This is worth spending six minutes of your life watching.
John McCain is a coward and a liar with no ideas genuine to himself.
Thanks, dad, for sending me this link.
Stay Gold!
MMK
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Painting
I've been drawing and painting lately in all of this free time I have until August 7th. Here's something I painted last week. The words come from a song by Have Heart .
This is really my first serious attempt at anything with watercolors. I like some things about it, and I don't like others. Yes, I know that the right wing is neither dimensionally or proportionately correct. So it goes.
Anyway. Just thought I'd share. I will post more as I finish them.
Stay Gold,
MMK
This is really my first serious attempt at anything with watercolors. I like some things about it, and I don't like others. Yes, I know that the right wing is neither dimensionally or proportionately correct. So it goes.
Anyway. Just thought I'd share. I will post more as I finish them.
Stay Gold,
MMK
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
oh dorthy. there really is no place like home.
yes. a tornado in new hampshire...
if that isn't enough (on top of everything else) to convince me the world is turning into total shit...
then i'm not sure what could.
this week has been long. it took me 2 1/2 hours to get home today.
i'm not sure if i'm cut out for this whole commuter deal.
sigh.
please lord, don't listen to my complaints and grumpy attitude. i have food, a dry bed to sleep in, and a husband to snuggle against.
please...just be with the people who are struggling to find peace in the midst of all the disaster.
still much love.
slk
if that isn't enough (on top of everything else) to convince me the world is turning into total shit...
then i'm not sure what could.
this week has been long. it took me 2 1/2 hours to get home today.
i'm not sure if i'm cut out for this whole commuter deal.
sigh.
please lord, don't listen to my complaints and grumpy attitude. i have food, a dry bed to sleep in, and a husband to snuggle against.
please...just be with the people who are struggling to find peace in the midst of all the disaster.
still much love.
slk
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
service.
Looks like Marshall has been bloggin' up a storm while I have been MIA. I guess I haven't really felt like writing a blog...but regardless, here is quick update.
I went to Philadelphia last week for Pre-Service Orientation (PSO). The actual content of the program was pretty basic and included much of the skills and knowledge I obtained through undergrad. Regardless, our training was held in the historic district of Philly. On the off-time provided I was able to see the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Chinatown, and even Benjamin Franklin's grave! I also really enjoyed meeting other VISTA candidates who are working throughout the East Coast area. I connected with one lady, Adrienne...and we spent much of the four days just talking and hanging out. Unfortunately, her placement is in Providence, RI and being able to see each other on a regular basis will be a bit difficult. However, we have already called each other to vent about the first couple of days of work.
So the first couple of days at PlusTime NH have been going...slowly. My supervisor has been EXTREMELY busy with a conference..and today his son developed a fever so he had to stay home. With that being said, no one has directed me in what I am going to be doing...or rather, what I should be doing. My days have basically consisted of me researching all I can about wellness and after school programs. Most of the information I am aware of...sigh.....shrug. Hopefully I will be able to meet up with my supervisor tomorrow and will receive a little bit more guidance.
Other random updates:
I still love my husband 8 billion.
Politicians don't give a shit about youth.
I still want universal health care. Yes, I'm willing to pay for it.
I still think America sucks. Yes, the quality of life for some has remained the same or even improved since Bush has been our president, but those people aren't family of a solider. Our country is clearly not the best it has ever been.
I'm still pro-life. Yes, I'm highly offended when the lady at works calls pro-lifers stupid and ignorant.
I still believe drinking fucking sucks. I hate when people feel they need to defend their drinking' habits to me...
BUT I still highly value developmental conversations.
I still love ice cream.
I still need more Jesus in my life.
I still think Iowa is the best state ever.
I am still excited for Miss Julia Pond to arrive in New Hampshire.
I am still working out! Whoohoo...and having a routine still feels amazing!
I still try to read the news...I still find the news scary and depressing.
I still want a best friend in New Hampshire.
I still need to go to bed.
Sigh. I miss you all.
Much love.
SLK
I went to Philadelphia last week for Pre-Service Orientation (PSO). The actual content of the program was pretty basic and included much of the skills and knowledge I obtained through undergrad. Regardless, our training was held in the historic district of Philly. On the off-time provided I was able to see the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Chinatown, and even Benjamin Franklin's grave! I also really enjoyed meeting other VISTA candidates who are working throughout the East Coast area. I connected with one lady, Adrienne...and we spent much of the four days just talking and hanging out. Unfortunately, her placement is in Providence, RI and being able to see each other on a regular basis will be a bit difficult. However, we have already called each other to vent about the first couple of days of work.
So the first couple of days at PlusTime NH have been going...slowly. My supervisor has been EXTREMELY busy with a conference..and today his son developed a fever so he had to stay home. With that being said, no one has directed me in what I am going to be doing...or rather, what I should be doing. My days have basically consisted of me researching all I can about wellness and after school programs. Most of the information I am aware of...sigh.....shrug. Hopefully I will be able to meet up with my supervisor tomorrow and will receive a little bit more guidance.
Other random updates:
I still love my husband 8 billion.
Politicians don't give a shit about youth.
I still want universal health care. Yes, I'm willing to pay for it.
I still think America sucks. Yes, the quality of life for some has remained the same or even improved since Bush has been our president, but those people aren't family of a solider. Our country is clearly not the best it has ever been.
I'm still pro-life. Yes, I'm highly offended when the lady at works calls pro-lifers stupid and ignorant.
I still believe drinking fucking sucks. I hate when people feel they need to defend their drinking' habits to me...
BUT I still highly value developmental conversations.
I still love ice cream.
I still need more Jesus in my life.
I still think Iowa is the best state ever.
I am still excited for Miss Julia Pond to arrive in New Hampshire.
I am still working out! Whoohoo...and having a routine still feels amazing!
