Reading 1 2 Kgs 22:8-13; 23:1-3

The high priest Hilkiah informed the scribe Shaphan,
“I have found the book of the law in the temple of the LORD.”
Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, who read it.
Then the scribe Shaphan went to the king and reported,
“Your servants have smelted down the metals available in the temple
and have consigned them to the master workmen
in the temple of the LORD.”
The scribe Shaphan also informed the king
that the priest Hilkiah had given him a book,
and then read it aloud to the king.
When the king heard the contents of the book of the law,
he tore his garments and issued this command to Hilkiah the priest,
Ahikam, son of Shaphan,
Achbor, son of Micaiah, the scribe Shaphan,
and the king’s servant Asaiah:
“Go, consult the LORD for me, for the people, for all Judah,
about the stipulations of this book that has been found,
for the anger of the LORD has been set furiously ablaze against us,
because our fathers did not obey the stipulations of this book,
nor fulfill our written obligations.”
The king then had all the elders of Judah
and of Jerusalem summoned together before him.
The king went up to the temple of the LORD with all the men of Judah
and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem:
priests, prophets, and all the people, small and great.
He had the entire contents of the book of the covenant
that had been found in the temple of the LORD, read out to them.
Standing by the column, the king made a covenant before the LORD
that they would follow him
and observe his ordinances, statutes and decrees
with their whole hearts and souls,
thus reviving the terms of the covenant
which were written in this book.
And all the people stood as participants in the covenant.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 119:33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 40

R. (33a) Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.
Instruct me, O LORD, in the way of your statutes,
that I may exactly observe them.
R. Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.
Give me discernment, that I may observe your law
and keep it with all my heart.
R. Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.
Lead me in the path of your commands,
for in it I delight.
R. Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.
Incline my heart to your decrees
and not to gain.
R. Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.
Turn away my eyes from seeing what is vain:
by your way give me life.
R. Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.
Behold, I long for your precepts;
in your justice give me life.
R. Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.

Gospel Mt 7:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing,
but underneath are ravenous wolves.
By their fruits you will know them.
Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Just so, every good tree bears good fruit,
and a rotten tree bears bad fruit.
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,
nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down
and thrown into the fire.
So by their fruits you will know them.”

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

The pre-employment monitoring and exploratory exploits of HR associates, hiring managers, GMs and the such put us at an unfair disadvantage – realistically, what good can come out of monitoring what a prospective employee does when they’re off the clock? Resumes and CVs, fine. I totally understand exactly what they’re looking for in a candidate when those finely crafted, often embellished pieces of paper are handed over. Interviewers are looking for firm experience, work ethic, a collection of job titles, duties, and timeframes in which you, the candidate, were employed. That’s all well, good, stand-up, and understandable. It’s necessary to glean this information to make an informed decision prior to hiring someone. There’s that.

But how exactly would you feel if you coughed up the password, allowing a hiring manager to peruse thru your pictures; your sacred (and usually thirstbucket-laden) inbox; clicking thru each and every comment that you’ve made in the past few months? Oh, and all those pictures of you in the club, shitfaced and half dressed? Yeah, I’m sorry, but if employers saw half of the things we’re involved in OUTSIDE of work, we probably wouldn’t be allowed back in.

This exchange of information, unfortunately, leads to pre-conceived notions of your ability to function in a day-t0-day job – now you’re looked at as a liability. The thought process would be, “If hired, how reliable can [insert name] be? (S)he goes out 4 nights a week drinking – is she gonna call in on Fridays or Mondays consistently?” Well, that’s just a little fucked up, right? It’s an invasion of privacy. That’s why I leave all my personal life’s exploits outside the revolving door, to be summarily scooped back up at 5:01 when my Nikes shuffle back out to the parking lot.

I’m all for information, being hip to shit, but this whole conversation is absolutely an employment killer. I know a lotta people nowadays rocking fake names on Facebook, so they can slide under the radar of prospective (and current) employers, so their drinking, whining, personal lives aren’t exposed to someone that may or may not control their income. Job seekers – if employers ask for your Facebook/Twitter password, give em the gas face and take your talents elsewhere. You won’t regret it.

The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam! (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“Hey Mister?”  A young man called to me the other day.  ”If you could have three super powers, what would they be?”

“WOW!”  I thought to myself.  I haven’t thought about my super powers in decades.  It was unbelievable how they faded, but back when I was in the service I had all the super powers a young man needed.  I could open my knife with a flick of my wrist, spit real far, and open things using only the power of some four letter words I learned.  However, just before I answered, he added some stipulations.

‘They gotta be something fresh.”  He said.   Then he got this far away look in his eyes, squinting as if he could barely see it.  It worried me.  ”It’s gotta be something new, that nobody has heard of before.”

“Got’em!”  I said.

I could tell from his expression that he was shocked, and a bit disappointed that I came up with them so quickly.

“Well?”  He asked in youthful anticipation, as I took a refreshing sip from my iced tea.

“I would like to be able to cast my fly line, just… a little bit further.”   His confused stare seemed to indicate that I was way off base; and thinking that perhaps he had heard about my poor casting skills, I fessed up.

“Okay, maybe a few feet further.”

“That’s not a super power!”  He quickly hollered at me with his eyes clinched in frustration.

“Is so!”  I hollered back.  ”Have you ever casted as far as you could, THEN try to cast farther?”  I asked.  ”It’s all ABOUT the super power.”  I said as his jaw hung low in confusion.  He recovered quickly, and with a calm voice asked.

“Fine, you get two more super powers.  What’s next?”

“I want to walk on water.” I answered.  To this the young man’s head spun around in two complete circles before stopping and casting a question.

“Why are you making these about fishing?”

“Are you kidding me?”  I asked.  ”If I could cast a bit further, and be able to walk on water? Well then my problems would be solved.  Shoot, I’d step out of the van…”

I paused in thought, realizing that I had chosen my final super power.

“I want to fly!”

No doubt the wild look in my eyes from my new-found mania caused him some concern, because I noticed him taking a step back as I began my rant.

“I could fly to the mountains, walk out onto the river, drop the line, and BAM!  I got fish.”

As I started to whisper to myself how I could make it all work, the young man rolled his eyes shook his head and turned to walk away.

As he was nearly out of ear shot, it occurred to me that I would need something to carry all of my gear, and that I  needed the van after all.  However, knowing how concerned folks could be when a flock of pigeons dropped things from overhead, I realized I never asked for super strength to carry the thing.

