There's no place like home

I was so happy to see the sign that said

"Welcome to New Mexico
The Land of Enchantment"

I was still almost 200 miles from home, but, just being in New Mexico felt so good. I don't know what it is but there really is something enchanting about it.

I'm in Denver

I'm glad I decided to go.




It was a beautiful day!

Once I got out of Chimayo and passed Chamita onto the highway the roads were great. It doesn't look like denver got much more snow than we did.


The motel room smells like maple syrup. What was I expecting for $35.00 a night? It has a little kitchenette so I can go to Whole Foods (apparently there's no TJ's in Denver, WTF?) and get some real food rather than eat at restaurants all the time. I had luch in Alamosa, it wasn't a great experience.

Time to get ready for the party.

Denver

Ticket to the Heebonism party; bought.

Motel; booked

Maps; ready

I think I'm ready to go.

Global Warming

1.The blue line shows the yearly average. If you look carefully you can see that there is a big spike in the global maximum in 1998 that dips back down in 1999 and then gradually increases upwards throughout 2000-2008. The 1998 spike is the reason some people say that global warming stopped in 1998. The spike was caused by El Nino. El Nino’s will push global temperatures up by approximately 0.01 degrees Kelvin (0.018 degrees Fahrenheit). In 1998 we had a much larger El Nino anomaly and the global temperature spiked much higher than that and then dropped back down to normal the next year. The blue line is flattening out from 2005 and I’ll explain that in the next picture. 

 

This picture shows sun activity. The sun has been much colder than it has been in the past century since 2005. There is concern that we could be heading into a mini ice age if the sun continues to cool. But temperatures have not dropped because of the green house gas effect. If we go into a mini ice age the green house gasses might help mitigate it slightly. On the other hand, if sun activity picks up, we will be headed for an out of control warming that could end…we don’t know where.

Graph 3 shows changes in radiative forcing of climate since 1750. The zero line represents 1750. CO₂ has increased overall radiative forcing by 1.5-1.75 W/m². CH₄ has increased radiative forcing by 0.8-1.2 W/m². The sun (on the bottom), has increased overall radiative forcing by 0.05-0.3 W/m². That is one tenth of the radiative forcing from carbon dioxide alone. The really big uncertainty we have is clouds. Climatologists believe that the overall cloud effect will be a cooling one. But, they are far from certain. Some clouds have a cooling effect and some have a warming effect and there are so many variables that go into what kind of cloud will be formed that it’s a huge uncertainty.

But there is no uncertainty over the fact that carbon dioxide and methane have increased radiative forcing by 2.3-2.95 W/m² while the sun alone has increased radiative forcing by 0.05-0.3 W/m².

The point of this graph is to show how big a role water vapor plays in the warming of the planet. And the hotter it gets, the more evaporation you get, the hotter it gets, the more evaporation you get...

It isn't only CO2 that's heating the atmosphere. CO2 could, at most, raise temperatures by 1.2 degrees C/K (1.96 degrees F). The problem is that in response to the 1.2 degree rise in temperature we get another 3 degree rise from water vapor. And as I said before, overall cloud effect is uncertain.

This graph shows three things. 

The black line is actual measured temperature anomolies. The blue line is an amalgamation of climate model predictions of temperature anomalies in the 20^th century using only natural variables (sun, volcanoes, etc.). The pink line shows the results of the same models when anthropogenic forcings are added in (greenhouse gasses that warm the atmosphere and anthropogenic aerosols that cool the atmosphere).

This is basically the same thing but shows only ocean predictions.

This graph shows land predictions. If you look back and forth between the global land and ocean you will see that there will be much more warming over land masses. That’s because oceans store heat. We aren’t sure if and when the oceans will stop storing heat. At that point Global Warming will increase dramatically.

This made me LOL

The guy I'm going on the trip to Sedona with is a Jewish convert.

I asked him why he converted and he said

"Catholicism was too restrictive"

Oh boy did I LOL!!!!

Science and Technology

I'm tired and need to go to bed but I want to jot this down and I'll edit it later.

Science does not "invent" anything. Science discovers truths (or what appears to be a truth) through experimentation. Technology takes the discoveries Science provides and applies it to new technology. The new technology opens doors for science to make better experiments and discover more things that technology takes...

You get the drift?

Tripping

Denver for Christmas

Arizona for New Years

Wheeeee!

Uranium and Septic Tanks

I'm working on my uranium bioremediation term paper and the evidence is piling up. Septic tanks effect uranium solubility in ground water.

The presence of oxygen in ground water leads to uranium solubility. Not just O2. Nitrates (NO3, NO2) and Sulfates (SO4) also have an effect on uranium solubility. Nitrogen and sulfur enter septic tanks in their reduced form attached to amino acids. Septic tanks are anoxic so nitrogen leaves the septic tank as NH4+ and sulfur as H2S. When they reach the leach field they are oxidized to nitrate and sulfate.

Some of the nitrate and sulfate get utilized in the biomat but for the most part, nitrate and sulfate leach out of soil fairly quickly. They have a negative charge and soil has a net negative charge so they repel each other. The end result is nitrate and sulfate in ground water interacting with the bound uranium in the aquifer and solubilizing it.

New Mexico has very high concentrations of uranium. We need to get off septic tanks. SHIT! (really).

Finally!!!

My annual leave begins.

I should have known

I should have known it was too good to be true.

I found out that he broke up with his girlfriend less than two months ago and they had been together for several years. He sounded very angry when I talked to him about it. He isn't ready for a relationship.

איך שגלגל מסתובב לו

That means "how the wheel turns around". It's really referring to cycles of life. Lately I've been noticing that although things do come in cycles it's never a full cycle because I've changed and evolved and have a different view of life.

Life's a trip. You never know what's going to happen next. I love it.

I Miss My Kitty

I walked in the door today and said "hi kitty".

Then I realized she wasn't there.

Meh

He's a nice enough guy but definitely not serious relationship material (I'm talking about the Spaniard). We'll see how things go with the other guy next week. Right now he is out of town on business.

It's been almost two years since I've had sex (real sex). I need to find someone I can connect to enough. I'm going out of my mind. Why do I have to be so picky?

I guess it wasn't meant to be

Call me paranoid but I have a feeling our meeting is going to be cancelled. Just a strange feeling I have after talking to him (IM really) yesterday. He seems to have come to the conclusion that I couldn't be happy with a Catholic raised Spaniard. He'd have a point if he was still Catholic. I wouldn;t touch that with a ten foot pole. But he's rejected Catholicism and is Agnostic non affiliated. But if he's going to be looking for reasons this won't work I don't think we stand a chance. I went through that with Ron. I want someone who thinks positive.

Bye Bye Espanola

Apparently they are shutting down our field office.

Don't panic they aren't firing us. They are going to join field offices to save money on rent. I suspect I'll be working out of Santa Fe soon. I don't know the timeline yet. I just heard it through the grapevine.

