Baby Haskell-Vaughn

This site is hilarious.

Invisalign and Election Day

I looked at the calendar at the office next Tuesday, and noticed that Kurt marked off the second half of the day and wrote "Lori and Kurt out of the office". I was like, Hun? Does he have some surprise trip planned or something? So, I called him, and he reminded me that it was election day next Tuesday, and we would be voting and watching election coverage, and acting all desperate and stuff for Obama to win...........

I can't believe that we are taking part of a day off for this, LOL. But, I will take whatever time off I can get, no matter what the reason.

Went to the ortho this morning to pick up my Invisalign, as they are in! :). They are weird. I was only previously wearing a bottom retainer, and to have one on the top too is just plain weird. I am talking somewhat oddly, and Kurt is having a blast making fun of words I temporarily cannot say. Love him. ;). Glad to have them though, and I have one set I wear for two weeks, and the next for two more weeks, then I go back in to get more and for them to look at my progress.

I was exhausted last night. I fell asleep on the couch at 9, and we were in bed by 930.

Don't remember if I posted about this or not, but the deep fryer is AWESOME. Great purchase! Last night, I made Kurt garlic fries from Trader Joe's (I tried one and YUM), and grilled halibut, and last night, he was not very hungry, but requested "some fries would be nice" so I made him some seasoned curly fries (of which I also tasted one, and YUM). Rebecca, they seriously rivaled Pete's. The brand, ironically, is called McCain. Anyway. I questioned whether I should buy them or not when I noticed the brand, but decided to put politics aside and buy the fries, especially since there was no fry brand called Obama.

Gretel is in the office today, and dressed up like a bat! Super cute.

Thanks, Rach!

McCanine marks his territory. (from CollegeHumor)

I wish I could take credit and say this was one of my puggies, but alas, it was not. What a little pug genius though! I think all pugs are against Palin especially, since she seems to hate animals.....:).

Words from the Judge

Secret Blog tonight.

I am Katharine

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are a Katharine!

You are a Katharine -- "I am happy and open to new things"

Katharines are energetic, lively, and optimistic. They want to contribute to the world.

How to Get Along with Me

• * Give me companionship, affection, and freedom.


• * Engage with me in stimulating conversation and laughter.


• * Appreciate my grand visions and listen to my stories.


• * Don't try to change my style. Accept me the way I am.


• * Be responsible for youself. I dislike clingy or needy people.


• * Don't tell me what to do.

What I Like About Being a Katharine

• * being optimistic and not letting life's troubles get me down


• * being spontaneous and free-spirited


• * being outspoken and outrageous. It's part of the fun.


• * being generous and trying to make the world a better place


• * having the guts to take risks and to try exciting adventures


• * having such varied interests and abilities

What's Hard About Being a Katharine

• * not having enough time to do all the things I want


• * not completing things I start


• * not being able to profit from the benefits that come from specializing; not making a commitment to a career


• * having a tendency to be ungrounded; getting lost in plans or fantasies


• * feeling confined when I'm in a one-to-one relationship

Katharines as Children Often

• * are action oriented and adventuresome


• * drum up excitement


• * prefer being with other children to being alone


• * finesse their way around adults


• * dream of the freedom they'll have when they grow up

Katharines as Parents

• * are often enthusiastic and generous


• * want their children to be exposed to many adventures in life


• * may be too busy with their own activities to be attentive

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

8 days

Only 8 days until the election, and either me crying tears of joy or despair. Ugh.

I am getting concerned though, as McCain is out almost "guaranteeing" a win, which makes me nervous. Bush did the EXACT same thing back when they cheated the past two times, and it makes me wonder about the possibility of another rigged election. Ugh again.

Wore my new red sweater today and already got a compliment on it. :).

Addict

I am an addict. I admit it.

What am I addicted to?

The Gilmore Girls.

My Mom and Grama love the show. My Grama owns the entire series on DVD. My Mom has seen them all, several times. I figured that it was about time I started watching it, because I knew I would love it if they both did. Plus, Rebecca told me it was really good as well. Anyway, started getting the series, from the start, on Netflix DVDs. I am now on Season 3. I now discovered that you can find the episodes online as well. So, since I can't wait for Netflix videos to get here, I am now watching them online late at night too. Oh yes. Addicted. Such a freaking great show though. I love how all the characters are so well developed, and the story lines just draw me in. I love it all. Right now, Rory is a senior in high school. So, i have a ways to go......Anybody have any good sites you use online to watch shows? The one I am using is driving me nuts.....Slow.....

So, today I went out to run some errands. Had to pick up my prescription, and while there, got a flu shot at the pharmacy. So easy! No appointment needed, since they were not very busy. It's funny how small my town is, the pharmacist knows us from our prescriptions. He asked what our "big trip" planned this year would be....So, we talked some about Galapagos, and he talked about some places he wants to go. Nice guy. I should set him up with Rebecca! :). He loves to travel! I am guessing he is married though.

