Now is the time

I distinctly remember driving back to Boston from my parents' house one year at the end of MLK weekend. I happened to catch a radio station playing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have a Dream Speech. I admit I got the chills. If you have never listened, I recommend taking 15 minutes of your time to do so.

I am always reminded of my elementary school's principal and often share this story. I do not know what grade I was in, nor do I remember what led to me and another kid in my class getting called to the principal's office. But I remember the old black tape player and the principal playing a recording of MLK's famous speech to us because our principal had been there. I wonder how many other kids he played the recording for? You learn about these pivotal moments in history, but often feel removed. Our principal was this towering white man, and listening to MLK's speech just now, I realize he was one of the white* people in the sea of black* people who was there to support the cause and to whom MLK spoke at one part of the speech. He was my principal in a dinky little New England town, and I will never forget that experience.

Martin Luther King, Jr. said many wise things, in my opinion, and if you listen to him orate, it is no wonder he moved people. I have read many snippets of his wisdom, from science to social issues. MLK said:

We have inherited a large house, a great "world house" in which we have to live together - black and white, Easterner and Westerner, Gentile and Jew, Catholic and Protestant, Moslem and Hindu - a family unduly separated in ideas, culture and interest, who, because we can never again live apart, must learn somehow to live together with each other in peace.

We re-inaugurate our first bi-racial president tomorrow. He is African-American, but he is also European-American. I think it is wonderful that he is our first African-American president, but also that he represents the acceptance of interracial relationships. Although not by design, I love that his inauguration is the same time of year that we remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I need to go figure out if I can watch it live on my computer or if I am taking the day off to watch it at home. That's right - I will take the morning off to watch the presidential inauguration, and I think that is okay. As a matter of fact, I think public schools should watch them and wish I had growing up.



*Recently I have become even more aware and curious and hyper-conscious about words I and we use to describe people. Quite honestly, I think if you are not a part of a defined social group, it is impossible to know what that social group feels is a respectful way to describe the group. Is it more appropriate to refer to the attendants at MLK's speech as 'white' and 'black' or as 'European-American' and 'African-American'? I am of European descent, but would call myself 'white', and usually use the parallel term 'black' for people of African descent. I should really ask someone of African descent what is the preferable way to explain someone is of African descent If you identify in a particular way, and someone labels you in a way that makes you uncomfortable or may be inappropriate, I encourage you to first assume that they are merely uneducated about the issue. This recently happened to me in a group where we were interchangeably using two labels for a particular social group. A member of the conversation told us why we should only use one of those descriptors, and let me tell you, we were all very grateful to her for speaking up and explaining the difference to us.

I'll take it

It is good that I have enough good to even out the car repairs that necessitated a rental car because they could not get the parts early enough in the day. For the record, my rented Chevy Sonics is tiny! Oh, and I need to submit my research paper somewhere. You can send science magazines a description of your paper and they will give you a perspective on whether they think it would be good for their journal. So far, several have suggested that my paper is not a good fit, but not to let that discourage me from submitting to their journal in the future. Okay.

On with the good! I have an on-campus interview next week, and will see turns out another phone interview at another school. I may have choices in this whole job search thing!

I remedied a failed Loft visit with a post-Sandy celebration of buying Loft clothes when their website went online. Best part? I now have dress pants that fit correctly for one of my interview days.

I tried on some of my dress pants at the end of the summer and they were a tad snug. Inappropriately tight. So, I decided more exercising is necessary. I have been jogging every once in a while when it is still light out because it is faster than walking. The time change makes this difficult. Yesterday I left work early and fit in a run. I realized that if I run a little slower, I can run further. Go figure. I did a 2.85 mile route without walking. I am quite proud...and still refuse to become a "runner". Pants are still tight, so the next step is to lay off the chocolate...or not buy more when it is gone...

I am heartened by the results and the numbers from the recent election. And that is all. Except for what I posted on Facebook that I have repeated to myself many times:

I promise to put myself in your shoes and recall the disappointment of my candidate losing if you promise to put yourself in my shoes and understand that this is what I think is best for our country.

