The evolution of connection in modern times....

So, is it me or are there less brag Christmas cards going around this year? I like that. My theory is that it's because more people are doing family blogs and, well, that's where they do most of their bragging. But, seriously, even there, it seems people are bragging less. I like that.

Now, I do also notice that people are connecting in increasing quantity...but not quality. Lots of texting, blogging, facebooking, twittering going on. (I still have to understand twitter better- that's on my list of things to do next year- to understand it, I mean.) I mean, these days, I seem to have a lot of quick connections with people. Short, easy messages to express frustration, affection, connection, what have you.

But, I get the sense that I'm having less meaningful, deep, and vulnerable conversations with people. Also, is it possible that there are less person to person verbal conversations? I wonder. I wonder if that's been looked at yet....I'm sure it has. Listen, I'm just saying that if this keeps up...in 50 years, will there be less need for talking? How 'bout in 100 years? Or 500 years? Will our vocal chords be like one of those organs that our bodies no longer need, therefore, shrink in size or become unneccesary through subsequent generations? Hmmmm.

Giving Thanks

Once again, it's time to give thanks, officially, I mean. To be honest, this year I have focused more on giving thanks all year long than in other years past. So on this particular day of Thanksgiving, I have been reminded of more unusual things for me than the normal. Particularly, my health. Joaquin's ordeal, as well as many other reminders I have had lately has made me much more aware of the wonderful way our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have created our bodies. I am grateful for a strong and healthy body that can do so many things. Yes, I get more aches and pains than in the past. Yes, I get self-concious of my body and often wish it was less....bountiful. Butt, (pun intended), I can see, hear, dance, run and sweat, cuddle, ski (for which I am craving, thank you!), etc etc. Oh boy, it's not perfect. But perfect for my needs.

Sunday Laughs and Carbs

I wanna know what's the deal with Sundays and pig-outs. Why do I always pig out like I'm about to hibernate for months and have to store as much fat as possible in my body...on Sundays? I'm bored for like, 5 minutes, then I decide it's time to eat something. So, as I'm eating my 3rd bowl of cereal, I happen to turn to E!- I'm watching 101 Most Unforgetable Moments on Saturday Night Live. I'm laughing so hard I can't eat.

Eddie Murphy- Black Like Me "Go on, take it!" (I'm still laughing about that)

Phil Hartman as Frank Sinatra- "I ain't afraid of you, I got chunks of guys like you in my stool!"

Lyle, the effeminite heterosexual

Sprockets

Hannukah Harry

The Church Lady

Chris Farley- "I'm 35 years old! And I live in a trailer down by the river!"

I need more cowbell

"Strategery. Lock Box."

"A three hour tour! A three hour tour!"

and so on....more Cap'n Crunch Berries anyone?

On the President-Elect

Rewind to a July, 4 years ago in a Park City timeshare. It was a warm evening. Belo, Bela and the rest of the family lazing around after hours of swimming. I'm sitting at the kitchen table. Peanut M&Ms and Strawberry Twizzlers being passed around from person to person. The tv is on. Channel surfing. Nothing of interest. Pause at MSNBC. It's the Democratic Convention. A handsome young black man is speaking. Who is that? Let's see what he has to say. Within 5 minutes, it is apparent. Abuela turns to everyone and prophetically says "Wow. That's man is gonna be the President of the United States!" The rest of us are in awe-and we're all thinking "Yeah, no kidding". We listen intently, and don't turn the channel until after he is finished. Not one of us in that room considered ourselves Democrats. Not one, yet we were all frozen, hanging on to every word that came out of that unknown's mouth.

Fast forward back to November 4th. I voted. I won't publicize who I voted for, but I joined billions of Americans as we watched the news, as the map of the United States begins to take on those well-known colors of red and blue- lots of blue. (I watched Tom Brokaw pull out that white board from the last election. Awww! I miss Tim Russert!) History unfolding.

Then I watched Senator McCain give his concession speech. I was touched. I was impressed. I absolutely loved the grace and leadership he projected.

On to Obama. I witness history. I was touched. I was impressed. I was moved. All I kept thinking was, no matter who you voted for, you can't help but be moved by this man. You can't help but be moved to witness such an unforgettable moment in the history of this nation. I, too, like many others, hope that he continues to inspire and lead and move us. I kept thinking, I hope I never forget this moment.

Dems been dark days

Hi! remember me?
I'm curlygirl and I write my thoughts here. It's been awhile. Why?

Dems been dark days. Been reading Dracula. Been working alot. Been Facebookin' too. Not that it really matters because I have, like, what? 3 readers who read this?

And I haven't read other people's blogs either.

On a brighter note, did anyone see Marion Jones's post prison interview on Oprah? I didn't, but wish I did.

