Winchester Mystery House

They used one of my photos on the website - click on Winchester and scroll through photos!

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getting close!!

And McCain is still claiming he'll win. After watching some interviews on "The Daily Show" yesterday, I was truly frightened for the mental health of my country. These people were truly believing the smears! They REALLY believe that Barack is a Muslim! AND they still think that would be terrible!! WTF?? When will we be able to hold an election and not give a flying shit about the religious practice of the candidates (unless, of course, they're illegal or immoral - but then again - that would rule out Sarah's "church"!!)

Be sure to tell all your friends to VOTE!! Let's not get complacent! Don't get cocky! We need to give Obama a MANDATE - truly SHOW the world that the US is not filled with red-necks and bible-thumpers with an IQ in the single digits. Let's kick some McCain ass!!!

Anyhoo - did anyone watch Obama's program tonight? Was he just preaching to the choir - or do you think some Independents or some of those illusive Undecideds actually tuned and watched? Did they learn something? Did it help? It sure convinced me that this is the most exciting Presidential candidate since Clinton!! And, I've always felt that Clinton could have f*cked Monica on the White House lawn for all I cared! He got STUFF done!! And, as the teeshirt says - when Clinton lied, no one died!

I've already voted - Oregon has mail-in ballots. We did the whole family bit - taught the kids to look for Bill Sizemore's name and vote the opposite! Lon Mabon hasn't been on in awhile - are we getting smarter?

VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE

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getting cranky ...

I find myself just staring at that electoral map (see below) - watching it turn blue makes me happy! :)

Here are things that make me sad ...

from my Orkut community ... Listen Up Bitches, No McCain! ...
<<This is from a blog of a missionary in Paraguay ... ok, admittedly, you've usually lost me as "missionary" - unless you're talking about a position!! - but anyway ...


original blogger --Our next party is scheduled for November 5th, to celebrate or lament the election results. We would like to be celebrating by eating Mooseburgers, if you know what I mean.

I commented -- I might celebrate with mooseburgers also - because to me it would mean that the woman has gone back to Alaska to face criminal charges on her abuse of powers as governor. And that McCain has returned quietly to the Senate to be the Senator he used to be, before taken over by the neo-cons of the Republican party.
Please know that every Paraguayan I spoke with this past July & August are in strong support of President Obama. It seems fair - Paraguay finally gets a President they deserve - WE should get one too!

original blogger responded with an "I appreciate your candor."

some idiot bitch responded -- Hi B, It is most suspect that foreign countries are in favor of Obama--what they deam (sic) "good" for them, will surely be bad for us....I'm with you on those Go Palin Mooseburgers! Lisa

okay ... I really need some Rachel Maddow-style "talking me down" right now - anyone wanna try?? >>


also ...
Arnold Conrad's "prayer" ...

<

And Lord I pray that you would guard your own reputation, because they’re going to think that their god is bigger than you, if that happens. So I pray that you would step forward and honor your own name in all that happens between now and Election Day.

Oh Lord, we just commit this time to you, move among us, make your presence very well felt as we are gathered here today in Jesus's name I pray.>>

If that doesn't make you angry - you're not paying attention!! Or you're dead. At least, if you're dead, you won't be voting on November 4th.

I'm getting awfully sad for my country - it used to be a pretty nice place.

Ye gods almighty!!! Does Verizon not know what century it is? Their customer service lines are only open Monday through Friday, from 8 - 6. Now, that may sound reasonable to some, but not to those of whose who leave for work around 7 am, and often get home after 6 pm!!! AND I can't make or receive phone calls at work - I'm actually WORKING while I'm there!!
So ... we are leaving Verizon and returning to Comcast ... for a variety of reasons:
1) horrific customer service (as noted above)
2) when I've emailed, I get "do not reply"emails that tell me someone is looking into my concern ... and then ... nothing.
3) They charge $6.50 a FRIGGIN' MINUTE to talk to Paraguay!!!! c'mon guys - it's 2008 - there are satelllites up there that do all the heavy lifting for ya ... there is just no excuse for rates like that!! Especially since I was never told about these exorbitant rates - until after I made 3 calls!!!
4) The Verizon website for customer service / online pay (which I would never trust them with!) / etc is something out of the dark ages. It is so incredibly un-user-friendly, it'd be laughable, if it weren't for the fact that they have MY money!!!
5) I belive Verizon is a "Bush voter" - not even smart enough to figure out how to vote McCain! ("Bush Voter" is the worst epithet you can call someone, according to my family!)