My friend told me that he thinks I am ready to be a professor because I handled a small situation well and did not make a big deal out of it. He also told me that he still thinks I have become funnier, except that he feels there is something negative underneath. Like I will crack one day. He is not entirely wrong, as any of you regular readers may know. But at least I am funny.

I have done a couple of research things the past week, which is great. My friend (the grad student in the lab) and I have had some great science conversations. I am often the go-to person because our lab manager is splitting her time with another position on campus. This has been a great experience and just emphasizes to me that I am ready to move on.

I have a job talk that is almost ready to go. It has taken me over a week to get it to this point, but I think about it a lot so when I sit down to work on it, it is relatively quick. What I have NOT done is prepare for meeting with people at the college. It is going to be a stressful couple of days getting ready to go, but I have new clothes (see above point).

The whole point of this is that I'll take it. I am reminding myself of all the good to help let go of the bad and it seems to be working. Go me.

Two sides

There are two sides to every story. I get the whole "occupy where ever" thing. Some of those people are unemployed, but some have also decided that this is more important than their job right now.It is impossible to see the whole picture if you are not there.

There are some aspects of news coverage and opinion pieces I value over others.

For example, it helps when you talk to people to figure out what they are about though, as this woman did. [And yes, I linked to a Fox story!!]

...rather than accusing parents of raising their children more poorly than you do and all entitled and pierced. I actually feel sorry for this woman's children. She says nothing is "free". I wonder what they have to do for her respect and love. It she did not write this when she was having a bad day, I would hate to see what she writes if she IS having a bad day.

100 things: 81 - 90. Define this!

I don't know how well I fit into a two-party political mold. My guess is that few people do.

81. I support women's rights.

82. I support gay rights.

83. I believe in social safety nets to help people.

84. I do not believe a social safety net equals a free ride in life. You should not get public assistance if you are not helping yourself to earn money, be healthy, or otherwise contribute to society.

85. I love how diverse this country is and how non-U.S. citizens still want to be here even though many of us citizens think it is so awful. I do think you should be able to communicate in English to get a Green Card or citizenship. Especially citizenship.

86. I would probably be considered somewhat fiscally conservative, but see #83 above. I do think that paying taxes is crucial to the country's well-being. Also, I still don't understand quite the rationale behind tax breaks = increased jobs. Anyone have a good explanation?

87. I think our troops and the sacrifices they and their families make are incredible. We owe them a lot.

88. I think a lot about what I can do personally to make where I live better - plant flowers? do something for the schools? conserve energy and water?

89. I have no problem requiring people to have health insurance. My understanding is that one problem with the health care system is uninsured people being treated in ERs and hospitals trying to recover those costs, for example. In fact, if you are on unemployment, you should automatically be enrolled in an insurance plan that is deducted from your unemployment check. That is how it works when you have a job!

90. I do not understand how it is legal for new political leaders to finagle ways to break union contracts. I have a lot of issues with my perception of how unions actually run (not the early intents of why unions happened). But, dude. Aren't contracts legally binding? If not, what's the point of having contracts?!

Hmmmm...maybe it is not so difficult to sorta pigeon-hole me into a political category. However, many of my liberal leanings come with a strong dose of people-should-be-good-people or how-do-we-make-sure-people-don't-take-advantage-of-our-system.

Really?

Thank you "birtherists" for wasting our time. This article makes a lot of interesting and scary points. Half of Republicans believe Obama was not born in the U.S.? People still believe he is Muslim? Not that it should matter if he is - why not make a big deal out of it?

Well. The South is generally labeled as Christian, and God will punish people, yeah? While we are making ridiculous claims and being generally illogical and silly and wasting peoples' time, I will add to the callous ridiculousness of this world with a great sweeping example of judgment on a section of the country that is largely very devout Christians. So if you do not want to accept the leftist liberal claims of global climate change and the resulting severe weather patterns, how do Southern Christians explain the horrible weather and tragic loses they are experiencing?***

Get with the times. Obama is American. Let's move on to more important issues like unemployment, keeping our schools from going any further in a downward spiral, and the bipartisanship that is shoving a wedge down the middle-ish of our country.