Phone Tag

I've been playing phone tag with someone the last few days. I'm starting to think that maybe this was not meant to be. It's a shame because we have a lot in common. He's a hydrologist and works for the state. I think we could be good friends but I'm not sure about a "relationship".

Maybe I'm putting up the barriers because I'm afraid to get involved with someone else. Maybe it simply wasn't meant to be.

What would you do?

i went to get lunch at the UNM campus food center in the SUB. There's an Asian place that I go to. They have a relatively healthy inexpensive vegetarian meal that gets me through the day. While I was waiting in line the guy who was washing dishes decided to help the woman who was serving the food. But he just went up and started serving the food without washing his hands or changing his gloves. I debated with myself and ended up going back and talking to him about.

Two years ago I wouldn't have even realized he was doing something wrong. Sometimes I wish I could go back to that innocence. What would you have done in my place?

Chosen?

I really like the opening where he gives his warnings about biblical text. And the rest is pretty good too.

What will creationists do next?

This is VERY interesting.

R.I.P. Celica

I was wrong. It is serious. The headgasket is blown and fixing it would cost more than the car is worth.

I've been feeling kind of shocked and upset since I found out but I'm trying to look on the bright side. OK, so I lost the $250.00 of the trade in I could have gotten for it. That isn't worth getting upset about. On the up side can you believe that it happened the very day I bought my new car....Thinking about it makes my head reel.

And I am now the proud owner of my dream car. And i's more beautiful and amazing than I ever thought.

I think it was time to let the Celica go. It represents a time in my life that has past. It served me well and I'm grateful to it for the service it gave me.

R.I.P. my dear Celica.

I Have Officially Lost My Mind/ All's Well That Ends Well?

There was a letter in the mail from my credit union about them participating in big sale with the local Toyota dealership in Santa Fe with a few thousand certified pre-owned vehicles and a few hundred new ones. I've been thinking about buying a four wheel drive vehicle for the winter since I got snowed in a few times last year with my little Celica. Yesterday was fall break so I got to leave work early (didn't really have to even go in), and I drove down to Santa Fe to check it out. I was thinking of buying an old truck if they had one for around two thousand.

Well, they had a few pre-owned Prius's and the dealer got me to take one for a test drive. I already knew he was Jewish but during the test drive I found out he was an Israeli from Kibbutz Sarid. He doesn't have the really thick Israeli accent Israeli's generally even after decades in the US. Thinking back his accent is a bit like my dads.

Well, I ended up buying the car

I was now in Santa Fe with two cars. So Aspen (his full name is Aspen Tree Leaf. HONESTLY!!!!! He changed it when he moved to New Mexico), drove my old car to Chimayo for me while I drove the new one and I drove him back to Santa Fe afterwards. Except that my old car overheated a few miles from home and totally shut down on him, serendipity? And I had to call AAA to get it towed to a mechanic. I don't think it's serious but if I want to sell it I need to get it fixed.

But here's the best part. We drove back to my place in the Prius so I could get my cell phone and some more CD's (it was really nice to have someone with me who really enjoys and appreciates the same music) and I locked myself out of the house!

I ended up sleeping in my new car.

Another Loan Paid Back

So far I've given three loans to friends. Each time I give the loan I make a personal pact with myself to not get upset if it doesn't get paid back. I just got the second loan back. It was for $200.00 and I made it 3-4 months ago. I still have an outstanding loan of $500.00 that I gave to another friend a few weeks ago. I'm sure she will eventually pay me back even if it's in small increments. I'm fine with that. I told her to take her time paying me back when I gave it to her because she's been out of work for a long time, just got a new job and her disability is about to run out so she's in a tight place right now.

And if I don't get it back that's OK too. She's a good friend and I'm not going to fight with her over money.

Back on OKCupid

About a year ago I left OKCupid. They kept playing around with the interface and bugging the site up and I got pissed off and left. After I wrote my goodbye post to Ron I had an urge to go back and check it out again. I don't know if anything will come out of this but I do know that if I don't try I'll never find anyone. I'm back in the playing field again and this time I think I'm really ready.

I'm home

I've been wanting to put this up for a while. It has nothing to do with belief in God even though it is a religious symbol. It has to do with openly putting it out there and saying. "I'm Jewish".

I was going to wait until I bought a house but I've realized that now that it isn't going to happen for a long time I shouldn't put off doing it. And I'm glad I did because I suddenly feel like I'm really home.

Saying good bye

This post is for me. I need to put this out there even though I know he's never going to read it.

Dear Ron,

I have a lot of things to say but first I want you to know that I'm sorry for the hurt I caused you and I've forgiven you for the hurt you caused me. This does not mean that I want you back in my life. I still love you and I always will but I don't ever want to see you again.

I remember the day you told me how your brothers cheated you and stole your patent. I remember saying that people don't just take things from you, you invite them to take things from you. And after thinking about it for a minute you agreed with me. I remember telling you that you need to fight for what you really want. You agreed. What I didn't understand then was how deep your need to constantly be hurt by the people you care about was. It wasn't until the day you told me about your self hatred that I started to connect the dots. I already knew that having contact with your father was bad for you. That piece of information made it all crystal clear to me. Every time you have contact with him you start to hate yourself and you need to destroy every good thing in your life because you feel like you don't deserve to be happy.

I wish you could learn to love yourself. There's a lot to love. Deep down there's a wonderful caring man who was so badly hurt as a child that he can't accept his good side.I really hope you get the therapy that you need and learn to move past that hurt and start to love yourself. And I hope that after you learn to love yourself you can let go of your hatred of women because of what your mother did to you. I hope you find happiness with someone.

I'm never going to see you again. I hope you go back East and settle down where you belong. New Mexico is mine. This is my home. I'm happy here and want to stay here so I need you to go so I can have real peace of mind here. I think you'll be happier back East. You hated it because of what you went through with your parents and Karen. But the reality is that it's where you belong. When you learn to let go of the past you'll be happy there. Your friends are there, your children are there, it's where you belong.

The day I realized that you could not let go of your abuser I realized that I had to let go of mine.

I felt bad in court when I asked the judge to extend the restraining order for more than a year. But I had to do it. I saw the hurt in your face when she offered me five years and I accepted, and it wasn't easy to handle, but I'm not sorry I did it. I need to love myself more than I love you. You are not good for me so I let you go.

And now I'm saying good bye.

Total Fail

I had to submit a paper for my Water Resources course. I had virtually no time to write it. I ended up sending my rough draft.

I have three paper critiques and an annotated bibliography due by November 10th for Geomicrobiology and I don't know how I'll get it doe because I have another Water Resources paper due on October 27th....

Right now I feel like I'm drowning.

I think I'm going to fail everything.

New Furniture Part III

Last furniture post (for now :-p).

