here are the rules:
-post who tagged you with a link to their blog
-post these rules on your blog
-write 10 random things about yourself!
-tag some friends!
my lovely wife, elizabeth kirkby, tagged me.
10 random things about me
1. people are surprised when they find out i'm a native texan. most people guess i'm from new york or chicago with mob connections. not sure why since there are plenty of mob connections to be had in texas. /shrug.
2. i plan on starting a world-wide cause to abolish capitalization. capitals are evil creations meant to supress creativity and exacerbate repetitive stress conditions. it's a well known fact that saddam hussein, benito musolini and adolph hitler all used capitals frequently. join my cause and FIGHT THE POWAH!!!11!one!
3. i sometimes make up causes just to be hypocritical.
4. i've recently gotten interested in getting fit. i stumbled across a secret, simple and effective fitness program that the sherpa in the mountains of tibet have been using for centuries. it's a two step program: 1) eat less! and 2) exercise!. i've lost weight, but my main goal is to compete in the olympics. i read that michael phelps eats up to 20,000 calories a day and i figured that's the kind of program i could get behind!
seriously tho, a long-term goal of entering a challenging physical competition is the only motivation that would really work for me since i'm not vain enough to consistently work out just to look good. (or maybe i'm so vain that i think i look good no matter what, i can't decide).
5. i'm a geek. i've been trying to share some of the richness of geek culture via this blog with my much acclaimed and award winning series "internet cultural studies". i first realized i was a geek back in jr. high school when i would read "lord of the rings" yearly and even joined a science fiction/fantasy book club trying to find stories as good as tolkien's (which i never did, btw). my geekhood was fully exposed, however, when we got our first computer and my brother and i would amuse ourselves by teaching ourselves how to program it.
we used to tell each other that we were going to "make geek cool". i'd say mission accomplished! our next goal is to tackle whirled peas (think "world peace" only easier to manage). i'll keep you updated on the progress.
6. i love my wife's smile. i also love her ability to cut through crap and get to the heart of the matter. i wouldn't say my wife is without tact, because tactless people aren't aware of their tactless nature, but my wife will often choose to forgoe tact in situations where others might deem it prudent.
my wife's smile and straight forward manner one time combined to create an embarrassing moment that's kinda funny.
our stake president (president draper) was speaking at our ward one time. he began his remarks, as he often does, by expressing his love for our ward and ward members. he personalized his devotion a bit by calling out people by name. he mentioned something about "sister kirkby's smiling face". i leaned over to my wife and said "is he hitting on you?!" and laughed at my slightly irreverent joke. my wife half-smiled and rolled her eyes at me (something i see a lot of).
later i was walking down the hall past president draper and he slaps me on the arm and says "HEY!" i greeted him "hullo president" and he looks me in the eye and sternly says "i was NOT hitting on your wife!"
i'm all "um.. wha? cha.. er..." then i composed myself and said "how did you HEAR that?!"
with a firm grip on my arm, he smiled and said "your wife told me." i stammered for a bit longer then sheepishly apologized while he was laughing the whole time at my discomfort.
so, yah, i love my wife's smile.
7. i'm very interested in economics. i realized my interest here was abnormal when i found myself, still in high school, reading college economic text books for fun. i sometimes wonder if i should have gone to school and studied economics instead of stumbling into the software development arena. anyone else who is interested in the subject, i recommend starting with "the road to serfdom" by f.a. hayek or anything by milton friedman.
8. i love kids. being the youngest of two, i was never around kids growing up and i was frankly more afraid of them than they were of me. especially babies. they seem so fragile and i was always afraid i was gonna break them. when i had kids of my own, i realized how bouncy they are and how much fun they can be. i love trying to figure out ways to make kids think and explore.
9. i like dogs even though i once had my earlobe bitten off by a german shepard.
