Today on NPR the questions was “Should you be penalize for the actions of your family?” OK, I was pretty quick with a “Hell no!” Then the example they used was of the New York Times editor in Jerusalem, whose son has volunteered for the Israeli Army. The question became, can he be objective in his reporting?
Well to begin with I thought the first question was totally miss leading, and implied that a family member had done something egregious where someone needed to be penalized, and I didn’t think that was a fair representation of this situation.
That said, I found myself pulled in a number of ways by this dilemma. My first knee jerk reaction was he should be reassigned given the magnitude of hostilities between Israeli and its Arab neighbors, but then I had to take a step back. As the various experts banged away at the issues I could see the points they all were making, no matter what their viewpoint was.
I’m still not sure exactly how I feel about this, but I did start to put myself in the place of this father and son. In a way I’ve been there. I have certainly experienced the worried and pain of a parent whose child is in the military, and has been put in harm’s way. Many people have assumed that they knew how I would feel on a subject based on the fact that I have children in the military, one severely wounded in battle, or as a member of Soldiers’ Angels. Rarely have they been completely correct in their assumptions.
All of us are impacted by the lives we choose to live, the random acts that occur in that life, and by choices others make whether they are close to us or not. This is exactly why none of us can truly be objective. We can only speak from the accumulation of our experiences. The question isn’t if he can be objective, it is how will this situation, added to all his other life experiences effect how he interprets what he is reporting on? I’m reminded of the joke about three blind guys, each standing a different place around an elephant describing what they feel with their hands, leads them to believe there are three different animals there with them. We are all handicapped and empowered by our past and present when interpreting an experience. Does this make our reporting more or less valuable or credible?
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Men baking
You have to love a man that can bake!! One of my co-workers (male) brings in the most wonderful baked goods from time to time. Today it was an apple coffee cake, which was beautiful with thin wedges of apples baked ringing the top. Wonderful!!!
Dan, that’s his name, does this about 3 times a year, and it’s always something different. I’m not sure how often he actually bakes, but boy is he good. Every once in a while another one of the guys on the floor will bring in something they have cooked, and most of it is really good, but Dan is the only guy that brings in baked goods.
Now I’m wondering why there aren’t more guys who bake. It seems to me that of all the cooking types, baking would be most up their alley. Appealing to their love of precession is the exactitude of measurement and the endless debates on weather ingredients should be at room temp or kept cold in the frig. The endless experimentation with ingredients, and the quest to improve a recipe. And how about the power tools? The food processors, mixers, choppers, peelers, timers? Then there are all those nifty hand tools too: whisks, spatulas, and spoons, presses, nut crackers (OK maybe there’s a clue there). There are also a 1001 kinds of pans, some of with come apart and some are spring loaded. Not to mention that at the end of the process there is something to eat. It just seems to me that almost every guy would be into baking.
Of course they’re into BBQing, And let’s face it, they are ALL drawn to fire but, the tools are so limiting and basic. Maybe the next evolution will be man learning to bake on his BBQ pit?
Dan, that’s his name, does this about 3 times a year, and it’s always something different. I’m not sure how often he actually bakes, but boy is he good. Every once in a while another one of the guys on the floor will bring in something they have cooked, and most of it is really good, but Dan is the only guy that brings in baked goods.
Now I’m wondering why there aren’t more guys who bake. It seems to me that of all the cooking types, baking would be most up their alley. Appealing to their love of precession is the exactitude of measurement and the endless debates on weather ingredients should be at room temp or kept cold in the frig. The endless experimentation with ingredients, and the quest to improve a recipe. And how about the power tools? The food processors, mixers, choppers, peelers, timers? Then there are all those nifty hand tools too: whisks, spatulas, and spoons, presses, nut crackers (OK maybe there’s a clue there). There are also a 1001 kinds of pans, some of with come apart and some are spring loaded. Not to mention that at the end of the process there is something to eat. It just seems to me that almost every guy would be into baking.
