Blogger Notes

2 comments:

lindsaylobe said...

In the past 4 years (with a lot of hard work) you have accomplished far much more than most people would even dream about - congratulations ~!!
Best wishes

December 30, 2008 3:55 AM

Sylvana said...

Thanks for the congrats Lindsay. I am hoping to have a calmer year in 2009.

January 01, 2009 9:42 PM

Yikes! I can barely believe that my little guy is now 16 years old!

And you know what, neither can most other people. When they hear I have a kid, they are thinking that I have a lower single digit. They usually say something like, "You have a kid? Awww! How old?" When I tell them, their expression changes from puppy-dog-dreamy to WTF.

We had another bowling party for JD. The kids LOVE it and it is a way to get a bunch of kids together and not in our house.

4 comments:

Lyvvie said...

Happy Birthday!! Glad to see it was tons of fun with added cake! HUGS!

Can't wait to see pikachu.

December 16, 2008 1:34 PM

Shannon said...

Happy Birthday, JD!

December 17, 2008 8:27 AM

pastamasta said...

Damn... your bowling skillz are madder then mine by some distance. Practice session coming up, methinks.

Happy Birthday to JD...!

December 29, 2008 5:22 AM

Sylvana said...

Lyvvie, the boy got a hold of the picture and crumpled it up before I could get it. But it was adorable!

Shannon, he's grown several inches since you saw him in Milwaukee!

PastaMasta, nice to see you out and about again!

January 01, 2009 9:47 PM

[Walking back from a working lunch at which we had discussed various procedures that still needed to be implemented or address for the accreditation process, SSB and Sy passed a guy walking a dog]

SSB: I like the coloration on that dog.

Sy: It's brindle.

SSB: Sounds like a character from Lord of the Rings.

Sy: Or something with peanuts in it that you eat at the holidays.

SSB: Like an Infectious Disease Log?

Sy: [gives an ewww face, then laughs]

SSB: Mmmm! Nothing like a Pepperidge Farm Infectious Disease Log to celebrate the holiday season!

3 comments:

Shannon said...

I just got a comment from you on my blog- how funny we're reading each other's blogs at the same time.

December 15, 2008 10:05 PM

Shannon said...

Sounds like a perfect treat at an office holiday pot luck to me!

December 15, 2008 10:07 PM

Sylvana said...

FREAKY!!

January 01, 2009 9:48 PM

I have all my rental properties rented and we have had our accreditation audit (we did well of course, because I was in charge). That leaves me with a little time on my hands. Which led to me finding a couple of guys with even more time on their hands!

2 comments:

Lyvvie said...

Whoever says knowing how the trick is done ruins the magic, hasn't seen that.

November 24, 2008 11:25 AM

Sylvana said...

Lyvvie, yes! I found it to a thoroughly amazing and entertaining video.

November 24, 2008 11:00 PM

SSB and I have already started to project a "Dream Cabinet" for Obama. Now, we began it as a serious endeavor, but then it just became way too fun to dream! So, forewarning, some of these picks are not so serious; you guess which ones.

Secretary of State:
Bill Clinton
He's fantastic at foreign policy, and he' s pretty good at affairs to ;)

Secretary of the Treasury:
Warren Buffet
He's got a lot of money. We think he knows something about making it.

Secretary of Defense:
Colin Powell
He has the temperament, knowledge of the military and experience with war to do this position justice.

Secretary of the Interior:
Al Gore
Who can get more people behind protecting our resources?

Secretary of Agriculture:
Willie Nelson
He does Farm Aid.

Secretary of Commerce:
Google guy
We can't remember his name. Sure we could Google it, but thought "Google guy" sounded better anyway. We think he knows a thing or two about building a business; from absolutely nothing to WORLD DOMINATION!!

Secretary of Transportation:
Norm Coleman
We figure we could take a moderate Republican or two out of the Senate to open up a couple of seats. They would have to be from Democratic states to help ensure that they would be replaced by Democrats/Independents. Besides, we think he did something with the light rail in St. Paul.

Secretary of Education:
Tommy Thompson
He did a great job funding alternative learning programs and helped make sure Wisconsin was tops in education in the country! Go Wisconsin!

