I was able to see most of the two debates tonight... which is better than not seeing any of it. I looked it up on the internet and only CNN and Salem Radio were listed as options. I don't have cable and didn't think I could watch it on CNN. When I finally turned on the radio to listen, it wasn't on my local stations... and I am not that much of a techie to know why not. I checked online for the radio website, but nothing was there. I finally went to CNN.com to see if there was any information there and I was able to live stream it...kind of. I had to keep refreshing the page to keep viewing it and never knew if it would work.
The topics and number of people to answer was interesting... you can tell the politicians by their answers... and the "newbies" are easy to see, too. I was impressed with Bobby Jindal in the first debate, and there were a few winning segments/presentations in the main debate.
Immigration and Iran were the main issues that kept coming up. And the tax problems we are facing also came up. We can't do anything without money, and the budget is wasted on interest payments because of our debt. The president is only one man in the government, and no one man can solve all our problems. This is the problem with our elections... everyone promises to fix it all, but when they get elected, they can't.
I can't say I liked the answers about immigration. I was glad to hear that 40-60% of the millions of "illegal immigrants" that keep getting highlighted are not people who have come over the death trails from Mexico... someone mentioned they are people who came on work visas and stayed over their given time period. I think that means they don't cost us money in forced support costs when they are imprisoned for wanting a better life. Legal work and taxes could solve that problem.
Another person said they wanted to restrict any potential immigrants to agricultural work. That comment says a lot about someone's opinion of the people involved. It assumes the issue is about Mexican/Spanish illegals, and it says this someone thinks that's all the immigrants are good for.
There are a lot of people who come here from Mexico and work in the agricultural fields because that is what they know and the main type of work they can get as a non-English speaker. It also means that someone thinks that is all they are good for... and that solving our agricultural problems is how they can qualify to stay here. No one seems to see these strangers as normal people with families, trying to survive the same way a zillion others are trying to survive.
That brings up another issue : the language conflict that has become a problem in our conversations. If we went to another country, would we know the language? No. Somewhere along the way we would have to learn it. That takes time. Until we do, the only language we can understand is out home language, which could be Spanish, French, African, Russian, or any number of languages in the approximately 200 countries of the world. All this energy wasted on what language needs to be spoken is really a waste of time. English is our language. Translating our government materials into other languages is the real problem... it costs money. Maybe we are talking about the wrong problem.
The automatic American by birth issue is related to immigration... it was a hot topic as well. I had no idea that the practice was associated with the 14th amendment. (I think that is the one.) And another one of the debaters said that was really not even a clear "commandment" in the law... that it applied to slaves, not anyone else. The issue has never really been explored in our government system (the Supreme Court). Here we are, arguing about something that hasn't really been established legally. I suppose this is another case of talking about the wrong problem.
The conflicts we are involved in all over the world came up and also were attached to our military readiness. Controlling Iran seems to be the concept that is traveling in government circles...like we can do that. Bombing Iran, having full access to any facility they operate, unannounced, voiding the recent treaty that was negotiated, the security problems caused by President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton (and now Kerry) were brought out by several of the debaters... but Marco Rubio was the easiest to understand in that topic.
I think I must be like all the other Americans who have too much to do to follow every action of our government, trusting that the ones we have in charge will do what is best for America and for us. I don't keep track of all the little detail because I can't. It's a full time job... their job...and I struggle to survive the details of my own life. I just want to have food to eat, a place to live, and work that can help me with my basic needs and small dreams beyond that. At one point in my life, I realized that is what the "silent majority" was... all the Americans who don't have time or inclination to monitor the government representatives they elect. We don't write letters to the editor. We vote.
I hope I can find the best overall person for the job ahead... we need the best. America is dealing with problems that can destroy us. Some people would love to see us destroyed.
Tuesday, 15 SEP 2015 :: Keep the focus going in the right direction.
Here we go again... the LONG week, the lethargy, the slump...
It sometimes feels like autopilot is the only option.
In my view, now that I am on the other side of young, I can see that keeping on is a really big thing in life. It seems like there is nothing worth going toward, but that is because you can't see it yet. When I was younger, and there wasn't a choice about these things, I just kept going because there wasn't anyone else to lean on. I suppose those hard years make the new challenges seem easier.
