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February 19, 2009
 Baaaa? Everyone wants to be liked. Which makes caring what other people think totally normal. It’s also normal at times to choose to go along with the group just to keep the peace or avoid confrontations. Nothing wrong with that. In fact, it makes sense to be agreeable especially if we’re talking about some little thing that really doesn’t matter all that much. But what if the issue does matter to you? Do you still do what they say when it’s not right for you? Do you go along with the crowd just so they’ll like you?
If this sounds familiar you might want to ask yourself, “Am I a sheeple?” In case that’s a new word for you, sheeple are people who act like sheep. They’re most comfortable when following other people’s rules of “acceptable” behavior (what to wear, what to think, etc.). The Golden Rule rule for Sheeple: “Thinking for yourself and being your own person is way too risky! Play it safe. Follow the others.”
Wonder if you’re a sheeple? Take this quiz and find out:
- If people think something is funny, I laugh even if I don’t get the joke. True or False?
- If everyone has seen a movie I haven’t seen, I’ll lie and say I saw it. T or F
- I hardly ever tell people how I really feel. T or F
- I try really hard not to make a fool of myself. T or F
- I’d do anything to be more popular. T or F
- I’ve dropped out of an activity I liked because my friends quit. T or F
- I worry if about people talking about me. T or F
- If someone makes fun of something I’m wearing, I won’t wear it again! T or F
- If my friends hate a TV show that I like, I pretend that I hate it too. T or F
- I’m never the first to give my opinion. T or F
If you got:
7-10 Ts: You have some strong sheepish tendencies that can prevent you from calling your own shots. You might want to cut loose from the herd every now and then, just to prove to yourself that you are still an individual. You are, aren’t you?
4-6 Ys: You sometimes find it challenging to stand up for yourself so you don’t push it very often. But sometimes you are your own person and it actually feels good.
0-3 Ys: Most of the time you don’t hesitate to think for yourself. Your friends might respect you for being independent and whether you know it or not, you could be inspiring others to think for themselves, too.
If you’re a t(w)een and you took the quiz, I’d love to hear from you. Post any comments or questions below. Or if you’re the parent of a t(w)een, I’d like to hear from you too!
February 1, 2009
 President George Washington, age 57 from a forensic reconstruction My fascination with old houses probably began one day when I was 9 and wandered through a wooded area at the end of my street. The trail led into a clearing where I discovered the remains of an abandoned old mansion. Pretty cool find! Ever since, I’ve been hooked on the challenge of what could be pieced together about a life from the clues people leave behind.
Over the years I’ve gone out of my way to check out the former dwellings of the likes of Elvis Presley, William Shakespeare, President Franklin Roosevelt, Russian Czar Peter the Great, and Anne Frank.
That’s why, on our last day in DC, I was eager to visit Mount Vernon, home of George Washington. Turns out the Father of our Country never spent a whole lot of time at home. OK, so he didn’t much help Martha around the house, but let’s give the man his due respect. He was very busy serving his country, pretty much continuously from 1752-1797, without a lot of down time. He fought with the British in the French and Indian War (1754–1763). Then he fought against the British as Commander of the Continental Army in the American Revolution (1775-1783).
With American independence won, Washington figured he’d retire to his working farm on the Potomac River. But in less than four years, he was off to Philadelphia to preside over the Constitutional Convention that drafted the U.S. Constitution. And two years after that, in 1789, he was inaugurated as our first President. He served excellently for 2 terms – refusing to extend it to a third and thus setting a very wise precedent that two consecutive terms is all any US President gets. By all accounts, Washington was one of the top three of all times.
Done with public service in 1797, GW happily returned to Martha at Mount Vernon with the idea that he’d finally get to enjoy his home, his family, and his gardens. Unfortunately, just 2 years later, he died of pneumonia at the age of 67.
 Inside the slave quarters at Mt. Vernon Yes, Washington was a great man and as a nation we are incredibly fortunate to have had him as our first leader. But he wasn’t perfect. It might surprise you to know that Washington owned slaves. Probably not the way you want to think about him, but it’s true. And facts need to be remembered and factored into the mix for history to create a complete picture of the way things really were.
Here are some of the other sights from the wonderful and highly recommended Mount Vernon…
 Mt. Vernon, as it is today  Not a bad view of the Potomac from the back porch of Mt. Vernon.  Annie gets needlepoint lessons from Lady Martha Washington, Oscar-worthy reenactor.  Recreation of General Washington at age 45  45 year old General Washington from a forensic reconstruction  George Washington, taking the Oath of Office, New York, 1789  Ella from San Francisco While we waited in line to get inside the house, we met a 9 year old girl and her mom. They were from San Francisco and pretty much like everyone else we’d talked to all week, they’d come for the Inauguration. I asked the girl why Obama’s election was important to her. Here’s what she told me:
Ella (age 9, San Francisco): I think it will be part of the future. If there is a first black American President… who knows? We could be president too one day.
