June | 2007 | The View from My Chair 2007 June | views of life expressed by a woman using a powerful wheelchair

June, 2007

And She’s Off…

June 30, 2007 by Karen of Scottsdale

… to visit family in San Diego. I’m leaving Monday and am looking forward to getting out of the heat. It’s been hovering around 110°F all week and I’m ready for some cool ocean breezes. BTW: I learned this week while watching something on the Discovery Channel that crusted over lava fields in Hawaii radiate heat at least 110°F so living in Scottsdale during the summer is like living on a lava field in Hawaii.

I’ll be staying with Mom and Dad and visiting my grandmother, brother, sister-in-love and the Spice Girls — a.k.a. my nieces. It occurred to me one day that their personalities definitely fit in with the names Sporty Spice, Posh and Baby Spice.

It seems that I’ll also be doing some history exploration while in San Diego as the Dead Sea Scrolls will be on exhibit at the San Diego Natural History Museum. Should be fun!

My wonderful husband Norm will be staying home while I’m in San Diego. I know it’s not easy for him to let me go — but he needs a much-needed break from the caregiving duties that he so lovingly performs each and every day.

Category cool stuff, family, weather reports | Tags: | Comments Off
The Fairness Doctrine

June 29, 2007 by Karen of Scottsdale

Let’s keep the government from regulating political free speech on the airwaves, on the Internet, and in print! The Founding Fathers knew it was important so they put it as an amendment to the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of the United States.

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

It seems to me that any attempt to control political free speech through government regulation of any kind is a violation of the First Amendment!

Category politics | Tags: | 2 Comments
Cry A Few Tears, Then Enjoy Yourself

June 24, 2007 by Karen of Scottsdale

Norm and I went to a Diamondbacks game today. About a dozen people from our church went and we were given two tickets from the group of tickets that were purchased for our group. Our friend Dirk, who was in charge of purchasing tickets for the church, said we could exchange our two tickets for handicapped seats once we got to the stadium. Unfortunately, there were not any handicapped seats available in the section where all of our friends were sitting, and I was sorely disappointed. We all arrived at the stadium separately so Norm and I found the area on the third level where our friends would be, but we only saw one of them. We told him to tell the others that we couldn’t get seats near them so we were just going to go home.

At first I wanted to go home because part of the whole reason for going was to be with our friends, and I wouldn’t have bothered to go if it wasn’t for someone having given us tickets. I was really upset and I even cried a few tears because it just felt so unfair. It is unfair, but there’s nothing fair in this world, so I’ve learned to deal with a lot of unfair things. Learning to deal with them doesn’t necessary mean you don’t feel upset about it though.

We thought about it for a few minutes and decided that we probably should just stay so we went back to “Guest Relations” and exchanged our tickets for handicapped seats in a different area. Our friends were sitting on the third level which is the upper-most deck of the stadium, but we were able to get seats on the main concourse level so we were much closer to the field although still above it. It was however a long, long trek to get to our seats. We sat near the visiting team bullpen which is in the outfield on the first-base side.

Once we made it to our seats and got some Pepsi and hotdogs I started feeling a lot better. You see we had already spent an hour getting lost in the parking structure (where we had to spend $10 just to park) trying to find our way to the stadium and then walking around for at least a mile before we got our seats. We enjoyed ourselves and the Diamondbacks did win against the Baltimore Orioles, but it would have been a lot more fun if we sat with our friends. Sometimes you do need to cry a few tears get to them out of the way so you can enjoy yourself in spite of your circumstances. And, I’m glad I didn’t let the unfair stuff of life destroy what turned out to be a fun time with my husband.

Category gimp girl life, life with Norm | Tags: | 1 Comment
Still Here

June 21, 2007 by Karen of Scottsdale

It occurred to me today that it’s been two weeks since I last blogged. Not really any excuses to report, just been busy.

My parents came for a visit and we had a good time together and now I’m planning a trip to see them next month. It will be nice to get out of the heat and enjoy some ocean breezes for a few days and spend some time with “the girls” a.k.a. my nieces.

Last Sunday I had a very tasty cheese danish for breakfast and I got to thinking about pastry names. I wonder if those who live in Denmark call any particular pastry American? (no fooling — I really had that thought.)

My wonderful husband and I will be going to see a Diamondbacks game on Sunday afternoon. It’s church night at Chase Field and we got two free tickets. We haven’t been to a Diamondbacks game or any baseball game since 2001. Anyhow, it should be a lot of fun since many our DVC friends will be going as well. I understand that some of the Diamondbacks players will be giving their testimonies after the game.

