In our pajamas!
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2010-05-31
My Most Recent Protest...
You can see the pictures of my attempts to stop Washington for voting for the horror that is obama Care. Click the link for more.
2010-05-30
A nice way to spend the afternoon!
Some friends from work, and I, shot some trap this afternoon. I'm sure I'll feel it in my arm tomorrow!
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2010-05-29
Andy: "We found summer!"
That's Johnny in the lower right, with the noodle.
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2010-05-28
2010-05-27
First Competition
I entered a competition on Tuesday. It was a three gun tactical shooting test. Shotgun, rifle, and handgun. They timed you for 76 shots over 6 different shooting stations and recorded your accuracy. It was my first of such events. I felt like I did pretty well. We received the results via email today. I posted them here...
Name | MIN/MAJ | Score | TIME | Hit Factor | ||
1st | David Barton | Minor | 330 | 98.71 | 3.343 | 100% |
2nd | Blind Hog | Minor | 301 | 90.16 | 3.339 | 100% |
3rd | Mike Lovegrove | Minor | 287 | 102.12 | 2.810 | 84% |
4th | Larry Welt | Minor | 306 | 113.89 | 2.687 | 80% |
5th | David Kiwacka | Minor | 185 | 121.45 | 1.523 | 46% |
6th | Mark Spence | Minor | 227 | 154.18 | 1.472 | 44% |
7th | Tony Gardina | Minor | 196 | 146.34 | 1.339 | 40% |
8th | Jason Smith | Minor | 148 | 142.12 | 1.041 | 31% |
9th | Tyler Spence | Minor | 159 | 211.73 | 0.751 | 22% |
10th | Larry Acuff | Minor | 55 | 167 | 0.329 | 10% |
It helped that I didn't miss any of my targets...I might just have to try THAT again,
My trip to California, THIS year
Well, at least I have caught up to the current year! Here are a few more pics from my trip out to LA for a show in February. Click the link below to see them all.
“Defining Love”
I stared at the empty vase on the table. Earlier, I had thrown away the dead roses and washed the vase; I could still see a few water droplets clinging to the lip, catching the light like tiny diamonds. Strange as it seems, I have a kinship with this vase. It looks as empty as I feel; it’s fragile, ready to shatter with the slightest nudge over a perilous edge and break into a million pieces. An empty vase is desperate to be filled, half-crazy with the knowledge that it has nothing inside, where there should be something.These thoughts exploded inside my brain like bullets in a firing squad, as I contemplated the impossible task that lay before me. A eulogy, for my own child…how could I possibly say good-bye to her? How can I, as her mother, let the world know what had been stolen from them - my spunky Melanie, my five-year-old never-ending question? Mommy, why do bees sting people…Mommy, where do spiders go when they die…Mommy, why do chocolate chip cookies taste so good…Mommy, why does grass tickle? I had a question of my own now, one I could never ask…why did you have to leave me all alone?!
I took a shuddering breath and picked up my pen again. Sometimes, I tried to tell myself bravely, sometimes things just happen. You can teach them the things they need to know, but sometimes they just don’t look both ways before crossing.
I realized I had written this last thought down and scratched it out. Trying to come up with something, anything to say, I suddenly thought back to a speech class I took in college, a long time ago. The professor once told us that a good way to begin a speech was by asking a question of the audience. I chewed uncertainly on the end of my Bic pen for a minute, and then inspiration hit. What is the definition of love?
I can’t think of a better question for my Melly’s funeral; she loved so much. It was the perfect thing to ask. I got out of my chair and walked with purpose to the bookcase. At last I had somewhere to start. I hefted the heavy dictionary; it could help guide me through my grief. Dust particles took a flying leap into my nose and I sneezed violently. I brushed the book off and carried it back to the table.
I started flipping slowly to the L’s but paused briefly at several sections to look at random entries. In the B’s, I spied the word “box” and was suddenly flooded by the memory of the little painted box turtle my daughter loved so much. She’d seen him all alone in the tank at a pet store and cried because she figured he must be lonely. Once we got him into a tank in her bedroom, she decided to name him Sheldon. She soon learned you couldn’t walk a turtle on a leash, but she loved him anyway.
