the thin line between optimism and delusion...

Global warming

March 13, 2007 by charlsiekate

I haven’t seen Al Gore’s movie on global warming. But I’ve heard a lot about it, you know, when I haven’t been researching basketball ranking for my bracket. And a few of my favorite bloggers are talking about it. Kat, Pete, and Scoplaw all posted about it recently, and apparently there is a new york time’s article that came out today as well. And then there are a lot of other blog posts from blogs I’m less familiar with.

So I’ll tell you what I do know. I know that places like LA, and Atlanta and big metropolis areas with tons of cars are bad. Bad for everyone. Smog is something I’ve experienced first hand and it is disgusting. I don’t have a source to back this up, but a friend told me there are national parks in California where you can’t hike certain days of the summer because the smog from LA has floated over and made the air a hazard. Which makes me very, very sad. But I also know that car pollution in rural areas where there are lots of trees and things to offset the bad emissions aren’t a huge concern. That is why you have emission standards in big cities and not everywhere. Atlanta has emission standards for cars, Augusta and Athens don’t. Augusta doesn’t really need to. Not that it might not be helpful in a nominal way, but the damage doesn’t justify the cost as it does in a big city.

Okay – pollution is bad. This is a premise I feel good standing behind. And pollution, like most everything else in the world, is worse depending on the context.

But when it comes down to how exactly pollution affects our atmosphere as an entire planet, I’m a little less clear on things. Because, well, to me, there see to be too many external factors and too little data to come to a clear conclusion. The earth has been around for a long time. We have been around for a much shorter time. We have been been keeping records for an even shorter period of time. We have been concerned about global warming for a very, very, very brief point in history. Not that this is a good reason to discount global warming. Because, who knows, those people could be 100% right. Just because I can’t prove something doesn’t mean I can disprove it either.

Volcanoes give me great pause in all of this. I watched a national geographic channel special on volcanoes. Volcanoes screw up all kinds of things. Volcanic eruptions can throw off the global temperature significantly. The earth eventually recovers, after a bunch of people starve, according to national geographic. People die, but the earth recovers.

I took both of the environmental law classes that Georgia had to offer in law school, I took the environmental practicum that taught me a TON about local pollution and cross referenced forestry and ecology, and education and law and landscape architecture, and a few other disciplines. I try to read stuff and keep up. I’ve been to dissertations of friends in forestry studying bugs in the woods. I would say I’m better informed than the average citizen, that I’ve at least been exposed to a lot of different theories and angles and ideas about the environment and what we are doing to it. But I certainly don’t possess any degrees in earth science, or any science at all. And sometimes I think maybe this is all over my head. And sometimes I think I’m being lazy and should THINK HARDER, then maybe it will all be clear to me. And then my brain starts to explode. When I do start shifting to one camp or the other, I start to feel like I’m drinking cool aid.

I don’t know. Honestly. I just don’t know. What do you think?

Posted in Current Affairs, outside, Weblogs | 3 Comments »

Golf Traffic

March 12, 2007 by charlsiekate

Jennifer called me this morning to tell me that when she crossed over the river on her way to work she saw the first golf traffic sign of the year. I’m really excited. It will be here before we know it! This is the only picture I could find online of the golf traffic signs.

Golf_traffic

This is the first year since 1999 that I’ve lived here – and it is pretty fun this time of year. The DJ on the radio last week was talking about how the national better get out the ice bags because the warm weather appears to be here to stay. Everyone is watching the flowers – they are already so pretty. I love watching the flowers, worrying about when they are going to peak, and hoping that they all wait as long as possible to bloom so all the tourists can see how pretty our little city is. Right now it is very, very pretty.

As a matter of fact – yesterday was about as near as perfect as a day can get. I slept late, played with my little dog who is getting big, laid out in the sunshine with a bestest friend, read a good book, layed in the grass with my parents dogs, watched Briscoe play in the sprinklers, went on a bike ride with my dad down the canal, went to church, and then finished the day off with an excellent pizza at the pizza joint and a couple of beers with Elizabeth while we sat outside and enjoyed the absolutely perfect temperature of the night and people watched. Then I feel asleep easily and dreamed weird dreams – as usual.

Posted in Augusta, Masters | 2 Comments »

Coffee Beans

March 7, 2007 by charlsiekate

I stopped drinking coffee for a few weeks for religious reasons. I have given up other things before, and I have always found that, in this world of instant gratification and endless options, what ever indulgence you sacrifice at the alter of lent, you will inevitably replace with an alternative. For instance, I’ve given up soft drinks before. I drank sweet tea for two months. I like sweet tea. I just prefer coke and doctor pepper most of the time. But it wasn’t a life changing sacrifice. When it comes down to it – it is hard to make it about God and not just about self control and substitutes and guilt. I don’t have an answer for this. All I know is that it makes me happy to give something up, and it makes me unhappy when I don’t. I guess I’ve just accepted the fact that giving up something for lent isn’t a cure all of everything else in my spiritual life, and that I just have to take it for what it is. An experience and a learning process – an exercise. Because maybe one day there will be something I truly need to give up, for my health or the health of those around me, or some unforeseen event to come. And God will have already given me a personal experience from which to work.

