Divine Secrets of the Blog-Blog Sisterhood

the not-very-official blog of the sisters formerly known as rosche

Friday, January 26, 2007

You are invited to the Wedding of Jazzmin...

PSYCH!!!

One of the projects for Desktop Publishing was a "Greeting Card", but I made a wedding invitation instead because I liked the idea better. NE-wayz... This is what I did...

OUTSIDE



INSIDE



I like the way they came out! The only thing that bugged me was the names 'n' stuff because I wanted them to seem realistic (ish), but too much... And then I I couldn't think of what to put for parent's names because even though dad died, he's still my dad...but him and mom are/were divorced and she's married to Gary...etc., etc. I also didn't want my "husband's" name to be the same as any of my friends...etc. I finally settled on changing the names around becuase I realised I was complicating things.

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Tuesday, January 23, 2007

NAVY VS. BLOGGER


I've still got some time before I head back to the sandbox, and I'm making the most of it. Luby and I have been trying to spend lots and lots and lots and lots of time alone together, but for some reason when you have children and roommates and family, it just isn't possible to monopolize her time. My dad paid for us to stay at the Intercontinental in Austin this weekend, so we will have pictures to post. Not too much planned, but we're definitely going to need some breakfast in bed and fine dining and whatnot. The Austin Apple Store is right around the corner, and so is Roy's, the first restaurant we'll be visiting. It's not really the honeymoon we had hoped for, but it sure as hell is a start.


On a slightly different note, the growing offensive against the internet blogging community has resulted in the denial of access to the parts of Blogger that allow you to publish new posts and comments. Everybody thank your congressman for that one... makes a lot of sense, sacrificing morale of opsec, eh? F*** opsec!

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Sunday, January 21, 2007

Caught in the Act

I snapped this last week, after I heard a bunch of giggling and loud thuds coming from the kids room. The little farts piled all their bedding and clothes in a big pile and were jumping off the bunk bed into it. Obviously they haven't learned from Daniel's broken finger last summer. Things like this often make me wonder how we ever made it to adulthood in one piece. I sure got my work cut out for me, don't I?
Things are still not noteworthy around here, but after one mini drama after another last year I don't mind it a bit.
I finally popped for a couple of lottery tickets yesterday, but since I'm about to get ready for work tomorrow I obviously didn't win squat. I'll just consider my two dollars a donation to the lottery commissioner Rebeca Paul's gazillion dollar bonus. I don't remember how much she netted for meeting the benchmarks last year but I believe it was in the 6 digit category. Now THAT is the smart way to make money off the lottery. Too bad I can't have her negotiate my salary.

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Christmas Pics

I'm getting better, It only took until January to post these!

One of the few pics Adrian willingly took. Gee, do ya get the feeling he likes South park?!!

Daniel & Lea Anna playing rock star (Thank God the batteries ran out!)

Adrian getting the "beat down" from Jazz. Cool hair Jazz - and I'm sorry about the My Little Pony jokes. Well, sort of :)

Lea Anna in her new unicorn costume

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Thursday, January 18, 2007

Shopping for Siblings

Lea Anna asked me to go to the store and buy her some Brothers and Sisters so She could have lots of kids to play with. I tried to explain to her in 3 yr old terms where babies come from and why you can not just go to the store and buy a baby, but She still has this idea stuck in her head that I can just pick one up at the store. I think this all stems from a conversation during a tantrum she had months ago when she screamed that She's not my girl anymore and my reply was something to the effect of if you don't want me anymore I'll just have to go to Big Lots and buy another little girl - I hear they have a sale on them in aisle 5. I am going to have to find a play group or something for her soon. This is not a closed subject with Her.

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Monday, January 15, 2007

Caught in the Act

Last week I bought a stuffed Dr. Seuss Sam I Am toy - it was on clearance for only $2.50 - and put it in the middle of the bed in the funky pop art room. One day I came upstairs to find Sara playing with Sam I Am in the middle of the living room floor. I thought maybe Grayson had gotten it down because Sara is afraid of climbing on anything very high. I took the toy away from her and put it back on the bed. A short while later, same thing. It became apparent that Grayson was innocent, but how to prove it when Sara would only grab Sam I Am when I was out of the room?