I shook my head to clear away the memory. I had to find “love” before I gave in to another crying jag. But I could hardly help myself when I reached the F’s. Feather; Melly loved feathers once. She used to collect them when she found them in the yard. She had feathers from robins, blue jays, sparrows, a cardinal, and even a peacock feather I bought her at a zoo gift shop. But one day she put two and two together and realized that her beautiful feathers had fallen off actual birds. She thought it hurt them when the feathers fell, and swore she’d never touch another one again. She made me promise to throw the collection away; how glad I was now to have broken that promise. It’s just one piece in my own personal collection of Melanie memories.
Okay, I thought, willing the tears to dry, now I really have to find “love” or I’ll never finish. I tried turning the dictionary’s pages faster, in the hope that I wouldn’t accidentally stumble across another meaningful entry. But that didn’t help at all…it only made the memories fly faster. The words swam before my eyes, words that conjured a picture of Melanie with each turn of the page: freckle, hopscotch, igloo (she once said she wanted to live in one). Jumper, jump rope, kaleidoscope, kangaroo (one very difficult Halloween costume the year before). Lasagna, laughter, learning…then, the magic word. Love. I had finally reached it, finally found what I had been searching for. I took a deep breath and gripped my pen tightly.
“Love-a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection…” and suddenly I stopped writing. This can’t be right, I thought. It sounds too dull, too scripted, too…defined. Then I realized something. I didn’t need the actual definition of love to describe my daughter. All those words I had flipped by - those things all embodied Melanie, and to me, at least, Melanie embodied love. She was love. I finally felt ready to begin.
I walked outside to clear my head, and spied a feather on the ground. Nothing spectacular, just a small, brown feather. Used to the habit, I picked it up and put it in my pocket. Then I thought of my sweet girl. Melly, I prayed, if you’re watching, I’ll keep this promise. I took the feather out and gently put it back on the ground.
2010-05-26
2010-05-25
Christmas in May...?
Here is a link to my pictures from last Christmas. Good news, I am getting closer to being caught up on my pictures!
2010-05-24
2010-05-23
2010-05-22
2010-05-21
Johnny's Tarantula Paper
The Way of Tarantula
by Johnny Barton
2nd Grade
5/21/2010
The tarantula is the biggest spider on Earth. The tarantula has no bones but it has an exoskeleton instead. The exoskeleton is a hard shell on the outside of the tarantula. The hard shell is armor for the big spider, and it protects it from germs. The head portion is called the carapace. The round, bulging part is called the abdomen. It has eight legs. The whole spider is covered with fur.
by Johnny Barton
2nd Grade
5/21/2010
The tarantula is the biggest spider on Earth. The tarantula has no bones but it has an exoskeleton instead. The exoskeleton is a hard shell on the outside of the tarantula. The hard shell is armor for the big spider, and it protects it from germs. The head portion is called the carapace. The round, bulging part is called the abdomen. It has eight legs. The whole spider is covered with fur.
Tarantulas have hollow fangs that are a half inch long. They use ther fangs to kill prey with their venom, and also for defense. Its bite kills small animals, but is only like a bee sting to people.
Tarantulas have interesting behaviors. Some kinds are very aggressive, but others are very docile. They're are most active at night, when they put lots of webbing on the ground. These things are all reasons that I think tarantulas are cool.
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Vacation last year...
Ok, yet more pictures to look at. I promise, I only have LOTS more... Click below to see them ALL!
"You no longer have to be job-locked"
If you wonder who said that, it was Nancy Pelosi. She was referencing that you could quit your job to focus on your artistic aspirations, and you will have healthcare. She acutally coined the phrase, "job-locked"...
I hate being job-locked. It stinks to have to work in order to have money to buy things like food and shelter. I am glad to see that the government is removing this unfair requirement and going to take care of it for me!
I hate being job-locked. It stinks to have to work in order to have money to buy things like food and shelter. I am glad to see that the government is removing this unfair requirement and going to take care of it for me!
2010-05-20
This is insane!
