what's playing on my ipod Monday

I absolutely love Christmas. The decorations, the food, the friends and family, the presents, it’s all great, except Christmas music. I really, really dislike Christmas music.

The problem with Christmas music is that there are like 10 well written Christmas songs. That’s it. Of course you can’t just repeatedly play those 10 songs, so hundreds of bad Christmas songs get thrown into the mix. Also, those 10 songs have one version that sounds good. You know, Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas”, Nat King Cole’s “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire.” Yet, for some unknown reason every musician and their dog (literally, you’ve heard the barking “Jingle Bells”) thinks that they need to record a Christmas album. They do not.

Anyway I felt the need to make my selection this week a Christmas song since we are only 3 days away from Christmas. I decided to use the instrumental version of “Sleigh Ride”, mainly because I've performed it many times in band over the years and it really is a lot of fun.

So enjoy one of the handful of good Christmas songs, “Sleigh Ride”, performed by the Boston Pops Orchestra.

I am loved...

My cat loves me. You may not believe me because cats don’t often love people (at least in ways that people recognize), but Gus really does love me.

He often cuddles with me when I sleep, but lately he has taken to sleeping on my face. He did this for about a month when we first rescued him from the animal shelter, but that was four years ago. I’m not sure what triggered it this time, but it is very sweet….and annoying. He weighs 17 pounds. That is a lot of weight on your face when you are trying to sleep. Plus he is quite furry, purrs loudly, and his whiskers tickle my face. All of this makes it hard for me to get a good night sleep.

It’s times like this that I am thankful that I don’t have to be up at a certain time in the morning. It’s nice to know I am so loved, even if it is in a slightly annoying way.

what's playing on my ipod Monday

I love Willie Nelson. I think he is a wonderful song writer and I really love his distinctive voice (plus he looks a lot like an older/hippy version of my Uncle Mike, so I've always kind of felt like I know him).

My absolute favorite Willie Nelson song is "You Were Always on My Mind". When looking for a video of that song to download to my blog I discovered that he performed it with Bon Jovi! It's always so exciting when your favorite singers collaborate. So here you go, enjoy Bon Jovi and Willie Nelson performing "You Were Always on My Mind."

Anybody seen the secret service?

I disliked President Bush WAY before it was cool, so I very much understand why someone in Iraq may be angry with him, but umm shouldn't the Secret Service have prevented this? I mean how did the guy throw not one but two shoes before anyone tackled him? And why didn't anyone rush to stand in front of the president after the first shoe flew past his head?



One thing I do like about President Bush is that he seems to have a great sense of humor, even about himself. Apparently his only comment about the shoe incident was that they were a size 10.

I Hate This Movie...

I love DVD vending machines. I really do. RedBox is my favorite. Besides the fact that you can find them at McDonald's (Yea, Big Mac!), I love the fact that it’s a movie for a buck…well, a buck a night anyway. I think they're ingenious. I slide my credit card through the machine, it gives me my movie, and then whenever I turn it back in, my card gets charged a dollar for every night I had it. Very simple and convenient.

So, a couple of months ago, I rented "Get Smart" from the MovieCube machine inside HEB (Just like a RedBox, just not as pleasant, but much closer to my house). I was excited about the movie, and I finally had time to watch it. Well, after I got the movie from the machine, I finished up my shopping at HEB and went home.

Three days later, I suddenly realized that I hadn't watched the movie. That annoyed me a little since that means I had paid $3 for the movie so far and I still hadn't watched it. But then it hit me that I couldn't think of where the DVD actually was. That's when I came to the dark realization that I must have left the disc in my basket at HEB. Now I'm really kicking myself.

I was hoping that someone had found the disc, and returned it to the MovieCube box (maybe after watching it themselves). That didn’t seem to have happened. I stopped by the HEB to ask, and no one knew anything about the disc. I watched our credit card for several days waiting for the charge to show up, indicating that someone had indeed returned the disc, but it never showed up. That is until finally, two weeks later, it appeared on our list of credit card transactions. The machine charged me $21 to purchase the disc (since I never returned it), plus $14 for the 2 weeks I had the disc checked out! More Kicking ensued.

A couple more weeks have now passed. I have finally come to terms with the fact that I bought some unknown person this movie as a present for a mere $35. I have even had a desire to watch the movie, and to trust myself with a DVD vending machine again. So last night I took the plunge and rented it (from RedBox this time). Unfortunately, we didn't have time to watch it yesterday, so instead I made a copy of it so that I could return the disk and still watch the movie at a later time (I don't want to spend any more dollars on this movie than I have to).

Then tonight, I realized that I again failed to return the disc to the machine today. Curse you blasted vending machine!!

I have yet to see this movie, but I hate it.

Marcus, SGB

Get the tissues ready..

Cause the video will make you cry. It's just a reminder that there are many people missing their loved ones this holiday season.

I love the Earth, but.......

I HATE hand dryers. Don’t get me wrong, I really do love the Earth. I try to do my part to be a good steward. I recycle plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and magazines and use canvas bags at the grocery store, but I still hate those stupid dryers. They do not work. I especially hate the ones that have pictures of trees on them and a lecture about how this hand dryer that doesn’t work is helping to save the Earth. Pfft… Typically when a hand dryer is the only option in a public restroom, I just flick off excess water in the sink and wipe my hands on my jeans.


On the other hand I LOVE my vacuum cleaner! It’s a Dyson and it is awesome! We got it several years ago, and were shocked at the amount of stuff it picked up compared to our old vacuum.


What do these two things have in common you ask?


Well, a couple of weeks ago Marcus and I were staying at the Hyatt Regency in down town Houston (thank you priceline.com), and just before we left, Marcus had to use the restroom in the lobby. After he came back out he told me that I had to see the hand dryer in the women’s restroom. I thought that was odd, but I complied anyway.


This is what I found in the restroom!




That’s right folks Dyson makes a hand dryer! And guess what! It works!!! I love that company!

what's playing on my ipod monday

This week's song is from a singer that I discovered during a Time Life commercial. Seriously. I had heard a couple of his songs before, but had never seen him and didn't know his name. He is a cross between Elvis and James Brown with a little bit of Michael Jackson and Little Richard thrown in.

