The Last Sunday in February

Sunny and chilly. It is still winter after all. There was even talk of snow on the Hollywood Hills for the Oscars - likely to be a non-starter though.

Still waiting tensely for Congress to do their job and get the budget done - the budget, which, by the way, was supposed to be ready to go 1 October 2010. It is now six months later, and still no budget. And the current crop of freshmen folks on the Hill do not get it. And they also do not get that this will NOT be forgotten come the next election cycle. This fiasco is square on the backs of the Republican-run House of Representatives.

Oh, and yes, the budget is Congress' job - read the Constitution.

And here's something else to chew on - for every dollar that folks get in their paycheck and are able to spend, $1.20 is generated in the local economy - no paycheck, no helping the local economy, which means no helping the national economy, and so on and so on.

So, let's play a numbers game - 800,000 Federal employees were furloughed for an average of two weeks during the Gingrich-led shutdown (told you I don't forget!). Say that is also the case with this potential furlough. Say the average Federal employee brings home $26,000 per year - that's $1,000 per paycheck (26 payperiods in a year). That's $1,200 per employee that is lost for one two-week period - times 800,000 employees - $960,000,000 - nearly $1 Billion lost in the local economies throughout the country, not to mention tax revenue at the local, state and federal levels - not only from the Federal employees, but also those in the local economy who benefit from their paychecks - and the cost of getting back on one's feet for those living paycheck to paycheck - and I know from experience, that at the lower end of the Federal payscale, many do. The stones thrown into the pond by a furlough of this size will cause ripples that will be felt for a very long time, and the economy will stall once again.

You know, I wish the national papers would do with the Federal budget what the Sacramento Bee is doing with California's State budget - put it all out there and let folks see what is really being spent where and let them see where they would truly be willing to cut. Of course, you would need to know not only what the spending plan is, but also where the funds come from for the various pieces of the budget pie. And then you need to look at where your priorities lie - taking care of the home front or taking care of everyone else first? And can you really take care of everyone else if you are not taking care of yourself first?

Okay, off the soapbox for the week (at least on this blog).

Back to normal life (my life). My oldest son had a job interview this morning. He's been unemployed for the last six months, and with two children and one on the way, he really needs a job! So, I'm sending out good vibes to him (as well as sending him the information in the way of jobs I come across - which is how he got this interview - saw the job post on the news and sent it to him!).

As for the exercise, writing et al this week...

I hit the gym once, did the bike trainer twice, did yoga twice, and managed a walk in conjunction with the gym.

I'm participating in Percopotomus through the CHPercolators writing group on Yahoo. Ten days of generating something and sharing with the group - made five so far, five to go. That and writing the Daily Pages is what I've managed this week. No Artist Date - being the weather wimp I am, the mere threat of snow kept me from what was undoubtedly a grand show in Folsom by a young man named Evan Zee.

And now the sixth entry in Percopotomus beckons...until next week, adieu.

Sun after Storms - 20 Feb 11

Or perhaps more storms to come? With the budget woes not abating in Washington, I and many of my fellow Federal civilian employees may be furloughed - which will not help the economy, since we will not have funds to spend if we are furloughed. And it disturbs me to see the programs that the gentlemen and women of Congress are looking to cut - mainly domestic programs that help the poor and underprivileged, particularly women and children. Make no mistake - this is still very much a man's world, as evidenced by these proposed cuts.

I say this to Congress - I have voted every election since 1982, and I strong encourage everyone to vote - particularly those who say their vote doesn't count. This is my country too, dagnabit, and my children's and my grandchildren's! I say Nay to the Tea Partiers, Nay to the Birthers, Nay to those who will not take care of their brothers and sisters here in the United States of America first before extending the hand to others!

If we allow our internal infrastructure - both people and things - to decay, crumble and fail - we will no longer be able to return to the First World Country status we have enjoyed in the past. In fact, we will fall to Third World Country status in short order.

Do not balance the budget and pay down the National Debt on the backs and lives of those who live here and pay the taxes that pay the bills of our Nation. Take care of us first, or we will not be able to afford to pay these bills much longer!

Okay, off the soap box now...back to normal life - my life. This past week was stressful at work, not so much due to the budget as yet, but due to other things.

I did get to the gym once, did the trainer twice, and did yoga thrice. Perhaps I'll go for a walk or a bike ride today, f the weather holds - right now it's sunny with no wind - perfect for me!