If you don’t drink – the rest of this is going to sound ridiculous and I apologize. I’ve given up alcohol before, a few years back. And let me just say that there is never a good time to give up alcohol in these parts, mostly because there aren’t a lot of acceptable alternatives. People want to share a glass of wine, invite you over to drink a beer and wax philosophically while watching basketball. And if Easter doesn’t happen before the Masters, it is tough to turn down a lemonade and vodka. But even with the lack of alternatives to alcohol, you realize that there are few situations that are that difficult to adjust to not drinking. The only situation that I couldn’t handle was being at a bar past midnight. Everyone started getting on my nerves. REAL BAD. But the best part is that you are completely sober and can get into your car and go home.

Pretty soon you start to notice that the events you might be missing out of – like staying at the bar late – are events that will happen again and again and again. Another observation I have on the whole situation is that when ~~you~~ I am in a social event like a bar full of friends or a cocktail party – somewhere that a lot is going on and a glass of wine would be customary – even when I’m not drinking I get peppy and talkative and feel a little tipsy just from the music and the people, once I get past the first half hour of figuring out what to do with my hands. And it is so fun to wake up in the morning refreshed. But you do miss out of waxing philosophically over basketball games and wine.

Plus you have to be VERY CAREFUL when you start drinking again after Easter. Because, well, you just can’t drink like you used to. Remember how in the movies the drug addicts end up ODing when they get their first hit after rehab? Right. That is you. Start slow.

But I can say with all honestly that I miss my coffee. I’ve been drinking chai tea – with soy milk and brown sugar and it is definitely yummy. But I wandered down the coffee aisle in the grocery store the other day and almost blacked out from the smell. I wanted to lay on the grocery store floor and inhale deeply. I also wanted to eat a handful of coffee beans whole. I’m like the alcoholic who drinks rubbing alcohol. I still want to eat a coffee bean whole, truthfully.

Posted in Religion | 3 Comments »

Betsy in the Pond

March 2, 2007 by charlsiekate

This video is amazing for a few reasons, I’m not sure which is the greatest part. The john deer green blaring in the background, Betsy, or at the very end when Brad takes a swig of his beer and walks off. It really cracks me up. I love youtube.

Posted in Burke County, Favorite People, outside | 3 Comments »

Stephen Terrorizing Briscoe In Burke County

March 2, 2007 by charlsiekate

Posted in Briscoe, Burke County, Favorite People | Leave a Comment »

Old Friends and New Snow

February 27, 2007 by charlsiekate

Yesterday morning I was knee deep in snow, with a big sweeper broom trying to get all the snow off our sweet rental car before we could scrap the windshield. Let’s just say I don’t have a lot of experience with digging a car out of a foot of snow. Libby and I were in Steamboat Colorado playing in the Champagne powder!

Today during lunch I changed out of my suit and put on a tshirt and shorts and took a nap in my parents front porch swing. And I got so hot I woke up. The wood bees were bzzzzzzzing around creating little shadows and the fragrance of rosemary and tea olive wafted around in the warm breeze. And it was very hard to remember this –

or this –

But I want to remember because we had such an amazing time. Our colorado friends looked after us so well and it dumped snow the whole time we were there. Friday night it snowed 13 inches, another 6 inches on saturday, 6 inches saturday night, I have no idea how much on sunday but it dumped all day, and a foot sunday night. Libby and I almost died driving back to denver. It just wouldn’t stop snowing! I’m so sore. I slipped on some ice a few times over the course of the weekend and I was in a mild altercation with an aspen tree. I told the aspen tree I’d be back with a chain saw if it ever jumped out in front of me like that again. And then I gave it’s friend a hug to let it know I was in a forgiving mood (since they are all connected, I figured the one I assaulted with death threats would know I had moved on) –

Libby gave out some aspen love too –

I look good in blue. Libby looks good in raspberry.

Colorado, we love you, and all your mountains and snow. And the warm hot springs, naked people and all. But we especially love the people and beer. It was snowing outside, but it was pitchers of sunshine inside the bar.

Posted in Colorado | 1 Comment »

The Beginning

February 20, 2007 by charlsiekate

I started my first blog three years ago today. Sort of. It was actually February 24, but it was a tuesday and today is a tuesday, so I’m going to pretend like it was today – since I won’t be around on February 24 to tell you about it. I originally wrote on livejournal, here is my very first post. The day I started my blog was the day after I turned in my 1L brief. That seems like ages ago, while at the same time I remember the entire day very vividly.

