Dishwasher update

So, yesterday, my boss checked it out when he came over. Apparently the issue was they took the line out from the pipe to the dishwasher and didn't cap that pipe up. So it was leaking. He suggested just getting something to cap it off (like mon...thanks!) so we could at least have water.

So, after totally freaking out and having a couple beers and a nap, kevin came home. He checked out everything. Apparently the dishwasher was hardwired into the back of the plug that the garbage disposal is plugged into. The reason...the plug runs on a switch. So this way the dishwasher always had current available and you weren't running the disposal when you ran the dishwasher.

So after Kevin took me to work he ran to Home depot and thanks to an awesome customer service person he found everything he needed to fix it. He didn't splice the new dishwasher plug into the old one, he plugged it into the plug under the sink (shared with the disposal) so we currently have to unplug the disposal to run the dishwasher...but it works!!!! And Kevin did it all by himself!!! I"m so proud of him!

Our newest dilemma is that they installed a new floor with the old dishwasher still in it's cubby....so in trying to put the new one back in, it's about 1/2 an inch too high. So it's sticking out about 3 inches, but it works!!!

Could We start Again Please?

So, yesterday started out wonderful...okay not "started" but Kevin and I did get some important things done around the house. He took in the vaccuum (i can never spell that right) to get it fixed, went to the used appliance shop on Grand River (where we got our lovely washing machine a couple months ago) to buy me a dishwasher (to be delivered today), he worked on the front step that's been broken forever (it seems), i pruned down the tree in the front so it's not barring the way to our front door anymore, I trimmed up some of the backyard of those damn grape vines that are everywhere (next year I'm ripping those damn things out by hand before they start to grow), and *insert fanfare here* we finally got the pool liner out of the pool!!!!

So...things are looking up.

Then roll to last night....I can't sleep. I try everything...soft classical music...envisioning my to-do list being erased away....and nothing seems to work. An hour later and I'm still staring up at the ceiling wishing for sleep. So I finish my laundry and head upstairs to set kevin's coffee maker and play online a little bit. My brain is still moving, but finally kevin is up to join me. We talk for a bit as he watches ESPN SportsCenter and I slowly being to drift off. I am ELATED! so i head downstairs (in the basement...where it's cool) and lay down to go to sleep. Kevin kisses me bye before he leaves for work. I snuggle into my pillow....

And nothing. I'm awake again. I should have known this as a sign of things to come. But I don't. I try to fall asleep and somewhere around 6 or 7am I finally do.

My alarm goes off at 11am right in the middle of some delicious dream about high school (i don't remember much but i know Tim French was there) and I reluctantly begin the journey back to conciousness because I know today brings great things. My dishwasher for one. And my boss bringing by karaoke equipment. around 12noon Kevin calls to make sure I'm awake. barely. I trudge upstairs to make myself presentable enough. about 30 minutes later he tells me the dishwaher people are on their way. YAY!!!!

So I let them in the side door (cuz we just did the concrete step yesterday and it stormed last night...not sure if it's secure enough) and they bring the new one in and unhook the old one....and here's where today needs to start over.

Apparently the hot water valve won't shut off on it's own. So I have to shut off the entire house. Which isn't so bad but then we find out they seem to have hardwired the dishwasher to the house. So we can't just unplug and plug back in. And in the meantime, as he's pulled out the old dishwasher, the water stuck in the pipes starts coming out all over my kitchen floor and into the basement...which i see cuz i'm trying to find the circuit breaker that belongs to the kitchen.... Good stuff.

So his only solution is to cut the plug to remove the old dishwasher and then get the new one wired into the old plug. Which is great....if i married an electrician. As I didn't, but married a chef instead, I see problems. Somehow during all this my stress-crying kicks in and I'm a wreck. And I have the phone ringing off the hook...first my mom, then kevin, then my boss paul ready to bring the equipment over. I just want to shut down. But I can't.

So we make the decision to cut the plug. I'm not thinking clearly at this state. I'm upset about the dishwasher not being able to work....then...after they leave...i realize.....I can't turn the damn main water valve back on. WHY? cuz then my house floods. Yep. I didn't think this one thru.

