On my mind...

Here's some things I have been checking out and thinking about lately:

Cafe Press
I love Cafe Press. I love browsing through looking at all the funny, tacky, bizarre, and awesome things people can think of to put on a t-shirt or mug. Browse through it one day when you are bored beyond belief, and if YOU have a Cafe Press store, let me know. I'm thinking of making one myself, which is why you will see some funny quotes under the rest of the stuff on my mind. Tell me if you'd buy one. :)
Smoking Ban
As of July 1st, no one can smoke inside in Colorado unless they are in a casino or the smoking lounge at Denver International Airport. As a smoker, this of course infuriates ME, but you all should be upset too. After all, the government already tells me how to do everything else, thank you very much. And they do you, too. Now I can't go enjoy a beer and a smoke at the same time, thanks to the open container law that says I can't take my beer outside, and the smoking ban that says I can't take my cigarrette inside. The whole thing is apparently saving thousands of cocktail waitresses and bartenders, who I'm sure will be thrilled to know they now can live nice long lives with no money, since we all know smokers are better tippers.
my cafe press shirt ideas... "respect my right to contract lung cancer while my liver dies" ... "they're coming for your nail polish next" ... "auto mechanics are dying all over the state, ban cars now" ... "smokers WERE better tippers"... "follow me to the hottest bar in town, the DIA smoking lounge" (thanks bill) ... "if you don't tell me where to smoke, i won't call you an asshole".

Should we have killed Bill Gates, or just cured him, or neither?
There is a growing number of people on the web who think that autism shouldn't be cured. That autism is not a disease, just a difference. Their theory is that while people on the spectrum are, to say the least, different as well as sometimes difficult, they also tend to be quite genius in some areas, and that it really all comes out even. They say that autistics should be helped to be able to function normally within society, but that to cure them would set the world back some. If there had been a cure from the beginning, they say, we would be without the art of Warhol, Kandinsky, and Mondrian. Without Microsoft. (note: Bill Gates has never publicly admitted to being on the spectrum, but neither has he denied it, and shows many traits common to those who are.) Without the scientific discoveries of Einstein and Newton and without, quite possibly, the Declaration of Independence, depending on who you think wrote it. (Jefferson is thought to have been autistic) Now, as Todd says, "someone else would have figured all that out." Well, yeah, except for those artists there, I suppose so. In fact, Steve Jobs figured out the whole Microsoft thing way before that theif Gates did... but I digress. These people also think there is far too much money spent on researching a cure for tomorrow, and not nearly enough spent helping autistics live normal lives today, and that I wholeheartedly agree with. What I wouldn't give for one hour of respite a week, or one hour of just one of his therapies a week, for free, I can't tell you. But by the time a family in Colorado makes it to the top of the "family care" list, their kids are raising families of their own. I just got my 2006 update for our placement on that very list last week, and the estimate is 11 years. In 11 years, my son will be a senior in highschool. Somehow I don't think he'll be needing a babysitter, you know? And if he does, well, Kayla shoudl be old enough to watch him. The other thing these people are against is finding a way to genetically test unborn children for autism. I agree with this too, but it's not a black and white issue for me. If there was some way for me to tell before my baby was born that he/she was going to have AIDS, or leukemia, or any one of I'm sure hundreds of other things which would cause that child pain and misery and a life of less than 10 years, then I (my OWN personal thing here, flame me and die) might think of aborting. But never would it occur to me to do so when told my baby may have autism, or down's, or be deaf, or any one of hundreds of other things, that, while difficult, aren't going to kill them before middle school. I would however, appreciate being informed ahead of time so that I could research and prepare myself and the rest of my family for whatever may be coming. BUT. It seems that not many people think that way, that the testing is a chance to be informed... instead, the testing is a way to get out of it entirely. So, I tend for now to be against testing, because people can be stupid. But what I really think needs to happen is awareness. (Watch the segue here!) April happens to be autism awareness month. Here's what I would like you to do. Spread the word that one in every 166 kids are disgnosed on the spectrum. It's an epidemic. Spread the word that it is close to impossible to get the help these families need, because of budget cuts, increased diagnoses, and uninformed doctors, teachers, and parents. Spread the word that autism isn't scary, that it doesn't mean rain man, and that when I say "Charlie is autistic, he doesn't HAVE autism", that means that autistic does not define Charlie as a whole, that there are so many other wonderful parts to Charlie that any open minded person can discover, and everything he does is not simply because of autism, that he is different, not diseased and not broken. And if he isn't broken, does that mean he doesn't need fixed? I think if I could teach Charlie how to eat right, have the proper amount of fear for personal safety, and avoid meltdowns, that's all I would change. All the other little quirks and oddnesses that are Charlie... ARE Charlie, and I wouldn't want it any other way. So throughout April, spread the word. Raise some money and donate it to whichever autism charity floats your boat. Offer to babysit an autistic 6 year old and his adorable sister, hint hint nudge nudge, wink wink. My cafe press shirt ideas... for charlie - "if only you knew how odd I think you are." and "I don't need a cure (at least not any more than you do) and "schomolorado synchronized stim team member" for me... I just want something that says "yes, he's autistic. no, not like rain man, like einstein. no, it's not hard, it's our normal." Then maybe people would stop asking. My favorite already available on cafe press has a picture of a cartoon cat and says "this is a cat, not a defective dog. it's perfectly happy being a cat. autism is a difference, not a disease."

