Monday, October 02, 2006
Can't make up their minds
So wait, which is it? Drought? Above average water?
I just don't get it. On one page I see that we had a record monsoon season (4 inches above normal) and the next page I see that we had a drought that has caused black bears to go scavaging for food.
So wait, which is it? Drought? Above average water?
posted by Laura Keslar at 7:39 PM | |
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Stupid AZ Drivers
I used to think I was a good driver when it came to rain, wind, and excessive water. I mean, I wasn't so stupid to drive my car under a Tucson underpass where the water level is clearly marked at being 4 ft high. Nor was I stupid enough to go through the washes like many other idiotic Arizona drivers.
But oh no. When I was driving home from Gilbert , I ended up doing something really stupid. Monday weather was awful. It was raining and very windy, at least in Gilbert. By the time I got to Chandler it was also raining hard. And my windshield wipers don't work too well (I need new ones, but who invests in them right before the end of the monsoon season).
Anyway, on my way home, I happen to the intersection of Arizona and Queen Creek. If anyone knows the area, Queen Creek is under construction; right before Alma School, the cones sort of make this weird zig-zag, where it dead ends and you have to take a sharp right hand turn to get onto the right side of the road. Under the best of circumstances, it is difficult enough to manuever around the oddly situated orange cones and signs. But it was dark (it was 8:15), raining and windy, and some of the signs were knocked over.
Sadly, the most important sign was knocked down: the sign that blocked access to the second lane of the east-bound traffic--the sign that indicated that you had to turn right sharply if you wanted to keep going down on Queen Creek.
Ah, stupid me. I saw the sign on the ground, thought it had blown over into the wrong lane, thought I hadn't yet reached the spot to make the quick manuever. To make a long story short, I ended up driving down the wrong side of the road.
Luckily, someone was nice enough to flash their lights and traffic was slow enough that I was able to turn around.
So much for thinking I wasn't just another moronic Arizona driver.
Alas, I am one of them.
I used to think I was a good driver when it came to rain, wind, and excessive water. I mean, I wasn't so stupid to drive my car under a Tucson underpass where the water level is clearly marked at being 4 ft high. Nor was I stupid enough to go through the washes like many other idiotic Arizona drivers.
But oh no. When I was driving home from Gilbert , I ended up doing something really stupid. Monday weather was awful. It was raining and very windy, at least in Gilbert. By the time I got to Chandler it was also raining hard. And my windshield wipers don't work too well (I need new ones, but who invests in them right before the end of the monsoon season).
Anyway, on my way home, I happen to the intersection of Arizona and Queen Creek. If anyone knows the area, Queen Creek is under construction; right before Alma School, the cones sort of make this weird zig-zag, where it dead ends and you have to take a sharp right hand turn to get onto the right side of the road. Under the best of circumstances, it is difficult enough to manuever around the oddly situated orange cones and signs. But it was dark (it was 8:15), raining and windy, and some of the signs were knocked over.
Sadly, the most important sign was knocked down: the sign that blocked access to the second lane of the east-bound traffic--the sign that indicated that you had to turn right sharply if you wanted to keep going down on Queen Creek.
Ah, stupid me. I saw the sign on the ground, thought it had blown over into the wrong lane, thought I hadn't yet reached the spot to make the quick manuever. To make a long story short, I ended up driving down the wrong side of the road.
Luckily, someone was nice enough to flash their lights and traffic was slow enough that I was able to turn around.
So much for thinking I wasn't just another moronic Arizona driver.
posted by Laura Keslar at 9:19 PM | |
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Finally, married
One thing I learned from this wedding has been that whoever pays makes the decisions. For instance, the wedding cake: I wanted a wedding cake with no ripples (or whatnot) for the edging; my mother then goes and orders a cake with those ripples.
Other things learned include never have a wedding in a city you do not live in. I wish I would have been in Yuma, where I was married, to dictate what was happening with the wedding. For example, I wish I would have been there to see what the florist was thinking for the bridesmaids flowers. I had requested a small bouquet of all daisies (the flowers my mother had at her wedding). Somehow or other, she interpreted this as meaning that the bouquets must include $75 worth of flowers. This meant that my maid of honor went down the aisle carrying a freaking huge (by huge, I mean small baby) bouquet of flowers (which did not just include daisies). Bleh.
Though one thing I did love about my wedding was the guy who did my hair. Jovani, with En Gedi Salon (which, by the way, is the only Christian salon in Yuma--according to one of the ladies there), did a beautiful job with my hair. My husband had asked that I have my hair up, but whenever my hair is up, I look gaunt (which is not easy for my fat face) and angular. So I compromised by having my hair in an updo but with my bangs (long ones) covering my forehead (which is rather big as well). Jovani not only did what I had asked, but he made it better. Turned out really beautifully.
I didn't expect to cry at my wedding, but I should have known that I would, especially I started crying at the rehearsal. So glad I didn't put on the mascara.
