Yes it is once again that joyous season of spend, spend, spend….rush, rush, rush…….charge, charge, charge….and so on.

That may seem a little cynical for a mother of four children but this winter season I challenge you to actually take a look at what most people are really doing.  How much of the gift giving is about the thought and not the actual gift. How many parties and get togethers are about spending quality time with those you care about and not just being seen to attend.  Is the amount of cards received more important then actual personal wishes sent.  It goes on and on how we are told the season should be spent and the actual original intentions of the season is getting lost, no matter what holiday you call your own. All holidays celebrated around this time of year were all designed to be a time of family and friends getting together to be thankful for survival of the previous year and hope for the next.

Some years ago my family decided that once the children were old enough that the big Mr C was no longer viable we would end celebrating Christmas as it has become known today.  In that vein we looked around to find a holiday that would fit our desire to celebrate the joy of the season but getting away from the commercialism that is so prevalent today.  So we decided upon bring Yule back into our family traditions.  We decided that celebrating both while the children were young would make the transition easy on them because who wants to be the parent to say “Kids Santa won’t be coming this Year”.  It has worked out surprisingly well for us and if you take away the presents the children prefer the Yule celebration.

Each child has their favorite part.  For my budding pyro it’s the lightening of the yule log and throwing in our wish and thanks on little pieces of paper.  For my nature lover it’s taking treats out to the wild animals.   For my active son it’s the family walk to enjoy the winter season. For me it’s just getting back to the basic reasons for the season.  No anxiety about did I give everyone the same amount of presents or spend around the same amount on each.  No trees dying to wrap a present that won’t last wrapped three seconds in a child’s hand. No missing or wrong name tags.  No children wondering what they are getting from their grandparents because no matter what they receive they are already wondering about what’s left. Etc.

Now I’m not advicating that we all dump our traditions and pick up a new one.  I am advicating that we all take a long hard look at the holidays and get togethers that we are supposed to be enjoying this time a year and decide how to make them enjoyable once again.  Talking with friends over coffee at one of the homes is just as nice if not nicer then doing it at a coffee shop.  In that vein wouldn’t it be nice to spend more of the season enjoying friends and family then strangers in the local mass-market super-discount store.  Fighting over the last “it” toy and spending our paychecks for the next couple of months before we even get them.  Believe it or not my children this year could not even come up with 5 things they wanted for Christmas this year as we have made the importance on getting together then getting presents.  Don’t get me wrong they want presents but we always talk over toys they want and discuss how much truth is in the ads on TV that sparked their interest.  Making a child look at the ads and decide what is make believe and what is real takes a lot of the want out of those “it” toys that we all buy and are only played with less time then it took to actually find and buy them.

So from my family to yours I truly wish you a wonderful season and that the wonder of the season shines bright for you and yours this year.

Over the weekend I received my election ballot sample showing all of who was running for each office.  Here I thought there was only two really running for President, maybe three but didn’t Nader concede already.  Guess what I was totally wrong…and so are probably the majority of Americans.

We constantly here about the two political parties, Democrat and Republican, and how all our elections are decided between the two.  Though an independent might slip through now and then.  Guess what according to my states ballot there are officially 5 political parties with presidential candidates and one independent. Now I know what you’re thinking I must live in one of those states that have a history of being easily swayed or even placed on the ballot with just a wink and a nudge from an old family friend.  Nope I’m living in a blue flows from the pores state of Maryland, since 1852 a republican candidate has only won the state 12 times.

That being so we still have official parties promoting their candidates on our ballot.  My question is why is this the first I’ve heard of most of them.  I watched the debates….maybe not the whole thing….but I caught as much as I could stomach, no mention there.  I watch the news and Sunday shows..must have slept in that day or went to bed to early…not seen there.

In the age of technology when information can be found at a click why weren’t us voters notified by our trusted or even not so trusted news sources.  Those in the main stream once again completely ignores who they see as being sacrifical lambs, not because of actual do diligence on their part, but because they have  chosen who they want us to see.  They don’t even give us the courtesy of a notation about these other candidates.

Yes I know that voting for these candidates are just throwing your vote away when you run the numbers, but what if they were acknowledged by the media? What if we knew the names and faces of these candidates before seeing them on our ballots when we step into our voting booths.  Could Americans truly have more choices then the have been told, could these other candidates have some ideas or information that could help us make a stronger and studier USA for ourselves and our children.  These questions can’t and won’t be answered as long as we keep accepting the media for our source of information.