After that, headed into town as I am on a mission to find winter work clothes. For some reason, I am lacking on sweaters and such for work. So, I went to Kohl's and Elder Beerman, and to TJMaxx. Found nothing at TJMaxx. Found lots at Kohl's and Elder though. At Kohls, I ended up with two kewl silver necklaces (long ones that will look with turtleneck and cowlneck sweaters), 4 sweaters and two sweater coat things. At Elder Beerman, I bought two sweaters, a suit (grey) and one pair of black pants. I could not find pics online of everything, but here are links to some of the stuff below. I am so happy to have some warm stuff to wear that is professional, yet I can wear it outside of work too. I saved 15% at Kohl's by using a coupon too! Yay!

dark grey sweater

red sweater

blue sweater

Black Sweater

grey sweater

sweater

Grey Suit

Anyway, off to watch the rest of the World Series game and The Gilmore Girls! Night.

Sleeping In

So, I have not posted in forever and suppose I should before I start forgetting everything in my life that has happened. The issue? Not much is going on, LOL.

Work has been keeping me pretty busy, and exhausting me. Example. Last night, we got home and were chilling on the chaises, watching some TV, per usual. I fell asleep at 745 p.m. and did not wake up until 1:00 a.m. when Kurt woke me up to go to bed. Slept until 9:15 a.m. I am thinking I must have needed some sleep? I guess so!

Got up and emailed my Aunt to see if she would be around today. I needed to run to Sam's Club, and there is one near her house, and since she does not have a membership, she likes to go with me. So, I showered and headed to Canton. Picked her up and we headed to Sam's Club, then lunch at Macaroni Grill. Then stopped at Trader Joe's, and Bed Bath and Beyond. Also, stopped at my Grama's to drop off some things and say hi. On the way home, coupon in hand from my aunt, I stopped at Bed Bath and Beyond to buy the deep fryer I finally decided on. I researched them, in depth, and finally picked one that I thought had a good mix of quality, will be easy to care for, and has this special rotating basket which allows you to fry, but not soak the product in oil as much as other fryers. The store did not have the fryer in stock, so they ordered it and are having it sent to my house. I will be psyched to use it, instead of a fry pan and oil, to make Kurt french fries and the like. Yay for kitchen stuff! I am so sad how much effort I put into finding the perfect product, LOL. Stopped at Petsmart after that and picked up some cat food and a toy for the puggies.

Had our first board meeting this week with the new superintendent. It went really well, and was a quick meeting, which rocks. The transition seems to be going really smoothly and I am really pleased with our pick for the job thus far.

Weirdly, nothing else to post about. Sorry about the boring post, but it's all I got for now! :).

Family Fun

**All of us, playing cards.

Had a fun night tonight seeing family! :). My Mom and Ronnie were down, as well as my Maga and Bumpa (grama and grampa for those of you not in the know, hehe), as my Mom and Ronnie are driving Maga and Bumpa to Florida for the winter.

**me and maga

Headed over there around 3, and left around 9. While there, we hung out, played Euchre, had dinner.......I lost all three games of Euchre. Ashley and I were totally stomped by Maga and my Mom.

The pic below is of us (winners and losers). :).


BTW, below is my new hair! At least the cut. You can see the color in the above pics. I took it from the side so you could see the bangs better. I am really liking it. I think it gives my hair more depth and even more volume. It's kinda hard getting used to, because I am not used to the extra hair in the front like that, but I am loving the way it looks.


Anyway, it was great to see everyone. Besides those pictured, my two Uncles were there (Tim and Tom), my cousin, Thomas, my Aunt Luann and my Aunt Lisa.

Friday night, Rebecca came over, and we all went to Pete's to fulfill Rebecca's craving for fish and chips. I think we were successful. Yay! Had a great time at dinner. Came home and chilled. Kory and Rebecca decided to see a movie, Quarantine, but Kurt is still getting over a cold, so we stayed in and went to bed early. While here, Rebecca took this pic of me and Kurt by the pond.

This morning, got up early and got a massage, then picked up our contacts at Sears, and dog/cat food at Petsmart. Came home and did some laundry, did some other houselike chores..........I so needed that massage. I can feel my muscles are sore from it, ugh.

BTW, kittens are still there. Still want nothing to do with me, LOL, but are still there eating the food we put out. Tonight, all 4 of them were playing on the porch, chasing eachother and being adorable, while I spyed on them through the front door. :).

Another Reason I Can't Stand Sarah Palin

This article made me want to vomit. Beluga whales are gorgeous, docile creatures. I love them. And who does not care about their well-being? Yep, you guessed it. Sarah Palin. And of course, we know she favors over the whales and why she did not want to protect them. Drill, baby, drill. That's right.

Sarah Palin is a heartless bitch. I cannot believe that anyone would want her to possibly be the leader of this country, or even second in command. BLEH.

Read the article here.

Can't we Just All Get Along?

Headed to Clawson yesterday to Rebecca's house, as we had a date for dinner at PF Changg's. Yum. We split crab wontons as an appetizer, while I had honey shrimp and rebecca had lobster sauce and shrimp. Anyway, we both loved our meals. Love. That. Place. It was super busy, so I was glad Rebecca had made a reservation. Thanks, Rebecca! We then went to a couple stores in the mall, as Rebecca needed an egg timer and I needed eye make-up remover. Stopped at Crate and Barrel, Sephora (sigh, Sephora), and Bath and Body Works. Rebecca picked up some kitcheny stuff at Crate and Barrel, as well as free lotion ar B&BW. I got my eye make-up remover at Sephora, and a free tote bag! Rebecca got one too, which was hilarious, because you are not supposed to get one unless you have 100 points on your shoppers card there, and she had all of--drumroll, please--four. The salesguy gave it to her anyway, we think because her point level was so pathetic he felt sorry for her. AND, she really wanted that free tote because, free stuff rocks! :). Drove home after that and watched the end of the third presidential debate, which was actually the most interesting of the ones I watched.

