expostulation

OFFS.

2011-05-18T14:44:00.000-07:00

I was lamenting Shakesville being on vacation (since I felt like blogging) and then I remembered I have my own blog!. LOL! How terrible is that? I wrote Expostulation for years before closing up shop to just write at Shakesville and I pretty much forgot about it. I haven't always been on blogger but that was convenient a couple years ago when I meant to pick it back up again (whoops! LOL).

ANYWAY! What put the bee in my bonnet: It's the End of the World as They Know It and Atheists Feel Fine. It's not a particularly interesting article, on the whole, but two things stood out:

But Camping’s acolytes may pale in comparison to the number of atheists and agnostics who are outraged — and perhaps a little amused — by the California radio evangelist’s predictions that Christians are about to be swept up to glory.

Outraged? Who is outraged? I don't know of anyone who is outraged--and believe me, I have quite a number of atheist connections across this here series of tubes. Everyone I know thinks it's damn funny because it's just so ridiculous. Even the people quoted in the article itself weren't outraged. Not even a little bit miffed--they all seemed to think it's one great joke. That outrage bit is just shit-stirring. Atheists! They must be pissed off by this stupid prediction!

But it was this which made me had to shake my head to get my eyes unstuck from the roll:

“Some of the things they’re doing is a fulfillment of prophesy,” she [Allison Warden, a Camping follower who, with the help of family and friends, built a website, wecanknow.com] said. “They’ve persecuted Christians in this way before. Believers can expect similar treatment.”

This is yet another reason we can't have nice things: mocking parties are persecution. The fringe evangelicals are being OPPRESSED! The idea that THIS is oppression is simply offensive on several levels.

I'd like to say I cannot believe some people actually quit their jobs (in this economy no less!) because they believe this crap but, well, from the Summit Lighthouse group to the extreme end of the extremists like the Heaven's Gate cult...it's not like it's unprecedented.

These people are not being oppressed. They are being taken in by a cult leader and/or are simply just being stupid.

I still remember

2009-04-21T08:37:00.000-07:00

You would have been seven years old this year, Avery. If the sky is clear tonight, I shall look for your star. Love, Mama.

“In the night of death, hope sees a star, and listening love can hear the rustle of a wing.” ~Robert Green Ingersoll

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T16:21:00.000-08:00

W.T.PH.

2008-11-21T15:15:00.000-08:00

So I was skimming the new Google themes for gmail. I saw the one called "phantasea" and thought, at first, that it was "placenta". < double take > But, hey, who doesn't want a a placenta as their background image?

And, "phantasea"? Seriously?

amusing

2008-11-20T14:36:00.000-08:00

It's funny how quickly the short people start to feel better when they hear:

"Well, if you're too sick to go to school then you're too sick to run around and play in the house today. Staying home sick from school means resting in bed."

It's the new year!

2008-10-31T09:57:00.000-07:00

If you celebrate Samhain, that is.

Blessed Samhain! Happy Halloween!

best.compliment.ever.

2008-10-28T14:25:00.000-07:00

I received during a debate on Embryonic Stem Cell Research:

If I were into having sex with brains, I'd totally want to bang yours.

in which I was truly scared

2008-10-20T10:11:00.000-07:00

This morning started off like any other and Jake went off to school--a few minutes early, even. He walks since we're practically across the street (he has to walk down past three houses on our street [and in our new development, houses are only 15 feet apart], around the corner past a couple more homes, and cross the street [and walk right into school]). It takes three minutes to get there, at most.

So when the school's phone number showed up on my caller-id, I wondered if he get hurt or sick. I was rather surprised when a computerized voice came on and told me that he was absent today, please call the attendance line and give a reason.

First, confusion. Absent? What? No, he left on time.

Second, realization. ABSENT! But he left on time!

Third, panic. Holy shit, he didn't make it to school. WHY?

Thankfully while half my brain was sliding into blind panic and horrifying imaginations, the other half called the school. While waiting on hold for the secretary to call up to his teacher and see what was going on, the working side was trying to formulate a plan. First, call the police. Second, restrain other side from running down the street screaming for him--knock on doors. Third.....

It was all a mistake. There's another Jacob in his class whose last name also begins with a "W" and she marked it wrong on their attendance sheet.

Immediate relief. He's safe! Relief to know my brain won't entirely shut down in an emergency.

