Dear Delegate Tommy Wright

Posted publicly with permission:

Dear Delegate Wright,

I am writing to encourage you to support upcoming House Bills regarding certain freedoms currently inherent in American citizenship.  I am recently retired from the U.S. Marine Corps, after about 34 years of fascinating and eye-opening service to our Nation.  I grew up in a military family and was privileged to have lived, as a youngster, in a wide range of nations that included communist countries.  I know how wonderful the United States is, clearly from an objective and experienced standpoint.

This whole thing about “individual freedoms” is huge.  So many Americans who strive for ‘peace’ and prosperity for ‘all,’ have the right idea, but don’t necessarily appreciate what complex, social provisions are necessary to establish and promote that esoteric condition of individual liberty to excel in life and the doggone pursuit of happiness!

You are an elected representative of Americans.  You get this.  Special interests aside, you feel the same weighted mantle of exquisite responsibility I felt as a leader of Marines and representative of the USG on many occasions.  PLEASE personally contemplate the impact of efforts to erode an Americans’ right to defend themselves, the right to collect and appreciate a broad span of weaponry, and the value of deterrence we Americans hold against any potential adversaries that cheer on the ‘disarmament’ of Americans.  It’s the bad guys that the laws that are currently in place, need to be subjected to.  Go get the bad guys!  Empower the good guys.  It’s really not more complex than that.  The good guys, with all their guns and ammo, need to be held responsible for the control and security of their weapons, that’s for sure.  But for a government to prevent its citizens to draw a weapon for self-defense, in a moment of potential peril, is a fearful government… A government that suspects its citizens, in general, are incompetent, or worse, a threat.

Here are the pending House Bills I hope you appreciate are fundamental protections to individual American liberties.  If you believe they address rights that should be limited in modern times, please reply with your analysis on why, and what should be the modern-day inherent rights of citizens to bear arms.

House Bills 109,171,490,871,995,1070,1191, 1217, and 1379.

As appropriate with the above rationale, I encourage you to oppose House Bills 520 and 1209.

Very sincerely, and Semper fi,

//my mother//

What I Didn’t Know About How Planes Fly

I’m flying to LA and Germany next month and normally break out into sweaty anxiety just when imagining airplanes. I’m cool up to 25,000 feet but somewhere between 28k and 31k I decide the I am likely to be sucked out into space like little Jackie tells Robin Williams’ character in Hook or flip over and fall to the ground.

But I know it’s safe and I really want to take the trips so I am preparing mentally and physically. This time I don’t want to be carrying-on my own single serve liquor bottles in plastic baggies (yes the TSA folks let you do that and get a kick out of it).

I’ve decided to learn about physics. Please note I dropped out of H.S. physics when I just couldn’t wrap my head around scientific notation (I still don’t get it).

Today I discovered this Webpage that sets me at ease when imagining the plane tipping.“The top of the wing is rounded and the bottom of the wing is more straight. Air takes longer to travel over the top of the wing than the bottom, which results in more pressure on the bottom, hence the lift. Right? The main reason planes fly is far simpler: wings force air downward, which in turn force the wing (and therefore the plane) upward.”

Ball Strikers

No, it’s not what you think! Ball strikers are runners who absorb most of the impact of striking the ground with the balls of their feet as opposed to the heels. I recently read a really cool article in Men’s Health that covered this natural technique and tried it myself. It felt so right that I went to Pacers in Alexandria to purchase a pair of Nike Free sneakers. I am totally sold. Here’s a vide on YouTube explaining some basic biomechanics. Enjoy!

You are what you Tweet

So my buddy Joel updated his Facebook status tonight: “If writing down goals can greatly enhances your chances of achieving them, then what does writing or posting your complaints do?” Some of the immediate responses were quite interesting because they were rebuttals…someone pointed out that complaints can be “just venting” and actually took a swipe at his underlying personal beliefs. He is a big believer in the power of focusing on the good and positive in life as a way to attract more good and positive circumstances. And I have to say it works for him.

A related Facebook update of his at the end of last year was something along the lines of “If you want to self-analyze, read your last 20 Facebook updates.” That one got some negative responses as well (especially from the same folks from above who apparently hadn’t had nice things to say recently). So what I took from these two events is the same people who have nothing good to post online get upset when challenged to wonder what it says about or does to their psyche…

Aren’t some of these reactions just case-in-point? 20 negative events later, someone is still “blowing off steam” but on someone else’s Facebook page! I think “You are are what you Tweet” is the mental/spiritual version of the expression “You are what you eat!”

The Turtles’ New Digs

Meet Gabanna

I am turtle-sitting Dolce and Gabanna for the friend whom I mentioned in an earlier post. She’s in Afghanistan and sorely missed…anyway, I had been keeping them in a glass flower vase with pretty shallow water since I didn’t know what else to do with them. I wandered into Petco last Sunday and talked to a manager who I had overheard answering other customers’ questions in a really detailed, knowledgeable way (Jose at the Tyson’s store – he’s a keeper!) He knew from my description of the turtles’ life story (Ash and I picked them up while in Chinatown, NYC last fall) that they were red-eared sliders. He also informed me that they’ll grow to “the size of a dinner plate” within a few years! He told me they’d rather spend most of their time swimming than out of the water. So since they don’t need to be in a full-size tank yet, I went to Pier 1 to pick out a cute wide vase, filled it with water and added some shells, glass beads, and the plastic half-pipe ‘log’ I picked up at Petco. Dolce and Gabanna are LOVING it! They now live in my bookshelf and I have a lamp on during the day. They make the most of the “daylight” hours basking on the log in between dips in the water. At night they go crazy because they know I or my boyfriend Michael are likely to drop a treat in.

I will post again once I go and figure out YouTube again. I deleted my account “permanently” and I guess should just sign up with a new account under another Gmail address since now I can’t start a new account with my main email account. A very stupid rule if you ask me.

Simple Swing, Simple Running Style

I got quick pointers on my golf swing today by a believer: something called “the simple swing.” The idea is you straighten up, bend at the hips, loosen the knees, then you have your left arm and shoulder lead the movement and allow the rest of your body to comfortably follow. Don’t even worry about your head, just keep your eye on the ball and swing.

Just now I was reading an article in Men’s Health about the Tarahumara of Mexico. Supposedly the tribe members put enormous mileage on their feet, eating corn mash for fuel during the day and party all night. They don’t die of any of the diseases or cancers we do. And despite their steep mountainous living terrain, they don’t even get running injuries! From the description I read plus the recent running study that explained 40 miles + per week is what you should really aim for, their secret lies in their ability to run great lengths. Their running style is simple: straight body, small steps. I remember changing from a long stride (“gazelle-like”) to shorter steps when playing lacrosse. It was a relief on my hamstring as well as added control – I could pivot, stop, and/or change directions very quickly. I bet I even sped up faster.