Has the world lost its mind?!?!?!

I admit. I am one of "those" people who watch Dancing With The Stars. I enjoy watching the dancers and seeing what kind of choreography they come up with... I will also admit that I wasn't excited about the cast this season. I didn't understand why Bristol Palin was on there. I understood why "The Situation" was on there, but wasn't crazy about watching him dance. But you know what I realized? ABC didn't ask my opinion as to who should be on the show. Once the cast is chosen, quit crabbing about it people!

And another thing... The show is just that - it's a television show... A dancing competition that allows people at home to vote... It is for entertainment... (and I'm going out on a limb now and assuming at least one of these "crazy" people actually reads my blog)

An entertainment show does not warrant the behavior that has been reported. Shooting your TV just because someone you don't like remains on the show is insane. I would hope that the person that did that is receiving some medical attention for that kind of behavior.

To the people who have made death threats against the people competing on the show - You should be ashamed of yourself! For crying out loud, if you don't like what you are seeing, turn off your TV.It is never appropriate to make death threats against anyone! Seriously, has the world gone mad?

A month...

It will be a month before I see my husband again... A whole month...(sigh)

What can I do in a month? Lots!

I can go on a diet, I can organize the house, I can teach Noni a new trick, etc... Somehow, it doesn't seem right that I can do some pretty drastic things while my husband is away... He SHOULD be able to be here to see the progress... But such is the life of a pilot's wife...

So, while I try to get those few things done in a month (very attainable goals, if I do say so myself), I will also be starting up 2 classes at a time again. I have finals this week for my ECON class, and then have an accounting and communications class starting next Monday. Pray for me!

My dastardly plan...

... worked a little TOO well.

I gave myself 2.5 hours to complete my shopping experience, and was done in 1.5... I had the most amazing shopping experience at Nordstroms! I had an awesome sales person who kept taking the things that I picked up to try on into my own dressing room. Once I was in there, she kept bringing me other things to try. After all was said and done, I walked away with 2 pairs of work slacks (to go with my other pair at home), 6 nice tops that I can dress up or dress down, and 6 sweaters to wear with the 6 tops. Everything is mix/match. I can finish the overhaul of my wardrobe by getting some jeans at home and a few tank tops to layer under some of the tops (a couple are a little too low-cut for my tastes) and to wear under the sweaters for weekend looks. All in all, I am really proud of myself. And extremely thankful to the wonderful person who helped me out...

She even gave me her business card in case I see anything online. I can call her up and tell her what I saw and she will send it to me in Juneau. Absolutely fabulous!

All that fabulosity came with a price... It's a good thing that clothes are considered an investment. These clothes are going to have to last me for quite some time before I go on a shopping spree like this again. Total sticker shock for someone who is used to shopping at Wal-Mart.

Checking in from a winter wonderland

This week, I have to attend a conference in Anchorage from Wednesday to Friday... I decided to take Monday and Tuesday off and go to Anchorage early to get some shopping in. As much as I want to "buy local," I have very few choices for appropriate clothing. The quality of clothing and styles available in Juneau leave something to be desired... Most people that I know buy clothes online, which is fine, as long as you know what brands/sizes to get... I do not.

So, I have a goal to purchase at least 5 different outfits that I can dress up/down, that are mix & match. I'll also try on different clothes so I can buy online later (you know, when I have more money to play with). As motivation to actually go shopping, I only packed 1 change of clothes... And the clothes I brought with me are fine for running around and meeting with a few people, but not appropriate for the conference I'm attending... Why do I need this motivation? Aren't I a woman, and therefore programmed to shop? Sure, but I think my programming is a little off... I get anxious when shopping... I have my homeopathic anxiety medication on hand today to help keep it at bay and I'm going to find a nice sales person to help me shop. I do not trust my judgment in clothes. I tend to have a panic attack and leave with a handful of clothes without trying them on first.

Another area where I will have anxiety is just driving to the mall... I didn't know it had snowed a bunch while I was flying in to Anchorage yesterday. Thank goodness that the nice people at the rental car company upgraded me to an AWD Crossover with an auto-shifter. I am so comfortable driving in the snow when I have an auto-shifter (it allows me to start out in 3rd gear so I don't lose traction on the ice - something that happens when you start out in 1st gear because the wheels turn faster). However, even with those options, I still almost took out a road sign with the car... I stopped inches short of hitting it... Talk about anxiety!

So, wish me luck! I venture out in about 30 minutes to start my afternoon plan :)

Why I hate election years...

I appreciate the work that our representatives do across the state and for Alaska in Washington. I also appreciate the people who are willing and able to serve in these capacities. Election years are the way to allow the public to select these representatives on a regular basis. We (as the public) review the available candidates carefully. We elect the person or persons we feel will do the best job (or at least we should).

Partisan politics irritate the crap out of me. It boils down to 2 groups of children in a school yard... One group refuses to play with the other group because they have holey jeans... The other group refuses to play with the first group because they eat bugs... Each group blames the other for nobody playing fair... Like I said, irritating...

