Haven't been around the lounge much lately... wanted to say HELLO!

[salin]

Have been on crazy deadlines for a couple of months - have more coming. So my time at DU and perusal patterns have been a bit curbed. But I miss ya'll and have a little time.. wanted to come in and say hi, maybe have a brew, maybe a group hug... and hopefully meet a few folks who I haven't yet had the chance to meet.

((((lounge))))

[Mass_Liberal]

1. HI!!!!!

how are you, man (or woman). I hope all goes well w/ you, my friend.

[salin]

3. Things are going well

just hectic as all get out. Needing a breather and the chance to see some familiar friendly faces :hi:

[burythehatchet]

2. Hey come on in

don't sit on that cushion - someone spilled a beer on it

[salin]

4. oops

hope I didn't spill it when last here...

[La Lioness Priyanka]

10. i keep forgetting to ask you

what hatchet are you burying? seriously...

[burythehatchet]

19. That would have to be a private message Lioness

you sexist you

[Exgeneral]

5. HI!

:hi:
I've heard you mentioned in admiring tones by longtimers
:beer: here's lookin' at ya

[salin]

6. Very nice to meet you!

Not sure if I should blush or worry about what might have been said... lol

I'll take that beer and offer you another for a :toast:

[La Lioness Priyanka]

7. hi

nice to meet you :)

[salin]

8. back at ya... the pleasure is mine

just read your name and its pronounciation on the name thread... very beautiful name.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

9. thanks :)

[JanMichael]

11. Long time, no see!

Hi from Michael and Stephanie!

[salin]

14. Greetings to you both!

How has resettling gone for you? And how are classes and surviving work going for Stephanie? I don't even need to ask, but will so anyhow... how is it to finally not be doing the long-distance marraige thing?

[JanMichael]

20. Michael likes his job

and NC....and living together is just too cool! :)

When are you coming this way?

[salin]

22. Not any time soon, I fear

am working hard to see if I can not clear that weekend in late April, though. Anychance that ya'll will ever pass through this way? They call us the crossroads of America... since so many drive through on their way to somewhere else...

[SOteric]

12. Hello.

:hi:

I guess I've been a tad busier than usual lately too. But I'm still around a few times a day.

[salin]

15. Life does have a way of sneaking up on us...

*sigh*

Good to see you.

[Nlighten1]

13. Hey salin...

How's it going?

[salin]

17. Overall things are going really well

just busy as all get out.

Just volunteered to work the elections in May, as it is likely to be the last time I will be able to do so for several years. Always depressing to work the primaries ... always think... if turnout is this low here... in a pretty politically engaged college town... oye what it must be elsewhere in the state...

[CanuckAmok]

16. Hi! Welcome back...you haven't missed a thing ;)

n/t

[salin]

18. Missed a thing.. perhaps not

Missed ya'll... you betcha!

[proud patriot]

21. Good to see ya

:hi:

[salin]

23. PP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wonderful to see you! Keeping the whole Bay Area in line I hope... except for the area's voting to keep prop 13 as is, of course (wtf was up with that?!)

[proud patriot]

27. sometimes I think people vote according to the signs placed by the road

before the election around here...

:crazy:

[salin]

28. It does make you wonder

these folks have had kids in schools having to fundraise from here to forever (usually from parents) often for very essential/basic things... because getting even a minor bond passed for school funding almost always is (narrowly) defeated. They don't connect that situation to this vote? They don't remember? They think... hey I had to do it.. spread the pain around????

You might just have something with that sign by the polling place theory.

[soleft]

24. Helluuuuoooooooo!

You have to imagine Mrs. Doubtfire saying that.


Hellluuuuooooooo!

[salin]

25. somehow you have never given me the

impression of being a Mrs. Doubtfire... lol

How are you? How is sonof? Seen any strange boats in the harbor lately?

[soleft]

34. no strange boats, just celebrities.

that was terrible. 3 hail marys for me. or bloody marys.

sonof is SO grown up. He towers above me. Into the usual things 14 year old boys are into. Wish I could think of something fun to do over spring break. I was thinking maybe storm chasing, it is tornado season.

[salin]

36. Growing up in and returning to a tornado alley

all I can say is... yikes! Fourteen is a kind of cool age. Interested in a lot of different things, but not wanting to talk much to adults and thus not letting them into the various things (beyond the obvious) that are catching the fancy.

