Highly Recommended.....

Spoiler warning....I do talk about some things in the book below, so if you have read it, read on, if not, maybe come back after you have. It's an amazing book!

My reaction to “When the Emperor was Devine” leaves me with more questions than anything else. To start, I picked up the book with the intention of reading a little every night. After the first 5 pages, I knew that wasn’t going to be the case. Three hours later I was putting it back down, finished, and sat for 5 minutes in silence and awe. I never knew. How could I have not known these things happened within the walls of our own country whose very foundation was built for freedom? How could these actions have happened in direct violation of almost every section of our own “Bill of Rights” that was signed 253 years earlier? Habeas Corpus anyone? I couldn’t help but to peak around at some of the statistics surrounding these camps and found some numbers; 120,000 Japanese descendents, some citizens and some not taken with what they could carry and forced to live in inhumane camps on U.S. soil. Imagine what would have happened in this country if September 12th, 2001, our government rounded up all the Middle Eastern members of our communities and placed them in those barracks. It would have been mayhem!
One of the main themes I saw was fear. Fear that does not discriminate any race, culture, or religion. The fear that there is imminent danger; the fear for life. America was afraid; it had never seen such an attack. They were terrified of a repeat or worse. The Japanese (in America) were scared to be themselves. Scared to practice their religion, have “slanted eyes” that could not be hidden and scared to die for crimes they did not commit. Our soldiers were scared they would be the next to lie bleeding in a field, watch their comrades die and never be able to return to American soil. If we take away sides (of the War), reasons, morals, race, religion and belief, we have 2 groups of people directly affected. We have our American POW’s (and soldiers) sent to fight a heroic battle. They laid on cots, floors, or maybe even nothing for days, months, years. They prayed to God to return home, to stay alive, and to have peace. Then we have the Japanese members sent to these camps that lay on iron cots in barracks for days, months, years. They prayed to God to return home, to stay alive, and to have peace. Then their prayers are answered. They go home. Parades ensued for our troops (and rightfully so, please note, that I believe in harming no one and am in no way, shape or form underplaying the torture that POW’s and other service men endured), welcome arms, and the safety of American grounds. The members of the “internment camps” sent home, the ones who had them left. What remained for them? FEAR. Fear that their house would be burned while they slept, fear that they would never have a job and fear that life was over even though they still took breath.
Our world has committed this act before (and I’m sure known to us or not it is still done in parts of this sorted world). We have seen it in Germany with the mass murdering of the Jews, in the witch hunts throughout Europe and the early colonies (most famously Salem, MA), and as far back as enslaving the Hebrews in Egypt. It is part of our history, but it is stories like this that have inspired me to become an attorney. To be the voice for the people who don’t have one in a forum that was otherwise unavailable to them be they black, white, Japanese, Dutch, Islam, Christian, housewives, business men, soldiers, children, or animals. We can never stand up and be a great nation if we become what we fight against or react on fear alone.

I've been a bad girl....

I have not been posting much, and I am missing it! I hope you have enjoyed what I have been able to come up with. Thanks for your patience. Let's see, with me, there is tons of homework. Then there's running back and forth to the bus stop, which I know doesn't sound very hard, but it really is. I spend more time waiting for the bus than anything else. Then Haley gets off the bus with her little friend Olivia. Separating these two is like separating Cheech and Chong. (Sorry, first thing that came to my mind, I don't even know if I spelled it right. I've never actually seen one of their movies.) Haley has homework now which is great fun. What the hell happened to simple things? I hope with all these weird ways of teaching we end up with a better generation than whats running us now. I will not go political. OK, just one thing.....WHAT THE HELL?

So, I hope these thoughts are coming out in some form of semblance because I am very tired, and have no idea what I'm talking about. I guess that's a warning if you want to keep reading. I have two papers due this week, so I may jump by the end of the week. I think I may have started one, I'll have to check into that. The Golden Girls always make me feel better, and they are right now. I really can't help myself, I just friggin love this show!!!!!! Even Andy was standing in the bedroom doorway (after saying he was going to bed because they weren't funny), and giggled for about 10 minutes before I busted him watching. Too funny. Wow, I feel like I am just typing and I don't even know what I was talking about the sentence before. No really, I don't. I am that tired, and really need to go to bed, but my mind won't shut up so now you have to hear all about it. Maybe it will help me sleep if it all comes out.