The end tables, lamp and wall tapestry are new.

Where do I start?

My boss stuck his tongue out at me today.

Really.

It was hilarious.

Our gay liquid waste specialist virtually propositioned me....

I think I should fast more often. I fasted this Yom Kippur for the first time in twenty years. I did drink a little bit so it wasn't REALLY fasting but I got my period and was seriously concerned that I'd get sick from losing so much fluids and not drinking.

Sunday night I went to Kol Nidrei at the Conservative Synagogue. I hated it! It was like being in church (based on TV and movies). There was a choir and a piano and an opera singing woman...UGH!!!!!!!

Monday morning I went to Chabad. It was much better and during the break I met two Israelis who were driving through and stopped for Yom Kippur. I went back to Chabad for Ne'ila and found out that there were four of them! All guys! And they were CUTE!!!! And I think one of them was kind of coming on to me.

Maybe he'll come back to visit. I gave them my card and told them to let me know when they're in town.

Maybe....

New Furniture Part II

I finally got the dining room set put together!

New Furniture Part I

I put the bed together and got the dressers in place.

I moved my new TV console to a new place so I'll have room for the dining room set but I didn't have time to put it together yet so more is coming.

שנה טובה

שנה טובה לכולם

שנת בריאות, אושר ועושר.

Happy New Year.

State Fair

I just did my first day of inspections at the State Fair. It was quite an experience. I wish all my restaurants were as well equipped as those booths are.

It was a nice change of pace. Even our food program manager was out there doing inspections. Sunday I'm working at the Green Expo then Monday I get to deal with the explosion on my desk when I come back after four days out of the office. I see another 12-14 hour day coming...

HEE HEE!!!!!!

I just sold a pair of nightstands that I paid $20.00 for used two years ago for $30.00

I'll post pics of all my NEW furniture when I have everything in place. I bought a new bedroom set, dining room set and end tables for the living room.

Climate Change Part I

We're only two weeks into the semester so I know I'll have more to say but here's what we talked about in the last two weeks that makes the whole climate change thing so interesting.

A lot of people were saying that the changes in temperature had to do with solar flares and is not from the increase in green house gases we've been releasing into the atmosphere. Well here's a news flash for you. For the last few years we've been experiencing increasing warming and the solar activity has been at an extreme low. In fact we may be heading for another solar period similar to the mid 1600's when the earth went into a mini ice age because solar activity weakened so much. Maybe...

That's a big maybe and no one really knows. And all the talk by the naysayers has to do with this lul in solar activity. It may continue and it may not no one knows. We don't have a good enough understanding of how the sun functions to make even an educated guess.

So...

If the sun remains relatively dormant for several decades the greenhouse gases will be a good thing.

If the sun comes back to life in a few years global warming will take off uncontrollably.

At some point the sun will come back to life.

Do we want to be prepared or not?

Climate Dynamics

I've already learned a few VERY interesting things. I'm too tired to write much but there's a great post about Global Warming coming soon.

Stay tuned for more.

My Religion

I've been doing a lot of soul searching over the last few years. So many things have happened to me and I have a hard time believing they are random chance. I don't think it was "god" either. I think it was me.

I've been reading some books on Kaballah that either claim that we are god or that we are striving to be god. I think they are essentially saying the same thing they are just attacking it from different directions.

Then there is my favorite movie "what the bleep do we know" that also says we are god and bases it quantum mechanics.

So here I have a religion and science basically telling me the same thing. Except that mainstream Judaism is on a completely different track from Kaballah.

Why?

Because most people can't do it alone. Most people aren't able to question and think and reach their own conclusions and strive to find more and more answers. Most people don't have a burning curiosity to know everything.

A few months ago I was having lunch with a woman who grew up on the East Coast. She knows a lot of Jewish people and asked me about keeping Kosher. Why is it so complicated? I answered her based on the Jewish Philosophy I had taken in High School. It's to make you think before you eat something.

I'm going to expand that thought and say that all the Mitzvot are meant to make you think. You are constantly having to think about what you are doing. Nothing can be automatic because you might be breaking a law. I think that was the original idea behind the Mitzvot, to make you think and question everything.

Except that some fanatics managed to turn it into something else. So today we have mainstream Judaism that is obsessed with every little detail of the book and ignores everything else in life.

That was not the authors intention!

It was meant to be a tool. It was meant to be a path to enlightenment. We were supposed to be beyond it already. Instead we botched it up and turned it into a horrible weapon of torture.

The Beatles said "All you need is love"

I say "All you need is to think for yourself".

That's my religion.

Back to School I Go

The semester has started and it's going to be very very interesting and very very challenging. One good thing. Only one of the courses I'm taking has exams!!!!

Quantum Entanglement and the "Supernatural"

The entire universe is in a quantum entanglement. Now just in the present but also in the past and in the future. We are more entangled with ourselves than anyone else. We are constantly in touch with our past and future selves.

I've been watching my favorite movie again "What the bleep down the rabit hole". That sentence struck a chord with me and I don't remember hearing it before.

I have premonitional dreams. I dream about things before they happen. I've always wondered why. Now I know why on a certain level. But, as with all really interesting questions, the answer raises more questions than it really answers.

How does it happen?

Why does it happen at certain times?

Can I learn to control it?

Do I want to learn to control it?

Destroying the planet

Rabbinic Law

Rabbinic Law is the law in Judaism. Rabbis have the say on what is and is not allowed. You can choose the Rabbi you want to ask but after you ask you have to follow what they say.

Lately I've been wondering about Shabbat. You aren't supposed to work on Shabbat but what is the definition of working? I was taught that working is creating. For example, you can take a 50 lb weight and carry it around in your house all day long and not break the Sabbath because although you "worked" hard and sweated you didn't create anything. On the other hand you can't write something down because then you are creating something. It gets more complicated. The creation has to be something lasting. If you write something in sand it isn't considered creating because the letters will not remain.

Rabbinic law says that you can't turn on a light on Shabbat because you are creating a spark. But that spark isn't lasting and neither is the light. When you turn off the light it is gone just like the writing in the sand (I know it's still around somewhere but not in that form so don't get smart with me). When you turn on a light you aren't really creating anything because all you are doing is shifting where the electrons run to. They are running all the time in the current and when ou flip the switch they simply run in a different path. So there's no more creation there than a muscle spasm. What aboutdriving in a car? Are you creating anything lasting? Of course not (except maybe some pollution). In fact virtually nothing we do is really a lasting creation.

So if we look at Shabbat from a philosophical point of view there's no reason to not use electricity and cars etc. Now I want to get my Smicha so I can give my ruling to everyone ;-)

Stressed out

I'm not sleeping lately. Last year I had trouble sleeping around this time for good reason. Two years ago I had trouble sleeping around this time for good reason. Three years ago I had trouble sleeping around this time for good reason.