As it turns out that was not a problem. Amanda was over and we were chatting while I was putting together an IKEA desk. Meanwhile, Sara was pacing and eyeing Sam I Am, and when she couldn't control herself any longer she snatched him with only one guilty glance over her shoulder. Naughty girl!

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Sunday, January 14, 2007

Introducing Lava Boy and Ice Girl

Daniel has been on restriction this whole weekend because he had a bad week in school. He's about driving me crazy alternating between the "I'm bored" and running wild around the house with Lea Anna. They did make up a "super powers" game. It's really cute but I'm trying to sit tight and ignore the extra noise while they loudly try to freeze and melt each other into oblivion. He only has one more day - I think I'll be just as glad as he is to let him go outside again! Sooner or later I'll have my dream home with a nice yard so that Lava Boy and Ice Girl can shoot their power beams outside where they don't echo through my brain. Daniel has also been playing with Lea Anna's doll house a lot. The pink trim don't seem to offend him anymore now that he's found out that it makes a nifty three story parking garage for his hot wheels. And of course they both think it's hilarious to pretend the dolls are pooping on the toilet. Excellent sound effects included, free of charge. Boys will be boys .........

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Saturday, January 13, 2007

Hi everyone

Well, first of all I apologize for getting out of touch with everyone. It seems my computer quit working for quite a while, and I didn't have access to a phone.Not much is going on. I go back to school the 12th of February, I think.When I will graduate I don't know. This is supposed to be my last class. Anyway, it is nice to be able to access the blog again. I have to go back and look at the past postings now.I hope everyone had a nice christmas and new year. We did.Even though we didn't have a stove to cook on(we since got a new one but they didn't deliver it until after Christmas)Marisela got a sewing machine and a Hannah Montana Cd, which she screamed when she opened.I just gave the boys gift cards, which now they are using to buy a new mouse for their computer.The boys are doing the same in school.(not very well), but I remain optimistic because I feel like once their education is in their own hands, they will like it a whole lot better. Even if they have to go through Adult school like I did, I know they will make it. Wow, Hector is already turning 15 next month! I am starting to feel old.What else? Mom is sick right now. She has an abscess in her mouth, and it is causing her fever and extreme discomfort. She has an appointment Thursday to see the doctor. Which reminds me, I had better check on her. Take care everyone!

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Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Stoopid Inglish EssAye!


So, today my teacher is going to give me my essay back... I'm worried about what he'll have to say because I wasn't happy with what I gave him.

For the essay, I had to pick between and exerpt from Noam Chomsky's book, Failed States, and Boot's (I don't know his first name) article Are we the Mongols of the Information Age? and argue AGAINST it. Since I agreed with a lot of what Noam Chomsky said in his book, I figured it would be easier to argue with Boot...but, it wasn't.

The hardest part was finding the proof I needed to "discredit" what Boot said... I would find something and write it out, but I would later find MORE proof that he was actually RIGHT... It was REALLY, REALLY FRUSTRATING, especially since I couldn't just say in my essay, "You know, this Boot guy has a point!" *Sigh* HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO ARGUE WITH SOMETHING I DON'T DISAGREE WITH?!!

My end result was an essay that I'm not AT ALL happy with... I know for a fact that if it were anything BUT politics I would have owned it, but fate was not so kind... Even now (as I skim through it) I see faults in my statements and it's frustrating.

I'm going to post it here, so I can get your opinions on it. It has to do with Military , so Dave's input would be especially appreciated... I'll let Adrian tear it appart, too, 'cause God knows he pays more attention t politics and worls issues than I do... GAH!

I JUST WANT TO STUDY SHAKESPEARE!!!!!

Jazzmin Wilson
English 101/JH 107
Essay #1
Jan. 3rd, 2007

In paragraph 2 of his article “Are we the Mongols of the information age?” Boot stated, “Over the last 500 years, the fate of nations has been increasingly tied to their success, or lack thereof, in harnessing revolutions in military affairs.” From there, Boot goes on to describe how the Mongols once had the strongest military until the “Gunpowder Revolution” and Europe became the strongest, until the second Industrial Revolution, etc. The fact that Boot believes a nation’s success depends on their military power and technology seems childish to me. It’s like he’s saying; “Only the biggest, toughest kid can rule the playground.” However, I believe that the fate of nations’ is not solely dependent on “harnessing revolutions in military affairs” because there have been victories and revolutions of many kinds and military technology rarely had anything to do with it.