I have been busy, not sleeping all day. :-) All the mundane things that need to be done just don't seem so earthshaking and productive, they don't equal a ton of money so what value do they have? It seems like they don't have value, but they add up and contribute to the total package. Where would we be if we never ate, never did dishes or cleaned the kitchen, never washed our clothes, never swept floors, never figured out how to keep records, never created a goal, never worked out a plan to reach that goal, never read a book, a magazine, a brochure, and all those little things that add to our life and mind and meaning?
When I can't find the inspiration I need, I start doing all those little things that take time but aren't a finished product. Like cutting out the pieces I will need later, sorting colors, reorganizing, looking for supplies, searching for ideas. Sometimes I just start doing something in the direction I am trying to go, like drawing or painting things that don't mean anything just to start moving in the direction of a finished painting, or writing a letter when other words can't be found.
There is always something that needs to be done....
Today I am planning to focus on art and clay... and wait for another of my supplies orders... as soon as I finish this and my other routine tasks.
I can see how online living would work as a shut-in... and I am trying to define what kind of life I want to have in my "old age." How much do I want to stay home, how much time do I want to devote to my craft projects? How will I protect my health and sanity and personal space? How can I afford the life I want to have?
These quests all take time, and will have to be planned to some degree. When I don't have the inspiration to make things to sell, I try to find the answers to all these other questions.
It sometimes feels like autopilot is the only option.
In my view, now that I am on the other side of young, I can see that keeping on is a really big thing in life. It seems like there is nothing worth going toward, but that is because you can't see it yet. When I was younger, and there wasn't a choice about these things, I just kept going because there wasn't anyone else to lean on. I suppose those hard years make the new challenges seem easier.
I have been busy, not sleeping all day. :-) All the mundane things that need to be done just don't seem so earthshaking and productive, they don't equal a ton of money so what value do they have? It seems like they don't have value, but they add up and contribute to the total package. Where would we be if we never ate, never did dishes or cleaned the kitchen, never washed our clothes, never swept floors, never figured out how to keep records, never created a goal, never worked out a plan to reach that goal, never read a book, a magazine, a brochure, and all those little things that add to our life and mind and meaning?
When I can't find the inspiration I need, I start doing all those little things that take time but aren't a finished product. Like cutting out the pieces I will need later, sorting colors, reorganizing, looking for supplies, searching for ideas. Sometimes I just start doing something in the direction I am trying to go, like drawing or painting things that don't mean anything just to start moving in the direction of a finished painting, or writing a letter when other words can't be found.
There is always something that needs to be done....
- I am looking for a name for my own products.
- I am trying to design a label for my personal products.
- I need to separate my website into personal sales and Working Together sales.
- I am searching for shelves to organize my supplies so I can actually use them.
- I am praying for a larger space, lots of equipment, sales, time to create...
- I am designing craft kits.
- I am looking for art topics that will keep me interested and are equal to my talent and goals.
- I am learning about social media, networking, keeping track of details, what matters when something is sold or purchased, what products are worth the time and effort, how to find money to do these things...
- I search for tools, and equipment, and instructions.
- I need delivery options, or money for alternatives.
- I am trying to save money and buy only what I need.
- I need a commercial kitchen, money for supplies, time to develop my recipes.
- I want a garage with a small kiln for small clay and glass projects.
- A larger kiln and a potter's wheel for kitchen creations.
- Tools and equipment for each activity.
- Real silver and a way to make it into my own designs.
- A better electric sewing machine and a non-electric treadle machine.
- New computers and a smartphone that will take orders and payments.
- More advertising,
- Customers.
- Income.
- To pay my past debts and build a better future.
- Freedom, peace, safety, fellowship...
- Land.
- and lots more.
Today I am planning to focus on art and clay... and wait for another of my supplies orders... as soon as I finish this and my other routine tasks.
I can see how online living would work as a shut-in... and I am trying to define what kind of life I want to have in my "old age." How much do I want to stay home, how much time do I want to devote to my craft projects? How will I protect my health and sanity and personal space? How can I afford the life I want to have?
These quests all take time, and will have to be planned to some degree. When I don't have the inspiration to make things to sell, I try to find the answers to all these other questions.