Have no idea how much time or resources you have... but I would bet that whatever you do the most 'memorable' part of it for your son (in years to come, maybe not right away) would be having lots of one on one time with Mom.

Here's an idea: the two of you pick a nearby state. If you don't belong to AAA join it (not too expensive for their lowest level of membership). Get a tour book and some maps for the chosen state. Have him flip through it and select 2-3 cities/towns to see. Set some parameters... e.g., the amount of driving time between cities, and/or at least two interesting things to do or see (there is a section in their guides on points of interest.) Have him "nominate" places to go - with some kind of rationale as to why place a instead of place b.

It would give him some ownership over the whole thing, and might give you some interesting conversations while he is in the selection process. Of course as the Mom you set the "choice" parameters, and have final veto.

Just an idea...

[soleft]

42. That's kind of what I had in mind

I was thinking NY State, including Niagra Falls. If you can't see a tornado, why not the world's biggest waterfall? And it's definitely all about not wanting to talk to adults. The only way I know who his friends are is when they occassionally leave a message on the answering machine.

So did you see lots of tornados? I used to dream about tornados all the time, they were the best dreams I ever had. Usually water spouts coming across the ocean. I'm sure they were about sex. :shrug:

[salin]

47. since we are rather land-locked

we don't have a water spout effect.

I have witnessed a funnel cloud (sort of a baby tornado) ... and it was awesome - not in a beautiful way but in a frozen... oh my gosh... way. The next day a survey of the area showed a four-foot wide track of land with high weeds completeley mowed over as if a tracker run over it. Tree limbs all over the place. One could only imagine the damage had it been a full blown tornado - indeed had it been there is a chance I would not be typing about it.

Also followed behind a tornado by about 20 minutes on the highway going north out of Williamsburg, Virginia. The storm had whipped from side to side ripping up trees along its wake. And of course every couple of years a huge series of tornadoes will hit this region in a populated area and the damage can be devastating. Once a big storm hit the area where my sister lives and completely tore the roof off of the local YMCA where my niece often participated in after school events. All said, I have no desire to see a full tornado in person.

Has he been up to the Hudson Valley? Was up there for a wedding a few years ago (I believe that you passed on flight tips for me for that trip). Gorgeous up there... and some really interesting historic mansions - we spent time at FDRs home and at a Vanderbilt mansion. If he has any inclination of an interest in History - those two visits alone gave insights into the Gilded Era, as well as glimpse of a president who came from wealth but greatly altered our nations path in finding responses to the Depression.

[salin]

26. So what lounge news have I missed... any quick recaps?

[GOPisEvil]

29. Howdy!

:grouphug:

[salin]

31. Hi there!!

Tried to give a little sarcastic hello to you on another thread... but to no effect... :-( My gift of sarcasm must be slipping.

Great to see you :hug:

[GOPisEvil]

45. LOL! I saw it later in the evening!

I was just headed out when I saw it though. :-)

[salin]

46. Timing

in this crazy place, is everything... am just going to have to get my 'game typing' back into form.

[GOPisEvil]

48. Heehee...if it weren't election night here...

I think I was on my way out to my precinct convention. :-)

Or on my way to bed...I can't recall now. :silly:

[salin]

51. What was up with the seperate voting

precincts for dems and repubs in parts of Texas... and reports of places giving no information on direction to the new voting places? Did that get any news coverage in Texas - or are we only aware of it here at DU due to folks reporting in?

[GOPisEvil]

53. Really? That went on here?

I didn't see any coverage of that, but I'm not surprised. Polling information tends to get the barest of coverage in most parts of Texas. Low turnout leads to Republican victories. Most newspapers here are so solidly Republican it isn't funny.

Nothing that goes on in this state surprises me any more.

[salin]

54. Let me go see if I can't find the thread where this was discussed

there may have been more than one - but the first is pretty clear that somewhere they had segregated voting precincts.

[salin]

56. Read these

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=448952

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x450271

Share with those from your precinct meeting. Get the word out.

[GOPisEvil]

57. Dammit all to Hell...

...I heartily encourage ALL Texans to take advantage of early voting. The polling places (at least here) are usually in malls, grocery stores or other large public centers. You don't have to go to a specific location for your precinct. Even when we had paper ballots, every early voting station had enough ballots for each precinct.

I voted at the mall when I was buying a new battery for the remote for my car lock thing.

If you're going to vote on election day, call your elections office early and ask where the polling place is. They change them without notice all too often.