I still try to read the news...I still find the news scary and depressing.
I still want a best friend in New Hampshire.
I still need to go to bed.
Sigh. I miss you all.
Much love.
SLK
The Surge
Ok, so I'm tired of hearing about this on the news. McCain says the troop surge in Iraq worked. Obama says that the surge failed. I'm prone to agree with the latter (of course), but here's why.
The troop surge worked insofar as the objective of the surge was to interrupt and deter the attacks and combative actions of the Iraqi insurgency. With violence at it's lowest point in Iraq since the beginning of the American occupation, McCain is technically correct in saying that the surge has "worked." Hooray. Less people are dying.
Except for the fact that the real and true front in the war on terror is in Afghanistan, where nine US soldiers were killed and fifteen were injured just last week. Iraq has nothing to do with the war on terror. Hussein's regime had no ties to Al Queda, nor did Hussein fund or support Bin Laden, or have any part in 9/11. We are in Iraq because the President and his pals chose (long before 9/11) to take us there, not because we're justified in being there because of any terrorist attacks on the United States. The insurgency in Iraq existd because we chose to occupy Iraq. We created the insurgency.
How would you react if another country invaded the United States and began murdering innocent civilians?
On the other hand, the Taliban and Afghanistan supported and sheltered Osama Bin Laden and Al Queda before 9/11 and has since. They have direct ties to the terrorism which we're now fighting to end. We are justified in our presence in Afghanistan. The troop surge in Iraq took troops and resources from the Afghani front in the war on terror and displaced them in Iraq.
This is why Obama voted against the troop surge. McCain claims that the troop surge in Iraq will help us "win" the war on terror, but how can you win a war when you're taking troops and supplies away from the front upon which the war is being fought?
The troop surge in Iraq is, I believe, an attempt to stabilize the country enough to have it stand independently on it's own once the US pulls out. That's a noble thing, right? It makes sense to support that kind of thing.
Let's learn from history though, shall we? Let's look at Vietnam. McCain fought in that war, by the way. He talks about it a lot. He's proud to tell you he's a veteran and that he was a prisoner of war who faced some terrible conditions at the hands of people who hated America. That sounds convincing. He really must have learned a thing or two about war, right?
The United States was in Vietnam for roughly fourteen years. At first, we sent military advisors to Vietnam in order to help contain the spread of Communism from North Vietnam into South Vietnam. When this failed, we began sending full combat units to the country in 1965. For the next eight years, we were continuously engaged in warfare with the North Vietnamese army. As it turned out, both sides realized that the war was ultimately a stalemate. We met, drew up some peace accords, and cut and run. Most US combat troops left South Vietnam in 1973. This leaving process was called "Vietnamization" and enacted into order to transfer more autonomy to the South Vietnamese government in running their own political and military affairs.
Two years after the US left Vietnam, the South collapsed to the North and the two were unified under one Communist government. It's important to realize that the failure of South Vietnam was directly related to American activities in the country during the war. Our presence there and the money we provided established a government in South Vietnam which was dependent on financial aide and the presence of a large number of US military troops to keep the peace. When those things left, the country collapsed.
This was called "Peace with Honor." Once it was realized that the war couldn't be won, the US started looking for exit strategies which wouldn't appear to be an absolute and complete failure. We poured in more troops and resources in order to build up the South enough that it wouldn't collapse immediately after we left. The South stood on it's own for two years after we withdrew most of our troops. We kept our "honor."
So, Mr. McCain. Keep arguing that the troop surge worked. You're technically correct. It has. But will it continue to work? Will it accomplish that which needs to be done in order to build a strong and stable Iraq?
I don't think so. The violence has ended because their are more troops on the ground. That doesn't mean that it won't start again once those troops are withdrawn.
Bottom Line: Don't paint Obama as unpatriotic or as a weakling simply because he won't admit that the surge has worked. It's far less patriotic to continue to vote to support an immoral and illegal war than it is to vote against it. It takes far more strength to stand against the red, white, and blue propaganda machine than it does to wave your military record in our faces and rely on the politics of fear and divisiveness.
MMK
The troop surge worked insofar as the objective of the surge was to interrupt and deter the attacks and combative actions of the Iraqi insurgency. With violence at it's lowest point in Iraq since the beginning of the American occupation, McCain is technically correct in saying that the surge has "worked." Hooray. Less people are dying.
Except for the fact that the real and true front in the war on terror is in Afghanistan, where nine US soldiers were killed and fifteen were injured just last week. Iraq has nothing to do with the war on terror. Hussein's regime had no ties to Al Queda, nor did Hussein fund or support Bin Laden, or have any part in 9/11. We are in Iraq because the President and his pals chose (long before 9/11) to take us there, not because we're justified in being there because of any terrorist attacks on the United States. The insurgency in Iraq existd because we chose to occupy Iraq. We created the insurgency.
How would you react if another country invaded the United States and began murdering innocent civilians?
On the other hand, the Taliban and Afghanistan supported and sheltered Osama Bin Laden and Al Queda before 9/11 and has since. They have direct ties to the terrorism which we're now fighting to end. We are justified in our presence in Afghanistan. The troop surge in Iraq took troops and resources from the Afghani front in the war on terror and displaced them in Iraq.
This is why Obama voted against the troop surge. McCain claims that the troop surge in Iraq will help us "win" the war on terror, but how can you win a war when you're taking troops and supplies away from the front upon which the war is being fought?
The troop surge in Iraq is, I believe, an attempt to stabilize the country enough to have it stand independently on it's own once the US pulls out. That's a noble thing, right? It makes sense to support that kind of thing.
Let's learn from history though, shall we? Let's look at Vietnam. McCain fought in that war, by the way. He talks about it a lot. He's proud to tell you he's a veteran and that he was a prisoner of war who faced some terrible conditions at the hands of people who hated America. That sounds convincing. He really must have learned a thing or two about war, right?
