Ray of Light Fund

On behalf of my very good friend, Ray Cruz, I am posting below the email launching the Ray of Light Fund, a nonprofit organization aiming to combine awareness of one's personal health and well-being with awareness that many children struggle with illness everyday, and that places like Childrens Hospital Los Angeles makes a real difference in many sick kids' lives. Please read his message below, and check out the newly launched Ray of Light Fund website.


To all of my family, friends, co-workers and people who I have yet to meet,

It is with my great pleasure that I present to you the Ray of Light Fund. Four months in the making, this started as a conceptual notion on a treadmill and proceeded to become my obsession. In August of 2008 I decided that I wanted to start my own nonprofit fund to benefit an organization that helped saved my life when I was a child, the Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. To make a long story short, I have come to a point in my life where I can give back to this great organization that treats seriously ill children and helps many live long healthy lives, like myself. I hope that you take the time to learn a little bit about the Ray of Light Fund and how you can help me raise funds for the Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.

The Ray of Light Fund is a fitness-oriented nonprofit donating 100% of its proceeds to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. The Ray of Light Fund recognizes Childrens Hospital Los Angeles for the outstanding care it provides to ill children, and aims to raise awareness that we all have the power to help improve a child's life. Being an engineer stuck in a cubicle 40 hours a week I also want to relate wanting to stay in shape to fundraising. Thus, the Ray of Light Fund was created and I am very excited to discuss my goals with you.

Starting in January 2009, the Ray of Light Fund will host bi-monthly training sessions across the Greater Los Angeles area at popular trails, hikes, parks, beaches, and gyms. These will be open to anyone who would like to make changes in their life or just a get together with a group of people who want to stay fit. Young, old, tall, short, slow, fast anyone can get involved.

I feel that the best way to stay fit is to have a goal in mind, something to train for.. After participating in the 2008 World Famous Mud Run I committed myself to training for the 2009 race. A very short but fun marathon, the Camp Pendleton Mud Run will serve as a platform for the Ray of Light Fund to promote fitness and raise awareness of the Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. Registration and participation in the World Famous Camp Pendleton Mud Run does not have any ties with the Ray of Light Fund nor the Childrens Hospital, but I encourage you all to participate in this fun marathon. Signing up for the race is done through the Camp Pendleton Races website, with proceeds from these fees going toward another positive cause benefiting the families of the United States armed forces. Registration begins January 1st, 2009 and does sell out within the first couple weeks, so I urge those who would like to join me to do so quickly! Please note that the Ray of Light Fund will register for the Saturday June 13th 2009 run.

In addition to training events, the Ray of Light Fund will organize fundraisers to help reach and hopefully exceed our goal of $25,000 by June of 2009. Our main fundraising avenue will be through the website http://www.RayofLightFund.org/ where donors can link directly to the Childrens Hospital donation page. I would like to stress that all moneys raised go directly to Childrens Hospital. Donating on behalf of the Ray of Light Fund on the Childrens Hospital website will be the primary source of fundraising. Various events will also be hosted in the coming months to help raise money for our cause.

I invite you to get involved in this cause that I am very passionate about in any way you can. One thing I have learned is that Los Angeles is a great place to network and there are many people out there who are willing to help if presented with a good cause. So I challenge you to get your company involved, tell all of your friends and family, come to our open training sessions and fundraising events, and be a part of the journey. I personally decided to take things a step further and currently am a volunteer at the Childrens Hospital Los Angeles playing with the children at the Child Life Playrooms.

I appreciate you taking the time to read this email. Please look through the PowerPoint attachment and check the website weekly for event information and details of the fund. To learn more about the Camp Pendleton Mud Run and the story of how the Childrens Hospital saved my life, see the About Us tab on the Ray of Light Fund website http://www.RayofLightFund.org/. Help me make this small dream of mine become something larger than I could imagine. Forward this email or my web site to anyone who you feel would like to help.

Sincerely,

Raymond Anthony Cruz

Ray of Light Fund Founder

W: www.RayofLightFund.org
E: Info@RayofLightFund.org
C: 818.324.9474

For those interested in receiving Ray of Light Fund publications please look out for the ROLF Newsletter from Info@RayofLightfund.org.

'Tis the Season

Winter is finally upon us. I know this because today it was cold. Not Wisconsin-freeze-your-eye-balls cold, but definitely cold for an Orange County girl. The high today was 56 degrees in Palo Alto - definitely fuzzy scarf weather.

Another reason I know it is really winter is because Christmas is now around the corner, and I can get into the holiday spirit. The Christmas songs on the radio and in stores began a few weeks ago, which really bugs me because by the time Christmas rolls around, I'm sick of Rudolf and his red nose. But now, with December in full swing, it is time to deck the halls and be merry!