This stuff just pisses me off! :grr:

[populistmom]

30. Hi Salin

:hi:
Nice to see you! :)

[salin]

32. Likewise!

Hope all is well and that you are giving yourself more of a break here and again... a rad cool lady like yourself - needs to see herself as rad cool every now and again!

[neverborn]

33. Hi Salin!

I'm neverborn. I'm 16. I'm in a far-right city in a left-wing state. :P

[salin]

37. It is nice to meetyou neverborn,

I am not to far (next state over) in what is perceived to be a far-left city in a right-wing state. (The home of Indiana University.) Am always happy to meet our highschool DUers.. ya'll give me great hope.

[Zomby Woof]

35. dammit

Does this mean I have to get back in the corner? x(

[salin]

38. LOL... only if you dwell to long

in the space of poking sticks into the eyes of supporters of certan candidates.. but they get to join you when they poke back or poke first. ;-)

[Zomby Woof]

39. poking corpses is boring

All that embalming fluid leaking everywhere... yahoo.

[salin]

40. I know

but that poking seems to be having a zombie effect (not sure if pun is intended)... and keeps certain pointless feuds going to the point of (from both directions) frustrating attempts at real discussions. Of course.. nya nya nya nya nya nya nya does seem to be a popular dwelling space for some in GD04. Probably why - when I am short on time, as I have been of late, I spend my DU guilty pleasure time mostly in LBN and editorials. And when I get a real break... coming back to the lounge! Where fueds are about things like Yaks! Long live zombie Yaks!

[Zomby Woof]

41. My favorite new pastime - yak stripping

I don't believe in being reasonable with insane or stupid people. I started out that way - posting serious and analytical attack-free pieces, but then stupid and hysterical kooks took offense anyway. I took my lumps when I crossed the line - no whiny protests in AtA or privately. Besides, things turned out as I hoped, and I have to take solace in that.

I am not interested in assigning blame, or analyzing who did what to who - I have no regrets about anything I posted, because I never lied, exaggerated, or resorted to innuendo and rumor to score points. No tinfoil or RW talking points either. I may fight dirty, but I stay above those gutters, always.

I have never suffered fools gladly, and one thing I have been consistent with is giving them the level of discourse they deserve. I also don't care about "winning" as much as I do deriving entertainment from smacking down the ignorant and benighted. I am gleefully depraved. :P

Lusting after my yaks is the first step to an enlightened path.

[JM]

43. WB Salin!

I hear you on the deadlines stuff. I pulled between 70-80 hours a week in January and most of February, and am finally caught up on my energy. It looks like I may return to that schedule as soon as next week though...

Keep holding down the liberal fort in Bloomington!

JM

[salin]

49. I think that I will be at this pace for quite a while.

But it is all for the good - so I just keep trying to muster through.

Will try to keep the light on for you and your family here in Bloomington, so that it is ready and welcoming for your next trip back!

[Khephra]

44. You just came back because of the Bayh threads, admit it!

:evilgrin:

Good to see you around!

I'm thinking of making a trip down your way sometime soon.

Actually....you might be able to do me a favor. Can you check books out of the IU library? There's something there I'd like photocopied that's out-of-print (or in the $1000's of dollar range) that I need for some personal research.

[salin]

50. I don't currently have access

but I think that any resident can get temporary check-out priveledges. And if it is just photocopying... one can do that all within the library without having to check the book out.

Give me a headsup if you make it down here - maybe we can call together the locals (there are a few of us) and go grab some coffee!

Those Bayh threads... what are people thinking? Argh?!

[buddhamama]

52. your username sounds familiar

but i can't quite place the posts.

you're the diplomatic one aren't you?

hey salin, good to see you
i have missed you a lot.
when i come across a post of yours,
my body is propelled by an unknown force to reply,
even if i don't have anything worthwhile to say, which is usually the case.

Hope you are well.
I'll be lookin' out for you
Take care

:hug: :hug: :hug:

[salin]

55. Always a pleasure to see you, Buddhamama

with my much more constricted time I have primarily followed the LBN and editorials with occaisional forays into the GD forums. Not much relaxing in the lounge, which I greatly miss.

Your words are always meaningful to me... can't ever recalling thinking "hmmmm well that was pointless..." ... nope doesn't happen...

Thanks for the kind words and hugs!

:toast: :hugs:

warmest regards...