The United States was in Vietnam for roughly fourteen years. At first, we sent military advisors to Vietnam in order to help contain the spread of Communism from North Vietnam into South Vietnam. When this failed, we began sending full combat units to the country in 1965. For the next eight years, we were continuously engaged in warfare with the North Vietnamese army. As it turned out, both sides realized that the war was ultimately a stalemate. We met, drew up some peace accords, and cut and run. Most US combat troops left South Vietnam in 1973. This leaving process was called "Vietnamization" and enacted into order to transfer more autonomy to the South Vietnamese government in running their own political and military affairs.
Two years after the US left Vietnam, the South collapsed to the North and the two were unified under one Communist government. It's important to realize that the failure of South Vietnam was directly related to American activities in the country during the war. Our presence there and the money we provided established a government in South Vietnam which was dependent on financial aide and the presence of a large number of US military troops to keep the peace. When those things left, the country collapsed.
This was called "Peace with Honor." Once it was realized that the war couldn't be won, the US started looking for exit strategies which wouldn't appear to be an absolute and complete failure. We poured in more troops and resources in order to build up the South enough that it wouldn't collapse immediately after we left. The South stood on it's own for two years after we withdrew most of our troops. We kept our "honor."
So, Mr. McCain. Keep arguing that the troop surge worked. You're technically correct. It has. But will it continue to work? Will it accomplish that which needs to be done in order to build a strong and stable Iraq?
I don't think so. The violence has ended because their are more troops on the ground. That doesn't mean that it won't start again once those troops are withdrawn.
Bottom Line: Don't paint Obama as unpatriotic or as a weakling simply because he won't admit that the surge has worked. It's far less patriotic to continue to vote to support an immoral and illegal war than it is to vote against it. It takes far more strength to stand against the red, white, and blue propaganda machine than it does to wave your military record in our faces and rely on the politics of fear and divisiveness.
MMK
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Computer Issues
While Sarah was away in Philadelphia this past week, I decided to format the hard drive on our laptop and reinstall Windows from scratch. I use to do this yearly on my desktop in order to keep things from getting bogged down, and to keep it running quickly and smoothly. I saved all of our media and data onto my external hard drive before starting in on the laptop. Once I had reinstalled Windows, though, I realized that the drivers for the laptop's networking and video cards had been erased and were not reinstalled with the rest of the operating system. So, we had no internet for a couple of days until I was able to hook up my desktop and download the drivers on a working machine. I just got them all installed here on the laptop, though, and it seems like everything is working fine again.
Hooray.
Sarah is at the beach right now with a couple of the other hall director's. I'm not really a beach going sort of guy, so I decided to stay home and work on the computer.
Anyway, so that's what's going on today. We'll probably take it easy this evening and spend some time together or just relaxing with a couple of friends. Sarah starts working on Monday, so today and tomorrow will be our last couple of days together before she's gone everyday between breakfast and dinner. So it goes.
I'm reading a book right now called "Why the Christian Right is Wrong." It's written by a UCC congregational minister from Oklahoma. The ideas he's discussing are fairly thought provoking. I've been pulling out little sections here and there so far that I think are particularly important. I will probably post a couple of quotes here later, so check back if you're into that sort of thing.
Cool beans.
Stay Gold!
MMK
Hooray.
Sarah is at the beach right now with a couple of the other hall director's. I'm not really a beach going sort of guy, so I decided to stay home and work on the computer.
Anyway, so that's what's going on today. We'll probably take it easy this evening and spend some time together or just relaxing with a couple of friends. Sarah starts working on Monday, so today and tomorrow will be our last couple of days together before she's gone everyday between breakfast and dinner. So it goes.
I'm reading a book right now called "Why the Christian Right is Wrong." It's written by a UCC congregational minister from Oklahoma. The ideas he's discussing are fairly thought provoking. I've been pulling out little sections here and there so far that I think are particularly important. I will probably post a couple of quotes here later, so check back if you're into that sort of thing.
Cool beans.
Stay Gold!
MMK
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Who ReadsThis?
I'm just curious... Who reads this thing, anyway?
Leave us a comment or whatevs if you are a part of our readership.
Ok, I'm going to bed now. See you in the morning.
Stay Gold.
Leave us a comment or whatevs if you are a part of our readership.
Ok, I'm going to bed now. See you in the morning.
Stay Gold.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
The World's on Fire
I was watching the news earlier tonight and I was reminded of why I try to avoid watching the news. What a waste of time. In case you haven't been paying attention, let me catch you up: people are dying, the dollar isn't worth anything anymore, our consumption is catching up with us, the rest of humanity despises us, and gas is still super expensive.
"The paper says the whole world's on fire, but this street is quiet."
- Modern Life is War
That's the glory of America, isn't it? At least it has been in the past. The world is wasting away, but it always seems to waste more quickly somewhere else. It's never us. Give it time, though... Let's see where this recession and potential bank crisis takes us.
I'd like to think that we will bond together as a people and turn things around. I'd like to believe that things will get better. I'm hard pressed to be too hopeful, though. I have faith in the Father. I don't have too much faith right now in His people.
"Ernest Hemingway once wrote 'the world is a fine place and worth fighting for.' I agree with the second part."
- Morgan Freeman, Se7en
So it goes, I suppose.
The Bible refers to the earth as a creation of God and, essentially, God's kingdom. The Garden of Eden was His kingdom and glory. The Word tells us that His kingdom will come again to the earth.
I am glad that I trust in a God who is loving and merciful beyond our understanding because I have absolutely no idea how this could have been, or could be again, any sort of kingdom in which any sort of God would take pride. As I've said before, I have resigned myself to the fact that I will most likely live the rest of my life without ever fully understanding how He could ever rationalize that any of this would be worth His one and only Son.
