ThatGirlTasha

Going Back to Veggie, Mormon Democrats and Labor Day

2009-09-06T23:10:00.000-07:00

From the time that Stewart and I were married in '94 till our second baby was born, I was a vegetarian.

No greater cause involved, I just thought I try it for a few days and after that, meat just didn't look good to me anymore.

I think the one real advantage, health wise is, it forces you to premeditate meals.

When I get tired and it's dinner time, everyone knows it's going to be chicken and rice again. Now that I've gone veggie, that would mean just rice for me ( which would be cool if I were watching a Kurosawa samurai flick, with a bottle of Saki and some empty wrapping paper tubes for the slow scenes ). So vegetable steamer it is. I've found it's quick and easy to chop onions, peppers and a portabella mushroom with tomatoes and maybe some cheese on top. I almost always put out a spinach salad too but I just feel better having a nice platter of veggies. I love to see the kids with a nice colorful plate.

But what really spurred me on to go back to vegetarian was pure selfishness.

When I was a vegetarian, I weighed about 90lbs. I was also running about ten miles a day, in the heat, pushing a double jog stroller, something that's a bit easier to do ,time-wise, with one or two kids than it is now with five. But I think I'm going to refocus on that. I'm not so sure my knees can handle 10 miles a day but they can handle five or six.

On a different subject; Labor Day

Reading to our kids about the origin of labor day, reminded me of when I was ten and my mother went on strike.

I had a very Mormon family but they did have a secret .. . they were democrats. (Can you see here how I checked the libertarian box soon after my 18th birthday?)

I know there are some Mormon Democrats around but unless you are Harry Reid you're not getting invited to any fab LDS parties if anyone lets on.

Anyway, because of our strange household politics, there was a bit of a war going on.

Up until then, my dad could be literally leaning on the fresh pot of coffee (coffee!-another secret) and my mom could be literally across the room and my dad would ask her to pour a cup for him. And here's the weird part, she would do it.

Then came the whole equal rights amendments thing and I'm not sure how it all started but . . .

it ended with my mom marching around the house, hoisting a bottle of Era laundry detergent chanting;

"E" "R" "A" "E" "R" "A"

My dad even learned to make his own coffee after that small revolution.

-Tasha

Oath Keepers, cancer, T-shirts, homeschooling and the FBI

2009-09-03T15:30:00.000-07:00

My mom-in-law's cancer has really progressed and it has not been easy for hubby.

Her mother passed away recently and I think that may have been the catalyst for her downward spiral. It was extremely important to her to make a video of her mom's life for the memorial but she was in no shape to do it. Stewart and I are pretty low tech so, Jim Ayala, the guy who does the Oath Keeper videos stepped up and it meant the world to Dusty (my mom-in-law).

She was actually hospitalized by the time of the memorial so we held it in a chapel at the hospital.

One my fav pics. from the memorial video; Stew surprising his grandparents in the grape fields

Dusty was wheeled in- in her bed so she could be there. Dusty talked about overhearing her dying mother repeatedly praying for her as she walked away (Dusty was still able to walk on crutches before her mom died).

Happily it is not in any of her vital organs but it is throughout all her bones and wrapped around her spine and some of the tumors are quite large and are pressing on her nerves. The result is agonizing pain. She can no longer sit up on her own and the reason for her hospitalization was a broken femur as cancer had eaten through it.

The whole thing has been hard on Stewart. Dusty does not have insurance and as soon as her team of docs found out, all their talk about the attack plan went out the window and they sent her home. But she could not sit up or get up on her own at all, so every time she needed to get up Stewart would drive over to lift her.

( Do NOT take that rant as a hint at socialized medicine-just because I despise corporate style health care doesn't mean I want the government running it. You see here, why us libertarians have such angst? )

She has her daughter living there to help but sis isn't able to lift her straight up, the way she has to be lifted in order to not cause too much pain (though she' only 90 pounds now). So with legal work and Oath Keepers T-shirts and hat orders all piled to the ceiling and email that is just stunning Stew was spending hours a day caring for his mom. Of course, now he keeps getting sick from emotional and physical exhaustion.

All of this would be tolerable but you would not believe the things people say in email (The Oath Keeper email boxes now total 9,000 - 10,000 unanswered emails. Stew's personal email receives hundreds a day. ) And if you can believe it- he actually receives email multiple times a day from people who say things like- if you don't answer this email within two days it will mean __________ (fill in the blank with some ridiculous belief like you hate all Americans or you think forced vaccinations are totally fucking awesome).