Of course they’re into BBQing, And let’s face it, they are ALL drawn to fire but, the tools are so limiting and basic. Maybe the next evolution will be man learning to bake on his BBQ pit?
Friday, February 5, 2010
Neighborhood meetings, characters and dogs in the park
Last night was our monthly neighborhood association meeting. As is usual it was a rather mixed bag. We heard from our city liaison about a couple of trainings coming up for citizens. Our neighborhood police officer reported on cuts in the department and how some duties are now being covered by volunteers. We heard an update on the start of construction of a new development and we had a couple of presentation, one on elder services, and the other on airport noise.
I know, it’s not exactly stuff to keep you on the edge of your seat, but it was all useful information.
Our neighborhood is lucky in that we usually have pretty good attendance, about 20-30 people on average. Most neighborhoods get a dozen on a good night. Our groups has a lot or regulars, and then there are always a few odds ones thrown in.
Where our meetings get interesting, at least if you’re any kind of student of human behavior, is when the more odd, and off the beaten track individuals start to chime in. We have the guy that sits in the back, and has lived here all his life. He will decided that a particular point has interest for him. This point is ALWAYS some very small piece of the topic being discussed, it is ALWAYS something that we have very little or no control over, and he ALWAYS wants to discuss it in detail and have someone fix it. Never fails!
We also have “The Grandmas” 3 older ladies (there used to be 4 but passed a couple of years ago) who always come together, and sit together in the front row. They almost never bring any issues, or have opinions on issues, but when they do you had better listen. They attend every function in the neighborhood, and can be relied on to volunteer for committees.
We also have the guy who has to be the “character”, the one with a story for every occasion, has experienced almost everything. In our case this person has lived a pretty incredible life and is totally devoted to our neighborhood. He also happens to be our president and is the one who conducts our meetings. Being a “character” and the president can lead to some really long meetings with a lot of stories, most of which we have heard before. I should also mention that tact is not his strongest suit.
So last night we endured a mind numbing long presentation from the elders services group, we were their first neighborhood presentation. We also had some fireworks between the president and the sergeant-at-arms over the railroad and their use of horns, resulting in raised voices and the possible resignation of the sergeant-at-arm, who also something of a “character.”
After all that we got down to new business and community concerns. The big issues related to dogs in the parks. (We have two neighborhood parks.) To be specific what dogs leave behind in the park that their masters are not picking up. We have installed doggie bag dispensers recently to address this issue, but apparently they are not being used.
The other issue was dogs off leash. And, here is were the meeting became truly interesting. One of the neighbors (A) said that her neighbor (B) routinely brings her dog to the park off-leash. Neighbor (A) gently reminded neighbor (B) that all dogs need to be on a leash. Neighbor (B) responded that her dog did not have to be on a leash because her doctor has written a note for the dog. ---- I’m telling you, you can’t make this stuff up!!----- I turned and put the questions to our neighborhood officer who hadn’t heard the story because he was talking to another neighbor. I said, “Drue, is it true that a person is exempt from the leash law if they have a doctor’s note?” He looked at me as if to say, is this a trick question. Then he looked around like maybe he was being punked or on Candid Camera. I’m sure it’s one of the stranger questions he’s gotten. For the record, the answer is NO.
I know, it’s not exactly stuff to keep you on the edge of your seat, but it was all useful information.
Our neighborhood is lucky in that we usually have pretty good attendance, about 20-30 people on average. Most neighborhoods get a dozen on a good night. Our groups has a lot or regulars, and then there are always a few odds ones thrown in.
Where our meetings get interesting, at least if you’re any kind of student of human behavior, is when the more odd, and off the beaten track individuals start to chime in. We have the guy that sits in the back, and has lived here all his life. He will decided that a particular point has interest for him. This point is ALWAYS some very small piece of the topic being discussed, it is ALWAYS something that we have very little or no control over, and he ALWAYS wants to discuss it in detail and have someone fix it. Never fails!
