Norcal2's Blog

I used to be the casual shopper. Meandering down the aisles of any store I would grab the necessities and place them in my cart without thought.  Bells go off in all of our minds when we get to some items like eggs, a favorite food, or any delicate item that we must handle with care.  Those items go into the top of the cart.  Our version of the "sweet spot" holds anything we appoint a status to.  Often it may contain an escape from a clear plastic bag.  No problem.  This is the "precious spot".  This is where the rest of the groceries just dream about elevating their status too.

One day my husband and I were casually shopping in a Big Box store.  A young mother was in front of us.  Her cute baby sat in the precious spot and smiled at anyone who looked her way.  Suddenly in a lull a horrific sound permeated the store.  Beautiful baby was tinkling.  Not just tinkling but tinkling like a dam had opened the flood gates.  As mom scrambled to cover up the mess with a mom lie "Oops she spilled her cup of..."  There was no cup or glass to be seen.  Checked out, I watched as she pushed her bag and baby to the door, removed both and left the cart for the next shopper.  I realised for the first time in my life that shopping carts that hold our most vulnerable foods share their throne with butts.

From that day on I automatically close the noro virus seat and try to place food toward the front of the carts.  The wipes provided by the store should be used for the handle and whatever area you worry about but don't expect miracles.  The stores in other states with the misting disinfectant should be required everywhere because those innocent, beautiful and precious babies are grocery store cart terrorists.  They are just too cute to report! as a health hazard 

;-)

Now that the mean season has ended the fallout of altered words still rains down on us.  Like a big ol' snowball fight after the snow has melted, words like AmeriKa and DemoRAT and RepuliCON litter the floor and someone from the Sanitation Department may be forced to clean it up. 

This doesn't have to happen.  No longer must an innocent ,hard working, employee deal with the muddy language residue from elections.  Call: 1-800-wecleanupyouralteredwordsafterelections

Our company and hazmat team can clean out your mouth, mind and/or fingers in record time.

Our American Made tools can free you of your AmeriKa affliction.

Additionally, you can be freed from the anchor of dragging RAT or CON inappropriately into a conversation.

Call us today and allow our team to rid you of Political Residue Syndrome and get back your logic, your reputation, your life.

Besides if I read that one more time I will personally sKream...

 

I can't say how proud I am of this country for going against history. Maybe we are indeed all grown up. I think even most of those who voted for McCain were voting for the philisophical differences and solutions of the two parties, not the race. I knew as an Obama supporter most supporters really got into each candidates solutions and that, more than race, got the votes for both sides. Now we have an answer and in the middle of the mess that our economy is in we can only hope that the new President meets and exceeds expectations for a stronger America. How this will work out for the bad news we still have coming in economically is just a hope at this point for all of us. Good luck to President Obama. He will need it in a troubled environment.

No matter who won this election, our President is going to need our support.

I've been watching Utah's Mormon reaction to Proposition 8 in California and it seems to me that while I understand churches do give their opinion on these issues, the active activism and focus is a little odd.  I was born and raised in California and in fact only left a few years ago and it never occurred to me that any church or state other than the voting public would actually believe they can influence California voters. 

I don't want to be the bearer of bad news but in all the years I lived there NO ONE can influence how they will vote.  If this bill passes or fails it will have exactly zero to do with anyone outside California.  San Francisco's population alone is almost half the population of the entire state of Utah. 

Californians are really comfortable about doing what they see as right for California just as Utah is comfortable with their business.  Hard to get your way here or there.  From the red counties to the blue counties somehow it all works out the way THEY want it to.  The Mormon church would have been better off to donate their money to those who may need it and who attend their church.  Good luck with that California wish though. 

We have been exposed to:

1. A mugger

2. A plumber

3. A moose hunter

4. Spaying a candidate

5. Poor computer skills

6. 7 lost homes

7. A preacher

8. A professor

9. And a partridge in a pear tree

Personally I can't wait for this lame issue election to end.

Couple thoughts come to mind. First it was relatively painless. There was a line and few voting machines in Saratoga Springs and it moved slowly but for the most part everyone seemed fine with it. It was great when you finally cast your votes.