Now you know people don't generally say things like that in everyday correspondence so it must be something that control freak types save for people they know don't have time to answer as way of using force to get an answer. Some have even posted our address on the net; essentially threatening me and the kids, claiming Stew didn't write up what they told him to, so he must be a plant.

Oh well, nutty people on all sides , I guess.

And ya- we're all getting death threats from all over the web now, but mostly from the non-violent left.

Looking back at grandma's memorial video, I find it funny that people have been accusing hubby of being a white racist. He has the most racially and culturally mixed family I've ever known. Raised in a mix of Filipino and Mexican cultures. It was totally a requirement before we got married that I learn to make chicken adobo from grandpa and tortillas form grandma.

Oh well, but back my regular life. I have gone on Oath Keeper strike. And happily found some awesome people to do all the shipping. The emails are still looking for help but may wind up going on a ticket system.

So today I am actually getting back to the whole "homeschooling mom of five thing."

The laundry does not wait on politics (if it did, I'd run for president).

We're trying out Susan Wise Bauer's The History of the Ancient World. Looks good so far. The little ones are doing the Story of the World. This is my second round on that one and we're using the audio CD to save my voice. Also we're trying out Singapore Math and dumping Saxon, I'm tried of spending six hours a day doing "busy math".

Now for some good news, when Dusty was going to the hospital, the paramedic said his mom was in the same state and was saved by some experimental treatments. Well, it turns out that same team of docs was willing to take on Dusty. Her first treatment is today and I promise promise that I will update everyone on that.

Now before anyone sends me stuff on alternative cancer treatments, let me add this. Until she ran out of money she was going to an alternative hospital in Mexico and is still doing the raw food thing. They did amazing things for her there but it's all cash on hand. No surprise though, that kick-ass experimental medicine here is some of the same stuff they do in Mexico standard. I have high hopes for Today.

In other news, as long as Dusty responds well to treatment, we are going back to Montana.

Our backyard before we left Montana -no need to show our current backyard as a comparison, as it's posted all over the net ; )

Honestly, my kids deserve a better childhood than they can have in Vegas. My oldest turns 13 in a few months and I have an obsession about giving him a tree to build a tree-house in before he's too old.

Oh and a message to "non-violent" folks at the Daily Kos who are calling for the death and or imprisonment of me, my husband and my children, who think the FBI ( who they hated for eight years but now love ) should round us up. . .

You'll be happy to know that we did, in fact, receive a visit from the FBI the other day . . .

Dakota checking his target at an Appleseed shoot (One of those violent American heritage gatherings, where they tell stories and shoot real guns)

Oh wait, that's right . . . they were just here to pick up Oath Keeper bumper stickers.

-Tasha

Do I look like a bitch? Maybe I am. But I'm a libertarian bitch.

2009-05-31T13:58:00.000-07:00

I'm considering removing those last post because some freaks from around the web are copying my blog and "discussing " it.

Apparently liberals have suddenly caught a disease. Wherein they now believe the executive is all powerful and saying anything against him amounts to treason.

Liberals, Listen Up

For eight years I've been yelling from the roof tops til I was blue in the face warning against Bush and essentially everything he was doing and or about to do.

For eight years liberals have been saying "right on". We're with you. The President should not be a dictator.

I have not changed!!!

I'm saying the same thing but now receive a totally different response. "Where have you been for the last eight years. What do you mean Obama can't do this? "

I've been here! Where are they now?

If I say I'm being targeted for my political beliefs they say,"What? Well, how does it feel? This is what we've been dealing with for eight years."

If warn against Obama's gun grabbing pals, they say "What? That's fear mongering! "

Listen you "tolerant" liberals; say what again. Say what one more goddamn time.

Do I look like a bitch?

Maybe I am.

But I'm a libertarian bitch.

-Tasha

I thought this was cartoon was cute but I'm much more of an AR-15 kind of girl myself.

Oath Keepers has taken over my life!

2009-05-30T12:46:00.000-07:00

When we needed a break from OK, I kidnapped my entire family to the mountains of Utah-no computers aloud.

You guys, this things has just gone nuts.

As a homeschooling mom of five, it's not like I hang around eating bon bons all day. I often fall asleep with shoes on and rarely get through half the the things I'm supposed to do without the OK thing.

So sometime in March, Stewart says he's starting up a little project he's been tinkering with for a while.