We originally went to Verizon because our Home Owners Association went to Verizon for the internet - which is provided at a discount and figured into our HOA fees. So, hey, we thought, why not just go to them for cable & phone, and save some $$ as a bundle? Well - that thought bit us in the ass!! Even their Cable Guide on the tv is assine!!
So as of today, we are officially switching back to Comcast (change will occur next Sunday.) At a great savings!! With 24/7 customer service! A reasonable website! Email notifications of voice mails! And a guy at customer service who understood the need for MSNBC!!

I realize that I am complaining about silly things when so many are hungry, homeless, without healthcare, etc. here in my very own country; not to mention the very luxury of cable tv, internet, etc., in most of the world ... so I will try to keep myself focused on the big picture. But, as I told the a-hole at Verizon - when the revolution comes - people like him will be the first to go!!!

Electoral map

crankiness

I'm feeling quite cranky right now- Maggie & Ian's high school is having a debate about AP classes - whether or not they should offer more of them. I'm on the LESS OF THE DAMN THINGS side! I've had to take myself out of the Facebook debate run by one of their teachers (who I adore) because I'm so sick of fricking know-it-all 20 year olds!! Could there be anything more annoying than someone who has no concept of "gray" - especially a certain Mark M or Dan C??? Ye gods - save me from the self-centered little ass-holes who seem to have taken over the wonderful school of ACMA!!

rant rant rant rant rant
- well, at least it got my mind off of McCain and the bitch for an evening!!
And reminded me of how much I love and respect the young adults in my life - Marcelo, Mateo, Maggie, Ian and Hanna!!!

So, I've been reading a lot of blogs & orkut stuff from former AFSers (Americans Abroad and students to the USA) and it's been fun, kind of using them as a prompt to reminese about my time in AFS. So here goes ...

My family first hosted an exchange student with Jesus Monroy. He was from a church-sponsored program, YES (Youth Exchange Service,) and we were very fortunate that he fit in so well, as we never saw his liasions again! We had so little information to begin with, that we were thinking La Paz = Bolivia, and it wasn't until he handed mom an ashtray with the Aztec calendar on it, that we realized he was from La Paz, MEXICO! LOL

Jesus was mainly with Jim, roomed with him, went to school with him, etc. He was, yet another, brother for me! And, yes, I'll admit to it now, a bit of a crush! Jesus was with us for six months, and then he returned home. We tried to stay in contact, I wrote to his sister Bethy a few times, but as I was taking French at the time, and she wrote in Spanish, and we would have teachers translate the letters - not the most efficient form of communication. I've tried to find Jesus online, but, so far, nothing.

Then, one of the brothers friends hosted an AFS student and these two girls (Marilyn, and can't remember AFSer's name) got along so well! They truly had a fantastic experience. I thought it was pretty cool, but, no way could I do something like that - live away from home for a year. But, I could host a student, and finally get a sister! So, in 1977, we applied and hosted Isabella Lacerda, from Porto Alegre, Brasil. Since, by this time the brothers had all moved out to college, we didn't share a room. Wonder if that might have made a difference? Don't know. Isabella was more open, more Brasilian, than my little Long Beach-mind could handle at times. And, I don't think she was in it for a sister-type relationship like I saw with Marilyn. Then again, when Marilyn went on her AFS trip abroad, she had a very difficult time. She had to change families and just had troubles. She might have had such a perfect experience with her AFS sister that, expecting something similar, and not getting it, must have been very difficult.

Well, when Isabella arrived, I was still pretty shy and sure there was no way I'd live away from mom and dad - even though I was planning on going to Colorado for college! I guess I figured I'd be able to handle it then. Ha!
But, after hearing the AFS returnees speak at all the AFS functions we went to, and seeing how open and alive they were, I guess I got the itch!

How wonderful! I've just started a blog - so now I can add all my randomness here. I'm trying out blogspot, because I am finding a lot of Peace Corp volunteers in Paraguay use it. I've got "Asunción" and "Paraguay" on my google alerts - and, in addition to news, I get a lot of blogs that mention either of those. I've since found a few AFSers as well as the aforementioned PCVers.
Reading about their experiences has made me homesick/nostalgic for my AFS year - as well as my twenties! Not that I want to go back - I just remember when it seemed like you could do anything you wanted - and not really have to worry about the consequences. Like how will my decisions affect my family. Which, of course, they do - but it's different when it's parents/siblings vs spouse/children, y'know?
Well - this is a just a start - it's getting late and we're heading up to Seattle tomorrow to meet an Orkut friend (for the 1st time) and pick up some stuff that she has brought from my family in Asunción for me and my family here.
I'll explain all this in another blog - family. It's incredible.