On Saturday, July 29, I was married to the greatest man in the whole wide world: Michael Latimer. It is so weird to think that now I am married, with a ring (well, other than my beautiful engagement ring) on my left hand.
One thing I learned from this wedding has been that whoever pays makes the decisions. For instance, the wedding cake: I wanted a wedding cake with no ripples (or whatnot) for the edging; my mother then goes and orders a cake with those ripples.
Other things learned include never have a wedding in a city you do not live in. I wish I would have been in Yuma, where I was married, to dictate what was happening with the wedding. For example, I wish I would have been there to see what the florist was thinking for the bridesmaids flowers. I had requested a small bouquet of all daisies (the flowers my mother had at her wedding). Somehow or other, she interpreted this as meaning that the bouquets must include $75 worth of flowers. This meant that my maid of honor went down the aisle carrying a freaking huge (by huge, I mean small baby) bouquet of flowers (which did not just include daisies). Bleh.
Though one thing I did love about my wedding was the guy who did my hair. Jovani, with En Gedi Salon (which, by the way, is the only Christian salon in Yuma--according to one of the ladies there), did a beautiful job with my hair. My husband had asked that I have my hair up, but whenever my hair is up, I look gaunt (which is not easy for my fat face) and angular. So I compromised by having my hair in an updo but with my bangs (long ones) covering my forehead (which is rather big as well). Jovani not only did what I had asked, but he made it better. Turned out really beautifully.
I didn't expect to cry at my wedding, but I should have known that I would, especially I started crying at the rehearsal. So glad I didn't put on the mascara.
posted by Laura Keslar at 11:40 PM | |
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Dispensing Plan B
Never would have thought I had a chance to do it. Where I typically work, we don't order it, so I have had no need to do it. And as a result, I never thought about what would actually happen when I was presented a choice with counseling a patient on their Plan B prescription.
So what did I do? I did the horrible thing: I told her to take one tablet now and wait another 12 hours before taking the other--just as long as it hadn't been over 72 hours since the time of the occurrence.
Oddly, I haven't had much time to think about what I did.
Does that mean that I have implicitly given my support to whatever behavior the young lady engaged in? Does that mean that now I should fill and dispense the medication without ever thinking about the moral implications? Or did I merely do my job?
The explanation I gave to my fiance was this: I did my job. I was neither giving my acquiescence to her behavior (whatever that was) nor was I now forced into a position in the future that I must now dispense and fill Plan B.
Maybe I have just given myself a little bit more time to think about the next chance to counsel on it. But I need to make a decision soon about how I will next handle it.
Two weeks ago, I got a chance to dispense Plan B, the emergency contraceptive.
Never would have thought I had a chance to do it. Where I typically work, we don't order it, so I have had no need to do it. And as a result, I never thought about what would actually happen when I was presented a choice with counseling a patient on their Plan B prescription.
So what did I do? I did the horrible thing: I told her to take one tablet now and wait another 12 hours before taking the other--just as long as it hadn't been over 72 hours since the time of the occurrence.
Oddly, I haven't had much time to think about what I did.
Does that mean that I have implicitly given my support to whatever behavior the young lady engaged in? Does that mean that now I should fill and dispense the medication without ever thinking about the moral implications? Or did I merely do my job?
The explanation I gave to my fiance was this: I did my job. I was neither giving my acquiescence to her behavior (whatever that was) nor was I now forced into a position in the future that I must now dispense and fill Plan B.
Maybe I have just given myself a little bit more time to think about the next chance to counsel on it. But I need to make a decision soon about how I will next handle it.
posted by Laura Keslar at 5:34 PM | |
When extra time is not really necessary
But not only does this guy not need the extra time (because he really can focus and just doesn't like focusing in school), he actually cheats and brings in extra study materials into the quiet, empty room that SALT provides. And by empty, I mean no teachers, no instructors, no supervisors. Just the student and his crib sheet.
And now an article comes out that says many of the students who take extra time for the SAT really don't need the extra time and score better grades than students who take the test during the normal time. Surprising discovery, eh?
A guy I work with at one of my jobs(yes, now I am working two jobs, with a total of 60 hours--at least, depending if I pick up any more hours--between the two of them) has often mentioned how one of his friends with ADD or ADHD (I should know the difference) has been able to get extra time taking his tests here at the University of Arizona through SALT.
But not only does this guy not need the extra time (because he really can focus and just doesn't like focusing in school), he actually cheats and brings in extra study materials into the quiet, empty room that SALT provides. And by empty, I mean no teachers, no instructors, no supervisors. Just the student and his crib sheet.
And now an article comes out that says many of the students who take extra time for the SAT really don't need the extra time and score better grades than students who take the test during the normal time. Surprising discovery, eh?
posted by Laura Keslar at 5:28 PM | |
Friday, May 26, 2006
There goes the job search
No one hiring? That's a shame. *wink* Ok, I guess the new question is, does anyone know of anyone else hiring over the summer?