Anyway, so here's to the world and the fact that it's been driving itself downward more and more quickly every day since the day it was created.
And I'm done rambling.
Stay Gold,
MMK
"The paper says the whole world's on fire, but this street is quiet."
- Modern Life is War
That's the glory of America, isn't it? At least it has been in the past. The world is wasting away, but it always seems to waste more quickly somewhere else. It's never us. Give it time, though... Let's see where this recession and potential bank crisis takes us.
I'd like to think that we will bond together as a people and turn things around. I'd like to believe that things will get better. I'm hard pressed to be too hopeful, though. I have faith in the Father. I don't have too much faith right now in His people.
"Ernest Hemingway once wrote 'the world is a fine place and worth fighting for.' I agree with the second part."
- Morgan Freeman, Se7en
So it goes, I suppose.
The Bible refers to the earth as a creation of God and, essentially, God's kingdom. The Garden of Eden was His kingdom and glory. The Word tells us that His kingdom will come again to the earth.
I am glad that I trust in a God who is loving and merciful beyond our understanding because I have absolutely no idea how this could have been, or could be again, any sort of kingdom in which any sort of God would take pride. As I've said before, I have resigned myself to the fact that I will most likely live the rest of my life without ever fully understanding how He could ever rationalize that any of this would be worth His one and only Son.
Anyway, so here's to the world and the fact that it's been driving itself downward more and more quickly every day since the day it was created.
And I'm done rambling.
Stay Gold,
MMK
Monday, July 14, 2008
Have Heart
Have Heart - "Watch Me Rise"
So I say to the slaves of depression,
"Carry on, and sing the sweet redeeming song
about living this life free and long."
It goes:
"Watch me, watch me,
watch me rise for miles and miles."
So I say to the slaves of depression,
"Carry on, and sing the sweet redeeming song
about living this life free and long."
It goes:
"Watch me, watch me,
watch me rise for miles and miles."
Sunday, July 13, 2008
This Week
This may be a couple of days old, but it's still worth mentioning:
We went to Vermont earlier this week to tour the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream factory. It was simultaneously educational, entertaining, and delicious. Here's a picture:
How delightful.
Besides that, the week has been fairly routine. We've worked out most days, read more books, watched some DVD's, and really just took it easy. Friday evening was spent in Portsmouth. We decided to have our anniversary dinner a couple of days early, so we went to a Japanese restaurant where we ordered sushi and edamame. It was my first time actually ordering sushi and deciding to eat it as a meal, but it turned out well and I actually enjoyed the meal. I'm sure we'll go back again in the future.
Our actual anniversary is tomorrow. I don't think we're planning on doing anything special. We might go see a movie and get some ice cream.
My grandpa Mabon called me yesterday morning to let me know that he had sold my car for me. While it was a good car, I am glad to have it sold. It was one of the few things leftover from the move that had yet to be resolved. Having it sold now takes a little bit of a weight off of our shoulders. The sale means, too, that I will be able to go out and make the very masculine purchase of a large TV. I have had my eye on 42" LCD flat panels for some time, but I think we will end up getting a 37" screen. It will still be plenty big and will serve our purposes. Five inches less never hurt anyone.
That's what she said?
Anyway. I don't really have a lot more to write about for this afternoon. We are going to go pick some blueberries and fruit with some other hall directors in about an hour. It should be a good time. I hope they have raspberries, too. Or green beans.
Let us know how you're doing if we haven't talked in awhile, eh?
Stay Gold!
MMK
We went to Vermont earlier this week to tour the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream factory. It was simultaneously educational, entertaining, and delicious. Here's a picture:
How delightful.Besides that, the week has been fairly routine. We've worked out most days, read more books, watched some DVD's, and really just took it easy. Friday evening was spent in Portsmouth. We decided to have our anniversary dinner a couple of days early, so we went to a Japanese restaurant where we ordered sushi and edamame. It was my first time actually ordering sushi and deciding to eat it as a meal, but it turned out well and I actually enjoyed the meal. I'm sure we'll go back again in the future.
Our actual anniversary is tomorrow. I don't think we're planning on doing anything special. We might go see a movie and get some ice cream.
My grandpa Mabon called me yesterday morning to let me know that he had sold my car for me. While it was a good car, I am glad to have it sold. It was one of the few things leftover from the move that had yet to be resolved. Having it sold now takes a little bit of a weight off of our shoulders. The sale means, too, that I will be able to go out and make the very masculine purchase of a large TV. I have had my eye on 42" LCD flat panels for some time, but I think we will end up getting a 37" screen. It will still be plenty big and will serve our purposes. Five inches less never hurt anyone.
That's what she said?
Anyway. I don't really have a lot more to write about for this afternoon. We are going to go pick some blueberries and fruit with some other hall directors in about an hour. It should be a good time. I hope they have raspberries, too. Or green beans.
Let us know how you're doing if we haven't talked in awhile, eh?
Stay Gold!
MMK
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Billy Sunday said these things about alcohol
Personal liberty is not personal license. I dare not exercise personal liberty if it infringes on the liberty of others. Our forefathers did not fight and die for personal license but for personal liberty bounded by laws. Personal liberty is the liberty of a murderer, a burglar, a seducer, or a wolf that wants to remain in a sheep fold, or the weasel in a hen roost. You have no right to vote for an institution that is going to drag your sons and daughters to hell.
If you were the only persons in this city you would have a perfect right to drive your horse down the street at breakneck speed; you would have a right to make a race track out of the streets for your auto; you could build a slaughter house in the public square; you could build a glue factory in the public square. But when the population increases from one to 600,000 you can't do it. You say, "Why can't I run my auto? I own it. Why can't I run my horse? I own it. Why can't I build the slaughter house? I own the lot." Yes, but there are 600,000 people here now and other people have rights.
