Queen of the Girl Geeks

A nation turns its lonely eyes to you...

After watching hours and hours of Inauguration coverage today I'm trying to be optimistic. I like Barack Obama. I think he's a good man, a good father and a good person. He and Michelle would be great neighbors. I'd love to play Trivial Pursuit with them, although I am sure I'd lose. He's a charismatic speaker with a passionate voice and he moves people which is good.

But what about running the country? Can he find sense in the mess that we've created for ourselves. The poor economy, the war in Iraq, the environment, health care, the list goes on. Although I was never a big fan of George dubya, I'm smart enough to realize that the President is not responsible for all our failures. The President's job is to lead and inspire and to keep the country in one piece. But we also play a big role. We can't just allow our leaders decide our fate. We need to stand up for what we believe in and change the world for the better instead of burying our heads in the sand and hoping for the best.

So I end today with cautious optimism and the hope that President Obama can lead us toward a better world. But I also have that little nagging in the back of my head...that small bit of negativity, that not even a good man can bring us back from the mess that we're in...that ultimately it's up to us to change the world. Then again...maybe that's exactly what Barack Obama wants us to do.

And I can't get this song out of my head...

And here's to you, Mrs. Robinson
Jesus loves you more than you will know (Wo, wo, wo)
God bless you please, Mrs. Robinson
Heaven holds a place for those who pray
(Hey, hey, hey...hey, hey, hey)

We'd like to know a little bit about you for our files
We'd like to help you learn to help yourself
Look around you, all you see are sympathetic eyes
Stroll around the grounds until you feel at home

And here's to you, Mrs. Robinson
Jesus loves you more than you will know (Wo, wo, wo)
God bless you please, Mrs. Robinson
Heaven holds a place for those who pray
(Hey, hey, hey...hey, hey, hey)

Hide it in a hiding place where no one ever goes
Put it in your pantry with your cupcakes
It's a little secret, just the Robinsons' affair
Most of all, you've got to hide it from the kids

Coo, coo, ca-choo, Mrs Robinson
Jesus loves you more than you will know (Wo, wo, wo)
God bless you please, Mrs. Robinson
Heaven holds a place for those who pray
(Hey, hey, hey...hey, hey, hey)

Sitting on a sofa on a Sunday afternoon
Going to the candidates debate
Laugh about it, shout about it
When you've got to choose
Ev'ry way you look at it, you lose

Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio
A nation turns its lonely eyes to you (Woo, woo, woo)
What's that you say, Mrs. Robinson
Joltin' Joe has left and gone away
(Hey, hey, hey...hey, hey, hey)

Simon And Garfunkel Mrs Robinson Lyrics

How cold is it in Cleveland, OH?

Well from where I'm sitting it's about 7 degrees. Now that's cold! How cold it is in your neighborhood? Is your mail box frozen shut? Is your tongue sticking to a metal pole? Do your feet freeze walking to your car? Tell us how cold you are right now!

The proceeds from this lens are being donated to...what else! Polar Bears International

How cold is it in your town? Start a Twitter Storm to find out!

10 Things I Want To Accomplish In 2009

1. Lose the baby weight - OK, my baby is now 2 but I really want to lose those 15 extra pounds that seemed to have creeped up on me since I got pregnant. I also need to get into better shape. So I am doing 2 things. I joined the "Y" and am going to swim and I also have a Wii Fit which I need to actually use. I bought it for myself last April with the intention of using it every day. Now my husband uses it everyday! Well he'll just have to share now!
2. Make more money working at home - I am really dedicated to being a stay-at-home-mom. I just need to get more focused. I already have a great gigs with both Squidoo and Zazzle, I just need to ramp it up a bit. I'm actually really impressed that you can make a living working at home. My goal is at least $30,000/yr by the end of 2010.
3. Give back - I already donate a portion of my Squidoo royalties to charity and I just recently started with KIVA and I love it! It's a great concept. You loan people $25 at a time so that they can start and improve their businesses. Then when they pay it back you can loan it to someone else. There is a slight risk of default but it's worth it!
4. Andrews Alum work- Continue to work on and improve the Andrews Alumnae Association website. So if you're an Andrews Alum spread the word about the website!
5. Home Improvement - I really need/want a new kitchen. It's just a matter of getting the work done which is a big pain in the butt. Our house was built in 1928 so it's hard to get things to work right. Nothing is standard in this house. We had new windows and a front door put in this year and the guy couldn't believe how "weird" our house was. HELLO! It was built in 1928!
6. Lose the technology once in a while - I have a love/hate relationship with technology. I accidentally got on board back in 1993 and it's been ruling my life ever since. I am way "over-connected". It doesn't help that my husband is also a computer geek. I really would love to have a "no computer" day once a week but that is not going to happen so my goal is to at least walk away for a 4-6 hour block of time on the weekend. The funny thing is that I feel my most productive while online. I am either working, connecting with people or having fun so maybe it's not so bad to check my e-mail every half hour! Keep in mind that I have not gone iPhone yet although I want one. While I am out of the house I don't check my e-mail at all so I know once I go down that path it's all over!
7. Potty Training - I want to try and get my daughter potty trained by summer!
8. Disney - We'd really like to take a family vacation to Disney next Christmas but seeing as how I hate to fly it might be a long week. I would much rather drive though. I really want to go to the Animal Kingdom and swim with the dolphins...but I'm not going unless I get that iPhone!
9. Go Vegan - Here's another love/hate relationship. I like the idea of going vegan but I'm not sure I give up hamburgers, tacos, chicken sandwiches...On the one had it would help me with goal #1 because I am sure I would eat less. Also the idea of processed meat kinds makes me sick so we'll have to see how this one plays out.
10. Organize my photos - I would love to get all my old photos scanned and burned to DVD.

That's it...10 reasonable things I'd like to accmplish this year. We'll see how it goes! Happy New Year!