*** No I do not believe the South is being punished in any way for anything. This was merely meant as an example of how easy it is to make hateful assertions. Then the media runs with it and famous people repeat it perpetuating the vicious cycle.

Solidarity

I mentioned a while back that I would love to read a good objective history about unions. Sadly, if any of you three readers know of one, you have not passed on that information. ;-) It is certainly in the forefront of many Americans' lives right now. I do not pretend to know what is best or that I understand fully the issues or budget in WI. I know people who are required to pay union dues in both the public and private sectors; who while maybe their salary and benefits are better compensation for their education, training, and effort than they might be without a union, have found themselves in ridiculous, illogical situations or not getting a job because of union rules and/or internal politics.

I wonder whether ultimately, people should just have the option to pay those dues or not. That way, the workers decide if they unions are worth it and are not forced in or out of unions due to legislative action or established unions. I guess that would get tricky, but still. I mean, if it is a budget issue and unions make requested financial concessions, what's the big deal? How can legislators argue they are representing Americans when so many Americans clearly do not agree with them?

My biggest issue/concern/problem with unions is how notoriously they protect the lazy and undeserving worker (see above reference to a friend who did not get a union job due to internal union politics/excuses). I think that the good workers get punished for that. While I and others could then argue that the good valuable workers would have nothing to worry about without a union if they are good valuable workers, at the heart of the matter is maybe whether that is a valid argument. I could envision without a union that a productive, hard-working public employee of many years would be laid off because over those years their salary and benefits had increased such that the public entity would rather replace them with an entry-level cheaper employee. That certainly has been known to happen in the private sector, but is it right that it happens in the public sector? And would it only happen in some areas, say education or nursing, and not in others, say police and fire? Then it would not be fair.

Regardless, I would be interested to hear firsthand or otherwise, anonymous or not, experiences or opinions with/about unions, their role and importance historically and in modern times in promoting worders lives.

This whole long rambling post was purely because I got an email with photos from the demonstrations of solidarity across the country and LAUGHED at this one in particular.

Prettier

I always thought that this was a song I did not like, unless I happened to tune in when it was on the refrain. I recently realized the beginning of the song...

Well I’ve been saved by the grace of Southern charm
I got a mouth like a sailor and yours is more like a Hallmark card

...and the refrain...

So let’s shake hands and reach across those party lines
You’ve got your friends just like I’ve got mine
We might think a little differently
But we got a lot in common you will see
We’re just like you
Only prettier

...were one and the same. It makes me laugh. Mostly because I find politicians and politics rather childish really. When did people forget how to compromise and stop looking out for one another and stop doing what they felt was the right thing instead of what would get them ahead?

The small things

A recent birthday post over here, and the subsequent link to her project, reminded me of some random acts of kindness I myself performed. Stephanie just turned 35 and has decided to 36 specific things to, well, be nice. Her point is that even if you do not have money, you likely have more than someone else.

I have not recently make any decision to commit to a large project, but I have done a couple of things military related. Much like Stephanie, I think war is stupid. I like to think of war as grown-up boys using real people to play G.I. Joe. But, the people who fight for our country and protect our freedom and country are amazing.

A childhood friend has done three tours. For each tour, he has left behind a wife and children. I have seen many of our old neighbors over the years, but he and his wife have always been too far away to be at most get-togethers. Last spring I sent them a note. I thanked them for the sacrifices they make and let them know that many more people think and pray for them than they probably realize and that I was so glad that their family is together. Shortly thereafter, his wife sent me a thank you for my thank you via the Facebook.

