"Illinois Politics" written by Janelle on estrip.org

12/09/08 11:02 - 40ºF - ID#47005

Illinois Politics

As happy as I am that the governor of Illinois is finally getting his comeuppance, I hope that this is just one more stepping stone to taking down the dynasty of Chicago and upstate politics known as the Daley family which has worked every which way to screw over downstate Illinois.

Go downstate!

Permalink: Illinois_Politics.html
Words: 60
Location: Buffalo , NY

12/04/08 08:02 - 28ºF - ID#46960

The Plumber

We had a fixture in our bathtub break off. It is the fixture that controls the plug to make the tub drain or retain water. It was beyond our ability to repair, sadly. After a couple of months of a do-it-yourself fix using a wire coat hanger (hat tip to Drew on that one), we finally called a plumber.

We got charged a lot of money for the plumber to put two holes in our wall. Whatever homeowner put the plumbing in must have been awfully optimistic that there would never be a plumbing problem, because they didn't put in an access door to the plumbing. I guess they won, because we're the ones stuck with the problem.

Apparently, putting holes in the wall was a hit or miss kind of thing because here's hole #1 leading to nothing:

And here's hole #2 which led to what he needed:

And here's the two fixtures that he replaced in the bathtub I now need to clean:

Apparently the large sum he charged us didn't include putting a door on or replacing the plaster or tidying up a bit in the bathroom. So, we'll be doing those fun little projects ourselves.

Permalink: The_Plumber.html
Words: 203
Location: Buffalo , NY

12/03/08 03:19 - 43ºF - ID#46937

House Assessments

Any of you fellow homeowners receive the new assessed value of your home? Any of you have experience in challenging increases in your assessment before? Any assistance would be appreciated.

I have the basic forms and information on how to do it. But I'm looking to see how others have approached their argument for a decrease in the assessment. So far, I'm not sure we have grounds to challenge it on the basis of current real estate prices. Maybe I can only challenge it on the basis that the house needs a lot of updating. We have an outdated electrical system, a roof in need or repair, etc....

I just can't believe that our house would increase in value by $15,000 in 20 months, a little less than two years.

Permalink: House_Assessments.html
Words: 128
Location: Buffalo , NY

11/29/08 10:17 - 36ºF - ID#46881

Home

I enjoyed my drive to Illinois.

I spent time over beer with my good high school friends.

I've had my Steak n Shake fix.

I'm gonna go to Avantis to grab some food for the drive home.

I had fun with my family, but I also endured my family.

And now I'm ready to go home to Buffalo.

Permalink: Home.html
Words: 58
Location: Buffalo , NY

11/26/08 09:33 - 33ºF - ID#46845

Thanksgiving in Illinois

We're driving to Illinois for Thanksgiving.

This afternoon we're driving to Indianapolis and tomorrow morning we'll be up at the crack of dawn to finish the trip to Illinois.

Flying to my hometown would be more convenient and take less time, but more expense and less fun.

We'll be driving out of western New York and into the hills of Ohio. Then come the flat farmlands of Indiana and that's my first signal that we're almost home. The vast farmland stretching out as far as I can see is warm and comfortable. At this point, I put down my book I'm reading and I just watch the landscape and wide open sky go by.

In Indiana, we stop at the Amish cheese store. A little shack. With its own exit off the interstate. Every cheese imaginable. All made by the Amish. Incredibly good. We buy all the favorite cheeses for ourselves and my family.

We cross the state and eventually come to the Indiana Visitor Center at the Indiana-Illinois border. I feel nostalgic and happy when we cross the state line. We'll drive by small towns where I traveled for track meets and basketball games and marching band competitions. A nice way to spend a childhood.

We'll spend a few days in my childhood home. It feels comfortable, but new at the same time. After my time there, I'll remember why I needed to leave it behind. But I'm happy that it's a warm place to return.

mrmike writes at 10:41:06 11/26/08 - Comment #42639: I've made a similar drive a few times. Best part is since the geography is so flat you can almost see Illinois while you are still in Ohio. Hope it's a blast and you can enjoy that anticipatory feeling of "almost there" in the final few minutes of the journey.

Drive safe

drew writes at 10:17:43 11/26/08 - Comment #42637: I can't believe I forgot about the Amish cheese shop! Now I can't wait to go home!

We are going to have to drive fast, in case they close at night (which they probably do.)

Maybe we should bring a crow bar in case we have to break in.

I know some of you may be shocked but:

1. this is really good cheese.