Some of you may know this artist from his song "Higher and Higher", which has been in about a million movies. So enoy Jackie Wilson on American Bandstand singing "Lonely Teardrops."

Stupid Ankle..

So our first full day at sea was super rocky pretty much all day and night. I had to use the restroom in the middle of the night. When I left the bathroom I held on to the door handle with my right hand and stepped down into the room with my right foot at the exact moment that the boat lurched to the right. The door swung violently to the right, taking me with it. I fell and twisted my right ankle, which is the ankle I sprained so badly two years ago.

So no snorkeling in Cozumel for us. Fortunately for us (but unfortunately for everybody else on the cruise) the Mexican Port Authority closed the port in Cozumel to all boats smaller than 50 feet because of the weather, so almost all water based shore excursions were cancelled. That meant we didn’t have to persuade the cruise personnel to refund our money for the snorkeling tour we had purchased, but could no longer do because of my stupid ankle.

My ankle is a lot better now, I don’t think any permanent damage was done or anything. I’m just trying to rest it as much as possible.

We decided against Naked Marcus…

One night on our last cruise, Marcus slept walked around the cabins. That was not cool. I woke up to a knock on our cabin door in the middle of the night, and a nervous and disoriented Marcus at our door. I had heard Marcus get up, but I thought he had gone to the bathroom. I had no idea that he had left our room.


To prevent a recurrence on this cruise we tried to come up with a way to either prevent him from getting out of the room in the middle of the night or at least to make it impossible for him to get out of the room without waking me up first.


We brainstormed several options: blocking the door with luggage or some other item, tying a cowbell to the door, simply putting a life jacket on the door handle hoping he would take it on his way out the door, and my personal favorite: Marcus sleeping naked. The thought behind that one was that Naked Marcus would most likely be stopped by security way before he made it all the way to the deck. We thought better of it; I mean we don’t want to be banned for life from Carnival Cruise Lines. Ultimately this is what we settled on:

Keep Me Away From Your Children....

I have been known to tell little kids that they don’t have to do something (although in my defense in each case it was something the child was afraid to do and the child seemed to only associate not having to do something with being afraid, not a general I don’t have to do what adults/parents tell me). I have also used the word stupid around little children. In one case I referred to one of our cats as the stupid cat, at which point a 3 year old, who incidentally was not very close by, started yelling at the top of his lungs “stupid cat, stupid cat” over and over again.

Well last weekend, Marcus and I got together with some of my closest friends from college and their kids for our annual campout. We’ve been doing this since our freshman year at ACU. I spent a lot of time with Bethany, the 3 year old daughter of my bff and roommate from college Amanda. Bethany and I were talking and all of the sudden she pointed to my chest and said “Ha ha look at your chest.” I looked down at my chest, and my shirt had fallen down a little bit revealing my cleavage. Without even thinking I said “Bethany, that’s called cleavage.” At which point Amanda, who was sitting next to me, shook her head and then put her head in her hand.

In my defense Bethany is super smart, really a little sponge, and so I often forget she is just 3, plus there have been countless other good things I’ve taught her, I’m really used to just explaining stuff to her because she is so smart, and I was surprised she didn’t know that word already. (I sometimes forget that not everyone comes from a family with women who are so, umm, endowed).

Anyway, the next day when I was saying goodbye to her before she left she said something about my “boobies” at which point I used the word cleavage AGAIN! Seriously, keep me away from your children!

Bethany and me hanging out.

All the kids. From left to right: Dawson, Bethany, Ashlynn, Carson, Landry, and Christopher

When did that happen?

I bought a Newsweek with Obama on the cover today, mainly as a collector’s item. They are already showing up on eBay. I read an article a few days ago that said magazines with him on the cover were flying off the shelves. That didn’t seem to be a problem in Abilene though! Anyway, the magazine was $5.95! When did that happen? Last time I bought one I think it was like $3.80. Goodness!

Missing a good friend

It’s funny how you can see something that will trigger memories about someone who passed away and make you just really miss them all of the sudden. The missing them can almost feel just like it did the moment when they passed away. Today I was missing my good friend and mentor Dr. Charles Trevathan.

Charles was my favorite professor when I was a student at ACU, and when I started teaching there a few years later he helped me tremendously with my own classes. He and I had a lot of great discussions and he always had an encouraging word for me when I was struggling. He thought I was awesome at my job, and that meant a lot to me.

Charles passed away from a sudden heart attack about a month before the last election in 04. He and I discussed every presidential debate that year, and I have missed him throughout this whole election season. He would be so excited about Obama winning the election. He would be even more excited about discussing this election cycle in Cultural Diversity.

I came across something today that made me miss him even more. I’m thinking about replacing my vote Obama bumper sticker with a new one since the election is over. As I was looking through all the Obama victory stuff on cafepress.com I found this t-shirt design:

That image reminded me of a framed set of pictures Charles had in his office that he would take into his Cultural Diversity class when they discussed the African American Civil Rights Movement. The first picture in the frame was of Rosa Parks sitting on a bus looking out the window. Charles said that when he found that picture he wondered what she was looking at and what she was thinking about. Several years later he found a picture of a white family at a KKK rally. The mother and father were in full Klan garb, and their little girl, who was probably two, was standing in between them, her hands holding onto a hand of each parent. The three of them were facing away from the photographer and were watching a burning cross. He put that picture in the other half of the frame with the Rosa Parks picture, so that is looks like she is looking at and thinking about that family.

When I saw the pictures of Dr. King and President-elect Obama side by side, I had a sudden urge to talk to Charles about his pictures of Mrs. Parks and that white family and suggest that he remove the Klan picture and replace it with a picture of Obama. I think he would have loved that idea. As soon as I thought of it, it just hit me again that he was gone and I suddenly missed him almost as much as when I found out he died.

Some Random Stuff....

1. Please pray for my friend Jan and her daughter Stacey. Stacey lost her baby yesterday. She was due in about 2 weeks. Jan, Stacey and her family are devastated.

2. I am teaching my first class in a little over a year tomorrow! I’m teaching a 3 hour Social Theory class for my department chair that is out of town. I’m excited and nervous, but mostly I’m annoyed that I need to prepare when all I want to do is watch election results!