Tuesday evening Norm and I watched MI5 a.k.a. Spooks on the BBC America channel. We discovered this show a couple of weeks ago and it’s very interesting although sometimes we can’t figure out what they’re saying because it’s British English and they do something weird with their audio. So on the episode this week they showed someone who got into a geographic typography database and changed some mountain range information so as to foul up aviation traffic control computers. What is so interesting about this is that the next afternoon, while Norm and I were driving home from somewhere in Scottsdale, we heard on the radio that United Airlines’ (I think) computer system was shut down causing major flight delays all over the country. Talk about ironic! One of those “life imitates art” moments for sure.

And finally, I discovered this week that I’m one of the cool people. You know, like in high school when you discover that you are doing something cool before the in crowd was even doing it. That was never me in high school, but it seems that sometimes it can be me on the Internet. Michelle Malkin, one of THE upper echelon of the blogosphere, unveiled her new website redesign and now sports a WordPress blog. I was doing WordPress long before Michelle Malkin was. (Taking a bow… yes, I’m sure you’re all impressed.)

Category blogging, entertainment, family, funnies, life with Norm, miscellaneous stuff | Tags: | 1 Comment
Now There’s a Thought

June 8, 2007 by Karen of Scottsdale

From Michelle Malkin on A Real Criminal Injustice:

“If the MSM and the American public worked up as much outrage over the daily release of criminal illegal aliens from L.A. County jails who go on to commit violent crimes as it did over the release of Paris Hilton, this country wouldn’t be as screwed up as it is.”

Category politics | Tags: | 2 Comments
One Wild Ride

June 7, 2007 by Karen of Scottsdale

Michigan Man in Wheelchair Pinned to Grille of Semitrailer for 4-Mile Ride

Fortunately he survived unharmed.

Category miscellaneous stuff | Tags: | Comments Off
Immigration Reform? Yeah Right!

June 3, 2007 by Karen of Scottsdale

I might as well tell you that I’m not happy with the “Immigration Reform” Bill proposed in the Senate. Current laws dealing with illegal immigration are not being enforced, so why would we think that any new laws would be enforced? Personally, I think they’re going about this whole comprehensive reform the wrong way. It should not even be done comprehensively, but first our borders need to be secured and current laws need to be enforced. This would go a long way in dealing with the problem at hand.

Congressman John Shadegg of Arizona has some good points as to why the current Senate bill should not be passed.

Here’s what he says on his website:

First, while it requires that illegal aliens who want a probationary “Z-visa” undergo a background check, stunningly, it provides that if this background check is not completed within 24 hours, the illegal alien is to receive the visa regardless.

Second, the bill prohibits employers from using the newly created system to check whether or not a job applicant is legally in the country before offering the prospective employee a job. Rather, the employer may verify the potential employee’s status only after the employee has been hired. Even more bizarre, the bill prohibits an employer from firing or taking any other action detrimental to an employee when the employer receives notice that the employee is not lawfully in the country if the employee files an appeal. Such an appeal could take months or years. Employers trying to do the right thing are in a Catch-22.

Third, the bill treats illegals dramatically better than lawful guest workers. Illegal aliens who come forward may remain in the country forever, while guest workers who enter lawfully may only stay for a total of six years and must leave twice during this period for a year each time. Then they may never enter the country again in this status.

The bill will encourage anyone considering illegally entering the country to do so immediately to obtain these enhanced benefits. While the bill requires illegal aliens to prove that they were in the country before January 1, securing fraudulent documents or statements to support such a claim will be simple and will be enticing given the favorable status afforded to illegals.

Category politics | Tags: | 2 Comments
Cats Everywhere I Look

June 3, 2007 by Karen of Scottsdale

I’m getting those adopt a kitten urges. Kittens to me are so precious and I just adore holding them and playing with them and watching them play…

Last week I saw this article in the Arizona Repugnant about the plethora of kittens needing homes at the Arizona Humane Society. Oh I would love to adopt one of those kittens, but I already have two cats and Norm to look after. So I quickly dismissed the idea. Now it seems as though I can’t get away from cats. They’re in just about every commercial on TV and just a few minutes ago, while channel surfing, I come across this cute little scene in the movie where a little girl is playing with a bunch of kittens and she’s pleading with her dad to let her adopt the one named Bob. Why oh why is it that cats are everywhere I look when I’m trying so hard not to give in to my desperate urge to get a kitten?

Category cats | Tags: | 1 Comment