Have I developed a habit of not sleeping around this time of year or is something else going on?

Work is going well I passed my probation period and have my 80 hours of comp time banked.

I'm almost done organizing the house (I cleaned out my junk room and moved stuff from the living room and office into it. There's so much room now!)

So why can't I sleep?

Health Care

If you are against the reform please explain yourself to me in your own words without parroting Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh.

For real?

Have you ever caught yourself for a moment realizing that "wow, I have a real job and I'm really doing something that makes a differnce..."? Well it happened to me yesterday. Out of the blue it dawned on me that I'm officially a grown up now (about time isn't it). Since turning 18 I'was in the army for two years; played with horses for twenty years; went back to college (yeah I worked too). But now I have a real job.

For real!

Freedom

We call this the land of the free.

If you've ever lived in another country you will know what a joke that is. In the name of freedom we have tied and enslaved ourselves worse than a slave.

I Very few Americans really understand the concept of freedom. Americans are too busy chasing the American dream or being politically correct to the point that they are denying their own rights. Americans are slaves to the Constitution. It never occurs to them that a 250 year old document might be outdated and need to be changed. That's what amendments are for. And amendments are amendments and not the constitution. 150 years ago slave owners said they had a constitutional right to own slaves. That was wrong. The constitution is not holy and it can be wrong.

Not everything foreign is evil.

Not every concept besides capitalism is evil.

Fear of change and new ideas is what strangles this country.

There are better ideas out there. Learn to be open and listen and adapt. That is real freedom.

Beyond Blame

This is a book about taking full responsibility of your life from a Kabbalistic point of view. The thory is that when you take responsibility for your life you become God.

It isn't about guilt. It's about not blaming others for what's going on in your life. It's about giving and not taking but giving responsibly without turning yourself into a victim- no co-dependency!

It's an easy concept to understand and a harder one to achieve but not impossible. I saw this work in my own life. Once I got over the bitterness of the abuse and focused on making my life better it DID get better. I will never again allow myself to become a victim. Not even for a short period of time. This week I stood up to my boss about something that was important to me and won. I am the mistress of my own future.

We create our own reality. We can be victims or God. The choice is ours to make.

Will the Idiot ever shut up

Sarah Palin says that Obama's health care reform will jeapordize Trig.

I think that the only thing that jeapordizes Trig is his moron of a mother.

When will this woman stop lying?

When will this woman stop using her own children?

When will this woman GO AWAY!!!!

Do you think for yourself?

It isn't an easy thing to do. We are inundated with opinions and information to the point where it's really hard to have an original thought.

I try to weigh things and consider them and nuance them. But my thoughts are often influenced by other peoples opinions I have heard.

I think I do have some original thoughts but not as many as I think I do.

How about you...

Glen Beck

I'm starting to come to the realization that Glenn beck sees the world in negative. I'm not saying that he has a negative attitude. Do you remember what camera film negatives look like? That's how Glen Beck sees the world. Everything black is white and everything white is black to him.

Jerusalem

I couldn't say it better myself.

http://divineinformation.com/downloads/other.asp?file_name=JerusalemDownloadV_512K_Stream.wmv

God Can Handle It

I belong to a womens group that meets on a regular basis. It's organized by a faction of the Jewish Federation of New Mexico. We talk about the holidays and what's going on in our lives and how it relates to the upcoming holiday.

I got there a little early this time and the Rabbi showed up about the same time so we talked. I admitted to her that I have my doubts about God and she smiled and said "God can handle it".

Oh The Politics

I'm going to start with some GOOD news.

My probation period is over. I can no longer be fired at the drop of a hat.

WOOOHOOOO!!!!!!

Now I get to rant.

A certain spa in my area is not being regulated for political reasons. Things got nasty today when a manager from another district started asking about coming up and doing some sampling with them. I agreed but mentioned that the spa wasn't permitted and the program manager had told me to do nothing about them until December. They pushed on and tried to pin down a date to do the sampling. I called the program manager to make sure he was OK with this.

To make a long story short I got caught in the crossfire with both of them complaining to me about the other one. HEY!! I'm just a lowly Environmental Scientist. I'm not a manager. Please!!!!Leave me out of it. I don't want to know. I have enough on my plate.

Nothing But Complaints

Every one is complaining about me.

My managers love it. They finally have someone who isn't afraid to stand up and do what needs to be done.

But I have to admit that it would be nice if people would call with a compliment once in a while. So please!!! The next time you get exceptional service from someone pick up the phone or write an email and let their boss know.

I must be a Masochist

This job is masochistic! Everyone is out to get you. It's unreal. I keep wondering what people will come up with next.

Yesterday I met with a couple at their request. These people have a cesspool (illegal) and wanted to put in a new system but the constraints of their property make it impossible for them to put in a conventioanl system. They don't have the money to put in a conventional system. I told them that I can't ignore the fact that they have a cesspool because cesspools have been illegal in New Mexico since 1976, but, that if they would pick one of the alternatives I suggested and applied for a permit I could say that they are working on solving the problem and back away for a while so they could put together the extra money needed to put in the more expensive system.

Sounds good so far right?

Wrong!

Yesterday they showed up with another couple and started telling me that the contractor they had hired was telling them that they had to replace the system immediately or I would have their home taken away from them. He told them that I was threatening them.

WHAT???????????????

Today I get a call from my district manager. A woman by the name of M.A. from the Chama area (my area) called the Governors office and complained about me. He wanted to know what I had to say. I was at a loss. I had no idea who this person was. He forwarded the email he got from the Governors office and told me to give him an answer on what this was about by the end of the day.

I read the email and was astounded!!!!

"Just wanted to send you an FYI that we got a complaint from Ms. ****** ****** in the***** area, regarding an ED employee named “****”. It was stated that she not only is extremely difficult to work with, as she not only misses appointments, but also is making people in the area “jump through hoops” regarding ED issues. It was also stated that she makes racially insensitive remarks as well as socioeconomic remarks while on the job. This is the commentary that Ms. ****** presented. I told her that I would forward her concerns to you, but that ED regulations are complex and complicated, so if people feel like they have to “jump through hoops” that is just procedure sometimes. Thank you."

I wracked my brains trying to figure out who this woman was. I wasn't working on a permit with that name nor had I issed one with that name to the best of my knowledge. What was going on here? After a few more minutes something started to gel in my brain. I had been working on a permit for a young man whose wifes maiden name was the same as this woman. He had tight clay which limited his options and he had been waffling between two options. That morning I finally approved his permit for a clay system with alternating leach fields. I called him and asked if his mother in laws name was M. He said yes. I've never spoken to that woman and she called the Governors office with all that crap?

What the HELL is wrong with people?

Jewish and Single

So I went to a Jewish singles meet up in Albuquerque that a friend of mine had arranged through the JCC. I didn't meet anyone I would consider for a serious relationship but I had a good time. We're going to get together once a month (the group) and do activities together.