More recently I was traveling to a friend's wedding. Her husband served in Iraq, actually. On my first plane, the man next to me was quite chatty. He ended up sitting next to me at the bar and bought one of my beers. So that was nice! Anyway, it was a long narrow crowded airport bar and a soldier ended up standing near me. I asked if he needed to get into the bar, and he proceeded to tell me that they were not going to serve him further down the bar because there were no seats, so I offered he and the other soldier my (one) seat. They had about nine minutes until their plane boarded, had left Iraq something like 46 hours earlier, and wanted an American beer on American soil. So when the bartender got over to me, I bought the two of them a beer and closed my tab. The best part was that the woman totally beat the man downing her beer. There were handshakes and they were off to their flight.

Now this recent story bothered me the most because they had managed to make their way far down the bar without someone else asking them if they needed to get into the bar. Presumably others heard the bartender tell them they could not be served without a seat at the bar and did nothing. The people around me (who were clearly business travelers with money versus my science-reading, jeans-wearing self) heard the man tell me this story. And I was the only one who thought to buy them a beer? I think I can spare $15 (this was beer in an airport remember) for them sacrificing their lives for me and my country.

Social responsibility

To what extent are we all responsible for the success of society? I think about this a LOT, particularly when I listen to the news and hear about all this bipartisanship crap or tragedies or environmental problems or...

While a democratic capitalist consumerist society is great for motivation, creativity, innovation, success, and for some the ultimate goal of wealth, where does helping those less fortunate, contributing to the country economically, and not trashing the world for your family tree, fit into the picture?

While many want the government to be smaller, how can it try its best to prevent ginormous oil spills or make sure that people are not doomed to a life of poverty because they cannot afford health care or schooling, or keep the economy afloat without some rules and regulations? What should we think of those people and groups who do not follow these rules or want no rules because they can make more money, only to find out that as a result people are dead, wildlife is dead, and long-term effects of their actions cannot be predicted or known?

Why can I marry someone I want to marry anywhere in the country, while many I care about cannot? Why should friends I have who have paid money (required by government applications and rules) and followed the rules be one-upped by those who get over the border? How can a millionaire manage to tax-credit away her or his economic responsibilities to the country in which they live? How can you say you do not want to give the government any money but use all the public resources (roads, schools, medicare, social security, etc.)? Where is the logic in saying you do not want the government getting involved in your medicare (seriously, I heard this in a radio interview)? Why do I have to believe in your spiritual beliefs to be good and not have you attack my country or the lifestyle or beliefs of my friends and family?

So what are we all socially responsible for? How can the government maintain a civil society and satisfy everyone? If each individual only looked our for themselves, society would not be to where we are today. It is easy to see throughout history and current events (wars, environmental disasters, greed, lack of understanding...) how things go wrong. Yet they continue to go wrong. Over and over again.

How old are people when they forget the cardinal rules of sharing and do unto others?

Writing

A lot of people say that people who are trained scientists, or I suppose more importantly how to write scientifically, do well in law. Science writing is a bit habitual for me know, although I certainly still need to work on aspects such as organization of the content. However, I think this science writing versus legal writing stems from the idea that both are supposed to be clear and concise. That is not to say that someone writing a thesis or dissertation in the humanities cannot write clearly, it is just that they use a lot more words than a scientist would. In fact, when I was a writing tutor in grad school, I worked with an English grad student and half of our sessions resulted in her shortening whatever she had written.

My PhD advisor was not known for being concise. I frequently cut a lot out of what she wrote. Still, after trying to make my last paper shorter, in the end I cut another FIVE pages out of the original twenty-ish before it was accepted. That is a lot of ideas or connections I tried to make in the original manuscript just gone! But the feedback I got from reviewers will be really helpful as I continue on in this crazy career and try to approach my writing objectively to avoid redundancy. (And of course getting those ideas out on paper helps you think about your work and generates other avenues to explore.)