We also have “The Grandmas” 3 older ladies (there used to be 4 but passed a couple of years ago) who always come together, and sit together in the front row. They almost never bring any issues, or have opinions on issues, but when they do you had better listen. They attend every function in the neighborhood, and can be relied on to volunteer for committees.
We also have the guy who has to be the “character”, the one with a story for every occasion, has experienced almost everything. In our case this person has lived a pretty incredible life and is totally devoted to our neighborhood. He also happens to be our president and is the one who conducts our meetings. Being a “character” and the president can lead to some really long meetings with a lot of stories, most of which we have heard before. I should also mention that tact is not his strongest suit.
So last night we endured a mind numbing long presentation from the elders services group, we were their first neighborhood presentation. We also had some fireworks between the president and the sergeant-at-arms over the railroad and their use of horns, resulting in raised voices and the possible resignation of the sergeant-at-arm, who also something of a “character.”
After all that we got down to new business and community concerns. The big issues related to dogs in the parks. (We have two neighborhood parks.) To be specific what dogs leave behind in the park that their masters are not picking up. We have installed doggie bag dispensers recently to address this issue, but apparently they are not being used.
The other issue was dogs off leash. And, here is were the meeting became truly interesting. One of the neighbors (A) said that her neighbor (B) routinely brings her dog to the park off-leash. Neighbor (A) gently reminded neighbor (B) that all dogs need to be on a leash. Neighbor (B) responded that her dog did not have to be on a leash because her doctor has written a note for the dog. ---- I’m telling you, you can’t make this stuff up!!----- I turned and put the questions to our neighborhood officer who hadn’t heard the story because he was talking to another neighbor. I said, “Drue, is it true that a person is exempt from the leash law if they have a doctor’s note?” He looked at me as if to say, is this a trick question. Then he looked around like maybe he was being punked or on Candid Camera. I’m sure it’s one of the stranger questions he’s gotten. For the record, the answer is NO.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Soldiers, care packages and "Free Mail"
I adopted a new soldier several months ago. I don’t know anything about him since I haven’t had any communication from him yet. It’s not uncommon for soldiers to not communicate, or to only communicate a few times, so I’m not really worried about it. It is a strange kind of thing to write to someone you know almost nothing about. Basically I know that this soldier is male, his name, rank (if he hasn’t been promoted), his mailing address and that he is in the Army, deployed somewhere in Iraq.
This is precious little information. Today I started to order him a t-shit and realized I don’t know his size. I also don’t know what kind of snacks he likes, if he has any allergies, is a health food nut, the kind of work he does, or if he is in southern Iraq or northern Iraq (the temps and weather conditions can really vary). Does he like country music or rap music? Is he 6’5” or 5’5”? Does he read westerns or sci-fi? Is he craving hot and spicy chips, or a moon pie? Does he need a set of sheets, or a sand scarf? Does he have access to a micro wave, or a freezer? These are all very helpful things to know when you are putting together a care package.
When organizing a care package there are some things you know are always welcome, like a brand new pair of socks, or something silly that will make them laugh. Over the years I have mailed blankets, pillows, books, movies, toys, games, puzzles, flash lights, bungee cords, duct tape, funnels, coloring books, crayons, markers, pens, paper, and even a set of horse shoes. I’ve also sent a lot of food and snacks: canned meat and soups, homemade cookies, cakes, soups, pickles and breads, tons of chips and candies, and mountains of jerky and gum.
I’ve also sent themed boxes for various holidays and other occasions, as well as the run of the mill boxes. I start with a military flat rate box and then stuffed to the gills with whatever I think a soldier might need or enjoy. I also try to include enough that they can share with buddies. The key to cramming the maximum amount into a care package is to take most things out of their original packaging. You also need to put liquid or goopy items like shampoo into zip lock bag just in case they burst open. I really like the vacuum sealed bags for large bulky items like blankets, sheets, and pillows. I can actually get all that into one box and still include bedtime story book.