The second part is that the machines appear to be the same as the ones they say are flawed. I did touch one selection and my vote did go to the person above my selection. It was not a big deal though as here in Utah if that happens you can just retap the wrong vote and it removes the vote. You then vote for who you wanted. The problem is that the names are too close to the line separating the candidates so your finger can accidentally go over it. You can overcome this by just touching the checkbox instead of the name. Problem solved.

Hope that information helps.

I listened to the explanations by experts who posed their theories that McCain lost solely because he didn't deliver a knockout punch as the candidate who is trailing. I can't say I agree with that. As I watched and listened from an issue standpoint to me there was a clear winner: Obama won, but not because it was close or even.

How he won was with both impression aka body language and information. In the first, one has the sense that standing beside Obama is deadly for McCain who looks frail, angry and distinctly unpresidential. On issue information McCain has never attempted to offer up the how-to in financing his offerings and even Obama with small glimpses of financing brings that front and center. In fact no more is asked of him and that is unfortunate.  As much as I have researched both candidates I still have no idea how McCain expects to offer continuation of the Bush tax refunds to the top producers while modestly upping some few others.   Every evaluation of his offering notes the obvious.  Obama is able to offer a larger refund to 95% of the taxpayers solely because he has a funding plan.

I think McCain's performance was spotty and likely only hinted at his upcoming loss in terms of resignation his own party seems to be emitting in focusing on smears against Obama. Theory being if you toss enough rubbish in the air, something must stick. Given all of the above it seems more of a fairytale than a logical strategy.

Summation: It is over.

I'll start with a disclaimer:  This blog entry is serious and there is no humor to be found. 

In the self-retelling of events from long ago we are usually elevated to heroes. Even if it is Grandma talking about how she captured a rabbit dining on her lettuce. There is no reason to believe McCain is not a hero as is everyone who fights in or is captured in a war. He stands out in the stories and likely stood out in the arena, or not. That part is pretty much just under "The war I fought" but today we are in trouble. Today we need a hero and not someone whose sole merit is he was captured years ago. We need someone who is willing to take this country in a new direction. Someone brave enough to fight against the Bush/McCain mentality. Even the language of the republican convention should have penetrated viewers senses in terms of the future war. The one waiting in the wings. The unnamed war that is certain to happen because the mindset is one of America as ruler of the planet. That is what makes Obama so refreshing. That missing ingredient from McCain, a statesman. A man who has not been in a war years ago and who thinks working with the global community pays off. The one who says "Enough."

But some look around and see a total collapse of their own lives and think Bush in the form of McCain can save them. I don't really understand that this round because YOU have so much to lose and it is more than just your home, if you haven't already lost that. With the deficit at a monstrous level, you are choosing to continue even knowing that what you got for all that money is a war and nothing but debts you can't afford. And as prices in consumer goods rise you will pay for it proud to have had a third chance to get it right but politics and party made you leave every last drop of sanity to vote against yourself and your family.

Fear is statesman handling of foreign affairs, war is preferable.

Fear is having a solid healthcare plan that covers everyone, paying for military is preferable

Fear is taxing oil companies on extreme profits, tax breaks to them are preferable.

Fear is getting more taxes back, protecting the wealthy is preferable.

There is no way to understand what any given person sees as "Well spent money" but for half the population "Well spent money seems to be anything their party says is a good thing even if you already know you have been screwed for 8 years, your party wants 4 more, and then 4 more, and then 4 more. And you are just along for the ride and working hard to pay for your own folly.

Are we masochists?

Taxes:

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Healthcare from Economic Policy Institute:

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And yet, McCain tells a good story.

I read an article that summed up why the writer felt such discomfort with this pick of Palin and many women have expressed the same sentiment; one of dismay. To understand you'll have to define dismay.

Palin is a beautiful woman whose biography reads like a small town success story and to knock her is to knock mom and pop lives and women who chose to live them. They are the backbone to this country. She was exceptional though in terms of actively going after more, and she achieved it and with experience will go even further. There is nothing in her story that would not make me support her if qualified and more moderate on social issues so it isn't against her. She has been as short changed as we have.

