This is so not good. They are laying off teachers everywhere in the San Francisco Bay Area. I was listening to the radio yesterday afternoon, and teachers were calling in and saying that layoffs were happening in Oakland, San Jose and Gilroy. There was an article on SFGATE.com today, which said that teachers in San Francisco will also be laid off.

I hate those California Teachers Association radio commercials. I don't hate the message, I just hate the speaker's voice beacuse he sounds whiny and militant. The commercials say "there's an education recession", but what they don't say is everyone is suffering with this bad economy. The union makes it sound like teachers are being singled out, and that's just not true. Everyone is financially hurting.

I'm torn because I know the state has to make budget cuts. The money has to come from somewhere, and I think I would rather have it come from education rathen than from social services. Children at least have parents, one hopes, to take care of them. But what about the people who can't take care of themselves like the mentally challenged (mentally ill) and the physically challenged (disabled)? They have to taken care of by the state. Part of me still blames San Francisco's homeless isssues on the closure of social service facilities in the 1980's. I wasn't living in the area back then, but I know the history. The people affected by the closures had no where to live, but the streets.

But I do feel sorry for the teachers getting laid off. Things in this world are so stressful right now, and I think I'm being stressed out by all of it. On the one hand, the news says that things aren't that bad, and the other hand they keep reporting about layoffs, new homes standing empty, and people being out of work for a very long time. It's so bipoloar. The facts that the news people are reporting just don't add up to the their stories about the economy being not that bad.

It's so confusing!

I had my Wednesday night bible class tonight, and of course there was some discussion about the war for Iraq. The pastor of my church, as is right I think, is definitely anti-war. One man in class who is a war veteran is for the war, as is this lawyer whom I totally respect and admire. The lawyer guys argued very persuasively that the war on Iraq is "just war", and like a lawyer he had several bible verses to back his argument up.

The pastor of my church admitted that Iraq may very well have weapons of mass destruction and that Hussein is a bad man, but he is against all forms of war because he said "violence begets violence". He agreed that Hussein needs to be disarmed, but that the US was going about in the wrong way.

After class I just had to ask him if he was against all wars, and would he be protesting against the war to free the slaves and end slavery. The pastor said he would be. He then told me that what we all needed to think about was, would we be willing to die for our ideas like Jesus. His question made me wonder if I would be willing to die for my country. I think I would, but I think my background has much to do with decision.

First, I have family members who have died as war veterans, and military service to country is a strong tradition in my family. Secondly, I was born and grew up in Hawaii, a state whose identity is so tied into the bombing of Pearl Harbour, that I was taught from Day 1 that patriotism is everything. Veteran's Day is a big deal in Hawaii, and all the islands have a visible military presence. In high school, we studied World War 2 zealously, and we had presentations in school by people who had experienced World War 2. The internment of Japanese people in camps was a big subject, and former camp members came to class to talk about their experience.

The pastor said something interesting at the end. He told me that he hoped he'd be willing to die for what he believed, but that you never know what you're going to do until you're faced with the decision. I think he's right.

I recently bought a new pair of glasses, which cost me over $300 including a custom built sun clip and coatings, and they don't fit. In fact, they hurt. It's so frustrating because I've had to go to the optometrists office three times now, and they still can't get it adjusted. I hate this! $300 is alot of money to pay for a pair of glasses that hurts my right ears.

And one of the adjusters there was so rude to me. She's young and doesn't seem to know what she's doing, and every time she's worked on my glasses, she sighs and acts like I'm the biggest pain in the butt. And I feel like telling her, "look, it's not my fault you don't know what the hell you're doing, but I just spent over $300 on a pair of glasses and I expect to be treated at least civily".

I've been trying to adjust the glasses myself, and I'm totally wrecking my glasses, but they really hurt my right ear. After I've been wearing them for an hour, my right ear starts to burn and hurt. I didn't want to go back to the optometrist's office to get my glasses adjusted again for the fourth time, but I'm going to have to. And I should do, just to make the stupid young chick mad. I'm going to keep on going back there, even though I can only get there on Saturday because the office is in downtown San Francisco, until they fix it.

And if they can't fix it, I'm going to ask for a refund or a new pair of glasses. I've never done that before, but I'm so frustrated right now. I'm sure the eyeglass adjuster is going to make a comment about how I've wrecked my glasses, but I don't care. I'm just going to say that I tried to fix it myself, since after three adjustments your office couldn't do it.

Wow! I just hate paying what is alot of money for me, $300+ , for something that makes my ear hurt and rude treatment from hired help. This is the first time I've ever had this kind of rotten experience from my optometrist, and this is the third pair of glasses in 6 years that I've bought from them.

I think it's just the glasses. I told the woman who sold them to me that I had concerns about the glasses fitting my wide head. She told me, "don't worry, we can adjust it." I'm like "yeah right".

What a pain! I have to rearrange my whole Saturday around getting my eyeglasses adjusted, with the possibility that the rude young girl who works will have to wait on me. I hate this! I so hate this!

Sometimes, I feel like this is the story of my life. I know it's not, but it sure feels like it right now.

I was so industrious tonight. I altered a pair of Calvin Klein shorts to fit my now smaller body. I was going to take them to my dry cleaners for alteration, but I decided to try it myself. It took me about 3 hours, but it's done and it doesn't look that bad. I'm so pleased with myself. All those years of sewing classes my mother sent me too may have come in handy after all.

I have two more pairs of CK shorts to alter, and I'll probably finish them up this weekend. It's not that I can't afford to buy new shorts, it's just that these shorts are only two - three years old and they don't make shorts in this style anymore. I'm only altering clothes that I totally love and cannot replace.

I'm definitely getting a pair of pants and my capris altered as well. If the person does a good job, I'll let her tackle my wool and linen pants.

A friend who lost 50 pounds threw out all her old fattie clothes, and is slowly rebuilding her wardrobe.
I'm throwing out many of my formerly fat clothes but not all. Clothes older than two years old are thrown out, unless it's "love" item. Clothes costing more than $70 are kept only if they can be altered. Clothes with broken anything or impossible to remove stains are also tossed. Clothes that

Mostly it's my pants and shorts that are grossly oversized now, but not my tops. I did notice my favorite gray silk shirt was hanging on me over the weekend, but it wasn't that bad. The only tops I'm getting rid are the extra large sweaters, and some of the tops. I'm consistently fitting into a medium size top now, so my larges are starting look less then spectacular. Stil, they're not too bad and I can probably keep wearing them until I throw them out.