I could just see it.  If the citizens were concerned before wait until they see a fly fisherman streaking across the sky like the Greatest American Hero with sweaty palms, and a weak grip, trying to carry his van across the country on a weekend fishing trip.

Maybe it’s best left to the imagination.

This case was before the court on the Defendants’ Motion to Open and Close Evidence and Case.  Apparently seeking to gain the tactical advantage of addressing the jury first and last (opening and closing), normally reserved for the plaintiff in a typical case, the defendants sought leave just prior to trial to file a third amended complaint.  If granted, defendants’ motion would have permitted them to admit the plaintiffs’ prima facie case (i.e. that they worked uncompensated overtime), and rendered the issue of whether plaintiffs were exempt the sole issue at trial.  The plaintiffs refused to accept defendants stipulations regarding their prima facie case, instead preferring to retain the right to open and close the case.  Largely due to the fact defendants’ filed their motion on the eve of trial, the court denied defendants’ motion.

Denying defendants’ motion(s), the court reasoned:

“This presents the Court with an atypical controversy—and one which the Court could not find case law discussing: the Plaintiffs oppose the Defendants’ motion to admit facts proving a portion of the Plaintiffs’ case, facts that the Plaintiffs have the burden of proving at trial. Defendants argue that the Plaintiffs’ refusal to agree to the amendment demonstrates that they are trying to unnecessarily prolong the evidence solely to hold on to the right to open and close.

The deadline to amend pleadings passed months ago. Therefore, the Defendants must demonstrate good cause to obtain leave to amend. Meaux Surface Prot., Inc. v. Fogleman, 607 F.3d 161, 167 (5th Cir.2010). “Four factors are relevant to good cause: (1) the explanation for the failure to timely move for leave to amend; (2) the importance of the amendment; (3) potential prejudice in allowing the amendment; and (4) the availability of a continuance to cure such prejudice.” Id. As the Defendants admit, this is a strategic move. They want to present their evidence first. Obtaining a strategic advantage is not good cause for leave to amend. Had the Defendants wished to obtain this advantage, they should have admitted these facts early in the case, instead of contesting them until the final pretrial conference. The Plaintiffs note that they spent time and money gathering evidence on both their prima facie case and on the issue of the individual defendants’ status as “employers” under the FLSA. Therefore, the Court DENIES Defendants’ Motion for Leave to File Third Amended Original Answer (Clerk’s Doc. No. 135).

That still leaves the order of proof. The Defendants argue that, regardless of whether the Plaintiffs accept the stipulations they have offered, the Defendants bear the burden of proof on the primary issue at trial, whether the Plaintiffs were exempt employees under the FLSA.  Because the Defendants bear the burden of proof on that issue, they contend that they should present their evidence first.

It appears that there are three primary issues for trial: (1) whether the Plaintiffs can demonstrate a prima facie case under the FLSA (on which there appears to be little or no controversy); (2) whether the Plaintiffs were exempt employees under the FLSA; and (3) whether the Defendants failed to pay overtime “willfully.” The Plaintiffs bear the burden of proof on the first and last of these three items, and the Defendants on the second. As the Defendants note, the bulk of the evidence at trial will no doubt relate to the issue on which they bear the burden of proof. This does not mean that the Defendants should automatically be permitted to open and close, however. The Plaintiffs were the parties who were forced to take the initiative to file this lawsuit, the Defendants have vigorously defended it, and only in the last few days have they sought the right to open and close the evidence. Rule 16 makes it clear that these issues should be raised early in the case, not late. See FED. R. CIV. P. 16(c)(2)(A), (D), (N) and (P) (directing courts at the pretrial conference to address, among other things, “formulating and simplifying the issues,” “avoiding unnecessary proof and cumulative evidence,” “ordering the presentation of evidence early in the trial on a manageable issue that might, on the evidence, be the basis for a judgment,” and “facilitating in other ways the just, speedy, and inexpensive disposition of the action”).

The Court has wide discretion on these matters. Moreau v. Oppenheim, 663 F.2d 1300, 1311 (5th Cir.1981) (“The matter of a court’s allocation of the right to open and close … does not go to the merits of a controversy and has long not been the subject of writ of error, even when coupled with the denial of requested party realignment.”) (citing Day v. Woodworth, 54 U.S. 363, 370, 13 How. 363, 14 L.Ed. 181 (1851)). On balance, considering all of the above, the Court believes that it is appropriate to leave the order of proof as is, so that the Plaintiffs shall open and close. Accordingly, the Court DENIES the Defendants’ Motion to Open and Close Evidence and Case (Clerk’s Doc. No. 128).”

Click Ransom v. M. Patel Enters, Inc. to read the entire Order.

So, what is the meaning of thecaveatbeing?  Well, by definition, a caveat is a warning or proviso of specific stipulations, conditions, or limitations.  And, well, being employees of the media center, we sure deal with communicating our share of conditions and limitations.

So, that’s what it’s all about.  This site will attempt to educate you, customer or worker, about any and all policies.  Good luck.

To answer the question, no, you don’t always have to go to court.  Well, specifically you don’t always have to attend a hearing.  I know issues surrounding divorce, child support and visitation are often contentious.  You don’t want to give an inch and neither does the other parent.  But if you are one of those individuals who are having a “friendly” divorce or are on good terms with the father or mother of your child, then maybe you can agree to things by stipulation before your hearing.

A stipulation is an agreement between the parties.  If you stipulate (or agree) to something, then the judge doesn’t have to decide the issue and can make an order based on what you’ve agreed on.  For example, if you and your ex agree on a visitation schedule for your children, you can file a stipulation with the court setting out the visitation schedule.   From my own personal experience, my ex-husband stipulated to giving me sole legal custody in exchange for closing the Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) case against him (i.e. no more child support).  We filed a stipulation with the court and I didn’t even have to file an OSC to get a hearing (which saved us the filing fee, too).

So how do you get your stipulations?  First, you and the other parent have to agree, which is not always and easy thing.  You can try and sell the idea of stipulation by telling the other parent it will save them time and money by agreeing ahead of time.  If you and the other parent, have an informal agreement already, you can emphasize that it will just turn what you’re already doing into a court order.

After you and the other parent hash out the agreement, you will need to file it with the court.  The California Court has two forms, one for custody and visitation and the other for child support that you can use to do this.  You can find all the California Court forms by visiting the California Courts Self Help Center at http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp/and clicking the link to “forms” at the top of the page.  With the forms, all you’re doing is checking the boxes that set our your agreement.

For child custody and visitation the form is FL-355.  You will need additional forms that set out your custody and/or visitation schedule or you can attach your own document that spells it out.  A good one to use if MC-025.  It’s a blank  judicial council form that you can use to write out your custody and visitation schedule and attach it to FL-355.

