Who should be our next president?

I know, this is my third post of the evening, but since I researched Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton today, I thought I would share my thoughts on this topic. For those interested, you can visit these websites to learn more: http://www.barackobama.com/index.php
http://www.hillaryclinton.com/?splash=1

I decided to read their positions on issues I cared about and decided I liked Hillary over Obama, with one exception. The one exception is that I do like Obama's approach to the war a little more than Hillary's, but they are not different enough on this issue to make it a deal breaker for me (whereas, McCain, for instance, has a position on the war that I just cannot live with).

You can read for yourself about the issues and make up your own mind, but I thought I would tell you how I see it.

Immigration: While I do like that Obama suggests increasing the number of legal immigrants, I don't like the focus of cracking down on employers who hire illegal aliens. On the other hand, Hillary supports the DREAM initiative which would give those children who were brought here by their parents illegally the chance to become legal citizens through higher education or military service. For me the difference is that Hillary wants to give good people a chance to be here legally and does not talk about fining or penalizing them, which Obama does. I know, most of my family sees this issue exactly the opposite of me. But I have worked closely with these people and I feel that has given me a lot of insight into the lives they lead, why they are here, and the kinds of obstacles they face as illegal immigrants.

Women: Hillary has a section that makes her stand on abortion explicit, whereas, if Obama addresses this issue, I missed it. He is pro-choice, I just noticed that it was not a main feature on his issues menu.

I actually went back and read what each of them had to say in more detail on the other issues. On a lot of them, they are not that different. I guess that these just happen to be two issues I feel strongly about and see Hillary as more a champion for the way I see things than Obama.

Camping Update

For anyone interested, I think I will go camping to Canyonlands the weekend of April 8th (yes, without a reserved campsite). I'm no longer planning a camping trip to the desert in May, but Dan and Scott are planning one Memorial Day weekend, so far as I know, up American Fork canyon. So until the fall, April is the only month I am planning on camping in the desert.

Genealogy This Saturday

That's right, I said Saturday, not Sunday. Mom and I are going to the BYU genealogy library in the afternoon or evening for anyone who wants to come along.

Genealogy Update

I went to BYU's genealogy library again today. I stayed for about 2 and 1/2 hours this time. I researched a little on the Johnstons and Foremans. The main thing I discovered is that our ancestor Joseph Johnston's mother was not married to John Johnston, he was her son. She was married to William Johnston. This should help in researching that line further back. For those of you who don't know we are related to William Johnston this way: my mother, Linda Lockhart's father was William Lockhart. His mother was Mary Ellen Pugh. Her mother was Annie Eliza Pool. Her mother was Nancy A. Johnston. Her father was Joseph Johnston, and his father was William Johnston. That's 8 generations!

Genealogy This Sunday

I'm going to the BYU Genealogy Library this Sunday, if anyone wants to come along. Just let me know.

Camping!

Yes, it's time to start planning camping trips. So set aside a weekend in April to go to Canyonlands. I was going to go to Zion's but it costs $25 to get in there versus only $10 at Canyonlands, and I've been to Zion's before (if you haven't gone, it's worth the $25 and if I were in a different financial situation, I'd pay it to go to Kolob Canyon, which is part of Zion's, but that's not the way things are, so...). Anyhow, I think either the weekend of April 8th or April 15th would be a good time to go, weather permitting, of course. It's a beautiful drive to get there. Well, after looking at a map, I'm not sure. Maybe Canyonlands, or maybe Deadhorse Point State Park? Maybe Goblin Valley State Park? Any of them would be fun. All of them have an entrance fee and then you have to pay to camp there.

Anyway, I think it would be fun to leave Saturday morning and get there midday, have lunch, and set up camp. Then either go for some scenic drives or walks/hikes, have a fire-cooked meal for supper and enjoy the vast beauty of a desert sky at night (assuming no clouds). Then pack up Sunday and drive home. What do you think? If my employment is still part-time (heaven forbid), I would be able to leave Friday and come back Monday, ooo, wouldn't that be fun?