10. i have a deep respect for people serving in the military. that respect is deepened by the fact that these people are serving in the military of the United States of America. our military, plainly and simply, is a force for good around the world.
anyone who tries to sell a line that America uses it's military for imperialist aims shows an appalling ignorance of history. if someone tries to get you to buy that bs, do them a favor and slap them upside the head while encouraging them to read up on the roman empire, portuguese empire, ottoman empire or even the british empire.
the overly paranoid argue that america uses it's military to further our interests around the globe and therefore this is "imperialistic." that's the beauty of america! our interests around the globe are furthered by spreading democracy and freedom into the dark places that reject these basic human rights. when your own interests are served by making sure the interests of others are served, i believe that's what we call a win-win scenario.
and while we are on this note, let me say a word or two about the iraq war. if someone tells you that we never should have gone into iraq, ask them what they thought about our military conquering of kosovo. more often than not, the same people who kvetch about iraq were enthusiastically supporting kosovo. we went into kosovo ONLY for humanitarian reasons while we went into iraq for three reasons: a) humanitarian, b) violation of un sanctions and c) saddam's iraq supported terrorism.
most opposition to the iraq war is simply partisan politics. the mantra is "say NO to war (unless my guy is in office)" and it's really not worth listening to.
now see what you've done? you got me rambling and now people are getting bored and wondering if i'm going to ever write about bella and edward again. so let that be the last random thought about me.
um, now i guess i'm supposed to tag some other people.
k, so i choose my wife's cousin mitzi mcbride cause hers is one of the few mom blogs in my reader and her husband runs(ran a?) marathons (which is cool).
and #2, i choose my sister-in-law katherine kenney because we have the same birthday (may 27th for those that want to send gifts) and i think she's training for a marathon (which is cool) but i'm not sure cause she won't answer my facebook questions.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
how obama got elected
one thing that was clear during this campaign was that the media was very instrumental in getting obama elected. there is a "cult of personality" around the man that makes it so many people refuse to see anything that might be of concern about him, no matter how true the point of concern may be.
i had a discussion right after the election with an obama supporter who emphatically told me "barak obama *IS* the greatest president of [his] lifetime!" this is a man who is 60 years old, teaches college and has considered himself an independent voter his whole life.
i was a bit shocked at his insistence about how great obama *IS* as a president since obama hasn't actually done anything yet (as president or even as senator or even as state senator).
in our conversation, my friend asked me what i thought about sarah palin whom he clearly didn't like and/or thought was a joke. i wasn't surprised because if you saw the media coverage of palin, you knew the media wasn't impressed with her. she appeared to have less than stellar performances in 2 interviews where the most unflattering excerpts were replayed tirelessly. i told my friend that i like palin because a) she has a huge record as a reformer against oil lobbyists and even against her own party in alaska and b) she wasn't a career politician or washington insider.
my friend looked pensive as if he had never thought about those things and then said puzzingly, "i wonder why they didn't really stress those points about her during the campaign?!"
"yeah, that's a very good question", i told him and waited for him to see the obvious. then i prodded him by asking "how were they supposed to get that message out?"
he immediately replied with an ethereal "they just need to say it and it'll get reported."
once again i was a bit shocked. clearly my friend hasn't learned to be skeptical of the media filter that gets applied to all issues (especially political issues) and as a result it was just puzzling to him why the republicans didn't stress sarah palins record as a reformer. the obvious to me is that it was the media who swept her record under the rug as they focused on things like her wardrobe and pregnant daughter.
i did get my friend to admit that the media did "seem to lean a bit for obama" which i considered to be a huge understatement but at least it was something to work with.
in that vein, there is a forthcoming documentary about this very issue entitled Media Malpractice... How Obama Got Elected. the trailer has to be seen to be believed. make sure to look at the zogby poll results as well.
