Watching old housewife shows, I always see the woman wearing those yellow latex gloves when cleaning the house.
I was never a girl who needed those.
After all, when I was done cleaning, the first thing I was going to do was walk the ten feet over to the sink, rub with some anti-bacterial, sweet-smelling soap and sing 'Happy Birthday' under my breath in order to wash my hands for long enough. (Did you know that trick? You're supposed to wash your hands for the entire Happy Birthday song in order to get them clean. I sing it twice just to make sure.)
So, if I was going to wash my hands right away anyway, why did I need to spend the extra money on disposable/latex gloves?
Because in the kitchen it's no big deal. So I got some crumbs on my hands when wiping down the countertops. Who cares? But in the bathroom. . . .
Ewwwwwww. I need full body armor and protective eyewear.
Last week I splurged (!!) and spent the extra $4 on disposable glvoes (I know, I know - they are horrible for the environment. But I didn't want reusables - that's even grosser!) And my bathroom has never been cleaner. The back of my hand scraped against the dirty toilet? No big deal - I have gloves on! I have to scrub to get the crud out of cracks? So what - I'm not touching any of it, I have gloves on!
My bathroom now shines with the gleam of pure cleanliness. All because of some $4 disposable gloves that I will continue to buy, even though they ruin the environment I am so diligently trying to protect by recycling. Oh well. At least my bathroom looks great!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
All these choices, and only one to make
I voted today. Yes, like everyone else in the nation, but this time is special for me. This was my first time voting.
I was of legal voting age last time. Hubby swears that I went with him to vote in '04 and this '08 vote is not my first time. And since I have a memory like an ant, I am inclined to believe him that I did vote in '04 - except for one thing. In October of '04 I moved across the great state of Texas. I did not change my drivers license. I did not change my address. My old roommmates sent me my mail until November, because I slept on couches and floors until I moved into my apt in November. And I didn't drive the 8 hours back to my old stompin' ground so I could vote, and I think you have to vote in your county, right? Thus, I don't believe Hubby.
Anywho, as far as I am concerned, this is my first time voting.
We set the alarm for 6 am, as the voting place is literally next door to us. Hit snooze a coupla times, threw on some clothes, and the plan was to walk the 500 feet and vote before 7 am - before the crowds on there way to work. All went according to plan, except that Super-Planner that I am had the wrong address. Oops. So we had to get into the car and drive the two miles across town to the right address. By this time it was 7:20 and I just knew that the line was going to be longer than the one for Hannah Montana tickets. And it was.
Except. . . .
There were two lines. One for last names A-L and one for last names M-Z. Last name A-L crept around the outside of the church, resembling the night before the last Star Wars movie opened. So long was the line, that although many of the men had shaved that morning, they were already getting in their 5 o'clock shadows. Line M-Z (which happens to contain my last name) was not actually a line. There was not a single person in line. We walked past the snaking line, the whole time apologizing "Sorry. Sorry. We start with an 'O'. So Sorry. Have a good voting day. Rock the vote!" Felt kind of bad, but not bad enough that we didn't walk right past them all and go vote ourselves!!!
About the vote itself:
This year, I didn't feel as if I was voting for someone. I am sure many of you feel the way that I do. I don't feel that the two men we have up for consideration as the highest leader in our land were the two men that were best suited for the job. The man I want to vote for got voted out a while ago. And the second man I wanted for the job was kicked out soon after. My bumper sticker now says 'Romney 2012'.
So I voted more against one candidate than for the other. I voted in order to stop one of the candidates from becoming president.
And, just to let you know, I don't vote straight party lines. I vote for the person I can trust the most. The candidate that, when they talk to me and other Americans, I feel I can trust. I feel they are not talking down to me. That they are not talking away from me, using parables and slogans instead of the gosh-darn truth I'm always looking for.
When it all gets down to it, our nation is a democracy and no matter whom we vote for president, there are very few decisions they can make on their own. Our system was designed to prevent a monarchy, with checks and balances built in. The Senate. The House of Representatives. These were put in action in order to preserve the right of the people, the right of the majority, to have a say in what happens in our land. The government is there to speak for the people, as is the president. They must listen to what the people want, and act accordingly. The President cannot make decisions without the backing of the majority, although most of the people who back him now will say that they don't agree with him anymore. Fine. That is your right to change your mind. I don't agree with these editorials that call it 'flip-flopping'. I call it 'changing your mind'. And isn't it ok to become more or differently informed on topics and change the way you view them? Isn't it called intelligence to see a different take on things?