So....no brushing teeth....no shower...no potty breaks....no anything that requires water until we get this damn thing installed (or get the valve fixed...which if we call a plumber won't be until tomorrow at the earliest)

And I still have my boss coming over with the karaoke equipment for me to work tonight. That's right. I still have to work.

Speaking of which...he's here...gotta go.

George Bush singing "Sunday Bloody Sunday"

OMG THIS IS FABULOUS!!!! THANK YOU JOEL!!!! Thanks to http://onegoodmove.org and Rx @ http://thepartyparty.com/ Greets to arstechnica!

remember that email?

You know...the one about the boy who sees the other boy carrying all his books home from school on a friday and he goes and helps his carry them and they strike up a conversation and end up best friends ... and flash forward to graduation and the book carrying boy is valedictorian and he talks about how this specific day he was going to go home and kill himself but for the grace of this random boy who helped him with his books and talked to him?

Well...that happened to me tonight. I was at home up late (obviously) drinking a beer and working on a baby blanket for my brother and I hear these voices outside. Well, my first instinct was to hide myself (I am near detroit) so I turned off all the lights and i opened the door with the phone in my hand so i could hear what was going on and call 911 if i needed to.

It was a groups of kids in the middle of the street. Talking to one specific who was prolly drunk and was crying over some chick who is supposedly having his kid. So, once the initial worry was over and I knew nothing bad was going to happen, I watched as they tried to talk this kid down and then watched as they all left him to walk home (i guessed) Then I saw him walk over to a tree in the field across the street from my house and heard him screaming in agony. I remember that scream. I made that noise many times in my life. Like my life was over and no one understood.

I walked out of the house and sat on the porch. I think he saw me. He screamed again. I walked slowly towards him (he was across the street) and said something like "hello....I'm not triong to interfere...but I'm here if you need to talk to someone" I continued to walk across the street towards him. When I got close to him he broke down and started crying. I asked him if he wanted a beer or something and he followed me over to my porch and then he handed me something and asked me to throw it away. When I walked in the house to get a beer for him (and me) and a smoke I set what he had given me down...it was shoelaces.

So we sat out front and talked for awhile. Nice kid. 21. In love with a married woman. She told him tonight she's having his kid. He's devastated. He thinks he will never get anyone better than her. I told him he's young and he deserves a thousand times better. He deserves to be number one in a woman's life. I told him not to deny his child and to take care of it like a man....but to get away from her as fast as he can. He deserves better (don't we all?) at one point he tried to hit on me telling me I was beautiful and said something explicitly sexual. I told him to stop. I'm happily married and I love my husband and I'm just trying to help him.

And that's when he told me. (remember the email?) He told me that if I hadn't walked over there when I did that he was planning on hanging himself from the tree across the street. granted it was shoelaces and he prolly couldn't have succeeded...but he was thinking of it. And when I called out to him and walked over there to see what was going on....I stopped him.

So we talked some more and I think I made some sense to him cuz he calmed down. He just left about 10 minutes ago to go sleep in his car. And I walked inside the house and started to cry. Cuz what if I didn't walk outside to see what was going on? What if I had just gone about my business here in the house? or worse been asleep?

I've been there. I have been to the bottom where life doesn't seem worth living. And I thank the gods I was able to talk a young boy thru those thoughts at least for tonight.

Capitol Cities part 2

I forgot to post how the concert went! Sorry! I did on myspace...but obviously not everyone reads that. I have to remember to copy those blogs over here. I'm so silly.

Anyway, we showed a little later than I wanted but since CC was the headliner it was okay. We started by going to the Majestic cafe for a couple appetizers before the show...too late for dinner but we were still pretty hungry. Well, after waiting about 10 minutes for the waiter to take our order (2 apps and a bottle of red wine) we had to wait around 15-20 minutes to find out the bottle of wine we ordered wasn't in stock. That was unacceptable. We should have found out when we put the order in it was out. 5 minutes. but 15 minutes later!?! hell no! So we walked out. Told the manager and she didn't seem to care.

