longer washing her clothes. I taught her to use the washing machine and drier and then I sat back and waited.
Being bossy and controlling, I had a hard time not reminding her to do her laundry. I also had a hard time not reminding my husband to do her laundry. I just let it go... disengaged is the "formal" word for it.
Well, two weeks went by and it was time to get ready for a party. She had nothing to wear. Literally, no pants to wear. Grant and her were supposed to go riding the next day and she had no jeans and had not washed her jersey. Turns out, she was also out of clean underwear. Yuck!
Now, part of me felt guilty that the 10 year old was about to wear dirty underwear. But, on the other hand, I clearly explained to both her and her father that I was no longer washing her clothes. I explained the consequences of not washing her own clothes and made sure she understood them. At the end of the day, clean clothes is just not very important to her (is it to any 10 year old)?
This is not the '90s. Grunge is out. Cleanliness is in. In fact, it is next to godliness. Kids are sparkling clean now. I don't see stained shirts at school or dirty, unwashed hair. Clothes fit, unlike when I was a preteen and wore boy shorts to school that sagged down and showed my underwear.
I did my own laundry at 12 years old. My mom started doing hers at 7. On the other hand, Grant didn't do his until he moved out of him home (well, he was 14). And my father has never washed his own clothes. Is it asking too much for a 10 year old to keep herself clean and to launder her own clothing? Well, time will tell. Grant gave her a smaller laundry basket and told her, when this is full, you have to do your laundry. Apparently he isn't going to do it for her either. Let's just hope she figures it out before the next dirty underwear saga.
We have had an interesting time with our 10-year old. After doing five loads of her laundry on a weekly basis, I noticed that she was putting clean clothes in her hamper and that was why I felt like I was always washing her clothes. I am guessing she does this because she is too lazy to put them into a drawer. For example, she would change from her play clothes to a shirt, which she would wear to dinner and then put it in the hamper. I would tell her, "your shirt is not dirty, you can put it away and wear it again." But, she didn't listen and the shirt would end up in the hamper and in the washing machine, along with other clean clothes. Same thing with pajamas. Wear them once, they are in the hamper. She has four pairs of PJs, so after the fourth day I noticed she was wearing long t-shirts, which also ended up in the hamper. Now, I talked to her about this over and over again but since she isn't the one doing the laundry, she never changed.
Well, guess what? I got sick of it and refused to do her laundry anymore. I bought her a little detergent thing and told her and my husband that I am no longer washing her clothes. I taught her to use the washing machine and drier and then I sat back and waited.
Being bossy and controlling, I had a hard time not reminding her to do her laundry. I also had a hard time not reminding my husband to do her laundry. I just let it go... disengaged is the "formal" word for it.
Well, two weeks went by and it was time to get ready for a party. She had nothing to wear. Literally, no pants to wear. Grant and her were supposed to go riding the next day and she had no jeans and had not washed her jersey. Turns out, she was also out of clean underwear. Yuck!
Now, part of me felt guilty that the 10 year old was about to wear dirty underwear. But, on the other hand, I clearly explained to both her and her father that I was no longer washing her clothes. I explained the consequences of not washing her own clothes and made sure she understood them. At the end of the day, clean clothes is just not very important to her (is it to any 10 year old)?
This is not the '90s. Grunge is out. Cleanliness is in. In fact, it is next to godliness. Kids are sparkling clean now. I don't see stained shirts at school or dirty, unwashed hair. Clothes fit, unlike when I was a preteen and wore boy shorts to school that sagged down and showed my underwear.
I did my own laundry at 12 years old. My mom started doing hers at 7. On the other hand, Grant didn't do his until he moved out of him home (well, he was 14). And my father has never washed his own clothes. Is it asking too much for a 10 year old to keep herself clean and to launder her own clothing? Well, time will tell. Grant gave her a smaller laundry basket and told her, when this is full, you have to do your laundry. Apparently he isn't going to do it for her either. Let's just hope she figures it out before the next dirty underwear saga.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Women and cars
I bought a new car last month from Bob Baker Volkswagen in Carlsbad and it is supposed to be "certified." I have now brought it into the shop 7 times. The first time was because the guy who installed the alarm did a crappy job and the alarm light it kept blinking even while I was driving. Talk about distracting! So, I took it back, they couldn't fix it during that appointment time, so I had to make another.