For child support, the form is FL-350.  This form is a little more complicated because you’ll need to show what the guideline support amount would be.   You can use the free calculator on the DCSS website at http://www.childsup.ca.gov/default.aspx and click on the “Calculate Child Support Link” on the left side of the page.  However, I recommend paying an attorney to figure out the guideline amount for you and you can attach the print out to your stipulation.  This form also covers health care  and travel expenses for visitation.  If DCSS is involved in your case, then you will need to get them to sign off on the agreement as well.

I think it’s always a good idea to get your custody, support, and visitation issues made into court orders.  Even so, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to appear in court.  Try resolving your issues through stipulation and save yourselves the time and money of appearing in court.

I love the growth of Prim’s character. That’s one thing that I wish we could have seen in the first two books- while Katniss was in the Games, Prim grew up. The little girl Katniss volunteered for has been replaced by a lovely young woman. Prim not only helps her mother take care of the sick and injured; she protects her too. She is intuitive and easy to talk to. I hope we get to see a lot more of Prim later!

We learn more about how District 13 is run in this chapter. It’s remarkably self-sufficient and obsessively structured. They have underground farms and precisely portioned (if not exactly satisfying) meals.

I give major brownie points to Katniss for making a list of demands.

• Buttercup must be allowed to stay
• Katniss and Gale can go hunting
• Peeta, Johanna, and Enobaria will be given immunity
• Everything must be announced in public, so the leaders are accountable
• Katniss gets the privilege of killing President Snow. (I’m still all for her shooting him in the heart! Or maybe in his eye, just to make it full-circle and creepier.)

All of this is in exchange for Katniss agreeing to be the Mockingjay. She’s getting better at manipulating people, and it’s about time. It’s necessary in her line of work.

Also, Cinna’s sketchbook.

“Only one person could have designed the outfit, at first glance utterly utilitarian, at second a work of art. The swoop of the helmet, the curve to the breastplate, the slight fullness of the sleeves that allows the white folds under the arms to show. In his hands, I am again a mockingjay.”

^^^I can visualize this so easily. Oh Cinna, you’re going to make me cry. I miss you! This is the perfect outfit for Katniss’s new role. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

Then Ms. Collins ends the chapter with a horrifying cliffie. What on earth is Katniss’s prep team doing in District 13? More importantly, why are they half-naked and chained to a wall? What is going on here?! I remember her prep team as being bubbly, idiotic, and loyal. I can’t imagine what they could have done to get in trouble with the rebels.

Speaking of bubbly, I want to see Effie again. She’s grown on me.

Right. Okay. Favorite quote of the chapter: “On the final page, under a sketch of my mockingjay pin, Cinna’s written, I’m still betting on you.” *goes teary-eyed*

Predictions:

• We’ll find out what’s going on with the prep team
• More Peeta-vision
• We’ll find out what’s up with Finnick.

A) Propositional semantics
B) Expressivist semantics
C) Speech-act Theoretic Semantics

Very roughly, the (A) conception of semantics is one on which the business of semantics is to assign propositions to sentences. On this type of view, a basic idea is that a true utterance of some sentence will place constraints on how the world can be, and the job of a semantic theory is to assign a proposition that is properly related to those constraints.

Very roughly, the (B) conception of semantics is one on which the business of semantics is to assign mental states to sentences. On this type of view, a basic idea is that the sincere utterance of some sentence will require certain goings-on in the speaker’s mind, and the job of a semantic theory is to assign a mental-state that is properly related to those requirements.

Very roughly, the (C) conception of semantics is one on which the business of semantics is to assign speech-acts to sentences. On this type of view, a basic idea is that a successful utterance of some sentence will have certain effects on the conversation or audience, and the job of a semantic theory is to assign a speech-act that is properly related to those effects.

I’ve obviously oversimplified these views a great deal, and we could quibble about my formulations or about what I take to be key components of the views, but, this rough sketch of the views is sufficient for my purposes.

Now, if the only mental state ever proponents of (B) invoked was belief, and the only speech-act proponents of (C) ever mentioned was assertion, and the thing one needed to believe for sincerity always lined up with the assertion made by successfully uttering it, and that thing also lined up with what the world needed to be like for the sentence to be true, it would not seem like these conceptions were really at odds with one another. However, proponents of (B) do not assign _only_ beliefs to sentences, and proponents of (C) do not assign _only_ assertion. Theorists who find (B) appealing may be motivated by non-cognitivism about normative terms, or by the desire to offer a semantic treatment of slurs or pejoratives (either of which could involve assigning non-cognitive mental states to sentences containing the respective terms). Proponents of (C) might be motivated by wanting to distinguish conditional assertion from the assertion of a conditional. These clearly aren’t all the reasons one could be pulled towards the views, but just a way to see how the (B) and (C) conceptions can genuinely come apart from (A) and from each other.

My interest in this post is in how these conceptions of semantics interact with the practice of introducing a new term and giving it a stipulated definition. Here is a brief example of the practice:

Let ‘garzy’ be a common noun that picks out all parties having at least 100 attendees and only parties having at least 100 attendees.
Now that we’ve introduced ‘garzy’, I can use it: If I were the sort of person inclined to do such things, I could go around talking about garzies, ask people whether the gathering they attended was a garzy, and I could attempt to plan a garzy, etc. Some of these require people to go along with my introduction and use the term themselves, but that doesn’t cause problems for my investigation.

I want to contrast the foregoing example with the following pair of cases:

1. Let ‘morko’ be a common noun that picks out all people who read philosophy blog posts, and only people who read philosophy blog posts, and, further, let it be the case that sentences using ‘morko’ express the attitude of hatred towards people who read philosophy blog posts.
Now that I have introduced ‘morko’, it seems like I can use it, but not quite as I have stipulated. For instance, I can say that, spammers aside, only morkos comment on my blog posts, and I can ask whether morkos are making up an increasing proportion of blog readers in general, etc. Now I’m not 100% sure that those previous sentences were meaningful/good in the relevant sense, but I am sure that I didn’t just express hatred for people who read philosophy blog posts, and that the sentences I used don’t express hatred for people who read philosophy blog posts.