As a Soldiers’ Angel member we always want to know how much a box weighs. My personal best is 17 lbs. Any angel you talk to can tell you their best.
I also like to decorate the boxes I send. We started doing this when my brothers were in the Navy. We wanted them to know how much we missed them. We also wanted them to be able to pick out their boxes right away. My youngest brother says he used to grab a forklift, put his box on the forks, then raise them all the way up and drive around showing his boxes off. He said was always became really popular at about that time. LOL
Building a box is really an involved activity. If you’re like me you have the post office deliver 25-50 flat rate boxes, with custom forms, to your house at a time so you don’t have to rely on the local post office having them. So, first you have to get all the stuff together. This could require you to do some shopping, cooking, knitting, sewing, or whatever. You will need to clean off your kitchen table to have room for everything, stack it all up on one end of the table. At the other end you will need to decorate, address and tape your box up. Then comes the packing, you need to distribute the weight, also try to cushion fragile items. Socks are great for this! Save really small and flat items for the last. Use the small items like gum and individually wrapped candies, lip balm, band-aids, to fill the gaps, and then lay the flat things like a letter, card, or magazine on the top. Then you have to tape it closed and start on the custom form. Of course if you are me, you will have to open the box at least twice to squeeze in something you forgot. Also if you are like me you will likely mess up the customs from on the very list thing and have to start all over again. They are such a pain!!!
Once all this is done you get to carry it down to the post office for mailing. This can be a hassle but I go to my local Hallmark shop, where there is a post office in the back. After I get through with my mailing I like to look around and I usually find something to put in the next box.
After all this work, there will come a day when you check your mailbox and see the thing that is most prized by all Soldiers Angels, a letter with “Free Mail” written where the stamp should be. This letter has been mailed from a combat zone. You are so excited you can’t wait to get to the house to read it, you tear it open on the spot and start to read what your soldier has written to you. You read it at least three times before you tack it your bulletin board with all your other Free Mail, then you get online and tell all your Angel friends that you just received Free Mail!!
NOTE: To learn more about adopting a deployed soldier visit www.soldiersangels.org
This is precious little information. Today I started to order him a t-shit and realized I don’t know his size. I also don’t know what kind of snacks he likes, if he has any allergies, is a health food nut, the kind of work he does, or if he is in southern Iraq or northern Iraq (the temps and weather conditions can really vary). Does he like country music or rap music? Is he 6’5” or 5’5”? Does he read westerns or sci-fi? Is he craving hot and spicy chips, or a moon pie? Does he need a set of sheets, or a sand scarf? Does he have access to a micro wave, or a freezer? These are all very helpful things to know when you are putting together a care package.
When organizing a care package there are some things you know are always welcome, like a brand new pair of socks, or something silly that will make them laugh. Over the years I have mailed blankets, pillows, books, movies, toys, games, puzzles, flash lights, bungee cords, duct tape, funnels, coloring books, crayons, markers, pens, paper, and even a set of horse shoes. I’ve also sent a lot of food and snacks: canned meat and soups, homemade cookies, cakes, soups, pickles and breads, tons of chips and candies, and mountains of jerky and gum.
I’ve also sent themed boxes for various holidays and other occasions, as well as the run of the mill boxes. I start with a military flat rate box and then stuffed to the gills with whatever I think a soldier might need or enjoy. I also try to include enough that they can share with buddies. The key to cramming the maximum amount into a care package is to take most things out of their original packaging. You also need to put liquid or goopy items like shampoo into zip lock bag just in case they burst open. I really like the vacuum sealed bags for large bulky items like blankets, sheets, and pillows. I can actually get all that into one box and still include bedtime story book.
As a Soldiers’ Angel member we always want to know how much a box weighs. My personal best is 17 lbs. Any angel you talk to can tell you their best.