3. I am super excited about the election, but it does really stink that no matter who wins, roughly half the nation will be happy and half will be unhappy. I hope that this year I am part of the happy half! That would be a nice change!

What the...

Ok, I've held my tounge long enough. I have to ask, what's up with all the pumpkin patches?! It's like October 1 was some sort of launch date to have parents come from miles around just to drop their babies into the middle of a giant pumpkin patch like Linus on Halloween night. They boldly place the child on, around, under, and amongst all the pumpkins, and then proceed to to take pictures! Every few seconds, another one of my friends and family post these pics to facebook or the blogging world (I think I even saw a sonogram of my unborn nephew/niece sitting atop a pumpkin the other day!). And they come in such variety: pictures of one kid, two kids, kids with parents, kids with other kids, kids with other parents, parents with other parents, you get the idea. It's all very suspicious and I think might be linked to something sinister, but I just can't put my finger on it...

In all seriousness, I think these pictures are actually cute, adorable, and sometimes funny. It's just that I've have never heard of this phenomenon until this year. Is it some sort of overnight sensation, or has it always been going on under my nose and I just never had any friends with kids? (Now that I think about it, I think I saw my nephew caleb sitting in a patch last year, but I just thought it was because my sister in law REALLY likes the Fall). I guess it has been going on more then I've noticed. I mean, I have seen the pumpkin patches around town, I guess I was just in denial.

Anyway, that's all I have to say on the subject. So, when you go to cast your vote on Tuesday, be sure to pick the candidate the supports you and your pumpkin interests. Oh, and here are some cute pics from people I know who have posted them recently...

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Bethany and Landry (Amanda and Raymond Duggan). I like how Bethany is bored out of her mind in one picture and is so ready to leave in the other one! Also notice the different outfits...they had TWO pumpkin picture days:)
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Here's my cute nephew, Caleb (Chris and Stephanie Carroll). He (or maybe it's his mother) absolutely loves that pumpkin shirt :)
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Baby Christopher (Jonathan and Shannon Delcambre). You can't see it in these pics, but he's got a pretty cute widow's peak on his forehead. Shannon's a great photographer, and will come out and take pictures like this for you if you'd like.

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Here's another cute nephew, Colten (Rebecca and Glenn Hardesty). The first picture is so funny...and he reminds me of something, but I can't place it.
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Here's another couple of Bethany and Landry (the Duggan's do have twice as many kids as the others:). Apparenlty the first picture is Landry's happy face. Although the funny thing is that no sound comes out when she does that. And the second one is just too cute to exist :) Oh, and Amanda's sister, Sara, is also a great photographer (although I don't think she took these) who will come out and take pictures for you.
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Anyway, thanks to all of you who share you're lives with Amanda and I through these pictures. We love looking at them, and watching your families grow, even from miles away.

Thanks for listening

-marcus, sgb

"How can you vote for him?"

As we get closer to November 4th, and it becomes more and more likely that Senator Obama will be our next president, I have seen an increase in comments from other Christians questioning how a Christian could vote for Obama. A lot of this concern comes from his staunchly pro-choice opinion on abortion. Many Christians wonder how someone can call themselves a Christian and support a candidate who supports Roe vs. Wade. Since I am pro-life, a Christian, and a supporter of Barack Obama, I thought I would try to explain my vote for him as it pertains to the abortion issue.

First of all, I am very pro-life. I believe life begins at conception. When I discuss this issue I refer to the unborn as a baby, not a fetus. If I was in charge of things I would outlaw abortion in all cases except to preserve the life and health of the mother. (Of course I would change a lot of other stuff too!)

The way I see it, there are 3 approaches to eliminating abortion and/or greatly reducing abortion.

1. Overturn Roe v. Wade making all abortions (with possible exceptions for the life and/or health of the mother, rape, and incest) illegal.

2. Work to prevent unplanned pregnancies through sex education.

3. Work to eliminate the root causes that lead women to choose abortion over adoption/keeping the baby when they are faced with an unplanned pregnancy.

Obviously the first approach is both the most direct and ultimately would be the most successful in eliminating abortion out right. This approach is very consistent with Christianity, and is favored by the religious right and republican politicians.

The second approach is advocated in different ways. Some support safe-sex sex education, some support abstinence only education, and some support a mixture of the two. Obviously if you can prevent people from having sex at all or from being irresponsible when having sex, you decrease the likelihood of an unplanned pregnancy.

Abstinence only programs also fit in really well with Christian teachings about sex. Recently members of the religious right have succeeded in getting a lot of abstinence only programs off the ground. The findings of the early studies on the effectiveness of abstinence only sex ed are not good.

The third approach recognizes that women who are faced with an unplanned pregnancy choose abortion because they believe that abortion is the best option for them. People who advocate this approach want to know why women feel that this is their best choice, and how we as a society can make choosing life the best choice for these women.

On the surface this can seem counter to Christianity because advocates of this approach often do not focus on overturning Roe vs. Wade or working on legislation to make abortions more difficult to attain. (The exception to this would be Crisis Pregnancy Centers who try practical ways to help women choose life and also take a traditional political pro-life stance)

Abortion is a topic that has been widely researched, and social scientists know a lot about why women choose to have an abortion. The leading reasons are economic stress and lack of support. An abortion is much cheaper than prenatal health care, day care, and 18 + years of food, clothing, and shelter. Raising a child also requires a lot more help and support from others than a one hour medical procedure does.

Our society offers very little support for lower income Americans and working mothers, and in many ways our policies make life harder for them. We are one of only 4 nations in the world that does not have paid maternity leave. It is legal in most states to fire a woman for being pregnant as long as the company has fewer than 25 employees. Unlike most European nations, we subsidized pre-school/day care for only a very small number of children. If a father does not pay child support we garnish his wages, put him in jail, or strip him of his business license. If those things don’t work (and they often don’t) the child is just out of luck. If the child’s mother is on Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (the welfare program that provides cash for basic expenses), the father’s child support payment goes to the state.