"Don't treat criminals like criminals"
The Mexican President:
Calderon said Wednesday that his country would retain its "firm rejection" of a policy where "people that work and provide things to this nation will be treated as criminals."
The comments came just weeks after Amnesty International issued a report claiming illegal immigrants in Mexico -- typically from Central America -- face abuse, rape and kidnappings, and that Mexican police do little to stop it. When illegal immigration was a criminal offense in Mexico, officials were known to seek bribes from suspects to keep them out of jail.
President Obama joined Calderon in criticizing the Arizona policy on Wednesday. He is trying to build support for a comprehensive federal immigration overhaul.
The Mexican President:
Calderon said Wednesday that his country would retain its "firm rejection" of a policy where "people that work and provide things to this nation will be treated as criminals."
The comments came just weeks after Amnesty International issued a report claiming illegal immigrants in Mexico -- typically from Central America -- face abuse, rape and kidnappings, and that Mexican police do little to stop it. When illegal immigration was a criminal offense in Mexico, officials were known to seek bribes from suspects to keep them out of jail.
President Obama joined Calderon in criticizing the Arizona policy on Wednesday. He is trying to build support for a comprehensive federal immigration overhaul.
2010-05-19
A bigger family affair!
All my Mom and Dad's grandkids are getting an award tonight. Emmy and Christopher too.
Of all the over achiever awards (extra credit books) 4 out of five went to Barton Grandkids!
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A family affair!
Go yellow team!
Julie, me, my boys, and all my eligible nephews! Emmy too!
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A Trip to New York City
Come see my pictures of New City. They range from downtown to The Statue of Liberty. Click the link below to see them all...
Bye Bye
Don't tread on us! There is hope. They are falling. Kennedy, Specter... Keep it coming!
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ipwkxcPvFZaoElnLBaRVJ4uXYOOAD9FPOUOO0------------------
Voters turn away from high-profile party switcher
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM and LAURIE KELLMAN (AP) – 4 hours ago
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Centrism and just plain survival made Arlen Specter part of the nation's political fabric for nearly half a century, his cancer-fighting, party-switching story as much about evading death as writing laws.
But the very adaptability that helped Specter, 80, endure turned politically fatal Tuesday, when the Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-Democrat lost his party's Pennsylvania primary. His defeat raised a painful truth: He could not have won a sixth Senate term as a member of either party given the anti-incumbent mood of 2010.
At the polls Tuesday, some Democrats said they'd lost patience with the 30-year Senate veteran nicknamed by his opponents "Specter the Defector."
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM and LAURIE KELLMAN (AP) – 4 hours ago
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Centrism and just plain survival made Arlen Specter part of the nation's political fabric for nearly half a century, his cancer-fighting, party-switching story as much about evading death as writing laws.
But the very adaptability that helped Specter, 80, endure turned politically fatal Tuesday, when the Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-Democrat lost his party's Pennsylvania primary. His defeat raised a painful truth: He could not have won a sixth Senate term as a member of either party given the anti-incumbent mood of 2010.
At the polls Tuesday, some Democrats said they'd lost patience with the 30-year Senate veteran nicknamed by his opponents "Specter the Defector."
God Bless Texas!
Check out California's reaction below at the very end of what I pasted in below...
-------------------------------------
Texas ready for textbook showdown
Board to vote on curriculum changes some call ‘backward’
Members of the Texas State Board of Education in March gave preliminary approval to a social studies curriculum that will put a conservative stamp on social studies textbooks.
Board to vote on curriculum changes some call ‘backward’
Members of the Texas State Board of Education in March gave preliminary approval to a social studies curriculum that will put a conservative stamp on social studies textbooks.
Caleb Bryant Miller / Zuma Press file
msnbc.com staff and news service reports
AUSTIN, Texas - Is Texas on the verge of rewriting history, or just correcting it?
The answer depends on whom you listen to on the state’s Board of Education, which is poised to vote this week on new social-studies curriculum standards that could significantly shape what Texas children — and perhaps those outside the nation's second-largest state — are taught in the classroom.