It is about a man bypassing qualified women for a woman who no one can realistically parse into a highly qualified candidate to run this country of a scope unimaginable to any of us. It is the audacity of thinking women are so ignorant all it took was a woman on the ticket. Any woman. Deciding to keep a baby and a timeframe of 20 months was all women required to place this massive and complicated country in the hands of a vagina. We are women. We are that ignorant.

Reverse sexism looks every bit as bad and harmful to women as sexism. We pay either way. We certainly pay when leaders assume we are so dumb we can ignore the issues, the lifetime beliefs, the war, the unequal pay, childcare, global economy, NAFTA, Social Security, taxes and more to race out and vote for a woman who has been selected as an object,

It didn't work. It couldn't work.

And now I am left to wonder if McCain really is that disconnected that he thought this would work or if he is simply daffy.

I don't forget it because I lived in Sacramento and know how those levees are flawed.  Many times when the base is undermined you could see water trickling down some streets.  They'd fix it and no harm done.  But the fact that these levee problems come from below make them extremely dangerous AFTER a storm is over.  Particularly so with any wind even a week or more after the storm.  Just to get an idea of what I mean, every time you saw breaking news of flooding in Sacramento and watched the helicopter rescues in a sea of water, it was those flawed levees giving way.  They promised to fix it and never did.  I wonder if it is even possible to fix with the underwater erosion.  Dikes are not an option in these kinds of areas mainly because it isn't the ocean it is the many fingers and miles and these towns are built in bowls below the waterlines.

When Katrina hit the next morning they gave an all clear and the reporters explained how it missed New Orleans and hit Mississippi.  There was a collective sigh of relief.  The morning held wonderful news for New Orleans until the levees did what this kind of levee does.  Water started to slowly fill the bowl.

This hurricane can all but disappear and the winds can ease up but that doesn't make a levee safe when a ground has been saturated.  New Orleans has much to lose because their officials like Sacramento's officials and the Army Corp of Engineering  never seem to catch the blame for defective engineering and planning.  Lets hope they got it right after Katrina and made real fixes.  It doesn't even take a hurricane to cause these tragic messes but surely even a minor hurricane is bad news for a flawed system.

So when you think Katrina, I think incompetence in levee systems.  Something even Sacramento accepts.

I only know this about the Questar issue:

I didn't make the mistake
I didn't benefit from anyone's mistake
I paid full price for everything I got and used
I am not involved

Conclusion:

He who benefited and he who erred must talk and reach an agreement

Because

I don't much care which one pays for it (the one who messed up, or the one who used it) but it better not be me, the one who didn't mess up and who didn't use it.  As you can see I have zero pity for either party. I am too busy trying to pay for what I paid full price for. 

A great mind would spank both sides for thinking mistakes and "found gifts" are free but I don't care.  I am not either sides cleanup crew.  Fix it.

China's gymnastic team did look like they are soon to hit their teen years although one little anchor addition may have to wait longer than the others. The US team looked old by comparison. Perhaps not old but as if they would leave the arena and drive to a pub and relax with the help of the rowdy crowds and not get caught. Not that they would ever do that, just pointing out they could.  It made for an uncomfortable appearance of adults beating up little kids but the kids won. Look for that to be the next version of "Bad News Bears" with the old coach represented as the US Old Team who didn't lose but took it for the kids who end up winning.

The Chinese girls did seem "American" in their reactions and China may have a harder time undoing it than teaching it.  This was a good contest and both teams tried their hardest. There were glimmers of hope that either could catch up at several points but one team won.

As far as the passport "proof", it is what it is until the Olympics Committee says it isn't proof. Until then I suggest those teams who are of age put any illegal younger teams into a timeout or the naughty corner next time.

It is all-good in any case and it was a very good and close contest.

Experts will toss this around but but the reality is all that can be discussed is theory and that is how much mystery is wrapped up in the mysterious "crisis" every 20 years.  The end result is usually record profits for oil companies (see Exxon's 9 MILLION, 800 MILLION quarter profit) and we end up thanking them when prices go down even though they end up higher that they were before the "crisis".

If I were to hazard a guess I would guess that Utah, with 5 or 6 refineries is turning into a mini-Exxon mystery.  Perhaps we should be reliant outside of Utah and pay lower prices like everyone else. 