One of the things my friend asked was "does it make a difference that we're all Jewish?" The unanimous answer was "YES!"

I stayed along with a a few other people and we talked some more. We came up with two reasons why it mattered to us to e with a Jewish partner. One was because only another Jew can meet some of our needs (you know the crazy stuff you carry around from your childhood). I also heard someone say "it's cool to be able to laugh at Christians and there's no one around who will get offended".

I told my to tablets joke and it got some laughs.

Do you know why the ten commandments came in two tablets? After all God could have written all of them on one tablet. So why two?

Well, God was looking for a nation to take the Torah.

God went to the French and asked them if they wanted to be his nation and keep his laws. The French asked "what's in it?" and God replied "Though shalt not commit adultery" (the truth is that that isn't exactly what it says but that's a whole other story). The French immediately replied"no, no...we can't do that".

God went to the Germans and asked them if they wanted to be his nation and keep his laws. The Germans asked "what's in it?" and God replied "Though shalt not kill". The Germans immediately replied"no, no...we can't do that".

God went to the Jews and asked them if they wanted to be his nation and keep his laws.The Jews asked "How much does it cost?" God said "it's free" the Jews said "we'll take two".

Leslie, where are you?

My friend Leslie is missing.

I called the police for a welfare check but I haven't heard back yet.

She lives in another state.

I'm worried.

Her phone is disconnected and she isn't responding to emails.

Leslie, PLEASE!!!!!! Be OK.

Stimulating the economy

I get paid on a biweekly basis and this month I'm getting a third paycheck. Since my house deal fell through I went a bit crazy. But I keep telling myself that I'm stimulating the economy.

I just finished putting together my new Gazelle Edge. I wanted to get one three years ago and Ron wanted a swing (I'm not going to spell out what kind of swing you can figure it out). We got the swing. Now I got myself the Gazelle I wanted! And some new DVD's to watch while I'm on it...

I bought a new set of Cuisinart pots and pans. I've never had "nice" pots and pans before. Ron thought it was a waste of money.

I bought a 19 inch LCD-HDTV. No I haven't gone nuts. It's for my exercizing. The sound on the laptop isn't good enough and there's no room in my office to kickbox (or for the Gazelle). I'm not getting any kind of cable TV. This is strictly for exercizing and the occasional movie.

I bought my first set of power tools. A Black & Decker drill, circular saw and flashlight combo.

And last but not least....I bought a Spanish language CD so I can learn Spanish on those long drives to Albuquerque.

I think I've done my share to stimulate the economy.

Top Physicist

18 y/o Hadas Tzaban from Netivot, Israel just won first place in an international physics competition.

Congratulations Hadas!

http://www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART1/912/510.html

Israel

http://divineinformation.com/downloads/other_ftp.asp?file_name=/ftp/video/Sh_at_Ha_Efes.mpg

I'm not even going to try and upload that video. It's in Hebrew and I doubt anyone reading this will understand it. I put up the link in case someone reading this does understand and wants to watch it.

In the video there are quotes from two Rabbis who lives 1000 years ago. The uotes give explanations for the Israel/ Palestinian situation. The quotes fit so well it's mind boggling that they were written 1000 years ago. These Rabbis were writing about what would happen when we returned to Israel. we were 1000 years into the diaspora and 1000 years away from returning and they knew. The things they write are based on scriptures.

The video goes through the wars. In the Yom Kippur war things were going badly, Syria was about to go through the border, hundreds of tanks and we had three tanks standing against them. The Syrian tanks stopped and turned back.

The video syas that in an interview with the head of the tank battallion when he was asked why he trned back the answer was "if you saw a host of angels telling you to stop, what would you do?"

What do you make of all this?

With or Without You

An irate Republican made a comment to me today that was meant to get me riled up against Obama. She said "when Iran gets the bomb do you know what the first thing they will do is? Drop it on Israel!"

I didn't get riled up. I very calmly told her that it would never happen. Israel would not let Iran develop the bomb. She retorted that Israel had better make sure to get some support from the US. I very calmly told her that "We didn't ask the US for permission when we took out Iraq, we didn't ask the US for permission when we went into Entebbe to rescue the hostages, and we don't need permission from the US to take out Iran. Israel will do what Israel needs to do to protect herself with or without permission from the US."

I think there's already a plan in place. Don't be surprised if you wake up one morning and hear on the news that Israel bombed the Iranian Nuclear plant.

Just don't count on Israel to take care of North Korea.

Bye Bye Palin

Too bad. She would have ensured another win for Obama.

Other than that she dfinitely will not be missed.

Heres some info you may not have heard.

http://www.andrewhalcro.com/palin_resigns_exit_stage_right

Another One Bites the Dust

I sure can pick them.

Another real estate deal down the drain. The sellers decided that they want more money for the house than we agreed on. Good luck to them. I think the property is more or less worth what we negotiated. Their chances of getting a higher price is pretty close to zero. I'm sure there's something better out there for me.

Cap and Trade

Not surprisingly the right is against cap and trade. They claim that it will "hurt businesses" and "raise taxes".

Cap and trade is an interim situation that will help us move on to better, cleaner, and safer technologies. In the long run cap and trade will help business and lower taxes. No, I'm not halucinating. In the long run these new technologies will give us cheaper better cleaner safer fuel to run businesses and produce. The cleaner safer energy will reduce health care costs.

We are on the verge of a golden age. The GOP and radical right are too blind to see beyond today.

New Student Loan Laws

We wouldn't need these laws if Universities didn't charge so much and there is no reason for the high price tag. The people who make a lot of money in colleges and universities are the ones who have nothing to do with education. They are figure heads who don't deserve the money.

How do we change this horrific situation?

In Israel the dean was one of the senior faculty members voted on by the faculty members. There was no "President" and tuition was less than $1000.00 a semester.

I'm lucky with my student loans. I managed to consolidate at 4.75% and am down to 3.5% now. From whatI'm reading others aren't that lucky.

The system needs to be changed,

Keeping your job

It's no surprise that the internet is buzzing with advice on how to keep your job (and how to find one if you already lost it). After all we are in a recession and job losses are still high. But some of the advice makes me laugh.

I tell my staff manager off.

I argue with my district manager when he's wrong and have proven him wrong several times.

I rarely show up on time (I'm generally running a few minutes late in the morning).

I goof off when I feel like it.

I send joke emails to management.

Why do I still have a job?

Maybe I should write my own advice column on how to keep your job if you work for the government...

Madoff

In no way do I condone what Madoff did. I have no sympathy for his wife and think she should be stripped of ALL the money. I don't think she should be allowed to keep even 2.5 million. She should be broke and have to get a job and work for a living as, say...a waitress, a housekeeper...