Work was crazy busy today. Kurt and I both had court this morning. I did not know I had court until we got to the office. So, I was running around like a maniac trying to get files and stuff ready AND was not wearing a suit. AARGH. Did not have one there either. But, I was dressed nicely and bankruptcy court is more laid back than circuit, so I hoped I would be OK. I was. Phew.

I accidentally did some shopping at Sephora online today. Whoops. I have no idea how the site popped up on my screen. Anyway. I need some stuff, as I am almost out of my sample Bare Escentials stuff. Here is what I got:

Bare Escentuals Primer

Rare Minerals Blemish Therapy

Get Started Eyes

Brush Cleaner

Foundation (which I have almost run out of)

Mineral Veil (which I have almost run out of as well)

Got free samples of:

Bliss Blood Orange+White Pepper Body Butter

MD Skincare Sunscreen Pads With Vitamin C SPF 30

Bvlgari Rose Essentielle Eau de Toilette

I heart free samples. And since I am part of their shoppers club, I get even more! Because of that, I got:

Make Up For Ever HD Microperfecting Primer

Bare Escentuals RareMinerals™ Blemish Therapy

Whoot!

I can't wait until this weekend. It feels like this week is taking forever, for some reason. Prob a combo of Kurt being sick, a long night tonight, and REALLY needing a massage. I have one scheduled for Saturday afternoon, but my one shoulder and neck are killing me. I also really need to run some other errands. I am hoping to talk Rebecca into an exchange tomorrow night--I buy food, she works on my neck....It usually works, hehe.

The kittens seem to be doing well. I still have not been able to get anywhere near them and I so want to play with them. I keepp filling their milk andd food bowls though, and they keep eating the stuff. At night, we can carefully look out the front door and watch them playing on the front porch. We have now seen 4 of them and they are totally freaking adorable. Love.

Life as a Blonde

I am such a ditz.

At work today, I got an email from what I thought was a client, asking if we could reschedule our 630 appointment for Thursday. I looked on the schedule for Thurs, and saw a client was coming in then. I wrote back asking when she wanted to reschedule for. She said "Thursday at 630?" I was all confused then. Wrote back and asked her when her initial appointment was for.

Fast forward to after work. Head to my massage appointment, in Monroe, which is at 630. Get there, and it suddenly dawns on me, that it was my massage therapist writing me to reschedule. Leave there, after finding nobody there, and decide to be productive and head to the grocery store. Picked up a few things we needed, and headed home for the night.

Wow, I am way too blonde sometimes.

The kitties drank all the milk I left today while we were working, but did not eat all the food. I bought some kitten food at Petsmart for them, and some milk at Kroger's. Again, Lori is a sap. Ha.

So, a friend of mine had a Silpada jewelry party the other night, and she just raves about their stuff. It started at 5, during the work week, so of course, I could not make it. I can't even leave the office most of the time until after 5. Anyway, I placed an order from the online catalog. I bought two rings and a necklace. The good thing about this stuff is that if I don't like it, I can send it back since I did not get the chance to see it at the party. She is having another party in January, which I invited Rebecca too, but she does not know if we will be friends then and can't commit to going with me, even though it's only 1.9 miles from her house. Just kidding, Rebecca! :). Anyway, here are pics of what I got.



I found out today a friend of mine is possibly going to be getting divorced, and I feel really sad for her. I really thought she had a great marriage and had a friendship and a marriage, which is so kewl, but I guess things are not working out, for whatever reason. Anyway, I am sending good vibes this person's way, she knows who she is......

Yum

So, the kittens (I assume), ate all the food I put out for them last night, and drank the milk. I put some more out this morning.

I swear, I am such a sap.

Basket on the Porch

So, I saw a cat in our garage earlier today that was near our garbage can. She looked really skinny, so I put some food in the yard for her. I opened the front door to see if she had eaten, and guess what was on my front porch, huddling together on the ledge? Three tiny kittens. SO FREAKING CUTE. Totally adorable and small. I about died. They ran in separate direction, two within my view near this sculpture thing we have in the courtyard. I sat down near them and tried to get them to let me pet them, but they were super scared. So, Kurt got some milk and more food, and we put it out for them. I feel HORRIBLE though, as winter is approaching and I don't want them to freeze and starve. :(. I hate how I can't help every animal out there. It's also quite strange to me that I have more sympathy towards homeless animals then people.....Anyway, I am going to keep watching and see if they eat the food. I can't let all those cats in my house, but I feel horribly guilty I can't Sigh. Hopefully, they have a home somewhere, but I doubt it. It's not like baby kittens are usually allowed to go roam the neighborhood, if they have a real home. Poor babies.

