separate is never equal

please take a few moments and listen to mr olbermann's wise words. they need to be heard.

dr who

Halloween is coming closer and closer... and i can't help but remember this:

poor dog. what abuse he has had to sit and take all for my amusement. i vowed after the pumpkin fiasco i would never dress him again. however i still plan on dressing myself up for halloween. after much deliberation ive decided on dr who!

i have a friend who tracked down the scarf from a coworker. i have the jacket and jeans. all i need is a kickin hat. so if you or anyone you know has such a hat that i might be able to borrow for an evening, let me know. i plan on being the greatest dr who ever. all i need is a cardboard K-9 outfit to get ziggy to wear and i'd be set. somehow i dont see him going along with this.

-+-


on a more serious note, i want to thank you all for your kind words the last week. troy and i are lucky to have such amazing family and friends that are willing to stand by us no matter what. it's going to be a tough transition, but i know it will be for the greater good in the long run. troy and i have shared a phenomenal 3+ years together that i will always be grateful for. thank you for sharing that with us, and for your continued love and support.

-*-

octobre!

between lectures on infanticide and discussions on some of hemingways and faulkners more depressing works, school has left me in a state of eeyore-esque mind frame. npr has brought me out of my funk (where would i be without npr?!) by providing me with this:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95578403

that's what i call extraordinary.

also extraordinary: last week i attended the sigur ros performance at the schnitz. i snuck my camera in, but while trying to respect others i limited my flash use. i think i was able to manage a few decent shots just the same.

jonsi trades his bow for his vocal chords to make his guitar sing

leading a sing-a-long

they had beautiful film clips and pictures projecting off and on throughout the show which only added to the magical feel of their music

playing 'gobbledigook'

-+-

and now i must return to the land of education where i will learn how to doctor up my sad pieces of ceramic creations with color.

ciao

npr saves from boredom once again!

the abc's of procrastinating in class:

a-mazing

b-rilliant

c-hampion

and now for a little complaining

school has started up again and i've found myself wondering why exactly i feel a need for a formal education. some days the obnoxious hoop jumping just doesn't seem worth it, but most days the good out weighs the bad and i am, (despite moping and complaining about replacing my recreational reading list with textbooks and various articles,) generally enjoying my education. however, i am quickly learning that "required" classes are filled with all types of people and with this why exactly community college has a certain stigma. there are a lot of dumb people attending community college. and i mean dumb with a capital idiot. the first day of my public speaking class was spent, no lie, discussing (and for a good 45 minutes) a variety of ways to find a vcr, and whether a vcr/dvd combo would suffice for viewing a vhs tape. is it really confusing to people? isn't a vcr a vcr, regardless of what other media players are attached? what precisely would a vcr play other than a vhs tape? make grilled cheese sandwiches? needless to say i spent the majority of class time writing ridiculous quotes uttered by my classmates and feeling very sad for my professor for having to deal with such individuals. he is a mighty patient man. i would probably have been throwing things at people within the first 10 minutes of class out of frustration. maybe this is a sign i should rethink teaching high school?...


i hope everyone was able to catch at least a bit of the presidential debate. i must admit i was surprised by how articulate (for the most part) mccain was. even if i didn't agree with many of his points. i was disappointed by obama's lack of response to a few of the economy questions. but im still hoping obama can win this election, if for no other reason then to never hear mccain say "warshington" again. or to refer to himself as maverick which is undoubtedly followed with a (slightly creepy) chuckle. oi. thursday is the vp debate, which i think should be renamed seeing as how palin won't participate in a "debate". perhaps instead it should be called a press conference . with no impromptu questions, of course. heaven forbid a candidate be put on the spot! oh what it would be like to have competent politicians...


so concludes my venting.
over and out.

avast ye!

summer: exit stage left. fall: enter stage right.

This week:

+ Marked my second year employed at the grill (distress and discouragement followed)

+ Was told I looked like laura bush (!!?!?!!) (distress and discouragement followed)

+ Gladly accepted an invitation to see, or rather, experience Sigur Rós. (joy and rapture followed)

+ Miraculously provided a day where troy and I were both free of work/school (joy and rapture followed)

two out of four aint bad.

