Random...

I am sitting in my office with sweat literally running off me (already an enticing picture I know) thinking to myself what the hell is going on? I didn't used to buy into this whole global warming thing but sitting in near 90 degree weather in almost October has me turning into a believer. The average high in Colorado on this very day is 70...yet today's high will be 88. It'll be nice for volleyball tonight but right now in my non-air conditioned house it is down right stifling.

Not sure if everyone across the country is seeing these new Mormon commercials but I am telling you what they are one good push away from converting me (OK just joking on that one but close). All of the commercials start off with, Hi I'm adventurous, daring, life saving and successful...and I'm a Mormon. I'm not sure if the LDS church has lost all it's followers but one last TV commercial team but man oh man can they make something (that I normally wouldn't think would be) sound appealing.


I thought this was a good point. While watching a special on education in this country or better yet the lack there of, the director of the Harlem Schools stated the obvious in better words than I ever could. He said "We are the only super power left in the world, the only ones with the big bombs sanctioned by the UN yet we aren't even in the top 10 for education...not the top 20 either. We are in fact the 27th in the world...and this doesn't seem to scare the hell out of anyone else?!?!?" Too true, 70% of 8th graders can't read at a junior high level. Wow! I agree with Bill Cosby...we have failed our youth.

Another interesting factoid for those who care, 2009 marks the lowest marriages recorded in 100 years. So this could either mean that with the failing economy people are choosing not to get married or given the factoid above...they simply can't read the census to mark it correctly.

Austin, J and I went to the humane society this weekend to walk around and look at the animals...it was free cat weekend and they were literally giving away kittens so I am dang lucky that there was such a long line or I would have at least one of those sitting here with me now. But the part about the trip that was so odd was that twice J and I were approached by separate ladies telling us that they had seen us at lunch before, one was from months ago. Each of them stated that Austin was just so memorable that they couldn't forget her face. Good to know that if she is ever kid snatched people in the mall will point her out and say that she actually belongs to me.

It's Friday

Whelp from my silence you should be able to tell that I'm angry again. I should come to expect that since we are running this type of business that I should just stay angry but it's hard and it wears on me.

The latest in our ongoing saga of drama. The zoning commission in Colorado Springs is trying to implement regulations that state that dispensaries can't be within 1000 feet of schools, churches, synagogues, mosques or day cares. Now I know from the initial reading that this might sound like a good idea and we won't even be affected if this does pass. So you may ask why I'm angry in the first place?

Here's a breakdown of some of what I see wrong with this regulation.

• They are comparing us to other vice industries like alcohol and sexually based businesses. We are not a vice business anymore than the local pharmacy, it takes a doctor's recommendation to obtain our product so if you have issues with the validity of the recommendations that sounds more like an discussion for the medical review board than the zoning commission.
• All facilities are locked door, once buzzed in you must show your paperwork in order to even see the medicine. This is not the case in a Wal-Greens pharmacy where the drugs are displayed in the open and freely allow anyone to walk in.
• Churches are up in arms with facilities being the current 400 feet away stating that it distracts from their message, how so? Can't someone who is sick take medication and still attend church? One argument that I have heard is that this is a moral delimma that the churches are facing because this particular form of medicine is still considered federally illegal. Near as I can figure morality has nothing to do with the constitution or the federal laws or things like abortion would be illegal. But instead it is allowed by the laws that the churches are now throwing at us, I would think churches in general would be the first to eliminate the word association of "moral" and "federal law".
• I do agree that signage should not include the product on it, but that's just because we don't want to look like we live in Amsterdam. Work on that zoning.

As far as I am concerned children in a daycare directly next door to one of these businesses would be safer, with the 24/7 surveillance and locked doors than they are of the McDonald's on the corner. Even though like I said this law wouldn't affect us, how long until one of their hair brained ideas does? If the 1000 foot rule replaces the current 400 foot rule it would close down 60 of the 170 open dispensaries. Keep in mind all of us have already paid our $10,000-$35,000 in state license fees and would not be able to reopen at a new location until the year moritorium passes.

The latest sports drama

I have to admit when I first heard about the latest sports drama, I too made the assumptions that the media played into.

For those that haven't heard the NFL and specifically the NY Jets organization is in hot water for sexual harassment charges against a female reporter. Now when I first read the allegations it sounded more like the reporter was looking for attention and some press for her network affiliation. However, I watched an interview with her on The Today show and it completely changed my mind.

She never filed the complaint herself, and actually stated that she didn't even hear what was said about her in the locker room or on the field during practice. Her camera crew and another media group were present and caught on camera what was said and done towards her (blatant sexual references and all) and turned it all in as a complaint against the team. Now keep in mind she is BEAUTIFUL and wears what would be called provocative clothing, although she says she is not looking to appear provocative but rather feels pretty in what she wears. I don't recall there being a dress code on football teams so I can't say she is in any violation and from what I can tell if she knows a fair amount about sports (which I can assume she does because she has been doing this for 8 years, but she reports for a Spanish speaking TV station so I can't understand her reports) and she's easy on the eyes, which I am sure attracts people to watch her interviews I don't believe she has done anything wrong.

Obviously now she is under fire for dressing inappropriately for a reporter and bringing this upon herself, which is insane to me because if her TV Station is fine with it then we can sure as hell teach full grown adults to treat her with respect no mater what she's wearing.

Here's her outfit the day in question...her response was "Well everyone else was wearing jeans too...". Just something to keep in the back of your mind, she is married and has three children and quite apparently a successful modeling career.

Capable

I ran in the Race for a Cure on Sunday at Garden of the Gods. While I was lined up waiting to take off I found myself looking around at everyone standing next to me and it finally hit me...I am a runner now. I remember the first couple of races this year and how out of place I felt, I looked on at the other "athletes" and thought to myself...someday. Well here I am running 5K's before breakfast and then racing home to host a football party. It also got me to thinking about the experiences that I have had this summer not just the races (although there has been a lot of those) but also starting up a new business, building out software and websites. Designing business logos, cards and baseball jerseys and it got me to thinking....if I could be called one thing as a Mom, girlfriend, friend, engineer, business owner and a women what would that be? Standing in my new running shoes on Sunday it become apparent that above all else I would like to be considered "capable". Have you ever been around someone that is doing something and you have no doubt in your mind that they will complete, whether it be painting a tall ceiling or riding a motorcycle off a jump, there is a different feeling that you get as an on-looker when you believe the person in front of you is capable of completing their task. Whereas you have the opposite feeling when you truly don't think they'll make it and your stomach is swirling just wishing that they would get off the ladder.

So here's to my daughter looking at me one day and thinking to herself...my mom's got this. :-)