I know, I said I wasn't going camping with this new car, but I will stick to main roads. And I know it's the desert so it's dusty, like red dust, but I just can't bear the thought of not getting in as many camping trips as possible and do you know how long it's been since I camped in the desert? Too long!

So, get out your lanterns and marshmallow roasters, Spring is just 2 months away!

Wild Swans

Yeah, I know, no one has commented on the last two posts I've made, so why am I making a new one? But I read this poem the other day by Edna St. Vincent Millay, Wild Swans, and really liked it. It is how I feel. It is copyrighted, I guess, so I will only put the first part of the poem here.

I looked in my heart while the wild swans went over.
And what did I see I had not seen before?
Only a question less or a question more;
Nothing to match the flight of wild birds flying.

My passion

I know, from the number of posts on the subject you think it is genealogy; but, tonight anyway, it is cross stitching! Or anyway, the desire to own all the good magazines on the subject from around the world since I discovered some surfing the internet tonight. Look closely at the picture to the right and you will see two, yes, two magazines I had never heard of before: Susanna and Maxxina. So I have added to my wish list magazines like these. How will I get a hold of them? How much do they really cost? (the website had prices in euros, so if you know how many dollars it takes to make a euro let me know) Why do I not need to be able to read the language to own these magazines (a question Angela had)? And, of course, how long must I wait before I can afford to begin the pursuit of owning at least one issue of each of these magazines (for the connossieur, they are Le Idee di Susanna, Maxxina, At Home With Needlework, Borduurblad, and possibly, Punto Croce Facile)? These are just the ones I discovered tonight. Just think of all the different magazines there are out there that I still do not know about! I am going to need a bookcase just for them.

Well, so maybe I am the only cross stitch magazine enthusiast in these parts, but surely you have something you are passionate about which other people find a bit over-zealous?

Genealogy Saturday

Mom came up and we went to the genealogy library yesterday. She found people to do templework for and had me learn how to do a temple ready disk (so if any of you want to do this, I can help you). I researched in the same source I did last time (I'm now through page 54). I mostly found information on Foremans (that is Grandpa Lockhart's mother's line). I think before I am through, we will find we are related to everyone in that part of Virginia and West Virginia.

We had such a great time we are going again next Sunday. Anyone is welcome to come along. You can look for people to do templework for with Mom or research old records from Virginia with me, or choose to do something entirely different (and either one of us will be happy to help you).

The Office

For starters, Dwight is our favorite on The Office. It's not his looks really. It's that bubbly personality:) Angela & Dellitt

So, I've become accustomed to hi-jacking my sister's higher and more active technology sources so that I can have internet voice. Delli really is good at keeping up with things like blogging and babyzone name discussions. Still, every once in a while I want to join in. I'd like to say that if I had T.V. access on a regular basis, I'd be watching the current Office episodes. As it stands I've been waiting to watch once my son gets the entire season for me on dvd, usually at Christmas.

I feel a little guilty enjoying it as much as I do because it is making fun of and putting people down, which I'm opposed to for ethical reasons. I mean, as a junior high teacher, I see the effects this has on our nation's young people. They're vicious with one another. A very calloused group. The Office group probably does this sort of humor better than anyone, even Friends, in my opinion.

All the above was Angela, this here is me, though. I do have t.v. and The Office is not what I would be watching, even though I like it, simply because it's on at the same time as Lost. But I think I have only watched it infrequently in the past, as I go in for Law and Order and CSI type shows more. I agree that making fun of people and putting them down in real life isn't acceptable, but t.v. is not real, so I don't mind it. Sometimes I feel bad for Dwight, I have to say. And maybe I like him the best because in some ways he is more like me than the other characters (way over the top, though, which is of course what makes him funny). He would be more likely to have a crossword book devoted solely to Star Trek than the other characters (yes, I have one), to follow the rules very closely, etc.

So what are your thoughts and opinions on The Office, its type of humor, Angela's lack of internet voice, or my similarity to Dwight?