There are many things I could say about the above items. Working at the grill has provided much misery, but it would be unfair to not acknowledge the perks that come along with the job. After two years of working in a "fine dining" atmosphere, I will say this: people are absurd with their money. I had a couple Saturday night that spend $520 on dinner. I could take a trip with that money! Don’t get me wrong, I’m much obliged to these people that throw their money around despite our poor economy. They provide me with a great income. But still. It seems a bit silly.

top 3 most idiotic words uttered by customers

1)

“I’ll have a hot tea with no tea”

“so a hot water?”

“yes.”

2)

“while you’re up, I’ll take another drink.”

(while I’m UP?! Sir, pray tell, when exactly do you suppose I am down during my shift?)

3)

“I think my sushi is raw.”

- + -

October 6^th I will be in the presence of greatness. For I will be seeing Sigur Rós with my friend Emily. If you are unfamiliar with Sigur Rós, I would highly suggest you immerse yourself in their beautiful music sometime very soon. They are an Icelandic band who transcends the medium of musicians and enters a different kind of artistry. It's as if they have the ability to mold the atmosphere with their music. I would go as far to say they have changed my life. Especially their ( ) album. I’m sure come October 6^th I will have much more to say about this. Until then- this might help you see just why I love them so very much: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH6dF-Q4B1c

it is a clip from their film Heima which documents a series of performances in iceland after returning from a world tour. if nothing else, it will make you want to travel to iceland (with me, of course).

- + -

after getting over the initial shock of having an entire day to ourselves, troy and i decided to spend it at lake hagg. we had planned on having a bbq with some friends, but after a series of schedule conflicts, we postponed the group outing and made it an exclusive stardust-stettler adventure.

Lake Hagg

the beast in all his glory

we're pretty good at taking orders

of course my favorite part of the day was the abundance of berries to be snacked on at will. after awhile troy became accustomed to waiting for me during my many berry time breaks

troy looking on with pride as his pup swims for the first time. ziggy could easily be mistaken for a beaver paddling along in the stream.

the only casualty was to troy's shoes which gave him some difficulty in the mud through out the day

the owner of this bone was not as lucky as troy's shoe. ziggy would make an awful hunting dog, but he's really good at finding berries, and the already deceased.

we had a great time and exhausted ziggy, which is always a plus.

-+-

liber(al)/(ty)

i am so over this presidential campaign. however i like to stay informed as well as possible and have even made an attempt to give the republican convention some attention. even though i have found that it generally puts me in a foul and angry mood. i was especially upset to hear interviews with people in regards to palin's pregnant (17? correct me if i'm wrong) daughter. for someone on the far right to say that politics shouldn't be involved in the personal life of palin, and that the family should have the freedom of CHOICE in the matter, has left me particularly apppalled. don't get me wrong, i completely agree with them! it should be a private matter. but doesn't it seem a bit hypocritical? after all isn't pro-choice having the freedom to choose? how are these things different? understand i don't consider myself a democrat (or republican, in case i haven't been too clear on that) really i think it comes down to choosing the lesser of two evils. every politician has an agenda and flaws but i am very proud of this country (97% of the time) and take our politics quite seriously. we are, after all a nation that is entirely founded on the idea of freedom and liberty for all. not some. not when it's convenient. for all. i just can't seem to wrap my head around how imposing one's morals on another abides by this. it certainly isn't just. or ethical. for once i agree with these republicans. at some level personal business is just that, personal. private. politics should not restrict the freedoms of others simply because some view it as "wrong". this bias of double standards between the parties makes me dizzy. it is absurd. i for one am tired of seeing potential leaders of our country ride the fence on certain issues. if the personal is private, then so be it. but don't switch things up when it suits you best. november doesn't seem like it will ever arrive to bring an end to this madness.

-*-

i quite enjoyed this article, and since even i have a political agenda, thought i'd share it. and really, who doesn't like facts?


Attacks, praise stretch truth at GOP convention

By JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press Writer Wed Sep 3

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her Republican supporters held back little Wednesday as they issued dismissive attacks on Barack Obama and flattering praise on her credentials to be vice president. In some cases, the reproach and the praise stretched the truth.



Some examples:

PALIN: "I have protected the taxpayers by vetoing wasteful spending ... and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. I told the Congress 'thanks but no thanks' for that Bridge to Nowhere.