And went right next door to the Magic Stick. Walked upstairs and grabbed a couple beers. Sat down and figured out we hadn't missed Capitol Cities yet *yay* after a few I went to search for the restroom and that's when I ran into Ian. He and his fiance were standing by the stairs. I walked by and looked at him and he said "jasmyn?" and I said "Ian?" and we hugged and all was right with the world. I met his gorgeous fiance Michelle (they're getting married Oct. 7th) and we chatted for awhile. I brought Kevin over to introduce them and they seemed to get along. Of course Kevin used to know Liam a long time ago.

Eventually Capitol Cities came on and they rocked the house. I loved seeing Ian up there. Michelle sat with us afterwards (and before) so that was cool. And we chatted after with Ian (altho we prolly had a good buzz going on since we hadn't eaten) I hope to catch up with them again someday. I told Ian to say hello to his mom for me. Evan never showed up but hopefully I'll catch him this week @ the street fair.

So it was a good night. I forgot how much I love those boys. The Williamsons were my idols. And their mom was magnificent. (I hated their dad...but then so did alot of people lol ... he was the school supervisor) The band rocked. And kevin had a good time. So all in all I'd do it again.

WSJ on immigration...thanks mon!

I couldn't have said this better myself!

REVIEW & OUTLOOK

Conservatives and Immigration
The debate on the right about freedom, culture and the welfare state.
July 10, 2006

James Taranto is on vacation and will return Monday, July 17. In place of Best of the Web Today we are sending other offerings from OpinionJournal. We hope you enjoy today's selection.

No issue more deeply divides American conservatives today than immigration. It's the subject on which we get the most critical mail by far, no doubt reflecting this split on the right. So with Congress holding hearings on the issue around the country, perhaps it's a good moment to step back and explain the roots of our own, longstanding position favoring open immigration.

A position, by the way, on which we hardly stand alone. There is also President Bush, and before him the Gipper. (See our editorial, "Reagan on Immigration.") In the context of the current debate, we also print an open letter supporting comprehensive immigration reform from 33 prominent conservatives, including former Secretary of State George Shultz and GOP Vice Presidential nominee Jack Kemp. (The letter is available here.)

The most frequent criticism we hear is that a newspaper called "The Wall Street Journal" simply wants "cheap labor" for business. This is an odd charge coming from conservatives who profess to believe in the free market, since it echoes the AFL-CIO and liberals who'd just as soon have government dictate wages.

Our own view is that a philosophy of "free markets and free people" includes flexible labor markets. At a fundamental level, this is a matter of freedom and human dignity. These migrants are freely contracting for their labor, which is a basic human right. Far from selling their labor "cheap," they are traveling to the U.S. to sell it more dearly and improve their lives. Like millions of Americans before them, they and certainly their children climb the economic ladder as their skills and education increase.

We realize that critics are not inventing the manifold problems that can arise from illegal immigration: Trespassing, violent crime, overcrowded hospital emergency rooms, document counterfeiting, human smuggling, corpses in the Arizona desert, and a sense that the government has lost control of the border. But all of these result, ultimately, from too many immigrants chasing too few U.S. visas.

Those migrating here to make a better life for themselves and their families would much prefer to come legally. Give them more legal ways to enter the country, and we are likely to reduce illegal immigration far more effectively than any physical barrier along the Rio Grande ever could. This is not about rewarding bad behavior. It's about bringing immigration policy in line with economic and human reality. And the reality is that the U.S. has a growing demand for workers, while Mexico has both a large supply of such workers and too few jobs at home.

Some conservatives concede this point in theory but then insist that liberal immigration is no longer possible in a modern welfare state, which breeds dependency in a way that the America of a century ago did not. But the immigrants who arrive here come to work, not sit on the dole. And thanks to welfare reform, the welfare rolls have declined despite a surge in illegal immigration in the past decade.