I also like to decorate the boxes I send. We started doing this when my brothers were in the Navy. We wanted them to know how much we missed them. We also wanted them to be able to pick out their boxes right away. My youngest brother says he used to grab a forklift, put his box on the forks, then raise them all the way up and drive around showing his boxes off. He said was always became really popular at about that time. LOL
Building a box is really an involved activity. If you’re like me you have the post office deliver 25-50 flat rate boxes, with custom forms, to your house at a time so you don’t have to rely on the local post office having them. So, first you have to get all the stuff together. This could require you to do some shopping, cooking, knitting, sewing, or whatever. You will need to clean off your kitchen table to have room for everything, stack it all up on one end of the table. At the other end you will need to decorate, address and tape your box up. Then comes the packing, you need to distribute the weight, also try to cushion fragile items. Socks are great for this! Save really small and flat items for the last. Use the small items like gum and individually wrapped candies, lip balm, band-aids, to fill the gaps, and then lay the flat things like a letter, card, or magazine on the top. Then you have to tape it closed and start on the custom form. Of course if you are me, you will have to open the box at least twice to squeeze in something you forgot. Also if you are like me you will likely mess up the customs from on the very list thing and have to start all over again. They are such a pain!!!
Once all this is done you get to carry it down to the post office for mailing. This can be a hassle but I go to my local Hallmark shop, where there is a post office in the back. After I get through with my mailing I like to look around and I usually find something to put in the next box.
After all this work, there will come a day when you check your mailbox and see the thing that is most prized by all Soldiers Angels, a letter with “Free Mail” written where the stamp should be. This letter has been mailed from a combat zone. You are so excited you can’t wait to get to the house to read it, you tear it open on the spot and start to read what your soldier has written to you. You read it at least three times before you tack it your bulletin board with all your other Free Mail, then you get online and tell all your Angel friends that you just received Free Mail!!
NOTE: To learn more about adopting a deployed soldier visit www.soldiersangels.org
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Gardening
I have been starting seeds for my vegetable garden. This is only my second year to have a garden so I’m still in the learning stages. Last year we started plants from seed too, but we just started everything at the same time and planted it all in the garden at the same time. Learned a few things from that!! So this year I have been visiting websites, using catalogs from local seed companies, and reading books and pamphlets on gardening. A lot of it just confuses me but I did find this awesome planting chart that tells you how far apart to plants things, what seeds to start inside, and which to plant directly into the garden. It also tells you when to plant, how log before you can start to harvest, and tons of other info that I don’t really know how I’ll use just yet.
So, for the last two evening, as I watch TV, I’ve been starting seeds in trays. This is the time to start eggplant, peppers and tomatoes. I have everything set up on the coffee table, I have 7 trays with 72 starter pellets in each, a knife to open the seed packets, and a pair of tweezers for placing exactly 2 seeds into each little starter glob of dirt. Oh yeah, I also have a table lamp set up because I need more light to see what the hell I’m doing. Those seeds are wicked small. All those years of playing Operation as a child have finally paid off!