Now to stop shaking.

braggity brag brag brag

2008-10-17T08:50:00.000-07:00

So last night were parent/teacher conferences for the older two and both conferences went fantastic. A couple highlights:

Miss E

Her very first p/t conference ever! She was very excited. She was asked to count as high as she can. When she got to 53, she stopped and said: "How about I just tell you my highest number?" (which was 101), LOL. At the end of the conference her teacher asked her if she had any questions for her (meaning about school so far). Miss E thought for a moment and said yes, she did have a question: "How do peppers change color?". She was quite serious about this (which we answered later at home). She is, btw, the smartest kid in her class. No, really. That's always nice to hear (though it was couched in more telling her achievement scores and class participation ["She always raises her hand and has something insightful and beyond the understanding of the rest of the class to share about the story we've read"]).

J

You know it's going to go well when you're sitting down at the table and the teacher claps her hands and exclaims "this is going to be a fun conference!", LOL. He's doing well, still has some focus issues but they aren't as serious as they were last year (so far, anyway). He's reading at 199 WPM (I wonder when he'll pass me up, he's not there yet but I digress...). The test, however, only measures to 200. No one is quite sure how he can be tested once he breaches that mark. His teacher seems to think the sun shines out of his backside, which amuses me to no end (don't get me wrong, I'm glad she thinks so highly of him!). She says he always has something witty to say and is very helpful.

One thing we got to hear (as he read it outloud) was his paper on "What I Want to be When I Grow Up". This is it (bear in mind, he's 8.5):

When I grow up I want to be a scientist because I like learning new things. I want to discover what the space where our solar system is now was like before the big bang. I also want to know another way to cool global warming. That is what I want to be when I grow up.

My budding astrophysicist. :heart: He also about fell out of his chair when he learned that the Really Big Field Trip this year will be to the Pacific Science Center in Seattle. Oh and his teacher said: "I won't be surprised if you're the one who cures cancer someday". I shit thee not.

It's always nice to hear from objective sources how awesome your kids are. ;-)

excellence

2008-10-10T15:44:00.000-07:00

I made an excellent apple crisp last night and here is the recipe. It really is very good. Honest.

snapshot

2008-10-07T12:43:00.001-07:00

This is my day so far (as of 12:40 PST):

Cleaned the three bathrooms, baked a loaf of pumpkin bread, changed all the bedding around, have herb bread started (it's on its one hour rise), am halfway done folding a basket of laundry. Of course, got everyone up & dressed & breakfasted earlier, sent Jake off to school, lunch, walked Elanor to school later, etc...

After I eat some lunch myself, I need to finish the laundry before they get home from school (theirs to put away), bake the herb bread, make the sauce for the lasagna (cooks for an hour before becoming part of the dish itself), and make dipping oil for the bread. Oh, and Jake has taekwondo tonight.

I am the Master Multi-Tasker, grasshopper. LOL

a few things

2008-09-30T14:18:00.000-07:00

Learned recently:

1. Ok, this isn't new but it's confirmed that I'm as unphotogenic as I've ever been.

2. I really need to exercise.

3. People are much nicer (or better at being superficially polite) when they've been out of high school for a decade.

4. A whole lotta people from F-town + a whole lotta alcohol = hilarity

5. I'm way too old to spend a night drinking and then stagger in at 4 am.

Jack Herb Florist.

2008-09-05T12:24:00.000-07:00

Timing? Fail.

So we sent my mom some flowers, amongst other things, for her recent birthday. Since her birthday is on Labor Day, the flowers were delivered as close as possible, being on Saturday (the 30th). I made the delivery reservation about a week in advance before I forgot about it entirely. A few days before her delivery, she got a seemingly cryptic postcard in the mail asking for feedback on "her recent flower delivery". Mind you, the last time we sent her flowers was on Mother's Day.

When you order online w/Jack Herb, you're supposed to get (an email) delivery confirmation. Which I got today.

Very helpful. *snort*

And

2008-09-02T17:55:00.001-07:00

That's all I have to say about that.

I wish

2008-08-27T10:59:00.000-07:00

1. The house would clean itself.

2. America had more than two major political parties.

3. My hair could be tamed into not looking like a nesting animal lives on my head.

4. I could find a babysitter.

5. I lived in England.

Three!

2008-08-11T14:35:00.001-07:00

This baby:

is this big three year old today:

Shortly after that first picture was taken, he was whisked away to the NICU. After a completely typical and healthy pregnancy (a first!), he popped a hole in his right lung with his very first breath. Thankfully, it was small enough and in a spot which left it to heal without major surgery after one week in the NICU.

