A Warm Christmas in Ohio

Tyler & Kevin are engaged!!

Merry Christmas

Sixth-graders send Christmas to U.S. Marine serving in Iraq

Matt Carney is Tyler's boyfriend Kevin's brother. He has joined our family in North Carolina for vacation the last few years. This article was in our local Ohio newspaper and touched my heart. Merry Christmas to all of the people who can't be with their families during the holidays. I feel so grateful that I get to spend Christmas with mine.

POLAND, OHIO— Matthew Carney is about to get the surprise of his life.
By the first of the year, about 20 boxes will arrive with his name on them — filled with everything from stationery to gum to video games.
Carney, a 2003 Poland Seminary High School graduate, is a U.S. Marine serving in Iraq.
Linda Angelo, sixth-grade teacher at McKinley Elementary, said Carney has no idea the care packages are on their way.
Angelo said she saw Carney’s name listed in The Vindicator’s Operation: Holiday Cheer, and decided to get her pupils involved.
“I came in and put an ad on my Web page and passed out fliers and told the kids,” she said. “We ended up with about 20 boxes of things we sent.”
Angelo said the project began Nov. 25, and most of the boxes were shipped a week later.
She said was surprised her pupils responded so quickly in such a short period of time.
“I was amazed at the generosity of all the kids,” Angelo said. “They didn’t just bring in one thing. They brought bags and boxes of things.”
Bailey Simm, 11, said his classmates brought in so many items for Carney that items were overflowing off the tables and onto the floor.
He said he brought in CDs, paper, pens and pencils.
“It was so he can write letters to his friends and family,” Simm said.
He said he jumped at the opportunity to make Christmas a little better for Carney.
“Doing this shows how we support our community and how we help people who are away from home,” Simm said.
Anthony Morucci, 11, said he was also glad to contribute.
“I’d feel bad if I were away for Christmas,” he said. “I think it’s good to do because Matt’s in Iraq risking his life, and we all know he wants to be home for Christmas.”
Many classmates agreed that just because Carney can’t be home during the holidays doesn’t mean he can’t celebrate.
“We want to show him how much we support our troops,” Christian Nemeth, 11, said. “We want to make sure he has the best Christmas he can.”
Angelo said although the packages probably won’t arrive Christmas Day, they should be in Carney’s hands by the beginning of January.
She said many community members pitched in to ensure every $10.95 package was shipped.
Angelo said she contacted the Air Force Reserve station in Vienna and it offered to sponsor several packages. She said she paid for some, and private community members paid for the rest.
“I hoped for this kind of response,” she said. “I know this is a great and giving community.”

Gus's New Throne

Voice Model

From 2001 - 2006 I worked at a start-up company called Acoustic Technologies as a marketing engineer. It was the most fun (and stressful) job ever with amazing people and Jim was the best boss I'll ever have. I left in 2006 for a little more stability since the start-up environment was getting scary. Amazingly, they are still in business although who knows for how long. They just updated their website to be much cooler and added demos. The thing I loved the most about working at a small company was that you had to wear so many hats and do whatever needs done. I wrote business plans, datasheets, press releases, powerpoint presentations. I bought tons of cellphones from ebay and even learned to hack the locked phones. At one point I even purchased a punching dummy for our anechoic chamber because the human body actually reflects echo. I recorded many audio files that the team used for testing their algorithms for echo cancellation and nosie reduction. One of them was our "father-daughter" converstaion and it's live on their web now. So I'm officially a professional voice model - add that to my resume! I told Jim I'd send him an invoice for my royalties :) You can hear me:
http://www.acoustictech.com/applications/headsets.aspx
http://www.acoustictech.com/applications/gps.aspx
I miss working with such amazing people and I am glad they are still my friends. Hopefully someday we will work together again.

Backyard Oasis

Interesting Article

A great article from Salon.com on the GenX response to Obama framed as a letter to the baby boomers: Click here

Housewarming

We had our housewarming party this weekend and were honored to have all of our friends and family over. Ben's family was all there and my nieces looked beautiful in their party dresses. Tyler and my aunt, uncle, and cousins were there. We had co-workers there from past and present jobs. Old friends and new neighbors. It was perfect! I feel blessed with friendship.

