Musings on Music

First off, I have a deep dark secret. I am a Hannah Montana fan. Actually, it's not a secret because I'm not nearly as ashamed as I probably should be. That being said, I give the credit to the marketing geniuses of Disney, not to any extraordinary talent of her own.

Taylor Swift is different. If I could be anyone in the world besides myself for a week, I just might pick Taylor. Aside from her gorgeous looks, curly hair, and fun music to belt out during my Wednesday commutes, I think she is very talented. She writes her own songs and plays the guitar. For one so young, she seems to be quite mature. I really do respect her as a person in addition to loving her music.

Yet, I admit the part of me that loves her best is the part of me that secretly wants to wear a princess dress and run around the house dancing and singing at the top of my lungs. Her newest song "Love Story" is my favorite Taylor Swift song yet. I was belting it out tonight, twirling in the kitchen in between stirring the pasta and nuking the bacon. [Don't tell my husband or he'll know that's what took me so long to make dinner!] Taylor, here's to you!

Oh Say Where Is Truth? And....hope?

So I have decided to be a good citizen and become more politically involved or at least aware. My first step was to re-register to vote since moving into a new precinct (and re-register my husband whether he likes it or not). Next, I started trying to learn more about the political candidates. I started frequenting news websites and cable networks and actually read the political forwards sent in hoards to my inbox. I tried to learn of each candidate's policies and understand their views. I tried to learn of each person's character and determine whether he or she would each be a good leader for our country. I compared all of this to what I believe and what I would like in a president. Here is what I have learned:

I hate politics. Everybody lies! Everybody. All of the candidates from both parties. Everyone flip-flips. Everyone is vague and when anyone does say anything solid, there's a good chance they may go back on it just days later. I listened to someone at work rant and rave about how the Obama campaign is being smeared unfairly by the McCain campaign. My aunt's political forwards insinuate Obama's campaign is doing the same to McCain's. I also hate that the politics have to be this way. I'm not so naive as to think a candidate would probably win without a little bit of schmoozing or a little bit of fibbing and a heck of a lot of mud-slinging. But I hate that it is that way.

So where does that leave me? I have no idea what is true and what is false. I don't know which candidate to believe. I don't know which candidate to trust. Probably neither but I have to vote for someone! I find myself becoming more and more cynical as I question every news story I hear, every email I read, every conversation I overhear about politics. "Oh say, where is truth??"

And not just truth. But hope. The economy is in a bad way. I'm quite disturbed by the fact that the government has been handing out loans to the business giants as if these loans represented a few dollars' worth of food stamps. I don't know that our nation can handle this kind of debt but I don't know that we could afford to lose that many jobs either. How are we ever going to get out of this mess? It sure makes me feel hopeless too.

And then I realize how silly I am. I need not "wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east...run to and fro to seek the [truth], and shall not find it" (Amos 8:12). Even when I feel like young Joseph that everyone is "entirely lost in a strife of words and a contest about opinions" about what is best for our country, I know I can find the truth just like that 14-year-old boy. Truth is in the Lord's word. I can study the scriptures and apply them to the things that find in the world of politics. But even better than that, I can ask the Lord which is right. Even though, "none of them" is probably right, at least He can guide me to the best choice possible. And of course in this faith in God is also the place to find hope. I don't know how we'll work through this economic dearth, but I can still have peace. Somehow everything will work out. "But if not" I can still have peace.

Brigadoon

I must first admit that I've neither seen nor read Brigadoon. But I think I get the concept. Brigadoon to me was Progress Mfg. I worked there to get a little experience (and income) while going to school. My good friend and former coworker sent word that a second round of layoffs occurred today, and he isn't one of the survivors. This kind of thing really does happen all of the time, especially in an economy doing as well as ours. But there is something intrinsically sad to me about a struggling company, and this goes deeper than that. Tonight I realized I can't return again to my Brigadoon. Ironically I was going to visit Progress on Friday for the first time in over a year. So this is how Tommy must've felt.

Progress Mfg isn't something that matters to very many people, but I can tell you it matters to me. And I would think to anybody who has worked there. It was truly something special--an anomaly of the business world. Maybe not perfect, but as close as any place could ever get. Everyone's ideas were valued, whether coming from an executive or a welder. Everyone was given the chance to voice those opinions, and everyone was appreciated and recognized for their efforts. I felt empowered and fulfilled as an employee. I felt safe to take risks and make mistakes. The very best part, however, was the people. Never have a worked with such genuinely good people. Knowing that, makes it even harder to hear that so many of them have been laid off.

Though fleeting, I was glad to catch even a glimpse of Brigadoon.

Passionate about Cooking

Cooking does matter in the sense that somebody has to do it or we'll all die. Or eat grass. Sick. But I do definitely have a passion for it. Food, generally speaking, will probably be mentioned frequently on this blog. After fasting all day, I decided to have a pretty good dinner. We had a beef stir-fry recipe that we just love (my mom gave it to me, but I think it's from an old Betty Crocker cookbook). I got distracted (setting up my blog, actually), so the sauce evaporated a little more than usual. It was thicker but still nice and flavorful. To drink I tried a recipe from this silly non-alcoholic drinks pamphlet-like book I inherited from my grandmother. It was this minty lemonade drink consisting of lemonade and a little mint extract. Really tasty! Then, to finish it all off, I attempted individual molten chocolate cakes. This is my fourth attempt, I'm ashamed to say. All other attempts have resulted in tasty "brownies" with no molten center. But hooray because tonight they were super-liquid in the middle! Then I dumped some sweetened raspberries on top with a hint of raspberry extract. Mmmmmmm...... I admit I'm feeling quite pleased with my cooking tonight. Being an eperimental chef (with no professional training), things can be a bit hit or miss in the kitchen. Tonight was definitely a hit.

My First Post

Today I decided to start a blog. I've been a little hesitant, fighting the urge to move into the mainstream. It's a feeling I've fought for as long as I can remember. Anyone who knows me would realize that I also have the urge to talk, type, or anything that resembles communicating--an urge which I usually choose not to fight. So here I am. This is all pretty new to me, but hopefully I'll improve with time. The colors are ugly. Don't worry, I know. My ability to coordinate is limited, so I should probably focus on matching my clothes before I do so for my blog.