Friday, September 26, 2008

Winners of $1,500


Hey, we won $1,500!

I sent a copy of our wedding video into Funniest Country Home Videos and we won!

$500 was guaranteed, and $1,000 was for first prize (funniest video of the week!)

Our video hasn't shown up on You Tube, yet, but I'll post it here as soon as it does.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Editorial






Today is Wednesday.



An editorial I wrote will be printed in tomorrow's Orange County newspaper!



I will attach a copy here.






Today, I "wired" the money for our house.



Tomorrow, Natasha and I will sit down with the lawyer, real estate agent, and mortgage lender to sign the paperwork.






Natasha had a doctor's appointment today. She gained 7 1/2 pounds in the past month. Her weight is 126 1/2.






Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Happy Birthday Kevin!







Today is my 30th birthday!






I didn't tell anyone at my work. But, Natasha brought a cake to my office, towards the end of the day. A few of my co-workers sang "Happy Birthday" to me!






Not much new around here.






We're supposed to buy our house next Wednesday, September 25th. Let's see how it goes...






Natasha is still taking her on-line college course, about working with students with disabilities. (It takes alot of our time - I help her do some of the research).






We told the Art Center that we needed some time off. With us buying the house, we're going to need to be spending our weekends cleaning it up.






Natasha's belly is getting bigger...






I'll let you go.






(I watched the program on Mad T.V. It wasnt' that good)...















Friday, September 12, 2008

Firday Night / Saturday Morning

It's Friday Night / Saturday Morning, and we need to go to bed.

Tomorrow, I'm going to meet with some other Barack Obama supporters in the center of Town, and go around and canvass for Barack for President.

This will be my second time canvassing in Orange. I canvassed once in Charlottesville, the weekend before the Democratic Primaries.

Tomorrow at 11:00pm on "fox television channel," there will be a really funny skit about the Presidential Candidates having a "Dance Off" competition. If you get a chance, try to remember to check-it-out!

http://www.madtv.com/


Allright, I'll let you go.

Later,

Kevin

Monday, September 8, 2008

Time's Still Flying

Time still seems to be going so fast for Natasha and I. It's hard for us to do everything we want to...
We both have our jobs. Add to that Natasha's school, the different nightly meetings I have every week, my sports reporting, our volunteering at the Art Center, Natasha preparing her lesson plans for her special edcuation students, cleaning the apartment, going shopping, plus adding time to relax and watch some movies, plus spending time out in nature (like fishing at the lake), plus trying to find time to do stuff with our friends (luckily we don't have too many), and we can't really imagine when we're going to have time for our expected blessing (our lil' Angel)...
Maybe, we're just trying to cram as much stuff as possible into these last few months of parental freedon, before the baby comes (and our real responsibilities begin).
The secret is controlling what you volunteer for. Doing a few things, but doing them as best as you can.
What's easier, haivng a baby - then trying to find time for "extra-curricular," or having a full-plate of hobbies, then trying to squeeze baby-responsibilities on top? I'm thinking it's easier to drop a few of my hobbies, once the baby comes.
I've been trying a few different things, and I'm learning what I enjoy most. But, really I'm enjoying all the things I do with my time. I'm lucky to not be tied-down to something that I can't stand...
Well, I guess I spoke enough about that point...

Later,
Kevin

Friday, September 5, 2008

PERMIBUS ARRESTED!

How is this stroy connected to Natasha's pregnancy? This story is an example of the kind of world our child is being born into! At what point did the United States become a "controlled state"!?! Do you think the police could be better spending their time, resources, and energy arresting someone else besides educators of how to live in an "eco-friendly" manner?



http://ecovillagers.blogspot.com/2008/09/permi-news-from-rnc.html

"They were not allowed to remove their computers so the police could do a 'commercial vehicle inspection...'" (Why did the police need their computers, in order to conduct a 'commercial vehicle inspection?')

"Minnesota has always been a friendly place before today."