This I Believe

President Obama. Wow. I love the sound of that. My faith in humanity and our country is restored. Tyler & Kevin came over to watch the returns and celebrate with us.

It's been a rough couple of weeks leading up to the election. I can't stand to hear the lies that all of the crazy republicans at my work talk over the cubicle walls. Sometimes I felt like the only democrat or liberal on the planet. I called my parents crying one night just to hear a voice that thought like me.

So I decided to write down what I believe. Please tell me what you believe in the comments.

This I believe…
That as members of this great society we have a responsibility to take care of one another
We need to renew our international reputation and America’s standing as a global citizen not a bully
People are good, kind and full of strength
Woman should always have the right to choose an abortion and birth control for their own bodies
Equal rights for everyone
Same sex marriage
That it’s not right to try to use fear to get a vote
People want to work hard and have that work rewarded
Everyone deserves access to health care that is high quality and affordable and it can’t always be tied to your job
Our public schools are our greatest asset and teachers should get paid more
We should work together with our allies to end poverty, genocide, terrorism and global warming
Being a democrat doesn’t mean I want to take from the rich and give to the poor; nor does it mean I’m a socialist
The rich and the corporations need to pay their fair share of the tax burden
We need to invest in our country’s infrastructure and schools, not spend billions on another war
That we need to fix the root cause of the immigration problem, not punish the poor, hard working people who are trying to provide for their families
Home schooling should be illegal – our children need to learn how to interact with others
I believe firmly in the separation of church and state
We need to balance the budget – today each US citizen owes $30,000 toward our debt and it grows every day
We need to invest in stem cell research to find cures for cancer, Parkinson’s and other diseases
Kids need access to medically accurate sex education in the schools
We need regulations in place to protect against corporate greed and economic meltdowns
Democrats are the party who work to support the middle class working people
Sometimes you do need to go to war to protect your country but only when diplomacy fails
Less guns and violence would make the world a better place
We need to get creative to find alternative renewable energy sources to decrease our dependency on oil
Although we are many, we are one
It’s important to do what you say you're going to do
Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, even if you don't know them, and even if you don't agree with them

Yes we can

Bacon and Eggs

Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale totally stole this idea from us. Ben and I are going at bacon & eggs to halloween parties this year. And now Gwen & Gavin had to copy our idea :)

http://www.gossipgirls.com/gwen-stefani/gwen-stefani-and-gavin-rossdale-bacon-and-eggs-228132?profile=

I'm on YouTube

Front Yard & Photos

A photo from Gus helping us unpack
















So while I'm at it posting photos, can you believe I get paid to do things like this? Playing with chips to spell out a message for a new ad campaign I'm working on? Look closely because this message is made up of hundreds of little 8bit microcontrollers. Of course there will be lots of photoshop to do...

How Catholics Are Judging Obama and the Democrats

Very interesting article on the election and Catholics... Especially a hot topic of converstation in our home!

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1851777,00.html

Need a laugh??

Amy Poehler may be the funniest person alive... last night she did a "rap" about Sarah Palin on SNL. I've watched it 10 times and laugh so hard I cry each time. And she is like 10 months pregnant! If you missed Saturday Night Live, you MUST go to this site and watch the skit.

one two three, my name is sarah palin you all know me , vice president nominee of the gop
gonna need your vote in the next election, can i get a ‘what what’ from the senior section
mccain got experience, mccain got style, but don’t let him freak you out when he tries to smile
cause that smile be creepy, but when i be vp, all the leaders in the world gonna finally meet me
how’s it go eskimo, (eskimos)
tell me what you know eskimo, (eskimos)
how you feel eskimo, (ice cold)
tell me tell me what you feel eskimo, (super cold)
i’m jeremiah wright cause tonight i’m the preacha
i got a bookish look and you’re all hot for teacha
todd lookin fine on his snow machine
so hot boy gonna need a go between
in wasilla we just chill baby chilla
but when i see oil lets drill baby drill
my country tis a thee, from my porch i can see, russia and such
all the mavericks in the house put your hands up
all the mavericks in the house put your hands up
all the plumbers in the house pull your pants up
all the plumbers in the house pull your pants up
when i say ‘obama’ you say ‘ayers’, obama. (ayers) obama (ayers)
i built me a bridge - it ain’t goin’ nowhere. (ohhh)
mccain, palin, gonna put the nail in the coffin, of the media elite, (she likes red meat)
shoot a mother-humpin moose, eight days of the week [three gunshots]
now ya dead, now ya dead, cause i’m an animal, and i’m bigger than you
holdin a shotgun walk in the pub everybody party, we’re goin on a hunt
la la la la la la la la [six gunshots] yo i’m palin, i’m out!

