Fa LA LA LA LA....I'm not LISTENING!

So I slogged through the frosty morning to work today. I somehow managed to remember shoes but forget socks. Consequently

MY FEET ARE COLD!

Comes as a shock, I realize. I made four batches of scones last night and brought them all in today. I had to test one of each--just to make sure they're edible. It wouldn't do to accidentally poison someone. To do so on PURPOSE is another matter entirely!

I bought all of us here at the office a gifty. I bought Dart Pistols that shoot foam darts about 3" long. Our holiday luncheon today should include an impromptu drive by shooting range. I have ordered myself the Nerf equivalent of the Gatling gun. It hasn't arrived yet, but trust me, I don't give out gifts like these without being prepared to defend myself.

Me? Grow up?


Perish the thought!

Newsy Bits

Some stories in the news are latching onto my brain and not letting me go. The first one is the report that 95% of Americans not only have pre-marital relations, but the level of sex-before-marriage has been steady since the 1950s. This whole lasciviousness of impulsive and spoiled youth cry is total bullshit. But then, we knew that--didn't we?

As I mentioned over at die7fox's journal, the part that really gets me is this:

Wade Horn, assistant secretary for children and families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, defended the abstinence-only approach for teenagers.

''One of its values is to help young people delay the onset of sexual activity,'' he said. ''The longer one delays, the fewer lifetime sex partners they have, and the less the risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease.''

He insisted there was no federal mission against premarital sex among adults.

''Absolutely not,'' Horn said. ''The Bush administration does not believe the government should be regulating or stigmatizing the behavior of adults.''

Horn said he found the high percentages of premarital sex cited in the study to be plausible, and expressed hope that society would not look askance at the small minority that chooses to remain abstinent before marriage.

HUNDREDS of MILLIONS of dollars spent in PUBLIC EDUCATION to promote the choice of "the small minority that chooses to remain abstinent."

What could we accomplish if we spent HUNDREDS of MILLONS of dollars on text books? on paying a living wage to teachers? on health education and awareness of STDs. What if we spent even a tiny portion on that to allow our own scientist and doctors of the CDC to attend the world health conference on AIDS instead of prohibiting them from traveling and participating in the conference because it counters the Administration's policy on abstinence only education?

Oh what a wonderful world this could be.

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And in other news...a baby was sent through an airport x-ray machine. I can't believe this. I feel sorry for the grandmother as well as the baby, who wasn't harmed in this. However. I have a hard time understanding the lack of comprehension on the part of the adult as to who thought this was a good idea. I suppose I don't know what it is to be that naive. I wouldn't run my dog through that, much less my child. AND...having traveled through LAX several times in my life. That airport is NEVER empty. Why did the hundreds of people around in line not say SOMETHING? This includes passengers and security/airport employees. WHY? It's not their kid so it's not their job? WTF is wrong with these people?

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It's no secret that the Bay Area has some of the HIGHEST prices for homes/land in the nation. I don't own a house here. I never will be able to afford a house here, short of winning the lottery. I'm content to rent really. My credit thanks to two disastrous marriages and a few other issues is not perfect. To get a loan on my credit would require a WHOPPING down payment or an inflated monthly price on the mortgage, neither of which I'm willing to do. I have to confess I felt a twinge of relief when I read this article saying: "As many as 2.2 million Americans with subpar credit could lose their homes through foreclosure over the next several years."

That would be me. And through foresight and not giving into the pressure of economic slavery by those who insist I MUST have credit cards, mortgages, car payments etc. it won't be me. However, I worry about and feel badly for those who will find themselves out of a house, foreclosed on, credit ruined forever. Because I know far too many that this can happen to and they assess their self-esteem and self-worth according to what someone ELSE says their credit score is.

I'm telling ya, I'm ready for that YURT, off the grid, just enough solar power to run a small fridge and my laptop/cellphone. Well water and a septic tank.