2. Let ‘rutu’ be a common noun that picks out all bananas and only bananas, and further, let it be the case that sentences using ‘rutu’ express (in addition to the assertoric speech-acts they would ordinarily have, the speech act of apologizing for discussing bananas.
Now that I have introduced ‘rutu’, it seems like I can use it, but not quite as I have stipulated. For instance, I can say that my favorite fruit is the rutu (though the assertion would be false), and I can ask whether you had any rutu in the last week or so, etc. However, I don’t think I’ve apologized for discussing bananas, and I don’t think the sentences I used express an apology for discussing bananas.

Now, it isn’t all-by-itself a problem for the (B) or (C) conceptions that I can stipulate truth-conditional contributions of an invented term and start using it pretty easily. And it isn’t all-by-itself a problem for the (B) or (C) conceptions that I can’t stipulate any expressivist or speech-act theoretic contributions of an invented term and start using it pretty easily. However, those two things combined do seem to raise a question for those conceptions of semantics: Why is it that some parts of semantics can be stipulated and not others? The (A) conception is the only one on which invented terms can have their semantic values given straightforwardly by stipulation. The (B) conception allows new terms to have a stipulative contribution to what belief might be required for sincere utterance of the sentence, but not for non-cognitive contributions to the semantic value. The (C) conception allows new terms to have a stipulative contribution to what assertion is made by successful utterance, but not for non-assertoric contributions to the semantic value. There may be some explanation for why only the semantic values that map neatly onto (A)-type conceptions of semantic value can be stipulatively defined, but it seems like one is needed. I should also note that I’m not basing the argument on some pre-theoretic intuition that semantic value should be apt for stipulative definition, rather, I am noting a contrast within the realm of (B)- and (C)-type semantic values, and observing that there should be some account of why there is such a contrast.

I should note that not everyone seems to agree with me on the inability to stipulate these other sorts of contribution. Dave Barnett, for instance, in a paper on conditionals, stipulatively introduces a connective that has a suppositional semantics, and, if I remember correctly, in “Thinking How to Live”, Alan Gibbard introduces a stipulatively expressive predicate in one chapter (I’ll have to verify both of these. At least one of them may have been a thought experiment about what would happen if some possible term had such-and-such semantics, which is quite different from the stipulative definition of an actual term as having those semantics).

As we enter September, we near the close of our vicarious vacation/local eating week.  Tomorrow will be the project’s two month mark!  That means we are 2/13 through, as far as I can gather.  But my math is only at a 5th grade level, so I might be wrong. This calculation required me to close my eyes & count on my fingers, while whispering aloud how many times two goes into fifty-two & so forth.

Today was a long, lazy day– one of the first I’ve had in ages!  Allyson’s schedule for the day was remarkably lenient: her only stipulation was that I 1. eat a local diet &, of course, 2. post one reason why people should eat locally at the end of the day.  Well, I managed. Will manage!

I stayed in bed for ages. AGES!  Till noon! I had a bunch of tedious tasks ahead of me, like paying bills & returning videos, & I didn’t want to do any of them.  So I put it off by sleeping an incredible amount.  I’ll have you know, none of my chores got done.  But I did dream of Allyson, this week’s puppetmaster!

After I arose, I ate a salami sandwich– the first of many throughout the day.  Very simple (& local!), my sandwich consisted of 3. venison salami, 4. butter, 5. organic fantain bread.  The breakfast of champions indeed!  Spent the next several hours tooling around facebook, catching up on blogs & so forth I haven’t read since I began this project, & playing a lot of Word Challenge. I also 6. snacked on blueberries.

Then I ate some leftover spring rolls from my fridge.  I’d intended to give away my leftovers, but Allyson, in a comment below, informed me that:

Eating what you already have in the cupboard, particularly condiments is more than acceptable! It is the RIGHT thing to do. [...]When I started my local eating project with my own family…we ate through what existed in our pantry until it was gone…that included a lot of non-local foods, but wasting would have been the greater offense.

So I did the right thing.

Then I went to bed to read The Unbearable Lightness of Being, which is, by the way, much more interesting now that I’m not nineteen, & take a nap before doing my chores.  Well, I napped through the chore-doing window.  But I feel little remorse, if much dread for the future & my credit score.

After waking, lazed around some more.  Ate another salami sandwich (I believe this was my third).  This time I added 7. tomato, 8. goat cheese, & 9. romaine lettuce.

The tomato is in hiding, but it was delicious.

Much better than soggy leftover non-local spring roll.

Made an album on facebook & continued to play Word Challenge.  Despite my fondest efforts, I have yet to beat my high score of 37,945.  (I am ranked as an Anagram Cyborg, the highest possible level.  But how I yearn for more points!)

Then I dared to 10. eat a peach.

I am, by nature, lazy & indolent.  I enjoyed myself immensely today, as such laziness is a rare privilege these days, but did feel a little guilty that I wasn’t hunting out exciting local food challenges all over the city.  Future participants should perhaps be forewarned that, if I have no real orders in a day I will likely stay in my pajamas reading till nightfall.   I take direction like a real pro & have never missed a deadline in my life.  But without direction & deadlines?  I’m a slug-a-bed.

Things would have continued much in this vein (ie. nothing to write home about about which to write home, as you can see) if it weren’t for Olivia who called me to save the day!  She & her sisters, Magali & Cat, have great plans for me for Week 9.  My presence was requested at Magali’s new apartment, where I would drink some wine & pick up some supplies for the coming week.

Here's a hint.

After dressing myself (around 7:00pm) & receiving a phone call from our friend TD (who saw a whale in Maine), I headed over Magali’s way.  I picked up a bottle of 11. local wine, since I didn’t know what they’d be drinking.

Glad I did!  Their wine was from Argentina (very good, from the sounds of it). I happily opened my bottle.  They also had snacks– some of which I could actually eat!  The pita bread, olives, hummus, & celery sticks were verboten.  But there were also some local 12. blueberries & 13. carrot sticks.  I felt a little annoying when I had to ask Are you SURE these are local? But it was heartening that they knew for sure.  “The carrots are definitely local,” said Jamie (?), Magali’s roommate, “I bought them myself!”

Welcome to the love snack.

I normally don’t know where the food I buy comes from. Now, of course, I’m much more conscious of it. So there was something very nice (& humbling) about the idea that other people, people who don’t spend all their time thinking of eating locally, are aware of where the food they eat is produced!

After discussing local diets & the impending Week 9, we settled into a nice long chat about love & marriage & all those sort of things.  I may have scarred poor Olivia for life.  How I miss the innocence of youth!  It’s tough being a world-weary, hardened 25. But you try spending two years in a graduate program at the University of Michigan & see if you still walk out believing in love as they sell it to you.

Magali & ... Jamie? I really liked her, even if I'm not quite sure of her name...