Our support system for lower income citizens is very stingy compared to the rest of the developed world. Citizens are allowed to be on welfare for 5 years total in their lifetime, the average TANF payment is $180, and in order to stay eligible for welfare, one must meet stringent work and/or school requirements. And once a person successfully transitions from welfare to work they are often in worse shape finacially, not because welfare pays so well, but because low skill jobs pay so poorly and typically come with no health benefits.

Our healthcare system, while impressive in research and development, is among the worst in the developed world when it comes to health outcomes. We are the only country in the developed world that does not provide healthcare to all our citizens, even though no other country spends more on healthcare per capita than we do. We also have the highest infant mortality rate and highest percentage of low birth weight babies born in the developed world.

In short, there is a real lack of societal support for women who are faced with an unplanned pregnancy. That is why they choose abortion. Increasing societal support for lower income Americans is favored by democrats, and although it is often not recognized as such in the U.S., it is very biblical. (American Christians tend to prefer the church helping lower income people rather than the government. That is a whole other issue).

I favor the third approach mainly because I am the type of person who likes to meet people where they are. It doesn’t do any good to talk about why a woman got pregnant when she already is pregnant. Working to change the law, which is a very long term process (Roe vs. Wade was decided 36 years ago), does nothing to help a woman who is pregnant and struggling right now. I also do not see an end to legal battles over the abortion issue. The moment Roe is overturned, pro-choice advocates will begin work to reinstate it, and pro-life advocates will have to work to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Politics would be super easy if all three approaches to reducing/eliminating abortion were advocated by one party, but they are not. Both parties favor sex ed, but take different approaches to it. As I alluded to earlier, abstinence only education is not effective. Republicans have the market cornered on the legal approach to eliminating abortion but……frankly, the laissez faire, trickle down economic approach advocated by republicans is bad for poor people, single mothers, and struggling families, and makes choosing life more difficult. While I believe the out and out elimination of abortion is a correct and biblical goal, I just can’t support a party that focuses only on that aspect while simultaneously advocating social policies that make it more likely that a woman facing an unplanned pregnancy will feel that abortion is her best option, and offers her and her child very little support if she does choose life.

So I support Barack Obama, despite his commitment to Roe vs. Wade, because I believe his economic and social policies will make it more likely that women will choose life. So there you go, that is my rather long explanation of how a very pro-life Christian can vote for such a staunchly pro-choice candidate.

Join me in the 21st century, won’t you….

I recently registered my eBay business with the state comptroller’s office so that I can collect sales tax in Texas. Since then I’ve gotten about a million pieces of junk business mail. That is annoying in and of itself, but today I got this letter from a local insurance agent:

He sent that to the wrong West Texas woman. That’s right I am a woman and not a “gentlemen”. (I am also one person) Seriously, when this insurer got my company name it would have been impossible to miss that the company is a sole proprietorship in my name. Amanda is not a gender neutral name.

I don’t know what it is with insurance adjustors in this city, but it is hard to find one who isn’t sexist. The first insurance adjustor we talked to several years ago about term life insurance was the worst. I do the finances in our family, so when Marcus and I were talking with him about our options I was the one asking questions. I would ask him a specific question about the policy and he literally would turn to Marcus and answer the question I asked. Seriously. It was like I was some kind of invisible talking head in the room or something. Unfortunately, there is a lot of this kind of stuff in Abilene.

It is actually more surprising when we don’t encounter this mentality. Marcus and I are repeat buyers from a local Mazda salesman simply because when we were looking at buying our first car, we told him the car was for me and he actually focused on me throughout the rest of the sale. Imagine that. Incidentally when we bought the second car for Marcus, he focused on Marcus (except during the price haggling part because I do that).

Anyway I digress. Since this sexist moron provided me his email address I am working on an email response to him. I’m thinking of including something like “ If I should need insurance for my business, I will choose an insurance adjustor who is aware that we are in the 21st century; you know, a time when a woman can own a business.” What do you think?

Updates

1. I found the picture of a mother at her son's grave in Arlington Cemetary that Colin Powell referenced in his endorsement of Obama for president.



You can read about it here

2. Here is a link to a Christianity Today blog and follow up comments about the Focus on the Family Action 2012 letter. You can join the nonpartisan facebook group protesting this letter here

3. Here is a link to a response to the FOTFA 2012 letter by Jim Wallis, the head of the left leaning Christian evangelical gorup Sojourners.

To Hell in a Hand Basket......

I came across an article on msnbc.com about a recent letter distributed by Focus on the Family Action, the political arm of Focus on the Family. This is an imagined letter written by a Christian from 2012, lamenting all the changes that have taken place because of an Obama presidency. You can read the entire letter here. (Be warned: it is long)

There are way too many negative things to say about this letter, so I'll start with something positive.

1. I did not find a reference to Obama being Muslim or the Antichrist

There is also this statement in the introduction to the letter:

“Of course, there are many evangelical Christians supporting Senator Obama as well as many supporting Senator McCain. Christians on both sides should continue to respect and cherish one another’s friendship as well as the freedom people have in the United States to differ on these issues and to freely speak their opinions about them to one another.”

But since the actual content of the letter strongly chastises any Christian who supports Obama and is obviously an attempt to scare such Christians into not voting for him, the above reads as a typical legal disclaimer that you would find on a McDonald’s hot cup of coffee instead of a sentiment that is actually believed by the authors, therefore I have a hard time seeing it as positive.

Here is an excerpt from the end of the letter. This follows the main body of the letter, which is a point by point analysis of how America went to Hell in a hand basket because Obama and the democrats were elected.

"How did this happen?

When did this all start? Christians share a lot of the
blame. In 2008, many evangelicals thought Senator Obama was an opportunity for a “change,” and they voted for him. They did not realize Obama’s far-Left agenda would take away many of our freedoms, perhaps permanently (it is unlikely the Supreme Court can be changed for perhaps 30 years). Christians did not realize that by electing Barack Obama — rated the most liberal U.S. senator in 2007 — 39 they would allow the law, in the hands of a liberal Congress and Supreme Court, to become a great instrument of oppression.

Many people thought he sounded so thoughtful, so reasonable. And during the campaign, after he had won the Democratic nomination, he seemed to be moving to the center in his speeches, moving away from his far-Left record. No one thought he would enact such a far-Left, extreme liberal agenda.