(p.s. yes, i have concerns about an obama presidency based on his rhetorical record. you have to based any predictions of an obama presidency on his rhetorical record because he has no legislative record to speak of. his rhetorical record, however, should be a point of concern to everyone. i'll expound more on this subject in another post.)
i had a discussion right after the election with an obama supporter who emphatically told me "barak obama *IS* the greatest president of [his] lifetime!" this is a man who is 60 years old, teaches college and has considered himself an independent voter his whole life.
i was a bit shocked at his insistence about how great obama *IS* as a president since obama hasn't actually done anything yet (as president or even as senator or even as state senator).
in our conversation, my friend asked me what i thought about sarah palin whom he clearly didn't like and/or thought was a joke. i wasn't surprised because if you saw the media coverage of palin, you knew the media wasn't impressed with her. she appeared to have less than stellar performances in 2 interviews where the most unflattering excerpts were replayed tirelessly. i told my friend that i like palin because a) she has a huge record as a reformer against oil lobbyists and even against her own party in alaska and b) she wasn't a career politician or washington insider.
my friend looked pensive as if he had never thought about those things and then said puzzingly, "i wonder why they didn't really stress those points about her during the campaign?!"
"yeah, that's a very good question", i told him and waited for him to see the obvious. then i prodded him by asking "how were they supposed to get that message out?"
he immediately replied with an ethereal "they just need to say it and it'll get reported."
once again i was a bit shocked. clearly my friend hasn't learned to be skeptical of the media filter that gets applied to all issues (especially political issues) and as a result it was just puzzling to him why the republicans didn't stress sarah palins record as a reformer. the obvious to me is that it was the media who swept her record under the rug as they focused on things like her wardrobe and pregnant daughter.
i did get my friend to admit that the media did "seem to lean a bit for obama" which i considered to be a huge understatement but at least it was something to work with.
in that vein, there is a forthcoming documentary about this very issue entitled Media Malpractice... How Obama Got Elected. the trailer has to be seen to be believed. make sure to look at the zogby poll results as well.
(p.s. yes, i have concerns about an obama presidency based on his rhetorical record. you have to based any predictions of an obama presidency on his rhetorical record because he has no legislative record to speak of. his rhetorical record, however, should be a point of concern to everyone. i'll expound more on this subject in another post.)
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
TAG
Here are the rules:
-Post who tagged you with a link to their blog
-Post these rules on your blog
-Write 10 random things about yourself!
-Tag some friends!
My friend Kim Brown down the street from me tagged me(y0 wut up Kim!). She has amazing kids and is my mentor in life (starting from the PTA days!). Thanks for tagging me Kim, it was good for me to spend some time thinking of these things. :)
10 Random Things I Love About Me
1. I am a great planner! I hesitate to claim that I am an “organized” person because if you saw my house you'd know that wasn't true. But I can plan great things . . . activities, parties, meetings, schedules. You name it – I'll plan it! It's what I love most about my current calling. I can plan all the RS activities and then delegate it out to a fabulous committee!
2. I've started exercising again. I get up at 7:15 (which is a totally reasonable time for me) and get in my workout clothes. Then the whole family gets up for scripture and prayer at 7:20, Brianne leaves for school at 7:30 and I leave for the gym. Brian helps Hannah get the other kids going and then drops off Hannah and Jackson at school on the way in to town. He then brings the younger 2 girls to meet me in Lehi and we swap vehicles. In the mean-time, I do the treadmill for 35 minutes and hit the weight room for 20 minutes. Afterward, I shower and dress before Brian gets there. It's SO GREAT! It gives me time by myself and by the time I get home at 10 am I have already exercised, showered, and gotten dressed for the day. It helps me feel like I've accomplished something great every day!
3. I am a great cook. Just like anyone, I particularly like it more when I have time and money to do it right. I get frustrated when I am in a rush and/or on a tight budget. This week I am doing a freezer meal swap with 16 other people. I made 16 meals in 2 hours (Hoagies on a bun)! Next week we'll swap them out and I'll get 16 different meals back.
4. I've been told I have a great smile – not sure what else to say about that other than “thanks”! It's always nice to have my husband tell me how much he loves my smile. He says it's the reason he first fell in love with me. (didn't you say that honey? well I think he told me that before!)
