Tuesday, January 31, 2006
It's the end of the month.........................
and the news is that IE (my dear wife) has strep throat. She had been suffering from swollen glands for almost 2 weeks, and finally saw a doctor today. Two prescriptions for antibiotics.......one of them is a narcotic. Hmmm.....strong drugs? I'll be caring for her for the next 2 or 3 days...
Well, Judge Alito has been confirmed by the Senate and will be sworn in this afternoon by Chief Justice Roberts, in time for Mr. Bush's speech tonight. The political posturing by the Senate members of the Democrat party are shameful and reprehensible. The very things they accused Mr. Alito of, are the very things that they strive to do every day of their lives. I am ashamed to say that the 2 senators from Illinois, Durbin and Obama, both voted against this nominee. They certainly do not speak for me.
Illinois' men's basketball team travels to Wisconsin tonight. for a key Big Ten matchup.
Wisconsin is tough at home, and tries to slow the pace to throw opposing teams off their game plan. The Illini need big time production from Dee Brown, James Augustine, Shaun Pruitt, and Brian Randle in order to win this game.
Around this time last year I blogged for the first time. I do not consider it an anniversary, however, because of the extended sabbatical from blogging that I took beginning last August. Having said that, it blows me away that my very first post was indeed a year ago.
Well, Judge Alito has been confirmed by the Senate and will be sworn in this afternoon by Chief Justice Roberts, in time for Mr. Bush's speech tonight. The political posturing by the Senate members of the Democrat party are shameful and reprehensible. The very things they accused Mr. Alito of, are the very things that they strive to do every day of their lives. I am ashamed to say that the 2 senators from Illinois, Durbin and Obama, both voted against this nominee. They certainly do not speak for me.
Illinois' men's basketball team travels to Wisconsin tonight. for a key Big Ten matchup.
Wisconsin is tough at home, and tries to slow the pace to throw opposing teams off their game plan. The Illini need big time production from Dee Brown, James Augustine, Shaun Pruitt, and Brian Randle in order to win this game.
Around this time last year I blogged for the first time. I do not consider it an anniversary, however, because of the extended sabbatical from blogging that I took beginning last August. Having said that, it blows me away that my very first post was indeed a year ago.
Monday, January 30, 2006
It's Monday once again; comes around once a week.............
and it so happens that our latest Monday is here after a pleasent weekend. On Saturday the University of Illinois men's basketball team extended their home court winning streak to 33 by defeating rival Purdue. My wife IE and I invited our dear friends J & D to watch the game with us, since they do not have cable TV and the game was on the one over-the-air channel they cannot pick
up with their antenna. After the game, we enjoyed a dinner of sloppy joes, potato salad and vegetables with homemade dip. We then began playing the card game Phase 10. Have any of you played this game? I had not until about two weeks ago when J & D were at our home. Once I got the hang of it, it was fun. There are 10 phases of the game. The cards are similar to UNO, in numbers & colors.
Wild cards and skip cards, but no draw four cards. LOL
Some of the things you must accomplish are "1 run of 3," or "1 set of 4," and so on. In order to win you must complete all 10 phases. It is a lot of fun, unless everyone else is way ahead of you..........
We went to church on Sunday, where I have the privilege (again) of leading the worship time. I was not doing this during my sabbatical from blogging (see August 05 archives). After a restful afternoon, IE and I went back to church to help set up for our Dinner & a Movie night, featuring spaghetti, garlic bread, and salad. It was very good. The movie was "Luther," starring Joseph Fiennes as Martin Luther, who spearheaded the Reformation of the 1500's. It was very well acted, and well done overall. I would recommend it as being a worthy film.
That was my weekend. How was yours?
up with their antenna. After the game, we enjoyed a dinner of sloppy joes, potato salad and vegetables with homemade dip. We then began playing the card game Phase 10. Have any of you played this game? I had not until about two weeks ago when J & D were at our home. Once I got the hang of it, it was fun. There are 10 phases of the game. The cards are similar to UNO, in numbers & colors.
Wild cards and skip cards, but no draw four cards. LOL
Some of the things you must accomplish are "1 run of 3," or "1 set of 4," and so on. In order to win you must complete all 10 phases. It is a lot of fun, unless everyone else is way ahead of you..........
We went to church on Sunday, where I have the privilege (again) of leading the worship time. I was not doing this during my sabbatical from blogging (see August 05 archives). After a restful afternoon, IE and I went back to church to help set up for our Dinner & a Movie night, featuring spaghetti, garlic bread, and salad. It was very good. The movie was "Luther," starring Joseph Fiennes as Martin Luther, who spearheaded the Reformation of the 1500's. It was very well acted, and well done overall. I would recommend it as being a worthy film.
That was my weekend. How was yours?
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Been thinking about.........................
the Super Bowl. 10 more days till the game. 10 looooonnnnnggggg days of neverending hype, analysis, over-analysis, more hype...................did I mention analysis? And that's before the actual day of the game, February 5. FEBRUARY 5???!!! What's up with that?
Is anyone else concerned with the continual eroding of the rights we have historically enjoyed in the USA? The people in the Congress, with the exception of a few, are absolutely disgraceful. I am ashamed that the 2 US senators from Illinois are Dick Durbin & Barack Obama. They SOOOOO do not represent my positions on any item of political significance. And then there is the issue of border security, especially our southern border with Mexico. You may have heard there was an armed standoff between US law enforcement and Mexican soldiers complete with heavy artillery,.....ON AMERICAN SOIL!!