But the record was all there for anyone to see. The agenda of the ACLU, the agenda of liberal activist judges in their dissenting opinions, the agenda of the homosexual activists, the agenda of the environmental activists, the agenda of the National Education Association, the agenda of the global-warming activists, the agenda of the abortion-rights activists, the agenda of the gun-control activists, the agenda of the euthanasia supporters, the agenda of the one-world government pacifists, the agenda of far-Left groups in Canada and Europe – all of these agendas were there in plain sight, and all of these groups provided huge support for Senator Obama.

The liberal agenda was all there. But too many people just didn’t want to see it.Christians didn’t take time to find out who Barack Obama was when they voted for him.Why did they risk our nation’s future on him? It was a mistake that changed the course of history."

Back to the msnbc.com article about the letter….

”Margaret Feinberg, a Denver-area evangelical author, predicted failure. "Young evangelicals are tired — like most people at this point in the election — and rhetoric which is fear-based, strong-arms the listener,and states opinion as fact will only polarize rather than further the informed, balanced discussion that younger voters are hungry for," she said."

I certainly pray that this woman is correct. Frankly, I am tired of all this fear mongering nonsense coming from groups supposedly representing Christians. Commited Christians do disagree about many political issues, and they should do so respectfully. Tactics like this make that hard to do, and further the notion that there is only one way to vote if you are a Christian, implying that you are not a real Christian if you vote the other way, ie for a democrat.

Apparently I wasn’t the only one….

It seems that many others beside myself are grateful to General Colin Powell for his comments on Meet the Press last Sunday. I came across an article on msnbc.com today about how some Muslim Americans have been feeling this election cycle and how happy they were when Powell spoke out against using their religion as a political smear.

what's playing on my ipod monday

Hi everybody,

Amanda has gracously let me steal her What's Playing on my iPod Monday for this week, and I wanted to share with you a song that's not necessarily my favorite, but it is way up there.

One of the reasons why I like the song so much is that it is full of symbolic references to things that surround Memphis. The straightforward references to things like Beale Street, Elvis, Union Avenue are obvious; but there are also more subtle ones as well. Things like "I've got a first-class ticket, but I'm as Blue as a boy could be" (stating that even though he has a lot, he also has the heart of the Blues) and "catfish on the table...gospel in the air" (the dichotomy of the secular and sacred) are what really piqué my delight. The song is full of them. You can see some interpretations on Wikipedia.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy "Walking in Memphis" by Marc Cohn from his self-titled album.

Marcus, SGB

Colin Powell is my Hero

Colin Powell went on Meet the Press today and endorsed Obama for president. That’s nice. But what made me really happy is that he said what I have been waiting for someone, anyone, in government to say publicly.

Here is an excerpt from the msnbc article about the interview:

"Stressing that Obama was a lifelong Christian, Powell
denounced Republican tactics that he said were insulting not only to Obama but also to Muslims.

“The really right answer is what if he is?” Powell said,
praising the contributions of millions of Muslim citizens to American society."

Powell even went so far as to criticize the idea that being Muslim should automatically disqualify a person from becoming president (this belief is what the rumor spreading fear mongers are banking on). He called that idea "not American."

Finally!

what's playing on my ipod monday

This week's song is a 1980s classic and a great example of why I love mp3 players. I have no desire to own the entire album that contains this song. I mean did Rick Springfield even have more than one hit? I love that now I can just find and buy a single song that I really enjoy and not have to buy an entire album.

So enjoy "Jessie's Girl" by Rick Springfield.

McCain is better than his campaign

Have you read the news reports about what has been going on at McCain and Palin rallies? In the last few weeks, as Obama has gained in the polls, the McCain campaign has ratcheted up character attacks on Obama in interviews, campaign ads, and at campaign rallies. Palin has said repeatedly that Obama “pals around with terrorists.” McCain has said things like “who is the real Barack Obama?” Basically they are/were trying to scare people or at the very least make people question whether or not they can trust Obama with the presidency, not because of his policies, but because of his character.

It may be working too well. Here’s why. Many people were already predisposed to be afraid of Obama without any help from the McCain campaign. He is the first African American with a real shot at being president, he has a “funny” Middle Eastern name, his father was from Kenya and was raised Muslim, he has a pretty liberal voting record in the Senate, his pastor is highly controversial, and he is relatively new on the national stage. Add to that the fact that the far right has been spreading outright lies about him for at least 18 months. (You know, that he is Muslim, doesn’t salute the flag, was sworn in on the Koran, that he is a Manchurian Candidate funded by terrorists and/or communists, blah, blah, blah)

At a rally a couple of days ago, a man stood up and said he was really afraid of an Obama presidency. McCain defended Obama saying he was a decent person and you did not need to be afraid of him. The crowd loudly booed. At the same rally, another woman stood up and said that Obama was an Arab. McCain had to take the mike from her. He corrected her, once again referring to Obama as “decent”.

At a rally the day before a man angrily said Obama was a socialist, McCain did not correct him, but said he understood that Americans were angry. At a rally today, an evangelical preacher gave an invocation in which he called upon God to protect His own reputation by not letting Obama win. Also today, at a Palin rally, someone held up a Curious George doll that had an Obama campaign pin on it. Palin’s rallies have actually been worse than McCain’s with several audience members shouting “terrorist”, “traitor”, “off with his head”, and in one instance “kill him” when she mentioned Obama by name. She has addressed none of that from the podium.

All of this to say, McCain is a better man than the campaign he is running at the moment. Fortunately, I think he is starting to realize that the combination of him slipping in the polls and his new campaign strategy is causing things to get out of hand. He genuinely seemed surprised and dismayed when people wouldn’t stop booing when he called Obama “decent”. Unfortunately, he may have unwittingly stoked a fire that is quickly burning out of his control.

what's playing on my ipod monday

I just happened to catch Alicia Keys performing this song on Oprah a few years ago. That was my introduction to her and now I enjoy most of her songs. I love it when I stumble accross a new artist that I really like.

So, enjoy the first song I ever heard Alicia Keys sing, Fallin' from her album Songs in A Minor.