So, Friday night, Kory and I headed to the homecoming football game for Jefferson at the high school. It was a lot of fun. Kurt has a horrendous cold, so he stayed home to rest and chill out. After the game, Kory and I headed to Kroger and bought Kurt Nyquil. He passed out shortly after taking it, hehe.

Decided on Saturday to head to Birch Run with my Auntie. I have not been there in forever, and I usually find the best deals anywhere there. Anyway, headed to Canton to pick up Auntie, and we headed to Birch Run. Had a nice time walking through the stores with my Aunt, but WOW, Birch Run was kinda annoying. There were a TON of people there, more than I ever remember being there. And so many kids. Kids not being controlled whatsoever by their parents. Ugh. It was total chaos. Lines in the stores too, which I have never encountered there. Did end up buying a couple things--a Halloween costume for Gretel (she is going to be a bat this year), some cute socks, two sweaters and a long sleeve shirt for winter, a pair of work pants, a grease guard for my pans......Nothing ultra exciting. Had dinner afterwards with my Aunt at Bravo Cucina Italiana. I had a Shrimp Fra Diavolo Campanelle, which was super yummy. After that, headed home and went to bed after watching some football with Kurty.

Today, I wanted to just veg after the exhausting day of shopping. Watched two movies, swept the great room, worked out, made dinner. Nothing exciting, which I needed. I watched Confessions of an American Bride, which was actually pretty cute. Also watched The Party Never Stops: Diary of A Binge Drinker, which was pretty good as well. Me watching two movies in a row pretty much never happens, so I felt somewhat nonproductive, but whatever.

Anyway, of course, I am sitting here worrying about the kittens. Sigh. Why do I do this? LOL. Kurt and I keep going and looking out the window to see if they came back, but nothing yet. I hope they are doing OK!

Happy Anniversary To Us

Kurt and I started dating on Oct 12--12 years ago. Crazy, eh? I have been with him in three decades of mine, teens (met him at 19), 20s, and now 30s. It's pretty crazy all we have been through together. And even crazier that I love him more today than I ever have.

1996: We met, waiting tables at a restaurant, neither one us even done with our college degrees, neither one of us even knowing for sure what we wanted to do with our lives.

In Between: one bachelors in biology, one bachelors in accounting, one marriage, two law degrees, one LLM in tax law, many waitressing jobs, a couple of legal secretary jobs, one tax lawyer job, one apartment, one rented house, home ownership--twice, many many vacations all over the world.......

2008: We have finally settled down in Newport, in our dream house with the perfect yard, run a law firm together with NO bosses, and make plans every day of what we want to accomplish and do next.

Insanity. And seriously, if a couple can make it through law school--twice--together, I think they can make it through anything. LOL.

I am the luckiest person alive getting to hang out with my best friend every day, and sleep with him every night. I treasure our relationship even more doing family law for a living and seeing so many marriages ending.

Anyway, Happy Anniversary, baby! I love you more than anything and look forward to the next 12 years together......

Stories from Nick

Got this email from Nick last night:

Had another fun day here in Manistee. Went out to lunch with grama and her friend. All the ladies at the restaurant were talking to me, Then we went to Walgreens and all the ladies were looking at me. I must be so cute!! Then we went home and I played with my toys until grampa got home from work. Then I played with grampa and he taught me how to play the blues as you can see in the second picture. Tomorrow I have to go home. I'll be back soon so bye bye for now. Love you all, Nick

Anxious

Read here about my anxiety, LOL.

Reasons I Don't Like McCain (Among Others)

These are straight off the McCain website, located here: http://www.johnmccain.com/. There are many, many other reasons that I can't stand McCain, but we will start with these, which are listed on the "Values" page. Because apparently, if you have had an abortion, or believe in curing diseases with the use of stem cell research, or think gay people should have the same rights as everyone else, you lack values. Clearly. (please note my heavy sarcasm).

Overturning Roe v. Wade:

John McCain believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned, and as president he will nominate judges who understand that courts should not be in the business of legislating from the bench. Constitutional balance would be restored by the reversal of Roe v. Wade, returning the abortion question to the individual states. The difficult issue of abortion should not be decided by judicial fiat.However, the reversal of Roe v. Wade represents only one step in the long path toward ending abortion. Once the question is returned to the states, the fight for life will be one of courage and compassion - the courage of a pregnant mother to bring her child into the world and the compassion of civil society to meet her needs and those of her newborn baby. The pro-life movement has done tremendous work in building and reinforcing the infrastructure of civil society by strengthening faith-based, community, and neighborhood organizations that provide critical services to pregnant mothers in need. This work must continue and government must find new ways to empower and strengthen these armies of compassion. These important groups can help build the consensus necessary to end abortion at the state level. As John McCain has publicly noted, "At its core, abortion is a human tragedy. To effect meaningful change, we must engage the debate at a human level."

Protecting Marriage

As president, John McCain would nominate judges who understand that the role of the Court is not to subvert the rights of the people by legislating from the bench. Critical to Constitutional balance is ensuring that, where state and local governments do act to preserve the traditional family, the Courts must not overstep their authority and thwart the Constitutional right of the people to decide this question.

The family represents the foundation of Western Civilization and civil society and John McCain believes the institution of marriage is a union between one man and one woman. It is only this definition that sufficiently recognizes the vital and unique role played by mothers and fathers in the raising of children, and the role of the family in shaping, stabilizing, and strengthening communities and our nation.

