How does Tim Tebow offend and Danica Patrick doesn’t?

Posted on 07. Feb, 2010 by kchristieh in advertising, religion, things that bug me

For weeks, I’ve been hearing about how offensive was going to be. A coalition of women’s groups called on CBS not to run the ad.

When I finally saw the commercial, I was indeed stunned: I couldn’t believe the brouhaha was over this.

Here’s the script. What’s offensive about it?

Tim Tebow’s mother: “I call him my miracle baby. He almost didn’t make it into this world. I can remember so many times when I almost lost him. It was so hard. Well, he’s all grown up now, and I STILL worry about his health. You know, with all our family’s been through, we have to be tough!”
[Tim Tebow comes out of the side of the screen and tackles her.]
Mom: “Timmy! We’re trying to tell our story here.”
Tim: “Sorry about that, Mom! Do you still worry about me, Mom?”
Mom: “Well yeah! You’re not nearly as tough as I am!”
For the full Tebow story, go to FocusOnTheFamily.com.

Frankly, I could have filmed that commercial. My son was in neonatal for eight days after he was born, and I didn’t get to hold him until he was five days old. I still worry about him, especially when he plays football, and with good reason. He used to tackle me when he was two years old, and I’m glad he doesn’t anymore.

Where’s the feminist outrage over the GoDaddy commercial where Danica Patrick gets a massage from a woman who rips off her shirt to declare that she’d be a great GoDaddy girl (and if you see the internet version, dances like a skank)? Is this what “equal rights” means? Or how about the , where Kim Kardashian seduces a salad and winds up eating it in a bathtub? And speaking of bathtubs, how about the Motorola commercial where the woman takes a picture of herself and sends it over the internet, including to a young boy behind a closed door? So much for all the anti-sexting lectures we give our kids!

My husband and I have long disagreed about abortion: he’s pro-choice, and I’m pro-life. But even he’s stunned by the negative reaction to this ad. It’s sad when something this benign is slammed, even as people close their eyes to other offensive material playing all around them.

A few more notes:

Check out the Focus on the Family link. Tim Tebow’s parents talk about how they were advised to get an abortion because of medical problems. They chose not to, because they had faith that God had a plan for their baby. Later in the interview, when asked what she’d tell a young woman who’s pregnant and thinking of aborting her baby, Tim’s mother says,

“I would say that baby’s not a mistake, even though it might seem that way to her, and that God will enable her to do the right thing, and to give her the encouragement she needs, that there’s also help for her, and there’s help that she doesn’t even know about yet. There’s so many people, so many pregnancy crisis centers across the country just waiting to encourage someone in her position. And girls have those options. They have a choice.”

Isn’t it ironic that pro-choice people are complaining that someone is reminding people that they have a choice?

By the way, I’ve been switching accounts away from GoDaddy ever since I saw one of their offensive commercials a few years ago. These days, I choose Bluehost.com instead. They’ve got great customer service, and are good for not only regular websites but for Wordpress installations.

The Pasadena Star News should have done its homework before they endorsed La Canada school board candidates

Posted on 30. Oct, 2009 by kchristieh in education, local news, politics, things that bug me

Today’s Pasadena Star News endorses the wrong school board candidates for the wrong reasons. They endorse the three incumbents: Scott Tracy, Joel Peterson, and Susan Boyd. While I agree with their assessment that the incumbents have done a good job in difficult financial times, they also support them because of the following:

The incumbents have fought drug and alcohol use at the high school, developed a new concentration on average teens as well as AP students and have kept class sizes low.

Did the Star-News actually get statistics that support this assertion? Because my impression, and that of the kids and local youth leaders I know, is that they’re wrong on all three counts.

Don’t get me wrong: I love the La Canada schools. I’m happy (and grateful) to send my kids to them, and I’ve put lots of energy and resources into them over the years. But they’re not perfect. And these three points are definitely weak ones. I’ve never heard of as many kids getting busted on and off campus for drug possession as I have this year, and some of the stories I’m hearing about local parties this year would give even the most liberal parent an ulcer. I don’t see much extra effort put into “average” teens, and am not even sure what this effort is supposed to be. This year’s class sizes appear to be either the same or bigger than in past years at the high school level.

The next time the Star-News makes an endorsement, they should do their homework and get the facts from the source instead of taking a candidate’s campaign claims at face value. For democracy to work, we need accurate information.

And yes, for the record, I’m the campaign manager they refer to. I strongly support Neal Millard, and believe that he’ll not only be a good steward of the district’s financial resources, but he’ll tap into his experience with charter and private schools to bring the best ideas from those worlds to our schools. I worked with Neal on the educational foundation board, and found him to be sharp, reliable, creative and diplomatic. Those qualities will allow him to work with teachers, parents and administrators to improve academics, explore new funding avenues, and improve existing programs. You can read more at www.nealmillard.com.

I like all three incumbents: they’re good, hard-working people. I applaud anyone who’s willing to do this tough job, especially these days. I think there’s room for improvement in our schools, however, and believe that Neal Millard brings our best chance for taking our schools to a higher level.

My (mis)Fortune

Posted on 25. Oct, 2009 by kchristieh in food, my life, things that bug me

I thought all fortunes at Panda Express were positive. Apparently not. Here’s what I got this evening.