5. I love to play video games. Alone or with my family. It's not a new thing, I've always been this way. Right now I play a lot of World of Warcraft, but my latest obsession is Tetris on Facebook. Anyone care to challenge me?
6. I've really been getting into politics lately. My husband has always been passionate about it since I met him, but I think it's really starting to rub off on me. I use to glaze over whenever he'd start in, but now I find myself doing my own reading and investigating into the world of politics. Two particular blogs I have on my google-reader are Power Line Blog and Michelle Malkin. I also like Ann Coulter and of course the conservative talk radio line-ups (Rush, Sean, Glenn, etc . . .). To those of you who are not fond of the conservative leanings – perhaps we can have a good discussion some day :)
7. I love to sing. I started taking it seriously in high school. Not serious enough to go professional or even semi-pro, but enough to know I liked it and wanted to continue. It sometimes feels awkward to volunteer myself to sing at an event, but I found that if I didn't put myself out there, no one ever asked me. I sing alto in a choir, but what I really like to sing is any harmony part. I love to hear a good melody and harmony together.
8. I looooove chocolate. Milk Chocolate is my favorite – dark chocolate and semi-sweet is BLECH! Now that the big Hershey bars are on sale at the grocery store 10 for $10 I had better go shopping with a buddy to keep me under control. Chocolate fondu and homemade fudge = WIN!
9. I love musicals. I need to start putting more of them on my Netflix list and educate my kids. Old time musicals and modern musicals. Last summer Brianne was able to see Wicked – so jealy! Moulin Rouge is one of my all time favorite movies/soundtracks.
10. I have a great family. A fantastic husband and awesome kids. My in-laws are so wonderful and supportive. My parents and siblings, grandparents, cousins, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles . . . /sniff . . . I LOVE YOU ALL! Thanks for your influence, love, and support all my life. I love who I am because you all helped make me ME!
I tag . . .
1. My husband BRAIN KIRKBY, d'oh I mean BRIAN KIRKBY
2. My sister LAURA WHIPPLE
3. My one of my best friends from teen-aged times, HEATHER REDDING.
A note to Heather: I can't figure out how to comment on your blog (she doesn't use blogspot). I R NUB, need help! Hopefully she's reading my blog and will know she's been TAGGED!
-Post who tagged you with a link to their blog
-Post these rules on your blog
-Write 10 random things about yourself!
-Tag some friends!
My friend Kim Brown down the street from me tagged me(y0 wut up Kim!). She has amazing kids and is my mentor in life (starting from the PTA days!). Thanks for tagging me Kim, it was good for me to spend some time thinking of these things. :)
10 Random Things I Love About Me
1. I am a great planner! I hesitate to claim that I am an “organized” person because if you saw my house you'd know that wasn't true. But I can plan great things . . . activities, parties, meetings, schedules. You name it – I'll plan it! It's what I love most about my current calling. I can plan all the RS activities and then delegate it out to a fabulous committee!
2. I've started exercising again. I get up at 7:15 (which is a totally reasonable time for me) and get in my workout clothes. Then the whole family gets up for scripture and prayer at 7:20, Brianne leaves for school at 7:30 and I leave for the gym. Brian helps Hannah get the other kids going and then drops off Hannah and Jackson at school on the way in to town. He then brings the younger 2 girls to meet me in Lehi and we swap vehicles. In the mean-time, I do the treadmill for 35 minutes and hit the weight room for 20 minutes. Afterward, I shower and dress before Brian gets there. It's SO GREAT! It gives me time by myself and by the time I get home at 10 am I have already exercised, showered, and gotten dressed for the day. It helps me feel like I've accomplished something great every day!
3. I am a great cook. Just like anyone, I particularly like it more when I have time and money to do it right. I get frustrated when I am in a rush and/or on a tight budget. This week I am doing a freezer meal swap with 16 other people. I made 16 meals in 2 hours (Hoagies on a bun)! Next week we'll swap them out and I'll get 16 different meals back.