There were a few get togethers of old friends and new and then he launched it-just put up a Blogspot called Oath Keepers and two weeks later a hundred thousand people showed up.

Now two months later the MySpace is around 5oo friends (which is amazing because I run that and I have now idea what I'm doing) blog followers are around 400, Twitter is only at 130 but again the problem is I run it, 900 posts on the message board, Facebook is well on the way t0 3,000 friends, Youtube is at 1200 subscribers - it is nuts.

And every one of us, from the renegade video guy (who was responsible for a lot of those Ron Paul trailer style vids) to the famous masked marine of Youtube, are trying to maintain a normal job of some type. None of us are getting any sleep, the emails are coming in by the thousands, and if we don't shut them off, the phones ring all day (and we've never made our phones public) .

It's all a good thing but, holy cow!

I have a few other thoughts to share about how crazy this has become in another way but I think I'll cut off here and put that in a different post. It definitely deserves it's own space.

-Tasha

Aaahhh isn't hubby cute?

2009-04-28T10:52:00.000-07:00

Oath Keepers, Lexington

Oathkeepers.blogspot.com Coming soon . . . Oathkeepers.org

2009-03-14T22:33:00.000-07:00

The third photo on the wall is a picture of my dad. He passed away in 2006 , some of you may remember the post about it.

To everyone who emailed and commented here and around the web on my sister-in-law, thank you. I apologize for not giving a faster update but you know how emotionally draining these things can be.

She is doing much better and maybe her child to teen emotional state actually has helped to bounce back.

We're taking her skating with the kids this week. And then we'll think on how to handle the legal end.

In other news: hubby and friends have come up with something. It started out as a weekend long discussion a year or two ago and after launching it about a week ago has taken off like wildfire. Take a look.

Oath Keepers discussed with Jack McLamb on Alex Jones 3-13-09

2009-03-14T22:21:00.000-07:00

My brain Injured Sis-in-Law, Jailed for a Computer Glitch

2009-02-24T16:21:00.000-08:00

I have a very special sister-in-law she has survived a war of sorts; although she has emerged quite scarred from battle.

Some nine years ago my sister-in-law was a single mom on-the-go. She had her own car, her own apartment, a job working for the MGM Grand Hotel and a very full, tumultuous social life; including the drama of a last minute called off wedding.

She worked cleaning rooms for the hotel and her fiery temperament caused her many a reprimand for telling off her workmates.

Then on the day after Mother's Day in 1999 she had a bad headache that just got worse.

She had spinal meningitis.

Her fever topped 106, she had multiple seizures and when the infection was gone she was much like a 2 year old.

She did not recognize family members, she did not know who the president was or the month or year. If you handed her a bowl of soup she would stir it and if not interrupted she would continue to stir for hours.

Through tremendous therapy she relearned basic skills and after a couple of years she resumed a somewhat "normal" life.

Her eyes remained puffy for several years, her menstrual cycle did not resume for another five years. She cannot maintain a job or a household on her own.

Gone are the tight jeans and sexy blouses. Replaced with girl like flowery dresses and always a bow in her hair. She has not had a romantic relationship since her illness.

She was however able to regain her drivers license and although she cannot maintain a paying job she is indispensable to the family.

She keeps her grandmother company and drives her to the store whenever she needs something.

She babysits her 6 month old nephew so her newly single younger sister can work.

And she routinely runs errands for her mom's business.

Three years ago she received a ticket for an "unsafe turn" and outdated proof of insurance. She paid the ticket and has renewed her yearly car registration twice since then (which is flagged if you have unpaid tickets).

Friday at 5:30 in the morning she was on her way to her sister's to babysit her nephew for the day.

A cop who had nothing better to do ran her plates.

He pulled her over and arrested her, saying the computer showed she never paid the ticket.

He allowed her to make a couple of calls. One to my husband who spoke to the cop and told him of her brain injury and asked if he could pass that on to the folks at the jail.That she often mistakes sarcasm for literalism (concerned that this might get her into trouble).The cop allowed her to park her car instead of impounding it and placed the softer plastic handcuffs on her.

Down at the jail they weren't so nice.

They immediately removed the plastic handcuffs.

They slapped on tight metal handcuffs, chained her hands to her feet and her feet to a chair.

She was left with her arms and legs shackled painfully behind her for several hours, until they got to her.

Once they did, it just got worse.