I usually have good judgment. Maybe I should have bad judgment? Either way, it was very disconcerting…

Take me back to the Mac shack

Posted on 29. Sep, 2009 by kchristieh in my life, technical, things that bug me, tv, work

When my husband and I first met, we were poor graduate students. We were happy eating ramen (me) and Kraft Mac & Cheese (him), as long as we were together. (awww!) I’ve always considered it a blessing that we fell in love when we had so few material possessions, as our expectations of the relationship weren’t based on finances.

But over the years, there’s one thing I’ve come to depend upon: my internet connection. It’s impossible to be a website designer or serial volunteer without a fast, reliable connection. I’ve told my husband many times that I’d be fine living in a much smaller abode as long as I have my computer and a good internet connection. (and my dog, and my pillows)

I may have to test that promise. Although I live in a thoroughly modern Los Angeles suburb, I have nearly given up on having a decent internet connection. My internet provider, Charter Communications, was fine for many years, but since this summer my internet connection has become increasingly unreliable. I’ve had countless technicians come out to fix it, but thus far they’ve only made things worse. Last Wednesday the same technician came to our house twice: after the first time the connection went down four times within the next hour, and after the second time our television signal was lost, even though we hadn’t previously had a problem with our signal. Every day since then, Charter has told me they’d have a technician here, and every day has come and gone without a technician servicing us. Tomorrow marks a week since we lost our signal, and I’m not holding my breath that it’ll be fixed by then.

I gave up last night, and decided to switch to AT&T. Unfortunately, AT&T doesn’t provide high speed internet service to our area, so the speed they promise, 768 KBps, isn’t much faster than a dial-up modem. I want reliability, but I don’t want the speeds I gave up in the last millennium.

I’m writing an email to Charter Vice President / General Manager Fred Lutz. () He makes a big deal out of how important customer service is to Charter. I agree: it should be important. I just wish it were. Hopefully this will be resolved soon. If not, maybe I’ll even call him. . Or even worse, I’ll have my attorney husband call him. He misses his football much more than I do.

Many thanks to Amy B. for paying attention to Mr. Lutz’s email address and phone number when he recently appeared on our local cable news program.  :)

Why is Smirnoff targeting Facebook ads at 17-year-olds?

Posted on 02. Sep, 2009 by kchristieh in advertising, health, parenting, social networking, things that bug me

I was shocked yesterday when I passed by my 17-year-old daughter as she cruised Facebook and saw that she’d been targeted with the Smirnoff ad to the right. Facebook allows advertisers to target ads by age, location and many other variables, so why was it marketing liquor to someone under 21? As Facebook’s own state,

7. Inappropriate Targeting

Ads need to be targeted relevantly and appropriately. For example, a dating ad should be targeted to users over 18 who are listed as single.

The ad also showed up on my page, right below an ad to take courses at Biola. I think Smirnoff missed the boat on this one, and Facebook was asleep at the wheel. Or maybe they weren’t, and were just trying to make a buck. I complained, and hopefully they’ll be more prudent in the future. In the meantime, parents should unfortunately expect that ads such as this may show up on their kids’ pages, and should discuss with them why they’re inappropriate.

Do they actually think that a picture of a kid rudely sucking his spaghetti shows respect toward children unfortunate enough to have Type 2 diabetes? It’s hard enough to have that disease without having to deal with the stereotypes that this ad reinforces. I doubt they’ll get many clicks on this one.

Ralphs loses competitive edge over Vons; Trader Joe’s in the lead

Posted on 24. Jun, 2009 by kchristieh in economy, environment, food, shopping, things that bug me

Imagine my horror when I discovered that Ralphs is cutting costs by eliminating the handles on its paper bags! Hopefully this will be the incentive I need to remember to carry my cloth bags in the car, but this evening it meant I chose plastic for the rest of my groceries.

It’s a tough life, but I’ll manage somehow. Or I’ll just go to Trader Joe’s.

Meet the overseas competition: cramming for exams in China

Posted on 13. Jun, 2009 by kchristieh in education, food, international, things that bug me

If you thought that the 5.5 hour a day, 5 days a week, 14-week Elite SAT review course that I described in yesterday’s post was excessive, then definitely don’t move to China. Today’s NY Times article, “China’s College Entry Test Is an Obsession,” describes how the Chinese standardized test is:

• The only criteria for entry to university
• Only offered once a year
• Nine hours long
• Taken by 10 million students each year, of whom only 3 out of 5 make the cut

Not surprisingly, students cram like crazy for this test. The article described a class of kids that studied in a hospital hooked up to oxygen so that they could concentrate better, and a boy who studied 14-16 hours a day for a year, and only took one day off every three weeks.

It’s too bad there aren’t enough spaces in Chinese universities for everyone who wants an education. At least here in the U.S., there’s a space for nearly everyone to have some sort of higher education.

I appreciate that my kids don’t have to go through this sort of cramming. However, we also need to remember that our kids aren’t just competing against other American kids; they’re competing against the rest of the world. And they’re hungry, figuratively and literally.

Here’s the breakfast of champions described in the article: “a bread stick next to two eggs, symbolizing a 100 percent score.”

Maybe I’ll present that to my son the morning of his PSAT this Fall. Or maybe he’ll stick to his Cheerios.

Two complaints about United

Posted on 12. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in things that bug me, travel

My family flew United Airlines from Portland to Los Angeles today. The flight left on time and arrived on time, and the flight attendants were fine. Just two complaints:

1. We were charged for our suitcases. Not EXTRA suitcases: we were each charged $15 for the FIRST bag we checked. That added $60 to our flight. Surprise!
2. Our flight took off at 11 am and arrived at 1:20 pm. We knew we wouldn’t get lunch, but we at least thought they’d give us pretzels or another snack. Nope. We didn’t eat anything between our bed & breakfast in Corvallis and the CPK Express at LAX. Thankfully we ate there, because many restaurants are closed today.

