I don't think so.

A young teenage girl was about to finish her first year of college. She considered herself to be a very liberal Democrat but her father was a rather staunch Republican.

One day she was challenging her father on his beliefs and his opposition to taxes and welfare programs. He stopped her and asked her how she was doing in school.

She answered that she had a 4.0 GPA but it was really tough. She had to study all the time, never had time to go out and party. She didn't have time for a boyfriend and didn't really have many college friends because of spending all her time studying.

He asked, "How is your friend Mary." She replied that Mary was barely getting by. She had a 2.0 GPA, never studied, but was very popular on campus, went to all the parties all the time. Why she often didn't show up for classes because she was hung over.

Dad then asked his daughter why she didn't go to the Dean's office and ask why she couldn't take 1.0 off her 4.0 and give it to her friend who only had a 2.0. That way they would both have a 3.0 GPA.

The daughter angrily fired back, "That wouldn't be fair, I worked really hard for mine and Mary has done nothing".

The father slowly smiled and said, "Welcome to the Republican Party".

I think this scenario may be a little unfair...

What if the daughter was just naturally able, and didn't really have to study that hard for her good grades?

What if Mary worked really hard, but just wasn't as capable of earning decent grades?

And what about John, a guy that the daughter doesn't even know, who, for whatever reason, isn't making the grade either?

Surely there must be a scenario that would make the daughter happy to give up what she rightfully earned and assume responsibility for someone else...

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Anniversary!

Dear John,

The list of mistakes I've made in the past five years is really, really long. Marrying you isn't on it.

I love you,
Marly

Wordless Wednesday

It must be the new math.

I stopped by McDonald's the other night for a quick dinner treat for JJ. I went through the the drive-thru:

Marly: Do you have a Happy Meal special tonight?

McChick: Yes.

(awkward pause)

Marly: Would you mind telling me what it is?

McChick: Hamburger and cheeseburger Happy Meals is a dollar.

Marly: Great! I'd like a cheeseburger Happy Meal, please.

McChick: Dollar fifteen, first window.

Marly: Thank you.

(I did some quick math in my head before reaching the window.)

McChick (hand out): Dollar fifteen.

Marly: How did we get to a dollar fifteen from a dollar?

McChick: Tax.

Marly: No, that would only make it a dollar six.

McChick (looking at register tape): A dollar nine, plus six cents tax.

Marly: I'm sorry, I must have misunderstood. I thought I heard you say that both hamburger and cheeseburger Happy Meals were a dollar.

McChick: They both is a dollar, but the cheeseburger is more.

Thanks, Danny.

I couldn't have said it better myself - 'cause JJ would pick up language like that in a heartbeat. ;)

This one's for you, Nik!

Even in a hole, the sun still occasionally shines.

I was in a parking lot downtown (or as downtown as we have) today. There, I saw a couple and their two young children. Because it is suddenly bitterly cold here today, I had my windows up, and didn't hear their interactions. Their body language told me what was going on however.

The mother was angry, her arms crossed over her chest, and she wasn't making eye contact with the father. He wore a rather exasperated look as he grabbed a small jacket out of the trunk of the car and handed it to the woman. Both boys were wandering aimlessly in small circles. And I could just tell that this was the trade-off. Thanks to some irreconcilable difference between the two adults, the children were now spending their time between the homes of two people who love them, but not each other anymore.

And I thought to myself that it could always be worse. John may have been laid off again, but we still have each other... and the cutest kid on the planet.

Wordless Wednesday

I have never tried illegal drugs, but...

I spent some time in a poorly ventilated room creating yard sale signs this afternoon, and I'm pretty sure I now know why they call those markers "magic".

Wordless Wednesday

My apologies

I've been rather absent lately, and for that I apologize. Unfortunately, I can't currently see an end in sight. Just as things started to take on an aire of normalcy around here, we've hit another one of those majorly life-upsetting issues that leaves you in a heap in the corner wondering what happened. And the blow is so fresh that I can't even talk about it right now. Quite frankly, I'm just not ready to face reality yet.

Like I mentioned in a previous comment, we're all healthy. And for that, I thank God.

Wordless Wednesday