She was stripped in a cold concrete room, shivering with cold and fear and humiliation. She was asked about allergies to which she responded "I'm allergic to something but can't remember what." and given a tenus shot anyway. She was then given paper underwear and jail clothing and stuck in a cold concrete cell.

A single toilet was in the center of the cell in full view of the MALE (wtf) guards.

Meanwhile, on the outside, my mom-in-law had the city judge sign an own recognizances order around three in the afternoon. He said he figured it would process around 10 that night.

Around 10pm we start calling the jail. They don't answer.

Around midnight they called back. They say they don't have anyone by that name in their jail. But they won't check to see if she was there earlier and released.

We are all somewhat panicked and start to second guess if she was in city or county. We remember that the judge who signed the O.R. was a city judge. This means that barring some other computer problem she was released.

This is the area where there release women in the middle of the night.

View Larger Map

I cannot begin to tell you what this area is like at night. But I'm sure you can imagine. Just picture any major metropolis city hall back ally at 1 in the morning.This is not where you want an innocent, trusting soul to be wandering while traumatized and confused.

She was not exactly sure where she had been taken and being dropped off in the back alley of City Hall Complex left her disoriented when combined with the 18 hour ordeal she had just endured.

Her mother showed up to the locked front doors of City Hall feeling like she had a lost little child she needed to get to desperately. She rattled the fastened doors again and suddenly felt the need to call out to her child. She shouted for her at the top of her lungs and a moment later she heard a faint voice call back. She followed the sound and found her in the parking lot behind the building.

For the last few days my sister-in-law has not wanted to leave the house.

She has stayed in bed watching Disney movies and being uncharacteristically quiet.

Today she found the receipt for her paid ticket.

Sigh.

-Tasha

Heart Rocks-Imagine Britney doing a Led Zeppelin cover?

2009-02-08T12:05:00.000-08:00

I had a ton of fun going to a Heart concert Friday night. Although I've never mentioned it on here, I am a die hard fan.

It occurred to me while listening to Ann sing that although she has an amazing voice, if she were just starting out today, she wouldn't have a chance because she doesn't look like Britney Spears.

In order to get radio play today you have to have enough money to pay the larger radio stations and in order to do that you need funding and in order to get funding you need to fit the formula; Britney fits it, Ann doesn't.

Watching them reminded me of the vast difference between the boy/girl band generation of music and the generation that grew up in the 50s and 60s.

I remembered as a kid watching the Osmond's (of course-we actually went to church with them) and the Mandrel sisters' shows, they all played multiple instruments, wrote music and sang at church concerts growing up. Against that family background there may have been one or two standouts who had both a lifelong study of music and preforming behind them and also an amazing natural talent that was obvious to all.

This was how stars were born and this is what I saw watching Ann and Nancy put down a guitar and pick up a mandolin, drop a microphone and pick up a flute, put down a mandolin pick up a harmonica ect. and then laughed to myself imagining Britney running around grabbing instruments trying to figure out which end to play (No hate to Britney, I simply don't know the names of any other recent pop star types. You can insert any pop artist's name there, I'm sure.)

Ann Wilson has a voice that is stunning. Like listening to an opera singer at their peak; just her voice alone can send a chill down your spine. But their music is also a lot of fun. And even more fun when your hubby surprises you with tickets :) like mine did.

And since I can't seem to post even about a rock concert without it turning political, I'll have to add this. If you remember during he election Sara Palin's nickname during high school was Sara Barracuda. And whenever she came out to give a speech, she came out to Heart's Barracuda.

Being one of the original Seattle garage bands with the politics that the culture demands, Heart was not happy and supposedly published this letter. It appears to be a spoof done by a Seattle paper, but is funny just the same.

Some Heart clips below as well.

-Tasha

Nancy doing Tom Petty's You Wreck me

Ann's version of Immigrant Song

Barracuda

Another reason Montana Rocks-Glacier Bank Tells Government to Fuck Off!

2009-02-02T12:45:00.000-08:00

That's right, Glacier Bank turned down the bailout money.

One more reason to love Montana.

What's not to love about a state that threatens succession over the Heller decision and is at it again over the made in Montana firearms bill. Why the Freestaters chose New Hampshire I'll never know

"Also, then the government would become a shareholder in the bank. Philosophically, we sure didn't think it was a road we wanted to go down. " -President and Chief Executive Officer Mick Blodnick

Take that Bank of America!

And what road are they talking about? Maybe the Road to Serfdom?

We've been banking with BoA by default since they took over the local Vegas bank we had an account with some 15 years ago.