Next time I book a flight, I’ll avoid United.
Happy Easter!! It’s nice to be back.

Spiffing up the school

Posted on 29. Mar, 2009 by kchristieh in education, things that bug me

Yesterday I attended Servathon at La Canada High School. Throngs of students and parents descended upon campus to plant, paint, scrub and scrape. Imagine our horror when we saw this new graffiti on the front of the cafeteria. I’ve never seen graffiti at our high school, and neither had the boys that were with me.

It didn’t take long for Assistant Principal Kevin Buchanan to spring into action and paint over the offensive scrawlings.

All over campus there were kids planting new plants,

and cleaning lockers.

My brave crew found a dark hallway on the third floor that was clearly at the bottom of the list for preferred locker spaces. Many of the lockers didn’t have locks on them, so we opened them up to see if there was anything inside we needed to clean up.

We struck the motherlode when we opened this locker. It was full of abandoned sandwiches and other lunch items. They were crawling with bugs and maggots. Why can’t kids just throw them out? Or better yet, eat them when they’re fresh? Kids in developing nations would be stunned.  :(

We were amazed at how much dirt there was.

We found this in one of the lockers. We’re not taking it personally.

Do 2/3 of kids take Adderall to get better SAT scores?

Posted on 14. Mar, 2009 by kchristieh in education, health, startling statistics, things that bug me

A local teen who took today’s SAT took an informal survey of other kids and found that about 2/3 of them had taken Adderall or Ritalin before the test to help them focus and do better. Kids purchase the pills from their classmates who have ADD or other conditions for which it is prescribed. The pills are either consumed orally or crushed and snorted.

Someone should do a more scientific study to determine if this 2/3 figure is typical. In the meantime, parents and administrators should be aware that this is happening and inform kids and young adults about the downside of taking these drugs when they’re not prescribed and carefully monitored.

Here are some reasons NOT to take Adderall, Ritalin, or other ADD medications unless they’re prescribed for you:

• The more Adderall you take, the more likely your tolerance is to go up, so the more you’ll need each time to get the same results. (1)
• If usage continues and the dose escalates, there’s a risk of moving on to heavier drugs such as cocaine, especially if there’s a family history of substance abuse. (1)
• Adderall’s an amphetamine. Side effects may include: fast heartbeat, heat regulation, stomach pain, dizziness, sleep disorders, seizures, fainting, anxiety, paranoia, coma (1,2,3,5,8,9)
• Certain combinations of prescription drugs, especially when mixed with alcohol, can be lethal. (6)
• When you snort a pill that’s meant to be taken orally, you can get a day’s worth of medication in one second. (8)
  
• Distributing Adderall without a prescription is a violation of Federal law. (1)
• It is a felony to take and purchase prescription drugs without a valid prescription, to health-related problems. (7)
• It’s against the student code of conduct on most school campuses to possess prescription drugs without a valid prescription. (11)
• Students can form a psychological dependency upon the drug that causes them to lose faith in their own abilities. (10)
• It’s an unfair (temporary, dangerous) advantage over the kids who aren’t taking it. (my humble opinion)

I also wonder about the psychological effect. If you think that the only reason you’re doing well is because you’re taking the pills, your self-esteem may suffer and you may be inclined to keep taking them. And if you really can’t handle the university, the internship or the job without the pills, perhaps you shouldn’t be there.

What if these dangers could be mitigated by more fully-developed medications? How would taking these drugs differ from people consuming caffeine and getting more sleep? Some argue that eventually the medications might be able to be consumed by healthy people who want to enhance their performance. (4)

I’d feel sorry for the people who wouldn’t want to take drugs in order to perform. I hope we don’t come to that.

But perhaps we already have.   :(

Surprising fact of the day:

“The DEA estimates that the annual street value of diverted controlled drugs rivals that of cocaine and surpasses that of both marijuana and heroin.” (5)

Sources:

1. ADD & Abusing Adderall (Washingtonian.com)
2. The New Illicit Drugs: Kids Who Don’t Need Cognitive Enhancers Take Them Anyway (Hartford Courant)
3. Doctor: Player’s Death Could Be Drug-Related – Experts Say Max Gilpin Was Not Dehydrated (MSNBC)
4. Media Advisory: Stanford Podcast on Cognitive-Enhancing Drugs
5. Focus on: Adderall (The Colonnade)
6. Generation Rx: The new way to use and abuse (ParkRecord)
7. Amphetamine Ignorance (The Villanovan)
8. Over the counter and off the streets, Adderall use becoming more apparent with KSC students (The Keene Equinox)
9. Adderal Abuse with Students
10. Prescribed abuse As finals grow nearer, Adderall abuse among students is becoming a growing problem (The Xavier Newswire)
11. Academic steroids? Finals on Adderall (Binghampton University Pipe Dream)

Do “Madea” movie ads contribute to racism?

Posted on 22. Feb, 2009 by kchristieh in movies, sports, things that bug me

Studies show that a majority of whites in this country harbor an often-subconscious racial bias against blacks. According to Charles M. Blow in today’s NY Times op-ed piece, “A Nation of Cowards,” no matter how hard we try, our brain often has a mind of its own, and will process the input it receives to form an opinion that goes against what a person doesn’t consciously want it to.