All is fine these days! Sometimes it amazes me to remember the helpless little guy who was hooked to machines and under an oxygen hood for the first several days of life and see the smart, funny, goofy little boy he is today. He's come a long way, baby! And I'm so happy for it.

It's calling....

2008-08-07T15:50:00.001-07:00

And it says "Eat me now!"

Ah, peach cobbler. Its deliciousness must wait for dessert time though. I have cut up steak into pieces and have it marinating in a shallot vinaigrette, to be skewered into a kabob w/cherry tomatoes, asparagus, and onion chunks. Oh and paired with grilled corn on the cob!

A perfect summer dinner. :-)

I light a candle...

2008-07-28T11:54:00.000-07:00

For the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist congregation

conversations at my house

2008-07-25T13:17:00.000-07:00

Earlier conversation with Miss E, who is five:

E: Some people are twins.

Me: Yep. Some people are even triplets! Did you know that people can be twins and not look the same? It just depends on how they were made.

E: I don't really understand how people grow inside when they're made.

Me: Well, you know the sperm and the egg part right? (E nods) Those are two special kinds of cells that pair together and then they keep making more and more cells. Those cells grow into making a person.

E: I saw a picture of that once in a book we have.

Me: If you want we can look at the book again and talk about it.

E: But I don't know where the book is. Maybe it's on the bookshelf*.

Me: Actually, I think that book is on one of the shelves in my room where we keep the special books like that one.**

E: Ooh. So you and dad can remember how to make babies?

*It could have been in any of three places where kid books are located, so "on the bookshelf" isn't as obvious as it may seem.

**We keep reference-sort of books that we'd like all the kids to learn from on one of our shelves to help prevent the potential random toddler destruction that may happen when you've had as many toddlers in the house at one time as we have.

This Day in History

2008-07-24T08:52:00.000-07:00

In 1567: Mary, Queen of Scots, was deposed.

In 1701: The city of Detroit was founded as a fort by a French fur trader.

In 1866: Tennessee was readmitted to the Union.

In 1911: Hiram Bingham discovered the lost Inca settlement of Machu Picchu.

In 1969: The Apollo 11 astronauts splashed down in the Pacific after their historic mission.

In 1974: The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Nixon had to turn over White House tapes to the Watergate special prosecutor.

In 1999: We were married on a sweltering midwest summer day!

"Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction." ~Antoine de Saint Exupéry

nostalgia

2008-07-03T12:48:00.001-07:00

Today I'm craigslisting some stuff that's been out of the "use it" category and in the "collecting dust and taking up space" category for a while: infant carseat, base for the carseat, a pack-n-play, a crib mattress, and the double-stroller + rain cover. I may also list the high chair, which hasn't seen use in a few months either.

All this baby stuff. *sniff*

Ok, not that I actually want any more babies in the house but it's still a bit sad to get rid of all the gear.

You know...

2008-06-26T10:23:00.001-07:00

You know what's really fucking irritating? Going out to the garage to go out to breakfast and finding a really flat tire on your car. Bloody hell.

clutter-o-rama

2008-06-17T17:17:00.000-07:00

Ya know, I try--ok, maybe not 1000% but maybe a solid 90% effort--to keep the house clean. It a Sisyphean effort most days, it seems, what with the four kids and two animals but the effort is made and you could generally come over on a random week day and not be skeeved or anything. LOL

Even so, damn! Clutter! I swear, this house is a clutter haven. It comes from maude-knows-where and sets up residence. My breakfast bar is a favorite real estate location for this. WTF. I'm constantly throwing crap away (or recycling crap away) but it never freaking ends. GAH.

This becomes more apparent as I'm preparing for a week-long house guest. Where does all this crap come from? I need clutter filters on the doors.

SchoolHouse Rock

2008-06-09T10:14:00.000-07:00

It rocks!

John got the first of his Father's Day gifts this weekend (as we'll be getting ready for camping next weekend). One was a new 46-inch full HD LCD tv and the other is AppleTV.

With Apple TV, we can purchase shows as we want to see them or even whole series of things--like the first season of The Smurfs (as we did get...the people writing that show were on some major drugs, btw). Right now we have the first season of Schoolhouse Rock going. Anyway, this works better for us than cable or satellite because we don't watch much tv as it is and don't need to pay $$ for something we'll never use. With AppleTV, it's more like "cable a la carte".