In the meantime, my air conditioner started making this noise like when you computer is working really hard. The noise would stop and I would be like, "Oh, is the noise gone?" I'd sit in my car and try to listen for the noise. But the noise just kept coming back. I took it in once, they said they fixed it; the minute I got back into the car, the noise came back on. So, I had to take it back again for a new diagnosis. They told me they would have to take the entire dashboard apart and replace the fan motor. So, I made another appointment for this. In the meantime, my passenger seat heater went out, so I asked if they could: replace the fan motor, the alarm, and the seat heater at the same time. "Sure," they said. Well, they fixed the annoying noise, but nothing else. So, I made another appointment. At that appointment, they only fixed the seat, not the alarm. And, they didn't even put the seat back together. They left bolts and seat parts in the backseat! They are still back there! I don't even know what they are for. Hopefully whoever rides in my passenger seat doesn't end up attached to the seat flying out of the front window!
Now, I have been very nice and patient. I have talked to the service manager and complaigned in a professional manner. My husband, however, is sick of this. So, he called and complaigned in a not-so-nice manner. After all of MY trouble, now they are calling and KISSING HIS BUTT! What about my butt? My butt needs some kissing. I know my car is under warranty, but I want some retribution or at least some major brown nosing. Why does he get it all? Don't you kill more flies with honey? Or do you only kill more flies if you are a man?
Grant bought a new truck with me (see previous post). I did all the negotiating and they had to get the manager to come over because I wasn't going for what the salesman was saying. He walks over and shakes GRANT'S hand and doesn't even shake mine or say hello! I should have walked out, but I was nice and ultimately got what I wanted. But, talk about rude. To make it up, I inisisted on being first on the loan documents, which really screwed up their blue and pink color coding system. Hah! The finance guy had to keep printing out new contracts. Take that!!!!
Now, I am no car expert, but I do expect the same type of treatment as a man, especially when it comes to financing and simple things like taking your car in for repairs. Is that too much to ask? Apparently for the morons over at Mossey Nissan and Bob Baker it is.
In the meantime, my air conditioner started making this noise like when you computer is working really hard. The noise would stop and I would be like, "Oh, is the noise gone?" I'd sit in my car and try to listen for the noise. But the noise just kept coming back. I took it in once, they said they fixed it; the minute I got back into the car, the noise came back on. So, I had to take it back again for a new diagnosis. They told me they would have to take the entire dashboard apart and replace the fan motor. So, I made another appointment for this. In the meantime, my passenger seat heater went out, so I asked if they could: replace the fan motor, the alarm, and the seat heater at the same time. "Sure," they said. Well, they fixed the annoying noise, but nothing else. So, I made another appointment. At that appointment, they only fixed the seat, not the alarm. And, they didn't even put the seat back together. They left bolts and seat parts in the backseat! They are still back there! I don't even know what they are for. Hopefully whoever rides in my passenger seat doesn't end up attached to the seat flying out of the front window!
Now, I have been very nice and patient. I have talked to the service manager and complaigned in a professional manner. My husband, however, is sick of this. So, he called and complaigned in a not-so-nice manner. After all of MY trouble, now they are calling and KISSING HIS BUTT! What about my butt? My butt needs some kissing. I know my car is under warranty, but I want some retribution or at least some major brown nosing. Why does he get it all? Don't you kill more flies with honey? Or do you only kill more flies if you are a man?
Grant bought a new truck with me (see previous post). I did all the negotiating and they had to get the manager to come over because I wasn't going for what the salesman was saying. He walks over and shakes GRANT'S hand and doesn't even shake mine or say hello! I should have walked out, but I was nice and ultimately got what I wanted. But, talk about rude. To make it up, I inisisted on being first on the loan documents, which really screwed up their blue and pink color coding system. Hah! The finance guy had to keep printing out new contracts. Take that!!!!
Now, I am no car expert, but I do expect the same type of treatment as a man, especially when it comes to financing and simple things like taking your car in for repairs. Is that too much to ask? Apparently for the morons over at Mossey Nissan and Bob Baker it is.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
The right to bare boobs
When I worked in law enforcement, I once went on a ride along with a deputy through a crime-ridden part of the city. While driving along I noticed a naked man standing in his front yard. I giggled and told the deputy, "Hey, we just drove past a stark naked dude standing in his front yard." I quickly learned this was not as funny as I had thought. "Naked people are usually 51-50s." Hhmmm... I had stumbled across some excitement! When we drove up to naked man, he ran around the front yard and then ran into his house. We called for backup. It took 4 officers to get him to put some clothes on and to come out of his house. He had been living in there with only a mattress and some stuffed animals. Apparently the city had bought him the home as part of some type of rehabilitation program.