If anyone’s wondering what these inputs might be, one should just take a look at today’s print edition of the NY Times. After reading Mr. Blow’s piece, the first image of a black person I saw was this one of Tyler Perry in the new Madea movie. It was on the front page of the Arts section, and was 7.5″ high.

On page 2 of the Arts section, I saw this article / picture of Chris Brown at the top of the page:

Then, a few pages later, I saw this ad for Madea:

That was it for the Arts section. There were no blacks pictured in the Business section, but Mets players Duaner Sanchez and Francisco Rodriguez were pictured in the Sports section. (Are they black?) There was also a black man sitting on the bench behind Utah State basketball coach Stew Morrill.

I finally took a look at the front section (I’d read the racism story online) and the lead story featured this picture of the Stanford Superstars cricket team with the club’s owner, Robert Allen Stanford. (No relation to my alma mater!!)

The front section also included a picture of Illinois Senator Roland W. Burris, who is being urged to resign.

Final tally:

• 4 pictures of blacks in trouble with the law
• 3 pictures of blacks in sports

With images like these, it’s no surprise that many whites show a bias against blacks.

Of course, I try not to have these thoughts. I truly believe that God created all races in His image, and everyone should be accorded the same respect, opportunities and rights regardless of race. The article points out, however, that often whites who try not to appear biased are perceived as more biased.

Aaargh!! It’s like Angelina Jolie, when she’s stuck in the asylum in “Changeling.” A fellow patient advises her that if you try too hard to appear “normal” they’ll think you’re crazy. But I digress…

As Blow concludes, it’s good to face the facts and start a dialogue. I think a good place to start would be the entertainment industry, which produces movies such as Madea and bad-boy artists such as Chris Brown.

I’m not a “cool” parent, but that’s the way I like it

Posted on 14. Feb, 2009 by kchristieh in my life, parenting, things that bug me

Many years ago, I was awakened in the middle of the night by shouting in front of our house. I was amazed to see what looked like a scene out of “West Side Story,” where the Sharks and the Jets square off against each other. I called 911, and was taken aback when the operator asked if there were any weapons involved. But then, a few seconds later, I saw a guy pull a knife out of his back pocket. The Sheriff’s deputies soon arrived, and the party that these people had spilled out of broke up.

Here’s the most amazing part: the next thing I saw was the father from the house the party was at step out of his side door and dump a bunch of bottles into his recycling bin! Yes indeed, the parents had been home the whole time. The father was in his bathrobe, so he’d probably been holed up in his bedroom, but he had to have had a clue about what was going on.

Powder Springs, Georgia police allege that 43-year-old Kecia Evangela Whitfield also had a clue about what was going on the night of Jan. 24th. She allegedly served alcohol to her stepson and his friends, one of whom, 16-year-old Garrett Reed, subsequently crashed his car into an oncoming vehicle and died. She’s been charged with serving alcohol to a minor and reckless conduct, and could wind up spending a year in jail and thousands of dollars in fines.

Why would a parent (or stepparent) do that? Are they trying to be “cool”? Do they think “everyone” does it? Are they just trying to protect their own child by letting him drink at home, even as they endanger the lives of the other children and people on the road?

I don’t understand the logic here. Please be assured that if your child ever visits my house, I’ll be doing everything in my power to make sure this doesn’t happen.

Give to the octuplets…or don’t…but I guess we all are anyway

Posted on 13. Feb, 2009 by kchristieh in health, things that bug me

What’s your first reaction upon seeing that Nadya Suleman, mother of the recently-born octuplets, has set up a website soliciting donations?

Here’s my range of reactions, in the order that they occurred:

• Disgust, since a single woman with six children on public assistance should have never been encouraged to have fertility treatments, and this just looks like she’s looking for more attention and money for herself,
• Sympathy, for the sweet little babies who didn’t ask to be born to this woman,
• Curiosity, for how she got such a nice website up so quickly,
• Hope, that if she gets enough money, she’ll actually get psychological help for herself, since if she doesn’t help herself, she’ll never be able to handle these babies in her current state,
• Sadness, that besides any lasting effects from being born premature, these kids will always be known as one of the Octuplets, and that might not be a good thing.

I hope things work out well for the babies and for the mother, though it’ll be a tough uphill road. And I hope that the doctor who facilitated this is never permitted to do this again.

My greatest Verizon annoyance, and they say they can’t fix it

Posted on 30. Jan, 2009 by kchristieh in technical, things that bug me

Every five minutes, I’m getting a cell phone call from an “Unavailable” number. It beeps and beeps and if I don’t pick it up, it leaves a message.

I called Verizon, and they said there was nothing I could do except change my cell phone number. I’ve had this number for about 10 years: I DON’T want to change it.

Has anyone else had this problem? Is there another solution?

At least my default ringtone is good: the Peanuts theme song.

Sorry, Wong number

Posted on 29. Jan, 2009 by kchristieh in things that bug me

Here’s an email I just received:

Dear Friend,

I am Mr.Peter from Hong Kong.I have a deceased client funds in my bank and i need you to front  as beneficiary,contact me for more information via

Sincerely
Mr.Peter

Should I respond?

Dear Mr. Peter,

Thank you so much for contacting me regarding your deceased client’s funds. Just today I was thinking that I should share my bank account information with a fake total stranger who can’t properly use the spacebar on the other side of the world. I love losing money to internet scams.

Do you know Bernie Madoff? He made off with lots of money. Perhaps you two should become Facebook friends.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Kathy

Seriously. Does anyone REALLY respond to this spam? And why didn’t it go to MY spam folder?