But here's the thing, when we move back to Montana this spring/summer, I'm closing that piece of crap account and opening one with Glacier.

For me to say anything positive about a bank is bordering on a miracle.

Those who have been regular readers know that I was completely traumatized by a bank when at nineteen years old, the Mormon credit union I belonged to made me call my mother from the manager's office when I wanted to withdraw money.

The money was to purchase a car with my boyfriend.

Buying a car together suggested we lived together, which suggested we had sex together, which suggested the bank manager had to get my mom on the phone right away (ya, the same guy I married and have five children with).

So anyway, Mick Blodnick, I fully support what you're doing but if you ever try to make me call my mother, it's over.

-Tasha

Nation's No. 1 bank turns down bailout money

By NANCY KIMBALL/Daily Inter Lake

Published: Saturday, January 31, 2009 11:46 PM CST
Glacier tops financial scorecard

Glacier Bancorp of Kalispell made national headlines twice last week.

Bank Director magazine named it the best bank in the country. And Glacier announced it would take no bailout money from the federal government's Troubled Assets Relief Program.

President and Chief Executive Officer Mick Blodnick is honored that the nationally respected magazine put the bank holding company in the lead spot in its annual ranking of the top 150 performers nationwide.

But there's more to the story.

"What we as a company, all of our 11 banks collectively, take more pride in is the fact that for the last five years we have been in the top five," Blodnick said Friday. "We were number two last year and number three the year before.

"Number one is nice," he said, "but all of us feel more proud of the fact that consistently we have been up there for some time."

Glacier Bancorp, with $5.03 billion in assets, is the holding company for Glacier Bank in the Flathead Valley and 10 other independent banks in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and Washington.

The magazine's top ranking is compiled from six different criteria measuring return on average assets, return on average equity, two measures of capital adequacy, and two indicators of loan quality.

More here

Damn, it feels good to be a banksta

2009-01-31T10:51:00.000-08:00

Now that your neighbor's stuff is all piled up on their lawn, don't you just feel better knowing these guys have 37 million dollar apartments, thanks to us?

-Tasha

Who in the holy hell is this guy?

2009-01-05T09:16:00.000-08:00

Anyone recognize him?

Attention all Americans (maybe Canadians too), I have an important message. Your car waranty is about to expire.

2008-12-11T14:00:00.000-08:00

Wow-I don't know where that title came from , it's just sort of burned into my brain. I think it was the second notification that did that. Apparently the car warranty is actually now working in reverse.

Well, first off, yes, I have a new little nursling.

He is perfect. 8 lbs. 1 oz. and 20 inches. It was an awesome birth with one our dearest friends as midwife and very little pain (for childbirth) . All our kids where there and cut the cord together.

He was born Saturday night (Nov. 15th). The night of the Couture Lesnor UFC).

Our TV equipment is somewhat jacked and we have no ability to record.

So ya-I watched the UFC in labor.

It was really kind of nice -took my mind off of the contractions. My husband joked that he should film me commenting on fights and stopping to moan.

My midwife/friend lives 3 1/2 hours away and I tend to labor pretty quickly, so her advice was soak in a tub, relax and slow the contractions.

So I soaked in a tub for an hour or so then went downstairs to watch fights.

I managed to concentrate on slowing them to ten minutes apart just until my friend arrived . She showed up as the last fight ended and we wandered upstairs to have a baby. We hung out and talked a bit and I secretly felt that I had already dilated to ten but, frankly, I just didn't feel mentally up to pushing.

The whole feeling like you're about to rip apart thing just didn't appeal to me. I figured I'd wait until I really felt that pushing urge. So just as I felt a little pushy, I asked her to check me and sure enough I was ready. I think I pushed for about 15 minutes and gave birth at 10:56 PM. Luckily there was still pizza left.

The Call to Dunkirk

2008-12-01T11:51:00.000-08:00

You don't have to be Christian to answer the call. Just pull your kids out of school.

Off we go-Happy Haunting everyone!

2008-10-31T18:38:00.000-07:00

I told my husband, I thought a perfectly scary costume would be to dress up like a house with "bank owned" on one arm and a foreclosure notice hanging off the other.

He said he thought someone might get shot for that, considering our neighborhood is all but empty for the foreclosures and evictions all around.

Oh Well-have fun everyone

Birth and death belong at home

2008-10-02T12:45:00.000-07:00

The whole reason I started this blog some two years ago, aside from from having a new little nursling and needing something to do while I sat and nursed and nursed and nursed, is I had something on my mind but it always seemed a little too much to put into words in one sitting.