I take back my prediction…

Governor Palin did incredibly, astronomically, WAY better than anyone expected her to do in last night’s debate. She did not set back women in politics by at least a decade as I had feared. As a friend of mine said, who is also a democrat, “as a woman I breathed a sigh of relief.”

I don’t know how many of you watched Governor Palin’s interviews with Charles Gibson and Katie Couric, but those interviews scared a lot of Americans, including myself, and led to several conservative republican commentators to call for her to step down. Polls taken before the VP debate also showed that 60% of Americans do not believe she is ready for the presidency. So, the stakes were very high for her last night.

I agree with Andrew Romano from Newsweek when he said “For accuracy's sake, we should probably consider referring to tonight's "Showdown in St. Louis" as the "Showdowns in St. Louis." Call it the Tale of Two Debates. In one ring we watched Sarah Palin battling Tina Fey's impression of Sarah Palin. In the other we saw Joe Biden battling John McCain. They both delivered somewhat uneven performances--but both "won" their individual bouts.”

I doubt that many people who were leaning toward John McCain will be more likely to vote for him based on her performance last night, but I also think those same people won’t be less likely to vote for him either. McCain’s campaign staff has to be feeling pretty good today.

On the other hand, Obama’s campaign staff probably feels good about Biden’s performance too. He was respectful, succinct (for him), refrained from sticking his foot in his mouth (as he is prone to do), and he linked McCain/Palin to Bush/Cheney more times than I can count.

So, in short I was wrong. Her position on the ticket is safe (for now). I will take comfort in my wrongness with the fact that almost every single political pundit, including the very conservatve, were also wrong.

Prediction....

The Vice Presidential Debate is this evening. I predict that by Monday evening one of two things will happen.

1. Governor Palin will no longer be on the republican ticket.

Or

2. Senator McCain will be forced to publicly say that he has no plans to ask Governor Palin to step down.

This race just keeps getting more interesting everyday.

what's playing on my ipod monday

This week's song selection may make you cry. I cry almost every time I listen to it. I like it because it advocates not being judgmental of others, and understanding that people who make bad decisions or just have hard lives are just like you and me.

So, enjoy Tim McGraw's I've Got Friends That Do from his album Greatest Hits Volume 2.

Wow!

There are so many things I could say about Sarah Palin's interview with Katie Couric, but I think I'll just leave it at....Wow!

This is just a clip, you can see video of the entire interview at cbsnews.com

What's Playing on My Ipod Monday...er, Friday

Pssst! Hey you...yeah, you. I have to be quiet because Amanda doesn't know I'm on her blog today. You see, today's her birthday, and I'm about to share with you the secret of what I got her for a present. Of course, you can't go talking to her about it yet, because then that will ruin the surprise, and what fun is that?

Now, in spite of her not liking Alanis (if that's even possible), Amanda has some pretty good taste in music. Of course, Bon Jovi is a favorite of hers, and George is extremely high on the list. It's unfortunate that she's not a huge fan of Imogen Heap or anything with a trombone (again, unbelievable)...however, she does like the group Sugarland. There's something about the sound of her voice that works really well with the style of music, and I agree with her...they are very enjoyable to listen to.

Anyway, I ramble.

So, to the important part of this blog. For her birthday, I got her Sugarland's latest album (shh, it's a secret). To my Lovely Amanda, I love you more and more each day, and I am so thankful God has brought you into my life. Happy Birthday!

So, even though it's not Monday and this song is not really on her iPod yet, I hope you enjoy "All I Want to Do" by Sugarland from the album, "Love on the Inside".

-Marcus, SGB

i chuckle at ninja cat

I'm sorry, this just tickled me. I ran across it on a site called icanhascheezburger.com.

Enjoy




Marcus, SGB

Taxes

I recently found this handy dandy chart comparing the tax proposals of both presidential candidates. The vast majority of people I know would fare better under Obama's plan. Personally I prefer his plan, not because it is better for me and Marcus, but because it helps to shift the tax burden from the lowest income groups to the highest.



If the chart is too small to read here is the link.

what's playing on my ipod monday

This week's song is one of my favorites. It is a song that I am very thankful for, especially since I discovered it at a time in my life when I was feeling particularly broken. Having to leave a job you love, go into therapy, and take an antidepressant tends to make you feel just a little bit broken. This song helps me feel better about that.

So, enjoy Bon Jovi's Everybody's Broken from their most recent album, Lost Highway.

Out of the Mouths of Babes....

After nearly two months of indecision, the kitten formerly known as Name Pending, now has a name.

This is how is happened.

I got to spend yesterday with the Duggans while poor Marcus was in his no good statistics class. Raymond was at work, Amanda was putting Landry down for a nap, and Bethany, who will be 3 in November, and I were sitting at the kitchen table just talking. She was telling me about her dog Abby, so I started to tell her about our pets. Finally, I got to the kitten, and I told her how Marcus and I couldn’t think of a name for him. Then I asked her “If you had a little kitten, what would you name him?” And she said, without ever hearing any of the names we were thinking about, and without even a hint of hesitation, “Charlie.”

When I told Amanda about it, she said that they didn’t even know anyone named Charlie, and she had no idea where Bethany got that name. So, we took that as a sign from God, and named the kitten Charlie.

Sexist?

I am a feminist, and as such I have no problem calling something or someone sexist. In fact as a sociologist, sexism is one of those things that I just notice, without even trying to, all the time. With that said, I am getting more than a little bit tired of the McCain campaign referring to every single criticism and/or critic of Governor Palin as sexist.

There has been sexism in this presidential campaign no doubt. Senator Clinton experienced a whole lot of it. Governor Palin has experienced some already. I agree with commentators that in portions of her interview with Charles Gibson, it is fair to call him sexist.

But……today a McCain campaign spokesperson said that Tina Fey’s impersonation of Governor Palin was sexist. Seriously!?! The skit was not exactly flattering, but neither was it sexist.

Governor Palin, as the first female vice presidential candidate on the republican ticket, and perhaps the first female vice president, is going to encounter her fair share of sexism. If the campaign insists on calling every legitimate question about her qualifications and record, every impersonation, and every criticism sexist, the American people are going to miss it when she inevitably encounters actual sexism. They simply won’t care about it anymore.