Since you asked, I am proud of her. I'm proud that she came clean. Is she still a role model? Yes. A role model for people who are willing to take responsibility for their behavior. Remember...she wasn't caught. She came clean and confessed- without being cornered. Can you imagine being in her shoes? Actually, I can't. Due to the fact that, well, she runs pretty fast. With or without performance enhancers. Performance enhancers. Hee hee hee! That makes me giggle. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Years ago, the word "performance" used to conjure up thoughts such as automobiles, horsepower, musicians, dancers, the arts. Now I think of...male peformance...male performance enhancers...little blue pill...hee hee hee. Oh damn those stupid Cialis/ Viagra commercials. Oh...I've got some thoughts about those commercials!

#1- who looks that good at that age?! They make those men and women look like they're friggin in the prime of their lives lookswise. Every one of them! Reality- most (I know, not all) people that age don't look that amazing. We're talking a little more weight around the middle- at best.

#2- who the hell puts two stand alone tubs in the middle of their front yard overlooking the sunset?! And even worse, who the hell wants to sit in a tub sitting in a front yard? Naked?! Lady, if you're with a guy who likes to sit naked in a tub in plain view of others, you got a lot more to worry about than his performance.

#3- sometimes I can't get that stupid ViVa Viagra! song outa my head!

Anywhooo.

I'm back. Maybe I can keep this blog up. Hope so. More thoughts to come when i think of them. In the meantime, Vivaaaaaa Viagra!

Don't drive like my brotha!

Okay, let me give you a tip...you gotta listen to NPR at 10 am on Saturday mornings! You gotta!
There's this show on called Car Talk hosted by a couple of brothers out of Boston. Holy Crap they're funny. Really funny. You don't have to love cars to really dig the show. I dig it. How did I find them? I stumbled on to them a few weeks ago while driving around running errands. For some reason, I'd never heard of them before. No one's ever talked about them. When I mentioned them to my dad, he immediately responded with "Oh, I love them! The're hilarious! I used to listen to them on my way to the office and I used to laugh my head off!" Then I wondered...it's NPR, I'm in Utah, and I just left a different age bracket. That's why.

Then, after that, listen to the 11 am show called Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Warning. It's very funny, BUT I didn't like it as much the first couple of times I listened to it. Now I think it's hilarious too. It's a gameshow based on the news over the past week, and you kinda have to keep up with the news to get a lot of the jokes.

Anyway, these 2 shows are great to listen to on Sat mornings while you're cleaning the house, running errands in the car, etc. You'll be glad you did.

Rejected.

So, I'll admit it. I lurk. Through the stroke of luck, or genius, several months ago i found several blogs of people I know through other people, etc. And I check on them regularly. There are a few blogs that I quite like reading...but then one fine day, I clicked on one I hadn't checked on for awhile only to find

the door locked

no trespassing.

They're soooooo exclusive. Who do they think they are?! Special?! Too good for us? Private club for members only?

I hate it when people do that. (but not when they've always done that, just the ones who suddenly do that. So that doesn't count you Rachelle or you Heidi, just others)

Politics As Usual

I watched the debates tonight, as I did last week. So, the thing I gotta ask is, is it me or are the debates so full of....the same old stuff? I mean, their tactics were so obvious. Both candidates constantly stroking the viewers by talking in ways that honestly did not feel genuine but more car salesmanish. I rarely felt like they answered the questions directly and concisely. Essentially, all they did was answer questions by pointing out the flaws and weaknesses of the other canditiate in regards to the topic at hand, with not even accurate information, and worse, they never really gave straight answers for themselves. I got so annoyed I could not watch the whole thing- though I really tried. I mean, honestly, what are those debates really about anyway? I mean, they can promise all they want but what percentage of those promises actually go through all the way? Honestly...'cause I don't know. But I remember that everytime I watch presidential/ vice-presidential debates, I feel this way. Thoughts? Educate me. This inquiring mind really wants to know.

My Heart is Full

This will be a conference weekend to remember for me. The Lord is putting a temple in Philadelphia! I cannot imagine what the response must have been in those Stake Centers all over Pennsylania, South Jersey, and Delaware. I started balling like a baby! And I can't stop crying. All I can say is the Lord answers our prayers and his timing is perfect. It is interesting to me that in the past few weeks I have felt a strong longing to reconnect with old friends from my stake and my heart feels full as this news brings us overwhelming joy and strengthens our bonds. I look forward to taking a trip back there and attending the temple...I hope to see some of you there as well. I am also so happy for the temple being built in Cordoba. That is were my family is from, that is where I lived at one point, although I was little. Happy Day!

Stuck in the middle and things I've observed

V: So I joined Facebook...
You: No duh, that's how I found your blog, dork!
V: I first I avoided it 'cause you know how I hate being another statistic.
You: So why did you join?
V: 'Cause everyone else was doing it.

So, as I've become more involved in the techno world of blogging, facebook, what have you, I've learned a few things...

1. Mormons love to blog, it is a total trend..and the closer you are to Utah, the more mormon bloggers there are. The further away, the less there are, but they are catching up.