In paragraph 3, Boot states that, “Until the 15th century, the mightiest military forces belonged to the Mongols. But strong as they were in the days of bows and arrows, the Mongols could not keep pace with the spread of gunpowder weapons and the centralized governments that used them.” Though the Mongols were a strong military force, the “Gunpowder Revolution” is not entirely what led to them being conquered. Genghis Khan’s death is a known to be a main cause in dividing the Mongolian tribes, and there were many other actions that lessened their power. Some of the Mongolians converted to Buddhism in the 17th century and other tribes became power hungry and fought amongst each other. Then in paragraph 13, when Boot speaks of “previous superpowers” (meaning countries, governments, etc.), Boot says that, “Their dominance lasted only until they missed a revolutionary turn in technology and tactics.” In the cases of the French Revolution and Russia’s February Revolution, government was overthrown by the people because they were unhappy with the way they were being treated. Therefore, it wasn’t a lack of technology and tactics that lead to the downfall of the Tsars of Russia (Nicholas II and Alexandra Fyodorovna). When Napoleon was in power in France, his army invaded Russia, and though Russia’s army was not as advanced, they had terrain advantage and, under the command of Mikhail Kutuzov, were able to gain the advantage and eventually defeat Napoleon and his army.

Throughout the article Boot gives examples and reasons as to why the “fate of nations” depends on updated military technology, but Boot contradicts himself in paragraph 10. He states, “…we spend more on the development and testing of new weapons than any other country spends on its entire defense. But all that spending produces weapons systems that aren’t much good for pacifying Baghdad or Kandahar. Technology isn’t irrelevant … But our enemies can stymie multi-billion dollar spy platforms by using couriers instead of satellite phones…” Boot has just admitted that enemies (or “terrorists”, because he was speaking of Osama) have been able to get past Americas oh-so advanced and expensive technology. He then goes on to talk about, in paragraph 11, how other forms of terrorist weapons can go by unnoticed. Boot explains, “Our scientific sophistication gives us a reasonable chance of shooting down a nuclear-tipped missile, but a nuclear suitcase smuggled into the U.S is harder to detect.” He, again, admits that these types of weapons are able to get passed ours. Once again, I believe that Boot’s idea of advanced weapons technology being the key to a country’s success is narrow-minded. Even in war, the armies with the bigger, badder weapons don’t always win. There are tactics to consider…not to mention, your communications (or, people you can ally yourself with) outside of the country. Boot even said in his article (paragraph 11), “To stop such stealthy threats, we need to get much better at human intelligence.” Although there are moments in time when weapons technology was crucial to a country’s survival, it has not and will not always be so. It all boils down to the intelligence of the people wielding those weapons. After all, what use is a gun if you don’t know how to use it?





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whew

yeah ok so i gave up on the whole blogger thing. nobody said to sign in with your old account... thanks for the big tip. iraq's been sucking worse than usual lately due to the weather... it's been rainy, foggy, and muddy for the past few days. it's finally starting to warm up, but since my boots are still wet and muddy, my toes is froze. i'll be heading home in less than two weeks for my r&r leave, and i am sooooooo excited. we don't have a ton of money to throw around, but we've already set aside $1000 to spend while i'm home. i'm thinking maybe a day at the spa, followed by a carriage ride back to the hotel (sippin on moet of course). and it's gotta be four stars or better. after that, we'll just go on a lot of married folks dates. lots of eating out... probably gonna undo a lot of the work both of us have done on our bodies, but i gives a damn. i'm gonna have fun. holla back

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Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Back From The Grave!!! WoOoOoOoOoOo!!!!!


HIZZAH!!! I'M BACK!!!!! (Don't pretend you're not happy about it!)

I'm even gonna put new pictures up later today because I forgot to show you my new braids! (I got Christmas colors at the beginning of December!!!)

Now that I've started college, my time at AFOC is limited... I just found out that Mrs. Brodie is out sick until February, so I have to wait 'til she gets back so she can teach me Quark...DAMNIT! That means I'm gonna be at AFOC longer than I planned... Oh well, I'll just have to set my goal for being done by March.