Now two years later I realize that I am just never going to find the time to lay it all out. Frankly, if I had been able to go to school, I think my focus would have been this topic. But since I'm a frazzled, hurried, all of my life is a blur mom, I think I'll only be able to say all I want to say in segments.

We'll start with a film.

If you were all in in my class I would say it is required viewing for all students.

Here a link to the PBS synopsis and in case you're still living in the dark ages of Blockbuster's new release or nothing selection I'm also linking to Netflix, where it is actually available on their instant watch menu. So you can watch it right now and never even leave your chair.

Here is a clip and a link to the rest of an L.A. times piece.

So my two much for one post, multi-blog rant in a nutshell is, the process of birth and death are are so deeply rooted into our subconscious minds that hiring both of these out to professionals and having no part in the process of either is of great detriment to our emotional well being.

No one even wants to think about either one of them and yet these are the only two things we have in common with every person who has ever lived.

Oh yeah -I got a lot of ranting to do.

-Tasha

Crying and Digging

Reclaiming the realities and rituals of death

By Nancy Rommelmann,

For centuries in America, we tended to our dead. People died at home, and relatives prepared the body, laid it out in the parlor and sat by as callers paid final respects. The body was buried in the family cemetery, if there was one, or on the back 40; pieties were spoken, and life went on until the next person died. Death, if not a welcome visitor, was a familiar one. This changed, incrementally, during the Civil War, when others were paid to undertake the job of transporting the bodies of soldiers killed far from home; this is when formaldehyde as an embalming agent was first used. But it was only 100 years ago that we began routinely to hand over our dead to the undertakers. Soon the gravely ill as well were deemed too taxing, and moved to hospitals to die. Within decades, what had for millennia been familial responsibilities were appropriated by professionals.

"People think we're not emotionally capable, let alone physically capable, of carrying this out," says Jerri Lyons. "Well, what were we doing before when we weren't supposedly able to take care of people?"

The rest here

No cool title today

2008-10-01T12:30:00.000-07:00

This whole birth thing is sort of creeping up on me. Yesterday I hit 34 weeks, this is sort of deadline in the world of homebirth. It's when you order your birth kit and when you start taking some gentle herbs to ready your uterus.

Since this is most likely my last baby, I've pulled out the stops. I just ordered a belly cast kit and yesterday we splurged on a 4D ultrasound. We also cheated and found out we're having a boy. I always liked being surprised but I thought it would cool to know this time around.

The 4D thing is pretty amazing. With six weeks to go, we discovered this little guy is already 6lbs.

It's seems so strange to look at this little guy and know that he's only a few inches from the outside world. It seems like it should be so simple for him to get outside.

Oh well, the next deadline for me is about two weeks out when I start knocking on the neighbors doors and telling them not to call the police when they hear blood curdling screams coming from my house.

-Tasha

Rocket Man

2008-09-14T12:22:00.000-07:00

Well, I've never been a regular of Reddit, I'm mostly a Digg girl.

But today I'm glad I stopped by and found this gem awaiting.

This is definitely a weekend sort of post, the kind where the kids gather round and say," Oh, God what in the heck is that?"

So pour a fresh of cup of coffee, turn up the speakers, click it to full screen and enjoy:

William Shatner's rendition of

"Rocket Man"

Quote worthy of its own post

2008-09-10T11:50:00.000-07:00

Large Hadron Collider "Actually Worked"

Quotes from today's test run -you just can't make this stuff up.

"First of all, I didn't believe it," said Verena Kain, a European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) engineer.
"I had to see it a second time, and I thought, Oh, wow, it actually worked!"
"Things can go wrong at any time, but luckily this morning everything went smoothly," said Lyn Evans of CERN, who oversaw the building of the accelerator.

Nevada Ron Paul delegates, hospitals and flying chairs

2008-09-10T11:30:00.000-07:00

I am purposely avoiding the topic of elections. We had something absolutely insane happen, here in Nevada, with our RNC delegates. Essentially, what it breaks down to is a year of my life and thousands of dollars wasted.

I have to wonder if Kent Snyder really needed to literally give his life to the cause of liberty, when no one really appreciated it. I’m just not even ready to discuss how entirely fucked up, Benedict Arnold style, these last few weeks have been.

So I’m just going to talk about my mundane life.