What I realized is that even though it seems like they don’t put very many seeds in a packet, they really do. On average I’ve started about 36 of each and that is using only about half of the seeds in a packet. So, I’m going to have more plants than I will have room in my garden for, and I still have all these seeds left over with not dirt for them. Nature is pretty incredible when you think about how many seeds a single plant can produce, it’s a wonder we aren’t overtaken by plants every day. I still hate to waste the seeds I didn’t use, so I’m saving them and keeping them with their envelopes and I will pass them on to the neighborhood school which has a garden where the kids learn to become gardeners. As for the extra plants I grow, I will share them with my neighbors, or maybe I’ll get a booth at the local farmers market and sell them. I would be like a real farmer! LOL
Some of the things I really like about gardening are:
-- I like getting out and moving around, which I really need to do that
-- I get a kick out of watching the plants grows
-- I feel completely accomplished when I pick and use what I’ve grown
-- I love sharing the harvest with my family, friends and neighbors
-- I feel a sense of connection with my ancestors who were farmers
-- I like that I know exactly how and where my food was grown
-- I enjoy when the kids come by and they get to pick something, they get so excited
-- I like watching my cat pretend to be a jungle cat as she slinks through the plants
-- I enjoy sitting on the patio and listening to the wind rustle the corn as the sun sets
So, for the last two evening, as I watch TV, I’ve been starting seeds in trays. This is the time to start eggplant, peppers and tomatoes. I have everything set up on the coffee table, I have 7 trays with 72 starter pellets in each, a knife to open the seed packets, and a pair of tweezers for placing exactly 2 seeds into each little starter glob of dirt. Oh yeah, I also have a table lamp set up because I need more light to see what the hell I’m doing. Those seeds are wicked small. All those years of playing Operation as a child have finally paid off!
What I realized is that even though it seems like they don’t put very many seeds in a packet, they really do. On average I’ve started about 36 of each and that is using only about half of the seeds in a packet. So, I’m going to have more plants than I will have room in my garden for, and I still have all these seeds left over with not dirt for them. Nature is pretty incredible when you think about how many seeds a single plant can produce, it’s a wonder we aren’t overtaken by plants every day. I still hate to waste the seeds I didn’t use, so I’m saving them and keeping them with their envelopes and I will pass them on to the neighborhood school which has a garden where the kids learn to become gardeners. As for the extra plants I grow, I will share them with my neighbors, or maybe I’ll get a booth at the local farmers market and sell them. I would be like a real farmer! LOL
Some of the things I really like about gardening are:
-- I like getting out and moving around, which I really need to do that
-- I get a kick out of watching the plants grows
-- I feel completely accomplished when I pick and use what I’ve grown
-- I love sharing the harvest with my family, friends and neighbors
-- I feel a sense of connection with my ancestors who were farmers
-- I like that I know exactly how and where my food was grown
-- I enjoy when the kids come by and they get to pick something, they get so excited
-- I like watching my cat pretend to be a jungle cat as she slinks through the plants
-- I enjoy sitting on the patio and listening to the wind rustle the corn as the sun sets
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Marines and flight attendants
Email a former adopted solider of mine (we’ll call him “John”) the other day, I learned that he is back in school and studying something to do with aviation. I asked what his degree would lead to as a job and laughingly asked if it would qualify him to become a flight steward. He laughed and said he was sure that wasn’t in his future.
Now John is a Marine, and I adopted him during his Iraq deployment in 2005-2006. He’s still in the Marines.
I got to thinking, what if all flight attendants were members of the military? How would that pre-flight safety presentation change?
“Hi, I’m Sgt John of the US Marine Corp, and I’ll be your flight attendant today. OohRah! In the case of emergency you will receive clear and forceful direction from me, and you will obey. As for any terrorists that might be on this plane I will be carrying my side arm, and I am trained in hand-to-hand combat and will use extreme prejudice. To anyone else that wants to get snippy with me or cause a disturbance, I have advanced training in clipping elbows with a drink cart.”
John thought this was really funny. We decided that it would make YouTube about 3 seconds after the plane landed.
Now John is a Marine, and I adopted him during his Iraq deployment in 2005-2006. He’s still in the Marines.
I got to thinking, what if all flight attendants were members of the military? How would that pre-flight safety presentation change?
“Hi, I’m Sgt John of the US Marine Corp, and I’ll be your flight attendant today. OohRah! In the case of emergency you will receive clear and forceful direction from me, and you will obey. As for any terrorists that might be on this plane I will be carrying my side arm, and I am trained in hand-to-hand combat and will use extreme prejudice. To anyone else that wants to get snippy with me or cause a disturbance, I have advanced training in clipping elbows with a drink cart.”
John thought this was really funny. We decided that it would make YouTube about 3 seconds after the plane landed.
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