So law stands between you and personal liberty, you miserable dog. You can't build a slaughter house in your front yard, because the law says you can't. As long as I am standing here on this platform I have personal liberty. I can swing my arms at will. But the minute any one else steps on the platform my personal liberty ceases. It stops just one inch from the other fellow's nose.
When you come staggering home, cussing right and left and spewing and spitting, your wife suffers, your children suffer. Don't think that you are the only one that suffers. A man that goes to the penitentiary makes his wife and children suffer just as much as he does. You're placing a shame on your wife and children. If you're a dirty, low-down, filthy, drunken, whisky-soaked bum you'll affect all with whom you come in contact. If you're a God-fearing man you will influence all with whom you come in contact. You can't live by yourself with my business?"
If I heard a man beating his wife and heard her shrieks and the children's cries and my wife would tell me to go and see what was the matter, and I went in and found a great big, broad-shouldered, whisky-soaked, hog-jowled, weasel-eyed brute dragging a little woman around by the hair, and two children in the comer unconscious from his kicks and the others yelling in abject terror, and he said, "What are you coming in to interfere with my personal liberty for? Isn't this my wife, didn't I pay for the license to wed her?" You ought, or you're a bigamist. "Aren't these my children; didn't I pay the doctor to bring them into the world?" You ought to, or you're a thief. "If I want to beat them, what is that your business, aren't they mine?" Would I apologize? Never! I'd knock seven kinds of pork out of that old hog.
Monday, July 7, 2008
fashion show. fashion show. fashion show at lunch.
If you couldn't tell from the title, Marshall and I have been watching The Office constantly for the past couple of days. I highly encourage anyone who has a sense of humor to watch the show...it's pretty much amazing.
Marshall and I are continuing our newly formed healthy habits. We are both finding a high level of satisfaction in our health focused behaviors and are beginning to see some results. While my weight seems to be increasing (mainly due to the building of muscle mass), Marshall is witnessing a decrease in his weight! WHOHOO! I am so proud of him!
Grace (Marshall's sister) had shown some interest in the specifics of our health plan. And honestly, most of our current behaviors are simple...and rather common sense ideas and practices. The most important thing I have learned in regards to health and wellness, is that a person can have an extensive amount of knowledge, but if the individual does not possess intrinsic motivation (or a belief the change is beneficial)...well then, nothing will happen...and the knowledge is never applied.
I believe Marshall and I have a few different sources of motivation, but the biggest influence is probably just having each other. We've already had those days where one of us just wants to lay around all day or eat the gallon of ice cream. But thankfully, we have both been good about encouraging each other and helping each other see the benefits of working out and eating in moderation on those trying days. Just having some around to ask, "Do you really need that extra serving of Mac n' Cheese?" brings a sense of accountability to the day-to-day challenges.
Another source of motivation is our family history. Marshall has a strong family history of heart disease and other health issues which are making him want to lose weight and lower his blood pressure. My family history also includes some warning signs such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and struggles with maintaining healthy body compositions. We both want to live happy and healthy for our friends, our family, each other...and hopefully someday, for our children.
So specifics. Well, I haven't baked since we have moved. I know, sad day, right? If any of you know me well...you know I LOOOOVE to bake. I worked in a bakery all through college...which only reinforced my desire to bake. Anyways, the trouble with me baking is...as you can guess...Marshall and I eat the goods. Both Marshall and I have trouble with moderating sweets. So the best way for us to lower our sugar (and caloric intake) is to just not have it around, and it really has benefited us! We have a bag of marshmallows in the freezer pretty much all the time which helps to curve our sugar cravings quite a bit. AND, one mallow only has about 25 calories and 3.75 grams of sugar...as opposed to a cookie with probably has at least 4 times as much!
What else. We force ourselves to look at the top row of cereals of the grocery store. (As I am sure most of you know, the healthy cereals are placed at the top...conveniently leaving all the kiddy..high sugar and low fiber containing cereals in the middle and at the bottom shelving units. So much for trying to lower the childhood obesity, right?) So we eat breakfast, EVERYDAY, while getting at least, if not more, 4 grams of fiber in the morning. This gives us energy for the day..(and the soon-to-come workout) and helps to keep hunger away until lunch.
Hum. We don't buy beef. We've gotten pretty hooked on ground turkey and frozen chicken. We don't buy or use mayonnaise, real butter, regular dressings, etc. Mustard (spicy) is great for cold or grilled sandwiches. We buy frozen vegetables for stir-fry to go with our rice (we got a rice-maker for Christmas last year from my parents...also, AMAZING). We have been pretty good lately about buying fresh fruit and veggies. Grapes tend to satisfy my sugar cravings as well. We only buy skim milk and low-fat yogurts...and always have (low-fat) cheese to provide some extra flavor on our food. We have been dinning out a lot less...and when we do, we try to pick health options...and if possible, we split something. Splitting cuts down on calories one individual consumes and has also helped save us some money! I am sure there are more food decisions we have made...but I think those are the main ones...
As far as exercise. Just get out and move! Marshall and I walk to the post-office to get our mail, we walk to the grocery store, and walk just to walk. Walking is so good for the body. We do spend at least an hour a day at the gym. I enjoy cardio more than lifting weights...so I run on the treadmill, or use the elliptical for at least the first 30 minutues. Then, depending on how I feel, I will lift some weights, use the row machine, or whatever else I can set my mind and body on doing. Marshall really enjoys lifting, so mainly his routine is focused on that...but he makes sure to get some cardio in there as well. (BTW, YAY baby, for running 20 minutes straight!) The main thing about exercise is to find activities that are enjoyable...not painful. Who wants to do an activity that is painful...or boring?! And Marshall and I are trying to listen to our bodies. If a certain part of our body is sore, then we will work that part less and focus on a different part. We take at least one day off from the gym a week as well, just to give our bodies some time to rest and recuperate.