I still remember The Preamble song from 8th grade social studies! Now I can hear it every day, lol.

scenes from my day

2008-05-31T08:32:00.001-07:00

Kiddo#3, my early bird, and I drove up to get coffee (for me and John, that is) this morning. The music that came on? Seasons of Love from RENT. The best part? We both belted it out. It just tickles me to see my 3.5 year old singing along with broadway songs (though our kids enjoy a lot of music--the 2.5 year old sings along to Squeeze Box). LOL

Anyway, I highly reccomend Dutch Bros. Coffee. Much better than Starbucks.

book recs

2008-05-23T10:36:00.000-07:00

If you're looking for something to read, here are a few recommendations:

The Host, by Stephenie Meyer. Excellent, compelling sci-fi read about post-invasion Earth from the alien POV. Good depth and characters, creative take on classic story. It's one I'll re-read over the years, definitely.

The Summer Tree (The Fionavar Tapestry, Book One), by Guy Gavriel Kay. This is the first book in a trilogy. Read them all! People familiar with Tolkien's Middle Earth will find familiarity in a lot of this book (particularly if you've read The Silmarillion). The start is a little slow and a lot of place/people names but it's really quite good overall. A couple places made me blub. It's a bit like Mists of Avalon meets The Lord of the Rings.

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. True story about Greg Mortenson's work building schools in Pakistan. Truly, truly inspiring.

scenes from my day

2008-05-15T12:39:00.000-07:00

We were driving back from Costco a bit ago with the minivan windows rolled down. Nice day = lots of car windows rolled down. So anyway we're listening to a mixed cd of mine and "Nessun Dorma" (an aria from Turandot) comes on. Of course when it gets to the crescendo is when we pull up at a red light along side another car with its windows down. The people in that car look at us like

What? Don't many people play opera arias loudly in their car? ;)

pet peeve #445908

2008-05-14T15:40:00.001-07:00

People who call me "sweetie" or "hon", particularly people who are younger than I am.

of the soul

2008-05-12T14:38:00.001-07:00

You know what is really satisfying? Taking red wine, cremini mushrooms, a bit of beef broth, fingerling potatoes, sliced onions, chopped fresh carrots, some fresh basil & oregano, and a pot roast (browned in a bit of olive oil) and putting it all in a pot (ok, slow cooker). And knowing that later in the day, a wonderful, warm meal will come back out of that pot.

(Add homemade french bread and some accompanying red wine and you have yourself a little slice of Fabulous)

Once, a long time ago, someone referred to me as a "kitchen witch", which is a sentiment I appreciated (it's not a "bad thing"!). I can see how it could be fitting (though I'm not a practitioner of Wicca*) and what would prompt the label. :-)

*There may be kitchen witches who do not participate in Goddess worship, however, I generally think of "kitchen witchery" as one aspect of Wicca because generally it does involve some form of Goddess worship within the general Wiccan paradigm (AFAIK)

for fuck's sake

2008-05-12T09:21:00.000-07:00

So. We're moving in about 8 - 10 weeks. We're not taking much of anything with us, especially not major appliances. What breaks last night after working great for eight years? The washing machine.

Are you effing kidding me? I only needed you for (about) eight more weeks! And you break NOW?!

So we're having Sears come out an repair it (though it was a housewarming gift when we bought our first house not bought at Sears [or under warranty anymore]). What a PITA.

letters

2008-05-09T17:03:00.001-07:00

Dear Verizon,

We already have your FiOS service. Do not send--for the third time--salesmen to my house trying to sell THE SERVICE I ALREADY HAVE to me. Surely you can have a list of homes in the neighborhood you are canvassing which already have the service. Furthermore, I have a NO SOLICITATION sign right there, in my sidelight window, at eye-level, by the door. It's not easily missed. Your salespeople? Ignore it. Which makes me even LESS happy. Look, if I wasn't already a customer, I sure as fuck wouldn't be buying your stuff because of that alone.

I pay you over $100/month for phone and this fabulous fiber internet. Don't come to my house anymore.

Kthnxbai,

Misty

P.S. When a customer turns down the cable services that the sales guy tried to push out (after learning we already had the service he first came for) and the sales guy asks who we're using for cable currently and hears in return: "We do not want or need cable television"--he could look just a little less appalled at that. Just an idea.