2. People my age (ok, I'll admit it...35, I mean, 25) are at the cusp of sharing self in technoland.
People even 1 or 2 years younger than me have much higher numbers of involvement in facebook/ blogging than those my age (25) or older... with a few exceptions...

3. If you are not mormon, you are very likely to be involved in blogging/ facebook. Especially facebook. (Myspace is no longer cool- see Stuff White People Like)

4. If you are single and mormon, you don't blog as much , but you use facebook religiously...unless you consider yourself a writer or are older and are professional, with opinions to share, then you also blog.

5. If you are mormon and have a family, yes, you use facebook, but you are very likely to blog as well.

6. Lots of mormon wives who have a blog about their family love to rant and rave about how awesome/ perfect their lives are...either it's true, or they're trying to convince themselves, or they're faking it. I've also noticed the younger the wife/ family is, the more likely the picture is painted perfect, the older, the more real.

Was I crossing the line with #6? Shoot...maybe. Hey, I do it ('cause I'm in the middle). Well, not so much. That's okay, let's still love each other.

Dracuuuuuula!

I've just started this book, and I better get the pee scared right outa me! Or else, no soup for you, Bram Stoker!

I got gas...I think...

Tomorrow is Joaqo's payday, and I have very little $ until then. I had $8 cash in my wallet, and my tank was totally empty, so I thought, hey, I'll just put in the $8 until tomorrow...it'll be plenty. So I did. Um, the needle went up, like 2 millimeters. No kidding.

On Politics....

Well, since everyone's posting about the recent conventions, I thought I'd join the bandwagon. So, here are my thoughts...
McCain- I worry about major budget problems- like we need more debt. The war? I think it was a mistake to go to Iraq- How's he gonna keep paying for it? The good- he has fought for this country and I really believe he is committed to it heart and soul.

Palin- love, love the idea of a woman being there, but this one? Not enough experience! What's her foreign policy record like? (Besides with Canada). I don't know if I could handle the idea of her being president should something happen to the other one. Good- she seems like a great representative of the average american woman - she has a whole lot experience with all that comes with it for sure!

Obama- love, love the idea of a black president for so many reasons. He is intelligent, driven, cares for the minority, understands the needs of the people of this country. But, oops! Not much experience in government, like Palin.

Biden- I think this guy's great. Tons of experience, great leadership, great morals, fights for what he believes, and I believe has some experience with foreign policy (I'll have to double check that one). But, what about the financial mess we're in? I have no idea what his background is with that.


So, to sum it up.....I think I'm going for Obama-Biden. Yeah, that's right. Those two...Um. Will you still be my friends?

Dear God,

Tomorrow I will be paying my tithing. I will find some time to quickly run to the box that holds the tithing envelopes before sacrament mtg (if I'm on time), quickly fill out the paper and check (probably during a speaker, so, that reduces my listening time, on top of the fact that I have a toddler), then put it in the diaper bag (hidden so that the toddler doesn't take it out to draw on or play with), then cross my fingers and say a prayer, hoping to remember to give it to a member of the bishopric when they drop off their kids in my nursery class- hoping that I will remember while I am holding 2 toddlers in my arms in heels and a dress- one crying for her mama, the other asking repeatedly to read him a book- 2 toddlers who I love so much, but make it difficult to remember to hand the bishop my tithing envelope when he steps in to drop off his own son, because I love his son so much also and want to console him as well when the tears start flowing. All of these things greatly reduce the odds of that tithing envelope coming in for a landing ever so smoothly into the hand of the Bishop. Yes, I could do other things, make preparations ahead of time. But truth be told, (and I'm being authentic here) the aforementioned scenario is the typical scene, no matter how much I try to do otherwise. It doesn't last.
So what I'm really asking for is...could you make it so we can pay tithing online? It would make it so much easier to be obedient.....pretty please?

Are you ready for some football?!

Eagles v. Panthers.

My team won 24-13.

Time to bring out the Eagles and Cougars accessories.

Ni hao!

It's Olympics time again. And I love it. I relish watching the Olympics and cheering for our athletes. My favorites in the summer games? Gymnastics, soccer, diving, swimming, and here it comes... wrestling. Yep. I love wrestling. Go ahead. Make fun of me...but then I'll take you down.
And I can, you know. But don't worry, I'll let go as soon as you are calm... or you tap out...but that's another sport.

Wanted:

Married Hispanic Female seeking a long-lasting, flexible partner to spend fun-filled and serious time with. Must be dark, fabulously rich, and willing to deal with all my baggage.

Hello lover! Ooooo! You look scrumptious!

Lucky!

Today I ran into a lady coworker from years past. We exchanged small talk. I walked away so astounded I had to call Kimmie ...first, b/c I couldn't remember this gal's name, and 2nd, I had to process. Process this: Said lady coworker has no children (she got married shortly before leaving the co), has not worked for 2 years. In her words "I just hang out all day". Lucky! (said in napleon dymanite tone). How can I get that gig?