Grasping the concept of wrestling

Posted on 09. Jan, 2009 by kchristieh in parenting, sports, things that bug me

I’ve been a Baseball Mom, a Softball Mom, a Swimming Mom, a Cross-Country Mom, a Track Mom, a Lacrosse Mom, a Football Mom and of course, a Soccer Mom. But the sport that I find it toughest to be a Mom for is Wrestling.

My son wrestled his first varsity home meet today. He pinned the guy in the first round – yay! He was happy, he didn’t get too tired, and no one got hurt. And, since I understand pinning, I even vaguely figured out what was going on.

I don’t think I’ll ever understand the motivation behind wrestling. I’ve never been a physically aggressive person, and I’m very risk-averse. The thought of letting someone twist my body around to pin me to a mat is abhorrent to me. As a result, watching someone do it to someone I love is pretty difficult, too, especially when I’ve already nursed that person through three broken arms when he was younger.

But he likes the sport, so I’ll grit my teeth and support him. I’m trying to learn the rules so that I can concentrate on the mechanics of each match, not on the danger. Here’s the best summary of the rules I could find.

I wasn’t surprised to find a wrestling forum for mothers on a Navy site. After all, an Army recruiter recently showed up at one of our school’s wrestling practices. Maybe the military has found that wrestlers are more likely to enlist.
Wrestling teaches great lessons in responsibility, practice, and teamwork. I’ll just keep rooting for no one to get hurt and for everyone to learn from the experience.

Teens who watch tv with lots of sex are far more likely to be involved in a pregnancy

Posted on 05. Jan, 2009 by kchristieh in movies, parenting, startling statistics, things that bug me, tv

No matter how hard I’ve tried to manage my kids’ media exposure, stuff sneaks in. Whether it’s watching “Sex and the City” at a teen sleepover or the R-rated “Romeo Must Die” at an eight-year-old’s birthday party (yes, this happened), my kids have been exposed to way more sex and violence than I ever intended for them to be, or than I was at their age.

It turns out my vigilance was justified: a recent RAND study titled “Does Watching Sex on Television Predict Teen Pregnancy? Findings From a National Longitudinal Survey of Youth” shows that

Teens who were exposed to high levels of television sexual content (90th percentile) were twice as likely to experience a pregnancy in the subsequent 3 years, compared with those with lower levels of exposure (10th percentile)

I’m not surprised. Parents need to watch not only their kids’ tv exposure, but what they see in video games, movies, books, magazines, and other influential sources. And it’s not just teens, either: if you’re not careful, your younger children will see this stuff too. The younger kids may not see as much sex and violence, but they might see more bad attitudes and hear more foul language than a parent would like. (Click here for my tips on monitoring your child’s media input.)

The Los Angeles Times story about this study brought up a very good point: that teens want to learn about the REAL effects of sex. They’re cynical when rich, popular girls on tv get pregnant, and assume they’ll have a miscarriage and resume their former lives. They also don’t usually see teens struggle with raising the baby after it’s born. Maybe it doesn’t make for great drama, but it’s reality, and if we’re going to expect teens to make good decisions, we need to show them what the real potential consequences of those decisions may be. The same should be said not just for sex, but for violence. Don’t just show the dramatic chase scene and shooting: show the grieving family, the longterm disability.

Don’t just titillate: educate.

Note: After I wrote the above post, I picked up my son from the church high school program. He said they had a guest speaker who shared the consequences he faced after getting a girl pregnant as a teenager, and the even more dire consequences a friend of his faced in a similar situation. My son said the topic wasn’t teen pregnancy, however: it was accepting responsibility for your actions, and surrounding yourself with a strong support network. I think he got it. We’re so blessed that our kids can hear good messages from other people than just us.

Can people smoke on the same Glendale, California restaurant patio where you’re eating?

Posted on 03. Jan, 2009 by kchristieh in food, health, things that bug me

When we arrived at the BJ’s in Glendale, CA this evening, they offered our party of nine an immediate table on the patio or the option of waiting for an indoor table. We opted for the patio, since we were all hungry and there were little kids in our group that wouldn’t want to wait.

As soon as we were seated, a group of men from another table finished and stood up to smoke. One stood about 8′ from our table. I asked the server if she could kindly ask them to stand further away, and she said she’d get the manager. The manager wouldn’t ask them to move, but he did offer to put us at the first inside table big enough for us that opened up. We accepted, but a table didn’t open up until we were done with our main course. No one had mentioned that this was a smoking section before we were seated.

After these men left, another group came and started smoking. Thankfully, they stood further away, but it was still annoying. Here’s a picture:

Many thanks to Matt, who passed along this link to the Glendale municipal code concerning outdoor smoking patios at restaurants. Here are the sections which I think that BJ’s is violating:

• B.1: Must represent a separate and discrete area of the outdoor dining area;
• B.2. Must have a clearly marked boundary by using one (1) or more of the following means, including, but not limited to (long list, none of which were present);
• B.3. Must be identified by one (1) or more conspicuously posted signs;
• B.5.a.iii: At least twenty (20) feet away from an adjacent area or location— listed in Sections 8.52.040(A), 8.52.050, 8.52.060, 8.52.070, or 8.52.080 of this chapter— where smoking is prohibited;
• C. An employee, owner, manager, or person in charge or control of an outdoor dining area shall ask a patron, before seating that person, whether the patron prefers seating in a smoking or non-smoking part of the outdoor dining area.