Yesterday, M and I bought "our" first Christmas tree! It was very exciting. We went to Target and scoped out the fake trees they had there. I was highly impressed with Target's selection! We picked a little four foot tall one, kind of fuzzy, not the typical wintergreen kind of fake tree. I originally had wanted a real tree, but with us not being home the two weeks before and after Christmas, I did not want a real tree to have died without getting the chance to bring joy on Christmas morning. The tree was actually really cute, though it was pretty scraggly when it came out of the box. We had to fluff it up a bit, and by the end, it was nice and bushy. I found a really cute Penguin ornament at Target, and some new ball ornaments, but most of the stuff in the tree came from my Christmas box that I've had for years. We also strung up blue lights in our little tree, because blue lights are my favorite. If I do say so myself, our little tree is not too shabby!

While I decked out our tree, M put up lights outside on our balcony, and inside around the living room's big window/door. We even decorated our little bamboo tree - no reason exotic trees can't get dressed up and join the party! And, our little Wilbur got his very own Christmas bell around his fat little neck. He is too cute not to share, so he got top billing in this entry. Some people have kids, others have pets; we have our Wilbur the Pig, and he is a great apartment pig. He is also a very politically involved lil' pig, and if you squint, you can see his Obama pin on his right ear.

It was really nice decorating our apartment and getting into the holiday spirit. We played Kenny Chesney's Christmas album, "All I Want for Chirstmas is a Real Good Tan" (how country of us!) while we put decorations up, and hummed along to visions of a white Christmas - white sand, that is! Domestic little things like Christmas decorating really make one feel like half a couple. It's still strange sometimes to think, Wow, I live with this person; this tree belongs to both of us. Strange, but warm and fuzzy, and isn't warm and fuzzy what the holidays are all about?

Thankful, part 2

I am very thankful for the "WALL-E" DVD that someone was kind enough to get me on the day it was released! Seriously, "WALL-E" gets my vote for "Best Movie of the Year."

Thankful

This morning on KRTY, the DJs asked listeners to text in the foods they were thankful for, and someone must have read my mind, because they texted, "pudding." This may be a little-known fact about me, but I could eat chocolate pudding by the bucket-fulls. Pudding is delicious! But that is besides the real point, which is that the pudding text made me think of foods I am thankful for, and from there, different things over the past year for which I'm thankful.

I'm thankful I have friends who remind me it isn't proper writing etiquette to end sentences with a preposition (nearly did right above!). In retrospect, I did not spend nearly enough time during grad school getting to know the great people I went to school with, but somehow after school was over, I got to keep some of them as friends, and I'm thankful that I have peers who inspire me and push me to be my best.

I am thankful I have truly lovely parents, and that I live at a time of exciting technology that makes the world so small that I can talk to them and see them everyday without much effort. Just a few years ago, this would have been nearly impossible, and at the very least, expensive and frustrating. Back in 2003, internet connections were so crappy by comparison, that even a 5 minute conversation was a hassle, with the image freezing, and echoes, and so on. And speaking of technology, I'm thankful for our office copy machine! It scans documents directly to email, making my life infinitely easier when dealing with hundred-pages long applications.

On the topic of work, I'm thankful for my job, and that it's on a beautiful university campus with hundreds of trees changing their colors right about now. The people I work with or come across during my work day remind me how much one person can achieve if they set their mind to it. Sometimes there is so much ugliness in the world, and so many stupid people seem to populate it, that it's easy to forget there are many people who truly care to make this world better. Some of the things I do at work remind me that even when I feel smug about myself for the small accomplishments I have reached, I come nowhere near what others accomplish.

I'm also thankful that my job comes with a paycheck that allows me to enjoy other things I am thankful for, like my kick-ass boots. There are some articles of clothing that I become very attached to (in the past, these have included certain jeans and pajama pants that I literally wore until they fell apart, my Happy Bunny t-shirt, my silver purse), and my Born boots are my new obsession. I could wear these things all day (actually, I do!). They are the first high-heel shoes I can walk in for hours, and I can't wait to wear them with skirts. The only bad thing is they don't come in black, which I honestly can't understand. Who doesn't make boots in black?

I'm thankful that in a few weeks, I get to go away with my wonderful boyfriend for a little vacation. Even though we live together, and thus have lots of alone time, there is still something really exciting about the idea of being alone (amidst hundreds of strangers) away from home. Even more than being thankful for our vacation, I'm thankful for him, and for the little life we have together, and for the fact that he shares his family with me, and for the songs he sings to me when he practices on his guitar.

