Why Georgia why?

This edition of Random Thoughts is dedicated to my brother and sister. David's birthday was yesterday and Danielle's is tomorrow. Happy Birthday, gremlins!

I wanted to write them a limerick or something else terribly clever, which would cause people to seethe with jealousy at my artistry and say "boy oh boy, I wish Lori was my sister".

Then I was like "eh".

So..

Today, I fell in love with the name Esther. Weird, eh?

I've been diagnosing myself again. This week its schizoid personality disorder.

I should hopefully work my way through every major mental health disorder by Christmas.

I read this one blog this week..it was crazy. It was a couple who'd been married for two years and in those two years they had been to the following places: Hawaii (3 times), Paris (2 times), London, Wisconsin, New York, Florida, New Jersey, Los Angeles, Vegas, Kirtland, Dallas, etc etc. Most of these for VACATION. How many vacations can one couple take? And how do they afford it? And why am I so jealous?

I wish summer was over.

Lori Ann

The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls

A few songs; when I listen to them, give me the chills. For some inexplicable reason, I have a strong visceral reaction to them.

I am listening to "The Sound of Silence" right now, which is one of the songs.

Other songs include:

Stairway to Heaven ( Led Zepplin)

Behind Blue Eyes (The Who)

Dreamer ( SuperTramp)

Paint it Black (the Rolling Stones)

Unfaithful (Rhianna)

and

Every single song by Simon and Garfunkel.

I know I've said this is in the past, but I feel like my dad's love of music manifests itself in me in odd ways. I don't have a sense of rhythm, I can't play any instruments, and I'm fairly happy to stick with my Top 40 bubble gum pop.

But every once in a while; when I hear certain songs, it's like I can feel the music all the way down to my toes.

The only thing I can compare it to is the feeling I had when I saw Ireland, Belguim, and France (where my ancestors come from) and I felt a connection, almost as if a part of me had been waiting to come home to these places all my life.

When I hear these songs it's like I've always known them.

Weird, eh?

Don't let me blog past 10 pm. I start to get incoherent:)

Lori Ann

Let's Get Political

Don't you love when people share their political views on their blog?

Don't they always make you shake your head and say "huh..I never thought about it that way" and change the way you think/vote/live??

Yeah. Not so much.

And yet; in spite of the aforementioned futility of sharing politics on your blog, I still feel like (with the debt crisis and all) it's just about the perfect time for me to share some of my more adventurous political views.

Brace yourselves!!

1. Civil Unions. I believe in them. For everyone. And I literally mean everyone. I don't think a civil union should be based only on a sexual relationship. I think marriages should be between one man and one woman, but I think any two people (brother and sister, friends, partners, etc) should be able to get a civil union and get on each other's insurance, etc.

2. I support term limits. No more than 2 terms for senators and representatives.

3. I support drug testing for all welfare recipients. Only because I have worked with so many and too many were utilizing their government funds/resources for drugs. There is never enough oversight of welfare benefits and oh my gosh the suffering I have witnessed. It's always the children who suffer the most.

4. I support comprehensive and free health care for anyone under the age of 18. All children should be covered for whatever they need; regardless of income.

There is so much more. But I'll leave you to grapple with these four. I know I've rocked a lot of your worlds and you might need some time to go and change your voter registration cards and all that.

You're welcome. ")

Next up for discussion: Religion!

Lori Ann

Watching the tide roll away

I am not a super proactive job hunter.

I kinda always have this feeling that someone is just going to go ahead and find me and say "Listen, we want to pay you about 100,000 a year. Just to be you. Maybe do some crafting, come to office parties, etc"

So, I hold off on the job search, waiting for that to happen.

Which it never does.

So...my point is, after 6 weeks of vacation and apathetic job searching, I thought I had found one great job and I was all set to move to Chester County.

But now I've got 2 more job offers closer to home and one with significantly better pay.

I don't know what to do with three job offers.

AHHH!!

I've never really been in a situation like this before.

Do I go for the great money, the dream location, or the best job description??

Lori Ann

I know your fears and you know mine, cocoa pebbles

Rolad Amundsen said "Adventure is just bad planning".

I think he may have been talking about our trip into Amish country today.

The Amish markets were closed.

We got lost a..few...times.

The kids may or may not have been chanting "We are hungry" for about 20 minutes due to lack of snack planning.

We drove a long way to see relatively little.

But it was an adventure.

The kids were given lollipops by a sweet little Amish girl.

We found the land of Roni.

We saw so many amazing old stone houses and Amish farms.

We traveled down narrow roads and over rickety bridges.

I fell in love with Pennsylvania all over again.

Today was an adventure for me because I got to take the people that I love the most to the place that I love the most.

It doesn't get much better than that.

Lori Ann

I ain't got seventy days

I'm not a major Amy Winehouse fan. I do love all of her better known works though. 27 is too young to die.

This is a video of her most popular song "rehab" done on Glee. It makes me want to learn both to song write and to dance. Thanks for inspiring me, Amy.

Jeg sørger med deg, Norge.

It's been a weird weekend, eh?

Lori Ann

Where my music's playing

Today I got a great job in the place I've wanted to live for like 8 years.

Chester County, PA.

It's just south of Philadelphia, fairly close to the Maryland and Delaware borders.

And it's Amish country, y'all.

This is it.

The Place.

It is so unbelievably beautiful there.

It will be a month or two before I move. I've got to focus on my new job and apartment shopping. I would love to get something vintage-y with hard wood floors and a fireplace. We'll see what happens.

I think I could be happy there living in a box.

Lori Ann