Ahhhh weekends...

I haven't had time to upload photos but here's whats new:

Cabernet Sauvignon theme for Women Who Wine today. My favorite was the Clos Pegase 2004 Cab (Napa Valley) for $35 available at Bevmo... Yummy!

Kelly's b-friend Tim was in town from NM so we had a fantastic dinner together Saturday night and enjoyed watching the Seahawks loose on Sunday.

Our front yard landscaping is almost complete. Feels strange to have plants instead of dirt in the front yard!

Ben got a treadmill and tv set-up in our "nook" for the perfect little home gym. I may even be tempted since it is connected to our tivo :)

Loving reading the 1st book in the Twilight series. Reminds be of the Harry Potters when I first picked them up.

For work, I have a day trip to LA this week and a week to Boston toward the end of October. Looking forward to some fall weather back east...

My mom has shoulder replacement surgery on Tuesday so try to send fast healing karma toward Northeast Ohio. I hope the surgery is sucessful and helps with her pain.

Tyler introduced me to a new website which rocks: http://www.surfthechannel.com/ I have no idea how it works but you can stream video for all the great tv shows including those on the CW which are never posted online. So if you missed last week's One Tree Hill of Gossip Girl this is your site.

Speaking of tv, I'm back in business with my DirecTV and DVR. My favorite shows so far this season are: Brothers & Sisters, Gossip Girl, How I Met Your Mother, One Tree Hill, Boston Legal, House, Fringe, ANTM, Private Practice, Lipstick Jungle, Dirty Sexy Money, Survivor, and Greys Anatomy. (Yes, I am aware that I have way too much spare time to watch all of those each week.)

I had a couple cocktails to celebrate the newest holiday, Julie Day, on Sept 30th. I miss my friend and think of her lots on her birthday week especially with the fall shows starting because she is the person I talked to most about our "tv families" and which shows were the best and worthy of tivo-ing. I watched Oprah on the 30th and it was an episode with Christina Appelgate raising awareness about breast cancer in young women and I thought that was also a fitting tribute.

Funny video for my Obama fans out there

Sarah Silverman at her best - Do NOT watch at work:)

Click here.

Interesting article on Social Capital

I love the concept of social capital and ran across this article while reading a business magazine "Fast Company" on sucessful start-up companies.

Here are my favorites from their list of 100 ways to build social capital:
2. Go for a walk, invite a neighbor.
4. Be real, be humble, acknowledge others.
5. Attend gallery openings.
11. Go to the next church supper or community
potluck in your town.
15. Read your local newspaper, faithfully.
16. Join a book club discussion.
17. Raise funds for a new town clock or new
town library.
20. Read to your children.
32. Bake some cookies and bring to your new
neighbors with a list of important community
phone numbers.
38. Register to vote and vote.
39. Support your local merchants.
40. Volunteer your time anywhere.
51. Join the local Elks, Kiwanis, Knights of
Columbus.
52. Start a monthly afternoon tea group.
58. Audition for community theater or
volunteer to usher.
63. Give to your local food bank.
65. Attend Veterans’ Day and Memorial Day
parades and say “thank you.”
66. Form a neighborhood/town wide outdoor
activity group.
69. Participate in political campaigns.
90. Sit on a nonprofit board of directors.
93. Have dinner with your family.
95. Play cards with your friends or neighbors.

Freakin Hillarious

Vacation Photos

What a crazy couple weeks...

The Move - In 3 days, we moved everything into our new house and managed to unpack almost everything. It was so fun to unpack boxes that had been in storage for 10 months. And my observation is that I should NEVER purchase another DVD, book, item of clothing or kitchen appliance. Hehehe... how long will that last...