In the legal field, from what I can tell, you write a lot of briefs. I think the name is self-explanatory. I also feel like politics and the law are related. The government writes the laws; many politicians are trained in the legal field; the judicial branch of the government is crucial to maintain our domestic safety and rights. By extrapolation, one might assume that government writing is therefore legal writing is therefore clear and concise. [insert laugh track]

So what is big in politics right now? Healthcare. I am sick of hearing politicians just throwing out random crap about what is or is not in the bill. Rather than prefacing my opinion with "I have not looked this up, but I think that...", I figured I would go back to the documents that were just released and are supposed to be voted on tomorrow. (Do reps get any extra pay for voting on a Sunday?) I thought I could figure out answers to questions about whether abortion would be funded by federal dollars, whether this would suck tax dollars to pay for health care for the poor, and whether the federal government is trying to take over the health care system in this country.

I started with the letter from the Congressional Budget Office because, well, it is 1/5 the length of the other document. My conclusion:

Government policy, although you may think it is related to the legal field and in theory legal and science writing are similar, is not comprehensible to the general public.

It started off great - three bulletted points about the figures and financial analysis to come. As far as I can tell, the next couple of pages repeat this in more detail. Pages 6 through 25 have the data. I will have to look at that later.

The other file is essentially edits of the health care bill the Senate passed, I believe. Does the government not have 'track changes'? Is producing a 153-page document with detailed modifications of a bill really the most efficient way to proceed with policy? Also, when I say it is 153 pages, it is important to note that this is a large font double spaced with margins a couple inches wide. These guys and gals pull out all the tricks you ever tried to meed a page requirement. Only they do not have page requirements and when you hear there are 153 pages of changes, you think OH MY GOD why didn't they just do it right the first time. I suspect the 153 pages is more like 50 of what you would expect.

Anyway. CNN has this breakdown of what the bill means to your average person and highlights of the bill. That seems like a good place to start for people. Congressmen may "work for us" and "vote according to their constituents' opinions", but when there are big controversial issues like this, they just seem to throw the rhetoric around that will make them look good, making the two main parties seem like they have different goals that we are supposed to think converge on doing what is best for the country. They also seem to do and say what will get them re-elected and get the party opposite them not reelected. That is what bothers me the most. That politics are political and a lot of congressmen act as though they are not working towards a common good. Listening to it makes me change the radio station.

Back to the document...If you know what this means, do let me know:

in clause (i), by striking ‘‘with respect
11 to any taxpayer’’ and all that follows up to the
12 end period and inserting ‘‘for any taxable year
13 shall be the percentage such that the applicable
14 percentage for any taxpayer whose household
15 income is within an income tier specified in the
16 following table shall increase, on a sliding scale
17 in a linear manner, from the initial premium
18 percentage to the final premium percentage
19 specified in such table for such income tier:

In the future, congress should release a document with all changes accepted for the general public to be able to read through. When this is all over, I also want to know if there will be any Medicare or Social Security when I am old. We are all putting money into those public programs, after all....

Untitled

I really had no idea how to title this. It's about politics. I will be the first to admit I do not understand how politics are the way they are. Maybe I will just make a list. Some points may seem more philosophical than anything. [Disclaimers for which I am wholeheartedly apologizing for in advance: I did not watch the State of the Union address last night. I have listened to NPR several times today and heard clips and analyses from both sides.]

* Why do both (we will leave independents out of this) sides insist that they are not being difficult and that their "opponent" is the unreasonable one? Why would one refer to the other party as an "opponent" once you are elected?At that point aren't you supposed to be improving the lives of all Americans?

* Is affordable health care something people should be voting on or something that should be important to ensure all citizens have? If you claim your vocal constituency does not want other people to have health care, what about those who do not know how to voice their opinion or have the resources to do so? Also, if you receive government funding for unemployment or job training or whatever other kinds of government money a citizen may receive, are you required to have health insurance? I know of people who were receiving unemployment and did not have health insurance, so my guess is no. Is this something that is in the reform policies? Wouldn't required people to use their unemployment to also pay for basic affordable health care be a good policy?

