Creative Problem Solving

Much Like Hell, I Think

That would describe this afternoon from 1-2PM for me.
I was at the dentist. (Normally a very pleasant experience. I love to get my teeth cleaned. I would go once a week if I could afford it. It's that slickery feeling on the teeth afterward!) This time, though, they did "periodontal mapping". In a word: painful. They poke the gums around each tooth--front and back--from 3-4 times with the sharp pokey thing. Supposedly it is to check for infection/bacteria under the gums. I think it is to punish those of us who do not floss twice a day.

Anyway, as if that weren't enough, I had to field questions while there were hands and tools in my mouth. Not just any ol' questions...homeschooling questions. And not all were garden variety, either. Oh sure, there were the "What/Where/How do you find curriculums [sic]?" questions. But those are easy, and I actually can answer those with my mouth full of hands and pokey things. The ones that bug me, though, are the ones that presume supreme authority of the government over my children. This is the one stuck in my craw tonight, "How do you meet your P.E. requirement?"

Where to begin? How about: the plural of curriculum is curricula. Then, I could bring up the idea that P.E. isn't actually an educational issue. Or I could start with the radical idea that the responsibility to educate my kids lies solely with me, and not a government institution. Oh, the myriad possibilities.

I opted to just smile and nod.

'Twas Hubris Killed the Cake

If I had a brain, there would be a picture of the cake as it lay there in its death. Split into thirds, and oozing over itself, straining through the cooling rack, and onto the counter. Alas, I did not capture its demise.

The backstory has two parts.
Part one: I was making a cake for a friend's birthday today. I was doing this before my Weight Watchers meeting at 7:15AM. I had it all figured out. The cake would be made, dishes done, kitchen cleaned--everything perfectimundo--before I left for WW.

Part two: Our Wednesday morning bible study is going through the book Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World. This past Wednesday's study invovled an inventory of the self, a sort of check to see how much of a Martha you may be. We were to read the given statements and see if they applied to our thoughts. Included was the statement, "There should not be any limits to what I can do."

Now, being me, and having been reared to believe I am capable of accomplishing anything in my sights, I had a little problem thinking that statement was really an issue for me. Because, you see, there actually shouldn't be any limits to what I can do. Oh yes, I know the author intended to sniff out those wacky Martha types (of which I have nearly fully recovered--I mean you oughtta just see some of the things I don't even mention as irritating these days!) But, really, there are those of us who are quite competent, amazing, and well, lots of other great adjectives that I can't think of right now!

(You can probably see what's coming. I know the hindsight is truly 20/20 for me.)

On my way to put the finished cake (dishes done, kitchen sparkling) into the fridge, the thought crossed my mind (I probably even smirked), "There really is no limit to what I can do. At that very moment a drop of creme filling hit the floor. (I didn't notice it at the time, but it was part of the evidence I later cleaned up.) With the next three steps, I simultaneously opened the fridge door, balanced the cake and began to place it on the shelf inside. And then it began. The cake cracked into beautiful--almost perfictimundo--thirds. The thirds began to slide off the top and onto my arm. I screamd. The children came running. "What's the matter, mom?!?"
"The cake is dying before my very eyes!!"

And that, my friends, is how hubris killed the cake.

UPDATE In case you are unfamiliar:

At the Home of Martha and Mary

38As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 40But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"
41"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

Luke 10:38-42 (New International Version)

Plain and Simple

From Wikipedia:
Occam's razor states that the explanation of any phenomenon should make as few assumptions as possible, eliminating, or "shaving off," those that make no difference in the observable predictions of the explanatory hypothesis or theory. In short, when given two equally valid explanations for a phenomenon, one should embrace the less complicated formulation. The principle is often expressed in Latin as the lex parsimoniae (law of succinctness).