"

THE FACTS: As mayor of Wasilla, Palin hired a lobbyist and traveled to Washington annually to support earmarks for the town totaling $27 million. In her two years as governor, Alaska has requested nearly $750 million in special federal spending, by far the largest per-capita request in the nation. While Palin notes she rejected plans to build a $398 million bridge from Ketchikan to an island with 50 residents and an airport, that opposition came only after the plan was ridiculed nationally as a "bridge to nowhere.

"

PALIN: "There is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform — not even in the state senate.

"

THE FACTS: Compared to McCain and his two decades in the Senate, Obama does have a more meager record. But he has worked with Republicans to pass legislation that expanded efforts to intercept illegal shipments of weapons of mass destruction and to help destroy conventional weapons stockpiles. The legislation became law last year. To demean that accomplishment would be to also demean the work of Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, a respected foreign policy voice in the Senate. In Illinois, he was the leader on two big, contentious measures in Illinois: studying racial profiling by police and requiring recordings of interrogations in potential death penalty cases. He also successfully co-sponsored major ethics reform legislation.



PALIN: "The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes, raise payroll taxes, raise investment income taxes, raise the death tax, raise business taxes, and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars.

"

THE FACTS: The Tax Policy Center, a think tank run jointly by the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute, concluded that Obama's plan would increase after-tax income for middle-income taxpayers by about 5 percent by 2012, or nearly $2,200 annually. McCain's plan, which cuts taxes across all income levels, would raise after tax-income for middle-income taxpayers by 3 percent, the center concluded.



Obama would provide $80 billion in tax breaks, mainly for poor workers and the elderly, including tripling the Earned Income Tax Credit for minimum-wage workers and higher credits for larger families.



He also would raise income taxes, capital gains and dividend taxes on the wealthiest. He would raise payroll taxes on taxpayers with incomes above $250,000, and he would raise corporate taxes. Small businesses that make more than $250,000 a year would see taxes rise.



MCCAIN: "She's been governor of our largest state, in charge of 20 percent of America's energy supply ... She's responsible for 20 percent of the nation's energy supply. I'm entertained by the comparison and I hope we can keep making that comparison that running a political campaign is somehow comparable to being the executive of the largest state in America," he said in an interview with ABC News' Charles Gibson.



THE FACTS: McCain's phrasing exaggerates both claims. Palin is governor of a state that ranks second nationally in crude oil production, but she's no more "responsible" for that resource than President Bush was when he was governor of Texas, another oil-producing state. In fact, her primary power is the ability to tax oil, which she did in concert with the Alaska Legislature. And where Alaska is the largest state in America, McCain could as easily have called it the 47th largest state — by population.



MCCAIN: "She's the commander of the Alaska National Guard. ... She has been in charge, and she has had national security as one of her primary responsibilities," he said on ABC.



THE FACTS: While governors are in charge of their state guard units, that authority ends whenever those units are called to actual military service. When guard units are deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, for example, they assume those duties under "federal status," which means they report to the Defense Department, not their governors. Alaska's national guard units have a total of about 4,200 personnel, among the smallest of state guard organizations.



FORMER ARKANSAS GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE: Palin "got more votes running for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska than Joe Biden got running for president of the United States.

"

THE FACTS: A whopper. Palin got 616 votes in the 1996 mayor's election, and got 909 in her 1999 re-election race, for a total of 1,525. Biden dropped out of the race after the Iowa caucuses, but he still got 76,165 votes in 23 states and the District of Columbia where he was on the ballot during the 2008 presidential primaries.



FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOV. MITT ROMNEY: "We need change, all right — change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington! We have a prescription for every American who wants change in Washington — throw out the big-government liberals, and elect John McCain and Sarah Palin.

"

THE FACTS: A Back-to-the-Future moment. George W. Bush, a conservative Republican, has been president for nearly eight years. And until last year, Republicans controlled Congress. Only since January 2007 have Democrats have been in charge of the House and Senate.