I have done the Daily Pages - not always in the Morning, but at least daily...

And, I found pictures of the critters in How the Elephant Got It's Trunk (and determined that the Limpopo River does exist - and is located in what is now South Africa), so I can hopefully finish that project before my grandson's birthday next month!

Unfortunately, due to the weather, I was not able to have an Artist's Date - unless you wish to count (and I suppose I could) the pictures I took of the Oregon Juncos flitting to and fro in my backyard earlier this week in the rain - silly birds!

And now, laundry beckons...so adieu until next week...

Weekly Rambling - 13 Feb 11

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, but we celebrated last night. Split a lovely dinner at Il Fornaio in Roseville. They change their regional menu monthly, and this month is Puglia! Lots of seafood - we had Insalata di Mare alla Pugliese, Spaghetti del Gargano, and Grigliata di Pesce Misto. Dessert was Torta alle Madorle. We also each got a wine flight - for the white, he had the Chardonnay del Salento, Cantele, 2009, and I had the Alticelli Fiano, Cantele, 2009. The reds were Primitivo, Cantele, 2008 and Salice Salentino Riserva, Cantele, 2007. Everything was excellent! We also started the evening with a glass of Orvieto at the very busy bar - apparently they need to revise the work schedule to have people come on shift before the rush...the bar staff was moving at light speed!

Today we may go wine tasting at some of the Placer County wineries - they (as well as other California wine regions - like Lodi) are doing a wine and chocolate weekend. Villa Fiorente posted a lovely picture of their offerings on Facebook yesterday!

On to this week's goals...

Exercise: I went to the gym twice - met that goal for the week. Trainer - zero times - oops! Only did yoga one day this week. Did manage two walks (I counted the eight-block round trip to the Dive Bar after work on Tuesday...which is why the trainer was neglected this week) though - so that goal was met!

Writing: Well, I have done the Daily Pages, but did not work on my writing so much. Need to find pictures of the animals named in the Rudyard Kipling Just So Story of How the Elephant Got It's Trunk, so I can finish the book for my grandson before his birthday next month! (Kipling's work is in the public domain now...and the Just So Stories are something I want to share with my grandchildren, since I remember them well from my childhood.)

Artist Date(s): Well, I had three of those this week - My Girlfriends Garden at Villa Fiorente on Wednesday - great fashion show by a gal from Nordstrom Rack (the one at Howe about Arden shopping center in Sacramento) and a surprise musical guest -Evan Zee! This kid is smoking! He did a rendition of Christopher Robin by Kenny Loggins that had several of us sighing in the audience! Then I saw Tempest at Constable Jacks in Newcastle on Friday - great show, as always! And I attended the NCPA meeting on Saturday, where Mark Leonard of Davis & Leonard, LLP, educated us on copyright and trademark laws. I also sold a copy of Papacita to a fellow member - my first sale!

All in all a good week!

Jan-Feb 2011 - Winter to Spring

It's the 6th of February, the birds are chattering away in the trees, and the temperature is supposed to be in the mid-70s today. The calendar says Winter, but the weather says Spring.

We have Oregon Juncos, finches, and Red-Winged Blackbirds visiting at the moment. The Red-Winged Blackbird is my favorite bird - I remember seeing them along the highways and byways when we'd go out driving around when I was a kid.

Another bird I find fascinating is the Tawny frogmouth. It hails from places Down Under, and emits a low thrum much like a bullfrog does. We discovered it as well as the Lady Ross' turaco (a lively bird with beautiful striking colors !) at the Sacramento Zoo when I took my grandchildren there this week!

Yes, I had a wonderful 2 1/2 visit with the grandbabies at the Sacramento Zoo this week. We saw every animal there at least once, and some two or three times! Some were active and some were melancholy - the gibbons were just sitting in the small pool of sunshine touching their enclosure, not noticing the humans milling around the place. It's amazing to see the world through the eyes of a child!

And last night, I went to the Cozmic Cafe in Placerville to see my favorite band - Tempest. Neat venue, lively crowd, great energy! Hope they play there again in the future!

As for my weekly goals of writing and exercise - I was 100% on the exercise and on accomplishing the Morning Pages. And I even wrote a bit on a short story idea yesterday. So this was a good week all around!