Wanderlust

My brain is melting

I came across this post from a (ed. update) supporter of Senator Samuel Brownback (R-KS), who is running for president, via One Good Move. It describes how the earth does not rotate around the sun and the earth does not move an is the center of the universe. He goes on to say how the bible provides plenty of references to the earth not moving. Here is a gem of a quote:

"The Earth does not move. To assert that the Earth does move is to renounce Christianity. It really is as simple as that."

Seriously. We should reject Copernicus' assertions, and accept bullshit as our personal savior. I am really having a hard time understanding how someone can actually believe this shit. It hurts to think that someone in my government, who went to college, has such backwards archaic thinking.

See, I can understand people wanting to refute Darwinian science and evolution. It is a something that isn't easily understood, and there isn't much direct evidence. So without much education or science background, it might hard for someone to believe it. The bible makes it so much easier to understand the origin of man. But to make the leap to not believe the earth revolves around the sun and the sun revolves around the Milky Way Galaxy.. I don't comprehend. Over the past 100 years, scientist who have done hundreds of calculation and studies, have got it wrong? And these scientist have HUGE amounts of education, peer reviewed papers, complicated equations, and continuous studying of complicated phenomenon. How can all that boil down to the bible say the earth does not move. How? How can anyone think this?

I can only maybe give one answer. Some people think only in black and white. Right vs wrong. It is true, or it is false. This type of thinking leads to simplistic views of the world. When presented with something that is hard to understand or comprehend, it must be the work of the devil trying to confuse you. Maybe it is that simple. Don't learn to much, because the more you learn about the world around you, the move complicated it gets. And, using the bible for reference (and assuming it is the exact world of god), it presents all the answer you are looking for, as long as you pick and choose specific quotes without context in the rest of the passage. For people like Brownback, the world must be so easy to understand, under the lens of the bible. Life is easier when the world is the center of everything, including your simplistic view.

I grew up thinking the bible was a reference guide for a religion. It has good stories to guide you through your life. Parables that provide a lesson for living a Christian life. I never thought for once that the Garden of Eden was actual fact. I thought it was a story of how god was kind of a dick after Adam ate a stupid apple. Thats all. These religious zealots take things way to far, and remove the possibility for innovation and higher levels of understanding. How could I have typed this post on a computer if the people who invented the transistor thought the bible (or God) had all the answers of the world around us. It really does not make any sense to me. And Brownback doesn't want his children to learn that in schools? Yes, lets not teach our children anything that is not in the bible. Then our schools will pump out stupid retarded kids who know how to be nice to each other. It is people like this who make religion look so stupid and outdated. And it is people like this who make my brain melt into a puddle of goo.

(On a quick side note, why would you not want to teach your children about evolution? They should learn it, and then if you don't agree with it, teach them the alternate view and why evolution is wrong. That way the children can grow up to be critical thinkers, and not assuming everything your are told is true. ie. fox news).

Letters to the O

Sixteen Months

The past month has been a whirlwind of transition and travel, of long nights and even longer days. Your brush with sickness last month developed into a full blown encounter with RSV and while we escaped hospitalization, it was by the slimmest of margins. While it seemed your health was on solid footing by the time we flew to Portland for a visit, we were there barely 24 hours before you developed a nasty cold. Feverish and nightmarishly congested, you struggled through. Away from the comforts of home and your miraculous snot sucker, we kept you comfortable on the highs of cold medicine and Ibuprofen. More than a week later, this cold lingers on, inducing sleepless nights filled with a hacking cough and afternoons when your nose is a river of yellow mucus that seems to know no end.

I have been working more than a month now and it was been enormously difficult because I resent every moment I’ve had to spend out of the circle of your smile. Despite your health struggles, you remain eager to laugh and ready to entertain. The extremes you will go to in order to earn enthusiastic praise and applause is quite endearing. I try to take advantage of these moments because I know it won’t be long until you refuse to go get me a cold beer no matter how energetically I clap my approval.

The most dramatic developments that have occurred this month have everything to do with your vocabulary. You will not shut the fuck up. When we were in Portland you discovered the amazing game of hide and seek and will seemingly spend an eternity exploring how often you can hide your face behind a napkin and ask “Where is he?”. Most charmingly, you answer yourself by flinging the object you are hiding behind aside and shouting “There he is!” This tendency to speak of yourself in the third person- I am sure you get this from me. And I am quite proud of it.

The unfortunate side effect of all this adorable chatter is that you repeat ABSOLUTELY everything that is said in your presence. And your father and I- total potty mouths. We can’t help ourselves. So when a few weeks ago you began to shout “Fluff,” and it sounded so cute, we completely encouraged you to repeat it. Over and over. We would take you to places- the store, a friend’s house- and direct you to say “Fluff,” to excessive, fond approval. We were all in the car just last night, running errands and your father swore as he was navigating through traffic. “Fuck!” From the back seat we heard you shout “Fluff.” And it was then that we realized we were completely doomed.