___

Associated Press Writer Jim Drinkard in Washington contributed to this report.

permission denied... muah muah

too many of you bloggers (read: flinders family) have your blogs on private and really should consider adding me to your privileged list of readers. my address is janellstettlerlmt@hotmail.com if you find me worthy.

also: due to troy being concerned about clients (look at my little psychologist go- he has real living, breathing clients!) searching him on the all wonderful inter-webs and being brought here, we will soon be changing our blog to private. if you would be so kind to send me your address if i don't already have it, that would be lovely.


please and thank you.

utah, tricks, and trash

(brace yourself. this is a lengthy one. you might want to prepare a small snack before starting.)

road trip ala utah

troy takes his stretching very seriously

the beautiful valley of cache

i love lagoon. i don't understand how you can't love lagoon. especially when rach shows up unexpectedly to spend the day with us there.

this lagoon visit did start off a bit problematic when our cart on the ride The Spider, was stuck mid-ride at the top. we had to climb down the not all to reassuring stairs after awaiting a rescue for half an hour. you can see our cart (still stuck) behind troy and i. and they wouldn't even give us a free weenie or churro. boo.

ziggy's extended dog family in idaho recently welcomed 5 furry and adorable english bulldog pups. being so close we couldn't pass up an opportunity to see the little balls of precious.

of course we fell in love. how could you not?! it took all the strength we had, but we managed to not sneak a single one out hidden beneath our shirts and restrained ourselves from squeezing the cute right out of them. it was tough. but we're coping alright.
nikki and malia at the farm

while we were smothering the puppies with our love, kade went out with his aunt joy to transport manure. despite "poop" being a new word in kade's vocabulary (which made me giggle every time i heard him say it due to how very mature i am.) he referred to the poo as "sunshine". now that's what i call a positive spin. he must be cody's son.

another perk of visiting idaho- you can see 8 year olds driving pickups with their brother and dog in the back. totally sweet.

nikki laughing as if the run was nothing

nikki and jennifer both ran the top of utah 1/2 marathon which was very neat to see. what strong ladies! seeing the grin on jennifer's face as she passed the finish line almost inspired me to start running myself. until i remembered all the miserable faces of some of the other runners and decided i'll stick to surrounding myself with successful people, like jake, lindsey and my dad who rode a 100 mile bike race. or fitness guru dani and her marathon. it exhausts me just thinking about all this exercise. jennifer

troy and kade
as always it was great to play with malia and kade. i cannot believe how big they're getting! between the two of them, liam and sheyda, i know the cutest kids ever. it's probably a good thing i don't live near them. i would just be overwhelmed by their adorable-ness and implode. that's just how cute they are.



also cute:

this girl is my rival in the world of strange face pulling. she amazes me with her mad skills.

we like sushi!



all in all it was a great trip. we have such awesome family members. i'm glad we were able to make the trek before we settle back into the busy schedule troy and i have somehow gotten ourselves into. thanks to all of you who helped us achieve some much needed r&r.

-*-

of all the things i have accomplished this summer (in reality this list is actually quite short, but that's beside the point) this is what i am most proud of:

ziggy's transition from a one trick pup to a TWO trick pup.

even if he does first sniff the hand hoping for a treat without a performance. hey, i'll take what i can get. his repertoire now consists of sit and shake. he is very skilled at catching food in his mouth as well, but that's less of a trick and more of an eating disorder. now he can most often be found sitting next to the shelf where his treats are kept with a raised paw, hoping to receive a treat for his newest skill.

-*-

i have been meaning to get away from the habit that is disposable grocery bags for quite sometime now. i just never think to purchase a reusable bag when i'm out. after going through all our junk drawers yesterday in my effort to de-trash our house, i found in the goodwill pile more shoelaces than i will ever use in a lifetime, and unused cloth napkins, which will more than likely continue to go unused for years to come. feeling unusually motivated, i created this:

now before you go ahead and judge my poor sewing skills, keep in mind that after an hour of frustration without a single stitch from with my beautiful vintage sewing machine which my mother so graciously donated to me years ago (which i have yet to figure out how to properly use,) i gave up and did the whole thing by hand. hence the horrible seams. but it carries groceries! and a good amount of them, so i'm quite pleased with myself. in the midst of my feelings of success and after receiving praise from troy for actually completeling a project, i told troy we should make them for gifts. he looked at me, then the bag and said bluntly albeit with love, "janell. who do we know that would use that, in public, besides you?" this is a valid point. maybe one day when i have acquired more sewing skills you will all have a lovely shoelace-napkin grocery bag. until then, i challenge you all to find your own unused objects that may be lurking in drawers and in the depths of closets to create something (at least somewhat) useful.

-*-