Secretary of Health and Human Services:
C. Everett Coop, a.k.a "Admiral Muttonchops"
Along with his easily identifiable style, he actually knows a thing or two about health services!

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development:
Jimmy Carter
Habitat for Humanity!

Secretary of Homeland Security:
Dog the Bounty Hunter
His job is to hunt down fugitives.

Attorney General:
Patrick Fitzgerald
He has built his career on fighting corruption. He did a fine job in the Plame and Libby case -- and at times when it was still very dangerous to a person's career to go after people in the White House.

Secretary of Energy:
Roscoe G. Bartlett
He's a House Republican and owns a Prius!

Secretary of Veterans Affairs:
Max Cleland
... well, we were looking for a good Republican candidate for this position -- but we couldn't find one (except McCain 2000, who may, or may not still exist -- and we need him in the Senate anyway). All the ones that actually have helped veterans are Democrats.

4 comments:

Shannon said...

Would we need to refer to "Dog" as "Secretary The Hunter?"

November 06, 2008 2:59 PM

Michael Manning said...

I've wondered what Duane is up to and have read his book. If anyone could capture OBL it;s "The Dog"!

November 11, 2008 1:02 AM

Sylvana said...

Shannon, yes. I think it helps maintain a little crazy that we need to intimidate ill-willers.

Michael Manning, we certainly have the talent that we need right here in America -- it is just a matter of finding it and matching it up with the need.

November 12, 2008 7:07 AM

Shamus O'Drunkahan said...

Not so sure about Warren Buffet. I mean, he's all about drinking and the beach and having a good time and we really need somebody who will... oh wait. That's Jimmy Buffet. Nevermind.

November 12, 2008 9:34 AM

It is as if in one night all the electoral damage done by the last two elections has been corrected. It is as if in one night there is undeniable truth that this country is finally shaking free of its horrible oppressive past. It is as if in one night there is not only hope renewed for America, but for Americans, and the world.

Congratulations, and THANK YOU!, President Obama!

1 comments:

Shannon said...

I KNOW!!!!!!

November 05, 2008 12:25 AM

It was pointed out in a recent email to me that I have been very noticeably absent from my blog (thanks, Lyvvie!)

Part of it is the mountain of projects at work.
Part is the mountain of projects in my business.
Part of it is the mountain of projects at home.
Part of it is my stupid computer fighting me every time I try to do ANYTHING on it!
But, a huge part is my obsession with the presidential election.

Now, I get a pretty worked up at every election, but there is something very different about this one for me. I truly see a shining ray of hope for America.

Going into this election, after the primaries, I wasn't that interested. I didn't know that much about Obama, but many people that I respected seem to like him; and I had always not only liked McCain, I admired him. In fact, I thought what Bush did to McCain and his obvious heroic record was not only shameless -- it was EVIL!! I appreciated McCain for sticking to the high ground during that primary, even if it resulted in his not getting the nomination. I felt that this election appeared to be a win-win. And when he nominated Sarah Palin, I thought, well now it really is a win-win-win situation. I thought either Obama or McCain would probably make a good president, and if Obama won he would be the first black president, and if McCain won, she would be the first woman vice president.

Then the winds of change blew in.

Over the course of the weeks following the conventions, I learned more about everyone; and I have to tell you -- I became increasing concerned about the welfare of this country. It went from being a fairly even choice to an inspiration vs instigation run for the White House.

Little by little that admirable exterior that McCain held was chipped away as he sold it for his chance to finally realize his life-long dream of being President. He did show signs of resistance along the way. Don't feel that I thought he went down without a fight. But ultimately he has been reduced to a grinning puppet for the RNC/GOP.

And Sarah Palin? Not a win. The more she has shown of herself, the more concerned I have become about the future of the country. I had a renter like her -- delusions of grandeur. "Yeah, so I was wondering if I could build a sunroom off the back of the house." I highly doubt it, and ABSOLUTELY NOT! Although I appreciate the self confidence that it must take to truly think that you are totally capable of easily accomplishing things that you really know nothing about, I have much greater appreciation for people who know themselves well enough and are honest with themselves and others enough to say, "Sorry, not my forte." Seriously, if it's not an outrageously inflated sense of abilities then it must be that she has such a low opinion of what it takes to run America that she would think that living close to Russia and signing some payroll checks would more than qualify her for the job. Either way -- not good.