VP Palin - Unpacking boxes of books, I watched as McCain named Sarah Palin as his VP choice. At first when I saw McCain introduce her I thought we were screwed.... It seems like a gimmicky selection but effective - she's bright, charismatic, has a freakin son serving in Iraq and the right wing crazies love her stance on guns and pro-life. Palin will motivate the crazy evangelical base much more than McCain can. And she brings a little more excitement to his boring campaign. I think she stands for everything I'm against. It's a strange feeling to be proud as a woman that we have come far enough that I can root against her getting this office.
I've heard the argument that McCain was trying to pickup the Hillary voters with this selection but I think that's TOTALLY not going to happen. Anyone who backed Hillary would never vote for Palin if they ever cared about any issue other than gender. My biggest issues with Palin are her total inexperience (especially given McCains age) and her belief in abstinence-only education which I think should be illegal. Seriously, she wants to tell kids to wait until marriage so they don't have the information they need to protect their health and futures. Not only is her own 17-year old pregnant but Palin herself was 3 months preggo when she got married. Please it's just not rational....

Beach House and Hurricane Hannah - Our family vacation to North Topsail Beach in NC was the best one yet. We read, took beach walks, talked with my sisters, ate our favorite foods, drank vodka slush, played board games... Bliss. Courtney is starting a new job soon as a court liason for children services. Tyler and Kevin enjoyed the ultimate family vacation since Kevin's family rented out the other side of our beach house. Kevin's brother Matt is stationed in NC at Camp Lejune and he is shipping off to Iraq in a few weeks so the family wanted to get together before he left. The Carney's are so much fun and really added a lot of flare to our family vacation. Of course no vacation is complete without a little rain and in our case Hurricane Hannah managed to touch land on the Carolinas. We did not evacuate since it was "only" a tropical storm but our beach house on stilts swayed and the windows sure shook all night long. It was scarey but quite an adventure.

Happy to be home. Looking forward to visiting with friends this weekend and doing more organizing and nesting into our new place.

Not much time

We are all moved into our new house.. hopefully everyone got their change of address cards in the mail. I can barely belive I get to live here in a space that we "built" and created. My back and legs hurt from all the moving an unpacking but it already feels like home. Tomorrow we leave for a week at the beach in NC with my family. And I am overwhelmed with the feeling of being so fortunate, so lucky, so blessed.

And of course my tv was hooked up in time to watch Barack Obama accept the nomination last night. The first half of the speech was a bit dull, but the 2nd half was amazing. Here are my favorite parts:

"What is my promise?It's a promise that says each of us has the freedom to make of our own lives what we will, but that we also have the obligation to treat each other with dignity and respect.It's a promise that says the market should reward drive and innovation and generate growth, but that businesses should live up to their responsibilities to create American jobs, look out for American workers, and play by the rules of the road.Ours is a promise that says government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselves - protect us from harm and provide every child a decent education; keep our water clean and our toys safe; invest in new schools and new roads and new science and technology.Our government should work for us, not against us. It should help us, not hurt us. It should ensure opportunity not just for those with the most money and influence, but for every American who's willing to work."

And this is why I love Obama: "We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country. The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than for those plagued by gang-violence in Cleveland, but don't tell me we can't uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals. I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination. Passions fly on immigration, but I don't know anyone who benefits when a mother is separated from her infant child or an employer undercuts American wages by hiring illegal workers. This too is part of America's promise - the promise of a democracy where we can find the strength and grace to bridge divides and unite in common effort.I know there are those who dismiss such beliefs as happy talk. They claim that our insistence on something larger, something firmer and more honest in our public life is just a Trojan Horse for higher taxes and the abandonment of traditional values. And that's to be expected. Because if you don't have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare the voters. If you don't have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from. "

And... all I have to say about McCain's VP choice is... you are smart to be scared.

Hillary Clinton

Hillary is a truly a class act and she delivered on unity for the party and helped remind me why the fight is worth fighting. Keep going!!

