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Congratulations John!

Sunday, May 18, 2008
Hoo! Hoo!

Way to go, man. We're proud of you.

I wish I could say the sleepless nights are over, but, well, yeah. :)


Friday, May 16, 2008
This came from Fred. I couldn't possibly love this screen shot any more.

Do We STILL Have to Claim West Virginia?

Seriously, can't they secede from the U.S. or something?

I was listening to NPR yesterday (the other car, with XM, was in the shop) and caught a little tidbit about the role race played in the primary in West Virginia (or, West Virgina, if you please). You can listen to it for yourself, but here's the interesting parts [with some sarcasm for your enjoyment]:

"Hillary Clinton's overwhelming victory over Barack Obama in West Virginia has revived a common question this primary season: How race influences voters decisions.

"One in five white West Virginia voters said race helped determine their choice.

"On Tuesday, we asked West Virginians who they voted for, and why, as they left the polls. We heard a lot of this:

"I don't want Obama in there. I don't like his background. They're putting the man in because of his race. And I don't, uh, I'm not ready for that." -Gene Morris [you're right, because the best thing a black person has going for them in this country, and your state, is his race]

"Mr. Obama doesn't have much of a chance here because they will not vote for a black man in West Virginia. And they can't stand the thoughts of a black man telling a white man what to do." -Joetta Koon [she actually gets it]

"Whether he is a Muslim, uh, I guess he's not, I guess it's just everything that's going on in the Middle East; a little scary being unknown." -Thomas Caldwell [um, he's not Muslim, as if it matters, and the only unknown in this equation is what's taking up the space between your two ears]

"You know I didn't vote for no colored. [laughing]" -Morris King [yep, we know]
"They're all West Virginians who voted in Tuesday's primary. We should add that none of them were asked specifically about race."

One word: WOW!

Journalists Are Not Mathematicians

Thursday, May 15, 2008
Sick-Leave Abuse Prompts Calls to Compensate for Unused Time

"For weeks that had a holiday falling on a Monday, 27 percent of all sick leave at the IRS was taken on a Tuesday in 2005 and 2006, the report said. And 24 percent of all sick leave taken by IRS employees during non-holiday weeks was on a Monday. "

Now, I can't even decipher what the first sentence means. But for the second sentence: Well, if it were just random chance, you would expect that 20% of all sick leave would be on a Monday - and 20% on Tuesday, and 20% on Wednesday, and 20% on Thursday, and 20% on Friday. So 24% doesn't seem that out of line to me...

What Else They Don't Tell You

Thursday, May 08, 2008
Well, they kinda tell you...when you're pregnant, all of your other internal organs get squished. Your bladder is squished and you have to pee all the time, ha ha, right?

But no, seriously, they all get squished. Space is at a premium, so there are trade-offs: if, for example, you eat a large meal, then you can't breathe. And there is very little wiggle room (literally): when the kid kicks, he's likely to strike the bladder, ribs, stomach, and all kinda of fun stuff. And I imagine that the internal-organs-as-punching-bags phenomenon is only going to get worse...

Yes, it's all worth it. But it's WEIRD.

What They Don't Tell You

Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Ok, there are a lot of things that no one tells you about being pregnant. But what's really odd is this: you feel the kid move. All the time. It's not just that sometimes the kid kicks and you can feel it - no, you're sitting at your desk, and he's moving. You're walking to your car, and he's moving. You're in a meeting, in the shower, watching TV, trying to sleep, having a conversation, doing dishes - and he's moving. Kicking, squirming, poking. Imagine someone following you around for four months or so, poking you in the stomach. Except that you love this person a lot, so it's not as annoying as you'd think.

It's weird. It's cool, but it's really really weird. That's all.