Today’s outrage? Hospitals

My mom broke her back last Friday.

My mom is in her seventies, but this was not a- fall out of bed and break your hip- type thing.

My parents had a window manufacturer for some forty years and after my dad died, she and my aunt (also in her seventies) cleared out the glass shop BY THEMSELVES.

Yes, I am shouting, because you cannot imagine the amount of heavy equipment this place held- huge saws from the 1960’s, a glass washer that reminds of the Hadron Collider and piles of metal and glass.

Well, now there is still a bit of scrape metal and glass at the house and my mom decided to clean it up.

The hospital viewed her accident like this;

A little old lady was lifting some trash into a can; the weight was too much for her bones, her back fractured.

The way it happened was like this;

A retired contractor was lifting a commercial sack containing the crushed remains of at least TWO SLIDING GLASS DOORS, she lifted it but the strain re-fractured a previous fracture from an on-the-job accident 15 years ago.

The condescending attitude was amazing and one point the doctor recommended a nursing home. I wasn’t there for that –he‘s lucky she didn’t throw a chair at him; my dad had ducked chairs over the years for far less.

The explanation of the previous fracture should have been enough to shake some sense into him. The conversation went like this;

Q: You fractured your spine in two places and broke your collarbone in 1994. How did this happen?

A: Well, I fell off a roof and landed on my shoulder onto concrete, at the time, I was on way too high a dosage of thyroid medication and it was eating up my bones.

Q: What were you doing up on a roof?

A: Looking at him like he’s the biggest idiot on the planet. Well, I was roofing.

Oh well, another reason to homebirth. Condescending attitude?

Watch for falling chairs.

-Tasha

Why there may not be an election afterall

2008-09-07T12:21:00.000-07:00

That's right-the "machine" gets turned on Wednesday.

And you don't have to shave your head, drink any Kool-aid, or sit on a hilltop awaiting your space alien Gods to abscond with you in order to turn into space dust.

Now should Wednesday come and go and you find you're not mercifully rescued form the most mundane election of all time (war hawks on both sides and a drug warrior in the libertarian slot). You should know that 9-10-08 is just a test run. But much fun, by way of smashing protons, is promised before the end of the year

-Tasha

Haven't these people ever seen Donnie Darko?

Thank You, Las Vegas!!

2008-07-13T13:23:00.000-07:00

My mom in law, Dusty Buckel's fundraiser was a success!

Thank you all so much for coming out and for sending in your donations!

Here's a blurb from the local news on the festivities!

Vegas Fund Raiser and Potluck-Friday, July 11

2008-07-07T09:47:00.000-07:00

If you are in Vegas please c'mon by.

We're holding a swim party and potluck on Friday July 11 to raise funds for my MIL.

Cancer or no this woman can throw a party, so please come by!

Contribute here;
Antioch Church of Las Vegas
Put Dusty on bottom left of check and mail to:
3825 Melody Lane, Las Vegas, NV 89108

Or contribute directly:
Dusty Buckel Enterprises,
Bank of America of West Sahara
routing - 122400724 - account # 501001703274
(If you have a Bank of America account you can do it online in about two seconds)

Or just bring it to the party!

July 11, 2008 (7-11) at 7P to 11P
YOU are invited for a swim party and pot luck, with live entertainment.
RSVP Darlene Mea tvdarlene@gmail.com
For more info contact Darlene Mea at 702-227-8393 or 702-477-5110 tvdarlene@gmail.com

Or just leave a comment here!

Press Release below;

Media please give this your support!

PLEASE - we can not loose this woman...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Local Giver needs to Receive, to LIVE...

Las Vegas, NV. July 3rd – Dusty Buckel, a Las Vegas local resident for over 29 yrs is in Stage IV Cancer of the Lymph Nodes and does not have health insurance.

"I have been been graced with health most of my life, so I lived life fully as a giver, here to help, and now I am humbled to the position of having to ask for help, to live."

Dusty Buckel is many things to many people not only in Las Vegas but around the world.

Along with being an Ordained Minister, known to thousands as Rev Dusty.

Dusty has had her own radio show & television shows, An Opportunity to Make a Difference for years; is the originator of of Secret Santa which provides toys, food and necessities for hundreds of Las Vegas families every year, as well as helping stranded mothers off the streets and helping our Vets with clothing and counseling.

Dusty engages donors to give namelessly, selflessly. All who know Dusty have been graced by her extreme presence and drive to help those who need help on many levels, body, mind and spirit... Dusty lives to Give...