2. they are Amish. It's not like they will shoot us. They won't even hit us.

jenks writes at 10:14:39 11/26/08 - Comment #42636: ooooh I love that part of the trip home when you're finally almost there... You get in total autopilot mode and could make it with your eyes closed.

i drove home once and surprised my parents- The anticipation for the last ten miles or so was so awesome. [until i got a *^&^% speeding ticket! I made it 500 miles, and then 3 miles from my house I get pulled over??]

I love going home. It's too bad I never get to. :(

lauren writes at 10:09:18 11/26/08 - Comment #42634: oh janelle...this reminds me so much of my trips "home" to my birthplace...we would travel through Columbus, then to St. Louis...the mini arch that welcomes you to Missouri was always the "we're almost there" sign...flat flat flat for as far as the eye can see. Missouri (miz-er-ah) was the last stretch before reaching Oklahoma...I haven't been back there since mid-high school but i always feel a strange connection to that place, even though i only lived there for the first two years of my life.

oh and...totally jealous of your cheese store. I <3 cheese. happy thanksgiving!

leetee writes at 09:45:22 11/26/08 - Comment #42622: I hope you have a lovely time! :o)

tinypliny writes at 09:39:00 11/26/08 - Comment #42621: I want to go home to all the pollution! :D

Permalink: Thanksgiving_in_Illinois.html
Words: 247
Location: Buffalo , NY

11/09/08 06:08 - 41ºF - ID#46616

Oops

I just set my hair on fire. Yikes! Singed hair smells yucky.

Permalink: Oops.html
Words: 12
Location: Buffalo , NY

11/07/08 03:58 - 72ºF - ID#46589

Leviticus

In reference to (e:paul,46588)

Leviticus is an interesting book of the bible and one that kept me thoroughly entertained during church services when I was too young to follow the sermon.

(e:Paul) asked, "Why not edit the book and just have a whole new book?"

I was totally dismissive of the Old Testament for a while and totally ignored it. But now I appreciate how the entire bible gives great context and insight to the teachings of Jesus and his apostle Paul.

Take for example this story from the gospel of Mark.

A woman who has been bleeding for 12 years is in a crowd surrounding Jesus. She reaches out and touches his cloak and is healed. He asks who touched him and the woman in fear admits that it was her. He says, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."

She approaches in fear because according to Leviticus

she is unclean and shouldn't be going around touching people and people's stuff. Now she's made this man who's a teacher "unclean". So she's expecting Jesus to be pissed off. But nope, Jesus healed her and treated her with compassion.

WITHOUT the context of Leviticus, we can see that Jesus is compassionate and brings healing to the sick.

WITH the context of Leviticus, we see that he is much more than a compassionate healer. He is revolutionary. He brings healing to a suffering woman despite her "uncleanliness" which is in direct contradiction to the law of the land and in direct contradiction to what everyone in the crowd practices. He offers hope to people who suffer under the law - which was never meant to burden people, but had been twisted in such a way that it did.

janelle writes at 08:37:02 11/08/08 - Comment #41772: I meant to add, it blows me away too how people pick and choose what Leviticus OT laws to follow and what not to follow. If you're really interested in learning more about how different types of Christians deal with OT law, I'd be happy to share it.

janelle writes at 08:35:55 11/08/08 - Comment #41771: Rewriting the bible would decrease it's integrity and be a problem for the Christian community at large. Who decides how to rewrite it? Will all Christians follow the rewrite? Is it the inspired word of God through men if we decide to change it? Will if further splinter a faith community that is already tenuously held together?

From another perspective, many atheists already argue that the bible doesn't have integrity because of its translations over the years. So which atheist view should Christians please?? Neither. We have to be true to ourselves.

I think you're overlooking the fact that there is a huge industry of scholarly works and books that do just what you suggest; explain the bible in context and give new understanding to the word without having to touch rewriting the bible.

On one hand, the most important message of the Bible for me is simple, repent and be saved for the kingdom of God is near (aka, turn to God, live a brand new life, and we'll experience great things in the here and after). Then we can tackle the more difficult things like Leviticus.

But I get what you're saying, that the OT stuff really trips people up so they can't even hear the simple and most important message that Christianity offers. But I still think it's better to leave the ugly in and say, there is the ugly. Because life is ugly and we have to contend with that ugliness, rather than just sweep it away and ignore it. Not to mention, sweeping it away and ignoring it would again bring a lot of criticisms from atheists, skeptics, etc...

