Thread Drift

hi td GALS
I just got back from a 32.4 mile ride in 34 - 40 degree sunny (sort of) oregon.
getting caught up on your conversation here and i heartily approve of all your sentiments, not that anyone needs my approval.
I rode my bianchi and although i was usually last, i was not so far behind to be a burden to the rest of the riders.
next we are supposed to go shopping, but no one else has appeared here in the lobby.
MP i didnt know you guys were having windstorms too! what a season we're having!

oh, and throat singing? Tibetan monks do it. they make one noise with their throats and another with their mouths. it's very strange. i think the noise also is happening on both the inhale and the exhale. My son has always been the master of making annoying noises, you should hear the noises he can make with his french horn. i'm so glad he doesnt play drums!
well, i guess i need to find where the shoppers went!

bummer salsa! well, it WILL be wonderful when it's done and well worth the hassle I am sure. good that they didn't permanently lose your luggage!!

Knot-do you mind me asking if there's a way to send your brother a card? I'm not sure if you can tell us where he's stationed in Iraq for sec reasons but wherever he is, i'll keep him in me thoughts.

Did any of you ladies get to see Gerald Ford lying in state? Is it a big event in the US or has it been overshadowed by the many other interesting events in the world?

MP-give your doggie a hug.

Nanci-where have you been dear?

c

THAT is my handsome boy Choco! What a stud.

CC, Ford has gotten plenty of attention. Whether we agreed with his actions during his presidency or not, the contrast between his general approach/effect on politics, with the current admin, is being noted.

Mimi, I see you are slowly being made a part of winter riding. Seems to be working pretty well for you! How are your tootsies?

CC, yes, it is a big deal here in the states. But he will not be anywhere near my house, so I will not see him. But I think the coverage that I've seen has been most favorable.

Happy New Year's, TD!

(I won't be around tomorrow, so gotta say it now.)

hmmm. I am neither a "red" nor a "blue" person, though I live in a very Blue state. I have at times a great deal of difficulty in seeing a difference in dems vs reps, in that they both spend lots of our money on things I wouldn't, and they both ultimately make the government bigger and more complicated. Granted they do so in very different areas, and generally I like the blue areas more than the red areas. But I am not a big fan of the two party system.

I also have mixed feelings about the use of the military; I have been closely involved with all kinds of military personnel for over 10 years due to serving in the USCG Auxiliary and because of my career in network security. In fact I now work for a company that sells mostly to the military. Anyway, I have a very high regard for the vast majority of the troops who are very hard working, decent, even idealistic people. But it bothers me to see our money spent on for example lots of high tech stuff (some of it quite obscure), while the people on the ground or in the boats can't get parts to make the darn things run or protect them. I also think that the individuals are taken for granted by the people in DC who have no #$% clue about what it's like to be a soldier, sailor, Guardsman etc.

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What makes me wonder is this: if so many people in our country are so unhappy about what's happening over there, why can't we change it? Why are our voices seemingly unheard? Why can't our elected officials do what we elected them to do (represent us)? I know- that's a rhetorical question because of the games that are played in that big white building on capitol hill.

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I dunno, because we mostly let them get away with it? By re-electing the same people 20 times, by not letting them know how disheartened we are by their choices etc? I am not exactly involved in politics, so I am to blame also - it's my own fault for being more content to say post on TE than pester some congressperson about stuff I in theory care about. :). But on some level, we gotta look in the mirror if we don't like what we see representing us....

Sorry to sidebar.

On a different note, wooo I got my hair cut today, the way I had it years ago. I am like, hey, why didn't I do this sooner? :) But I decided I wanted to do this a few weeks and was waiting til 2007 was right around the bend, something I could do to start 2007 on the right note! Also I guess to make sure I really wanted to (cuz it's nice n short)!

And now our little cat is watching the TV. I think the cats like Sunrise Earth more than I do!

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Originally Posted by crazycanuck

Knot-do you mind me asking if there's a way to send your brother a card? I'm not sure if you can tell us where he's stationed in Iraq for sec reasons but wherever he is, i'll keep him in me thoughts.

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I don't know where he is. He's on a Navy ship that was stationed near Iraq. Now his ship is being moved to where it can keep an eye on Korea... He's actually very safe in the grand scheme of things. They took away his leave time for New Years (he was gonna come home for a bit) because of the unstable situations. I always worry. I'm relieved he's being moved away from Iraq. In the big picture, being moved toward Korea is probably even better than getting some time off and then going back to Iraq. Less chance of violence.