Looks like I need to write a letter to the City of Glendale and/or BJ’s.

I’m getting over a cough, and smelling secondhand smoke doesn’t help.  :(

At any rate, we enjoyed watching the Glendale and Burbank Rose Parade floats drive by, and we all helped devour the pizookie (= pizza + cookie) that my kids ordered. I’ve been hearing about this dish for months.

Why do we treat dogs better than humans?

Posted on 19. Dec, 2008 by kchristieh in economy, non-profits, shopping, things that bug me

When Andy Bales‘ Facebook status said that the Union Rescue Mission urgently needed teen gifts for the last day of its Christmas Store, I kicked into high gear. As the mother of two teens, I’m a pro at shopping for that demographic. So I went on a major spending spree at Target and had fun choosing everything from basketballs to electronics to hooded sweatshirts. I headed down to Los Angeles’ Skid Row, and dropped off the goodies at the Union Rescue Mission loading dock.

On the way back, I passed through some of the worst of Skid Row. My heart broke. There were throngs of people spilling into the streets, including families with little kids. The streets were so thick with pigeons that I had to slow down to avoid hitting whole flocks. Then, just as I thought I was out of the bedlam, there was a body in the road. Dead? I don’t know. But traffic was stopped on the north side of Pershing Square as we waited for the ambulance to arrive. I sat in my car, only feet away, hoping to see some sign of life. I saw none. It was all too much…I cried. I felt so foolish for crying. After all, I used to volunteer at Union Station in Pasadena. I’ve also updated the Outreach portion of our church website for years, and have read many stories about and seen many pictures of Skid Row. But this was way more than I expected.

I had one more errand to run: I wanted to drop off some extra dog supplies at the Pasadena Humane Society. After I made my donation, I walked around the facility. What a contrast to the hell on earth I’d just seen downtown. The dogs, sad as they were to be in pens, were many times better off than the humans I’d just seen 30 minutes before. They were kept in clean cages and were well-fed. Volunteers were going from cage to cage to cuddle them and let them know they were loved. There was only one pigeon.

I bet that many of the people on Skid Row would have been happy to trade places with these dogs.

What kind of society is this that we treat our fellow humans this way?

I’m glad that I brought the gifts down there today, but I feel like it’s just a drop in the bucket of what’s needed. I wish I could make more of an impact, and I wish that our society as a whole cared for the needy better.

PS – I had my camera with me, but I didn’t think it was respectful to take pictures. I looked for pictures on the internet that depicted scenes similar to what I saw today, but I couldn’t find any. There were tons of pictures of Skid Row, but none that were nearly as dramatic as what I saw. I checked Google Street View, and their cameras only show a minute fraction of the number of homeless I saw today. Go to the corner of 5th St. and San Julian St. in Los Angeles and see for yourself. Then do something.

67% percent of my mail wants me to part with my money

Posted on 28. Nov, 2008 by kchristieh in environment, my life, startling statistics, things that bug me

When I was in college, I couldn’t wait to get the mail. I’d receive letters from home and faraway friends, and occasionally the package of homemade cookies from Grandma “D”. (Yes, that’s what we called her. Her last name was too long for young kids long ago.)

These days, I have to have a reminder on my computer to get the mail. After tallying up my incoming mail for a week, I can see why. Here’s what I received within the week ending this past Monday:

• 15 catalogs
• 13 charitable solicitations
• 13 other ads
• 8 bills
• 10 magazines
• 14 other pieces (invitations, college brochures, thank you notes, etc.)

Between the stores, charities, and bills that want (and demand) my money, that’s 67% of my incoming mail. The catalog count would be much higher, but a year ago I signed up for several services that promised to cancel catalogs for me. I’ve also actually sent letters to catalogs that are sneaking through asking to be taken off of their mailing lists.

I wonder how much paper is wasted on me? I’m going to cancel some of those magazines, since I don’t read them all anyway.

Now to figure out how to streamline my email. Thankfully, the Mail program on my new iMac is helping out with that. I love Smart Mailboxes!!

Why companies should hire editors for their websites

Posted on 20. Nov, 2008 by kchristieh in technical, things that bug me

I’m trying really hard to purchase the best software for my new iMac. I’ve read reviews, talked to friends and Apple Geniuses, and visited company websites.

I finally decided to purchase Parallels so that I could run Windows XP (and therefore, Access and Publisher). I visited what I think (thought?) was the Parallels website, via a link on the MacWorld website, but I’m not impressed by the incorrect grammar on their landing page.

How can I trust that their software is correctly coded if their website isn’t correctly worded?

I must investigate further. I’d be much more willing to give them my money if I had more confidence in them.

Why I don’t trust Charter Cable

Posted on 16. Nov, 2008 by kchristieh in my life, things that bug me, tv

After reading an article about cancelling premium cable tv channels and switching to Netflix, I checked our bill to see how much money we were wasting on HBO, Showtime, Cinemax and Starz. Sure enough, we were spending $36/month on these channels that we hardly ever watch unless we’ve set our Tivo to record their shows. It didn’t cost nearly that much when we’d signed up, but at some point the price went up. I convinced my husband we should cancel these premium cable channels, and put a call in to Charter this morning. Their representative said they would lower my bill by $40/month, and I could keep my premium channels. I’ll keep this rate for a year, after which I can cancel the channels. So I set up a “Memo to Me” reminder to call Charter in a year and get another deal.

