I'm taking my ball and going home

I'm with Rush on this: if McCain is the Republican primary winner, I WILL NOT VOTE FOR MCCAIN. I will not watch debates. I will not watch coverage.

Actually, if McCain wins the nomination I will vote for Hilary, assuming she is the winner. After all, we had to have 4 years of Carter to get a Reagan. . .

I'll be going to the Republican caucus on Feb. 9 to put in my 2 cents against McCain. I think he's sleazy.

Who needs TV when you have a Kat?

Off-the-wall comments by Katherine on Tuesday, January 29, 2008 between 8:00 and 8:30 p.m.

"My bips (ribs) are hurting." - explaining a stomach pain
"Mom, don't send me to Jesus." - where did this come from out of the blue?
"Why are you making me have Jasmine hair?" - combing her hair after a shower
"I need to go potty. Oops! I just pee-peed on the floor. No! I didn't." - too busy to go potty, false alarm
"Once upon a time Marja went to the store and got me green pajamas." this is not true
"Doggy can't cross over. He doesn't have a bridge." I get the Jesus comment now. Our home teacher came and talked about spiritual bridges to Jesus. The stuffed dog is doing Evel Knievel from the coffee table to the sofa.
"Where's Marja?" I get this now, too. Marja is the name of her blond Polly Pocket

Political Heartburn

While watching Fox News for the Florida election results, Katherine entered the room and said, "Turn off the TV!" We explained that we were watching the election to which she replied: I don't like the 'lection. It hurts my tummy.

Our sentiments exactly. McCain gives me a stomach ache.

Dangerous Cheese

One of Katherine's favorite treats are little cheeses (mini Babybel) wrapped in red wax we buy at Costco. She calls them "cookie cheese" and can eat 2 or 3 at a time. A while ago she was snacking on cheese while watching a movie on our little DVD player. She went to Greg and told him that the DVD was broken. When he went to investigate he found that Katherine had taken the red wax coating of the cheese and ground it into the player. It was beyond repair.

No Surprise Here. . . My True Color

What's Your True Color?

My Result: Black

Your color is black. The color of night. Serene and mysterious, black conjures up images of elegant evening gowns, dashing tuxedos, and gleaming limousines. Traditionally a symbol of success, black also represents power and an uncompromising demand for perfection. Not surprisingly, you tend to set challenging goals for yourself and do whatever it takes to achieve them — your strength of character is second to none. This unfaltering determination, along with your natural elegance, impresses people. But keep in mind that your personality might be intimidating to some. Try to temper your demanding side with a little softness — trust us, it won't kill you. Overall, though, black is the color of professionalism and achievement, which means it's clearly the color for you.

What are you?
http://web.tickle.com/rd/50651/color/index.jsp?testname=colorogt&resultid=G

Musical Mission Remembered

About a week ago I received a message from one of my cousins telling me that she is going on a music tour in Germany. Many of the cities she listed on the itinerary were places I served in or visited while on my mission. In such a musically rich environment I had many opportunities to share my talents and to visit inspirational places. Throughout the entire time I was in Eastern Germany I never had to give a talk and instead was asked to sing or play the violin. I also played the piano for sacrament meetings in a couple of cities.

After a zone conference in Leipzig, we had time to tour the cathedral where Bach composed for many years.
We attended a Bergmanishe Music Festival with investigators while serving in Schwarzenberg. Very Sound of Music.

One of my very favorite ladies. I carried sheet music with me and played the piano for many people who had pianos in their homes but didn't play themselves. Spotting a piano in a living room was a great way to break the ice and I was never rejected if I offered to play.

A P-Day visit to the Handel house in Halle. I can't believe the tour guide actually allowed me to play this instrument.

Singing at a ward harvest party. We sang "Because I Have Been Given Much" which had just been translated into German.

After receiving the news of my counsin's future trip, I was inspired to pull out the box of photos and begin a huge project. I have been scanning photos and/or negatives onto my computer and putting together a digital scrapbook. All of the photos are very grainy and I have had to do a lot of enhancement and cropping; the camera I had was horrible. So, that's where I've been--absorbed in a project long overdue.

This Made Me Laugh

"I don't drink coffee, sir. I don't drink hot liquids of any kind. That's the devil's temperature." - Kenneth the Page shunning the espresso machine on his desk on 30 Rock.

30 Rock is one of my favorite shows and I've watched it since the first episode. It makes me laugh out loud. If you haven't discovered Kenneth yet, maybe you should. Everyone should have a bit of naive optimism.