The stories are many, and those of you that know her or have been in connected with her, either through a real estate transaction, past president of Commercial Marketing Group in LV, Church, or on an outing in Sedona, AZ, knows the grace of this woman.

Now Dusty needs medical treatments for Stage IV Cancer of the Lymph Nodes. She has been receiving "Intelligent Medicine" out of the country and needs to continue the therapies or she will not survive. We are asking the community – please GIVE TO LIVE for DUSTY, NOW. The cost of treatment is $21,600.00 for 3 week stay to detoxify her blood, strengthen her body to help itself in destroying the cancer cells.

The hospital ~ "Bio Science Research Institute" is dedicated to the CURE, not just treatment. Centro Medico Excel, (a hospital in Mexico, owned by a San Diego cardiologist) has 4 of it's 15 story floors. Dr. Carlos Bautista is Dusty's doctor along with world renown cancer specialist, Dr. Donsbach. Contact: Gosela (Dr. Bautista's Assistant) 619-519-6374 for more information.

"This is a complete humbling experience, asking for help, but I choose to live.",

says Dusty who is always Responding to Miracles!
dustylasvegas@gmail.com

Make your tax deductible donations to:
Antioch Church of Las Vegas
Rev. Peter Gang is a client/friend of Dusty and is glad to help.
Put Dusty on bottom left of check and mail to:
3825 Melody Lane, Las Vegas, NV 89108.

or a contribution directly to:
Dusty Buckel Enterprises,
Bank of America of West Sahara
routing - 122400724 - account # 501001703274

July 11, 2008 (7-11) at 7P to 11P Dusty's family of friends and associates are invited for a swim party, pot luck, with live entertainment. RSVP Darlene Mea @ tvdarlene@gmail.com

For additional info please contact Darlene Mea – 702-227-8393 or 702-477-5110 – tvdarlene@gmail.com

Kent Snyder; A truly good man

2008-07-05T13:10:00.000-07:00

For those who don't know; Kent Snyder, chairman of the Ron Paul presidential campaign died on June 26,2008 after a long illness. It was Kent who convinced Dr.Paul to run for president. We've known Kent for about ten years.

I never worked with Kent Snyder and I never talked politics with him (unless you count the great Tele-Tubbie controversy of '98, which we discussed at length, since my son never went anywhere without his Tele-Tubbie in tow). I hadn't spoken with him (in person) since the Ron Paul presidential campaign began. But like all truly wonderful people, just the little contact I had with him touched me dearly.

I first met him in 1998 when my husband, Stewart, worked for Ron Paul.
Kent came on board to run Dr. Paul's Liberty Committee. He and Stewart quickly became friends, soon Kent was spending many a Friday evening having spaghetti with us in our tiny townhouse.

Working for a congressman, as many people know, is really an occupation best fit for a single person. But at the time of hubby's employ, we had a two year old, a baby on the way and me- a stay at home mom.

Obliviously, this was a difficult financial situation (despite the fact that Dr. Paul personally helped us out on many occasions).

I was nine months pregnant with baby two when our poor little Honda Accord with 200,000 miles on it finally blew. So Kent would show up early for spaghetti and drive us to the grocery store.

A couple of weeks later my friend and midwife flew into town to assist in my baby's homebirth. I thought I had everything I needed for the birth but afterward realized that I'd made a huge error.

As anyone who has had more than one child knows the afterpain of birth get worse with each baby-sometimes rivaling labor. Twenty minutes after the birth, I realized I needed like a gallon of Tylenol, I was in agony.

Within a hour, Kent arrived to greet baby Sedona and to present me with a giant bottle of Tylenol.

Kent joked that he looked over the store shelves tying to figure out the best one to get and thought to himself-Hmm -"Regular or extra strength? Well, huh, for childbirth-probably extra strength."

He was immediately my hero.

Years later my husband graduated from law school and Kent drove up from Virginia to Connecticut to attended the ceremony. He handed Stewart a beautiful congratulations card that was addressed to both of us saying -this is to both of you; because he never could of achieved this without you-words that still choke me up.

Through the years, I don't think we ever made a major life decision without consulting Kent.

We will miss you, Kent.

-Tasha

Beautiful slideshow

2008-05-30T07:35:00.000-07:00

This is the homebirth of Emma. I've lost the link to her mommies blog but will post it after I hunt it down. An incredible contrast to the last story I posted.

-Tasha