I like that. Maybe it's because I am a Little Brain, or maybe I am a simple minded hick. Whatever the case, Occam's razor seems to slip nicely in line with the law of conservation of matter and all the other goodies that rule our universe. Occam's razor is what I thought of when I read this by Michael Novak:

Our enemies understand media campaigns, which have a high priority in their strategic plans, and they know the weaknesses and sentimentalities of our society, and how to turn them against our own leadership. They play critics of the war like violins. The only way they can win is through psychological warfare, by way of the media. (Why is the only story out of Iraq each day a bombing that kills six, when there are more murders than that each night in a group of a half-dozen cities or so in the U.S.? Our enemies count on that. They want the drip, drip, drip of American blood, because they think we do not have the moral toughness to stand it.)

Please do read the whole thing.

Goofy Definitions

Thanks to Anne I am to be known as:

Jeanne -- [noun]: A beat poet working the streets 'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Or

Momathon -- [noun]: A person who is a master of making ravioli 'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

You can try it here.

What a Bunch of Nasties

So, I found myself Googling the Duggar family this evening. It seems a guy I grew up with has a life similar to theirs in terms of beliefs, birth control, and whatever else that particular group of folks is into. Seeing as how I grew up with this guy, I am quite curious to learn just what can cause the ol' pendulum to swing so far from one end of the spectrum to the other in a few short years.

Well, at the Discovery Health channel site for the family, there is a forum to ask questions, and make comments on the Duggar family. I only hope the Duggar family kids aren't reading any of those posts, because not many are very nice at all. Serious judgement and nastiness toward this family is the norm. There are also a few snide comments from those I assume are defending Christianity in general, but the Duggar flavor of it, in particular.

Quite frankly, I was surprised. There are entire discussions going on about the obvious (number of kids, being wacko Christians, etc.) and the not so obvious (kids helping to build the house takes jobs away from the construction industry!) I am baffled that there is so much interest in telling this family that they are wrong. Where are the Diversity Police for the Duggars? ;-)

If you get a chance, check it out and let me know what you think.

The Cat Understands

Or maybe I understand the cat. Either way, it looks like Sam-I-Am and I are on the same page after this very long, hard week.

Would Someone Please Take the Mic Away?

As I was commenting on the PalmtreePundit's blog, I realized, I have a lot more to say.
Basically, I want the ignorant people to stop talking. Or at least, to stop having a national venue in which to demonstrate their incredible levels of ignorance.
It's not that anyone who doesn't agree with me is stupid--though I might actually believe that somewhere inside--but when disagreement with me is based on utter stupidity, I simply want to scream: "Please* shut up!"

Lately, this applies to Rosie O'Donnell and her comparison of radical Islam and radical Chrisitanity as equals in terms of danger to our nation. (See the video here.) Now this is clearly not true, and shouldn't bother me at all. However, that statement says so much more than its face value. She is not simply wrong, she is incredibly ignorant. Because, boys and girls, the mere fact that a lesbian woman is even alive to say such a thing demonstrates the huge chasm between Islamic fascists, and even the wackiest of Christians. Christianity teaches love for Ms. O'Donnell and condemns her sinful lifestyle ; it doesn't sanction her murder.

*Philippians 1:6
being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Try This For Fun (or Humiliation)

This is an online version of questions from the test to become a naturalized citizen of the US. It's fun and a good thing to do with your kids :-)

Side by Side of The path to 9/11

Here's a link I had heard about and wanted to see. If you are so inclined, here it is for you.

I'm Just Curious...

Why do you suppose that we only like our own version of the truth?
(I am thinking of this in terms of child rearing, and family life, today.)

Like many of you, I suppose, I am frequently asked how I get my children to behave pleasantly, with good manners, obediently, respectfully, etc. Once I get over the thrill that someone is actually using those words to describe my children (who can also be selfish, disobedient, and ill mannered), I tell them the truth: We use biblical princicples.

Now, this is almost never well received. At best, it is met with the non believer's combo: a slight tilt of the head, closed mouth grin, "How cute" expression. Somewhere in the middle is, "That just wouldn't work at my house." At worst it is met with a "Well, that works because you have good kids." (Point of fact: I have sinful kids.)