All good things must come to, etc. & I left with Olivia shortly before midnight.  We spent some time pondering the tallest building in Vancouver.  Walked her to her bus stop, then headed home.  Energized by this past week & looking forward to next one.

Once home, I 14. ate a carrot.  Tried to get a picture, but my Mac (the old one) was not very co-operative.

Then took Bella for her walk.  They’re filming on our street right now, & she’s not too sure about that.  Also she’s still mourning the loss of TD.

Now I’m home, writing to you lovely people. There’s a man playing guitar on the balcony across the street.  It’s nice when men earnestly strum guitars if they’re not in your living room. He’s much more pleasant to “be around” now that he broke up with his girlfriend.  How do I know this?  I’m a very unashamed voyeur.  If you’re here with me now, you know how it is.

Anyway, I have a reason why you should eat locally. It’s inevitably much healthier.  When your food options are severely limited, you delight in finding things that you might otherwise find boring. Not only are processed foods, sodas, etc. off the horizon, but suddenly, potatoes & green beans become exciting!  I assume this would be particularly good for people with children.  The “hunting & gathering” effect that local eating simulates makes food feel like a reward for careful labor, instead of something you take for granted.

Happy September, everyone.  New bios & schedule will be up tomorrow.  You’ll also witness me plan & execute a small local foods dinner party!

Deuteronomy 26-30

Pericope: Deuteronomy

I remember growing up as a child. I was like most other kids when it came to obeying parents. For the most part, I did well when everything was going as I wanted. If I was playing, life was always good until mom or dad wanted me to stop what I was doing to help clean up, or take a nap, or eat, or whatever it was. Then I would throw a fit! I wanted to have things my way! But in the end, mom and dad knew what was best, even when I didn’t get what I wanted. Mom and dad knew my heart and where I needed discipline. They knew what was good for me

The same is true when it comes to God and his plans for his people. When God created man, there was open fellowship between God and man, between man and woman.  But since the fall in the garden, mankind has been living in the midst of the consequences. Thankfully, God has been gracious and provided a plan to redeem His people back unto Himself and to save them from the consequences of sin.

In today’s passage, I read a lot about the stipulations of God’s Covenant with His people. In part of His plan of redemption for Israel, he included blessings and curses. Blessings and curses are common to find in the stipulations of covenants in ancient times. In essence, God provided rewards and punishments. When God’s people are loyal to Him, there are inherant consequences that are good. On the contrary, when God’s people are disloyal there are inherant consequences that bring harm. I have already mentioned in one of my previous journal entries that God knows the hearts of his people. He knows what his people need in a broken world where there are spiritual battles. Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy the lives of God’s people. But God has brought life. He is life. Especially through Christ, his people can have the fullest life! God’s people must look at the circumstances around them and know how God is using everything to help his people remain faithful to Him so that they would inherit the blessings He wants to give. If there is suffering, then there may be something that God wants them to learn. Jesus learned obedience through the things he suffered. If there is blessing, then all the more should his people remain faithful and thank God for what he has provided to enjoy!

On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair, Warm smell of Colitas rising up through the air.

Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light.

In my province, I have begun pushing for a Design Council. However, I am beginning to wonder if I am just calling every problem a nail or creating another stovepipe. Software as a Service, Database as a Service, Science as a Service, Art as a Service, Design as a Service, Engineering as a Service, Manufacturing as a Service, Inventory as a Service, Sales as a Service, Purchases as a Service, Currency as a Service, Accounting as a Service, Service as a Service… all plugged into the huge amorphous global system we call “The Cloud”.

My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim, I had to stop for the night.

We are being frontsourced and backsourced, upsourced and downsourced, leftsourced and rightsourced, insourced and outsourced, yesterdaysourced and tomorrowsourced up the ying yang and out the wazoo. I think the economic crisis may just be the tip of the iceburg. We may be in a deep financial dependency, but we may also be entering a 24/7/365 service dependency where we could relinquish all our corporate and personal control to third parties completely losing our ability to independently execute decisions.

There she stood in the doorway; I heard the mission bell.

And I was thinking to myself, “This could be Heaven or this could be Hell.”

Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way.

There were voices down the corridor, I thought I heard them say,

“Welcome to the Hotel California. Such a lovely place. Such a lovely face.”

“There’s plenty of room at the Hotel California. Any time of year, You can find it here.”

The Hotel California.  Peter Drucker lit up the candle and called the way “creaming”.  We continually seek work offering higher margins and abandon our lower margin work. Our Service Providers are willing to take up the lower margin work and establish a beach head. Instead of assuming control of our supply and rescuing the lower margin demand we forego them.  The Service Providers keep the beach head and begin undermining us and we surrender the middle margin work and seek even higher margins.  Eventually, we reach the top of the ladder. Either we freeze the state of affairs and impose it downward or we get pushed off the top. How do we impose such a freeze?

Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, She got the Mercedes-Benz.

She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys, That she calls friends.

How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat.

Some dance to remember, some dance to forget.

Silicon Valley was the center of the Personal Computer revolution.  Berkeley University. Stanford University.  Drugs.  Affluence.  Free sharing of information.  Lots of pretty boys at Xerox PARC and IBM dancing to forget.  Lots of pretty boys at Apple Computer and Microsoft dancing to remember.

So I called up the Captain, “Please bring me my wine.”

He said, “We haven’t had that spirit here Since nineteen sixty-nine.”

The first ARPANET IMP log – a record of the first message ever sent over the ARPANET took place at 10:30PM on October 29, 1969 setting up a message transmission to go from the UCLA SDS Sigma 7 Host computer to the SRI SDS 940 Host computer.

And still those voices are calling from far away.

Wake you up in the middle of the night, Just to hear them say,

“Welcome to the Hotel California. Such a lovely place. Such a lovely face. “

They’re livin’ it up at the Hotel California.

What a nice surprise, Bring your alibis.

The Hotel California. Apple, IBM PC, MS DOS, Lotus 123, WordPerfect 5, dBaseIIIPlus, MacIntosh, MAC OS, MS Windows, MS Excel, MS Word, MS Access, Mobile Phones, Internet, AOL, MMUG, NetScape, MS Explorer, Web 1.0, Laptops, Yahoo, Amazon, eBay, Google, Chat, Forums, Blogs, Napster, Linux, Apache, MySQL, pHp, DOOM, Cellphones, Web 2.0, Firefox, iPod, iTunes, MySpace, YouTube, Skype, GoogleEarth, Facebook, Twitter, PirateBay, Wikipedia, WoW, SecondLife, iPhone.  The permanent digital network data repository of religions, organizations, emotions, locations, actions, possessions, professions, obsessions, transactions and reservations that we are voluntarily contributing to daily.  The Service Providers have stipulations in the Terms of Service you agree to permitting them to change the terms at any time without notification.  Recently one Service Provider changed the Terms of Service declaring that they owned all member content with no limitations on its use.  They backed down, but their weapons test was complete.