As with most issues vital to the preservation and health of civil society, the basic responsibility for preserving and strengthening the family should reside at the level of government closest to the people. In their wisdom, the Founding Fathers reserved for the States the authority and responsibility to protect and strengthen the vital institutions of our civil society. They did so to ensure that the voices of America's families could not be ignored by an indifferent national government or suffocated through filibusters and clever legislative maneuvering in Congress.

Addressing the Moral Concerns of Advanced Technology

Stem cell research offers tremendous hope for those suffering from a variety of deadly diseases - hope for both cures and life-extending treatments. However, the compassion to relieve suffering and to cure deadly disease cannot erode moral and ethical principles.

For this reason, John McCain opposes the intentional creation of human embryos for research purposes. To that end, Senator McCain voted to ban the practice of "fetal farming," making it a federal crime for researchers to use cells or fetal tissue from an embryo created for research purposes. Furthermore, he voted to ban attempts to use or obtain human cells gestated in animals. Finally, John McCain strongly opposes human cloning and voted to ban the practice, and any related experimentation, under federal law.

As president, John McCain will strongly support funding for promising research programs, including amniotic fluid and adult stem cell research and other types of scientific study that do not involve the use of human embryos.

Where federal funds are used for stem cell research, Senator McCain believes clear lines should be drawn that reflect a refusal to sacrifice moral values and ethical principles for the sake of scientific progress, and that any such research should be subject to strict federal guidelines.

Debate--Round Two (ding ding)

The debate annoyed me. I actually walked away at one point (within hearing distance) to change laundry over and put some stuff away in my closet).

Neither party could answer a freaking question or follow rules. I liked when Brokaw said "Only answer yes or no" and they both had long responses. Hilarious.

McCain is a freaking moron too. In the same breath, he stated NO MORE TAXES, then said he wanted to "help homeowners by taking over part of their mortgages and making their mortgages equal to the housse value." How exactly are we going to do that with no taxes, McCain? Oh, and then with no taxes, we are going to hand over $5000 per person to everyone for health insurance. Get real, no neck boy.....

And Obama drove me nuts too. Attacking McCain, pushing to talk when the time was up, etc.

I was not happy with this debate. I thought the questions chosen should have been more interesting, and Brokaw should have MADE them answer the questions. I wanted to hear some stuff on gun rights, or abortion, or gay marriage. This one was supposed to be about the "people", and it was a lot of the same crap from last time.

I say it was a draw, but I will agree that McCain seemed more at ease with this style of debate over the other.

can't wait to see SNL's take on this.....

Hot Topic #4--Marijuana Legalization?

This is a topic I actually am pretty indifferent about. Which is rare, trust me. As you know, I usually have something to say. Heh.

I won't lie. I have never smoked pot. And I am not stating that in a politician kinda way, I truly have not. I have no idea why, I have just never been interested. It was not readily available in my social group in high school, and by college, I had lost any interest. I (and I openly admit this), have always been a goody goody, and was always worried about getting in trouble. Plus, I was afraid of looking stupid. I have not smoked cigarettes either, so I did not want to look *dumb* not knowing how to "take a puff".

Enough about me though, on to the topic.

There is much dicussion in this country today about marijuana being legalized, or even just medical marijuana being legalized nationwide.

I for sure support medical marijuana being legalized everywhere. If a doctor truly thinks someone who is very ill would feel better or benefit from this, great, Prescribe it, and let those who are very sick feel a little bit better. I don't find anything wrong with that whatsover.

I really don't think that marijuana is ANY worse than smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol.

Making marijuana legal totally? Well. I think the smoking of pot kinda makes people "temporarily" kinda stupid. And, it kills brain cells. So, why we would want people to be able to legally do that seems lame to me. On the other hand, I hate government interference, and, if people want to participate in activities that kill brain cells and/or temporarily behave in a lazy manner, whatever. I don't care what others do. I get a massage on a regular basis, just to relax and be lazy for a moment. So, relaxation for me=massage. others=smoking a joint.

Anyway.

For sure, I think that if we legalize it, we should tax the HELL out of it and make some money off of it's use.

I looked online for some pros and cons for you,, outside of my rambling. Below, for your viewing pleasure, some interesting things to think about. I got this from this link: http://www.legalizationofmarijuana.com/marijuana-for-and-against.html

FOR:

Prohibition must be weighed against the loss of personal freedom. Countries have a responsibility to respect individual free will and the right of self-determination.

The immorality of marijuana use can only be based on one set of moral beliefs. For example, it is discriminatory to claim that Judeo-Christian abstinence from intoxication is the correct set of moral beliefs.

The War on Drugs serves the immediate interests of politicians. By taking a "moral" stand against recreational drugs, or fighting the evils caused by the illegal drug trade they increase their popularity amongst constituents.

Legal prohibition does not stop consumers from consuming drugs, it does not stop trafficants from producing and selling it. The price of the final product increases to abnormally high values because of the black market status, which together with the powerful effects of drug addiction causes users to commit crimes in order to fund their addiction.