Poker
I started playing my online poker at a new place, Bodog, which I really like. I enjoy their setup and seem to be doing reasonably well, so that's something. This is all just really some way to introduce poker into the post so I can share my cool cafe press shirt ideas, none of which will make sense if you don't play poker anyway. But here they are... "tell me just one of your bad beat stories, and i'll tell you ALL of mine"... "i don't fold laundry either"... "i'm sorry, did i put you on tilt?"... "close your mouth and help me stack my chips"... "the river is not flowing my way"... "looking to double up".

Brett Favre
Kerri tells me he was supposed to announce his retirement, or not-so-retirement, one way or the other, today, but then he turned into a jerk about it. My cafe press shirt ideas... "packers suck"... "vikings suck"... "lions suck"... "go bears".

Ok, I am done with the cafe press ideas for now. Here's some questions for you. Would you rent a newer, slightly smaller, more expensive house in a great neighborhood with excellent schools (and a sunroom, might I add) or an older, slightly larger, less expensive house in a decent neighborhood with average schools? Click on the descriptions and help us decide. The backyard on the newer one is better (but not by a lot) but it has a REALLY small 4th bedroom. The color scheme inside the older one is... interesting, let's just say that it speaks to my need for artistic flair, but the rent is cheaper by a motorcycle payment or so. :) AE: Guess what, I checked these links to add them, and then after I published this post, I clicked to make sure they worked, and the older house is no longer available. Guess that takes care of that, cross your fingers, toes, and tentacles that we get the sunroom house. Happy Holly if we do.
Did you think of a favorite song from the last 6 years? Tell me if you did, but I changed the rules.. the American Idol categories are too broad. So, tell me your favorite song that is on the Billboard hot 50 singles today... find the list here. Interestingly enough, the number one song, Bad Day, is what they play each week when the AI contestant that got voted out leaves. Also, it's my favorite. I would pick the James Blunt, but I'm a bit sick of hearing it on the radio now.
Tattoo on your ankle... (ok, my ankle) this (just the skull and swords)














or this?










Yeah, I'm thinking both too, I mean, I have 2 ankles, right? ;)
K, I wrote a lot, so I expect to get a lot of comments. Kerri, you aren't invited to THAT dinner because 1) I kind of pictured drinks and appetizers with Walt and Ellen, then booting them in favor of a sandwich, and 2) there is no sharing, remember? ;) But you are welcome for dinner any night that sandwiches aren't on the menu, just be aware that at my house you are likely to get frozen dinners, ramen noodles, or Taco Bell. Speaking of which, was it LaRelle and Traci that like the Ranchero Chicken Taco? Tried one tonight, those are damn tasty. Learn something every day.