Mirrors on the ceiling, Pink champagne on ice.

And she said, “We are all just Prisoners here, of our own device.”

Worldwide data centres with petabytes of personal data connected by fiber optic spinal cords ready to be sliced and diced by domestic and foreign government agencies, corporations, criminals, theives and cyberterrorists looking for gold in the data mine.

And in their master’s chambers, They gathered for the feast.

They stab it with their steely knives, but they just can’t kill the beast.

Perhaps all these records will not matter to the Always On Generation or to the Zippies.  Since everyone’s sins are online no one can be held accountable or no one could be hired.  Or everyone could be held accountable and the Republics fall and we enter the Dark Age of a new Dictator Emperor, followed by a God Emperor, followed by a Pope Emperor all with sound legalistic documentation of the inquisitions.  This is what happened to the Roman Republic and Roman Europe.  Big Brother reigned for 1300 years.

Last thing I remember, I was running for the door.

I had to find the passage back To the place I was before.

“Relax”, said the night man, “We are programmed to receive.”

“You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.”

As you drive down that dark desert information highway, look in the rearview mirror, because 1300 years of history might be catching up with us.

Thank you for checking in.

More regulations and stipulations are laid down in today’s reading. But one of them is foundational. It deals with integrity of purpose.

“If you make a vow to your Lord…” Any vow you make is made before the Lord. As Christians, our word is our bond before the world. And how we fulfill those vows is our witness before the world.

When we fail to live up to our vows, the world notices. But we don’t bear the onus , our God does. You’ve heard it. Christians are no better than anyone else. See them at church, gossiping about the neighbors. Well, you know how he made his money. Did you hear about her? And on it goes.

As ambassadors of Christ, we are called to a higher standard. And it begins with keeping one’s word. When you make a commitment, it must be kept. Even if it turns out to be to your own detriment, you must keep you word.

If your word is worthless, what about your invitation to Christ to come into your life? Is that worthless as well? I certainly hope not.

Father, God,

Help us to guard our tongues. Keep us from rash speaking. Strengthen our resolve to discipline ourselves to keeping our word as if it were Your word.

DUBLIN, February 2 (Compass Direct News) – As candidates hit the campaign trail in preparation for Indonesia’s presidential election in July, rights groups have voiced strong opposition to an increasing number of sharia-inspired laws introduced by local governments. They say the laws discriminate against religious minorities and violate Indonesia’s policy of Pancasila, or “unity in diversity.”

With legislative elections coming in April and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono likely to form a coalition with several Islamic parties for the July presidential election, such laws could become a key campaign issue.

Although Aceh is the only province completely governed by sharia (Islamic law), more than 50 regencies in 16 of 32 provinces throughout Indonesia have passed laws influenced by sharia. These laws became possible following the enactment of the Regional Autonomy Law in 2000.

The form of these laws varies widely. Legislation in Padang, West Sumatra, requires both Muslim and non-Muslim women to wear headscarves, while a law in Tangerang allows women found “loitering” alone on the street after 10 p.m. to be arrested and charged with prostitution. Other laws include stipulations for Quran literacy among schoolchildren and severe punishment for adultery, alcoholism and gambling.

“Generally the legal system regulates and guarantees religious freedom of Indonesian citizens … but in reality, discrimination prevails,” a lawyer from the legal firm Eleonora and Partners told Compass.

Some regencies have adopted sharia in a way that further marginalizes minority groups, according to Syafi’I Anwar, executive director of the International Center for Islam and Pluralism.

“For instance, the Padang administration issued a law requiring all schoolgirls, regardless of their religion, to wear the headscarf,” he told the International Herald Tribune. This is unacceptable because it is not in line with the pluralism that the constitution recognizes.”

Freedom of religion is guaranteed by Article 29 of the country’s constitution, he added. “Therefore the government must assist all religious communities to practice their beliefs as freely as possible and take actions against those who violate that right.”

While Indonesia’s largest Muslim group, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), has publicly denounced the implementation of such laws, other groups actively support them. The Committee for the Implementation and Maintenance of Islamic Law (KPPSI) has held several congresses in Makassar, South Sulawesi with the goal of passing sharia-inspired legislation and obtaining special autonomy for the province, similar to that in Aceh.

KPPSI has also encouraged members to vote for politicians who share their goals, according to local news agency Komintra.

‘Threatening’ Decision

In February of last year, Home Affairs Minister Mardiyanto declared that the government saw no need to nullify some 600 sharia-inspired laws passed by local governments. His announcement came after a group of lawyers in June 2007 urged the government to address laws that discriminated against non-Muslims.

Moderates were alarmed at Mardiyanto’s decision, fearing it would encourage other jurisdictions to pass similar laws. Last August, Dr. Mohammad Mahfud, newly re-elected as head of the Constitutional Court, slammed regional administrations for enacting sharia-inspired laws.

“[These] laws are not constitutionally or legally correct because, territorially and ideologically, they threaten our national integrity,” he told top military officers attending a training program on human rights, according to The Jakarta Post.

Mahfud contended that if Indonesia allowed sharia-based laws, “then Bali can pass a Hindu bylaw, or North Sulawesi can have a Christian ordinance. If each area fights for a religious-based ordinance, then we face a national integration problem.” According to Mahfud, sharia-based laws would promote religious intolerance and leave minority religious groups without adequate legal protection.

Under the 2000 Regional Autonomy Law, the central government has the power to block provincial laws but showed little willingness to do so until recently when, bowing to pressure from advocacy groups, it pledged to review 37 sharia-based ordinances deemed discriminatory and at odds with the constitution.

Such reviews are politically sensitive and must be done on sound legal grounds, according to Ridarson Galingging, a law lecturer in Jakarta.

“Advocates of sharia-based laws will stress the divine origin of sharia and resist challenges [that are] based on constitutional or human rights limits,” he told The Jakarta Post. “They maintain that sharia is authorized directly by God, and political opposition is viewed as apostasy or blasphemy.”

Empowering Vigilantes

A national, sharia-inspired bill regulating images or actions deemed pornographic sparked outrage when presented for a final vote in October last year. One fifth of the parliamentarians present walked out in protest, leaving the remainder to vote in favor of the legislation.