Whew, this is a long blog (and maybe boring for some), but I just wanted to share some of the changes we have made...and are continuing to make. Being healthy...and well..isn't like a test...where you study all you can and then just go in and take the test...and then it's over. Wellness is lifelong. You have to be in it for the long haul. But isn't living a healthy and enjoyable life better than living in constant distress and agony that could have been prevented?
Be well!
SLK
Marshall and I are continuing our newly formed healthy habits. We are both finding a high level of satisfaction in our health focused behaviors and are beginning to see some results. While my weight seems to be increasing (mainly due to the building of muscle mass), Marshall is witnessing a decrease in his weight! WHOHOO! I am so proud of him!
Grace (Marshall's sister) had shown some interest in the specifics of our health plan. And honestly, most of our current behaviors are simple...and rather common sense ideas and practices. The most important thing I have learned in regards to health and wellness, is that a person can have an extensive amount of knowledge, but if the individual does not possess intrinsic motivation (or a belief the change is beneficial)...well then, nothing will happen...and the knowledge is never applied.
I believe Marshall and I have a few different sources of motivation, but the biggest influence is probably just having each other. We've already had those days where one of us just wants to lay around all day or eat the gallon of ice cream. But thankfully, we have both been good about encouraging each other and helping each other see the benefits of working out and eating in moderation on those trying days. Just having some around to ask, "Do you really need that extra serving of Mac n' Cheese?" brings a sense of accountability to the day-to-day challenges.
Another source of motivation is our family history. Marshall has a strong family history of heart disease and other health issues which are making him want to lose weight and lower his blood pressure. My family history also includes some warning signs such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and struggles with maintaining healthy body compositions. We both want to live happy and healthy for our friends, our family, each other...and hopefully someday, for our children.
So specifics. Well, I haven't baked since we have moved. I know, sad day, right? If any of you know me well...you know I LOOOOVE to bake. I worked in a bakery all through college...which only reinforced my desire to bake. Anyways, the trouble with me baking is...as you can guess...Marshall and I eat the goods. Both Marshall and I have trouble with moderating sweets. So the best way for us to lower our sugar (and caloric intake) is to just not have it around, and it really has benefited us! We have a bag of marshmallows in the freezer pretty much all the time which helps to curve our sugar cravings quite a bit. AND, one mallow only has about 25 calories and 3.75 grams of sugar...as opposed to a cookie with probably has at least 4 times as much!
What else. We force ourselves to look at the top row of cereals of the grocery store. (As I am sure most of you know, the healthy cereals are placed at the top...conveniently leaving all the kiddy..high sugar and low fiber containing cereals in the middle and at the bottom shelving units. So much for trying to lower the childhood obesity, right?) So we eat breakfast, EVERYDAY, while getting at least, if not more, 4 grams of fiber in the morning. This gives us energy for the day..(and the soon-to-come workout) and helps to keep hunger away until lunch.
Hum. We don't buy beef. We've gotten pretty hooked on ground turkey and frozen chicken. We don't buy or use mayonnaise, real butter, regular dressings, etc. Mustard (spicy) is great for cold or grilled sandwiches. We buy frozen vegetables for stir-fry to go with our rice (we got a rice-maker for Christmas last year from my parents...also, AMAZING). We have been pretty good lately about buying fresh fruit and veggies. Grapes tend to satisfy my sugar cravings as well. We only buy skim milk and low-fat yogurts...and always have (low-fat) cheese to provide some extra flavor on our food. We have been dinning out a lot less...and when we do, we try to pick health options...and if possible, we split something. Splitting cuts down on calories one individual consumes and has also helped save us some money! I am sure there are more food decisions we have made...but I think those are the main ones...
As far as exercise. Just get out and move! Marshall and I walk to the post-office to get our mail, we walk to the grocery store, and walk just to walk. Walking is so good for the body. We do spend at least an hour a day at the gym. I enjoy cardio more than lifting weights...so I run on the treadmill, or use the elliptical for at least the first 30 minutues. Then, depending on how I feel, I will lift some weights, use the row machine, or whatever else I can set my mind and body on doing. Marshall really enjoys lifting, so mainly his routine is focused on that...but he makes sure to get some cardio in there as well. (BTW, YAY baby, for running 20 minutes straight!) The main thing about exercise is to find activities that are enjoyable...not painful. Who wants to do an activity that is painful...or boring?! And Marshall and I are trying to listen to our bodies. If a certain part of our body is sore, then we will work that part less and focus on a different part. We take at least one day off from the gym a week as well, just to give our bodies some time to rest and recuperate.
Whew, this is a long blog (and maybe boring for some), but I just wanted to share some of the changes we have made...and are continuing to make. Being healthy...and well..isn't like a test...where you study all you can and then just go in and take the test...and then it's over. Wellness is lifelong. You have to be in it for the long haul. But isn't living a healthy and enjoyable life better than living in constant distress and agony that could have been prevented?
Be well!
SLK
I Can't Sleep
I ran for twenty minutes straight today without stopping or walking or anything. Just a little bit short of two miles. I know that probably doesn't sound like much of an accomplishment, but I was proud of myself. I have always hated to run and I don't think I've ever run for more than ten or twelve minutes consecutively before, and certainly never more than the annual Presidential Fitness Test required. I still hate running. I guess I'm just learning to be a little more tolerant.
Sarah and I went out to dinner tonight in Portsmouth. I learned that I do not like sauces flavored with cilantro and capers. Sarah ate a delicious sandwich featuring feta cheese.
We're going to go to the beach tomorrow. I look forward to a horrendous sunburn and a host of new freckles.