Truthfully it just is and we may not know exactly why because of how vague this business is but we do know there is no real remedy so they blame the poor soccer mom who may be using less gas than those who always blame the public who are held hostage. 

It would be quite nice if every service station in America were required to have one single bio-fuel pump like the successful experiment in Brazil that ended with them becoming self-sufficient and the farming community souring over the concept.  Granted there are some bugs but bugs get worked out with use and they are currently converted fully.  So why don't we have access to bio-fuels at every station so that access makes it a good alternative for road warriors?  Look at supplier contracts.  Look at me...I just went full circle back to NINE MILLION, EIGHT HUNDRED MILLION and no sense.

Ah the mystery of it all.

The problem with the current "private club" law is that Utah happens to have world class skiing and entertainment drawing many visitors to this location who are confronted with the concept and will or won't participate.  I caved in for the first time this year when we took two friends to a ski resort.  We've lived here over 2 years and refused to "join" a club, local or otherwise, but here we were with out of state visitors so we gave in just this once. 

Driving for miles to find some state liquor store that is a  minimum provider is frustrating.  It is as if wine is just for the high instead of wine tasting and appreciation or an ingredient for recipes.  How I miss going to the grocery store and picking from a wide range of specialty wines to serve guests for dinner or enhance a recipe. 

But isn't this the problem?  That assumption that everyone is a drunk, so hide it?  So Utah doesn't provide the best of wines, and clubs charge a private club fee, and liquor stores are run by the state lacking quality if you can find one, and prices are off compared to most states.  We can't even order specialties few here have heard of online.  What does that leave us with?  Nanny state controls that are outdated, ineffective and costly.  The assumption that everyone is a drunk is quaint and Utah can keep doing it but the penalty is locals buy out of state and bootleg in so they are basically unimpacted - and tourists make jokes.

It no longer matters to me except that Utah is off the hook in abuse categories like drugs etc. and these laws seem to have the opposite impact lawmakers may have hoped to see when passing these concepts.  You can't stop someone from abusing alcohol but you can help them laws in place or not.  And you can't pretend everyone is a drunk. 

I'd rather see locals and tourists going to a club and having a drink or two than what I see when visiting friends who pull out the bootlegged booze and over indulge as if there is no tomorrow.  They may do this because they feel cheated or because that is the end result when you try to kill a market that won't die.  The state should never be the entity selling alcohol to the public and the clubs should not have to embarrass themselves by asking people to sign up for a club someone is just visiting once or occasionally.

Just because someone else doesn't approve of drinking doesn't make drinking go away.  People have an occasional drink in most cases and when they do they make sure they have what they prefer.  These laws are as effective as banning booze was way back when.  The club issue can be cleaned up easily by changing the language and the process.  In terms of "private club" just call it a "cover charge" like everywhere else in the world.  Problem solved.  But when calling it a cover charge stop asking for private information as honestly legal private entertainment is none of this state's business. 

As it is I suspect only a heavy drinker will participate in this form of intrusion because many casual drinkers would resent a state even thinking they can ask who you are let alone make you fill out a form.  That means the private clubs may only be encouraging those they thought they would turn away in many cases.  Doesn't matter much either way other than tax revenue because Utah residents and visitors seem to know how to work around the oddity, and do.

This one hurts and it has nothing to do with morality. This is just about reality.

Like another F. Scott Fitzgerald tragic figure, men in power positions too often undermine their success with careless personal business that ruins their chance of success in careers. Edwards could be another Gatsby as the fool in love living backward but today's version seems less about love than in the old novels and more about momentary or fleeting feel good complexities. Closer to self defeat than can be ignored, he has succeeded in failure as the shoe-in no longer a contender.

Add Edwards name to the long list of undermining power figures and take his name off the Vice President position list he had a good shot at getting. This time, with this man, it truly is tragic. This self destruction seems to happen in one form or another far too often to ignore.  Least anyone think it is a new story, it isn't but what is new is innocent or guilty, Edwards should have been seen anywhere but near a hotel where this particular woman was staying when considering the rumors of their relationship that hit the news long ago.  It isn;t so much about adultry as it is about reckless behavior.  It could have been shoplifting or any number of odd actions by people with too much to lose.