* When people are talking about Scott Brown (the new MA senator in case you have been under a rock...also, he is a member of the Republican party) getting elected and how this will kill a healthcare bill, do people forget that Massachusetts already has implimented health care reform? How does this affect how a representative from MA approaches a national health care reform bill?

* I would really appreciate the government, not political analysts or political scientists or graduate students, to have a task force on what the role of the government and purpose should be. This is meant in a philosophical sense, not "big" versus "not big" government. When or how do you decide if something is important for the good of your country

* Is it truly reasonable to think a new president can solve the economic problems, create jobs for all the unemployed, successfully end any military involvement, improve international opinion of our country, reform healthcare, and any other gigantic task you can think of in one year?

So the thought about requiring those who are on unemployment to pay for health insurance was one of the lightbulbs that went off in my head today. They other was that I can see why people who know they should vote, don't vote. What the heck is the point sometimes? People are unhappy, so they vote for the "opposite". And you end up with people who may not vote for someone in whom they believe, but rather is just different.

Anyway, I am going to go have one more Tim Tam and go to bed.

[Pepperidge Farms has graced the U.S. with Tim Tams, a.k.a. "Australia's favorite cookie", only to be found at Target. Treat yourself next time you're at Target - you won't be disappointed.]

Turn that frown upside down

It has been a struggle to try to find the good in my current situation - you know being trapped somewhere I do not want to be just because, despite fulfilling my obligations and training, my advisor needs to use what she can to maintain some power dynamic she thinks is important. I have pushed to set a defense date and failed and been miserable in the meantime. Since I had my last break-down (I was going to say melt-down, but it was way more than that) the beginning of September, I have had to decide to let it go for the sake of my mental and physical health. Pushing and trying to get out is not worth the mental anguish. I have a funded job, one published paper, one being resubmitted, one coming back from review and my full dissertation through two rounds of revisions. People in academia who I have told my advisor's publishing rule and all that I have accomplished are shocked that this situation is not more flexible.

But because of my efforts to let go of the anxiety and anger, I am very sensitive to other negativity right now. And this may seem like a random segue, but I promise that the feelings I have in response to the shock many have over Obama receiving the Nobel Peace Prize are very similar in frustration, sadness, and almost anxiety. I am not saying that perhaps the committee could have waited until he had had success in his international diplomacy, but I think that people get caught up in their feelings about domestic policy and their overall disagreement with him being president, and that is not what the Peace Prize is about (unless I misunderstand this whole Peace thing).

So here are the questions I have:

Even if the suggestion that the committee is interfering with the health care policy being developed now in the United States by honoring Obama this way, who cares? Aren't we getting involved in another countrys' politics when we and other countries essentially send our military to places around the world? Or support one politician in a foreign election over another?

Again, not arguing that Obama doesn't have a long way to go in his efforts, but isn't it possible that the committee is trying to build momentum to actually achieve nuclear disarmament and international collaboration? How are these bad things? If children are constantly told to stop fighting and just get along, why can't countries be held to the same simple standard?

I think it is important to acknowledge that this is not something Obama did. This is a decision made by a foreign committee. You can not lay blame on someone for receiving a Peace Prize, and it feels like that is behind some comments I have read. Is it so bad that America is rising in the esteem of the international community? That they are encouraging his efforts in international diplomacy, and perhaps domestic issues, because they already hope for change as he does? Are stagnancy and isolationism good things? It is promising to me that foreign countries are encouraged by the difficult discussions going on in the American political arena.

Truly, I am sitting here tearing up because I struggle with being hopeful for myself every day - hope that I can move soon, that my post-doc will work out, that my relationship will work out, that someday I will have my own family and career and be happy. I wish all this negativity and skepticism could sometimes be redirected into positive and hopeful expectations for the international community, because it is really difficult to avoid all the negative around me.