• To renew the promise of America and our international credibility
• To ensure the Supreme Court does not get stacked with right-wing nuts
• To sustain the American Dream, to provide the opportunity to work hard and have that work rewarded, to save for college, a home and retirement, to afford the gas and groceries and still have a little left over each month
• To create a health care system that is universal, high quality, and affordable so that parents no longer have to choose between care for themselves or their children or be stuck in dead end jobs simply to keep their insurance
• To create a world class education system
• To fight for an America defined by deep and meaningful equality - from civil rights to labor rights, from women's rights to gay rights
• To restore America's standing in the world, to end the war in Iraq, bring our troops home and honor their service
• To join with our allies to confront our shared challenges, from poverty and genocide to terrorism and global warming
• To fight for women's rights at home and around the world

Hillary did put "18 million cracks" in the country's tallest glass ceiling and it was an honor to have her speak on the 88th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th ammendment that gave women the right to vote!

My favorite part of the speech is when she talked about Harriett Tubman's advice:
If you hear the dogs, keep going.
If you see the torches in the woods, keep going.
If they're shouting after you, keep going.
Don't ever stop. Keep going.
If you want a taste of freedom, keep going.
Even in the darkest of moments, ordinary Americans have found the faith to keep going.
KEEP GOING!!

Michelle Obama

A great article about Michelle Obama and how behind every great man is an even more amazing woman.

And in my opinion the crux of her speech tonight at the convention (I laughed, I cried...):
"Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values: that you work hard for what you want in life; that your word is your bond and you do what you say you're going to do; that you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don't know them, and even if you don't agree with them. And Barack and I set out to build lives guided by these values, and pass them on to the next generation. Because we want our children - and all children in this nation - to know that the only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work for them."

House Update

The house is just about ready for us to move in. We get the keys on Wednesday and the movers come on Thursday. It feels crazy to me that we actually get to live there.

I'm excited but also a little sad to move. It's been soooo much fun living in the appartment. I'm totally going to miss having Kelly so close. We have had great adventures and I've enjoyed being able to walk so many fun places together.

I'm looking forward to having my "stuff" that has been in storage for 10 months.... my books and photo albums especially!

Here is a sneak peak at my favorite thing... my fancy mirrors in the bathroom!

We'll schedule the house warming party as soon as the pool is finished in a few weeks.

Talking myself into Biden fo VP...

I waited anxiously for my text message on the VP choice but the big secret was out to the press Friday night before I got my message from the Obama campaign. I just feel disappointed by the pick. I was hoping for a grand announcement and this just feels safe and defensive. Not sure who I was hoping for but the other candidates Sebelius, Kaine & Bayh all seemed more consistent with the themes for the campaign.

With that said, I'm trying to talk myself into it. On the positive side, the choice of Biden suggests Obama is a man not afraid to be surrounded by heavy hitters and experts in their fields - that is leadership at its best. Biden certainly helps with the foreign policy credibility for the ticket. No one could argue that he is unprepared to be president with experience as the former chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the current chair of the Senate Foreign Services Committee. Hopefully Biden will be better at attacking McCain than Obama – he’s certainly not afraid to say what’s on his mind. And supposedly Biden polls well with the lost Hillary demographic (older white women) and he loves to talk and should be quick at debating. But Obama's brand of “Change” is strong and choosing Biden helps fill his weaknesses. One article I read online claimed Biden is to Obama as Al Gore was to Bill Clinton. The outsider candidate needs an insider to serve as an “ambassador” to official DC politicos giving a sense of legitimacy for fellow insiders.

I no longer really believe Obama can win in November. I wish I lived in an America that was ready for this man to lead. I sit at work and listen to people who are otherwise smart spread lies about how he wants slave reparations, how he is a Muslim, how he will double your taxes, how he is elitist and unqualified, and how he is the anti-christ. And they really believe that crap. Obama is brilliant, humble, realistic, and honest about how hard this job would be and still willing to fight for it. We could use a little humility to rebuild our credibility globally. Instead we are going down a path toward 4 more years of Bush thanks to the effective fear tactics of the Republican party.

Cancer fucking sucks

Julia Fruits Montgomery: Mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend to so many, and my friend has lost her heroic fight with cancer. Julia you are and will always be an inspiration to me through the way you chose to live, love and appreciate the joy of life. Thank you for being my friend and for all of the fun times we spent together. You touched so many people in your short time with us. I feel honored to have shared some of your time. I'm glad you are not hurting any longer. I love and honor you. And I'm going to miss you soo soo soo much. Here are a few of my favorite photos of our time together.