If the McCain campaign keeps this up, I am afraid that the American people are going to miss out on a great opportunity for a serious public discussion about the realities of sexism in the United States.

Hurricane Ike

I came accross this picture on msnbc's website. It just looked very Texas to me, well flooded Texas anyway.

what's playing on my ipod monday

Disclaimer: This song is not actually on my ipod. In fact, I really don’t like this singer.

I picked this song because today is Marcus’ birthday and he loves Alanis Morissette. Before Marcus and I started dating I liked her ok. (Actually I loved her on Nickelodeon’s You Can’t Do That on Television) He claims that I faked liking her until we got married. Not so. It's just that I listened to her so much with Marcus while we were dating, I eventually reached my Alanis Morissette saturation point. It just happened to coincide with our wedding. I promise.

I picked this song Unsent because she mentions a Marcus in the song. In fact, he rocked her world. This song is a series of unsent letters to her ex-boyfriends, and on an odd side note, I dated shockingly few men before getting married. In fact, I’ve only had 2 boyfriends, a Jonathan, and Marcus. This song not only mentions a Marcus, but also a Jonathan. Weird.

So Happy Birthday to my sweet Marcus and I know you’ll enjoy this song. And to everyone else, try to enjoy Alanis Morissette’s Unsent from her album Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie. (If you can).

SNL Palin and Clinton Skit

Oh my goodness! I just watched the opening skit from last night's Saturday Night Live, and it was very well written and H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S! Check it out.

The Downside to a Cat's Love

So last night I turn out the lights and get in bed, and I feel something kind of crusty against my arm. I reach out my hand and touch it, and it feels like an ear of baby corn. So I turn on the light and look over to what I had touched. It was a dead gecko. Thanks for showing the love Gus.

Little Annoyances

Last weekend Marcus and I went to Austin. On the way back we stopped at the Wal-Mart in Gatesville for some drinks. It was very crowded, so we decided to do the self checkout thing. We got in line behind a woman who had several bags of fruits and vegetables. It is an unwritten rule that if you are buying anything difficult, like fruits and vegetables, you don’t use the self checkout lane! It took her FOREVER to check out. Marcus and I were discussing this and then we noticed that there was no way she had fewer than 20 items. I just don’t get people like that. All in all, thanks to her, our quick stop took about 25 minutes.

Overall I like living in Abilene. There are, however a few things I don’t like about the big A. Apparently years ago, when Abilene was being built, no one thought to put in a drainage system. Now anytime it rains for 30 minutes or more the streets flood, especially in our part of town. It is very frustrating. Fortunately it hardly ever rains in Abilene.

what's playing on my ipod monday

This week's song is perfect for turning up loud and singing at the top of your lungs. U2 wrote the orginal and put it on their 1992 album Achtung Baby. They performed it with Mary J Blige in 2005 at the Shelter From the Storm concert benefiting the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Their version of the song was well received, and Mary J Blige put it on her album The Breakthrough.

Enjoy, One performed by Mary J Blige and U2.

what's playing on my ipod monday

Today's song selection is from my all time favorite country singer, George Strait. When I was a kid, my parents had this album and played it all the time, yet I never got this song. The irony was totally lost on me, but then again geography was never my strong suit.

So enjoy, Ocean Front Property from the album of the same name.

Governor Palin and I Have Something in Common

I haven’t decided yet if picking Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate was a good choice for Senator McCain or not. I’m leaning toward not. It is starting to remind me of the whole Harriet Myers thing a few years ago. But that is not the point of this post….

The point is that Governor Palin and I are both members of the group Feminists For Life. It is a pro-life feminist organization. Taken from their website: "Feminists for Life recognizes that abortion is a reflection that our society has failed to meet the needs of women. We are dedicated to systematically eliminating the root causes that drive women to abortion—primarily lack of practical resources and support—through holistic, woman-centered solutions."

I really hope Governor Palin’s nomination will focus some attention on this awesome organization.

Why Don't People Like Me?

Marcus here.


I like to think that most people like me. I mean, I may not be everyone's favorite, but most people can at least tolerate to be around me. However, there are some people (mostly kids) who just don't like me for some reason. For instance, Amanda's little sister, Julie, used to be scared to death of me.

It's a funny story really. She was only 2 when I first met her, and I had bright red hair and a muppet-esque looking beard. If you've seen amanda's family, you can image that there is no one her family that looks anything like me; so, needless to say, julie would run screaming whenever I would enter the room. One time she was sitting on the floor eating a big bowl of ice cream when I walked in. She was so scared that she abandoned her iced treat and went screaming for daddy.

But suddenly, that simply changed. I don't know what caused it; all I know is that one day I was standing in their hallway when all of a sudden I hear the patting of little feet run up behind me, and I feel a pair of tiny hands slap me on the butt! I turn around and there's Julie's sweet little face grinning up at me. She giggled and ran away. At that point I knew she was ok with me.

Well, Julie turns 11 tomorrow, and I'm very happy that she's let me be a part of her family.

Happy birthday little sister.


-Marcus, SGB

Smelly Amanda, Name Pending, and The Miss Sister Pageant

Last night Marcus and I took Blue out to eat at Red Robin to celebrate him living with us and going to CJC. We had fun, my chicken sandwich was AWESOME, but when we got home I totally smelled like Red Robin. I hate that. I had to change clothes and seriously considered washing my hair. The same thing happens at Chili’s, and I try to avoid eating there for this very reason. If I smell that much after being in the restaurant for an hour, I can’t imagine what the waiters and waitresses must smell like when they get home!

Our new kitten, name pending, is such a joy. Between the two of us Marcus and I have had a lot of kittens, but this one is by far the best. (Gus was a great kitten, but I think name pending has him beat). He likes playing and cuddling with Bailey, Emma, and Gus (Shiloh has not warmed up to him yet). He cuddles with me for most of the day, which does make it hard to get some work done, but it is very sweet. He has a great personality. The best way to describe him is that he has all the best qualities of a puppy, but with none of the hassles, mixed with the fun and easiness of a kitten. In short, name pending rocks!