Now, I know the bible is offensive to many just for being the bible. However, I can't help but think that if my response had been, "We roll them in peanut butter, light a candle, and chant 'butterflies are pretty' every day at 6 AM, that those folks would be leaving skidmarks to get to Costco for peanut butter.

So I am wondering, why is it that when we don't like the truth, we readily accept any other answer, no matter how ridiculous?

UPDATE: I thumbed through that offensive Book and found this:

Romans 1:25 (New International Version)
25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

Go figure, God even addresses our delusional tendencies ;-)

Removes Chemicals, Odors and Cysts

That's what it says on the box for my replacement filter for the fridge water system.

Geez. I never even knew there could be cysts in my water. Well, my handy new GE SmartWater filter will save me from it all. And you know, until I just typed that, I had no idea I had been drinking Stupid Water all this time! Good grief, I hope my family has been saved in the nick of time. I can hear it now:

"Yes, doctor. I understand. Cysts? No! Not cysts! Well, yes, we were drinking Stupid Water. But I didn't know, I tell ya, I just didn't know!"

9/11

Here are a few places to visit for clarity:
Michelle Malkin
Burt Prelutsky
Doug Giles (He's obnoxious, can be funny, and right.)

The Clintons seem to only hate censorship when the truth hurts them. Bubba and the gang have sent the following to ABC about that little story based on the 9/11 Commission report. (The Commission, by the way, was a nonpartisan group of folks who were charged with the fun job of finding out what actually happened to us on that dreadful day.)

“The content of this drama is factually and incontrovertibly inaccurate and
ABC has the duty to fully correct all errors or pull the drama entirely.” In
the Washington Post, former secretary of state Madeleine Albright described
one scene as “false and defamatory” and former national-security adviser Sandy
Berger — last seen trying to sneak classified documents out of the National Archives— said the show “flagrantly misrepresents my personal actions.”

And, in case you were just sick enough to feel gross, but can't quite vomit, this is better than sticking your finger down your throat:

From the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle newspaper:

At the Briarwood and Seneca elementary schools in West Irondequoit,
morning announcements will ask students to remember the heroes such as police
officers and firefighters and other people in the community who are there to
help in a crisis.
But one thing educators in those schools won't do this Patriot's Day — the fifth anniversary of the day terrorist hijackers crashed airplanes into the World Trade Center's twin towers, the Pentagon and a field in Shanksville, Pa. — is talk extensively about the events of Sept. 11, 2001.
"We don't have any formalized instruction about Sept. 11," said David Bills, principal of Briarwood and Seneca, both kindergarten-through-third-grade schools. "And that's consistent with what we did when Sept. 11 happened. We decided it was not developmentally appropriate for it to be an instructional moment (empahsis mine). At that time, we addressed any concerns the kids had as they arose, and we are still positioned to do that."
Only five years in the past, the events of Sept. 11 aren't yet in many history books, except possibly some of the newer high school texts, said Deborah Ryan Johnson, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction in Rush-Henrietta.

If you must, the whole thing is here.

Well, time to start the day with the kiddos. I think we'll actually talk about 9/11 today in our school. Go figure.

UPDATE: Commander Salamander has just what I was looking for. And I agree, Commander, we need to see it agin, and again, and again, as we are so quick to forget what it reallywas that happened to those innocent Americans that day.

It's Been a While

I have had plenty to say, just a shortage of time, and clean words to express myself :-)
Here's a good thought for the day, though:

Some people are like slinkies. They have no real purpose, But they really bring you a smile When you push them down the stairs.

I love that.

On to more important things...it has been five years since 9/11. I wonder what we have really leanred since then. I spent last night watching ABC's take on the 9/11 commission report. I am baffled at the things those psycho thugs were doing, leading up to the big day in NYC. If you haven't begun to watch it, catch the second half tonight. But be sure to find a recording of the first half--it will surprise you, I'm sure.