Quiet the Thunder

Planting the Seeds

2010-02-08T13:31:00.003-05:00

I've got spring on the brain. That mostly means I spend a lot of time daydreaming about spending time in the garden and somehow scoring my own deluxe greenhouse. Mike and I have been planning to turn our kitchen into a seedling factory in the next few weeks - and may experiment with using florescent lights to start seed as well. According to a number of marijuana and urban farming websites -

The Top 3 Pregnancy Myths

2010-01-19T14:37:00.004-05:00

Now that I'm pregnant, I feel compelled to discuss some myths I thought were true before I got pregnant.1. There is no such thing as morning sickness. Morning sickness is a complete lie made up by someone who has clearly never been pregnant. It should be renamed All Day Sickness That Gets Worse At Night (ADSTGWAN). In fact, waking up you feel fine and then as soon as you stand up and walk around,

Hello, I Love You, Won't You Tell Me Your Name?

2010-01-11T11:15:00.002-05:00

So. I'm pregnant. Ah!9 weeks pregnant. With a baby. A real baby. Except it looks like strawberry to me. With arms and legs. If you are weirded out by that, don't be, it's cute. I don't have much else to say, as I'm certain all the things I'm going through are extremely normal and similar to most other pregnant ladies, so you won't find me blogging all about it. But, I thought I'd just say it here

I'm Richer than Tiger Woods

2009-12-28T17:52:00.007-05:00

I don't want to be just another person jumping on the Tiger Woods hate train, and I really do not intend to focus on the scandal of his ordeal, but more about the message it sends. The one about how people who supposedly have everything they could ever want are so terribly bankrupt emotionally, spiritually, and psychologically. Woods clearly has deep deficits that his fame and fortune could not

Obama Gets $30,000 Per Breeding Session

2009-12-22T20:04:00.008-05:00

If you are anything like me, you did a double-take when reading that headline which I sort of ripped from econ blog Marginal Revolution. From the article Chinese Put These Dogs On Pedestals,SHUNYI, Beijing — One is named Obama, another goes by Son of Bush. They charge tens of thousands of dollars for sex. Convoys of luxury cars, driven by fans, greet the most expensive studs at airports. Meet the

This One Slipped Through the Ol' Spam Filter

2009-12-04T12:17:00.004-05:00

I'm a professional voice teacher and I occasionally post an ad on Craigslist to advertise for new students. I honestly don't understand, in what universe, how these people and their spambots think anyone will respond to their brainfever emails.First it's from "NEWTON WHITE". The all-caps a is a requirement for spammers, apparently.Then the greeting, "Yup Im Mark." Mark, Newton, Mark...make up

In Which I Am Legitimately Baffled, From an Ethical Point of View

2009-12-01T17:50:00.004-05:00

I hate credit card fees and rates as much as the next guy. I am also a responsible, read-the-fine-print kind of gal who rarely gets hoodwinked, and if I do, I tend to blame myself. I've never felt preyed upon...until I read this little tidbit on triplepundit's article about credit card practices,According to a recent expose hosted on the PBS show Frontline and sponsored by the New York Times

Health Care Reform Lies

2009-11-16T12:21:00.004-05:00

Here is the latest Dan Mitchell video on current economic headlines. In this video, he talks about how the government is using textbook fiscal policy theory to hoodwink the public. The government is banking on the "broken clock" theory to convince the public their plans have a good chance of working - namely, "A broken clock is right two times a day." Similarly, economic theories will work in a

A Few of My Favorite Things

2009-10-27T13:28:00.007-04:00

I thought I'd make a list of things I like. For no real reason. Because sometimes that's the best reason to write a blog post.I really like music, art, and baking. So - here's some of those things for your pleasure.1. Electric Light Orchestra: the best, cheesiest, good-feeling feel-good music from the 70's. I remember watching the movie Xanadu over and over with my sister, my number one music and

A Giant VAT of Trouble

2009-10-17T23:46:00.006-04:00

There is something very Halloween about a VAT, but we are not talking witches and goblins.Spooky enough to scare any citizen, the proposed VAT tax is truly a modern-day boiling cauldron of double, double, toil, and trouble. Why double? Precisely because the VAT tax being proposed in the United States is a tax-on-top-of-a-tax, as opposed to many European nations which eschew an income tax for a

Top 5 Ways Gen Y is Helping to “Spread the Wealth”

2009-10-13T09:33:00.010-04:00

Gen Y, you should be proud of yourself. You have become champions of Spreading the Wealth even though you might be entirely unaware you are doing it. For those of you who are serious about finding opportunities to Spread the Wealth, I invite you to comment on my blog (and either leave a way for me to contact you or email your thoughts to me directly at milena@quietthethunder.com) for a chance to

Releasing Murderers to Balance the Budget

2009-10-07T16:31:00.003-04:00

I wish I could stop writing about Michigan. But one of the latest proposals by the state is to start releasing prisoners on early parole, including this murderer, because of our serious deficits.In a Press Release from A. Scott Grabel and Associates,This past January, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm suggested that the state begin an early prison release program for certain nonviolent

Michigan: Found and Lost - a Microcosm of the Country

2009-09-30T09:22:00.007-04:00

I Love Michigan: Born and Raised.Troy, Michigan: where I grew up. Spending summers at water parks like Four Bears, learning to ride a bike down one of its moderately hilly streets. Where I got married. Where I went to grad school.Bloomfield Hills, Michigan: where I attended high school. Knowing nothing about football and attending the games anyway during the crisp, fall nights. Building floats

"Something You Can Take to Congress Other Than a Teabag"

2009-09-29T09:49:00.007-04:00

I have to admit that ever since I saw the Tea Parties during the second round of stimulus, I had mixed emotions. I was thrilled people finally were getting off their duffs to do something, but I was also disheartened to see that there was no coherent plan of action other than just gathering together and complaining, and like any large disorganized group, the crazies came out of the woodwork to

The White Bucket

2009-09-09T10:01:00.003-04:00