It is high time to start enforcing immigration laws. Illegal immigration is doing no one any good. If I were in charge, the first thing I would change is this: The provision that says anyone born in the US is a US citizen, no matter the citizenship of the parents. There are so many illegals here because they crossed the border and bore children in the USA, thus ensuring they (the parents) could stay. If, for example, a pregnant Mexican woman crosses the border into the US (illegally), then bears the child; under my revision, the newborn is NOT AUTOMATICALLY A US CITIZEN! Period. The citizenship of the parents determines the official status of the child.
Ladies & gentlemen, the America we think we live in, is not that at all. And there are those individuals (generally but not always left of center politically) who are all too glad to do what they can to turn us into what Russia was under communism. It is looking grim, but perhaps it's not too late.
Is anyone else concerned with the continual eroding of the rights we have historically enjoyed in the USA? The people in the Congress, with the exception of a few, are absolutely disgraceful. I am ashamed that the 2 US senators from Illinois are Dick Durbin & Barack Obama. They SOOOOO do not represent my positions on any item of political significance. And then there is the issue of border security, especially our southern border with Mexico. You may have heard there was an armed standoff between US law enforcement and Mexican soldiers complete with heavy artillery,.....ON AMERICAN SOIL!!
It is high time to start enforcing immigration laws. Illegal immigration is doing no one any good. If I were in charge, the first thing I would change is this: The provision that says anyone born in the US is a US citizen, no matter the citizenship of the parents. There are so many illegals here because they crossed the border and bore children in the USA, thus ensuring they (the parents) could stay. If, for example, a pregnant Mexican woman crosses the border into the US (illegally), then bears the child; under my revision, the newborn is NOT AUTOMATICALLY A US CITIZEN! Period. The citizenship of the parents determines the official status of the child.
Ladies & gentlemen, the America we think we live in, is not that at all. And there are those individuals (generally but not always left of center politically) who are all too glad to do what they can to turn us into what Russia was under communism. It is looking grim, but perhaps it's not too late.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Adios, "West Wing"
I have read with interest the stories of the past couple days announcing the end of the TV show "The West Wing." The show deserved its four consecutive Emmys in the first five seasons. It was very well written, acted and executed. Like all shows these days, there is bound to be a dropoff, and for WW it happened when creator Aaron Sorkin left the series. Some might say that the departure of Rob Lowe hurt; in truth, it didn't. Lowe evidently thought his character, Sam Seaborn, was going to be the main star. (During his time on the series, his name was listed first in the credits.) When it didn't work that way, he left to pursue other, less successful TV projects. Personally, my favorite character is Donna, played by Janel Moloney. She was an assistant in the White House before going to work for the presidential campaign, but you always knew that she could have handled any job given to her. Donna was wasted as an assistant; she should have been in with the bigwigs on the teams forming policy. Of course the loss of John Spencer is huge, especially in light of his character's comeback from a heart attack (which, ironically, is what killed Spencer) to be the VP running mate of Santos.
Anyway, the show will end with the election of either Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) or Alan Alda (Arnold Vinick). I tend to think it will be Smits. Can you imagine "Hawkeye" as POTUS?
On a lighter note, less than a month before pitchers & catchers report to spring training.
WHOO HOOO! GO ST. LOUIS CARDINALS!!
Anyway, the show will end with the election of either Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) or Alan Alda (Arnold Vinick). I tend to think it will be Smits. Can you imagine "Hawkeye" as POTUS?
On a lighter note, less than a month before pitchers & catchers report to spring training.
WHOO HOOO! GO ST. LOUIS CARDINALS!!
Greetings once again.
After a time of self reflection and examination, I have decided to return to posting.
Allow me to re-introduce myself. My name is Bob...an ordinary guy living an ordinary life in the Midwest, just east of the mighty Mississippi river in Illinois. I am married to the lovely IE (as she will be known here) and I work in a factory as a quality assurance auditor. My main hobby (if you can call it that) is singing and ministering actively in my local church. Other interests include community theatre, old-time radio shows, and collecting Coca-Cola memoribilia.
I stopped blogging a little more than five months ago at the onset of a personal crisis, that included financial difficulties, and a re-evaluation of who I was and why I did what I did. I was forced to search deep inside myself to see where I had gone wrong. My faith in God has sustained me, but not without some personal cost. However, that has served to bring me back into focus as far as what my purpose is. Bottom line is, I was created to bring God glory, not myself. I freely admit, my faith is the main factor in all that I say and all that I do. From time to time, my blog will reflect that. Since it is my blog, I will share what I feel like sharing. I never mean to deliberately offend; personal attacks on a person's character are not part of what I do. However, I retain the right to comment on what a person DOES, particularly if they are in the public eye.
I hope to hear from anyone who discovers this re-introductory post. Your comments are welcome.
Allow me to re-introduce myself. My name is Bob...an ordinary guy living an ordinary life in the Midwest, just east of the mighty Mississippi river in Illinois. I am married to the lovely IE (as she will be known here) and I work in a factory as a quality assurance auditor. My main hobby (if you can call it that) is singing and ministering actively in my local church. Other interests include community theatre, old-time radio shows, and collecting Coca-Cola memoribilia.
I stopped blogging a little more than five months ago at the onset of a personal crisis, that included financial difficulties, and a re-evaluation of who I was and why I did what I did. I was forced to search deep inside myself to see where I had gone wrong. My faith in God has sustained me, but not without some personal cost. However, that has served to bring me back into focus as far as what my purpose is. Bottom line is, I was created to bring God glory, not myself. I freely admit, my faith is the main factor in all that I say and all that I do. From time to time, my blog will reflect that. Since it is my blog, I will share what I feel like sharing. I never mean to deliberately offend; personal attacks on a person's character are not part of what I do. However, I retain the right to comment on what a person DOES, particularly if they are in the public eye.
I hope to hear from anyone who discovers this re-introductory post. Your comments are welcome.