I had a whole blog planned about an article I found on msnbc.com a couple of days ago. It seems that a priest was organizing a beauty pageant for nuns. Turns out that the idea didn’t go over very well with the higher ups in his diocese, so the pageant is already off. You can read about the pageant plan and its cancellation here

Democrats and Abortion

I came across a great article on abortion and democrats on msnbc.com today. You can read it here

The article critiques Senator Obama and Representative Pelosi specifically, and the Democratic Party in general about the way in which they discuss the issue of abortion.

As I’ve said before, the abortion issue is my only major disagreement with the Democratic Party. On the whole I agree with most of this article. It seems that in our current political climate one party has to be pro choice and one has to be pro life. Since the republicans are pro life, that leaves the pro choice position to the democrats. Because of this, democratic politicians have to be very careful how they talk about abortion, which often leads to nonsensical comments about the rights of the unborn.

Recently, the democrats have done a better job with the abortion issue than they have in the past. I for one would like to see politicians from both parties work together on programs that are likely to reduce the number of abortions. Women choose abortion because at the time, it seems like their best option. So if we can find out why women feel abortion is their best option, we can also find out ways to make carrying the baby to term a better option for these women. As long as this is done in such a way to not limit the ability of a woman to get an abortion if that is what she wants, there should be no reason for democrats not to get onboard. Of course this means that republicans must be willing to work on ways to reduce abortions, without making it more difficult for women to get them.

I think this is a much more practical approach to reducing abortions than the narrowly focused pro-life goal of overturning Roe vs. Wade. First of all, I don’t think it is likely to be overturned in the foreseeable future, so in my opinion it’s best to try to reduce abortions in other ways. Secondly, If Roe was overturned tomorrow; all the pro-choice groups would immediately get to work on reinstating it. And of course just because something is illegal doesn’t mean people refrain from doing it. In almost every culture, women have passed on ways to end a pregnancy. Abortion isn’t new, the legality of it is.

Sorry for such a heavy post, I just thought it was a great article.

what's playing on my ipod monday

I first heard today's song selection a few years ago while working out at Curves. They had a Motown CD that was just awesome. Of course the CD did not have the original versions of the songs, but kind of hokey workout remixes of them instead. I figured if I liked those versions then I would LOVE the real versions, so I bought a 2 CD Motown set on amazon that had most of the Curves songs on it. Sure enough, I love that set.

By far my favorite song from the Motown era is Stevie Wonder's Uptight (Everything's Alright), which he recorded in 1966. This video has a live performance of Uptight and A Place in the Sun, as well as an interview with Stevie Wonder. I wish I knew what show it was from.

This is why I don't cook

My parents came to Abilene drop off my little brother yesterday. He is going live with us and go to Cisco Jr College this fall to get credits to transfer to SFA in the spring. Last night my dad decided he wanted to make some brownies after dinner. I didn't have any last night, and I thought there were some left tonight, but alas, when I went to get one they were all gone.

I was really craving them, so Marcus ran to the store to get some brownie mix. It has been forever since I cooked anything, including basic baking from a box. As I was putting the last ingredients into the mixing bowl, the eggs, I guess I wasn't really paying attention. The first egg went fine, I cracked it on the edge of the bowl, got the yolk in the bowl, then put the shell in the brownie box. For the secong egg, I cracked it on the side of the bowl and the put the yolk in the brownie box. I didn't realize what I had done until I went to put the shell in the brownie box. I immediately started laughing at myself. Fortunately we still had two eggs left. This is why I don't cook.

Raindrops keep falling...

It's been raining almost non stop here for the past three or four days now.  I actually love the rain, I could stand out in it for hours, if it weren't for one thing: I hate raindrops falling on my head.

But that's ok, because I have a cheap little bucket hat that I wear when it rains (or if I'm out in the yard) that protects my head from sun and water. Even though I look downright silly in the hat, I really like it.

Here's a picture of me in the hat while I was riding my horse down S. 7th to work yesterday...

Brangelina, Funerals, and a Vomit Soaked Kitten

Today I learned that I am separated from Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie by 4 degrees. My massage therapist’s best friend’s daughter is one of their assistants. That also means that my cat Shiloh is separated from their daughter Shiloh by only 4 degrees too. Hmm….

I drove past Pioneer Drive Baptist Church this morning and all their parking lots were totally full. I hate when I drive by a church with a full parking lot during a non church and non wedding time. That means there is most likely a funeral. Sad…

Those of you who know us know that our little dog Emma vomits on occasion. It took us forever to find food that would not make her vomit several times a day. Well, she apparently got into the kitten’s food recently, and as a result she has vomited 4 times today (so far). Including once on the kitten! It’s a good thing cats are self cleaning.

what's playing on my ipod monday

I've always liked the Beatles, perhaps because my mom is a bit of a Beatles fanatic, so I grew up listening to them. One of my favorite songs of theirs is Let it Be.

On last season's American Idol, they had a couple of Beatles weeks where each finalist had to sing two Beatles songs. My song selection for this week is the Beatles Let it Be, performed by American Idol finalist Brooke White. As soon as I heard her sing this song on the show I went to itunes and downloaded the full version of the song. Enjoy.

Christianity and Presidential Politics

Tonight both presidential candidates gave interviews in front of several thousand people at evangelical pastor Rick Warren’s church, Saddleback Church in California. You can read about it here

Like I mentioned in an earlier blog, I am a pro-life democrat. For the first time ever a pro-life democratic politician, Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, will speak at this year’s Democratic National Convention. This is a very big deal. Also, language will likely be added to the party platform that discusses the goal of decreasing the number of abortions, also a big deal.

Of course for many evangelicals, abortion is the issue when deciding who to vote for, but increasingly evangelicals are moving toward other issues as well, such as global poverty and the environment. Because of that, Obama is expected to do much better than past democrats with evangelicals, especially those under 40.

Personally I find all of this very exciting. Anything that gets Christians to reflect on and/or question the long held assumption that the Republican Party (and its policies) is the only political party for Christians is a good thing.

You can watch Obama’s discussion with Rick Warren here, here, and here

You can watch McCain’s discussion with Rick Warren here, here, and here