I wish I could find a magic lantern, similar to Aladdin's, so I could solve a few problems around here, and I don't just mean in my house. I mean I would use at least one of the wishes to help the world as a whole. Shouldn't that count for something? A lucky stroke maybe?

So McElwain family challenge update....it's been a while. Andy is down 17lbs, looking good Baby! Roxy (the dog) was down 3lbs, but she was desperate last week, and got into the trash one too many times, and gained a half a pound. I weigh out in the morning, so I can update that then. It will give me a reason to post, well maybe, if it's good news, LOL. I don't know how though, unless Red Bull really has made me a speed freak and the running around like a chicken with it's head cut off is working (why do we say that? It doesn't paint a very pretty picture...). We shall see I suppose.

Okey dokey, well I'm off to watch G.G. and laugh some more calories off. I have been quite negative lately, so I will end on a positive note because I need to get back into that, and learn how to relax.....

"Stress is nothing more than a socially acceptable form of mental illness." ~Richard Carlson
Quote from www.quotegarden.com

Is that true?

I warn you, I was too tired to re-read this, so I have no idea what it says. I will bless you with a spell check as not to annoy the people like me who those sort of things annoy. Peace.

Walden Pond (Concord, MA)

“I went to the woods to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life. And see if I could not learn what it had to teach. And not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” This may be Henry David Thoreau’s inspiration for coming here, but I went to the woods in flip flops, and then got lost with my two year old daughter in tow. As we went deeper and deeper through the roads less traveled, I still didn’t know where we were going, but I stopped wondering or even caring.
Walden Pond itself is a still, calm openness. A tranquil intermission amidst a world in constant battle with Father Time; protected in a bubble of woods that are thick enough to block out the sounds of trucks, sirens, and horns. It is open to guests all year to enjoy picnicking, hiking, swimming, canoeing, and cross-country skiing. Imagine this hidden treasure less than 20 miles out of Boston, right off Rt. 2, but what you experience is innocence, peace, and time. What water park can offer that with parking at just $5 a day?
On the path in front of you are thousands of footprints, each one erasing the last, but in the forbidden nature to the right and left are woods and banks that haven’t been impeded by a heavy foot or disturbed by shoe treads in hundreds of years. Trees have fallen, yet no one knows if they made a sound. A couple of small beaches line the pond, and I noticed the remnants of a sandcastle from a very talented upcoming builder that included half a mote and a guest house in the back. Drifting mid-pond is a lone fisherman in his canoe with his lure cast, and patiently waiting for a tug. An older couple strolls by holding hands, talking, laughing, enjoying the finer side of life, and each other. Passing faces greet you with a friendly smile. The paths wind and turn and every new bend brings a new image of light, color, and perspective. With the rest of the world silenced, you are free to hear the birds chirping, chipmunks scurrying, and distant laughter as children create the purest memories.
The biggest draw to this sight is the exact location in which Thoreau spent his time. A pile of rocks sits beside the buried foundation on which Thoreau’s one room cabin stood. People have left painted rocks, written notes on them (One read, “In memory of the truth that rests inside you, Thank you.”), and there in the middle of the rubble lay an old leather bound book which was now only the tattered and worn cover and the unattached bindings. “Go thou my incense upward from this hearth” reads the stone where his chimney had smoked 163 years earlier, and you could almost feel his spirit whirl as the wind managed to slip through the thick wood and pass by the nape of your neck.
Before realizing that we had been out there for hours, and my daughter had given up on walking, I stood where his front door had been and saw what he saw upon waking in the morning, “Simplicity! Simplicity! Simplicity!” Then as I drove back onto to the bustling Rt. 2 and someone was nice enough to cut me off, I wondered if I should just turn around and go back in.

Memories....

