How many streetlights does it take...

In order for me to drive to work on Tuesdays?  I decided to find out this morning.



The street where I live...



It is actually harder than you think to keep count...listening to music, swearing at the car next to you as they drink coffe/talk on the phone/put on eye makeup, and just plain old lack of focus.  I can get distracted by the goofiest things.  Not to mention dodging Microsoft shuttle busses and bicycle riders...



In front of the next building over from my office...



OK...now for the numbers.  On Tuesday I have to attend a meeting with one of our Distributors, so this counts the stop lights from my home...to their office...and then to my office.

Are you ready now?  There are 53 stop lights between my home and Arrow Electronics in Bellevue WA.  There are a total of 69 stoplights to travel from my home to Arrow and then to my office.  And this is NOT big city driving folks.  I knew it was a lot...but not this many.



I'm Not Ready To Make Nice...

I have been thinking about this for a long while now.  When the Dixie Chicks made their comment about being embarrassed to be from the same state as George W. Bush they were absolutely vilified. They lost their career, received death threats, and had little to no support from the other country music artists.  In fact many were very outspoken against them. 

"Just so you know, we’re on the good side with y’all. We do not want this war, this violence, and we’re ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas"  Natalie Maines March 10, 2003

Flash forward to the political discourse in America today.  The visuals and verbiage being used against Barack Obama and his family are abhorent to me and really should be to most americans as this is our President.  You don't have to like him, you don't have to agree with him, but you should have respect for the office.  I disliked President Bush, but I respected the office he held. 

Remember...all the Dixie Chicks said was they were embarrassed to be from the same state...It seems to be one of those do as I say and not as I do moments in US history.  How sad. 

Free speech is all well and good as long as you are a Conservative.  Anyone on the other side may be shot on sight.  I am very proud of these 3 women who took on all comers and did not back down from the repercussions of this one statement.  Actually I'm proud as hell!

Sometimes you do have to laugh at how poorly these chuckleheads spell....showing their ignorance and stupidity to the whole wide world.

I don't have any answers, but I do know that I am ashamed of some of our fellow Americans right about now.

The Comfort of Old Friends...

I had the chance to spend time with a couple of my friends from school over the weekend.  We're talking all the way back to 3rd grade when I met Dawn and a little later for Mary.  I have the good fortune to see Dawn on a pretty regular basis, but it has been several years since I saw Mary - it may have been our 30 year High School Reunion in fact.  That was 2008.  In fact at the BBQ on Sunday there were 4 of us who graduated High School together.  Having friends who have known me for so long is a great blessing.  You can just be yourself - they have pretty much seen you in all of your incarnations and like you anyway.

We laughed...they made jam...and we had a wonderful time.  Here's to good friends...without them life would be so much less.

Fresh From The Farm Strawberries

Bubbling Hot Blueberries Almost Ready...

Another Batch Completed

Hope it isn't another 4 years before we are all together again.