Political Nutrition

For some, Sundays are a day of rest. Not so for us Millers. It's Family Fun Day! First, a quick stop at the park to say hi to a friend walking her dogs, where we somehow ended up on an hour long impromptu hike with her. Hmmm. Well, it was a beautiful day, so no harm done there. It was early yet, so plenty of time yet for more family fun. We went furniture shopping. Always a blast. Desk shopping to be specific. When we moved into our home, 2 years ago, I had high hopes for my home office. Still do. And at some point, I'll get there. A desk is a good start. I just haven't found the right one. Actually, I found several. But my husband said he didn't want to put anything together. And I wanted it made here in the US. And it had to be delivered. And decent quality. And well...here we are 2 years later, no desk. So then I found the perfect solution. Penney's has a kind of build-it-yourself modular desk system. Lookin' good here I thought. Found it online. So we ...

For genealogists, whether amateur or professional, coming across photos and portraits of ancestors can be, well, quite frightening. Take the latest knowledge that Scott Brown, the latest interloper in the US Senate is actually The President's 10th cousin. Don't think either of them wants to be. Probably the same way my husband felt when I said, "hey, guess what," "you're George Bush's 10th Cousin!" "How far removed?"  he asked. "None!" I said. "Can we remove him?" he replied. In all fairness to my husband's side, I have traced them pretty far back, ergo, they can be much scarier. So we'll start with one from my side. My great grandmother. She was my Great Grandfather's second wife. He died in a terrible accident. Well, so they say. The somewhat discombobulated story the family tells (I have to piece it together) is that he was a Religious man, always lost in thoughtful contemplation. Other versions claim...

So the other day, I read an online article at Newsweek, and some pissed off reader comments by saying that Newsweek is a liberal left wing magazine. Duh. So, obviously this individual is not a liberal left winger. So then why is he reading Newsweek? Basically to piss himself off apparently. It's like me sitting down every night to watch Bill O'Reilly, just to piss myself off. I could do that, and then I would be super-informed about his antics and be able to quote him incessantly. Or, I could watch the recap on MSNBC, which would be obviously skewed and spun like a cat in the dryer. I remember my Dad watching some pundit on TV and yelling at the screen. Then he turns to me and says "They're all a bunch of idiots!" And I'd think to myself, why does he watch this crap? It just pisses him off. How many times a day to you say "It just pisses me off!" followed by "Why do I keep doing this?" My mom calls me up and begins by saying "I...

There are legitimate reasons why we don't allow our husbands to do the shopping unless it's absolutely necessary. Like when they've been in the house on a rainy day for way too long and are making you insane. So you say, "honey, would you pick up a few things at the store?" And they say "why of course, dear, I'd be happy to." So you send them to the local grocery store, just down the road, armed with a list and full instructions as well as an interior map of the store. In this particular case, I explain exactly what I need and where to get it. A pound of ground beef, not the packaged stuff..the good stuff in the butcher case. 2% sharp cheddar cheese which I know he could not find the last time, but I tell him to walk directly North from the butcher case, and he'll come to the cheese, and it is right there on the third rack 4th row down. Some butter too. The good cholesterol kind, not the heart stopper brand. And a bag of Yukon Gold potatoes...

So, just a brief word about the State of the Union. I didn't want to watch. I was worried I'd be disappointed. I was afraid our fearless leader would bow down to pressure. But he didn't. Like any good parental unit, he chastised our bickering elected officials who are accomplishing nothing. He took a paternal tone and let them have it. Both Sides. Both Barrels. I may not agree with all his policies, but he showed true leadership. Very Rooseveltesque. And today, there was a 70-30 vote to confirm Bernanke. Coincidence? I think not.

While the rest of the world oohs and aaahs over a nifty little gadget that well, does stuff... I'm waiting for the real breakthrough. The iHouse. What's an iHouse? Well I'm glad you asked. There was a movie a few years ago, Smart House. Kind of silly, but fabulous premise. The whole house was basically wired to serve you. Really. Spill on the carpet, the iHouse automatically recognizes your faux pas and voilá the spot magically disappears. Bathrooms? Self cleaning. It's possible, you know. They have them in Seattle. Or they did. I've never been there, but I did see it on TV. Public Potties that literally clean up after you. Who wouldn't want that in their home. Potties that clean themselves after every use. Now if self cleaning potties have been around for awhile, for like 5 years, then why isn't it standard in every home? Because our tech gurus are busy trying to recreate the inventions we already have. Seriously. Enough. Let's get down to busin...

Unbelievable. I will start by saying that I am an Apple fan. I bought my first one in like 1983...or something like that. Anyway, always been a Macintosh user. Love it. And the iPhone is cool, but I don't have AT&T. The iTouch is fun for my daughter, but she had to buy it with her own money. I do draw the line somewhere. So now...the iPad. What a stupid name for a stupid device. A giant iTouch that does more than the regular.... In other words, a Maxipad. Sorry, but that's what the name invokes in me. Normally I'm not really a fan of sophomoric humor or gratuitous stupidity, but I'm making an exception here. If you haven't seen it...take a look. http://www.apple.com/ipad/features/ I admit, I am not a technogeek. I am pretty dim-witted when it comes to all the new gadgets. But really, I'm not a moron. Just look at all the iPad does. Hmmm. Shows photos. Ooooh. Plays videos. Aaaaaah. It's an eReader. Woooo Hooo. Been there done that. Plays games. ...