Within minutes of my mom dropping me off for the night, my Gramps and I were out the door to get some Brigham’s Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream and him a Vanilla Frappe (always vanilla!). We would take the dog to Oakley Country Club to run around and chase the squirrels. On the way home, my task was always to get the jimmies that had fallen off my ice cream unstuck from the leather seat before he saw them (he has a thing for clean vehicles). It was about 7pm, so that meant off to “bed” for Gramps, a.k.a. he would watch a game if it’s on, but Court TV if there wasn’t; all the while the dog at the bottom of the bed. When you’re little, nothing beat jumping onto the bed with a 250lb 6’3” man and wrestling around knowing he was the gentlest giant. It always started the same, we’d wrestle and then he would sing, “The three of us, the three of us, It’s a good thing there isn’t anymoooooooore of us!” in his big booming voice. Me, him and the dog, that’s all that mattered to him at that moment. Then when he’d get tired he would turn serious. “You know, Jackie, I want you to always remember what side of the family your bread is buttered on; who has always taken care of you.” I always responded the same, “I know Grampa.” And I did, he wasn’t being mean, he was being honest. Then he would politely kick me out of the room. On my way out I was sure to grab my Grandmother’s make-up kit, combs, brushes, and hairspray. It was makeover time for Grammie! The chair she sat in by the fireplace was perfect, I fit right behind it. She read her millionth book and sipped her wine as I combed, teased, and sprayed enough hairspray in to seal cement (She always managed to get a hair appointment the next day). I would put on her blush, eye shadow, and lipstick; layer after layer after layer, she never missed a sentence in her book. We didn’t talk much, we didn’t have to. That was our time and then it was bed time. In other words, my time to hide so I didn’t have to go to bed! I remember one night it took her a half hour to find me. I was getting better at hiding, in the shower I sat for what seemed like forever, but a half hour passed bed time none the less. After that off I went, you don’t argue with Grandma, you won’t win, but I never had trouble falling asleep.

The look girls wait a lifetime for...

Very handsom Mr. Nick and Lil' Miss Ashley

My (very short and to the point) VMA Review

In the way of performers...

Britney Spears...I know she didn't, but she just should have!

Rihanna...simply phenomenal!!! Both performances, sexy yet classy.....very good!!!

Kid Rock...I love him. I love his voice, his attitude (but don't get me wrong - he would make and awful husband, but to grab a beer with...hell ya!!!)

Jonas Brothers...I just feel awkward, they are like 12. They put on a good show? (I was just thankful they kept Miley Cyrus to a minimum!!)

Paramore....they were good. The lead singer is cute! Brave girl to wear bright yellow pants, but at least they weren't spandex!

Katy Perry...she is just Adorable! I love her spirit and that as he made her own outfit from finds at a thrift store.

Christina Aguilera...WORST OF THE NIGHT! She looked awful, you could tell she was
lip synching, and shiny spandex....and no effort....I seriously don't know why
she isn't being compared to Britney from last year....gross!!!!!!!

Pink...BEST OF THE NIGHT!!!!!!!! She was FABULOUS and FIERCE!! She is my alter ego, if I could only find a way to set that free...hmmmmmmmmm. BEST BEST BEST!!!!!!!!!!

I know there were more, but that's all I can remember.......

Phew

Well, I have officially been sitting at my computer since 10 o'clock this morning. OK so there was a 2 hour break. Still...11 hours! So now I know know why it didn't happen for me 10 years ago. I didn't have 11 hours to spare! I had much more important things to do. Yeah right, but anyway...I better get good grades or I am going to punish myself severely. Here's hoping the half of brain is still working tip top and doesn't implode or otherwise from information overload! I did get a lot accomplished though, including reading the Constitution. I don't think I have ever read something so confusing...oh that's not true...Beowulf! That was an awful experience....

Have I mentioned yet that I now need glasses to read. I actually have a hard time seeing small writing! One more notch in the age belt, that and I need to color my hair because the grays are flying high. My Mother-in-Law did tell me I look like a naughty librarian in them though, so I guess that's a good thing. I will have to have to let the clip out and give the lock longs a sexy shake....ha ha ha....can glasses actually be sexy? Let's hope so!

I probably don't even make sense right now...so I'll trail off here.......

So Frickin Excited!!!!!