Critics of the War on Drugs advocate the partial or complete decriminalization of illegal drugs, combined with a system of regulation, as happens with alcohol and prescription drugs. By providing legal supplies of currently illegal drugs the price will fall, leading to a collapse in the illegal drug industry, and a reduction in crimes committed by both drug suppliers and users. They also argue that the reduction in the price will lead to little, if any, growth in drug addiction, due to the inelasticity of demand. Some even state that in a strictly regulated market, drug use may fall overall, by removing the marketing activities of the illegal drug industry.

It is not worthwhile for a law to forbid people from willingly exposing their own bodies to harm by using drugs, any more than by overeating or bungee-jumping. Obesity is a national epidemic, killing millions every year, but the government has no right to regulate how much citizens eat.

Drug users exercise free will when they chose to use drugs; a person has the right to give up his or her own freedom. A Government does not have the right to dictate them. No drug eliminates free will. It is possible to quit using any drug. Many banned drugs are significantly less deleterious to free will than legal alcohol or tobacco. Severe physiological addiction has been demonstrated for tobacco (stronger than cocaine), but no strong physiological addiction has been shown for marijuana.

Legalize marijuana and reduce health care costs by reducing the probability of overdoses and accidental ingestion of an unintended drug through standardization of drug purity by state-sponsored production and sale.

There is no clear and obvious third party harm. Such examples are caused by related activities that can be illegal without blanket prohibition. For example, driving while intoxicated is illegal, while drinking alcohol without driving is not.

Harm caused to children by their parents' excessive drug use is criminal insofar as it constitutes child neglect; drug-specific laws are unneeded.

If drugs were legalized, the companies that manufacture and market them would be sued, such as cigarette companies have been exposed to lawsuits. Legalization of drugs would work to increase liability on producers forcing health standards.

Legalization would allow greater regulation. Cigarettes come with warnings. Alcoholic beverages are clearly marked with the amount of alcohol. Currently legal drugs contain a listing of all active and inactive ingredients. Illegal drugs could be sold legally with ingredients lists, warnings and purity levels clearly marked.

Recreational drug has no clear and obvious harmful effect on anyone besides the user (who chooses to accept those risks). The War on Drugs, on the other hand, places non-users' friends and loved ones in jail. The War on Drugs does have clear and obvious harmful effects on third parties.

Countries who have experimented with legalization have had positive results.

AGAINST:

A State cannot be involved with the distribution of substances considered immoral by relevant lots of the population. A substance considered unhealthy cannot be produced and distributed with the help of the state, because the goal of the state is to protect citizens' health and not to expose them to risk.

The easy availability of drugs would create new consumers rather than rescuing current ones.

Drugs are addictive. They rob the user of free will. A drug user cannot make an informed and rational decision to continue using drugs because the use of the drug eliminates that user's ability to think logically. Nor can they disseminate themselves from drug taking.

Drug use is dangerous to persons besides the user, in the rise of health care costs, violence associated with the use of drugs, neglect of children by drug-addicted parents, and other third party effects.

The use of soft drugs, such as marijuana, leads to the use of hard drugs (the Gateway Theory).

Drug dealers will sell to anyone, including children. Merchants who legally sell alcohol and tobacco are not allowed to sell to children. Many high school students report that it is easier to obtain illegal drugs than alcohol and tobacco.

Legalizing drugs will send a message to children that drug use is acceptable.

So, tell me what you think! :). Convince me to believe, one way or the other.

Off with Them......

So. Some of you may remember that I am extremely vain, LOL, and went and saw an orthodontist because some of my teeth were moving on my bottom teeth. Anyway, they wanted to do some minor adjustments with actual braces, and then put me in Invisalign. Those *minor* adjustments ended up taking like 8 months, but today, the braces came off. They took impressions for the Invisalign and a temporary retainer. The Invisalign impressions get sent in to Invisalign and made, and the temp retainer was made on the spot for me and I am wearing right now. I have to wear it all the time (except eating and brushing) until the Invisalign comes in in a few weeks. But, WOW. My teeth on the bottom are already super straight. Love how they come out, except, my being vain is making it so I go through with the Invisalign as well. hehe.

I had sushi for lunch, and was wondering if I had rice in my braces, and then I remembered that I don't have them anymore, LOL. It must take a while to get over that feeling.

Nick Loves the Phone

This totally cracks me up. Apparently, one of Nick's fav things, is the phone. I think I see long conversations with cute girls in his future.......Every time I am on the phone with my Mom, I talk to him, and he smiles and laughs.

Top Ten

Top Ten Messages Left On Sarah Palin's Answering Machine

"Hi, it's John McCain; I had to go to bed. How'd it go?"

"Hi, Katie Couric here. Have you thought of a Supreme Court case yet?"

"Hi, it's Bill Clinton. Let me know when Todd's out of town"

"My name is Joseph Sixpack -- knock it off"

"Hi, Katie Couric again -- think of any newspapers yet?"

"Buy the Late Show Fun Facts book. It's a bridge to hilarity"

"John McCain again; could you pick up my prescriptions?"

"Senator Larry Craig here -- do you have Joe Biden's phone number?"

"McCain again; do you remember where I parked the Straight Talk Express?"

"It's President Bush. If you're at the debate, who's watchin' Russia?"