I'm thankful for many little things, like left-over candy corn that doesn't seem to run out and always waits for me in the cupboard. And my desk heater at work that keeps me cozy even when it's freezing. And the donuts shop across the street from our apartment that is open 24 hours a day, every day. I'm thankful for lemon pie, which I am seriously craving now that my coworkers went on and on about I'm thankful for my car, which I've had now for almost five years! And our swiveling TV that lets us watch "Dancing With the Stars" even when sitting on different couches. I'm thankful for country music, which keeps me positive and amused, and provides hours of guitar-playing and singing at our apartment. I'm thankful that one of the perks of my job is that I can use any library on campus and check books out for a year. Along that line, I'm thankful for literature, which constantly teaches me empathy. I'm thankful for books on CD, which make long drives feel shorter. I'm thankful that the Bush administration is nearly done, and we have a new chapter to look forward to in the development of our country, and I'm thankful that there are high expectations of our new president, so that he may reach high. I'm thankful for Facebook, which makes work endlessly more entertaining. I'm thankful for many, many things, and people, and hopefully I can keep that in mind throughout the coming year. It's a funny thing about holidays - for a few days, we think about the blessings we have, and appreciate them, and give thanks for them, but it seems like for the rest of the year, we take them for granted.

In just a few weeks, it will be "New Year's Resolutions" time. Last year, I didn't make any, so maybe this year I can make double the resolution to be more appreciative of the blessings I have. But that's not for another month. For now, Happy Thanksgiving!

Keith Olbermann on Prop 8

Always eloquent and erudite, Keith Olbermann speaks about Prop 8. Please watch.

The Week That Was (Oh, what a week!)

Last week around this time I was feeling a strange combination of elation and crapdom (yes, that is an emotion, the one you feel when your body decides to betray you temporarily by being sick on the happiest day of the year). I was in the middle of an Oracle Financials Training Session, and my body was quickly letting me know that I in fact was about to be sicker than I've been in as long as I can remember. As the lady droned on and on and on about iProcurement, I could not get "Proud to be an American" out of my head despite my abhorrence of overly-indulgent patriotic songs, and kept thinking that instead of wasting my time in class, I wanted to jump around Stanford hugging every person I met.

Last year, I watched "American Idol" with my parents, and every time Kristy Lee Cook came on and butchered the hell out of every "Proud to be an American/America the Beautiful/Yankee Doodle Dandy" rendition possible, I nearly puked. And now, this was me; cynic and critic, belting out this propaganda anthem full blast in my own head, even letting it escape out loud every now and then, and giggling to myself like a crazy person. I would have felt embarrassed if everyone coming into and out of the office was not also having similar issues, keeping Joker-sized grins plastered on their faces, and spontaneously breaking out in conversation that had clearly started in their head and was being voiced mid-thought.

The country had a new President-Elect, and the excitement was palpable. When our Director called us in for an emergency meeting and broke down in front of his staff when he confessed that he in fact had never felt more proud to be an American, I couldn't believe that someone who's had such a long career at the forefront of political thought was compelled to spontaneously share these feelings. I was also reassured, as young people need be by their wiser elders, that California and the United States will one day, and one day soon, do right by all - so that all of the boys, girls, men, and women living under this great American umbrella can share the same rights guaranteed to them by the Constitution. James Baldwin once wrote, "Everybody's journey is individual. If you fall in love with a boy, you fall in love with a boy. The fact that many Americans consider it a disease says more about them than it does about homosexuality." Prop 8 passing definitely says more about the people who voted for it than about the people whom it immediately effects. At this moment in time, I feel both disheartened that Prop 8 passed, but also hopeful because I know it won't last long until my friends won't have to feel like their own state sees them as second class citizens.

Last Tuesday night, having the experience of the last two presidential elections behind me, I thought the counting would go on all night. So, M and I went grocery shopping. Shocker! We came back and within minutes, Barack Obama had officially and by a huge margin gained enough electoral votes to cast no doubt that he would indeed be the next President of the United States of America. John McCain's speech that followed was the first time in months that I heard McCain's own voice. It did not surprise me when the crowd boo'ed at Obama's name (it also did not surprise me that the folks in Chicago cheered and clapped when Obama mentioned McCain), and it kind of freaked me out that most of the people in the Phoenix crowd were middle-aged white folk. I mean, seriously-- almost everyone was over 45 and white. Meanwhile, in Chicago, the hundreds of thousands of people huddled together, laughing, crying, chanting, were children, teenagers, college kids, twenty-somethings, thirty-somethings, middle aged, elderly, white, black, Hispanic, Asian, mixed, all colors and ages and creeds, which encapsulates what America is and has prided itself in being - the cultural, racial, ethnic, religious melting pot of this world.

The images of Jesse Jackson crying I have to say were pretty priceless, and I remember thinking, I wish James Baldwin was alive to see this! I wish DuBois could see this! I do think that John McCain made too much of the "African-American" issue when talking about Barack Obama in his concession speech, but at the same time, he reminded us that people whom we know remember a time when they could not go to the same school, or eat at the same restaurants, or walk on the same piece of street, as white kids. The fact that these memories are not historic memories but actual memories makes this election monumental, but I think that the nation and the world agrees that Obama being black is not the sole or even the main reason why he is perceived with such enthusiasm and anticipation.