We've been reading a lot lately. It's one of the few things that we can do without simultaneously seeing negative repercussions on the amount of money in our bank account. The library in Durham isn't much to look at. It's housed in a strip mall. But, they do have a pretty decent selection of books on hand and offer free downloads of audio books and things to their members. In the last two weeks, I've read:
Kurt Vonnegut - "Armageddon in Retrospect"
Kurt Vonnegut - "Slaughterhouse V"
Alan Bennett - "The Uncommon Reader"
Rodney Ratham - "Early Bird"
Al Franken - "The Truth (with Jokes)"
We need to go buy so more groceries.
I don't know. I don't have a lot to say right now. This has been a short list of some of the daily occurrences of our lives right now. Not too interesting, really, but we're enjoying ourselves.
Shrug. I think maybe I will go join my wife in bed, now.
Isaiah 66:15. A firestorm to purify.
I will write more about that tomorrow, perhaps.
Stay Gold,
MMK
Sarah and I went out to dinner tonight in Portsmouth. I learned that I do not like sauces flavored with cilantro and capers. Sarah ate a delicious sandwich featuring feta cheese.
We're going to go to the beach tomorrow. I look forward to a horrendous sunburn and a host of new freckles.
We've been reading a lot lately. It's one of the few things that we can do without simultaneously seeing negative repercussions on the amount of money in our bank account. The library in Durham isn't much to look at. It's housed in a strip mall. But, they do have a pretty decent selection of books on hand and offer free downloads of audio books and things to their members. In the last two weeks, I've read:
Kurt Vonnegut - "Armageddon in Retrospect"
Kurt Vonnegut - "Slaughterhouse V"
Alan Bennett - "The Uncommon Reader"
Rodney Ratham - "Early Bird"
Al Franken - "The Truth (with Jokes)"
We need to go buy so more groceries.
I don't know. I don't have a lot to say right now. This has been a short list of some of the daily occurrences of our lives right now. Not too interesting, really, but we're enjoying ourselves.
Shrug. I think maybe I will go join my wife in bed, now.
Isaiah 66:15. A firestorm to purify.
I will write more about that tomorrow, perhaps.
Stay Gold,
MMK
Friday, July 4, 2008
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Mocha Chip.
I can't sleep. This is the first night I haven't been able to sleep in quite a while. Strange. I'm not sure if it's due to the excessive amount of sleep Marshall and I got last night ( a good 10 hours worth) or if it's because of the massive Mocha Chip ice cream cone I had from the local ice cream shop. Oh well, that sweet treat was worth every calorie!
I don't have any thought provoking or inspiring topics to write about. My mind is just kind of all over the place tonight...I might just sort of ramble...
Things I think I'll miss: laughing until I cry with my mom, witnessing my mom treating my cat like her second child, my dad's hugs, seeing my dad and Marshall go target shooting, the pond behind my parent's house, mother and daughter shopping trips, watching the corn grow, my mom's sloppy joes, detasseling, Midwest college football, Miss Ali Norton and her Canadian humor, the joy in my grandmother's face when she sees me, sprint car races, Buffalo Wild Wings, UNI, playing rock band with Justin and Carrie (my brother-in-law and his wife), running on country roads, going to the Red Rock Dam, having solid christian-based friendships, Orchard Hill Church, playing cribbage with Jacob, Family Video (the job I had, co-workers, annnnd the free movie rentals!), the Eagles, living in a smoke-free state, and I have to admit it... Arby's and Dairy Queen!
Things to look forward to: working for Americorps, attending grad school next year, Marshall continuing to develop as a professional, getting involved in a church, making new friends, visits back home, getting letters in the mail!, finding quality tattoo shops, saving money to actually get tattoos, paying off some loans, decorating a new apartment, having visitors!, exploring Boston, enjoying the beach/ocean, voting for the next president, Marshall and I celebrating our 1 year anniversary, getting to know Marshall's RA's and the students in our building, surviving an East Coast winter, making a trip to the Ben & Jerry's Factory in Vermont, traveling to New York City, attempting to hit up some hardcore (hopefully straightedge) shows, and...mostly...learning how to be a better wife.
Shrug, it's late. Really late. I should go to bed.
I miss all of you. Please, come visit!
Love to you all.
SLK
I don't have any thought provoking or inspiring topics to write about. My mind is just kind of all over the place tonight...I might just sort of ramble...
Things I think I'll miss: laughing until I cry with my mom, witnessing my mom treating my cat like her second child, my dad's hugs, seeing my dad and Marshall go target shooting, the pond behind my parent's house, mother and daughter shopping trips, watching the corn grow, my mom's sloppy joes, detasseling, Midwest college football, Miss Ali Norton and her Canadian humor, the joy in my grandmother's face when she sees me, sprint car races, Buffalo Wild Wings, UNI, playing rock band with Justin and Carrie (my brother-in-law and his wife), running on country roads, going to the Red Rock Dam, having solid christian-based friendships, Orchard Hill Church, playing cribbage with Jacob, Family Video (the job I had, co-workers, annnnd the free movie rentals!), the Eagles, living in a smoke-free state, and I have to admit it... Arby's and Dairy Queen!
Things to look forward to: working for Americorps, attending grad school next year, Marshall continuing to develop as a professional, getting involved in a church, making new friends, visits back home, getting letters in the mail!, finding quality tattoo shops, saving money to actually get tattoos, paying off some loans, decorating a new apartment, having visitors!, exploring Boston, enjoying the beach/ocean, voting for the next president, Marshall and I celebrating our 1 year anniversary, getting to know Marshall's RA's and the students in our building, surviving an East Coast winter, making a trip to the Ben & Jerry's Factory in Vermont, traveling to New York City, attempting to hit up some hardcore (hopefully straightedge) shows, and...mostly...learning how to be a better wife.
Shrug, it's late. Really late. I should go to bed.
I miss all of you. Please, come visit!
Love to you all.
SLK
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
The Dialectic
"The wreckers against the builders! That's the whole story of life."
