Muddling mind bits

This past week has been busy. Yesterday was a full day of a continuing education class. Free credits. Food. Close by. Out of the office. Home early.

Win, win, and win.

As I sat there listening to the presenters thump their chests at how great they are and tell stories about “relevant incidents” (it was about courthouse security), my mind began to wander just a bit.

When that happens, my mind wanders and I begin to think of weird stuff. Imagination is a strange and curious thing….

Examples:

What would the (now ex-) Pope look like in jeans and a casual shirt? Do you think he hangs out in his underwear and reads the paper in the morning as he drinks his coffee? Does he ever get drunk and wild? Has anyone taken any pictures of that on a smart phone that might be hitting the internet soon?

Who in God’s green earth would ever WANT to be the Pope? How can there be so many old guys out there who are hoping to be the next Pope?

The fact that I am not Catholic, or even religious perhaps makes those thoughts even more odd.

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How could my Congresswoman vote against the VAWA? She is a woman. The statistics for abuse are shy high in this district. Oh, right. Her name is Michele Bachmann. The weirdest person in Congress.

How exactly did I end up in a Congressional district which keeps voting her into Congress, anyway?

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And on the issue of politics, why is no one screaming at their Congressional reps and Senators about this sequester mess? Are we so numbed by the continuous mindless babbling, the repeated “crises”, the ridiculous political posturing that we have given up?

What person who has sworn to uphold the Constitution and who has vowed to meet an obligation to thousands of constituents would allow these random across the board budget cuts to happen?

Oh,yeah, I forgot. This is 21st century American politics. The only thing that matters is party. And finding a way to claim that your party has “won”.

They should be hanging their heads in shame.

And they should be ashamed enough that they do not take their paychecks until this has been fixed.

ESPECIALLY the Tea Party enthusiasts who are crowing about winning by cutting government spending-no matter where the cuts are made. Cut their salaries and benefits out of the budget first.

I am sure they would support that.

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Who plans these continuing ed courses anyway? Does no one realize that when you are sitting at a round table that half of the people will have their backs to the presenters?

Why are adult professionals still as awkward as high school students when sitting at a table with professionals from other areas of the state. I swear that no matter how hard I tried, it was nearly impossible to get past the “Where are you from? And what do you do?”  stage of conversation.

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How could Helen Mirren look so awesome with pink hair, and yet I don’t have the guts to even change my hairstyle? I even blogged about my secret wish to be able to do that.

What would the reaction be at the courthouse if I showed up with short pink hair?

Maybe I should do that just before I retire……they might remember me longer.

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My neighbor has been busy again this winter. He has been building his ice sculpture. This year,  It is pretty amazing. He has learned how to shape it. It is visible from the freeway, about a mile away. Television and newspaper crews have come out to see it.

Ice Sculpture, March 2, 2013

I really like how the sun shows the darker section of the ice in the center, and the more luminescent edges. One night as I was driving home, it was just before sunset, and the light had a bit of orange…..it was very spectacular shining on the ice. I didn’t have my camera to take that photo. In looking at this, you have to appreciate that those trees are 30 ft. tall. this sculpture is taller than the guy’s three-story home. He makes this by spraying the discharge water from his home’s geothermal heating system onto a frame of wires and steel rods. the ice drips. freezes, builds up. He has built a computer program to control the spray, which rotates on a tall post.  He is going for a Guiness’ World Record this year, but I am not sure what category it would fit.

What drives a person to do something like this? I blogged about his project two years ago-if you check that you can compare it to this year.

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As you can see above, we are still in the depths of winter. The sun has lengthened the daylight; even though the sun makes it seem warmer, the high temperatures are only reaching right around freezing each day. I would love to take a winter vacation.

My oldest son and his girlfriend just returned from a one-week, all inclusive vacation to a resort in Cancun. I am his mother, for God’s sake, and I have never had a vacation to a warm place in the winter.

My brother-in-law and his wife have spent the month of February in Fort Meyers, Florida. Now they are on a cruise.

My sister and her husband just returned from a long weekend in Napa, California.

It is just not in the cards for us this year…..like every other year.

Merle has a four-day weekend coming up, and we looked into a quick trip to someplace warm-Texas, California, Florida. We’re not particular.

Then Merle went to the optician to buy glasses. For two pairs, it will cost him nearly $1000.00. We are adults. Eyesight over vacations.

We will be here for the rest of the winter, although I am tempted to just get in the car and drive south. We could stop when we get tired. He is still thinking about that idea.

How far can we get?

 

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