Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Sorry Debbie Downers...US is Still Alright

I haven't been able to rave about the pessimistic and hyperbolic media for a while, mostly because I haven't been around my Dad. Oh, the good times we share watching O'Riley and making fun of Pelosi...but I digress.

Fortunately, I found an article today on IHT which was suprisingly praiseworthy of the US--especially from someone who isn't from the 'ol red, white and blue.

Bottom line--yeah--everybody hates Bush, and they hate that we are in Iraq, and China is giving up crap about our economy (don't get me started...hey China...how are you baby girls doing? Oh that's right---you don't have any!) and everyone is catching up to us....but really, we still have the biggest market, the biggest brain economy, and the image of hope, independence and opportunity--and you just can't beat that.

Monday, June 9, 2008

Spring Cleaning--Leonard Style

When I was growing up, it was the running joke in our house that we didn't "do" spring cleaning...we moved.

It appears that I have carried the tradition of cardboard boxes, packing tape, and heavy lifting into our little family as well. On Memorial Day weekend we said goodbye to our little apartment (it being cute and little in all aspects, pretty sure it was about 500 square feet, at most). It was nice, but we were ready for a change. I took some pictures of it, wanting to memorialize it in the cleanest way possible.

We spent the whole weekend packing, unloading, loading, becoming Sherpas in the rain-soaked Utah air, hating our belongings with each flight of stairs. For a moment there, I resented my books and my shoes...but only a moment. :-)


After the big items were moved (bed, bookcases, etc., and were respectively dead-tired and cranky, we realized that while we had two apartments, 4 matresses and a lot of wall spackle...we didn't actually have anywhere to sleep. So, I suggested we do the easiest thing and turn the three single mattresses (and their boxsprings) into a bed tower stable enough for our King-sized Shamoo bed. Obvious, right?

My husband scoffed--he might have even done a eye-roll, I can't be sure. But low and behold---it actually worked!





We didn't have any incidents, although that might have "been a better story", in the words of the boy. We did carefully keep to our hemispheres of the bed though, to not tempt fate and the large crack between bedding supports. The good news...the next day we were able to have room for our proper bed. The bad news...a mattress is still in our hallway. Our new apartment might be bigger, but it certainly isn't big enough to have a mattress in there for "fun"!
I plan on putting some pictures up when we are all done--fully decorated and cuted' out. Wish me luck!