The bill provided for up to 15 years of prison and a maximum fine of US$1.5 million for offenders.

“This law will only empower vigilante groups like the Islamic Defender’s Front (FPI),” Eva Sundari, a member of the Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) told reporters. FPI is widely-regarded as a self-appointed moral vigilante group, often raiding bars and nightclubs, but also responsible for multiple attacks on churches.

“Many of the members are preparing for elections and looking for support among the Islamic community,” she added. “Now they can point to this law as evidence that they support Islamic values.”

Although several Golkar Party politicians support sharia-based laws, senior Golkar Party member Theo Sambuaga has criticized politicians for endorsing such legislation to win support from Muslim voters. Several major parties openly back sharia laws, including the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the United Development Party, and the Crescent Star party.

Key Election Issue

Sharia-based laws may become an even hotter election issue this year as a change to the voting system means more weight will be given to provincial candidates.

Political analysts believe Yudhoyono must form a coalition with most if not all of the country’s Islamic parties in order to win a majority vote against the Golkar party, allied for this election with former president Megawati Sukarnoputri’s PDIP.

The coalition Yudhoyono could form, however, likely would come with strings attached. As Elizabeth Kendal of the World Evangelical Alliance wrote in September 2008, “The more the president needs the Islamists, the more they can demand of him.”

In 2004, Yudhoyono partnered with the NU-sponsored National Awakening Party, the National Mandate Party (founded by the Islamic purist organization Muhammadiyah) and the PKS to achieve his majority vote. Analysts predict PKS will again be a key player in this election.

Few realize, however, that PKS draws its ideology from the Muslim Brotherhood, a group formed in Egypt in 1928 with a firm belief in Islamic world dominance. Crushed by the Egyptian government in the 1960s, members of the Brotherhood fled to Saudi Arabia, where they taught in the nation’s universities – influencing the future founders of Al Qaeda, Hamas, and Sudan’s National Islamic Front.

The Brotherhood took root at a university in Bandung, West Java in the 1970s in the form of Tarbiyah, a secretive student movement that eventually morphed into the Justice Party (JP) in 1998. Winning few votes, JP allied itself with a second party to form the PKS prior to the 2004 elections.

Since then, PKS has gained widespread support and a solid reputation for integrity and commitment to Islamic values. Simultaneously, however, PKS leaders are vocal supporters of Abu Bakar Ba’asyir, leader of the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI).

Sadanand Dhume, writing in the Far Eastern Economic Review, says the two organizations have much in common. In its founding manifesto, PKS calls for the creation of an Islamic caliphate. Unlike JI, however, “the party can use its position in Parliament and its … network of cadres to advance the same goals incrementally, one victory at a time.”  

Report from Compass Direct News

While I was dining out the other night I thought of a very funny idea. The idea is a gift card that comes with a stipulation. Therefore, you have the ability to give your friends a gift, but you can fight back if they have slighted you. Here are a list of some of the stipulations cards.

1. Pizza Hut card limited to pasta

2. AMC card limited to burned popcorn

3. KFC limited to vegetables

4. Hardee’s limited to fat-free items

5. McDonald’s limited to anything excluding Mc-items

More to follow

To more food cards gone wrong!

Hondo

Paul’s company Midstate Appraisals serves Central Florida (Lake, Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Sumter and Davenport in Polk counties).

Contact Paul Davis and Midstate Appraisals for your next appraisal:

Office: 352-242-9973

Cell: 352-636-6672

Fax: 352-242-4912

midstateappraisals@earthlink.net

http://www.midstateappraisals.org

Mid State Appraisals is Central Florida’s preferred residential real estate specialist providing high quality, competent appraisals in a timely manner.

President and founder Paul F. Davis is a…

·    State Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser (License RD # 2667);

·    Licensed Real Estate Broker (License BK # 161133); and

·    State Certified Building Contractor (License CBC # 040794)

·    Over 20 Years of Professional Service to Central Florida

·    Unparalleled Knowledge and Outstanding Experience

·    Efficient, Attentive, and Committed to Clients Needs

Mid State Appraisals is located in the middle of the State of Florida, based out of Clermont (“The Gem of the Hills” and National Triathlon Mecca). We provide professional services to Lake, Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Sumter, and the Davenport area of Polk County. Our services are provided by committed professionals, dedicated to quality work, detailed research, and timely completion of assignments. Expect a speedy, accurate, and no hassle appraisal.

All of our appraisal reports comply with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP).

Our staff has 20 years combined real estate experience of appraising properties in Central Florida. We offer competitive fees, service 6 counties, are approved with nearly all major lenders, use the latest in computer technology, provide fast, consistent turnaround time and are licensed and insured by the State of Florida.

Contact Paul Davis and Midstate Appraisals for your next appraisal:

Office: 352-242-9973

Cell: 352-636-6672

Fax: 352-242-4912

midstateappraisals@earthlink.net

http://www.midstateappraisals.org

Paul’s company Midstate Appraisals serves Central Florida (Lake, Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Sumter and Davenport in Polk counties).

Contact Paul Davis and Midstate Appraisals for your next appraisal:

Office: 325-242-9973

Cell: 352-636-6672

Fax: 352-242-4912

midstateappraisals@earthlink.net

http://www.midstateappraisals.org

Until recently many states did not require individuals to meet specific qualifications before being allowed to perform appraisals. The Appraisal Institute came about as a result of the need to have professional unbiased estimates prepared by knowledgeable and trustworthy practitioners. Today every state maintains an appraiser regulatory law.

Nevertheless professionalism is not established by memberships, designations, and licenses alone. While a certificate of completion from a one-week course can be a good foundation, it does not always ensure ethical practice on the job. Experience always exceeds education alone.

Beyond the academic training, a professional appraiser also must possess strong communications, investigative, and analytical skills. What good is it if an appraiser has knowledge without the ability to communicate his observations and findings? Orderly, logical, and a grammatically correct manner of communication is equally if not more important.

A professional appraiser is someone who thinks and speaks clearly, possesses sound judgment, and writes client reports in a concise persuasive manner. Ambiguity and inconsistency are unacceptable.

Good appraisers are like detectives always seeking essential information from diverse individuals and sometimes reluctant sources. They are naturally inquisitive, ask hard questions, and enjoy hunting for information. An outstanding appraiser’s objectivity and sensitivity to new trends causes them to be connected and tuned into the heartbeat of the marketplace.

Because market value is often shaped by the needs, desires, and motivations of the marketplace, an appraiser must objectively estimate value beyond their own personal preferences and judgments. Hence a good appraiser must be emotionally detached, reasonable, and truthful.