Is public nudity truly a sign of insanity? In yesterday's weird news, Sweedish woman can no longer bare their breasts on public beaches. The proponent for this new law stated that "There is a great difference between how people in general perceive men's and women's bodies. It is therefore hard to maintain that [the topless women] were in a comparable situation to men who bathed with naked upper bodies." Now, I think this statement has to do more with sexual perceptions than mentally ill ones, but I still find it interesting how we attach certain assumptions to people's naked bodies.
Personally, I don't understand the big deal about boobs. When I was in Europe, I sunbathed topless and discovered that while it was exhilarating to address the American "taboo" of bearing my boobs in public, it really wasn't for me after all. Some weird fat harry Italian in a speedo kept walking by my friends and I and it creeped me out. But if others are comfortable with bearing their boobs, than I say, so be it!
There is a nude beach in San Diego, but it is always old men with narely back hair and fat women with saggy boobs who lay out on that beach. I saw it once and will never be the same.
While baring boobs is no big deal to me, I do have to say that I am in the camp that believes that complete public nudity is pretty odd. I came across an article a couple of weeks ago (I'll paste it below) about a former city council member who now lives in a nudist colony. Why would he want to be in the newspaper for that? How is living naked an accomplishment or something you'd want to publicize? Would you really want your mother knowing that you sit your bare butt down on the same furniture where other people's bare butts were sitting before? Think about the germs! I find it interesting too that his biggest accomplishment was building a skate park. I wonder if he had dreams of skating naked? Ouch, that would hurt. So would snowboarding naked. That would burn...
This got me thinking back to that day in the patrol car. If there is a colony of naked people, is that the same thing as being in an insane asylum?
By Lisa Petrillo
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
November 16, 2007
Jay Goldby, a former Poway councilman and ex-president of that city's Chamber of Commerce, usually greets his visitors completely naked.
“I've gone through some changes since I left,” said Goldby, who quit politics in 2004 after serving two terms on the Poway City Council.
EDUARDO CONTRERAS / Union-Tribune
Former Poway City Councilman Jay Goldby is now general manager of Sun Island Resort, which calls itself "Southern California's Premier Clothing-Free Resort."
The most obvious change would be Goldby's lack of clothing.
Despite the sometimes blistering heat, Goldby, 67, the father of five, even skips shoes these days as he pads blissfully barefoot around the East County nudist colony he now manages.
On a recent sunny morning, he greeted another unclothed resident, who asked if he had been to the gym. Goldby, who underwent heart bypass surgery last spring, admitted he hadn't but probably didn't need to. There are no secrets about things like getting regular workouts around Sun Island Resort.
The resort sits behind formidable fences in the rocky hills outside El Cajon. It bills itself as “Southern California's Premier Clothing-Free Resort,” and as a family-friendly destination.
Goldby loves his new life here, he said. “When you're not wearing any clothes, there is no pretense.”
That's perhaps a surprising view considering Goldby's background: Army veteran, former deacon and pro-business councilman from a city with a voter base nearly 80 percent Republican.
Goldby, who lives with his wife in Carlsbad, said he has little contact with Poway these days. Still, during last month's wildfires, he got a chance to exercise the leadership skills he honed as an elected official there.
AdvertisementSun Island was rebuilt after suffering severe damage in the October 2003 fires. This time, the nudists were prepared.
Goldby said a dozen residents defied evacuation orders and ran 24-hour fire-watch patrols in case there were flying embers. They disconnected natural gas lines, stationed 55-gallon drums filled with water near all the structures, brought in industrial-strength hoses and generators, and got aggressive with whacking weeds. The wildfires did not threaten the resort.
“We got through safely,” Goldby said.
But it was one of the few times residents at the ranch remained fully clothed.
“Embers burn skin, you know,” he said.