- Kurt Vonnegut, Armageddon in Retrospect
There are those who build things up: systems, physical surroundings, ideas, legacies, and their fellow man. There are also those who make it their purpose to tear these things apart, and they've become quite adept at doing so in an efficient manner. They have also succeeded at marketing their tearing down of things in such a way as to convince a good number of the builders that they would be better off to defect from their business of creating. Destruction is, after all, far more palatable than construction. The fall is more entertaining than the climb.
This is the essence of man. It always has been and it always will be.
Choose.
Humanity has a way of engineering its own end more efficiently than any god or devil ever could. We build great and wonderful things only to drive them into the ground in the name of excess and progress. This plays out on a grand level, of course, with companies, communities, and complete civilizations inescapably falling in an ascending and subsequently descending line.
It is important to understand, however, that the building and wrecking dialectic is not only the worry of humanity, as a body, but more practically the worry of humans as individual aspects of the human whole. This rise and fall happens not only on obviously grand social levels, but also (and perhaps more importantly) on the level of the individual.
So, again, choose. But choose first in your own life how and what you'll build and wreck before you go and worry about which role you'll fill on any higher level of society.
Einstein once said that we "cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war." Likewise, we cannot choose to both build and wreck and expect to be any good, or to have an impact, at either.
I, of course, would encourage you to try and be a better builder than you will be a wrecker. In the case that you absolutely must wreck something, however, please don't do anything too amazingly harmful. We're killing ourselves quickly enough, thank you. Speeding up the process any more would simply be excessive.
Stay Gold.
MMK
- Kurt Vonnegut, Armageddon in Retrospect
There are those who build things up: systems, physical surroundings, ideas, legacies, and their fellow man. There are also those who make it their purpose to tear these things apart, and they've become quite adept at doing so in an efficient manner. They have also succeeded at marketing their tearing down of things in such a way as to convince a good number of the builders that they would be better off to defect from their business of creating. Destruction is, after all, far more palatable than construction. The fall is more entertaining than the climb.
This is the essence of man. It always has been and it always will be.
Choose.
Humanity has a way of engineering its own end more efficiently than any god or devil ever could. We build great and wonderful things only to drive them into the ground in the name of excess and progress. This plays out on a grand level, of course, with companies, communities, and complete civilizations inescapably falling in an ascending and subsequently descending line.
It is important to understand, however, that the building and wrecking dialectic is not only the worry of humanity, as a body, but more practically the worry of humans as individual aspects of the human whole. This rise and fall happens not only on obviously grand social levels, but also (and perhaps more importantly) on the level of the individual.
So, again, choose. But choose first in your own life how and what you'll build and wreck before you go and worry about which role you'll fill on any higher level of society.
Einstein once said that we "cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war." Likewise, we cannot choose to both build and wreck and expect to be any good, or to have an impact, at either.
I, of course, would encourage you to try and be a better builder than you will be a wrecker. In the case that you absolutely must wreck something, however, please don't do anything too amazingly harmful. We're killing ourselves quickly enough, thank you. Speeding up the process any more would simply be excessive.
Stay Gold.
MMK
The DMV and Me
We stood in line at the New Hampshire Department of Motor Vehicles for an hour and forty-five minutes yesterday so that I could get a state driver's license which took, once the process had begun, a total of about five minutes. I suppose I would be more upset about the wait we had to endure if we, being currently unemployed, had anything more pressing of which to be concerned.
There was a man in line behind us who was sixty-five years old and who was there that day to get his first ever driver's license. His wife had always been responsible for driving their car and, until she apparently kicked the ol' bucket, hadn't thought that he needed a license at all.
Thanks for letting me drive our car sometimes, Sarah. I do appreciate it.
Anyway, the long and short of this story is that I had to regretfully part with my lovely blue and pink Iowa driver's license yesterday in order to transfer my residency to New Hampshire. So it goes, I suppose. We also registered to vote now in the 'shire; a duty we both plan on faithfully carrying through with this coming November.
And, in case you were wondering, I am leaning left as always.
http://www.barackobama.com/index.php
That's all for now, I guess. The wife and I joined a new gym here in town today. We were planning on joining one in the coming moths after my insurance was put into place, anyway, so today was as good a day as any other. Joining now will hopefully help us to further establish some of the good habits we've been making a part of our daily routine during the past couple of weeks. I think we're going to go have our first work out there in a little bit, so I had better start getting ready. I have to grease every muscle before I go so that they ripple and gleam whilst I work for the deep burn.
Stay Gold, kids. Hope you're enjoying this so far, even if our posts mostly consist of fairly routine laundry lists of our daily schedules and errands.
I might write more later.
MMK
There was a man in line behind us who was sixty-five years old and who was there that day to get his first ever driver's license. His wife had always been responsible for driving their car and, until she apparently kicked the ol' bucket, hadn't thought that he needed a license at all.
Thanks for letting me drive our car sometimes, Sarah. I do appreciate it.
Anyway, the long and short of this story is that I had to regretfully part with my lovely blue and pink Iowa driver's license yesterday in order to transfer my residency to New Hampshire. So it goes, I suppose. We also registered to vote now in the 'shire; a duty we both plan on faithfully carrying through with this coming November.
And, in case you were wondering, I am leaning left as always.
http://www.barackobama.com/index.php
That's all for now, I guess. The wife and I joined a new gym here in town today. We were planning on joining one in the coming moths after my insurance was put into place, anyway, so today was as good a day as any other. Joining now will hopefully help us to further establish some of the good habits we've been making a part of our daily routine during the past couple of weeks. I think we're going to go have our first work out there in a little bit, so I had better start getting ready. I have to grease every muscle before I go so that they ripple and gleam whilst I work for the deep burn.
Stay Gold, kids. Hope you're enjoying this so far, even if our posts mostly consist of fairly routine laundry lists of our daily schedules and errands.
I might write more later.
MMK
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