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One of these days, young acorns, you will grow up to be - no, not oaks, but rather parents! With small active energetic and LOUD boys! Well.. ok. Not all of you... but for those of you who have kids (and it's a significant portion of you) you know of what I speak.
In the immortal words of Lenny: I wish that I could fly. Into the sky. So very high. Just like a dragonfly...
Oh... I want to get away.... I want to flyyy away....
Oh, yes. Where was I?
Well, it was not me, per se, singing this song but rather the lovely MKKendrick who figures prominently in such decisions. You see, MKK is well regarded in International Baccelaureate Program circles. She gets invited to conferences and workshops every so often... twice to Portugal!
Alas, I did not get invited to go on either of those voyages... however I did get to go to (drum roll please) Bethesda, Maryland for the past few days in my wifey's company. This trip had oodles of advantages including:
1. Grandparent care for the Pods
2. Kennel care for Volt, our Aussie Cattle Dog pup who is kinda-sorta famous on Facebook
3. The flight was paid for
4. The hotel room was paid for
5. Half the food (okay, a third) was paid for (M's)
6. We got out of having to go see Cars 2. Bonus
7. MK got paid to work for two days
Disadvantages included
1. Having to drive to SC to drop kids off
2. Flying from there to Charlotte (!) for a layover then on to Baltimore
3. Cab Fare-O-clypse to Bethesda.
4. Repeat adventure in reverse on way back (Only replace Charlotte with Cincinnati)
OK... so... now you know the itinerary and funding. We're not cheap but there are worse things than a largely paid-for vacation.
SO... off we launched into the air and eventually ended up early evening on the 4th of July in suburban DC, all checked in the hotel and wondering, hmm.... fireworks at the Mall... or ...
We opted for a quiet dinner near a lovely fountain at a Lebanese restaurant. It was full of win. We had a Syrah from the Bekaa Valley.. that was kind of interesting. You don't really size up Lebanon as wine country but then again wine figures prominently in all the old Bible stories so perhaps I am a Napa Valley advertisement victim.
So, we chatted, in ways that we do - about pretty much everything. I think given the locality the conversation was about politics and how, if my many sources are correct, that Democrats and Republicans in the DC area do not so much as reside near one another. It's like self-inflicted apartheid - and it's not always been like this, I am sure. I recall visiting a friend 20 years ago off of Virginia Avenue and his roomie was a GOP staffer while he himself was interning at DCCC. Alas, we live in very different times now.
Apparently, the burbs are more likely haunts for the GOP set.. though as I would learn in shortly the Potomac figures prominently in these allocations - while you have more conservatives outside of the District generally the Repub crowd flocks over the river at the close of business... and keeps on going. Hold that thought, not done yet.
So, MKK and I discussed the local political geography and the debt ceiling and .. well.. stuff's that just not your business people but suffice to say it was a romantic outing.
But I will say it is nice to get away... to be free to be just ... people in love. When you have kids, you have to take a special care not to lose that.. or you will risk losing it, no matter how sure you are nothing could possibly go wrong. And also, we had a lot to be grateful for this past year.. and really ,the entire arc of our togetherness.
But such sentiments can get drowned out by occasional outbursts like
1. He's taking too long in the shower. Can you make him stop?
2. How much more time do I have to practice piano?
3. Can't I finish this one more chapter?
4. Volt's jumping on me!
5. Oh! That hurt! MOM!!!!!!!
Did I say occasional? heh. :)
Anyway.... it was nice to be out and free to be focused on just the two of us.
The next morning was nice, too - we went in search of breakfast and came across an old-style diner, complete with obnoxious waiter.. .but in a humorous Ed Debevic's way (Chicago peeps will know of what I speak right away). "Good eats and fresh service" sums it up nicely.
Anyway, MK got asked what her father wanted. MK was flattered. I was not. :)
The foodies were good. We read the paper. We drank coffee. Lots of it. And off to work MK went.
Which left me with a day to do scant little. As it turned out I had a mission.
You're gonna love this - I had "official business" at the Pentagon.
As some of you know, my brother is an officer in Army, who had a string of tours in Iraq. Well, finally he got his time to come stateside and he's been in DC for the past several years. So we made arrangements to catch up, originally for lunch but given his line of work that got delayed to coffee in the afternoon and a quick tour of the building which, surprisingly, is not nearly as vast as billed. I mean, it's plenty big on the outside and has lots of floor space but it's not the Death Star or anything.
Getting in to the building is perhaps no more challenging than an easy day at a TSA gate....that is, until I witnessed two oblivious young people on bicycles coming down the wide sidewalk toward the pedestrian gate.
That is when the conspicuously large man in full body armor and the large-bore gun with grenade launcher appeared out of the guardhouse. I stepped back. I looked to my right and saw the now-attentive riders stop their bikes, standing in place.