That just flies in the face of logic but I think the time has come to acknowledge that our news is no more “news” then those entertainment shows we sometimes watch, but never admit to.  News agencies now worry more about ratings then what their watchers need to know.  How many of us had seen terrible crimes committed in other counties, states, or even countries run on our “local” news, while good stories about people out there working to improve something or even problems that could be solved easily if enough people knew about it, don’t.  They don’t get the blood boiling and heart racing but, they do connect a person to their community.  Connecting is what makes a community…without it we are a bunch of people living in boxes, driving in boxes, and placed in boxes by the strangers we call neighbors.

So honestly I think it’s time we stood up and said “Hey I’m an adult and want the respect to be treated as one!”  In other words stop sugar coating the facts that aren’t pleasant and stop sensationalizing violence and crime so they look like something Hollywood made up.   We are too complacent and it’s costing not only us, but our children and if we’re not careful their children more then freedom…it’s costing them the knowledge of what freedom is at all.

So for those candidates I didn’t know where running I felt it only fair to at lest post them here.  If you want to look them and their parties up Great! but that is your decision.  I’m not going to shove any agenda down anyone’s throat…even if I agree with it.  Your probably an adult if you’re reading my boring musings so I’m going to let you be one and decide for yourself.

For the Green Party:

• Cynthia McKinney (California) - President
• Rosa Clemente (North Carolina) - Vice President

For the Libertarian Party

• Bob Barr (Georgia) - President
• Wayne A. Root (Nevada) - Vice President

As Independents

• Ralph Nader (Connecticut)- President
• Matt Gonzalez (California) - Vice President

For the Constitution Party

• Chuck Baldwin (Florida) - President
• Darrell L. Castle (Tennessee) - Vice President

These are in no particular order except that I read them off my states ballot that way.  I know that I did not include the two most widely known.  If by now you don’t know Senator Barrack Obama and Senator John McCain names then you need more help figuring out your vote for next Tuesday then I can help you with.

Yes I know I didn’t link to any of these canidates or parties as I know you have a google/MSn/Yahoo/? bar right at the top of your screen and you can search them as much as you like.

All we here as the American people is how our vicious greenies (please forgive the slight, personally not my opinion) have stopped our oil and natural gas energy companies from drilling on federal land and sea areas that could help save us from our energy crisis that we are facing….

Guess what they can’t even use what they have NOW! On top of that there are investigations going on about these same companies not paying all or part of the royalties they owe for drilling on the small percentage they already have the right to drill on.  According to the House Committee of Natural Resources opening comments that only 12% of offshore and even less of the land they have the right to drill are being utilized.  Yet  these companies that are demanding more access to federal (OUR) public land.

You can hear the Misconduct Involving Oil and Gas Royalty Collections from C-Span radio if you wish to hear this yourself.  Warning it is scheduled for 3 hours, as I am listening live I cannot tell if it will go over or not.  I have to say that only listening for the beginning was enough to get me to write and get it to the attention of all American people so they can know that we want not only answers but action, from what they have said this has been going on for over 2 years but reports needed to be made before these hearings could be done.  2 years of finding corruption (surprise, surprise) being so invasive to the department that was supposed to make sure that BIG Energy Companies not only paid their royalties but did so one time and followed the paramiters that they had to follow to drill on public land/sea.

After all this only 2 people have been charged at this point, both have entered guilty pleas, but only 2.  Of course the last was on this past Monday and more are being investigated, but at the rate they are going the people might die of old age or worse out of the 15 min consciousness of the American People as a whole.

I have to say that I am amazed that they are cleaning it up from the top down, not that there are not those from the bottom and public at large that didn’t fight to get it noticed.  Just that the House Committtee and the current Secertart of Interior, Dirk Kempthorne, the Inspector General, Earl Devaney, are all together asking for these Energy Companies and those at the MMS, Mineral Management Service, are brought forward for their ethical failures.

Unfortunately the end date for the new 5-year lease drilling closed already I did find a portal to let the public comment on projects and documents that are openm for comment.  Click Here to see what we the public have the ability to comment on.