4. I've been told I have a great smile – not sure what else to say about that other than “thanks”! It's always nice to have my husband tell me how much he loves my smile. He says it's the reason he first fell in love with me. (didn't you say that honey? well I think he told me that before!)
5. I love to play video games. Alone or with my family. It's not a new thing, I've always been this way. Right now I play a lot of World of Warcraft, but my latest obsession is Tetris on Facebook. Anyone care to challenge me?
6. I've really been getting into politics lately. My husband has always been passionate about it since I met him, but I think it's really starting to rub off on me. I use to glaze over whenever he'd start in, but now I find myself doing my own reading and investigating into the world of politics. Two particular blogs I have on my google-reader are Power Line Blog and Michelle Malkin. I also like Ann Coulter and of course the conservative talk radio line-ups (Rush, Sean, Glenn, etc . . .). To those of you who are not fond of the conservative leanings – perhaps we can have a good discussion some day :)
7. I love to sing. I started taking it seriously in high school. Not serious enough to go professional or even semi-pro, but enough to know I liked it and wanted to continue. It sometimes feels awkward to volunteer myself to sing at an event, but I found that if I didn't put myself out there, no one ever asked me. I sing alto in a choir, but what I really like to sing is any harmony part. I love to hear a good melody and harmony together.
8. I looooove chocolate. Milk Chocolate is my favorite – dark chocolate and semi-sweet is BLECH! Now that the big Hershey bars are on sale at the grocery store 10 for $10 I had better go shopping with a buddy to keep me under control. Chocolate fondu and homemade fudge = WIN!
9. I love musicals. I need to start putting more of them on my Netflix list and educate my kids. Old time musicals and modern musicals. Last summer Brianne was able to see Wicked – so jealy! Moulin Rouge is one of my all time favorite movies/soundtracks.
10. I have a great family. A fantastic husband and awesome kids. My in-laws are so wonderful and supportive. My parents and siblings, grandparents, cousins, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles . . . /sniff . . . I LOVE YOU ALL! Thanks for your influence, love, and support all my life. I love who I am because you all helped make me ME!
I tag . . .
1. My husband BRAIN KIRKBY, d'oh I mean BRIAN KIRKBY
2. My sister LAURA WHIPPLE
3. My one of my best friends from teen-aged times, HEATHER REDDING.
A note to Heather: I can't figure out how to comment on your blog (she doesn't use blogspot). I R NUB, need help! Hopefully she's reading my blog and will know she's been TAGGED!
Monday, November 10, 2008
Title of Liberty in California
Wow! I am so inspired by my cousins in California! Here is an excerpt from my cousin Charise's blog on their experiences of supporting the Prop-8.
To live in California and be a part of this must feel very daunting (am I using that correctly honey?) You never know who is gonna come out of the woodwork and attack you for your beliefs. But I am so proud of them for overcoming whatever fears they may have had and be willing to stand up strong for what they KNOW is right! BRAVO! Perhaps next time this is on the ballot (and we all know it will be again) I can come out and cheer along with you!
P.S. Sorry Char I stole this from you so quickly and without asking...but thats how amazed I am with you, amy, and your parents! Great Job!
In memory of our god, our freedom and our religion....
We know that there are times when we must stand up and be counted, and that there will be moments when that is difficult. I can only imagine that it will become increasingly more difficult with every passing year. Life gets harder as this world changes. But with those changes also comes the opportunity to grow, and our strength of character to become stronger. . .
I have loved having the opportunity to be a part of something so historical and significant! As I stood out there in the middle of the road holding up my sign, I felt like I was standing up and being counted. I was really there, saying, "This is what I believe, and I am willing to shout it to the world." It was my Title of Liberty moment, and I am so thankful for it.