Monday, 14 SEP 2015 :: Weekends are always too full of things to do!
It is hard to decide what to write about on Mondays. So much happens over a weekend, lots to think about, contemplate, file away, research, plan, etc.
The rains returned to Oregon today, but it looks like California could use some of the moisture... It is so sad to see the destruction that is happening there. I went to the Napa Valley as a young person to visit relatives that lived there, and then I passed through it on my own travels as an adult... it was one of the most beautiful places I discovered in California as I wandered. I have lost all my personal possessions more than one time, so I know the heartache that it causes. Nothing can replace the treasures we collect over our lifetimes...they hold our best memories, that is why we collect them.
Starting over is always hard, but when you don't have a choice about the matter, all you can do is keep moving forward, go through the grieving process, and begin to heal. I still mourn the loss of things that mattered greatly to me and/or my children. Nothing can make the loss go away, the pain, the tears, the sadness.
My heart is crying with them, with all people who have lost their homes, their friends, families, pets, and more. Fire is a terrible thing, but it isn't the only way we suffer this kind of loss. The refugees of war in the Middle East, in Africa, in all parts of the world, suffer this same pain. Floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, even traffic accidents, can forever change our lives. It is overwhelming to think of so many people suffering and in need of basic help.
What else happened? I sorted my supplies and started creating the next step for several of my planned and evolving projects. When I went to use my iron, it didn't work! Now I will need to put that on my budget list. :-) It's always something, right!? My workspace is beginning to find it's flow... by next year it should be ready for a full year of preparations for Christmas 2016... my main goal.
My weight is again going downward... that is good. :-)
All these small things that make up our days... I could go into more expansive thoughts about their meaning, but these are the details of my days... right now... the ones I have already shared at some point. My real focus in life is the realities of survival like the ones I talked about in the beginning. It is hard to write only about those things... they are emotionally draining, tearful, hard to share every day... meaningless things like weight loss seem easier to share.
I guess I will have to find a way to balance the deeper topics with the smaller matters. I suppose establishing priorities is a personal matter, too. Weight loss can be the most important subject in some lives.
May the GOD of all creation watch over those who love Him... and guide our lives to places of safety and fellowship. Amen.
The rains returned to Oregon today, but it looks like California could use some of the moisture... It is so sad to see the destruction that is happening there. I went to the Napa Valley as a young person to visit relatives that lived there, and then I passed through it on my own travels as an adult... it was one of the most beautiful places I discovered in California as I wandered. I have lost all my personal possessions more than one time, so I know the heartache that it causes. Nothing can replace the treasures we collect over our lifetimes...they hold our best memories, that is why we collect them.
Starting over is always hard, but when you don't have a choice about the matter, all you can do is keep moving forward, go through the grieving process, and begin to heal. I still mourn the loss of things that mattered greatly to me and/or my children. Nothing can make the loss go away, the pain, the tears, the sadness.
My heart is crying with them, with all people who have lost their homes, their friends, families, pets, and more. Fire is a terrible thing, but it isn't the only way we suffer this kind of loss. The refugees of war in the Middle East, in Africa, in all parts of the world, suffer this same pain. Floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, even traffic accidents, can forever change our lives. It is overwhelming to think of so many people suffering and in need of basic help.
What else happened? I sorted my supplies and started creating the next step for several of my planned and evolving projects. When I went to use my iron, it didn't work! Now I will need to put that on my budget list. :-) It's always something, right!? My workspace is beginning to find it's flow... by next year it should be ready for a full year of preparations for Christmas 2016... my main goal.
My weight is again going downward... that is good. :-)
All these small things that make up our days... I could go into more expansive thoughts about their meaning, but these are the details of my days... right now... the ones I have already shared at some point. My real focus in life is the realities of survival like the ones I talked about in the beginning. It is hard to write only about those things... they are emotionally draining, tearful, hard to share every day... meaningless things like weight loss seem easier to share.
I guess I will have to find a way to balance the deeper topics with the smaller matters. I suppose establishing priorities is a personal matter, too. Weight loss can be the most important subject in some lives.
May the GOD of all creation watch over those who love Him... and guide our lives to places of safety and fellowship. Amen.
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