A rough year

There have been so many not only famous, but highly influential people passing away lately. The Kennedy's, America's "Royal Family" as some say, have had their fair share lately. Eunice Kennedy Shriver who recently passed spearheaded the Special Olympics, her husband critical in the formation of the Peace Corps. Now Ted Kennedy is gone, and although he does not have a spotless record, you cannot deny that the man did all he could to better the lives of anyone he could reach. There are countless personal stories I have heard on the radio all day and read in the paper about how he did things in person and people would get personal notes from him and he made phone calls to people. He helped one of my friends get her stolen identity back!

I do not really have anything personal to say, but I felt like I should say something about Kennedy dying, as he is so influential. I think my grandmother is probably very sad about this, as she is quite the liberal grandmother! From my sense, he is the last Kennedy who was such a strong presence in politics, with no other family members ready to take the helm. It will be interesting to see how this changes the political environment at the national level. Maybe a health care bill with his name on it?

I like the way the Red Sox president put it best:

I am certain that, if United States Senators had numbers like players, we would be retiring his number today—perhaps all of baseball would be retiring his number.

Odd

Apparently, Hillary got mad in the Congo and showed real emotion. Those tears during the primaries though? Probably not real? So she can be mad because she is perceived as a b^%ch, but show some stereotypically female emotion involving tears and it cannot be true? Whatevs.

"Did her eyes well up with real or manufactured tears right before the New Hampshire primary? The truth about that moment is still up for debate...But there is no doubt that Clinton’s pique was very real in Africa, when she replied testily to a question from a Congolese college student."

Apparent take-home message: Anger makes her human and tears make her a faker.

Link is in the comments if you care. :-)

This is not meant to be a commentary on Hillary, but rather how people chose to interpret what they witness/hear about/see reported/remember things.

Inspiration

I need a little inspiration in, well, all aspects of my life I suppose. Today seems like a pretty good day for that to happen.

A good reason

In case you need a reason to visit your closest Ben & Jerry's, here you go.

Where to start - on politics.

This election has people talking. I was just over at Kelly's reading and started writing more than should be in a comment. So, I guess I am posting about politics. Here we go.

I am a strong believer that people should vote for who they believe is the best candidate for whatever public position for which they are voting. Many of my voting decisions have been based on a candidate's stance on social issues. If you are reading, you better have voted this week. If you did not, go away. :-)

While my more, um, Republican family members are far from happy with the election results, I think they misunderstand my optimism. I, in no way, believe that Obama is going to "fix" things in his term. I think it is impossible. I am sure he will make mistakes, and there will be times he says or does things I do not agree with. I truly believe he will always do what he can to better this country. Aside from agreeing with his stance on most issues, I love that he is young and fresh. I think it will be great to have his family in the White House with their puppy. He is smart and articulate.

I had a soft moment for my ex the other day. (Bear with me people.) His Facebook status said something to the effect of, "Ex is glad with the election outcome and accepts that he will pay more in taxes." He was a card carrying Republican when I met him. We talked about our gay friends and their right to get married. We talked about a woman's right to make decisions for her own body. We talked about how I could not get a particular government fellowship because there was not enough money that year (or since) for the number of grants they had awarded in past years. He realized there are more important things than keeping a few thousand dollars more per year when he files his taxes because all of these other things are at stake. He turned in his card.

Some of these issues I have brought up with my family. It is easy for me to through tax reform issues out the window when I vote. I am the poor grad student in the family who has crappy healthcare options, no mortgage to worry about right now, will rely on the government to fund my research if I stay in academia, and no one but my cat at home to discuss these things so they get to hear me vent. I deleted most emails, and replied to others with snide comments. More recently I tried replied to emails with my opinion and clarification when the facts in the email were not checked. For something as important as this presidential election, I think it is wrong to keep passing on inaccurate or blatantly untrue quotes of either candidate and said as much. I posted both candidates official sites here the other day. I also was very open (in my daily life at least) that I hoped Obama would win.

I could babble on about this forever, I am sure. But really, what I keep thinking about is that I went to bed Tuesday optimistic, but ready for a let-down and the ensuing dismay just like the past two presidential elections in which I have been able to vote. I woke up happy, optimistic, and excited about the next four years.