My nephew

Well, I have 5 nephews, but I'm talking about the youngest one (not mentioning his name for his own safety/privacy). I got to take care of him for a few hours on Saturday and it was wonderful! First of all, he is so incredibly beautiful. I do not exaggerate nor does this just reflect a natural bias. He has this great golden hair and just everything about him is perfect. Something he does that I think is so cute and adorable is that when he is sitting, he crosses his feet. If you haven't seen it, you must, it just tickles me. Anyhow, he is a real momma's boy, but even so, he didn't cry at all when he woke up Saturday morning and I was there and not his mom. He got to crawl around (he recently learned to do this and now does it quite well) and he even pulled himself up to stand by the ottoman (I was quite impressed). He got to play in the snow, and I really enjoyed that. The boy has more coats/outerwear than I have ever known a baby to have! I think that is partly because his mom loves the outdoors. We had fun talking to each other (well, he only says wow, but you know, the way a one year old talks) and he really liked it when I played with the toy car. Wow is how I felt the whole time. I felt so lucky to get to spend some one on one time with him.

LOST Questions

Why, you ask, is Michael the character photo I chose to pair with this post? Because one of my long-standing questions about Lost is "what happened to Michael and Walt"? Even though they got a boat and have not been seen or heard of since (in the flesh, anyway), they shouldn't have been able to leave the island. If you remember, Desmond had a boat and no matter what he did, he was unable to sail away from the island. That is major question number 1. I will post other questions that I had before this season started some other time, but for now, on to the questions that have arisen due to the last two episodes.

Most pressing, "who are the other 3 people of the Oceanic 6"? Can't be Desmond, Ben, Juliet , Danielle, Alex, Carl, or any of "The Others" because none of them were on the plane. Locke, Bernard, and Rose do not want to leave the island. I think that Sawyer is one (I like to think that Sawyer and Kate are together in the flash forwards. After all, Kate isn't in jail despite having committed murder and other felonies, so why shouldn't Sawyer and she be together?) I think that the other two are either Sun and Jin or Claire and Aaron.

The other, well, obvious question, is, what happened to everyone else, since the way Hurley talks (and Charlie) it seems that there are those that are still on the island. Who, exactly, and did they choose to stay, were they forced to, and how many are dead?

The next question is does anyone eventually go back to the island, since Hurley suggests it maybe should happen and we know Jack tries to find the island. If so, do they go back to stay or to rescue the people that remained?

I would also like to know why the cabin found Hurley, who the black guy is that comes to talk to Hurley (yes, I know he's the guy that sends the four people to look for Ben, but who does he work for and what is their aim?), and why was there a Dharma polar bear in Tunisia (was there a Dharma initiative there or did it strangely get transported there)? Oh, yes, and how do you fake a plane crash under sea (for anyone that may know)?

That's all for today. I will post more about Lost some other time. But I would love to hear your thoughts on these questions and your opinions about the show and characters. Namaste.

(oh yeah, if you click on the title of this post, it will take you to ABC's website for Lost.)

Potpourri

So I went to the genealogy library today (I know, the title is misleading, this is not about flowers) and did some research. I was there for about an hour and a half. I found information on some Clowsers, Carpers, and Caudys that was useful and some other stuff that will hopefully be useful the next time I research. Mom is coming for a visit so we plan to do genealogy this Saturday (let me know if you want to come along) and I also plan to do genealogy the following Sunday (the 24th).

Another genealogy update

Saturday I went to the genealogy library with Mom. Mom looked up temple information and I looked through cemetery records. I found quite a bit. The most exciting thing I found, for me, was Fabra Wingerter. She is probably related to Barbara Dellet as her maiden name was Dellet. I think she is either a sister (this is the one I think is most likely), cousin, or niece. I wasn't expecting to find anything on Wingerters, but there she was. Anyhow, she was born in 1839 in Pennsylvania to John and Barbara Dellet and she died in Frederick County, Virginia on Nov 28, 1876 at age 37. Kind of a young age to die at. And isn't Fabra an interesting name? I'd never seen that before.

Next Sunday the BYU genealogy library is open and I plan to go. If you want to come along, just let me know. I would be happy to help you with anything you want to do.