And as she got more and more confident, she became more and more concerning. She is stabbing McCain in the back on many issues which has him back-peddling to keep some semblance of continuity in the party. And the way she leads a rally is alarming. The RNC calls it rallying their base -- they're base alright, and she knows just how to play them. Fear will lead them, and she is a great horror story teller. She certainly scares the hell out of me!

As far as McCain goes, you can clearly see that this is a bit alarming to him as well. He has had the decency to scold his own crowd when they have gone overboard and were getting out of control. I commend him for that, but I have to say, I haven't seen much of it lately. He is a man unsure of which path to take. It is clear he is not comfortable (or at least, was not comfortable) with the things that Palin had been stirring up in people. But the "maverick" seems afraid of taking control of his own campaign. His indecisiveness and conflict with his own campaign make him appear erratic and at times more than a wee bit senile. Not a good projection when you are trying to convince people that you are steady with all the answers. He can't even figure out his own campaign!

Then there is Obama. The only thing that I knew about Obama as this race started was that he had easily won in Illinois due to some scandals with the other candidates and that he had somehow pulled a victory from sure-thing Clinton. I was actually upset because I had enjoyed the Clinton years and was all ready for another round. I was not ready to accept Obama, for sure.

Then I heard him speak.

He really is an inspirational figure. He has the ability to talk about real problems that we face without sounding negative; which is a problem that has plagued many Democratic presidential nominees. He makes you feel like there is hope and that we are great, without pandering to you or blowing smoke up your ass. He uses inclusion instead of division to get support for his ideas. I truly feel that he has the ability to bring us together in unity to solve problems that we face today. And I get a strong sense of intelligence, fairness, humanity, discipline and toughness from him. Plus, he is one cool dude!

His running mate, Joe Biden, is a great Robin to his Batman, too. Very knowledgeable, a little goofy, unintelligible at times, but his heart is definitely in the right place. And he really, truly supports Obama.

But what is even better than having such an awesome person running for president is the fact that despite the RNC's best efforts to discredit him, America recognizes Obama's greatness too. Hope lives. But although Obama does have a comfortable lead in most polls, I can not rest easy knowing that anything could happen in the next week. SSB and I have already volunteered to drive people to the polls, and we are planning to canvass next week -- something that I have NEVER considered doing in the past!

And although I do lean Democrat, it is important to note that I am an independent and I do not always vote Democrat. I supported Ross Perot and Ralph Nadar (a personal hero of mine), not to mention Tommy Thompson (before he stuck his head up Bush's ass, anyway). I support Obama, not because he is a Democrat, but because I feel he is the real deal. He will be not just a good president, he will be a GREAT president.

4 comments:

sideshow bob said...

You know, John McCain and Sarah Palin have been saying some pretty nasty things about Barack Obama lately.

And I couldn't agree with them more...I couldn't disagree with you, I couldn't agree, with you, more than that you are the most patriotic, god-fearing person in the world.


But seriously, that woman is evil. EVIL, I tell you. Making women pay for their own rape kits crosses the line from regular old villainy into cartoonish super-villainy.

October 26, 2008 1:51 AM

"AG" said...

Very eloquent post. I agree.

October 26, 2008 5:02 AM

Shamus O'Drunkahan said...

I'm an indie too. I only hope the polls are correct. But there are a lot of really dumb people out there. And they can't see past race or rumors.

October 26, 2008 8:37 PM

Sylvana said...

SSB, I get sick of hearing how negative BOTH parties have been. I really do not see negativity from the Obama campaign. In the last week we have gotten phone calls from both campaigns. ALL of the McCain calls told us how frightened we should be of the terrorist loving Obama. The Obama calls said we all need to come together to bring the change we need for this country -- so don't forget to vote! And in the last week or so we have gotten dozens of campaign droppings on our door step. The McCain ones are just like their phone calls and the Obama ones are just like theirs.
I have yet to see or hear a truly negative ad from the Obama campaign.

AG, awe thanks, I was going for eloquent rather than the rabid bear option.

Shamus, I know. Though every time I start to get hope that this country is pulling out of the ignorance hole it has fallen into, I am unpleasantly surprised to find it digging it deeper. :(

BUT this election HAS to be different!!

October 29, 2008 9:06 PM