1.

Obama school speech controversy – someone in the comments of my Examiner article thinks that anyone who find Obama’s speech controversial should be sterilized.  Then he spelled “our” wrong while pointing out how dumb people are.

2.

A friend of mine’s daughter is in the hospital.  Keep her in your prayers!

3.

Not only will the IRS be enforcing the healthcare mandate should Obamacare go through, but the IRS will be sharing your private financial data with  whatever new bureaucracy springs up to manage costs.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t want the IRS anywhere NEAR my healthcare decisions.

Remember that movie, The Pursuit of Happyness, with Will Smith?  Remember HOW he ended up homeless?  The IRS seized his bank account, leaving him $21.  Do you think the IRS will care whether you’d rather buy groceries than pay your healthcare premium?  Don’t kid yourself.

4.

Mr R is on a restricted diet – no food colors, MSG, artificial sweeteners, BHA, BHT, or TBHQ.  Some of those chemicals have been banned in Europe and deemed unfit for the food supply.  What you may not know is that major food companies have removed tartarizine – yellow #5, and other chemicals from European versions of the food while continuing to put them American’s food!  MomsRising.org has a petition for Kraft to make the European version of Mac N Cheese available stateside, too.  The whole site looks good, but I haven’t had time to go through it.

5.

T.K. and Deidrea Laux loved their son.  They found out before birth that he had Trisomy 13 and may live mere hours past birth.  They loved him fiercely for every minute of his life.  They chose not to terminate the pregnancy, because he was their son, and have graciously shared their story.

From Diedrea’s blog:

My sweet baby boy –

When I woke up this morning you began moving around in my belly. As usual, you stuck your butt in the top of your safe home and when your daddy started talking to you, you moved around as if trying to get closer to him.

Every morning you are the first thought of my day and the last thought before I go to sleep. I wish it could be like this forever – you safe in my belly.

But the doctors say one day soon you’ll have to leave your safe place and face life without the support my body has provided you for the last seven months.

I am so scared to lose your and to not feel you move inside me. You have brought so much joy to my life. How do I tell you goodbye? How do I wake up without you?

6.

I just discovered John Scalzi’s essay on Being Poor.  So true.

I’d add a couple of things.

Being poor is knowing the water company will let you go 90 days past due, but the electric company must be paid no more than 11 days after the due date.  And paying a $25 late fee every month.

Being poor is buying Christmas presents at Goodwill, but only on half price day.  And feeling hopeless when that $3 bike gets stolen.

Being poor is hiding the Scotch tape because it’s a luxury.

Being poor is living in a motel, and almost dying of  embarrassment when a visiting family member sits in the only chair – which has 3 legs.

Being poor is washing your only cooking vessel in the bathtub, because there is no kitchen.

Being poor is letting the toddler play in the bathtub all day on Thursday, because payday is Friday and there are no diapers.

Being poor is biting your tongue when the landlord lays a plastic runner over the bathroom carpet instead of fixing the leaky toilet because you don’t want to get evicted.  And having weird house rules, like you have to put your shoes on before you go potty.

Being poor is being relieved that your husband’s second job is at a buffet restaurant that lets employees take what they want after closing.  Otherwise, what would you eat?

Being poor is giving your can opener to a family even worse off than you are, and having your husband think that it is a truly heroic act.

Being poor is knowing deep inside which material goods are mere trifles, and also knowing what things endure.

7.

I was reading a healthy food blog, and she mentioned her five favorite foods.  Then she noted that her choices were actual foods (avocados, kale) not dishes (like pizza or cheeseburgers) like others mentioned.  Interesting!

What are your five favorite foods (single ingredients)?

Mine are:

Avocados (man, I could eat them all day!)

Tea (yes, I drink it without sugar, usually)

Peanut butter (yeah, I’ve been known to eat it straight out of the jar.  And then maybe sprinkly chocolate chips on the spoon.)

Cherry tomatoes (warm off the vine)

bacon (mmm… bacon)

And a bacon avocado sandwich?  Heaven!

For more Quick Takes, check out Conversion Diary.