I’m glad I’ll save money, but I’m annoyed that I only got the good deal by being an organized, squeaky wheel. I wish they’d just price their services at the same price for everyone, and not only give good prices to people that complain. I wonder how much money I’ve lost by not complaining more often. Hopefully I’ve figured out their system now.

I’d still rather use Netflix, but I won’t go to the mat for it. I don’t watch that much tv anyway.

Why I just ordered my first Mac

Posted on 14. Nov, 2008 by kchristieh in my life, social networking, technical, things that bug me

When I purchased my first home computer in 1991, I chose to get a PC because it was much cheaper than a Mac and there were more programs for it.

PCs have served me well enough over the years. I run my website design business and do lots of volunteer work on my PC.

But I’m sick and tired of:

• Being afraid to update programs because when I have in the past, my computer has stopped working
• Waiting forever for the computer to turn on or off
• Getting random error messages when I try to turn the computer off
• Pop-up ads, even when I try to block them

So this week, when my computer started giving me low memory issues (I had less than 1% of my hard drive free) I figured it was time to get a new computer. I thought my computer was much older than it actually is. I’ve been going around telling people it’s 6 or 7, when actually it’s 4.5. Bad genes, I guess. It just acts old.

I’ve always been intrigued by claims that Macs are easier to work with and cause less hassles than PCs, but I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to run some of my favorite programs (Access, Money, NetVisualize Favorites) on a Mac. I posted a “Mac or PC” question on Yahoo Answers, and 7 out of 8 people said I should get another PC. Most didn’t offer supporting details. When I posted my dilemma on Facebook, 10 friends responded, and ALL of them gave me good reasons why I should get a Mac.

I ordered my iMac this evening, and can’t wait for it to arrive!!

Google knows when and where you’re sick

Posted on 12. Nov, 2008 by kchristieh in cool websites, health, my life, things that bug me

As much as I love the Minute Clinic at CVS, I struck out there yesterday. Besides the fact that they wouldn’t give my daughter a physical for her athletic clearance, they denied me a pneumonia shot because I’m 20 years too young. It didn’t matter that I informed them that I’ve had pneumonia twice, and that the last time I got a shot was at their store many years ago. They needed proof of my illness or of my shot, and I have neither. So, when I find the time and screw up my courage again, I’ll figure out where my doctor recently moved her office and see if she can help me. At least she takes my insurance.

If I do get sick this year, it probably won’t surprise Big Brother Google. Today’s NY Times details how Google has compared regional searches of certain terms like “flu symptoms” to Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports and found that they align nearly perfectly. Because Google knows its results instantly, and doesn’t require manpower to gather the data, this could prove to be a valuable tool in predicting the path of illnesses so that preventive measures can be taken.

Hopefully I won’t be a bad statistic this year.

What is “Private Suite”?

Posted on 06. Nov, 2008 by kchristieh in things that bug me

I just got a phone call from , with a caller ID that said “Private Suite.” As soon as I started to speak, a recording said something like, “Sorry, wrong number.”

I think they were just trolling for valid phone numbers, and now that I’ve answered I’m destined to get more calls. Apparently I’m not the only one receiving these phone calls: click here and here and here.

I’m on the Do Not Call Registry, so I registered a complaint here. Hopefully that’ll work. I also tried calling the number back, and amazingly, I was able to press “1″ to ask to be removed from their calling list. I did, but who knows if that was wise?

Semi-homemade cooking fits our family

Posted on 30. Oct, 2008 by kchristieh in books, feminism, food, local news, things that bug me

On Monday I took a break from work to listen to cookbook author / tv personality Sandra Lee speak at the bookstore around the corner. I’ve never seen her on tv, but in person she was bright, warm and fun. I really liked her, and enjoyed hearing about why she decided to start writing cookbooks.

I purchased her “” cookbook. I need to get some new, easy meals into our repertoire. So far I’ve made two recipes from the book, and both have been a hit with everyone in our family. I won’t copy the recipes here, since I don’t want to infringe upon her copyright. However, I’ll recount them to the best of my memory, and recommend that if you want the exact proportions and ingredients you purchase her cookbook.

Island Chicken:

• Slather thin-sliced chicken breasts with olive oil and jerk chicken seasoning. Grill.
• Sprinkle jerk chicken seasoning on canned pineapple slices. Grill.
• Mix pineapple juice with a little bit of brown sugar. Boil until reduced. Serve atop the aforementioned chicken and pineapple.

Turkey Meatballs:

• Mix 1.5 lb. ground turkey meat with egg, breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, parsley, ground pepper. Form into 1″ meatballs.
• Mix a jar of spaghetti sauce with two medium cans of diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano with basil.
• Put the sauce and the meatballs in the crockpot on low for about 8 hours.

Speaking of cooking, I was disturbed by the cover of the November, 2008 Arroyo Monthly. Why are all of Metro Pasadena’s Top Chefs pictured men? At least when you read the article you discover that one that isn’t pictured is a woman. Is there a problem with the system or the selection process?

Link:

• Sandra Lee’s official website. She didn’t look anything like this in person. She looked far hipper.

Here’s how Sarah Palin could dress well for far less than $150,000 a month

Posted on 22. Oct, 2008 by kchristieh in politics, shopping, startling statistics, things that bug me

When I first heard that Sarah Palin spent over $150,000 on clothing, grooming and accessories for herself and her family in September, I was skeptical. That’s over $5,000 a day. But a multitude of media outlets (even Fox!) are now reporting that Palin spent that much Republican money at Neiman Marcus ($75,063), Saks Fifth Avenue ($49,426), Macy’s ($9,448), Bloomingdale’s ($5,103) and others.