I think changing the bible wouldn't stop crazy Christian people from hate mongering. I really don't. Obsessive personalities will always find something in the text to take to some extreme over which they can be divisive and hateful. For me, it's a sin problem - not a bible content problem.

paul writes at 05:08:15 11/07/08 - Comment #41736: I see what you are saying but why not a new book of christ and let christian teachers explain what it was like to bring context to it, or even just as a separate book of the before christ. Having it altogether lets people and many a hate mongering christian mix it all up.

Its still pretty hard for most people to decipher which OT laws are still reasonable and which are archane. I think, honestly, we live in an isolated place where there are progressive christians and not that being a progressive christian is the norm.

The thing that blows my mind still is how people they decide which of the OT laws are reasonable. Its okay to be hating on the gays but eating hooved animals, shell fish and letting their bleeding wives stay in the village and touch their stuff is acceptable.

Permalink: Leviticus.html
Words: 316
Location: Buffalo , NY

11/03/08 01:23 - 60ºF - ID#46492

Time Warner

Received a friendly letter in the mail from Time Warner that they would be increasing our internet rate if we did not combine our internet with their phone service or cable.

I don't want cable and I already have a phone service so Time Warner can screw themselves. What we actually said to Time Warner is that we will be dropping them if they rase our rates. They didn't seem to care. So off we go to find a new internet service provider.

The next obvious choice seems to be Verizon. Any other internet service providers we should be considering? Maybe a local Buffalo provider?

paul writes at 08:11:46 11/07/08 - Comment #41759: I really wish they had FIOS in Buffalo. The reason they don't has something to do with local politics and getting an agreement with the city who is in bed with Time Warner.

Its so ridiculous that I pay $100/month for FIOS in the suburbs at (e:fing)'s house to have internet for estrip and then another $59 to have time warner at home. I wish I could just have the FIOS at home.

DSL is just not good enough and I honestly hated verizon customer service when we had DSL. Maybe I hate all customer service but it was the customer service team I had to speak with the most as it was always down. That was in 2002ish. Maybe it's better now.

fellyconnelly writes at 10:27:35 11/04/08 - Comment #41569: I SELL VERIZON INTERNET!

actually i just punch in the numbers if you want it, and order the services for you, and they send you what you need. If you want internet, call me at work and i'll run you through our system!

janelle writes at 03:04:43 11/03/08 - Comment #41486: Yup, the way these companies operate is one of the reasons I refuse to get cable. You get cable, you get hooked in, and then they jack up the price on you because there is no competition.

jbeatty writes at 02:56:41 11/03/08 - Comment #41485: I have been waiting for Fios to become available to me since I moved here. Its so funny how these companies operate. They will screw you when they know they are the best option. As soon as something better comes along they bend over to keep you around.

When Fios became available to my friend in Syracuse and he tried to close his account, Time Warner decided they would increase upload and download speeds and drop the price. It pisses me off that they could have done that long before but didn't until they knew they were about to lose a bunch of customers.

mrmike writes at 01:32:14 11/03/08 - Comment #41481: I worked with localnet for a few years. They were over the phone internet.

Permalink: Time_Warner.html
Words: 105
Location: Buffalo , NY

11/02/08 01:52 - 34ºF - ID#46471

Petsitter

As the Thanksgiving Holiday approaches, we will be looking for a pet sitter. We need someone to come in on Thanksgiving Day, the Friday after, Saturday and Sunday. As you may know, we have as sweet, gentle dog and two cats who need some attention twice a day.

We're always happy to pay for services or to do an exchange of pet sitting. We'll be in town the days leading up to and including Christmas day. Just not the day after. So we can do some pet sitting in kind on those days.

Permalink: Petsitter.html
Words: 93
Location: Buffalo , NY

11/01/08 02:13 - 50ºF - ID#46456

Halloween Surprise

Had a fabulous time at the party. Super glad our friends came home. Super pissed at the surprise waiting for us when we got home.

All of our porch furniture was moved onto the lawn. One of our pumpkins smashed. Eggs smashed on the sidewalk. Mailbox taken off the front of the house. Toilet paper strewn. Eggs hidden under the door mat which we caught before we stepped on because it really wasn't that smooth. And a neighbor who lives outside on his porch but didn't see anything.

So at 2am we cleaned up the mess before we could go inside and go to bed.

Drew is much more positive than me and sees the upside to eggs hidden under the door mat which he can now have for breakfast tomorrow, lol.