The real claims that illegals make on public services are education, which can't be withheld because of a 1982 Supreme Court ruling (Plyer v. Doe), and health care, especially emergency rooms. Since denying urgent medical treatment is immoral, the answer again is to legalize cross-border labor flows and remove government obstacles to affordable health insurance. As for education, even illegals pay for public schools through the indirect property taxes they pay in rent. Overall, immigrants contribute far more to our economy than they extract in public benefits.

By far the largest concern we hear on the right concerns culture, especially the worry that the current Hispanic influx is so large it can resist the American genius for assimilation. Hispanics now comprise nearly a third of the population in California and Texas, the country's two biggest states, and cultural assimilation does matter.

This is where the political left does the cause of immigration no good in pursuing a separatist agenda. When such groups as La Raza and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund push for multiculturalism, bilingual education, foreign language ballots, racial quotas and the like, they undermine support for immigration among even the most open-minded Americans. Most Americans don't want to replicate the Bosnia model; nor are they pining for a U.S. version of the Quebec sovereignty movement. President Bush has been right to assert that immigrants must adopt U.S. norms, and we only wish more figures on the political left would say the same.

But the good news is that these newcomers by and large aren't listening to the left-wingers pushing identity politics. Mexican immigrants, like their European predecessors, are assimilating. Their children learn English and by the end of high school prefer it to their parents' native tongue. They also marry people they meet here. Second-generation Latinos earn less than white Americans but more than blacks and 50ore than first-generation Latinos. According to Tamar Jacoby's "Reinventing the Melting Pot," the most common last names among new homeowners in California include Garcia, Lee, Martinez, Nguyen, Rodriguez and Wong.

Which brings us to the politics. Contrary to what you hear on talk radio and cable news, polls continue to show that the conservative silent majority is pro-immigration, and that it supports a guest-worker program as the only practical and humane way to moderate the foreign labor flow.

According to the most recent Tarrance Group survey, 75f likely GOP voters support immigration reform that combines increased border and workplace enforcement with a guest-worker system for newcomers and a multiyear path to citizenship for illegal immigrants already here--provided that they meet certain requirements like living crime free, learning English and paying taxes. "Support for this plan," the poll found, "is strong even among base Republican voter demographics like strong Republicans (77 very conservative Republicans (72 white conservative Christians (76 and those who listen to news talk radio on a daily basis (72"

House Republican leaders, who passed an immigration bill last year focusing only on enforcement, want to frame this debate as a choice between more border security or "amnesty" for the 11 or 12 million illegals already here. But that's a false choice. A guest-worker program that lets market forces rather than prevailing political winds determine how many economic migrants can enter the country actually enhances security. How? By reducing pressure on the border, just as the Bracero guest-worker program in the 1950s and early 1960s did.

When border patrol agents don't have to chase down people coming here to work, they can concentrate on genuine threats, like gang members and terrorists. The real choice is between throwing more resources at an enforcement-only policy that has failed, or a larger reform that's had some past success in reducing illegal border crossings and meeting the demands of our economy and of human dignity.

read the article here

capitol Cities

I am so incredibly nervous. I know I shouldn't be. I'm going to see an old high school friend's band tonight in Detroit. Capitol Citites The bass player Ian is my old friend. I used to spend so much time at their house I'm sure he thought I was a stalker. I just loved them so much. All of them. Liam. Ian and Evan. And their mom. I loved her with all my heart. But I haven't seen them in close to 15 years. I'm so nervous. I hope I get to talk to him and his brother Evan who is supposed to be there. I may get to take pics...who knows. Wish me luck. They are an awesome band anyway, so at least it will be good music.

I used to be crazy in love with Ian and his whole family. Not like romantic (god forbid I didn't even understand eros love in any way shape or form) But I went over to their house often and I loved spending time with them all. Liam and I used to hang out in the basement just sitting and talking for hours. He was a god to me. And Ian amazed me cuz he could play any instrument he set his mind to. And sing like an angel. And Evan was just the most adorable little brother I had ever seen. How he was hard of hearing but still was prolly the most jockish and "normal" of the brothers amazed me.

Anyway, I'll fill you more in later. We're getting ready to go. I just wanted to blog how nervous I am so I can look back and laugh when things are perfect later (like with Ray Street)