Weekend update

11-8-10 standard time brain

WOW, again- another gorgeous autumn weekend! View out of our front window at the KC house.



It was the weekend to "fall back" our clocks. I'm glad now since it might be easier to get our of bed with earlier daylight.... and this time of year, I don't mind putting my PJ's on just after dinner.... Let the winter nesting/hibernation begin.

Saturday, Greg and I had a fairly laid back day...actually a bit boring compared to last weekend, but I needed a boring weekend to rest up. We did a few errands, ate at our favorite breakfast brunch place, First Watch, and then took a short drive out to the Overland Park Arboretum. We had a wonderful walk in the woods.



Saturday night, we had dinner at the Plaza, for the first time with a neighbor couple in KC, Terry and Kim. Then they took us to one of their favorite comedy clubs in Westport which did a sort of comedy game. There were two teams of improvisational people and the audience fed in the ideas. So they called it “improv sports” where the audience picked the winner of each improve challenge they were give. It was fun. Improv comedians have a special talent for thinking fast on their feet.

Sunday when I drove back to Des Moines in the early afternoon, it was sunny and 70 degrees. I was glad, since I had to make time to do some yard work when I returned. The front tree had dropped all its leaves since I had been away, and so I had to mow the lawn and leaves.

Sunday night, I connected back with some Des Moines friends as I was invited to a wine and cheese party with some church friends who form our Gay/Lesbian support group at church. My DM Church is striving to be an open and welcoming church to all people. This party was a small farewell for our interim minister and his wife. In December, we will be getting our new head pastor.

PS: I'm not done talking about my Washington DC trip, but just giving you a break from it.

Happy Days are here again!

WOW....That was fast.. Thanks GOP!

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Other parts of DC

11-5-10 TGIF brain

Our trip last weekend was not all about the Rally. We also did so much site-seeing that our legs and feet were worn out.

Also, Greg got to test-drive a Volt, by chance in the parking lot near our hotel. A "car guy" like Greg, just couldn't resist. Although I was eager to get to the rally, I patiently waited and took some pictures.

Moving forward?

11-4-10 progressive brain
Yesterday, via email, I and a conservative friend of mine (not you Ann)... Seemed to find a bit of common ground. She acknowledged that the defense budget could use some cutting and I agreed with her that that education department needed some work. I value my friend’s input on this since she is a teacher.

However, my friend also said….. “Our constitution never intended for the Feds to have as much scope, size, power or control that it now has”… this reminded me of a sign I saw at the Rally to Restore Sanity this last weekend.



My point is that the Founding Fathers had no idea what life would be like in 2010! (And we really can't relate to life in the 1700's)... Even in my lifetime, who could have predicted so much change, so imagine the large gap between 1776 and today. So to me, our laws and our government have to keep up with the changes.

Sure once it made sense that states had more local power, but today our world is so different in so many HUGE ways.... like fast and easy travel between states, interstate business, global business, mega corporations and changes in communication, the media, and the Internet….. Life will never be as simple as it was in 1776… and so our laws need to account for all the change which has taken place during the last 200+ years. We can’t go “back”...

Here is a sampling of other signs at the Rally:







Then of course you had some extremely creative people... who of course then got the media attention. You have to remember it WAS Halloween weekend, and some people came in costume.

Fear not

11-3-10 sane brain
Rally to Restore Sanity: Part I

While my parents and some friends were back home watching and experiencing the Rally on TV, Greg and I actually saw little of the what was going on....on the stage. Instead, Greg and I were just two small drops of water in a great sea of humanity. This was a totally wild and wonderful experience, and hard to put into words.

First of all, the Metro ride down to the National Mall area was packed, but manageable. I usually hate big crowds, but I somehow was cool and collected, I think this was for the fact that I was going to the Rally with no preconceived expectations whatsoever.

When we arrived and realized that the Rally was not going to be about what was happening on the stage, but rather experiencing the positive vibe, the creativity of the people attending and being a part of this mass of people which had a life and soul of its own…. I had this wild feeling of being a part of a collective community of consciousness…. Greg and I decided we would walk around and take it all in, rather than stake out one spot.

In this picture, see the four red X's which shows the various spots we were during the Rally. The X closest to the stage, was after the Rally ended and many people had left.



The X on the upper left side is where we first entered, then we moved to the right side, then walked in the back.... during the middle of the Rally we actually went into the Museum of American History for a break. We viewed some exhibits, ate a late lunch, and used the restroom. It was after this when we got to walk closest to the stage.

The volume of people, just blew my mind away… and the signs were interesting, funny and some outrageous. More pictures tomorrow...

Our stop on the upper right:



People in the trees:



Our stop on the far right:



PS: I decided on my trip, that there was NO reason to fear if the Tea Party has a great effect on the elections this year and allows the Republicans to control congress. This actually could be a good thing in the long run. This would force the Republicans to stop just sitting on the side lines, whining, and join into the process of being part of the solution.

Greg voted YES

11-2-10 traveling brain
Part of me would have been content to enjoy my birthday weekend following the usual traditions: dressing up for Halloween and attending the Hoot and Howl- scary organ music program; giving out trick or treat candy at the DM house; birthday dinner out at our favorite restaurant…. The other part of me wanted do to something crazy and exciting for my 55th birthday…. So I took the crazy idea to Greg and let him break the stalemate I had with myself.

Greg, being one who enjoys adventures, voted yes to the crazy idea of spending the weekend in Washington DC…. And he made the trip happen. He got reasonable flights booked out of KC, and used his Marriott reward points to get a free room at a great hotel, not far from a Metro stop…. And we took off Friday morning… packing lightly with only our back packs.



The purpose of our trip was to enjoy some of our favorite museums and to attend the Rally for Sanity on Saturday afternoon.

As we left, I started to question IF I should be attending this Rally…. how sane am I really? After all, I consider myself the first official “tea party” person in Iowa….. Yep! Back in 2002, 2003... 2004 I was vocal about the U.S. deficit, just like the current day tea party people.

When everyone was putting yellow magnet ribbons on their cars to “Support the Troops”…. I made my own red, white and blue magnet ribbons which said. “United We Stand, Deficit We Fall”. I had great fun looking for vehicles in parking lots with a “W” sticker and I put one of my magnets on their cars. I was also the crazy lady neighbor who put of signs in my yard. My favorite one was from TrueMajority.com…. In my book, you are just giving lip service to reducing the deficit, unless you are willing to consider cutting the defense budget. This is where the majority of our taxes get spent.



Way back then in early 2000‘s, when I was passionate about the U.S. budget… I was called “unpatriotic. I thought I was just “logical”… I couldn’t understand how you decide to take in less money (tax cuts), at the same time you spend money on two new wars, and pay for a new drug program which appears to help the elderly, but actually line the pockets of the drug companies, who then give campaign donations… and get regulations written in their favor.

Sorry, I got carried away…. More on the Rally to Restore Sanity tomorrow.
Happy Election Day.... go vote!

Weekend Birthday Adventure

11-1-10 amazed brain
So much to write about my birthday weekend in DC.... be patient, more will come this week. First, I need to work today and get caught up with reality.

I want to THANK Greg for making this memorable Birthday happen!