Being an Activist Takes Time

Not only is being an activist fun, it is also time consuming. I started a group at meetup.com for our little Chico tea party organization and when I go online I tend to spend my time there instead of here. Keeping up with the new members, updating the site, and being amazed at how quickly our little group is becoming a medium sized group takes time. Our group can be found at: http://www.meetup.com/Chico-Tea-Party-Patriots/. Our next big event is on the 4th of July. A big event is always held at Bidwell Park and we plan to have a booth so that we can hand out informational flyers, give out pocket Constitutions, and sell t-shirts. We plan to have a "cruise" through the park with decorated cars and then walking as a group into Bidwell Park where we will join in the festivities. I'm in charge of the booth, making sure it is manned from 10 am to 3 pm. Pray for mild weather. I'm making some really neat new friends and am really enjoying becoming involved in an organization that means a whole lot to me!

Summer session starts this coming Monday and goes until June 25th. I have no idea how the whole thing is going to go, but I sure am looking forward to that lump sum paycheck at the end.

The kids have finals week next week and will be out of school for the year next Thursday. Chelsea will begin her "volunteer work" at Dan's office for her International Baccalaureate Program. Cody's already grumbling that he has to read "To Kill a Mockingbird" for his honors English class this summer. He's asked Dan to get the mini-trails in running order so that he and his friend Kyle can ride them the first day of summer break.

I have no idea what we're going to do for vacation this year as the kids have asked that we NOT go anywhere. However Dan and I desperately want to go somewhere, anywhere for vacation. We've even tried bribing the kids but they are holding firm. What's a parent to do?

Being an Activist is Fun!

I've been having so much fun being an activist that I forgot that I have a blog. Of course, there's this thing called finals week that's kept my attention as well, but my distraction is primarily because of my work with the tea party organization. We've had three meetings thus far. Last Monday night was our third meeting and I was gobsmacked when I walked in the room and we had literally doubled our numbers since the previous week! I guess my asssertive nature got me noticed because I'm now considered to be part of the "core" organizational group and was asked to attend a meeting today with the group leader, along with two other individuals. We spent almost two hours finalizing many of the necessary details for our July 4th event. It feels so wonderful spending time with people who are just as passionate as I am about limited government, fiscal responsibility, and free markets. I'll be attending the Republican Women's luncheon tomorrow. I'm attending more out of curiosity then a desire to become involved with the Republicans. I want to see if Chico's Republicans buy into the Lindsey Graham/John McCain BS or if they are trying to restore the party of less government, low taxes, and fiscal responsibility. If the later is true then I may stay in the hopes of changing the party from within. So far I've met some pretty awesome people and am making some really great friends. Who knew what fun being an activist can be!

I'm Just a Girl Who Can't Say No

What is wrong with me? I simply can never say no when my employer asks me to do something. I've checked my gut (the inner voice, not the big of flesh and fat protruding over the top of my pants) and it doesn't feel like I say "yes" in order to please. I honestly want to say "yes." I happen to like my job. Today, I'm innocently walking down the hall after retrieving my mail from the mailroom, thinking of what I'm going to do with my summer vacation, when I see my boss walking towards me. He ask in a light tone, "Hey Cindy, do you have time to talk?" I, of course, say I do. He then proceeds to ask me if I would teach Abnormal Psychology during the summer session. I'm immediately suscipious about how this will affect my fall schedule. He assures me that this has no impact on the classes that I'm scheduled to teach in fall. That this is considered "extra." The hook as been inserted and now all he has to do is reel me in. I have to say this man is very good at reeling in. I asked him about the days and time. He takes me into his office and gives me the information and I inform him that I have to check with Dan before I give him my answer as I'm rather fond of Dan and would like to remain married to him. I head down to my office to think it over.

A student arrives at my office to discuss his grades. About 10 minutes into my meeting with the student I hear a knock on the door. It's my boss. He sticks his head in the door and proceeds to tell me what I'll be paid if I accept the class. My eyes got big and I began to salivate. I was almost reeled in and the man was reaching for the net. My thoughts now shifted from "should I" take the class to "What is the best strategy to convince Dan that I should accept the class."

Let's just say that I'm as good as my boss at reeling people in. After deftly making my case to Dan, he agreed that it would be okay for me to teach the class. I guess I won't be officially on vacation until June 25th...but I'll be a little more flush with cash. That's always a good thing.

I'm off to attend our second Tea Party organization meeting.

It's Official. I'm an Activist

Last night Dan and I attended our first Tea party organization meeting. There were a little over 20 people there. It was wonderful to be in the same room with like-minded people. The tenor of the meeting was very positive, no sitting around and complaining. A lot of emphasis was placed on this being a non-partisan group. Everyone is welcome. The discussion centered on issues and not personal attacks. The agenda included defining our core values, discussing what to do next, and delegating the work. I was able to connect with another university faculty member, as well as a Chico State student. We're planning on working together to organize student support for our efforts. I also connected with another couple from Paradise who are equally interested in doing research that will serve to keep members informed regarding pending legislation, the activities of our elected officials, and track candidates for future upcoming elections. We left the meeting feeling energized and a little less powerless.

Busy not Posting

I was surprised when I saw that it has been over a week since my last post. I think this is an indication of how busy I've been. What have I been so busy with?

• Writing. I've been busy writing. I either foolishly or wisely decided that the text I'm using for my Abnormal Psychology class is inadequate for my curriculum. So I met with a publisher last week and decided to create a custom text. I love the first four chapters of my current text, but the remain 13 chapters don't meet my needs. So this means that I have to write the bulk of the text book...in four weeks. You decide if this is foolish or wise, but please keep your opinion to yourself. I'm too busy trying to make it happen to listen to what anyone has to say about it.
• Making sure that Chelsea gets enough practice driving. She has been driving daily and is really improving. I no longer grip the door handle in a vain attempt to hide my nervousness. In fact, yesterday I learned how to text while she chauffeured us to Paradise to see a movie. Now that is trust!
• Pretending to cook. It has always been so much easier driving through a fast food establishment, but my kids have made it clear to me that they prefer it when I at least attempt to feed them real food. Last posting I wrote about my chicken marsala. Today I branched out and created an Atkin's friendly version of chicken parmesan. Another miracle happened...I actually liked this dish more than the chicken marsala. I'm waiting to see how the kids like it as Chelsea is busy playing video games with a friend and Cody is at the movies with Dan.