Social conservatives on the 15-member Republican-dominated board are optimistic they will be able to push through curriculum changes that, according to board member and conservative Texas lawyer Cynthia Noland Dunbar, “promote patriotism.”
msnbc.com staff and news service reports
AUSTIN, Texas - Is Texas on the verge of rewriting history, or just correcting it?
The answer depends on whom you listen to on the state’s Board of Education, which is poised to vote this week on new social-studies curriculum standards that could significantly shape what Texas children — and perhaps those outside the nation's second-largest state — are taught in the classroom.
Social conservatives on the 15-member Republican-dominated board are optimistic they will be able to push through curriculum changes that, according to board member and conservative Texas lawyer Cynthia Noland Dunbar, “promote patriotism.”
Among the recommendations facing a final vote: adding language saying the country's Founding Fathers were guided by Christian principles and including positive references to the Moral Majority, the National Rifle Association and the GOP’s Contract with America.
Other amendments to the state's curriculum standards for kindergarten through 12th grade would minimize Thomas Jefferson's role in world and U.S. history because he advocated the separation of church and state; require that students learn about "the unintended consequences" of affirmative action; assert that "the right to keep and bear arms" is an important element of a democratic society; and rename the slave trade to the "Atlantic triangular trade.”
"The standards are looking real good now. We've made some significant improvements, and I am proud of what the board has done," board member Don McLeroy, author of many of the changes backed by social conservatives, told the Dallas Morning News.
The board holds a final public hearing Wednesday. It will consider amendments Thursday before a final up-or-down vote Friday on the curriculum document. More than 200 people have signed up to testify, and more than 20,000 comments on the proposed changes have been received, said Suzanne Marchman, spokesperson for the Texas Education Agency.
"There are a lot of people who are concerned and want to share their information with the board," she said.
Not in our stateBecause of Texas’ sheer size, the education board’s decisions could reverberate across the nation. Texas is the country's second-largest textbook buyer, behind California, and textbooks written to comply with Texas standards are sold in many other states.
Already, a California lawmaker has introduced legislation to prevent changes ordered by the Texas school board from being incorporated in California texts.
Other amendments to the state's curriculum standards for kindergarten through 12th grade would minimize Thomas Jefferson's role in world and U.S. history because he advocated the separation of church and state; require that students learn about "the unintended consequences" of affirmative action; assert that "the right to keep and bear arms" is an important element of a democratic society; and rename the slave trade to the "Atlantic triangular trade.”
"The standards are looking real good now. We've made some significant improvements, and I am proud of what the board has done," board member Don McLeroy, author of many of the changes backed by social conservatives, told the Dallas Morning News.
The board holds a final public hearing Wednesday. It will consider amendments Thursday before a final up-or-down vote Friday on the curriculum document. More than 200 people have signed up to testify, and more than 20,000 comments on the proposed changes have been received, said Suzanne Marchman, spokesperson for the Texas Education Agency.
"There are a lot of people who are concerned and want to share their information with the board," she said.
Not in our stateBecause of Texas’ sheer size, the education board’s decisions could reverberate across the nation. Texas is the country's second-largest textbook buyer, behind California, and textbooks written to comply with Texas standards are sold in many other states.
Already, a California lawmaker has introduced legislation to prevent changes ordered by the Texas school board from being incorporated in California texts.
2010-05-18
Ok, let me get this straight...
I'm glad to see the results of the stimulus so far...
Let's see, Downtown Dayton - Nearly ONE MILLION dollars for each job "created".
The West Side of Dayton, a cool $400,000 per job!
Then there is Miamisburg where it is more like over THREE MILLION DOLLARS...
I'll make pBO a deal... Give me $1M and I'll never need a job again!
Wake up America!
Straight out of the Dayton Business Journal last week...
2010-05-17
See some summer fun
Ok, more pictures to see... LAST summer fun.http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwbarton/sets/72157623943681601/
2010-05-16
2010-05-15
Come See Niagara Falls with Julie and I
Ok, so I am running a little behind on my updates... Aren't we ALL these days... Here are some shots from our trip LAST summer. You can click on the link below to see them all.
2010-05-14
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