She Strikes Again

Oh, she just gets better. I knew, with only a month left until the election, the Repubs would start pulling their terrorist scare bullshit.

Click here to watch the video.

SNL--The Debate

Oh my. This is classic. And while not exactly what happened, it seriously was how i saw Palin while watching the debate.

I liked the start of it, how Latifah said something like "OK, everyone, as long as Palin doesn't run off the stage crying, etc., we need to call the debate a tie." That's how I felt too. Because everyone expected her to be worse than she was, it somehow made her performance close to that of Biden. Yea, how about no? She was absurd.

New Hair and Parties

So, Friday night, Kurt and I went out and had sushi. Super yummy. Much better service this week than last.

Woke up this morning and headed to my hair appointment. I let the GPS get me there, and it worked perfectly. Yay. Got there slightly early and they took me right back. I showed her the pic (pic four from the post before with the hair pics) and told her I wanted something similar. I, in the end, decided to start out subtlely with things and work up to more red. I hate anything really "unnatural", and if I went from being totally light blonde to dark red, like the first pic i really like, it would be too drastic for me. Also, the girl told me red tends to fade and is kinda high maintenance, so I am less sure about going totally red now. Anyway. She colored my hair and then sent me on to the girl who cut my hair. Again, went pretty subtle with her too, working up to where I really want to be in the end. Got three inches cut off the back, and layers everywhere, as well as the long bangs in the front. Love the cut and color. The color is not exactly what I wanted, but it has slight strawberry blonde highlights, and next time, I will just ask for more. The cut is awesome. The bangs are perfect, where I can wear them tucked or pulled back, but can also wear them almost as bangs. After that, I asked if anyone had time for a quick brow wax, and they did. Whoot. Desperately needed that, and it was awesome to take care of everything in one visit. The salon and spa are super nice. got suckered in to some products too. Bought this shampoo and conditioner and this product.

After that, stopped at Target to buy Rebecca's housewarming gifts. Got her stuff she wanted off of her Kaboodle list. Bought a dutch oven pot, a skillet, and a rolling pin. sounds boring, but it was stuff she wanted, I swear! :). Also picked up this kewl dash thing for my GPS and a new CD. Yes, I like James Taylor. Don't mkae fun of me. I think it's comforting to me because my Mom used to listen to him.....His music just makes me happy and relaxed.....

Came home after that and chilled a bit, then got ready for Rebecca's party by curling my hair and changing clothes. Jumped in the car and drove up there (UGH on the drive) with Kurt. Got there around 615, and got home at 1235 a.m. The party wasa super fun. Rebecca had lots of food (which waas good, because we were starving), and there were a lot of people there who I was glad to see. Wathced everyone play some "flippy cups", built a fire in the backyard, watched Kory and Britton, drunk, running around with their shirts off, many entertaining things for the evening. Overall, great party! :). I am just hoping that Rebecca is not hung over tomorrow.........

I know you all want to see pics of my hair, but I am too tired to download anything and will post pics tomorrow.

Great Article

I read this article online yesterday and loved it.

Writing A Book

My Mom sends me emails with little stories about Nick and pictures whenever he is visiting there. Below is the most recent story. He cracks me up.......

Hi, As you can see I am very happy to be at grama and grampa's. I'm very busy today teaching my friend Monkey how to type. We are writing a book called A Boy and his Monkey. TTYL Nick

Sarah Palin is Annoying

Annoying things Palin did in the debate

1. excessive use of the word "maverick". i told kurt we should have played a drinking game, where we had to do a shot every time she said this. good thing we did not, because we would not be working tomorrow.

2. Not answering, pretty much, a single question. and basically saying she was not going to answer them.

3. sounding like an unintelligent, spoon fed, moron.

4. Obsessively talking about being a hockey/soccer Mom, and about having a special needs child.

5. Smiling at ALL times. So fake. You can talk, without smiling, Palin. You are not going to win solely on being pretty. Biden's teeth are better than yours anyway....

6. immediately picking up her damn baby after the debate. We ALL know about your baby, Sarah. (or IS it her baby? I still think it's her daugher's and a cover up). You don't need to prove you can hold the baby and comfort it at every outing.

7. Oh, and as Rach was saying to me, *thinking* she actually has a sense of humor. Yea, how about no. Obnoxious.

8. OHHHHH, and not knowing how to use the letter "g". Every word was "gonna", etc. and "darn good" and umm, I want to vomit.

I am sure there is much more, but wow, it was horrible. Biden is soo well spoken and informed, and she basically knows nothing. Everything she said, you could totally tell she was "trained" to state, as she did not answer any questions and would just go off on a tangent, talking about a bunch of BS. I liked how when Biden spoke first, she would just JUMP on what he said and use it to try and sound smart.

I really can't believe that there is ANYONE out there that thought she did well. I quite enjoyed her shaking and stuttering at the start. Not the convention anymore, eh, Palin?

Long day at the office today. We worked pretty late, but got a lot done, which was nice. Started to play with the GPS more on the way to and from work. So kewl. I hooked my phone up to it, via this Bluetooth techology and it's sooo kewl. I can talk to people, thru the phone, hands free. Very kewl. I called my Mom just to try it out. Works great. Need to play around with the volume some, but so far, works well.