My current job recently cut down on my summer hours, dropping me from a total summer earnings of around $3000 to $2000 (with taxes taken out, of course). But that can't do. I need more money to pay for rent, to pay for my wedding, and to pay for my fiance's car. Oh and to pay for our new apartment. I NEED MORE HOURS! EEH.
Besides, I don't want to widdle my days away. My current position only requires that I work from 5 - 9 (and on some days, only from 6 - 9, which is really sucky) on weekdays, which means I sit at home sucking up the cold swampcooled air and keeping my electric bill high.
By the way, what is a high electric bill in Tucson? Ours runs around $55 to $90 a month. Gas is about $20, water around $55, and Cox about $112 (my roommate just *must* have HBO).
Its that time of year again, when I am looking for a summer job. Anyone willing to hire a hard working, conservative (or whatever) student? I am proficient in reading writing and arithmetic. Among other skills, I have great customer service skills and an award-winning personality.
No one hiring? That's a shame. *wink* Ok, I guess the new question is, does anyone know of anyone else hiring over the summer?
My current job recently cut down on my summer hours, dropping me from a total summer earnings of around $3000 to $2000 (with taxes taken out, of course). But that can't do. I need more money to pay for rent, to pay for my wedding, and to pay for my fiance's car. Oh and to pay for our new apartment. I NEED MORE HOURS! EEH.
Besides, I don't want to widdle my days away. My current position only requires that I work from 5 - 9 (and on some days, only from 6 - 9, which is really sucky) on weekdays, which means I sit at home sucking up the cold swampcooled air and keeping my electric bill high.
By the way, what is a high electric bill in Tucson? Ours runs around $55 to $90 a month. Gas is about $20, water around $55, and Cox about $112 (my roommate just *must* have HBO).
posted by Laura Keslar at 3:16 PM | |
Illiteracy = Feminization
Anyway, what I got from the entire book was that Illiteracy = Feminization, literacy = masculinization. So I suppose that is why the feminists who control (ok, sounds a little too conspiracy, but oh well) the NEA and our schools are so intent in not teaching children to read or use proper grammar, not teaching children numbers but on rather teaching them to talk about their feelings, letting them watch movies, and generally deprive them of anything that is abstract.
Recently, I was reading a book titled The Alphabet versus the Goddess, which examines the effect that the alphabet had on cultures. The basic principal of the book was that as countries embraced the alphabet (according to the author, the ancient Hebrews were among the first), there was a shift away from the Goddess toward more masculine dieties, masculine values (courage, independence, etc), and misogynist attitudes. The author points to examples of how women's freedoms were deminished in literate cultures like ancient Israel, Athens, and Europe while women's prerogatives flourished in Egypt, India, and China because their use of written language relied more upon images (something far more feminine, far more right brain) than upon abstract shapes with no relation to the original thought or symbol (something far more masculine, far more left brain).
Anyway, what I got from the entire book was that Illiteracy = Feminization, literacy = masculinization. So I suppose that is why the feminists who control (ok, sounds a little too conspiracy, but oh well) the NEA and our schools are so intent in not teaching children to read or use proper grammar, not teaching children numbers but on rather teaching them to talk about their feelings, letting them watch movies, and generally deprive them of anything that is abstract.
posted by Laura Keslar at 1:27 PM | |
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Why I dont like McCain Part VII
The man is out for his own gain. The man is in to keep his job--not to respect the constitution, not to serve his constituents.
I will have to agree: Yet another reason why I will not vote for John McCain--not for President, not for Senator, not for local janitor. Never never.
The man is out for his own gain. The man is in to keep his job--not to respect the constitution, not to serve his constituents.
posted by Laura Keslar at 5:50 PM | |
Saturday, April 29, 2006
So what's the big deal?
Anyway, this stuck out to me:
"The appetite for construction in the Southwest is so ravenous that getting employees to come and work for you is a major obstacle. If you're going to be competitive, you had better have a good working relationship."
*eye roll*
Simply said, it is called raising your wages. Among other things. Hey, maybe if they raised wages to become more "competitive," then they might start attracting legal American workers. Who knows where the concept might lead us.
Reuters has an article detailing how employers are going to deal with the hispanic walk outs. (I mean, how hard is it to deal with an employee who is absent? I know where I work, we have three absents/sick days without doctor's note/late days before we are written up. After the first write-up, we can be fired. Just follow policy. No need to make a bigger deal out of the whole thing.)
Anyway, this stuck out to me:
"The appetite for construction in the Southwest is so ravenous that getting employees to come and work for you is a major obstacle. If you're going to be competitive, you had better have a good working relationship."
*eye roll*
Simply said, it is called raising your wages. Among other things. Hey, maybe if they raised wages to become more "competitive," then they might start attracting legal American workers. Who knows where the concept might lead us.
posted by Laura Keslar at 1:15 AM | |