"Dismount and walk your bikes toward me!" came the order. The poor kids. They just looked dazed. Looks at each other. The order was repeated. The weapon was half-raised momentarily to communicate this was a deadly serious request.
I thought for a moment, oh my God am I about to see people get shot at a checkpoint?
The kids got the message - we are talking college-age or slightly above here - and another guard, one with less firepower, came toward them while the one with the grenade launcher returned to his guardhouse.
I mean, the guy just appeared like that. And just as quickly gone.
Suffice to say I did my best while waiting for my brother to come get me to stay invisible...and keep my hands visible.
SO...eventually I got in, got my visitor pass with the express instructions not to wander off unescorted. I did not really need a reminder.
Well, given the nature of my brother's work I got to see little more than the halls and the shopping mall and the well stocked food court.. though we made a pass through the Chairman of the JCS hall and then took the stairs and passed back the other way through the SecDef's corridor. On the walls are portraits of former SecDefs, former JCS chairs and of course the wall of the Combatant Commanders, a few I knew by name.
I asked my brother if the new JCS was in yet. He said, "You've already met him." I knew who he meant right way. "Dempsey?" I asked. He nodded, then pointed at the wall. "There he is."
Small world.
It seemed people kept coming up to my brother, introducing themselves. Three were reports of his, another was a classmate just in from the fun and games overseas. It was neat. I was for some reason reminded of Star Fleet Headquarters.. which in a comical way I suppose I was visiting.
So what's it like away from the tour groups? Hmm... it is exactly what you would expect the headquarters of a $1.5 trillion a year corporation to look and feel like - pretty much above every problem but where to go in the interior park for good cell phone reception. (The building is intrinsically hostile to "bar" due to its thick stone walls; my brother assures me this is not a deliberate jamming of frequencies.)
One thing that did strike me was how.. easygoing and confident and.. upbeat... a place it felt like. Everyone was glad to be there. Proud to be, even. They had a job - making sure the next world war or 9/11 did not happen but if it did, dammit, we're ready. Also, this is just me, but I think the defense world has had something to prove for going on 10 years and a lot of soul searching, especially in the wake of the two wars we are trying to figure out how to get away from.
I remember something my brother said a long time ago, when talking to Iraqi leaders. "Let's be honest - none of us want us here. Help us excuse ourselves as fast as possible." And this sort of talk works.
And this story, which started with MK and now I must cut short here, really is about the value of talk - not just on a personal level with one's spouse and one's own kin, but also with each other as countrymen and with the rest of the world.
We are never going to run out of reasons to dislike, even hate, other people. We find annoyances left and right in even those we love more than anyone - my beloved sons, for example, one of whom just parked acros the table to read a comic book. I am so proud of them. I am beyond proud of my wife. I and very proud of my brother, who despite his poor choice of politics is still a good egg and I cannot fault the level of success he has attained in his chosen profession. No, not at all.
Because the only person I know of who is better than my brother with conversations with Arabs as an outsider, to the saving of lives, is a fellow named Lawrence.
As in, yes, Lawrence of Arabia.
And my brother says this about threats, whatever they are - problems, discussed openly and sensibly, without sensationalism, are the best defense against mischief of any kind.
And I think the counsel is applicable to a wide range of situations - some of them local to this community.
Sorry for the quick ending but time for me to queue this puppy up for Dragon5616, who is doing the comments. :)
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Over the nine years I have been on this blog, I have often read some version of this statement: "I came to Daily Kos for the politics. I stayed here for the community." emeraldmaiden -- one of our community members who has long been a diarist for "Top Comments" and contributed to the growing sense of community -- has fallen on hard times and desperately needs our help.
emeraldmaiden recently wrote a diary -- I'm Scared -- detailing her family's economic struggles in which she wrote about her faltering Ebay business. You can read her many comments in that diary. Significant health problems, sharply falling revenues, her husband chasing low-paying jobs, and stress have all contributed to a deteriorating financial situation, with all of their retirement savings long gone. A chronic hip injury (which may require hip replacement surgery at a relatively young age) has severely limited her mobility while enduring constant pain. All of this has resulted in bills past due and creditors knocking on their doors.
It is an all-too-familiar story heard in recent years and one that broke my heart.
I am urging all of you to donate generously, if at all possible. If you make a donation, you will have a chance to win one of two five prizes -- a beautiful quilt by Sara R, an original painting by boran2, 200 yards of homespun yard by emeraldmaiden, two hand-embroidered bookmarks by Chacounne, and a batik pillow from Chun Yang (details below).
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A Beautiful Handmade Quilt By Sara R
"Cornucopia" is a charm quilt of "tumbler" blocks, all of photorealistic fruits and vegetables. It is meant to represent plenty, abundance.
The quilt is 58" x 62" and is sleeved for hanging on a wall. The backing fabric looks like Indian corn. The fabric and the batting are all cotton – and the quilt is entirely quilted by hand by Sara R.