To live in California and be a part of this must feel very daunting (am I using that correctly honey?) You never know who is gonna come out of the woodwork and attack you for your beliefs. But I am so proud of them for overcoming whatever fears they may have had and be willing to stand up strong for what they KNOW is right! BRAVO! Perhaps next time this is on the ballot (and we all know it will be again) I can come out and cheer along with you!
P.S. Sorry Char I stole this from you so quickly and without asking...but thats how amazed I am with you, amy, and your parents! Great Job!
A new form of abuse
I think we sent Brianne off to school today with a whole new complaint against her parents. I didn't literally hear her say this, but I can imagine it going something like this as she was getting on the bus this morning . . . "My parents are sooooo mean, they made me stay up until almost midnight last night watching old 80's music video's on youtube!!!"
Muahahahaha! It started when Brian and I were in the office discussing the Vocabulary Test results and had the Rick Roll video going on in the background. Brianne comes in and groans at the embarrassing white guy on the monitor. Then she tells her dad how she heard on the radio for the first time "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred. So we watch the video together and laughed at the goofiness of it. Brian then decided we should give our eldest daughter an education on 80's music. Which started a downpour of YouTube searches.
Here are some of artists we looked at. Debbie Gibson, Tiffany, Duran Duran, Billy Idol, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Boy George, Paula Abdul, Men Without Hats, Van Halen, Guns N Roses (not one of my favs). Accckkk! There were so many more, but of course I can't remember now. Brian can add in the one's I've forgotten ... After Brianne went to bed we continued the journey into some of Brian's favorite rapper groups. I wanted to see some Fresh Prince to get some good LOL's. So funny! Brian will have to list the other rappers we checked out since I have no clue what their names were.
So what 80's video's have you looked up lately? What were your favorites. Do your kids like your 80's music? Do they recognize some remakes from back in the day? GOOD STUFF!
...so who here thought they were gonna get rickrolled? NOT!
Muahahahaha! It started when Brian and I were in the office discussing the Vocabulary Test results and had the Rick Roll video going on in the background. Brianne comes in and groans at the embarrassing white guy on the monitor. Then she tells her dad how she heard on the radio for the first time "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred. So we watch the video together and laughed at the goofiness of it. Brian then decided we should give our eldest daughter an education on 80's music. Which started a downpour of YouTube searches.
Here are some of artists we looked at. Debbie Gibson, Tiffany, Duran Duran, Billy Idol, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Boy George, Paula Abdul, Men Without Hats, Van Halen, Guns N Roses (not one of my favs). Accckkk! There were so many more, but of course I can't remember now. Brian can add in the one's I've forgotten ... After Brianne went to bed we continued the journey into some of Brian's favorite rapper groups. I wanted to see some Fresh Prince to get some good LOL's. So funny! Brian will have to list the other rappers we checked out since I have no clue what their names were.
So what 80's video's have you looked up lately? What were your favorites. Do your kids like your 80's music? Do they recognize some remakes from back in the day? GOOD STUFF!
...so who here thought they were gonna get rickrolled? NOT!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Vocabulary Test
WARNING: If you read this, you MUST respond. Your input is vital to the research I am conducting.
One of our favorite pastimes as a married couple is arguing about vocabulary. Without going into detail, I am wanting to know more about you (our readers) and the extent of your own day-to-day vocabulary.
How familiar are you with the word "halcyon". Without looking it up, could you give us a decent definition or use it in a sentence?
On a scale of 1-5 please tell us how often you use the word "halcyon". 1 being "never use it or heard of it" and 5 being "i say it or read it on a daily basis"
Thanks for your input!
One of our favorite pastimes as a married couple is arguing about vocabulary. Without going into detail, I am wanting to know more about you (our readers) and the extent of your own day-to-day vocabulary.
How familiar are you with the word "halcyon". Without looking it up, could you give us a decent definition or use it in a sentence?
On a scale of 1-5 please tell us how often you use the word "halcyon". 1 being "never use it or heard of it" and 5 being "i say it or read it on a daily basis"
Thanks for your input!
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