Well I have to say that I finally have succomed to the life of a pirate. Of course not in real life but in virtual. I have been playing a MMO, massively multiplayer online game, but that can take a lot of time and actually talking to other players can be interesting.  So as I was researching an idea for a new website I found another online game that let’s me be a pirate and doesn’t try to suck all my time into it.  It’s called Pirate Quest and it’s in the style of a RPG, role playing game, of old.  For those who remember rolling the dice for D&D, marvel superheros, etc. it’s like that.  What is nice is you take turns so you can walk away and do the work you’re supposed to be doing on the computer.  Plus it seems like most of the people playing are older, you know less  tween and teens.  There is also no need to become a paying player to get passed a certain level. So it’s free, adult friendly, and let’s you forget the shark invested waters you work in what more can the hidden pirate in you want.

Now I’m not writing this to get anyone to go and join, of course if you do I get referral credit if you use the link above.  I’m writing to let the other adults out there know that it’s ok to still want to play games and be a hero, villain, pirate, mafia, chief, warrior, and almost anything else you dreamed of being when you were a child.  At first I was afraid that playing the games I was researching was going to be scary and dangerous.  I’m happy to report that I have found some very nice people all over the world who not only are nice to know but only to happy to help you out either in the game or out of it, though I would advise waiting till you know your online friends for awhile before contacting outside the game environment.  With the dizzying amount of places offering free email and messenger services you can set up dummy accounts for communication with your game friends without the worry of giving more information then is safe out.

Playing is the way we first learn when we were in childhood.  As we grow older we are taught that playing is for children, which translates into learning by example only.  Humans did not become what they are today, let’s just think of the good for this one, by just following along and not experimenting on their own.  We as a species have always used hands on and actual experience to shape our world and our lives.  That means widening our imagination which can only be done through play and reading.  Reading may not be everyones idea of a good time and finding the time to actually finish a good book may be difficult, though worth it.  So why not jump into another world for a while and see just what you can do to fix it’s problems, make yourself rich and powerful, save a civilization from it’s demise, etc.  You just may find a part of yourself that was long lost and waiting to be allowed out to play again.

Yes that is a question I face almost daily, if not several times a day. It seems that once you start to blog the desire to just jot everything down becomes very addicting.

I know from looking at this blog that you’re thinking ….how come there is not much here?….The answer is that there is but most is just started to vent. Then I read it and cringe and leave it in draft form to clean up later or I delete as being much to eclectic to post. Eclectic a much more politically correct term then crazy rantings I think.  So I have decided that instead of making them all pretty and more rational sounding that I’m going to just start posting them as they are written.  So this is your warning that all postings here may not make sense, probably won’t be  about the same things, could possibly give nightmares, and may offer insight into my seriously deranged mind (I prefer to think of it as thinking outside the box).

Since you are reading them here I also decided that you don’t want polished and politically correct writings but just the honest impressions of someone who doesn’t see why everyone has to follow the pack.  Lemmings  have been said to follow the pack to  the extent of falling off a cliff to stay with them, I personally have the fear that us humans have the same capacity for stupidness in the name of fitting in.   Take a look at corsets, high heels, tight jeans, cell phones, botox, and any of hundreds of things that someone (probably an ad exec) said that we couldn’t live without or we weren’t “normal”.

When you think about just that word, “normal”, on it’s own it should scare you more then being “odd”.  A synonym for “normal” is “average” and how do you get an average?  You take all of it the extremes on both ends as well as those in between add them together and divide by the amount of individuals that was decided to be studied.  So in other words there is no one who is really “normal” or “average”, ok in the laws of mathematics I’m sure the odds are that there are a few but taken as a whole it would be a slight percentage of the whole. Enough of that subject this post I could do pages on that topic alone and it’s to late at night for me to even be semi-coherent in doing it.

So in essence I welcome to read my musings, but I do so with a warning that they will follow no rhyme or reason other then that the thoughts fluttered through my mind.  If you want to read something that is written to educate, help, or encourage you have most likely come to the wrong place.  This is for entertainment purposes only (for you the reader) and stress release and ranting (for me the author).  I do welcome comments and even invite you to leave them.  I will respond if a question is asked or rant about it in a post if it strikes my fancy.  If you are looking for my serious writings they are found other places and me be shameless I have links (that I need to update, hopefully they will be before you read this) on the menu on the right.  Right now I am writing for Off-Grid.net, a website that is dedicated to living a self-sustainable lifestyle, Cheapskate Moms (new site), that is to be full of tips on how me and some friends make our dollar stretch, and any place else that will let me put my two cents in.