Goldby remains vague about when he became a nudist, though he allows that he may have spent time at the colony before leaving Poway. Although no longer a registered Republican, he said he remains a businessman and is proud of the improvements he has brought to the resort, once considered a counterculture haven.
Poway leaders recall him as popular with the business community, which in the early 1990s criticized the council as being anti-growth and anti-business.
At the time, Goldby owned a sign-making business in town, which he sold after a divorce in 2001. He was part of a political makeover of the once staunchly slow-growth council, one of several business advocates who won council seats, including current Councilman Don Higginson and Mickey Cafagna, a developer who is now mayor.
But Goldby was not just about business. He took a special interest in seniors, teens and substance-abuse prevention. Goldby described his tenure as that of a political maverick, often the swing vote and on some issues the lone vote.
In December 2003, Goldby married Sherrie Anne Bagley, then the executive director of the Poway Senior Center. The following month, he announced he would not seek a third four-year council term because he planned to pursue other projects involving public works and substance-abuse prevention. In January 2005, after accusations of financial mismanagement, Sherrie Goldby was placed on administrative leave and then asked to resign from the senior center.
Goldby said one of the accomplishments he is most proud of in Poway is helping to create the city's innovative Skate Park, one of the few municipal skate parks in the county that is free.
His biggest disappointment was failing to persuade the council to invest more in services for senior citizens.
Is public nudity truly a sign of insanity? In yesterday's weird news, Sweedish woman can no longer bare their breasts on public beaches. The proponent for this new law stated that "There is a great difference between how people in general perceive men's and women's bodies. It is therefore hard to maintain that [the topless women] were in a comparable situation to men who bathed with naked upper bodies." Now, I think this statement has to do more with sexual perceptions than mentally ill ones, but I still find it interesting how we attach certain assumptions to people's naked bodies.
Personally, I don't understand the big deal about boobs. When I was in Europe, I sunbathed topless and discovered that while it was exhilarating to address the American "taboo" of bearing my boobs in public, it really wasn't for me after all. Some weird fat harry Italian in a speedo kept walking by my friends and I and it creeped me out. But if others are comfortable with bearing their boobs, than I say, so be it!
There is a nude beach in San Diego, but it is always old men with narely back hair and fat women with saggy boobs who lay out on that beach. I saw it once and will never be the same.
While baring boobs is no big deal to me, I do have to say that I am in the camp that believes that complete public nudity is pretty odd. I came across an article a couple of weeks ago (I'll paste it below) about a former city council member who now lives in a nudist colony. Why would he want to be in the newspaper for that? How is living naked an accomplishment or something you'd want to publicize? Would you really want your mother knowing that you sit your bare butt down on the same furniture where other people's bare butts were sitting before? Think about the germs! I find it interesting too that his biggest accomplishment was building a skate park. I wonder if he had dreams of skating naked? Ouch, that would hurt. So would snowboarding naked. That would burn...
This got me thinking back to that day in the patrol car. If there is a colony of naked people, is that the same thing as being in an insane asylum?
By Lisa Petrillo
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
November 16, 2007
Jay Goldby, a former Poway councilman and ex-president of that city's Chamber of Commerce, usually greets his visitors completely naked.
“I've gone through some changes since I left,” said Goldby, who quit politics in 2004 after serving two terms on the Poway City Council.
EDUARDO CONTRERAS / Union-Tribune
Former Poway City Councilman Jay Goldby is now general manager of Sun Island Resort, which calls itself "Southern California's Premier Clothing-Free Resort."
The most obvious change would be Goldby's lack of clothing.
Despite the sometimes blistering heat, Goldby, 67, the father of five, even skips shoes these days as he pads blissfully barefoot around the East County nudist colony he now manages.
On a recent sunny morning, he greeted another unclothed resident, who asked if he had been to the gym. Goldby, who underwent heart bypass surgery last spring, admitted he hadn't but probably didn't need to. There are no secrets about things like getting regular workouts around Sun Island Resort.
The resort sits behind formidable fences in the rocky hills outside El Cajon. It bills itself as “Southern California's Premier Clothing-Free Resort,” and as a family-friendly destination.
Goldby loves his new life here, he said. “When you're not wearing any clothes, there is no pretense.”
That's perhaps a surprising view considering Goldby's background: Army veteran, former deacon and pro-business councilman from a city with a voter base nearly 80 percent Republican.