An experienced appraiser is head and shoulders above the rest, particularly one who has lived and worked in the area his entire life. Only by reason of use, interaction, and ongoing engagement can one adequately assess the current market and predict future changes. This is why it is often best to employ a real estate appraiser who has lived and worked in your area their entire life.

Before choosing an appraiser to work for you, seek out someone who is not only licensed and certified, look also for prerequisite skills and experience. Better yet, if you can find a native born and bred local, someone who really and truly knows your territory and market, he can strategically prep and position you to be one step ahead of the pack.

Paul Davis is Central Florida’s favorite and most reputable property appraiser frequently called upon by banks, homeowners, and savvy real estate investors to assess property values. A builder for over twenty years and also a real estate broker, Paul Davis brings a wealth of knowledge to the table as an appraiser.

Paul’s company Midstate Appraisals serves Central Florida (Lake, Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Sumter and Davenport in Polk counties).

Contact Paul Davis and Midstate Appraisals for your next appraisal:

Office: 325-242-9973

Cell: 352-636-6672

Fax: 352-242-4912

midstateappraisals@earthlink.net

http://www.midstateappraisals.org

Appraisers of real property evaluate the utility and desirability of property and estimate its value for various purposes such as purchase and sale, financing, taxation, investment, and insurance. Appraisers consider the utility and value of properties.

An appraisal is nothing more than one person’s opinion based on research in the appropriate given market. That being said, it behooves the consumer to choose an appraiser who is knowledgeable and not merely a newly licensed practitioner. As for myself I was first a home builder for over twenty years, entered real estate brokering, than real estate appraising. This professional progression has been most useful and served me well.

The astute appraiser assembles pertinent and relevant data to which he applies the appropriate analytical techniques to accurately assess value. When these activities are combined with knowledge, experience, and sound professional judgment, the result is vital information and invaluable counsel.

Substantiated by relevant data and sound reasoning, the professional appraiser’s opinion carries considerable weight. The purpose of all appraisals is to estimate the defined value, which may be defined as the monetary worth of property, goods, or services.

Many people are involved in a flurry of real estate activities–buyers, sellers, tax assessors, investors, and insurers–and each has his or her own concerns about real property. That being said there are several different ways to consider the monetary worth of real estate.

When estimating value through the appraisal, the process entails assessing several components — market value, insurable value, investment value, or some other properly defined value of an identifiable interest or interests in a specific parcel of real estate.

Real estate presents both various opportunities and potential problems all of which must be accounted for and fully considered. Before hastily embarking upon anything within the real estate market, it is most advantageous to consider land utilization studies, supply and demand, economic feasibility, highest and best use analysis, marketability, and any proposals for existing development.

The many facets of real property and diverse interests all merge to make for a very delightful and sometimes complicated mix, which makes the appraiser and savvy real estate consultant a most valuable professional with whom to partner.

Paul Davis is Central Florida’s favorite and most reputable property appraiser frequently called upon by banks, homeowners, and savvy real estate investors to assess property values. A builder for over twenty years and also a real estate broker, Paul Davis brings a wealth of knowledge to the table as an appraiser.

Paul’s company Midstate Appraisals serves Central Florida (Lake, Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Sumter and Davenport in Polk counties).

Contact Paul Davis and Midstate Appraisals for your next appraisal:

Office: 325-242-9973

Cell: 352-636-6672

Fax: 352-242-4912

midstateappraisals@earthlink.net

http://www.midstateappraisals.org

1. iPod Touch – Of course, this would have to be purchased along with the associated goodies, like a docking station/speakers, Bose headphones and the piece that makes it play in your car. And music. Lots of music.

2. Laser Eye Surgery - Not only would I love to save money on contacts and saline solution, but without corrective lenses or surgery I can’t see the big “E” on the charts at the Doctor’s office. And I would just love to wake up one morning and be able to read the clock and see the TV.

3. Laptop - Although I would keep my desktop, I love the idea of being portable after so many years of being chained to another desk and a tiny, hot little room upstairs. Portability comes in handy during travel and while pet-sitting! Right now, I’m thinking MacBook Pro. I’d also invest in whatever tools I’d need to make my house wireless (including printing to my printer).

4. Macro lens – a Nikon AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens for my D80, so I can start taking the extreme close-up photographs that I’m so attracted to. I would probably support this purchase by enrolling in a few Nikon photography classes as well!

5. Riding Lessons - I have a few goals to meet (#12) that riding lessons would definitely help with… Lessons with a dressage instructor and/or hunter/jumper instructor would help me to become a better rider and overcome some hesitations I have. I want to become a more knowledgeable and skilled rider, and that only comes with proper instruction and an ability to ride many different horses.

6. Bike – I’d get a nice combo bicycle, something that could handle roads as well as slightly off-road. I’ll probably never get into “mountain biking,” but it’d be nice to hit some of the dirt trails with confidence. I’d make sure to get a rack for my car that either doesn’t interfere with the moon roof or with the spoiler.

7. Kayak – Something that I could take out solo or with friends. Of course, I’d also have to get a rack for my car, and a paddle. Thanks to Mom and a rockin’ sale at REI, I already have a new life-jacket that fits!

8. Home Improvements
       a. windows – 11 regular ones and 1 bay window for the kitchen
       b. carpet – living room, stairs and upper hallway in berber
       c. insulation – in the attic and in the walls of the addition 
       d. fix the addition – re-sheetrock the entire addition after adding insulation and bringing the switchplates and outlets to the depth of the sheetrock; paint; tile or linoleum floors; install sealed French door between addition and living room with blinds built-in; install cabinets and countertops along back wall; create an organized space on the living room wall to hang my camping and hiking gear, stow my vacuum cleaner, enclose my tools and hide the garden stuff that I can’t put outside…
       e. fix the door to the garden closet off the back of my house

9. Fix My Car – I’d get a new spoiler to replace the cracked one, fix the side sill extention on the passenger side, and get the two door dings removed. I’d also fix my driver’s seat so that it heats up again, and I’d get the huge scratch fixed on the passenger seat.

10. 20% Gift – I’d have to think about this one a little more, but right now I’m inclined to donate towards an animal at the Zoo, a local Humane Society or SMAWL, or even a conservation group in support of a habitat. I’d want my money to help those who can’t ask for help (animals or the land they need to survive), but I’d have to do my research and make sure that the money was really used to help the animal(s), and not to fund administrative efforts by the organization.

What would you do with a million bucks???