But (you knew it was coming didn't you),

I have very little sympathy for his victims. The little bit of sympathy I have is all for the recipients from the charitable organizations that he ripped off. Those people are the real victims. Everyone else was complicit in the crime. There's a saying "if it's too good to be true then it isn't true". Madoffs clients were greedy and let their greed overtake their reason. They asked for what they got. They should have known. They should have asked more questions. They didn't because all they cared about was the money.

Madoffs victims cheered when he was sentenced to 150 years. Personally I think that was a ridiculous sentence. Anything over 50 years is a joke. The man is 71 years old. He isn't going to last 50 years in jail. It's doubtful that he'll last ten years. The sentence is petty and vindictive. The sentence highlighted a serious flaw in US culture. The reverence of money. Money is not the most importnat thing in life but Americans seem to think that it is. Sad.

Personally I think Madoff should not go to jail. I think that he and his wife should be stripped of every penny they have and forced to fend for themselves. I want to seem them how homeless people live. I want them to see how desperate homeless shelters are for money. Money that they took from them. In my opinion that would be a much better punishment and life lesson for Mr. and Mrs. Madoff.

I'm so confused

A while back I participated in a rather sexual post that got deleted from the forum (and rightfully so). It was a lot of fun talking about the crazy things we've done and I expressed a desire to "play" now that I'm free from the overbearing extremely jealous relationship I was in. So a friend suggested I try a "swingers" group. She told me that I could pick and choose and only go with straight guys if that's what I want. That sounded about right and I found a group on Yahoo that is based in Albuquerque. I haven't participated in any of the get togethers and I'm somewhat turned off by the whole thing.

I keep telling my friends that I don't want a real relationship right now but I'm not a swinger and I want something. I don't want to get into a relationship and lead someone on and make him think it's serious when it isn't. Between work and school I don't see how I'd have the time or energy for a relationship. But I miss having a man in bed with me.

What do I really want?

I miss the good times.

I miss the look on his face when I'd say something totally outrageous.
I miss having him sneak up behind me and give me a hug while I'm cooking dinner.
I miss the silly wacky stuff we would come up with.
I miss the serious science conversations.
I miss sex.
I miss having someone to spoil.

There's a lot I don't miss that outweighs what I miss.

I don't miss the false accusations.
I don't miss the wild jealousies.
I don't miss the paranoia.
I don't miss the put downs.
I don't miss the lies.
I don't miss the mind games.

Will I ever find the good without all the bad?

When Will the US WAKE UP!?????

After 9/11 we thought the US would wake up.

After the suicide bombings in Iraq we thought the US would wake up.

Now that Iran is saying that the CIA killed Neda will the US wake up?
http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-285768

I hope so but I doubt it. There are too many people out there whose minds have been poisoned by Arab propaganda to believe the truth.

Cap and Trade

Thank You!

Thank You!

Thank You!

Thank You!

....

Abortion is Murder?

Where does that notion come from?

http://caae.phil.cmu.edu/Cavalier/Forum/abortion/background/judaism1.html

Coffee

Like most adult Americans and Israelis I need my morning coffee.

No one brews coffee in Israel. Latte's are made with espresso. I used to drink instant all the time. I've slowly developed a taste for brewed coffee and started brewing my own about a year ago. During that year I've discovered many ways to screw up.

1. Forget the water.

2. Forget to close the lid on the water reservoir.

3. Dump the coffee grounds into the water reservoir.

4. Pour the water over the coffee grounds instead of the water reservoir.

5. Fill the pot with water and forget to pour it into the reservoir.

6. Forget to turn the coffeemaker on.

7. Forget to plug in the coffeemaker.

I wonder what my foggy uncaffienated brain will come up with next.

I Wasn't Born Yesterday.

I went to inspect a test hole today. There was about a foot of water in the hole and the contractor started telling me that it was rain water from all the rain that weekend. I told him that it looked like ground water to me. He tried to argue and I suggested that he dig another hole while I wait. The ground was so cobbley that he could barely scrape a few inches with the back hoe each time and the machine was really being stressed. After a few minutes I knew I was right. I could smell the water but it wasn't surfacing yet so I told him to keep digging. At 6.5 feet I stopped him and walked around to the pile and showed him the wet muddy rocks. There was no water in the hole yet but he conceded that there was ground water there which made it about the 7 feet I saw in the first hole.

I may be a woman but I wasn't born yesterday.

Never!!!

I'm surrounded by Christians at work. It doesn't really bother me for the most part because I like the people.

A few days ago one of them said to me "we'll make a Christian out of you yet". I laughed and said "never" and he said "harder hearts have been won over".

I despise Christianity. Christianity is the biggest lie of all time. Christianity has been the motivation behind the persecution of Jews for 2000 years. Now all of a sudden Islam has become a common enemy and we are being embraced by Christians as their "brothers" and "Gods chosen people". The problem is that leopards don't change their spots and as soon as Islam is back under control we will be the victims again. Even if there wasn't so much other evidence that Christianity is a total lie and sham I could never become a Christian for that reason alone.

I don't believe in God but I would rather die a Jew than live as a Christian.

Help

What do I get for a gay friend who just got married?

-------------------------------------------------------------

Update:

I asked a guy at work what I could get as a gift for a guy I have no romantic interest in (I'm the only one who knows Jim is gay and just got married) his answer was "beer". I said "something more lasting?" and he said "tequila".

So this is what I got

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00007G2IX/ref=ox_ya_oh_product

Iran

I have always been against the war in Iraq. Not because I disagree with the war on terror. I support the war on terror and the terror is very real and very dangerous. I disagree with the war on Iraq because we attacked a nation that was literally on it's knees after the gulf war and over a decade of UN sanctions.

We never should have attacked Iraq.

We should have attacked Iran.

If we had attacked Iran we would not be in the position we are today. We weakened ourselves in a useless war and will be had pressed to be able to deal with Iran when we need. I deliberately said when and not if. Ahmedinejad will not back down. The only way to stop him is a full blown attack.

One more huge mistake to lay on President Bush Jr. He was so caught up in revenge that he led us into the wrong war, weakened our military, cost us our best and bravest and billions of dollars while the real problem grew stronger from our oil money.

I've been saying this for years. I wonder if anyone is listening yet.

This is AWESOME

There are 19 parts to this. I really enjoyed this. This is why I have no doubt that if I ever decided that I believe in God I would go back to Judaism. No other religion makes any sense to me at all.

WTF!!!!!!!!

This guy is nuts. There is no impetus in Judaism for anyone to convert and become a Jew. A gentile can have all the rights of a Jew by simply believing in Judaism and keeping the seven laws of Noah. In fact, trying to convert people to Judaism is against the Torah. I'm protesting this video and the message he is trying to send.

What Would You Do?

I ran into a situation that sickens me. Someone I thought was a friend and works for the same department I do tried to get me fired.