If you don't like celebs or Britney Spears...turn you cheek. SHE FRICKIN WON @ THE VMA'S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am soooooooooooooooo excited. She still has one to go, but I just cna't contain myself and Andy just keeps laughing at me....

SHE LOOKS SO GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Newest name painting...in all the confusion I almost forgot to share....I think, so If i have, sorry, I am getting older by the minute....

Still working on her brother's! Any day now!! Fingers crossed...

Introducing.......

Just something I had to write.....feedback welcomed!

I had 2 events happen to me recently to make me look to my future and see how cloudy the crystal ball was looking. I decided there was only one person who could clear it and that was me. So here I go to meet my best possible future with no chance of settling for uncertainty. My fascinations are both creative and methodical which can be a curious combination. Quotes are my keys to wisdom and my motivation that someone was thoughtful enough to say out loud (then someone was good enough to remember it and write it down). Over the last few years, I have overcome my own negativity to open my mind, allow in the positive, and finally take a few deep breaths. Every so often falling in the pity pit, but conscious enough of it to let myself mope (my wise Grandma calls it “ the 24 Poor Me’s”) and then turn around and try again.
My personality does not differ much from my interests. I am confident yet humble, highly passionate yet laid back, and controlling yet flexible. I hold high expectations of others, but none surpass what I expect from myself. No one can beat me as hard as I can. I have finally reached a point where no is not an option, clarity is the key, and I am the answer to all of my problems. I love to write about personal experiences as well as others’ unselfish enough to be nice human beings without the discrimination of the recipient. The Celebrity Lifestyle is my secret obsession, for some reason I just cannot help myself. Politics is both fascinating and terrifying. Law is intriguing; the who, what, where, why, and how can we change it to better or evolve our society.

I suppose that is me in a tiny pink nutshell.

2 Truths and a Lie
1. I speak 3 languages
2. I can wiggle my ears
3. I have 7 pets.

Can you guess?

1st Day of 1st Grade!

There she goes, my not so little chickadee. She was so cute! The morning started off a little shaky. I got up extra early to make her bacon, eggs, and toast (she talks too much at lunch and sometimes doesn't eat enough) and I wake her up very nicely (which usually fades off by November) and she says she has a stomach and isn't hungry. Luckily it was just nerves, but my beautifully made breakfast with many droplets of love went to waste. Alas the rest of the morning was fine. She did, however, reach the point of being embarrassed of her parents showing her any kind of affection in front of her peers. Luckily, Andy thought to ask, "Is it OK if we kiss you when the bus gets here?" She says, "NO!" What the? I can't even kiss my baby in front of all her friends??? But why? So we had to give her kisses while we waited for the bus as not to embarrass the little cherub. Oh she is too much! Can we say high maintenance?

But she did so good and she had a good day so that's all that matters! All to get up and do it again tomorrow (probably minus the camera in her face)!

Tomorrow is the Day but it has Already Begun

I have officially completed some school work!!! And so far I get it. Such good tidbit to know that Chapter One hasn't thrown me into another confused universe. Even wrote a bit of my first writing assignment. Maybe I will share it later...it is so hard to know what they are looking for! Especially when I don't know them. Beneath my terrified exterior I am uber excited on the inside!!! So funny to be sitting here reading and taking notes...and I will be starting school the same day as my daughter...ha ha ha. Life is funny sometimes. Deep breath in.....exhale......Tomorrow, September 3rd, 2008, is the first day of the rest of my new life as yet another new character in my own mini-series of life.

Last Day of Freedom

My To Do list is now 3 pages long and instead of working on it I am here writing. Go figure. Oh well, I have all day right. I shouldn't be totally bad, I have already crossed off a couple things so I am headed in the right direction. Next step is to walk away from the computer and get going on the rest. We have beautiful weather and no excuses. Here's to a day full of Back to School haircuts, phone calls for unanswered questions, and cleaning my butt off. I need this house clean if I expect myself to not clean instead of study. No distractions!!! Haley goes off to 1st grade tomorrow which i can't even believe. Where have the years gone. If I had started this journey when she was born I would be done by now...ha ha ha. But I never would have been ready so it probably wouldn't have gone well. Better late than never.......off to get it all done!!!

"Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.”
Paul J. Meyer quotes