Photo dump

September is about new schedules and new schools and no time for blogging. So here's some pics instead.

Family hike on Labor Day weekend to a waterfall in the 'Daks.

Waiting for the bus the first day of Kindergarten.

On the bus.....

Stuffing scarecrows at the Harvest Festival.

Birthday party for Brittany the pig. (the candles are carrots)

Dream a little dream for me

If someone had asked me during the long job hunt last year:
"Amy, what would be your dream job?"
I would have responded:
"I'd like to work in Payroll/HR for a big company. Not doing the hiring and counseling stuff, but managing benefits, keeping the paychecks accurate, maintaining the payroll records. I liked doing that in D.C., although the three unions and weekly payroll was sometimes stressful. But where, oh where, is there a job like that in the sparsely populated North Country?"

This week, there is an opening at my bank with a job description that pretty much matches everything I want to do. Every single thing listed in the "Major Responsibilities" is something that I already have experience in.

There are some obstacles though. It's a good paygrade, which means that everyone who's been putting in time as Tellers or in Data Entry will be interested. And technically, they're only looking for one year of experience in accounting/HR. So many people will meet the minimum qualifications. I would be very doubtful if there's anyone with as much Payroll experience as me, but someone with a little experience who's been with the company longer may get a chance to ahead of me. So I'm trying to relax about it and not start cleaning out my cubicle yet. But I really, really, really want it.

Political links

I'm trying to take the high road and not spend much time on the Uber-liberal Daily Kos, but I have to thank them for pointing out this poster.

Other sites I can't stop visiting are:
538 -An excellent site on polls. Even better now that I can look at the electoral map without cringing.
Mudflats -a political blog from someone who follows Alaska politics
Comics Curmudgeon on Wonkette -fun with Editorial cartoons!
TPM and Huffington Post - also ultra-liberal, but I can't resist.
Wake-up -Dan's spot for ranting
I was also sucked into a massive post on Metafilter with 5000 comments and hundreds of links that went up the day of Palin's selection. I won't link to it, just cause it's taking a few minutes to load at this point. But it was an incredible time waster for about two weeks.

Plus, I'm tuned into XM's POTUS channel every day. Although they have a Republican strategist on every morning, and I sometimes have to attack the radio to turn it off. I try to hear their side, but there always comes a point when I can't stomach the lies/smears/contempt for my intelligence any longer.

Donovan's review

The review of Dan's new restaurant was in the paper today. They haven't posted it online yet, but here's my favorite snippet.

"Upscale" doesn't have to mean "intimidating". The restaurant has a relaxed look and feel, a professional yet personable wait staff and a chef who definately knows what he's doing.

Also:

Applewood bacon-wrapped filet of pork was exceptional, with a smooth, smoked flavor, moistened with a sauce of caramelized onions. It was served with fried mac and cheese, an updated preparation of an old favorite, absolutely complementing the dish.

New York Strip - It was a generous portion of top-quality meat, cooked perfectly and topped with brandy mushroom sauce. An interesting and yummy side, a piece of potato pie made with bacon, cheddar and scallion, was a nice touch.

I need to congratulate Donovan and Dana for getting everything right. Dan's been so much happier since he started working there, but he's really going to be flying high after getting this public praise. 4 1/2 forks out of five. Great job!!

Pro-Choice

Imagine you're a jury in a John Grisham novel. The Prosecutor has just unleashed a tirade that seems to damn the defendant, only to have the judge rule that it's all inadmissible. And of course, you, as a juror, are told to forget everything you've just heard. Yeah, right.

That's how this Palin thing feels for me now. Since Friday night I've been caught up in reading every detail or rumor that's been dredged up. But today, I gave myself a big slap on the head to remind me that "Hello, I'm a liberal feminist. What Palin CHOOSES to do during her pregancy is none of my business. How she decides to balance her family responsibilies and her job are none of my business. If I'm going to laud Biden for not quitting his job over increased family responsibilities, then I can't expect Palin to turn down a once in a lifetime opportunity just because of a messy family life."

That's my public opinion. How I feel in private is another matter. And I probably won't be able to stop trying to work out if the Religious Right's public statements of support may be different from the private thoughts they'll have in the voter's booth. They tend to not be as enlightened about feminist issues as me.

That said, here is a long list of reasons that Palin is bad for women, bad for our country and just a horrible, horrible choice.

Wants to have schools teach abstinence only.
Wants schools to teach creationism.
Tried to fire a librarian for not banning books.
Supported the bridge to Nowhere.
Supported indicted Senator Ted Stevens.
She continually injects God into Government.
She doesn't believe that human activity causes global warming.

You know there's more than that. I can't even imagine how much more will come out in the next few days. But I'm going to try very, very, very hard to NOT make this a big election about small things.