Big Love

So, about a month ago Comcast REALLY screwed up with our bill and Jeremiah was on the phone with them multiple times to get it fixed. As part of their "oops, sorry" package, they threw in free HBO for a YEAR! The beauty of that is that we've discovered some really great shows and movies.

Best of all, we discovered the TV series Big Love. Sure, it's about polygamists in Utah, one man, three wives, seven kids. BUT OH BABY, we love this show! The first two seasons are on demand, and season 3 starts in January. Tonight we'll watch the season one finale, and if the snow continues we may just watch all of season 2 this weekend!

It's a pretty interesting show, I don't know why but Polygamy has always fascinated me (not that I want to participate) but just that whole thing that Joseph Smith decided he wanted to sleep with his nanny and then God "told him" it was OK. Thankfully years later, Mormon's realized "yeah, not so much" which I really think was a group of guys who went "you know, one is MORE than enough!" but still the idea of living "the principle" is pretty interesting to me.

A couple years ago I read the John Krakauer book Under the Banner of Heaven which is all about polygamy and child brides, etc. What I thought was interesting, and wasn't mentioned as much as I think it should have been, is that when Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped, she was taken as the second wife in this family. The problem with Polygamy isn't the multiple wives, it's the child brides. The 13-17 year old girls who are being "placed" in a man's care. And the teenage boys who are kicked out on the street because the older men don't need competition.

After reading Under the Banner of Heaven I came to the conclusion that I think polygamy should be legal, BECAUSE then polygamists can report the underage marriages that the women know are wrong, but can't currently report because they'd be in trouble too. Sure, there's a lot of problems in our country right now, and maybe polygamy isn't the biggest issue we're facing, but when you have polygamists supporting gay marriage, you know that maybe it's a sign...

Hooray for VOTING!

Today I voted! I sent in the absentee ballot, and I voted on every measure on the ballot. There's a lot of district Judge's I learned...But, that's not the story of the day. Yesterday morning, Jeremiah and I were putting Hank in the car to take him to the dog park. Jeremiah asked where my Obama/Biden magnet was on the car. And sure enough, SOMEONE STOLE IT! I figured that it must have been when I went to see Drowsy Chaperone the other night, either in the garage, or when we parked over by the restaurant before dinner.

So, it's one of two things...a McCain supporter (not my husband, I drilled him on it...) who's being a sore loser, OR a Obama Supporter who clearly needed it more than me. Anyway you look at it, I'm pretty ticked, that my magnet is missing. I was so excited for the "I told you so" magnet that I could keep on my car to spite my husband for months to come...

What a GREAT guy!

I don't usually talk about Jeremiah, he doesn't seem to like it when I do on my blogs. BUT, he did something pretty great recently...On Monday, I got back to my desk at work after lunch. I had an e-mail from him in my inbox, which was a forward from AT&T. I had some issues with my cell phone earlier in the day, and had sent him a note about it. SO...this e-mail says that an IPHONE has been ordered in my name, and will be delivered in the next few days. I immediately call him, and make sure it's real. It sure is! Happy Birthday Jeremiah, thank you so much!

So, tonight the phone arrived in the mail...I open it up, know I have to charge it, start reading directions and see I can't transfer my number to it till tomorrow. So, now I'm trying to skip out of work in the afternoon so I can come home and play with my new phone. I love it!

What a great husband I have! Happy Birthday to him, this weekend, an xbox 360 will also join our technology based family!

Why Deschutes Brewery is THE BEST

A week or so ago at the store I picked up a 1/2 case of Mirror Pond. I grabbed two bottles on Monday night. One to drink, and one for a recipe that called for beer. I realized as I went to open the bottle, that it was flat AND that the bottle wasn't full. So, I drank the full one, which was fine, and then I used the flat one for cooking, and dumped the rest. And then I sent a note to Deschutes Brewery letting them know, and here's the response & trail of events...

Ms. Case,

First, let me apologize on behalf of Deschutes
Brewery for the half-full bottle of Mirror Pond in your 12-pack. I
appreciate the fact that you are a loyal fan of Deschutes Brewery, but you
should never have any experience short of spectacular with our beers. We
will investigate how this deviation occurred and work on preventing it from
reoccurring. Thanks for supplying the best by date.

Do you
still have the bottle? I would be more than happy to trade your for a few
full ones.

Thanks again for letting us know about your
experience,

So, I responded, with a thanks, and that my brother is coming to visit, so could bring the bottle back with him, etc...

Elizabeth,

Is your brother visiting you in Washington this
weekend? If so, please ask him to stop by the Brewery so that we can
send
a token of our appreciation to you. What is his name and I will
make sure
he procures your favorite flavor?

So, Jeremy and Cassie stopped by Deschutes on Friday afternoon on their way out of town. The procured two-six packs, AND two bottles of the 20th Anniversary Whit, which is a great beer! Deschutes Brewery guys are the GREATEST, and if your fridge isn't fully stocked with them, you should fix that immediately!

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

For my birthday, dad bought me this book he's reading. I just started it today, and I'm about 50 pages in. This is (so far) an AWESOME book! It's about a mute boy and his dog. It takes place in rural Wisconsin and so far I'm loving it!

I bought Lord of the Flies a month ago when I was at Powell's down in Portland. I've started reading it, but I'm not getting into it like I thought I would. A few people at work said it's one of the greatest books they've read, my office is full of readers with typically good suggestions. And then I kept hearing about the parallels with LOST, so thought that was probably a good idea to read. Ehh...I'll try it again later. Maybe in February right before LOST returns I'll want to...

AND THEN, a week or two ago I was reading my Real Simple and they were recommending good books, and so today I took two HUGE bags of books to Half Price Books to sell, and then I ended up buying The Secret History, and Water for Elephants. I'm pretty excited to read them, and now I'm excited about The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. If you have a dog, I'm thinking you'll want to read this book. And not in one of those "your dog looks like Marley" kind of ways. ALTHOUGH, should we let the bets begin on how many people will buy me Marley and Me for Christmas? I'm pretty sure it'll be in full promotion mode at all bookstores, with Owen Wilson & Jennifer Aniston on the cover (and a speck of a yellow dog in the background...). My guess is THREE...

Who names their kid after a NASCAR race anyway?

So, I've recently discovered a new blog that I'm really enjoying. AND, over the weekend, my dad was here visiting. With his favorite toy in hand while we returned from the dog park, he came across the greatest political drama of the season. The story that VP Candidate Sarah Palin's youngest child is actually her grandson, and that her 17 year old daughter is the mother of the baby, and it's an elaborate plan to cover it up for her daughter. This is far and away the BEST conspiracy theory I've heard in a few years...


BUT THEN, today while Gustav coverage was in full force, Palin finally decides to disclose that that story isn't true, but that Bristol IS pregnant, and better than that, she's going to keep the baby, AND (this is my favorite) they're getting MARRIED! What a great idea! That's guaranteed to work out and have a happy ending. This has Spears Family written all over it...


So, back to the blog...today's entry wraps it all up with a nice neat bow...

Sign of a come back?