At the second budget meeting for the summer: "The State Fiscal Situation." The room is absolutely packed. The guy presenting this power point can't be more than two years older than me.
Speaking of age gaps, my youngest sister made herself a Gmail account. I found this out when the three little kids group gchatted me right before the meeting started. Even though I enjoyed talking to them for a little bit, I felt a little sad at how fast they are growing up. Getting an e-mail always seemed like a rite of passage for me. I made one when I was 13. I remember this random Julie trivia because my e-mail address was "julesrob13" (I've always been really creative with my e-mail).
The ten-year-old to me : i'm so excited
now we can talk more often!
Next guy up, at least 8-10 years older: “State Measures to Balance FY 2010 and FY 2011 Budgets” and he's discussing tax increases: gambling, motor fuel and vehicle taxes/ fees; sales, corporate income and personal income taxes; selective taxes; other revenue taxes (i.e. film tax, condiment taxes, soda tax). Now talking about making cuts to K-12 and higher education...
Okay, this meeting is tedious. I've got 3 articles to finish, so I'm going to multi-task now while still listening. I can't believe this commission only intends on having two meetings. They have a lot of work to do between now and November. I too have a lot of work to do, but between now and 8 p.m., which is when I have dinner plans. I can't find a copy of the power point on Gongwer either, which slightly annoys me.
I started making my own budget last night. I'm currently deciding how much of my salary will go towards living expenses, paying back my loans, shuffled into savings and having available. It's a good exercise in priorities!
Oh, there's another presentation: "Ohio's Budget: Steady Fiscal Control in Turbulent Times." How jolly. There's a gavel! And so it continues... another Great Depression reference.
Also, if it seems that these presentations are going fast, don't be deluded. The first set took and hour and a half. :) I just type fast and then ignore the post until something slightly worth commenting on happens. Lots is happening, but not much is worth a mention. I wonder how much more fun this job would be if people cut the BS. For instance, Sabety: "While I am optimistic, clearly, we are not out of the woods yet." Wah-wah-wah! Oh! Her system is shutting down! This is incredibly ironic.
Today it's David McCullough's birthday: "Writing is thinking. To write well is to think clearly. That's why it's so hard."
Showing posts with label Buckeye Institute. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Buckeye Institute. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Nothing like having Window Washers wave hello when you're on the 11th floor
"Peonies" by Jeanne Lohmann
Grandma called them pineys, and I didn't know why.
They smelled so good, the full lush petals
crowded thick, the whole flower heavy on its stem,
the leaves dark and rich and green as shade in Chatauqua Woods
where each spring I hunted for violets. What could there be
to pine for on this earth? Now I think maybe it was Missouri
she missed, and maybe that was what somebody she knew
called peonies there, before she traveled to Ohio,
a sixteen-year-old bride whose children came on as fast
as field crops and housework. Her flowers saved her,
the way they came up year after year and with only a bit of care
lived tender and pretty, each kind surprising,
keeping its own sweet secret: lily-of-the-valley, iris,
the feathery-leaved cosmos, lilacs in their white and purple curls,
flamboyant sweet peas and zinnias, the bright four o'clocks
and delphinium, blue as her eyes, and the soft peony flowers
edged deep pink. In her next life I want my grandmother
to walk slowly through the gardens in England and Kyoto.
I want to be there when she recognizes the flowers
and smiles, when she kneels and takes the pineys in her hands.
My first article went up today on Buckeye's site. I went to mass at noon and got there late because I saw a car accident and then, on the way back, I saw a man being taken away on a stretcher from a business. Remember to pray for everyone around you. I bought a copy of Street Speech, which is the newspaper put out by the homeless of Columbus. It's very Lefty, but it's insight into another part of Ohio. I've read so many good articles today, I should have thought ahead and linked to them all for people to peruse at their pleasure, but c'est la vie. Nothing terribly surprising in the news recently; human nature never changes, just the people involved.
I'm having dinner with Kristen, the Editor of The Key, tonight. I'm going to start writing for them as well. Also considering getting my library card to get this reading/reviewing party started!
Grandma called them pineys, and I didn't know why.
They smelled so good, the full lush petals
crowded thick, the whole flower heavy on its stem,
the leaves dark and rich and green as shade in Chatauqua Woods
where each spring I hunted for violets. What could there be
to pine for on this earth? Now I think maybe it was Missouri
she missed, and maybe that was what somebody she knew
called peonies there, before she traveled to Ohio,
a sixteen-year-old bride whose children came on as fast
as field crops and housework. Her flowers saved her,
the way they came up year after year and with only a bit of care
lived tender and pretty, each kind surprising,
keeping its own sweet secret: lily-of-the-valley, iris,
the feathery-leaved cosmos, lilacs in their white and purple curls,
flamboyant sweet peas and zinnias, the bright four o'clocks
and delphinium, blue as her eyes, and the soft peony flowers
edged deep pink. In her next life I want my grandmother
to walk slowly through the gardens in England and Kyoto.
I want to be there when she recognizes the flowers
and smiles, when she kneels and takes the pineys in her hands.
My first article went up today on Buckeye's site. I went to mass at noon and got there late because I saw a car accident and then, on the way back, I saw a man being taken away on a stretcher from a business. Remember to pray for everyone around you. I bought a copy of Street Speech, which is the newspaper put out by the homeless of Columbus. It's very Lefty, but it's insight into another part of Ohio. I've read so many good articles today, I should have thought ahead and linked to them all for people to peruse at their pleasure, but c'est la vie. Nothing terribly surprising in the news recently; human nature never changes, just the people involved.
I'm having dinner with Kristen, the Editor of The Key, tonight. I'm going to start writing for them as well. Also considering getting my library card to get this reading/reviewing party started!
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