SHOEZ!

2008-05-06T14:50:00.000-07:00

My Preeeecccciiiooouuusss

Saturday night's all right for...

2008-05-03T19:39:00.000-07:00

Not fightin'. But it's great for an awesome dinner!

Elanor and I went by New Season's this afternoon and bought some fresh-caught sometime last night Chinook Salmon, wine, and a dozen pink roses (why not? they're pretty and look great in one of the vases I have!).

We grilled the salmon out on a cedar-plank with a fantabulous glaze, had some cranberry sauce and steamed/buttered broccoli (and excellent wine for the grown-ups!). That = full of win.

well?

2008-04-28T15:56:00.000-07:00

Do you wanna pinecone?"

a sad day

2008-04-21T10:39:00.000-07:00

We learned this morning that John's uncle Jim passed away this morning/late last night. Jim did have terminal cancer though this wasn't quite expected. According to Tom (John's dad, for those who don't know), Jim was just talking about going out to plant bulbs last Monday.

And Happy Birthday to my Avery. You would have been six years old this year. If the sky is clear tonight, I shall look for your star. Love, Mama.

“In the night of death, hope sees a star, and listening love can hear the rustle of a wing.” ~Robert Green Ingersoll

ha!

2008-04-17T11:47:00.000-07:00

John cracks me up. From Twitter (but in the right order for this post):

I'm fucking McGyver
Fixed the internet in my room with nothing but a spoon for a tool!
They should totally give me a discount now.

(He is in Ireland on business and the hotel has unsuccessfully attempted to fix the 'net connection in his room for the past four days)

tinkering

2008-04-15T10:08:00.001-07:00

I feel like I should write something here as it's been about two weeks since I've posted!

Truthfully, I don't have whole lot to say. I've been working on a post that is supposed to be for Shakesville the past few days. I keep tinkering with it and I think the tinkering is making me crazy. I'm a bit wary on posting it at all though as it's probably going to piss off a few people. But, well, people either agree or not and eventually the post moves off the front page, right? Blog zen. It may never even see the light of the internets if I can't get it where I want it soon, lol.

So. Yeah. That's about it.

ETA: So I totally rewrote the post. Let's call it Advanced Tinkering. Anyway, it is now Teh Awesome and posted at Shakesville.

No, really

2008-04-01T15:03:00.000-07:00

It's no an "April Fool" joke--I really did go to the gym this morning. I'm so pathetically out of shape. Besides the fact that I have about fifteen pounds to lose (I like to think of it as 5 lbs from my last three pregnancies, mmmmkay?), I hear exercising helps with the blahs and I've definitely had the blahs lately. I was able to do some constant exercising (bike, elliptical machine) for about 50 minutes, which is utterly amazing for me.

I also need to get in shape for when we move because I'll be walking everywhere when we live there (not taking our cars) and that about kicked my ass when I was over visiting in January.

oddity

2008-03-27T15:08:00.000-07:00

Maurinsky has been pointing this out to me for some time now but it really is quite true: I look different in all my pictures. Not just the slight difference of appearance but like a whole different person. Verah weird.

Also appearance related: I'm getting paler as I get older (and no, it's not soley because I'm a recluse in my house, LOL). If I get any more pale with dark hair and my color-changing eyes, someone is going to think I'm a vampire, LOL. Considering how much I love people (as a whole), that might not be a bad thing. Until they start, you know, coming with torches and pitchforks.

Hogwarts Forever!

2008-03-18T09:22:00.000-07:00

So on the 25th (of Feb) I posted that Kid#1 had started the Harry Potter books. By last Saturday (the 14th), he had not only read the first three but had re-read the third book! He started the fourth book a bit before bed on Saturday and is already halfway done! He adores them and would love for Hogwarts to be real (and him be a Gryffindor, of course).

With his recent report card, we received the results of some testing that the school does to monitor student literacy. One section is "correct words per minute" in oral fluency. His score? Nearly 180 WPM! He's going to breeze through these books in no time. Only now do I appreciate what it took for my mom to "keep me in books" when I was younger!

Duh

2008-03-12T13:41:00.000-07:00

Kiddo #2, who is five, just came over to show me the drawing she did on her Magnadoodle. Ah, I say, those are nice teeth. She looks at me and with what can only be called "tone of DUH" says:

"Those aren't teeth. They're stalactites and stalagmites."