Annie: You mean women too?
Ella (smiling broadly): Yeah!
Yes we can.
January 27, 2009
 A warm place to stretch out! A memory is a mental video clip that changes with time. And while you might recall a physical detail of an event, such as: “I remember my stomach hurt during that party,” those are just words. Fortunately you won’t be able to re-experience the belly ache in the same way that you can bring to mind a visual memory of the party. So yes, it’s a video clip, but it’s not completely accurate and it can change.
I mention all this because I’m back home in California now where today’s high was a sunny 60 degrees. But the event I’m remembering (from last Tuesday’s Inauguration) took place in 30 degree temperature. In my mind’s eye, I can picture my freezing self, but, thankfully, I can’t actually remember how cold I was.
When David and I exited the National Mall after President Obama’s Inaugural Address we headed for the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Why go there? Because we’d done our homework and knew that a) it was going to be open b) it was free to get in and c) they were expecting lots of visitors who needed shelter from the cold.
The Air and Space Museum is amazing. Large, warm, light filled, with beautiful old airplanes hanging from the ceiling, space race artifacts and so much more. On first arriving, we were particularly impressed with the clean warm bathrooms, the warm food court serving warm food, the expanse of nice warm carpeted floor to stretch out and warm up on. Did I mention that the Air and Space Museum is warm inside?
After we rested, picnicked on energy bars, cranberry juice, pretzels, and apples… checked email on our iPhone and basically thawed out and recovered our senses… we wandered around a bit and took in some of the exhibits. Here’s what we saw…
 Hanging out in front of the Lunar Lander  Douglas DC-3 (top-center)  Nice place to rest  Full-scale reproduction of the Jupiter-C launch vehicle with models of the Explorer I and other satellites  Thawing out  Skylab Orbital Workshop, backup flight unit  Too tired to raise the flag  German V2 Rocket I’d like to go back and visit the Air and Space Museum the next time I’m in DC and really check out the exhibits. Obviously it’s a unique place with a lot more going for it than a good heating system. I’m also guessing that next time it won’t be quite so crowded.
January 23, 2009
 Everything you need to enjoy the Inauguration... souvenir hat, visitor's map, and a chocolate bar Of course we came for the main event: To witness the Swearing In Ceremony of Barack Obama and to hear his Inaugural Address (part 1 and part 2). But if that was all, we could have stayed home, had a much better view, and a great bathroom right down the hall. But we were after something more.
I’m not sure I can even describe what I mean except to say that I wanted to feel the love. Sounds cheesy, I know. Maybe I should delete those last two words and not risk damaging my hard earned tough-guy image. But nope, I’m letting them stand because it’s the truth. I wanted to be with all those people who also came to feel the tsunami of love that washed over the National Mall on January 21, 2009. Just having that one thing in common transformed 1.8 million strangers into old friends.
In the 12 foot radius around us people from South Carolina joked with people from Indiana. People from Maryland sang and boogied with people from Minnesota. People from everywhere grinned knowingly at one another as if to say, “How cool is this?!” During our three and a half hours packed together like ice cubes in a tray, we cheerfully shared the basics of human survival– food, space, and chemical warmth. (The ones for our hands worked way better than the ones we stuffed in our shoes.)
When the ceremony was over, I trudged away thinking, if we could so easily create an instant sense of community out of a bunch of strangers (with the bonding and the trust that goes with it), what’s keeping us from being more cooperative all the time, especially with people we know really well? What could you do to get along better with your own family? With your friends? With the kids in your class? This is what “Out of many, one” really means.
Maybe you’re thinking… “Yeah, sure. I’d like to feel closer to the people I live with and the people I hang out with.” Everyone would. But we don’t often take the first step in that direction. When I hold back it’s usually because I’m afraid I might get laughed at, or ignored or rejected in some other way. That’s my excuse for not putting my friendliest self forward. What’s yours? C’mon… let’s be honest. Post your comments.
 This image provided by GeoEye Satellite Image shows Washington D.C.'s National Mall and the United States Capitol (top), in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009 taken at 11:19AM EDT during the inauguration of President Barack Obama. The image, taken through high, wispy white clouds, shows the masses of people between the Capitol and the Washington Monument. (AP Photo/GeoEye Satellite Image). Click photo for a larger version (and so you can see where we were).  11:30 AM, Michelle Obama arrives at the Inauguration  Photographing Michelle's arrival  Patiently waiting for the big event  Shaking a chemical hand warmer to activate it  11:39 AM Photographing more arrivals  11:43 AM Washington Monument in the background  Finally, the Oath of Office, "So help me God"  Lots of cheering and picture taking!  Cheering continues  Cheering continues  Cheering continues  Hugs, tears, smiles P.S. Adventures in DC continue next week with blogs about: The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, George Washington’s home at Mount Vernon, and our car accident! Stay tuned.
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