POLICE SEIZE PERMIBUS


At approximately 6:25 pm on August 30, 2008 Minneapolis Police, Minnesota State Troopers, Ramsey County Sheriffs, Saint Paul Police, and University of Minnesota Police pulled over the Earth Activist Training Permaculture Demonstration Bus (Permibus) by exit 237 on Interstate 94.
Initially the police told the people on the bus to exit. When the people on the bus asked if they were being detained they were told that they were but police were unable to provide justification. When asked why they pulled the bus over they refused to answer. After repeated requests to explain why the bus had been stopped Officer Honican of the Minneapolis Police explained that this was just a routine traffic stop though he did not explain the reason for the traffic stop.
The police then told Stan Wilson, the driver and registered owner of the Permibus, that they were going to impound the bus in case they wanted to execute a search warrant later. After more than an hour of being questioned by Stan and Delyla Wilson as to the legalities of their detainment and the impoundment of the Permibus, the police then informed Stan that the bus, which is legally registered as a passenger vehicle in the state of Montana, was being impounded for a commercial vehicle inspection. Shortly afterward Sergeant Paul Davis, a commercial vehicle inspector arrived on scene.
Despite the polices insistence that the reason for impoundment was for a commercial vehicle inspection the Permibus crew were not allowed to remove anything from the bus including computers, toiletries, and 17-year-old Megan Wilson's shoes.
The police finally allowed the animals to be removed from the Permibus before it was towed, leaving the Permibus family standing beside their chickens and dogs, homeless on the highway. The Permibus was relocating from the Bedlam Theatre in Minneapolis, where they had spent the day teaching Urban Permaculture, to a friend's house in Saint Paul for a well deserved break.
The Permibus has been in the Minneapolis area since August 2nd when the crew appeared at the Midtown Farmers Market for a morning of Permaculture education including Permaculture 101, chicken care, seed ball making for kids, and the Permi-puppet show.
During the past month the Permibus has parked at several local businesses and, as a neighborly gesture of respect for local police, Mr. Wilson contacted the appropriate precincts just to let them know the Permibus was in the area and had permission from the business owners to be parked on their lot. Through this, as well as other casual discussions with Minneapolis and Saint Paul police officers, the Permibus crew found the local police to be interested and respectful. However on August 30th all that changed when, for no apparent valid reason the police pulled over and seized the Permibus.
After the incident Stan Wilson said, "If the combined law enforcement of Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Ramsey County, and the State of Minnesota can pull over and impound a vehicle and home used to teach organic gardening and sustainability, one has to wonder what it is our government really fears. After all, we seek to teach people that the real meaning of homeland security is local food, fuel and energy production. For that we have had our lives stolen by government men with guns."
As of now, after repeated requests to be present at any vehicle inspection, with an list of what they are inspecting for, as well as requests to be served any warrants for searches of the vehicles prior to a search and to be present during the search the Permi-family has been unable to ascertain the current status of the Permibus. On site Mr. Wilson was told that Officer Palmerranky was the inspector in charge of the case and would determine if the Permi-family's rights protecting them from unreasonable search and seizure would be respected. Neither Officer Palmerranky nor his supervisor has yet to return Mr. Wilson's calls.
The loss of her home and possessions is particularly difficult on seventeen-year-old Megan Wilson. Megan, a shining example of what this country asks of today's youth, has dedicated herself to making positive changes in the world. She was the youth keynote speaker at the Local to Global conference in Phoenix AZ, has taught conflict resolution at youth shelters and is the outreach coordinator for the Skills for a New Millennium Tour, the family traveling educational project. Megan believes that, "While I understand that the world we live in is not as it should be I strive to live and teach in a way that shows the world how life could be. What I don't understand is why I can't get dressed for an evening out with friends in my own home without armed men stealing my life out from under me."
The Permi-family, along with their dogs and Permaculture super-hero chickens are currently being housed by folks in the Twin Cities.
The Skills for a New Millennium Tour is a family education project that travels around the United States teaching homesteading, citizenship, and life skills at farmers markets, community gardens, churches, intentional communities, schools, and in people's living rooms. The Skills Tour is a donation supported project dedicated to providing tools for sustainable living, including Permaculture, to anyone who is interested, regardless of income. "We believe that any solution that is not accessible to the poor and urban areas is not a real solution for the future," states Delyla Wilson.
Permaculture is a design system with ethics and principles that can be applied to food production, home design, and community building in order to increase sustainability in food production, energy production, and social systems. The Permibus is a rolling demonstration of small scale sustainable living with three people, three dogs, three chickens, and a box of worms as permanent residence. The chickens and worms are part of a closed-loop food productions composting system that supports the Permibus's traveling garden.

For more information on the seizure of the Permibus, the Skills for the New Millennium Tour, or Permaculture, the Wilson's can be reached at 406-721-8427 or through email at skillstour@gmail.com.
You can also see pictures and read stories about the last six months of their educational adventures at permibus.livejournal.com.
To our supporters: First we ask that as many people as possible contact precinct one in Minneapolis, MN at 612-673-5701 and Mayor Rybak at Phone: (612) 673-2100 or call 311 or call (612) 673-3000 outside Minneapolis.
Also call the Ramsey County Sheriff Sheriff - Bob Fletcher 651-266-9300 and demand the immediate release of the Permibus