And then walks away muttering about "teeth" and shaking her head.

Such are the moments in my life, LOL.

mom brag ahead!

2008-03-05T13:31:00.001-08:00

Ok, so we've always known #1 was super smart. He could tell me how the digestive system worked when he was three--because he read about it. He was inventing political commercials on his own when he was four!

So it's not really surprising that he was designated as "Talented and Gifted" by his school district. They use a combination of cognitive testing (which students must place above the 97th percentile) and have "supporting behavioral, learning, or performance information" to determine placement. I do have to say though that it is really nice to receive a formal letter in the mail from the school district to inform me that he "qualifies for identification as: Intellectually Gifted".

This means, according to the letter, that he will receive individualized instruction and an educational plan that is designed to both be at his level AND challenge his abilities. It also means that he will have special out-of-school activities that he can be in (like spelunking Mt. St. Helen's lava tubes in June!).

But anyway, like I said, it's kinda nice to get that sort of letter. :-)

28

2008-02-27T09:18:00.000-08:00

So I'm 28 today.

I didn't have many plans, really. I was going to get a sandwich from my favorite sub shop for lunch (which I've actually been looking forward to for a week!). I was going to make a nice dinner. But, well, as is the life of a parent, plans go on hold when the kids get sick.

Oh, we'll celebrate when kid#2 is feeling better, hopefully in a couple days. Her temperature is down from yesterday, though she still can't keep much down. My poor kiddo. :(

apple:tree:not far

2008-02-25T14:40:00.000-08:00

So Kid#1 came home from school a bit ago. He came in, put away his backpack and coat, and immediately went hunting for the book he is reading and disappeared into his room to read. So.like.me.

For his birthday (which was on the 11th), he received several books. Today is the 25th. Last night he started the Harry Potter books because he already finished all the books he got for his birthday! So like me again. :-)

best.ever.

2008-02-22T08:59:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, in a comment thread at Shakesville, I received what is probably my most favorite insult ever:

You are the reason people hate the Internet.

I have such POWER! Muwahahahahaha! This is still cracking me up and is fast becoming a joke here in our house.

strep

2008-02-18T14:56:00.000-08:00

Well, turns out I had strep throat. Which I don't remember being quite as horrible as this bout was. I used to get strep just about every winter when I was little up until I was twelve or so. I haven't had it since and will gladly never, ever have it again.

I'm glad my husband was able to take time off work (well, sorta--he still did some work from home). I was in no condition to care for the kids. I spent Wed. afternoon through Saturday night pretty much in quarantine in my room (save for my doctor visit Friday morning). By Saturday night I finally had enough energy to manage the steps (after having meds in me for a day) and was able to come down and watch some tv that night. Sunday I was well enough that I could eat a little bit of real food and go watch the kids play at the park with the freakishly warm weather. Today I'm running at about 75%--still not a lot of energy or appetite but otherwise I'm doing ok.

Fun fact! Strep in adults can morph into mono! So, if I'm extremely tired in a week still or get a tell-tale rash from my antibiotics--mono! Fabulous.

so sick

2008-02-13T08:26:00.000-08:00

What the hell? I went to bed last night feeling just fine. My throat hurt so bad that it actually woke me up in the middle of the night. Now I not only have a sore throat but a terrible headache and other general-body blech.

This is when I had some sort of nanny so I can go back to bed and rest while someone else takes care of the kids.

up from the ether

2008-02-11T08:38:00.000-08:00

So my friend Quentin recently mentioned that he missed my blog and I thought, you know? I kinda miss my blog too. I had started blogging in early 2004 and by 2007, I needed a break from having my own site. Several months back I didn't think I'd be returning to having my own place, so I had the hosting canceled on my previous site (which is why I'm now on blogger). I think I may have the archives of the site around here on a drive somewhere, however, I have no idea how to put them on this site.

So anyway, I don't have any grand plans for this place. I don't expect it to be entirely or mostly political, I think it will mostly be a personal spot to talk about things that I don't feel comfortable posting on Shakesville. Not that I think Shakers are unfriendly or that Liss would be unwelcoming but that it's a group site and not my own personal place to babble on about my kids or my various opinions on, say, childbirth (more specifically, asshats who try and make other women feel shame about getting epidurals or the like).

I don't know that I'll be updating here every day, I'm thinking it'll be more "relaxed blogging". But! I'm back on my own site! :-)