I recently read (in either Time or Newsweek, but I am having problems finding the exact article) that during his campaigning, Abraham Lincoln said that he would not halt the practice of slavery. He was voted into office. His gift to American history: The Emancipation Proclamation - the best 'flip-flopping' I have heard of to date. Maybe a change of mind isn't so bad?!
Go vote. It's worth it to have an opinion. Even if it's the wrong one.
I was of legal voting age last time. Hubby swears that I went with him to vote in '04 and this '08 vote is not my first time. And since I have a memory like an ant, I am inclined to believe him that I did vote in '04 - except for one thing. In October of '04 I moved across the great state of Texas. I did not change my drivers license. I did not change my address. My old roommmates sent me my mail until November, because I slept on couches and floors until I moved into my apt in November. And I didn't drive the 8 hours back to my old stompin' ground so I could vote, and I think you have to vote in your county, right? Thus, I don't believe Hubby.
Anywho, as far as I am concerned, this is my first time voting.
We set the alarm for 6 am, as the voting place is literally next door to us. Hit snooze a coupla times, threw on some clothes, and the plan was to walk the 500 feet and vote before 7 am - before the crowds on there way to work. All went according to plan, except that Super-Planner that I am had the wrong address. Oops. So we had to get into the car and drive the two miles across town to the right address. By this time it was 7:20 and I just knew that the line was going to be longer than the one for Hannah Montana tickets. And it was.
Except. . . .
There were two lines. One for last names A-L and one for last names M-Z. Last name A-L crept around the outside of the church, resembling the night before the last Star Wars movie opened. So long was the line, that although many of the men had shaved that morning, they were already getting in their 5 o'clock shadows. Line M-Z (which happens to contain my last name) was not actually a line. There was not a single person in line. We walked past the snaking line, the whole time apologizing "Sorry. Sorry. We start with an 'O'. So Sorry. Have a good voting day. Rock the vote!" Felt kind of bad, but not bad enough that we didn't walk right past them all and go vote ourselves!!!
About the vote itself:
This year, I didn't feel as if I was voting for someone. I am sure many of you feel the way that I do. I don't feel that the two men we have up for consideration as the highest leader in our land were the two men that were best suited for the job. The man I want to vote for got voted out a while ago. And the second man I wanted for the job was kicked out soon after. My bumper sticker now says 'Romney 2012'.
So I voted more against one candidate than for the other. I voted in order to stop one of the candidates from becoming president.
And, just to let you know, I don't vote straight party lines. I vote for the person I can trust the most. The candidate that, when they talk to me and other Americans, I feel I can trust. I feel they are not talking down to me. That they are not talking away from me, using parables and slogans instead of the gosh-darn truth I'm always looking for.
When it all gets down to it, our nation is a democracy and no matter whom we vote for president, there are very few decisions they can make on their own. Our system was designed to prevent a monarchy, with checks and balances built in. The Senate. The House of Representatives. These were put in action in order to preserve the right of the people, the right of the majority, to have a say in what happens in our land. The government is there to speak for the people, as is the president. They must listen to what the people want, and act accordingly. The President cannot make decisions without the backing of the majority, although most of the people who back him now will say that they don't agree with him anymore. Fine. That is your right to change your mind. I don't agree with these editorials that call it 'flip-flopping'. I call it 'changing your mind'. And isn't it ok to become more or differently informed on topics and change the way you view them? Isn't it called intelligence to see a different take on things?
I recently read (in either Time or Newsweek, but I am having problems finding the exact article) that during his campaigning, Abraham Lincoln said that he would not halt the practice of slavery. He was voted into office. His gift to American history: The Emancipation Proclamation - the best 'flip-flopping' I have heard of to date. Maybe a change of mind isn't so bad?!
Go vote. It's worth it to have an opinion. Even if it's the wrong one.
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