I found out about six weeks ago that her septic system wasn't permitted. Not a big deal, most septic systems in the state aren't because until 2002 the state wasn't enforcing permitting. When we come across an unpermitted system we have the owner register it and that solves the problem. Part of the registration involves us inspecting it to make sure it's sound and isn't posing a threat to the environment and/or public health. She was going through a difficult period so I waited and finally went to talk to her about it last week. Her reaction was to call my division director and tell him that I was threatening her.

This person is a political appointee of the Governor so her word carries some weight. I weighed the situation and realized that I was being told in not so many words that if I pursue this I'll be fired. Since I'm still on my first year probation, (the year I worked in superfund didn't count), it wouldn't be too difficult for them to "let me go". I decided to shut up for now. Getting myself fired wouldn't change anything. Richardson has about one year left and when that year is over she loses her clout and we can go after her.

I'm pissed off beyond belief that she would do this. And I feel like my integrity is being compromised. But I think I'm making the right decision.

What would you do in my situation?

Laugh or Cry?

This country is in terrible shape and it's mostly our (the people) fault. We've lost every sense of pride, work ethic, frugality, caution...

Pride and work ethic are things I run up against every day. when I deal with a homeowner liquid waste installation I know I'm going to find some weird things. Undortunately when I go to a contractor installation I know I'm going to find weird things too.

Here are a few things that stick in my mind. They are funny but at the same time alarming because they represent the deterioration of our society. Bear in mind that these people are "professional" installers.

1. Even though the distribution box was color coded, yellow for the inlet and orange for the outlets, the contractor put it in the wrong way. (The inlet is one inch higher than the outlet, think gravity if you're wondering why it's important).

2. Gravel is supposed to be 3/4 - 2.5 inches in diameter. The contractor used river rock that's about 6 - 10 inches in diameter. Did he not know what gravel to use or did he think we wouldn't notice?

3. The contractor dug a ten foot deep trench for the leach field. The permit said 5 feet, the maximum depth allowed is six feet. Can he read?

4. The contractor put the effluent (not influent, effluent) filter on the inlet to the tank.

So tell me, should I be laughing or crying?

Cheap Electric Cars

Trust an Israeli to find the way to do it.

http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/article/260496/Shai-Agassi's-Plan-to-Get-the-World-Off-Oil;_ylt=Aq.cfgIHK4ZltrLNEtv9.BJk7ot4?tickers=GM,F,SAP,^IXIC

Obsession

There are ten parts to this.

Radical Islams plan to take over the world.

One Brave Woman

There are seven parts to this. You should be able to access all of them and please watch. I can't vouch for the veracity of her personal experiences but I can vouch for the validity of the things she says about Lebanon, Hezbollah, Hamas, and Israel. Everything she says is what I experienced myself. Lebanon used to be called "The good border".

This gives more interesting information.

Maybe I was wrong

We had to get our vehicles inspected this week. I bitched and moaned about it. Why were they wasting our time on a stupid car inspection. We already have a maintenance schedule. What a waste of tax payer money to have us wait in line for two hours so they could make sure we had all our decals on the car. Not to mention the drive back and forth to Santa Fe.

When my district manager told me we (the district) would get a fine if we didn't get our cars inspected I resigned my self to the fact and just said "OK if they want to pay us to waste half a day that's their problem".

When I got into the inspection they asked me if the car met my needs. I said "not really I need 4 wheel drive". Then I added that I cover Rio Arriba County. They went white " You cover Rio Arriba County with all those back dirt roads in a Ford Taurus?" "Yup." Five minutes later they told me to contact XXXX that they had gotten authorization to have my vehicle swapped for a 4 wheel drive.

I guess I was wrong it wasn't a waste of time.

Email to The President

Dear President Obama,

I listened to your Cairo speech and as an American Israeli born in the US and raised in Israel I have some things to say. I appreciate your desire to unite the world and bring peace. I voted for you in the hopes that you would bring a much needed new order and am overall pleased with most of what you have done so far. I don't disagree with your desire to close the gap between Christians and Muslims. I have some Muslim friends who are wonderful caring people. I have met many Muslims whom I have liked and admired including Palestinians.

I also have some concerns. You grew up in Indonesia surrounded by tolerant Muslims. I have a friend who grew up in Malaysia surrounded by tolerant Muslims. I am well aware that there are many tolerant Muslims around the world. Unfortunately there are also many intolerant Muslims around the world and they really are a threat. I was living in Israel in the 1990's. I was there when the Oslo agreement was signed and I was there when Rabin was assassinated. I was also there during one of the worst bloodbaths in the history of Israel went on. Every time Rabin made a concession the level of terror rose. The suicide attacks started after the Oslo agreement. How can you make peace with people who try to kill you every time you make a concession?

The settlements are not the problem. I know the people in the settlements and some of them are fanatics but none of them are murderers. They believe that what they are doing is protecting Israel. How can you tell these people that stopping the settlements will bring peace after what happened in Gaza?

Israel wants peace. But Israel will not sacrifice her ability to defend herself. If you truly want peace you need to find a way to ensure Israels safety. When the surrounding Arab countries turn their back on terror and bloodshed and recognize the right of Israel to exist there will be peace. Israel will make any necessary concessions for real peace. But after all the broken promises that only led to more bloodshed Israel needs real reassurances that it is a real lasting peace.

I don't know if you will read this but I felt a need to try and reach out and say something. I love both my countries and want to see both of them succeed. This will never happen as long as there are terrorists like Hamas and Al Quaida. These people are funded by oil money. We need to invest more in clean renewable energy so we can stop the funding of these groups. When this happens there will be peace. Thank you for your time.

The Virginaia Graeme Baker Act

I nkow I posted about this before but I just sat through a pool regulations and inspection training and ARGH!!!!! They let their granddaughter go into their PRIVATE!!!! pool unsupervised and she drowned so they are forcing public pools to follow a stupid new regulation taht is costing them thousands in this dismal economy.

And the act was shoved as a side bill in an energy bill.

WTG Congress! NOT!!!!!

Punishing the rest of the country for your negligence is abuse of power. This bill should be revoked.

Hacked on ireport?

I'll admit that I go read some posts and comments from time to time. I found out that SirJohn was possibly banned. He had oposted some very inflamatory posts and gotten into some nasty arguments so I'm not too surprised.

The wierd thing is that the reports hewas posting were not his style. They were religious wingnut posts that the SirJohn I knew would never have posted.

Was SirJohn's account hacked? 

Is this the new wave of terror on ireport?

I'm grateful I deactivated my account before someone could do this to me. 

If you're out there SirJohn talk to me please.

This is unbelievable

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAaQNACwaLw

It's long but I'd like to hear your input.

US-64 TP to TA

I love this drive. I don't get to do it too often because there isn't much going on in Tres Piedras. I hope I get to drive it next fall when the aspens are turning color. The clusters of aspens nestled in the evergreen ponderosa pines and pinon junipers is stunning.