The Eugene Editions

Where the hell have we been the last few weeks? Well, the short answer is Eugene, Oregon. I'll get to that in a minute.

After Owen's scary bout of RSV started to dissipate just a few days before we were due to fly to Portland, I was quite sure we were in the clear. George even carted him back to the doctor, concerned that his ear infections had not improved, where upon his pediatrician proclaimed his fussiness and slight fever over the weekend due to nothing more alarming than teething molars. Feeling foolish, we feverishly prepared for Oregon and were miraculously in the air Thursday morning without a hitch. After less than 24 hours in Eugene, however, it began to be evident that perhaps Owen was dealing with something more than teething. By Saturday morning we were positive. His fever soared and we tanked him up on Ibuprofen and cold medicine to keep him comfortable. To Owen's credit, he was a trooper despite being far from home and away from the comforts of his motorized snot sucker. By the time we arrived back in SLC on Monday, Owen's cold was in full effect and we needed frequent showers and constant meds throughout the week to keep him functional. He began to show improvement in his nasal congestion on Thursday, but has now developed a nasty cough that keeps him up at night, hacking like a seasoned smoker. Needless to say Mommy is VERY TIRED. Did I mention I was tired? I keep thinking this is some sort of nightmare, that I'll wake up and Owen will be well. But it just keeps going on and on with no end in sight and I have to convince to get up every morning and start all over again.

That being said, we still made every attempt to have a lovely visit with Rory and Amy. George and I had long wanted to check out Oregon and were enthralled with the dense, lush vegetation. The weather, contrary to popular belief, was gorgeous except for the five seconds we ventured onto the beach, where the sands looked as though they had been raked by claws from the ferocious winds. Oh, and that day it kind of misted all day. And that one morning when it was pretty damp and cold at the Farmer's Market. But to be fair, we hardly noticed. Busy soaking in the local flavor, George and I were simply overjoyed to be where people looked at home in their skin and in a city teeming with adventurous experiences. While Eugenians may be a slightly unusual bunch, they were friendly and relaxed and it was lovely to walk around town and not feel the sting of a single judgmental look. Folks bicycle around, composting and eating vegan but without an ounce of righteousness. According to Rory and Amy, for all it's environmental virtue, Eugene has it's own proliferation of petty crime. Our hosts treated us to wonderful parade of new palate pleasing experiments, both from their kitchen and in Eugene at large.

And while we only got to enjoy a couple hours in Portland, we got a strong taste of it's urban personality. Overflowing with ethnic cuisine, leafy parks, and tons of foot and bicycle traffic, Portland draws people to its waterfront, where Mt. Hood rises eerily from the nearby skyline.

We've been back home for nearly a week now, and life has yet to return to its normal pulse. George and I are looking forward to next weekend and the treat of a holiday to enjoy at home, being lazy and luxuriously rested.

Double Dose

Yes. We are still alive. (Barely) More details on that to follow. In the meantime you can check out the scoop on our trip to Eugene by visiting Rory & Amy.

We've managed to post a double dose of Owen for your viewing pleasure- both Months 14 and 15 have made it into the gallery. We have plans to work on Moab and Eugene pics next weekend to post, so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, enjoy!

On the move.

We've been on the move. Where? Nowhere in particular. We've been very busy, and with Kaz working, there lots of stuff to do.

For an update on Owen, he's been doing great. He is back to his normal happy self and he seems to be learning new things daily. 15 months olds are really fun to hang around, I'm really enjoying being his dad. I've been taking care of him alot more lately since Kaz has been working, and we've been having lots of fun.

Last weekend it was in the 80's and I cut the grass for the first time. I also looked at the sprinkler system to make sure things are watering the lawn good enough. The lawn was actually somewhat too dry so it was good to start the sprinkling season. But all good things come to an end, especially when Ken, from cold snowy Colorado, brings cold wet weather. It's been in the 40's with wind and rain. I actually saw snow flakes today. On Cinco de Mayo! Ken has been staying with us since Wednesday to race at track days in Tooele. It is for a charity, Racing 2 Save Lives, but I think Ken cares more about the motorcycle racing. Last night we made wings, homemade style along with Lauren and Scott. The wings were very tasty, and I even got to have some wing sauce that Ken made. I miss making wings with Ken for sure.

Well, I wish I could say more, but nothing else is really that interesting that you would want to read about it. Unless you care that I woke up on Wednesday in a bad mood that lasted the whole day. I don't know why, but lets just say I wanted to ram my sweet beater car into people who were doing 40 in a 60mph zone. Because it would have made me feel better.

I guess lately life has been a series of tasks, with breaks in between consisting of hanging out with Owen and trying to make him say "fluff" or making him laugh. Since Owen is feeling much better, those breaks have been the best times in the past week.