Goldby, who lives with his wife in Carlsbad, said he has little contact with Poway these days. Still, during last month's wildfires, he got a chance to exercise the leadership skills he honed as an elected official there.
AdvertisementSun Island was rebuilt after suffering severe damage in the October 2003 fires. This time, the nudists were prepared.
Goldby said a dozen residents defied evacuation orders and ran 24-hour fire-watch patrols in case there were flying embers. They disconnected natural gas lines, stationed 55-gallon drums filled with water near all the structures, brought in industrial-strength hoses and generators, and got aggressive with whacking weeds. The wildfires did not threaten the resort.
“We got through safely,” Goldby said.
But it was one of the few times residents at the ranch remained fully clothed.
“Embers burn skin, you know,” he said.
Goldby remains vague about when he became a nudist, though he allows that he may have spent time at the colony before leaving Poway. Although no longer a registered Republican, he said he remains a businessman and is proud of the improvements he has brought to the resort, once considered a counterculture haven.
Poway leaders recall him as popular with the business community, which in the early 1990s criticized the council as being anti-growth and anti-business.
At the time, Goldby owned a sign-making business in town, which he sold after a divorce in 2001. He was part of a political makeover of the once staunchly slow-growth council, one of several business advocates who won council seats, including current Councilman Don Higginson and Mickey Cafagna, a developer who is now mayor.
But Goldby was not just about business. He took a special interest in seniors, teens and substance-abuse prevention. Goldby described his tenure as that of a political maverick, often the swing vote and on some issues the lone vote.
In December 2003, Goldby married Sherrie Anne Bagley, then the executive director of the Poway Senior Center. The following month, he announced he would not seek a third four-year council term because he planned to pursue other projects involving public works and substance-abuse prevention. In January 2005, after accusations of financial mismanagement, Sherrie Goldby was placed on administrative leave and then asked to resign from the senior center.
Goldby said one of the accomplishments he is most proud of in Poway is helping to create the city's innovative Skate Park, one of the few municipal skate parks in the county that is free.
His biggest disappointment was failing to persuade the council to invest more in services for senior citizens.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Knocked up and thinking of New Years
Last night I watched the movie "Knocked Up." My husband, who is an avid hater of "chick flicks," was guilted into watching the movie with me. He ended up loving it. We cracked up because there are so many parallels between the movie and what we are going through as a couple. It's a "must see" for expecting parents or people who are thinking about pregnancy.
Speaking of pregnancy, I think it's contagious. I swear, every week, someone else around me is getting pregnant! I now see pregnant people everywhere. I think there must be something in the air this year, or else I am just extra sensitive to, as Grant calls us, the "incubators" roaming around. To all my newly pregnant friends, congrats!
I have to say, I really missed surfing this weekend. It poured on Friday and though I know you're not supposed to surf in the rain (run off and pollution), I used to LOVE to paddle out in the rain. When I went to UCSB I used to always surf in the rain. It was so exhilarating. It's also when you see a lot of marine life, like dolphins. I can't wait to get back out in the water. I also can't wait until I can get to the slopes. Maybe if it's a late ski season I'll try to get to Mammoth in April. I wonder if babies can handle the altitude and cold? I have so much to learn!
Anyone have any New Years suggestions for a knocked up lady and a wonderful, but old-for-his-age husband? I'd like to do something fun this year... thinking about going on Horblower... anyone have any suggestions?
Speaking of pregnancy, I think it's contagious. I swear, every week, someone else around me is getting pregnant! I now see pregnant people everywhere. I think there must be something in the air this year, or else I am just extra sensitive to, as Grant calls us, the "incubators" roaming around. To all my newly pregnant friends, congrats!
I have to say, I really missed surfing this weekend. It poured on Friday and though I know you're not supposed to surf in the rain (run off and pollution), I used to LOVE to paddle out in the rain. When I went to UCSB I used to always surf in the rain. It was so exhilarating. It's also when you see a lot of marine life, like dolphins. I can't wait to get back out in the water. I also can't wait until I can get to the slopes. Maybe if it's a late ski season I'll try to get to Mammoth in April. I wonder if babies can handle the altitude and cold? I have so much to learn!
Anyone have any New Years suggestions for a knocked up lady and a wonderful, but old-for-his-age husband? I'd like to do something fun this year... thinking about going on Horblower... anyone have any suggestions?
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