Do you....

Love you job?

Hate your Job?

Like your job?

Put up with your job?

What's the best and worst of it?

What I love about my job is:

1. It pays the bills

2. My co-workers all have a great sense of humor

3. My district manager is the sweetest guy in the world

4. I make my own schedule

5. No two days are the same

6. I work in the most beautiful countryside imaginable with so much diversity

What I hate about my job is:

1. My staff manager is a screw up

2. Having to tell people they need to install a system they can't afford

All in all I love my job.

It Isn't Over Yet

The economic downturn is showing signs of slowing down and possibly even turning back around. The stock market is much higher than its March low, housing seems to be picking up and jobless claims are slowing down.

I don't buy it.

You know how hurricanes have the "eye of the storm", well, we are in the "eye of the recession". I suspect that it will get much worse before it really gets better.

What do you think?

Here We Go Again

I walked away from the first land deal I made an offer on. Two days ago I made an offer on a house and it was accepted. Let's see what happens this time.

1900 sqft manufactured home on 1.9 acres with water rights. I'm laughing a bit because it's a water front property. It borders the Santa Cruz River (which is really a stream). But it's a long narrow piece of land so the house is a few hundred feet from the river and hopefully not in the flood plain. I'll find out soon.

Hollie Steel

Little Hollie Steel messed up on Britains Got Talent semi-final when she forgot some of the words to the song. Her tears got to all the judges and she was given a second chance and she nailed it. Did she deserve the second chance and did she deserve to go through to the final?

I'm reeling

I just found out this evening that one of my best friends got married yesterday on her lunch break.

I just want to say congratulations to her.

It is not a choice and it's natural

Some people try to claim that being gay is a choice. It generally isn't you are attracted to who you are attracted.

I'm a hetero woman. The thought of having sex with another woman is nauseating to me. This isn't a "choice" it's what my biology dictates to me.

Some people are bi-sexual and the argument of choice could be made in their case.

Most homosexuals are not bi-sexual.

Being a homosexual is perfectly natural. The rise in homosexuality in societies today has nothing to do with "sin". Animal populations that grow beyond the carrying capacity of their environment start to produce more homosexual animals. Homosexuality is natures way of telling us that our population is too large and we need to cut back. I don't know what the exact triggers are. It could be pollution based. But we have changed our environment and created triggers that have increased the homosexual population in an attempt to lower our population.

We should be grateful for the gays. They are helping us reduce our population to manageable numbers.

Thank you to the gays and lesbians around the world.

Hypocrisy

Hypocrisy is declaring a "war on terror" while promoting gas guzzling cars and unsustainable life styles that put money in the pockets of terrorists.

Hypocrisy is wanting to ban same sex marriage and refuse the gay minority their rights but raising hell when someone mentions gun control and the right to bear arms.

Hypocrisy is trying to control what women do with their own bodies but crying that socialism takes away your freedom.

Hypocrisy is saying that abortions are murder but killing millions of innocent people thousands of miles away from your home because your god is the "right" god.

Hypocrisy is saying abortions are murder while supporting the death penalty.

Hypocrisy is organized religion.

Which would you take?

Global Change Biology?

or

Geomicrobiology?

or

Open Channel Hydraulics?

They are all at the same time and I could take any of them to fill a requirement for my degree. I love interdisciplinary degrees but decisions like this drive me crazy.

A Sad Day for Democracy

The Supreme Court of California decided to uphold proposition 8 denying gays the right to marry. This is a very sad day for Democracy. The rights of a minority are being denied.

The problem is that it isn't JUST the right to have a marriage ceremony. It's all the rights that go with it. Civil unions do not give partners many of the rights marriage does.

I'm so glad I didn't move to California. I'd be ashamed to be a Californian today.

Obsessed

Have you ever had an online stalker?

How did you handle it?

People who stalk and harass are mentally unstable. How do you get them to leave you alone without making them step things up and possibly get violent? Even if they are too far away to hurt you they might, out of sheer frustration, hurt someone.

My stalker is definitely VERY unbalanced.

What should I do?

Memorial Day...Sales?

I'm going to talk about what bothers me about memorial day.

Yes there are some ceremonies. Yes we talk about remembering the fallen.

BUT!!!!!

We have "Memorial Day Sales"!?

Who came up with the idea of turning memorial day into a shopping for sales day? We have become a country of consumers. All that matters is "buy more" "GDP" "the economy". This is so WRONG!!!!

We should all boycot memorial day sales.

Memorial day should be for remembrance. It should be the one day a year that we stop what we normally do and think about those who sacrificed their lives so that we could be free.

God and the Cosmic Background Radiation

What if there is something to all the "hocus pocus" of Kabbalah? What if the ancients really did have insight to the true workings of the universe?

According to Kabbalah there are ten emanations of God. Tiferet is "God" and Malchut, the lowest emanation and the closest to us is the one we pray to. Malchut is the one the ancients claim to have "risen" towards. Malchut is female and Tiferet is male. They have sex through Yesod. When we are good they have sex and all is well with the world. When we are bad the stop having sex and the world goes crazy (Do you think they need to have more sex?). Malchut, aka Shechina, is supposed to be everywhere.

According to the Rambam, aka Maimonedes, Malchut was emanated in a flash of light (see Guide for the Perplexed).

When the big bang happened there was a big flash of light. The remnants of that flash of light are everywhere. They are the cosmic background radiation (CMBR).






What if there is something to the ramblings of the ancients and Malchut is CMBR? Could the rest of the emanations be outside the universe? What if they are in another dimension? What if each emanation is the CMBR of a big bang and we are a universe within a universe within...?

Jesus Loves You? (Another resurected blog post)

I hear that a lot.Christians claim that Jesus died for their sins and that all you have to do is believe in Jesus and you will go to heaven. Sounds pretty amazing doesn't it? So why don't I believe it?

The claim is that Jesus was around when the world was created and revealed himself when he did toabsolve people of their sins. Christianity claims that people are born with original sin that needs to be forgiven because of Adam and Eve.

So why didn't Jesus intervene when God banished Adam and Eve from Eden? Why didn't Jesus do something to stop them from being banished and absolve original sin? Why didn't Jesus love Adam and Eve?

Why didn't Jesus intervene when God flooded the earth? Why didn't Jesus intevene when God destroyed Soddom and Gemorah? The Egyptians? The Canaanites?

Why didn't Jesus reveal himself to the whole world? After all, as a god wouldn't he be able to be everywhere? Why didn't Jesus love all the people around the world enough to reveal himself to them and give them the opportunity to believe in him and go to heaven?

Billions of people have lived and died without the opportunity of knowing about Jesus. They were born at the wrong time and/or the wrong place. Why didn't Jesus love them?

And why doesn't Jesus love gays?