It was designed and pieced by her, as well!
(Link to emeraldmaiden's PayPal Account)
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An Original Painting by boran2
A longtime community member, boran2 is also one of the "Top Comments" diarists and has posted hundreds of diaries on painting.
This is a 4x5 inch acrylic on canvas painting. It depicts a Hudson River overpass at dusk. It is painted on thick gallery wrapped canvas and can stand on its own. It was painted in April of 2010.
(Link to emeraldmaiden's PayPal Account)
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Three Additional Prizes
Three additional prizes were added after JekyllnHyde published his original diary. emeraldmaiden is giving away 200 yards of homespun yarn in any color the winner wants (especially if it's Daily Kos orange)! This is absolutely beautiful stuff. And the lovely Chacounne is donating two hand-embroidered (blackwork) bookmarks, in the winner's choice of pattern from a selection she will provide. And, last but not least, Chun Yang is offering a gorgeous batik pillow. Here's a description:
It is 14 by 14 inches, a removable cotton cover that I batiked with soy wax, hand dyed in a low-immersion way (minimum water). I then added some deColorant to it (thanks for the tip, Sara R!) which took out some color in the design and added a bit of color. The pillow inside is foam and nice and firm.
(Link to emeraldmaiden's PayPal Account)
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Here are the rules for the drawing, to be conducted after we have reached our targeted goal of raising a minimum amount of $5,000.00 (hopefully more). Even this amount will provide emeraldmaiden and her family relief for only a few weeks. To be sure, your donations will alleviate some of her many difficulties.
HOW TO WIN ONE OF THE TWO PRIZES
1. Anyone can make a donation of $5.00, $10.00, $20.00, $50.00, $100.00, or higher. Each donation of $10.00 or higher counts as one entry to win one of the two prizes.
2. So as to give more chances to everyone, the same person can only win one of the two prizes.
3. You can make a donation by click this Link to emeraldmaiden's PayPal Account and paying by PayPal or credit card.
4. If you prefer to mail your donation through the U.S. Mail, email emeraldmaiden at emeraldmaiden@gmail.com and she will provide you with her mailing address. You can also message her through the DK4 messaging system.
5. If for some reason you are unable to make a donation, you can also enter the drawing by writing a brief diary (a couple of pages would suffice) on this topic: "What Should the Obama Administration and the U.S. Congress Do to Alleviate the Plight of the Unemployed and Underemployed?" Once you have written the diary, do inform emeraldmaiden by emailing her and providing a link to your diary so she can enter you in the drawing.
6. Once the fundraiser is closed, emeraldmaiden will send all the entries to Sara R, who will conduct the drawing, notify the winners, and ship the quilt. boran2 will ship the painting.
7. If You have any other questions about the fundraiser, email me at jekyllnhyde2@gmail.com or message me through DK4. If you have never used this feature before, enter my Daily Kos ID JekyllnHyde in the "To" section, subject heading, your message, preview, and send. It's that easy!
(Link to emeraldmaiden's PayPal Account)
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For those of us who have jobs or own businesses or, even, are privileged enough to have some inherited money, we should consider ourselves lucky. Millions of our fellow citizens have absolutely nothing. Many without health insurance are one major illness away from economic catastrophe or bankruptcy. A bit of bad luck here and there, many of us could as easily be in that abysmal situation.
I hope that you will consider donating as much as possible. I am appealing to the better angels of your nature to do so.
PLEASE DONATE GENEROUSLY. Thank you.
Link to emeraldmaiden's PayPal Account
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TOP COMMENTS
Thanks to tonight's Top Comments contributors! Let us hear from YOU when you stumble upon that outstanding conversation here on Daily Kos. |
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From JanF:
In J Town this morning, Otteray Scribe mentioned that he would be taking part in a Flowers of the Forest ceremony this weekend. When I asked what that was, this was his reply (a diary in itself).
From joanneleon:
About those ponies, a great comment from Ginger1.
This comment from triv33 describes the way people who depend on these programs feel about the cuts in a very real and honest way.
PhilJD knocks down the claim that people who push back strongly against the cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are Chicken Littles.
From Dreaming of Better Days:
I thought this comment by Punditus Maximus brilliant and wise. It's from this equally brilliant thread by Hunter.
From ontheleftcoast:
In another one of his comments that are better than many diaries G2geek gives a lesson on how to avoid being fodder for the likes of Rupert Murdoch or even actual pirates.
From Dragon5616:
Read a beautiful comment from stratocasterman in a beautiful diary by akmk, Lessons from a Dog on Letting Go.
From the "All politics is local loco" department, ScottyUrb is left wondering about his city commission in the Midday open thread by Kaili Joy Gray.
While tiptoeing through the pie wars today, I found this cogent remark by Otherday in The Troubadour's diary Speaker John Boehner Commits Political Suicide.
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Color boxes courtesy bronte17 |