To blog or not to blog

Oh, do not worry. I am not going to stop blogging. This is more a reflection on pre- and post-trip this August.

I signed up for this whole Blog365 thing last January with the best of intentions. I have not been checking the official site or anything, but figured it would be motivating. It was! I was doing great before I headed out of town. I even planned ahead for a conference I went to in order to show you how crazy-overgrown my backyard was (and it only got worse!). I would think all day about what I would blog. Some was complete and utter randomness; other stuff was thinking "outloud" on my blog. Lots of it was about silly online dating. (Although, I guess that was mainly pre-Blog365.)

Anyway. I went away. I came back. Had no internet. Moved. (Although my living room is much more set up now.) Still had no internet.

Then I got internet! So why haven't I started posting, like, every day again??? I don't know. I guess I broke the habit.

I walk around during the day thinking in blog posts though! I think about good titles and a few witty lines (well, I find them witty), and then never end up posting them. I think part of it is that I want to post these deep things or super funny things and then I get caught up in Facebook. :-)

Seriously though, there are a lot of things that I do not want, nor should I really, be posting about.

The do-not-want is the boy.

The should-not is my advisor and whatever the heck happened this summer that is still not resolved, but I have a VERY good idea about what it is.

And I do not want to post about Lexi all the time. Although, I must admit it is tempting. She has an attitude, let me tell you. She is not a fan of the computer taking over my lap! I try to move her and she warning-bites at me, makes a noise and just gets down. All I want her to do is lay next to me!

And to make this post as random as possible, I am really excited about the president-elect. I really hope Obama takes this presidency and runs with because there is so much he could do! I am less happy about all of the various ballot questions around the country that will limit civil rights and impede childrens welfare. Why are people allowed to vote on civil rights? If 51 out of 100 vote against a human right, does that mean their opinions are morally/ethically fair/correct? Crazy.

Public service announcement

I should have posted earlier today so all you absentee voters had time to overnight post your votes, but alas. All you who are voting tomorrow, DO NOT FORGET TO VOTE.

Obviously I would love for you to vote for who I will vote for, but really, it is just important than you vote period. So I will not influence you with my well thought out rationale about how I picked my candidate (more of a gut feeling, really, but whatever), but I will leave you with the two main presidential candidate websites. As I have learned, people send out email forwards indiscriminately with statements the candidates have allegedly made. It is not too late - if there is a particular issue about which you are passionate, just double check the the official stance of the candidates to make sure you know where EACH one stands on the issue for real.

www.johnmccain.com
www.barackobama.com

Just call me Jen Hussein Ski

I saw this over at Ern's. Here is the explanation from MOMocrats. It's the Just Call Me Hussein meme.

Why all the fuss? Some ig'nant fools apparently think it's helpful to their cause to liken Barack Obama to a "terrorist" because his middle name is "Hussein." And we ain't havin' none of that. Why? Because "bitch is the new black," and we? Are bitches.

We've decided to extend the reach of this important blog action by making "Just Call Me Hussein" a meme. If you are reading this and haven't posted, consider yourself tagged. All you have to do is post your "Hussein name" in the title of your blog and share a story about how someone tried to make you feel bad about your name. (See examples below.) Help put childish bullies like Bill Cunningham in his place by declaring yourself a "Hussein!"

When you post—whenever you post—be sure to link us so we can find you. Now, go! Spread that meme far and wide, sistahs (and brahs)! Bitches get shit done!

My primary here is done. I voted for who I voted for. Regardless of who that was or was not, I find it incredible that someone would use a person's name to try to link them to something they are not. There are a lot of Husseins out there, for crying out loud, who are not even close to being remotely bad people?!

I still distinctly remember walking up to elementary school in about fourth grade. There were sixth-grade boys hanging out in front who, as I approached, emphasized the middle of my last name...which just happens to be a very large farm animal. Now, do not get me wrong. Unlike the whole Hussein thing, I actually was a little chunky at the time. It was still mean though, and obviously affected me if I still remember it after all of these years.