I dress well, but even if I tried, I couldn’t spend that much money. Palin should have had a fair amount of nice clothing already since she’s a governor, but let’s assume she needed to freshen things up.

Here are some nice outfits from some of my favorite retailers that I think would look lovely on her:

Instead of shopping at designer stores, she could have purchased these CAbi outfits:

[CAbi asked me to remove the pictures. Too bad you'll miss seeing their wonderful clothes!]

Here’s one from J.Jill. It’s a little more casual, but I think it would look stunning on her:

And don’t forget Ann Taylor. They probably even have Ann Taylor stores in Alaska.

So there. Even if she got a brand-new outfit or two a day, she could still look terrific for way under $5000 / day.

As for the reported $4,716.49 on hair and makeup, that’s insane. I can’t even braid my own hair, let alone put it up in a granny bun, so maybe she needs help with that. But she could get her hair cut and styled for under $100 at some very high quality places here in the Los Angeles area. If she needs to go every day, she’s wasting her time!

All of this aside, I’d feel incredibly guilty spending this much on clothes when so many people are starving around the world and struggling financially in this country.

Equal opportunity sign-stealing

Posted on 20. Oct, 2008 by kchristieh in politics, things that bug me

I think that everyone on our street who had campaign signs out has had at least one of them stolen. Both Republican and Democratic signs are in jeopardy. I have a friend whose kids count the McCain and Obama signs on the way to elementary school each morning, and each day they get a different count. There’s a house a few blocks away that’s had so many signs stolen that they attached “No Trespassing” signs to the bottom of their campaign signs and take them in at night.

Do signs really matter? I hope not. I hope that people are voting after researching the issues, not because they see lots of certain signs. I recently heard that people who are currently Undecided about which presidential candidate to vote for are more likely to be uninformed. Perhaps that’s why the ads can seem superficial and are often negative: that’s as much “research” as some voters are going to give to the candidates. If they hear that someone’s palling around with terrorists, that’s enough for them. They won’t take the time to read the facts.

Speaking of impressions, I saw Oliver Stone’s movie “W” this weekend. I know that much of the movie is imagined, since no one but the people involved will really know what words were said in conversations, but it sounds like the writers tried hard to keep it factual. It was a sad movie. It depicts George W. Bush as a pathetic soul who’s in over his head and is taking direction from puppeteers named Karl Rove and Dick Cheney.
I can’t wait until November 5th.

Forget the new down jacket: buy another swimsuit

Posted on 26. Sep, 2008 by kchristieh in environment, things that bug me

When my sister visited Norway with AFS in high school, she learned how to knit warm Norwegian sweaters. This proved to be useful when she went to college in Vermont, but it was completely useless when she lived here in Southern California.

This NASA chart illustrates why: since 1878, the average annual temperature in Los Angeles has gone up around six degrees.

Not only is it getting hotter, but our heat waves are becoming more frequent and are lasting longer:

They found that the number of extreme heat days (above 90 degrees Fahrenheit or 32.2 degrees Celsius in downtown Los Angeles) has increased sharply over the past century. A century ago, the region averaged about two such days a year; today the average is more than 25. In addition, the duration of heat waves (two or more extreme heat days in a row) has also soared, from two-day events a century ago to one- to two-week events today.

They also predict that this trend will continue:

The team forecasts that in coming decades, we can expect 10- to 14-day heat waves to become the norm. And because these will be hotter heat waves, they will be more threatening to public health.

Hmm. Like the asthma some of my family members suffer from?

They say that global warming caused by greenhouse gases is the cause of the generally higher temperatures, but that our paved environment, traffic, buildings and lawns all absorb solar heat and help contribute to the lengthy heat waves.

I like hot weather. Really, I do. I hate cold weather, so I love living here. But this is very depressing, since it hurts not only our health, but our planet’s. And I don’t see that trend changing any time soon.

The party of borrowing and spending is almost over

Posted on 20. Sep, 2008 by kchristieh in health, politics, startling statistics, things that bug me

I just got this breaking news alert from the NY Times:

Rescue Plan Seeks $700 Billion to Buy Bad Mortgages

The Bush administration is asking Congress to let the government buy $700 billion in troubled mortgages, according to a draft of the plan. The proposal would raise the statutory limit on the national debt to $11.3 trillion from $10.6 trillion.

How close are we to that statutory limit? According to the U.S. National Debt Clock, today we’re at $9.7 trillion. No wonder the Bush administration wants it raised. It’s a ticking time bomb.

Here’s a chart of the national debt on 9/20 of each year from data I obtained at TreasuryDirect.gov:

Over the past year, our national debt increased at a rate of $1.8 billion a day. At that rate, we’ll reach our current $10.6 trillion statutory limit on Feb. 8, 2010, and that doesn’t even include the $700 billion in troubled the mortgages the Bush administration wants to purchase.

What does this all mean? According to The Free Dictionary, the statutory debt limit is:

The cap that Congress imposes on the amount of public debt that may be outstanding whether temporary or permanent. When this limit is reached, the Treasury may not sell new debt issues until Congress raises the limit.

So the party’s almost over, folks. Batten down the hatches.

Why is this administration so eager to help out banks, but not help people without health insurance? Imagine what that money could do for the ailing!

Also, now I understand why the Republicans don’t consider themselves the party of taxing and spending. They’re the party of borrowing and spending.