I liked live journal, but about six months after I started the blog I moved to blogspot and about a year after that I moved to my current location on typepad. Oh yeah – and I used to be pretty against line breaks, so my livejournal stuff is a little difficult to read.

But it is interesting. I think I was a little less concerned with the audience at that point. And I definitely rambled a lot. I might have been a little more honest and stripped in my writing. Not that I’m not honest now, but I’m a little more censured. It is interesting.

In honor of this anniversary I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for reading this blog, it means more to me than I think I even realize. I appreciate the comments and the silence. Y’all are great. Love ya.

Posted in Weblogs | 5 Comments »

Beautiful Crisp Winter Days

February 19, 2007 by charlsiekate

This weekend we went to Catie’s farm in the Burke county. It was a fabulous weekend of sunshine, freezing temperatures, happy dogs, good friends, loud guns, big trucks, cold beer, bourbon, grits, card games, old friends, new friends, McKinny’s pond, Coleman’s lake, 17 year olds drinking beer at the bar, Mennonite baked goods, sleeping bags, gloves, skeet, turkey shots, and large spot lights that plug into cigarette lighters. Oh, and Joe Diffy and Tracy Lawrence.

In other words, it was awesome. Briscoe got to run around and play with the big dogs. There were two bird dogs and two labs that ran her into the ground. I swear when she woke up this morning she moved around like she was very sore and stiff. Which was hilarious. She probably should have stretched after playing so hard.

Things I brought home with me from the Burke:

1. A pair of chocolate brown carhart overalls that I bought at the hardware store in Waynesboro. I’m really excited about them.

2. The most dirty and tired dog you have ever seen. She could barely stand up for me to give her a bath when we finally got home yesterday. She kept getting briars caught in her fur when she would try to follow the big dogs down to the creek. She likes the water.

3. A lot of bruises. One on my shoulder from shooting guns, a large on on my leg from where Gunner jumped on me (he weighs a lot more than he looks), one from where Will thought it was great idea to tackle me on greeting (inside the house, we both fell to the ground hard, and I don’t think he was even drunk yet), and numerous other bruises from being clumsy and accident prone. I’m falling apart. Essentially, they are pleasant reminders of what a great weekend I had.

4. A koozie with two big holes in it and lots of little holes. Apparently, shooting beer cans with a shotgun is really fun sport for boys. Especially if the beer can has a koozie on it. And the koozie belongs to me. I think it adds character to the koozie. it is now an important possession. Oh, and I also picked up a Swainsboro racetrack koozie at coleman’s lake. I hope whoever set that beer down didn’t want the koozie anymore. I think I’ll wash it before I use it.

5. A renewed appreciation of how beautiful the world is and how amazing God is for giving us such spectacular things like the sun and the stars and the tall tall pine trees and the mockingbirds, and the bright cheerful rye grass, and dappled bird dogs and spanish moss and gnarled oak trees and spring lakes, and lifetime friends who love me. I am blessed beyond belief in all aspects of my life. I know that life has hard times, so I think it is so very important to live up the happy moments and enjoy the enjoyment.

Posted in Briscoe, Favorite People, Georgia, outside | 1 Comment »

Let’s keep in mind I work for the government

February 16, 2007 by charlsiekate

My office is in a suite that has three offices and a secretary right inside the door of the suite. Our circuit is three counties – Richmond, Columbia and Burke, and at any point in time – any of us could be in any of the three counties, even though we only have an office in one county. Richmond is the main county. But essentially this means that we rarely know why someone isn’t around that day. I barely know my own schedule, much less someone else’s. Oh, and our office is on a totally different floor than everyone else, so people are always wandering up and down the elevators.

So a man came in this morning. The secretary – we will call her K, was not sitting at her desk. He hollared down the hallway – "ANYONE HERE?

Me: "Yes?"

Him: "Is K here today?"

Me: "I’m not sure."

Him: "Does she normally come in on fridays?"

Me: "I think so."

Him: "But you don’t know if she is coming in today."

Me: "Well, I don’t know if she is here or not."

Him: "Where do you think she might be?"

Me: "Um…I have no idea."

Him: (obviously frustrated) "Well, what is the phone number to her desk so I can call her."

Me: "Honestly I don’t know. I normally just talk and she hears me."

Heather: (from the office down the hall): "I know the phone number!"

Me: "Oh wait! Me too! It is right her written on my phone."

Him: "Thanks."

Me: "Your welcome. Have a nice day."

Posted in Work | Leave a Comment »

Briscoe! Dogs are gross

February 12, 2007 by charlsiekate

This is a great video of Briscoe chewing up my socks right after I got back from running. You can also hear me talking to her if you listen. I sound weird in my opinion.