As for LACC, things are going pretty good so far! I've had my first essay and my first quiz already. I'm not so cinfident about my essay because it's a debate on politics (which I don't know or care anything about), but I know I did good on my Art History quiz. I also got the book for it yesturday... It's really cool! It's got all kinds of pictures and talks about the mythology that inspired the art 'n' stuff...

my plan for LACC is to accumulate (Ooooh! BIG word!) enough college credits, so that I can transfer to UCLA (or some other college...somewhere) and work on getting my BA in Graphic design. Currenlty, I'm taking English and Art History 101. When Spring semester starts, I'll be taking Art 201 & 501, Economics 1, and Theater 100.

The first few days of applying were a little hectic because I was trying to get the hang of things, but now it's all easy! I've even gone as far as to plan for my Fall semester...and since I'll be needing a foreign language (and they DON'T have German...or any other European language I WANT to take for that matter), I'll be taking Japanese...

Who knows, maybe I'll love, get GREAT at it, and MAKE EMERALD (my friend) JEALOUS!!! AR! HAR! HAR! HAR! HAR!!!!!

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Monday, January 08, 2007

Under the Weather

Zipper's kisses make you feel better.

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Sunday, January 07, 2007

2007 resolution

I resolve to keep my sink clean!

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Move It On Over - Upgrading to the New Blog

So far, Lisa, Jazzmin, Amanda and I are the only ones who have switched over. I don't know what to do to make it any easier for the rest of y'all since it should be only a matter of logging in with your old info and saying yes to an upgrade, then opening a free Google account if you don't already have one. You need to have a Google account to complete the upgrade process. This page explains how to upgrade.

As a first step, try your blog login like normal and see what happens. If you can't get through that process without trouble, post a comment to this blog entry and state specifically what is happening. You can leave comments even if you haven't upgraded.

Some of the difficulties could have to do with a Blogger issue, discussed here. But that issue is supposed to have been resolved as of Friday.

Here's a FAQ covering the upgrade and team blogs (like ours) that may answer some questions.

And David, here's some special info for you that should be applicable to the issues you've been experiencing.

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@ Mitra Atlanta

Taken at Mitra last night and posted via my mobile this a.m.

Want to post from your cell phone? Here's how:
  1. Send a message from your phone - which can be a photo, some text, or both - to go@blogger.com.
  2. You'll get a text message back with a claim code; make sure you're logged in to Blogger, then go to go.blogger.com.
  3. Enter the claim code there. Blogger will have set up a new blog for you, but you don't need it. As long as you've logged in to Blogger before going to go.blogger.com you'll see the option to add posts from your phone to Divine Secrets of the Blog-Blog Sisterhood.
  4. Select our blog. Next time you send a message or picture from your phone to go@blogger.com it'll remember who you are and post it to the blog automatically.

How cool is that?

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Friday, January 05, 2007

2007: This is How We Do!

Wowee - I still haven't recovered from our New Year's festivities, which included a New Year's Eve party and the New Year's Day "Fiestamas." No, this is not because I drank too much (although there were a few people who can't say the same - you know who you are!). It helped that on Christmas I had the day after off. No such luck with New Year's Day - straight back to work! The hutch in the kitchen is still loaded with gear from the parties. I should put it away...or maybe since it's so convenient I should just have another party ; )

Charles, Suzanne and Caitlin came down from TN. I really enjoyed their visit, and it was nice to have Charles around for a change. He and Brian's dad hit it off and sat on the couch talking about motorcycles and drinking Bud for most of New Year's Eve. Oh, well - except for when Brian's dad (who is also Brian, but not Brian Sr.!) found out I had three-week-old margaritas in the fridge and was glad to help use them up!

Suzanne brought some good fireworks from TN - the kind we can't get here in GA. There were a couple of cool ones, like a huge $15 thing that sent arcs of exploding color into the air...once we finally got it lit (it got damp, so that was quite a challenge). Unfortunately, the neighbors once again showed us up with their display. They probably went to Alabama to buy it and spent $250. Grrrr...wait 'til next time! Charles says he knows how to pick out the good ones. We're just gonna have to pool our money so we can get the big guns.