I've learned not to ask for details much.

Thank you for thinking of him! Someone on here had a contact that was in Iraq, to send cards and such to soldiers who are actually on the ground. Does anyone remember who that was?

Edit: hey, Trek, you were in on that thread, because you were talking about phone cards for the servicemen and women.

urghghghg...it's 35c...:) :eek:

Another question for you ladies..have you ever been to any of the presidential libraries? Are they interesting places to visit? I'll have to google & see if i can do a virtual tour.

Knot-good to hear your brother's ok & will be further away from harm. I don't mean to be intrusive but when's the last time you saw him?

Way off topic..it seems the world lost some amazing folks this year....

I'm sitting here pondering the idea of surprising Ian for his birthday with tickets to the Indy 500..and wondering how i'm going to do it..kind of hard to hide purchasing plane tickets isn't it..We have 5 months to save..The added bonus..two summers!!!

c

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Originally Posted by crazycanuck

Knot-good to hear your brother's ok & will be further away from harm. I don't mean to be intrusive but when's the last time you saw him?

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Last spring. He has matured a lot in the military, I think it's been good for him. But I do worry.

CC- I have been to the LBJ Presidential Library here in Austin, TX. I was pretty young but remember it had a lot of stuff. One person I know who has been to four of the libraries liked it the best. I lived less than a mile from the Bush Library and never went. If you are a history fan, you would probably find them interesting.

Since LBJ's time in office was quite interesting, his library is as well. I think there is a big area dedicated to the Kennedy Assasination. I could be wrong, I was 9 when I went.

Knot - being Canadian, I feel fairly far removed from the Iraq war, although I do hear lots more about Afganistan as Canadian boys are being killed there regularly. Now I will have your brother in my thoughts as well. Let's all pray (or whatever) that some miracle happens and the idiots all over the world finally realize that war is not the answer.... :(

Crazy - too cool that you met Ian in Kelowna. I didn't realize that. Was he living here at the time?

KG-He'd actually been in Canada no more than 3 weeks when i met him...I thought he was cool & we kept in touch..the saga continues..

Aggie-how's the new bike?
I would love to check out a presidential library one day.

Am online checking out tickets for the indy 500...I wonder how much grovelling i need to do for ian to let us go home in may...If not, we could always go to the Stampede in July..

I just wanted to give my dearie a nice birthday gift...I see alot of saving ahead in 07...

c

CC- I will have to wait until tomorrow to tell you all about the new bike. The short test ride felt great. Tomorrow I plan to do about 50 miles, that should really be the fun stuff.

I just saw an apartment one block from my last place in College Station was hit by a tornado! No one was hurt, but the residents have been displaced. Crazy. I am glad it is Christmas and a lot of the students are gone.

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Originally Posted by crazycanuck

Another question for you ladies..have you ever been to any of the presidential libraries? Are they interesting places to visit? I'll have to google & see if i can do a virtual tour.
c

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I've been to both the Nixon and Regan libraries here in Socal. They're both interesting
Nixon - not an official (government seal of approval - he resigned in "disgrace") has the house was born in on the grounds - reminded me a lot of the house my mom grew up in.
Regan - lot of movie stuff(he was an actor before getting into politics) and the airplane (i Think it's a Boeing 707) that he used as Air Force One(The official plane) along a presidential limousine.
They both have a section devoted to their wives - and not just the usual stuff (inaugural gowns, Presidential Dinnerware,etc) I'm trying to remember if the Regan covers Jane Wyman(wife #1) as well.

It's a fine line we walk between what is right and what is wrong but who is to say what is right, and what is wrong? We fight to help those who cannot help themselves, we fight when there is nothing left to fight for. And what is there left to fight for? Hope. Hope that a nation will once again live in peace and find leadership they can believe in. Can we help to achieve that goal? Maybe not, but can we really hurt it?

Whether or not you are for Bush or against him, pulling out of Iraq right now might be very detrimental to the cause......... It might save lives; but it could cause the loss of many due to the resulting choas.......

I grew up an Army brat of a Viet Nam vet; my brother has been in the army for 22 years... he WAS the front line of Desert Storm....... and whether or not he agrees with Iraq, he is ready to do what is expected of him.....