Another thing that irritates me is the election process... As much as I hate partisan politics, I dislike people who vote for someone based on what party they belong to. "I'm voting for Joe Blow because I am a Lemoncrat and so is he." Call me naive, but I don't think you should vote for someone just because they belong to the same political party as you. You should vote for the person that will do the best job representing you and your area. I know that is not the way things really are, so I will move on...

When creating political advertisements, candidates should tell me why I should vote for them, not why I shouldn't vote for someone else. That's like telling me to "Vote for me, because I'm not as bad as that guy!"... That's not a good enough reason for me to vote for you. For our state Senatorial race, I have heard ONE advertisement telling my why I should vote for someone. EVERYTHING else I have heard, from all of the candidates tells me what the other person has done wrong. The only thing that these types of ads do is to make me hate ALL of the candidates because I only know the negative. How about a little positivity?

I think it would be a good idea to create a non-biased political website giving honest information on all of the candidates for office in a given area - their position on issues, their history, pros & cons... You should also have the ability to compare candidates side-by-side to determine the best representative for you.

How to quietly turn 30...

My birthday has never been extravagant. I remember being so jealous of my brothers (specifically, my older brother) because they usually got to have store-bought cakes and have friends over for their birthdays. I guess that's the kind of treatment that you get when your birthday falls in the first half of the month, aka: Mom's payday... My birthday, however, falls at the end of the month. Money was not as abundant at the end of the month, so I usually had cake from a box that on more than one occasion, I had to make myself... I only remember having friends over once, and it was only two friends... So, you can see why I don't usually make a big deal out of my birthday...

This year, I was so bummed that Aaron had to work. We did celebrate my birthday early (10 days early, to be precise) and it was a small celebration - just the two of us... He did try to make it special for me, but it would have been more special if he was able to be here to celebrate on my actual birthday... Such is the life of a pilot's wife...

On my actual birthday, I opted for a quiet day. Sure, I took phone calls from friends/family (to be honest, more people submitted Happy Birthday wishes through Facebook/texting than by actually calling me) but I kind of kept to myself for the most part. I went to the gym, did some shopping, and had a massage. I went to the store and bought a small piece of chocolate cake (because it just isn't your birthday if you don't have cake).

Given my track record with birthdays, and how much they tend to disappoint me, I wonder if I should just not celebrate them anymore... (she says while listening to her cool new iPod that her husband gave her for her birthday)

Three Strikes...

After much deliberation and debate, Aaron and I decided that it would be a good idea to adopt another dog to add to our family and be a companion for Noni. This past week, my friend introduced me to a 3 month old puppy that looks just like Noni (although, with different breeding). We started the process by contacting the rescue group that had the puppy. Sadly, that one had been adopted already, but she had a brother that was still available. We read all about him and saw his picture and wanted him immediately! It was like the stars were aligning to help us grow our family!

I spoke with the rescue group today and completed an adoption application over the phone (they are in Utah). I answered all the questions honestly (although, now I wish I had lied). We were denied, and not because of our location...

Strike one - I have mild allergies to dogs... Nevermind the fact that I have found how to deal with my allergies with Noni. I keep her hair short to reduce the amount of shedding and I take medication to control my symptoms. I realize that allergies are not the fault of the dog, so I don't take it out on her... I couldn't get the woman to understand that if allergies were SUCH a problem for me, that I wouldn't have my extremely hairy dog.

Strike two - We have had to give up a dog in the past for reasons outside of our control. Just because we had to move and we were unable to take the dog with us because we couldn't secure housing that allowed  us to have her almost 10 years ago, we aren't fit to take on another dog. We found a good home for her with friends, so it's not like we abandoned her on the roadside. But, apparently, in order to be a good dog owner, you can NEVER give up another animal in your lifetime and if you do, you are not worthy of having a pet.

Strike three - We don't have a fenced in yard... Since when did this requirement become mandatory? Noni has used the back yard for her facilities since we moved in to this house 3 years ago... It hasn't been a problem. Would I like a fenced in back yard? Yes... Is it practical for me to have a fenced in back yard? No... In 3 years, my dog has not choked herself while on her dog lead in the back yard, but that doesn't matter. Promises to supervise the puppy any time it was in the back yard were ignored...

This whole ordeal has left me feeling very emotional... They made me feel like I'm an unfit pet owner... Like, how dare I take in a puppy at the age of 3 1/2 weeks and raise her with care and love, never leaving her for longer than I had to. How dare I ensure that she has the best veterinarian in the city to take care of her (it's true, Noni's vet was just voted the best in the city). How dare I worry about every little wheeze or limp, and even go so far as to take her to the vet every time she coughs... I must be some bad person, some evil diabolical witch for not ensuring that the house I purchased had a fenced in back yard...

Well, I say, HOW DARE THEY MAKE ME FEEL THIS WAY! HOW DARE THEY THINK THAT I WOULD BE AN UNFIT PET OWNER. I could understand if their biggest concern was sending the dog to Alaska. But, with Aaron's jump seat benefits, he could (and would) go down personally to pick up the puppy.

But, no... My back yard isn't fenced, I occasionally sneeze in my house, and I broke my heart in two 10 years ago when I had to make a choice that was in the best interest of everyone... For that, I don't deserve a puppy...