I made Cosmopolitans on New Year's Eve, which went over well with everyone except those who had more than they should have. Or used them to wash down dark chocolate brownies. Or both. Ah, well, I guess that was almost everyone. Oops. I also made a couple of different kinds of fondue, including the traditional Swiss fondue. Mostly I made it because I had never made the thing that started the whole fondue craze. Once was enough - it was kinda stinky. The Mexican bean-chile fondue recipe is yummy, but next time I decide to serve more than one kind of fondue I'll go for the popular Not-Yo-Cheeze and make the additional one with Velveeta and salsa!

New Year's Day grub was muy delicioso, thanks to Brian's fantastic fajitas. When I found out Lisa & the gang couldn't come, and that Suzanne & Co. were pulling out in the morning, I scaled back, cutting out the Chicken Tortilla Soup. As it turns out that was not a good thing. There were still something like 10 people and we plowed through those fajitas like Sherman through Atlanta. I made a pitcher of margaritas and we drained that, too. I made Sopapillas for the first time, and they were easy and delicious. Everyone loved them except for the fact that I hovered in the kitchen while I was supposed to be helping my Cranium team. There were complaints about that but I didn't notice anyone protesting by not eating them.

Thanks to everyone that came (Brian, Amanda, Steve, Janet, Brian's dad Brian - ha - Christina, Michelle, Brandon, Caitlin, Suzanne, Charles, Angela, Chris, Ashley, Greg - am I forgetting anyone?) and hung out over the holidays. Y'all made it really fun and many of you helped with the load as well (Manda - food/drink, Janet, Angela, Christina - dishes, Brandon - sopapillas, Brandon & Michelle - bottle rocket cleanup, Chris & Ashley - game masters, Greg - last-minute chips, Steve, Charles, Brandon, Chris, Ashley - pyrotechnics, Brian - pretty much everything from home repair to dishes to cooking and serving). Sara and Grayson miss your company and the constant attention, and are looking forward to the next shindig. That will most likely be a Kenmore party. The date? As soon as I can replace my broken dishwasher!

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Monday, January 01, 2007

Happy Halloween and Happy New Year

It is uncharacteristically quiet here this evening after a mercilessly eventful New Years eve so I am in a strange mood. My nephew’s family was the victim of a home invasion yesterday evening and to top that off he had to sit there quietly through it all while these scum (I have much better words for them but it’s not fit for polite society) held a gun to his 6 year old's head. I can not even begin to describe the outrage I have for putting them through this - especially a little kid. The little guy was scared to stay home last night, not that I blame him, so he stayed at our house for the night. It was utter chaos as all three little stinkers were running around like little wild animals half the night, but they helped us ring in the new year and shoot off our pitiful display of bottle rockets. Hey, if it helped short man forget the terror he went though for a few hours, I can deal with the extra noise.
Okay, I ran out of hot air to blow so instead of a resolution for me to break January 2nd, here’s some pictures (maybe I'll have my Christmas ones developed in time for the 4th of July) and my wish list for the new year:


Things That Should be Banned in '07
1. The word “crisis” should be banned from the lips of the entire media. Everything is a “crisis”. Can’t they come up with a new buzz word once in a while?
2. Those idiotic Bart Durham ads. I guess you have to live in Middle TN to “enjoy” these, but they are worse than the Maxi Price “Do the Maxi swing” commercials.
3. Rosie O’Donnell.
4. Paris Hilton
5. The ACLU
6. Talking on the phone in public restrooms. Believe me, their conversation is just not that important that I need to hear it while I wee. Neither does the person on the other end of the line.
7. Constant “storm watch” interruptions during CSI at the slightest drop of rain. Unless there is a blizzard, tornado or other similarly dangerous conditions I really don’t care.
8. Spinners and other any similarly tacky rims that cost more than the value of the vehicle.
9. Low rider jeans on anyone who has belly overhang. The same goes for baby doll Tees.
G-r-o-s-s!

Daniel's first Jack-O-Lantern - I think I have a Michelangelo in the making :)


Bedtime Care Bear and the Grim Reaper


Daniel and his Cousin Zack (yes those are underwear on their heads but at least they are clean!)

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