Remember that pair of shoes from a while back that I could not fine online or in stores at all? Well, found them online tonight for a ton off. Had to place the order. Hopefully, they live up to my expectations. :).

Off to bed.

So Long, idiot

I guess Senator McCain has given up in Michigan....I am so sad to see him go! Buh bye.

Click here to read about him giving up.........

Scary Boy

Nick in his super scary Halloween costume, playing at his fav Grama's house. He is def the cutest baby eva. And a super genius, already learning to DRIVE.

Cutest Baby Ever

My Mom is babysitting Nick, my nephew, this weekend. My sister and her husband are taking a weekend trip to Mackinac. Anyway, my Mom is a little "picture" happy when he is there, HEHE I wonder where she gets that from? Anyway, here it the latest. I can't believe how much hair he has now! He is so freaking cute! I wish he did not live so far away. Boo hoo.

Hair Choices

So, in my last post, I talked about changing up my hair. You all know what I look like, and for those of you who don't, here is a quick pic. This is at a baseball game, where I had my hair half way pulled back, I guess not a good shot of my hair, but whatever. It is blonde, with highlights, and about half way down my back, with really long layers. In all the new pics below, please ignore the wisps of blonde hair that snuck into the pics. Could not crop those out.

OK, first pic would make it REALLY different. Red with slight blonde highlights. Sideswept bangs.

Next pic, more of a strawberry blonde with blonde highlights. Perhaps this would be less shocking to me, and I could start with this and work up to the one above......

Next one is similar to my hair color now, but BANGS. Am unsure about the bangs. I think they *look* cute in the pic, but I am very low maintenance, and on me, since I am not about to *do* my hair every day, they would just lie there on me. Plus, Kurt hates bangs.

Another blonde one, slightly red.

Brown hair, which I posted just for fun, and cannot do because Kurt hates dark hair, LOL. Ironic, since he HAS dark hair, but I guess he's just not a fan on famales......I think I could pull it off though! :).

And my future goth look. I look slightly too happy to be *goth*, but hey, it's the closest I am getting to goth. haha.

Anyway, let me know what you think. Don't suggest anything super short or dark, because I would like to remain attractive to my husband, and he hates really short hair and/or dark hair........P.S. Thanks to Nancy for teaching me how to post the pics here!

Depressing News

I had to put on a long sleeve shirt today for the cooler fall weather we are having.

Yuck.

And I only say that because I know the long sleeve shirts lead to sweaters, coats, and MI winter weather. I hate MI winters. Hate.

I think I need to start planning some getaways for early next year.................

I'm Going to Cheat

Catchy title, eh? I am sure that those of you who know me were not believing this title, but yea, I really am going to cheat.

Only, not on my husband.

On my stylist.

I have been going to the same stylist in Royal Oak for like 8 years. Maybe more. I have lost count. He is awesome. But, I am really sick of driving so far to get my hair done. When I lived in Taylor, it was not quite as far. But now, driving from home there and back is tiring, and basically takes up an entire night. So, I decided that I was going to try something new. The prob is, there is noplace near the office or my house that is acceptable. At all. I have tried in the past, and I have never been happy with the results. I like a somewhat upscale, yet not snobby salon, that *gets* me and my hair. I am low maintenance, and I need to look professional at the same time. So, I am not open to crazy suggestions.

I decided that I might be able to find some places in the Toledo area, which is not far from my house. I asked my friend, Marilyn, who lives in Sylvania, and she wrote me back with three suggestions. I called this place called David Broadway Salon and Spa, and made an appointment for Saturday morning. They also have a spa and a medical facility for laser hair removal and such, so if I really like the place, I can get other stuff done there too. Oddly, I have someone different cutting my hair then coloring, which I have never had. I guess the people there specialize in their own thing.

I am going to take my computer with me, as I want something different done, and i did some pics on a site of me with different colors and such. My current stylist really likes me blonde and is not very open to other colors. Well, I am sure he would be if I asked, but his opinion is blonde is best on me. I have had reddish hair before and i really liked it on me, so I know strawberry blonde or something would look good. I also want to get some longer, sideswept bangs or something. Not full fledged bangs, but something off to the side. Anyway, I can't figure out how to post the pics of hair that I designed, so if you want to see them and tell me what you think I should do next with my hair, let me know and I will give you my name and password on the site. Some of the pics were totally for fun because I am not dying my hair black, LOL.

Watched 21 and loved it.

Bought some more officey things for my office, and am feeling more at home back there. It's so nice to not have to talk to people if I don't want to. I don't know why I did not move everything around long ago. I have had an office for 9 years, and have rarely used it, except to meet with clients. I am so weird. Ha.

OHHHHHH. My GPS arrived today. We have barely played around with it, but it is setup and in the car. I have a lot to learn about it, but it is so freaking kewl. LOVE it. I know Kurt is going to want one in his car next, LOL. I love how I can talk to it and it responds. And, my two passport holders and new wallet came today too. It was like Xmas at the office (Kory said).

Anyway, I am rambling and I need to get to bed. I am feeling so much better since hiring someone, and feel like I am getting some time to myself. It's kinda a trick, because this is a slightly slower time at the office, and I know I will get slammed with too much work soon, but the slight break is nice.....