My entire adult life has been spent with George W. Bush being the President of the U.S. The 2004 election was the first one in which I could legally vote after becoming a citizen. I remember when my roommates and I volunteered to cater a John Kerry fundraiser in L.A. (note to self- where IS that shirt?!) we all whole-heartedly believed Kerry would win over Bush, no doubt about it. I cast my vote and thought, "Now I am truly an American citizen." Four years later, I am feeling an interesting and hard to explain emotion. I was not born here, and thus will always harbor patriotic love for my home country. And for as long as I've lived here, I've always been happy to live here, and proud. Every time I drove through a particular part of the 5S Fwy in Anaheim, I got an irrational feeling of love and pride for California, and as the plane was about to touch down at LAX, each time I nearly teared up with excitement to be "home." But over the last 8 eight years, it really has become "uncool" to be an American in many parts of the world, because we are seen as bullies instead of liberators, as arrogant instead of accomplished, as ignorant instead of leaders in science. Last week, I actually felt like I was an American, part of the millions of people who went out and voted however they felt was best. But there is always that "adopted" American feeling to it. It's almost like I can see it from both sides - judging the U.S. from a foreigner's point of view, and defending the country from the insider perspective. Again I turn to James Baldwin, who once wrote, "I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually." I think he was completely right in this, and this is the sentiment that I think so many Americans ignore in their blind patriotism. To truly be proud of your country, I think you should judge it with high standards, because you expect great things from it. If you take everything a country does blindly, you face a great risk of allowing that country to become an oppressor without boundaries. That is why I think all those Republican allegations that "they" are the "real" America and that Obama and the Democratic party aren't proud of America were so ludicrous. Don't parents chide their children so that the kids might learn to be better people? Anyways, now I am going off topic, which was initially this strange feeling of being an American, and an outsider, and feeling optimistic that in the next few years the U.S. can make its citizens even more proud to call themselves American than they have been in recent years.

***

Moving on from the elections, last week also brought more ups and downs in the Stockmarket, which has people all on edge. I can't believe that literally in a few days, people's entire retirement 401k money is gone!! I guess I am really lucky to have a looo-ooo-oong time to go until I retire!!! But on a positive side, gas is down to under $2.40, which is unbelievable considering it was nearly double just a few weeks ago!!

On a more personal note, M's parents came up for a weekend visit, and M and I had a movie date ("Changeling," which I give 4 stars, but don't recommend to anyone with small children because it will make you SO SO SAD and paranoid). I also bought a really fun hat! Having headed to the mall in search of black, flat shoes with an ankle strap, I returned home sans shoes, but with a super cute brown bowl hat. And yes, I did finish Taltos, a remarkable letdown by Anne Rice. I am now onto George Eliot's Middlemarch because I need to clean my mental palate, so to speak, after Taltos, but I think I might put that aside for some McEwan.

As for the moment at hand, tonight I am very excited about the Country Music Awards!! I think Kenny Chesney and Sugarland will perform, so I am very happy. A few weeks ago, when the VMA's aired on MTV, I had a quarter-life crisis when I realized that besides Britney Spears and Mariah Carey, I had no idea who the majority of the performers were. I didn't know the songs, I didn't know the singers' names, I felt like an old biddy!! That was when I started listening to more hip hop in the car to make up for my exclusive country habits, and now I feel more confident about my contemporary culture knowledge, but I'm still 100% sure that I will know most of the people at the CMA's, because that's just the country bumpkin I've become.

Post Halloween Boos

NO kiddies came trick-or-treating last night! None! I was very sad and disheartened for some reason. I am ready to feel some festivity, and it saddened me that they stayed away. Granted, it was raining on and off and the wind was strong enough to carry some of the smaller kiddies away, but still. Yesterday I had spent 5 minutes deliberating whether I should get a pumpkin, and decided against it. GOOD! I would have been even sadder if I had a pumpkin and no one came trick-or-treating.

The worst part is that I had stocked up on candy, and now there are bags of M&Ms and Three Musketeers and Candy Corn laying around, and I can't stop eating! Ungrateful children! They probably knew they were going to get M&Ms and Three Musketeers, and so they made their parents take them to Menlo Park or Atherton where who knows what those people give away as treats. Maybe gold-covered raisins or Mini Coopers.

To make myself cheer up, I look at this picture. I think it may be the one SW was trying to show me on Facebook yesterday. If it isn't, I'm sure she'll appreciate it ;-)

What a week [will] bring

I have neglected my "What's in a week" series, and too much has happened in the past month to write about it right now, but a quick thought process about what MIGHT happen within the week to come.

In a week, we will know who the next president of the United States will be. God willing, we will make the right choice. Everyone always bitches about WHOEVER winds up being president, and I have no high hopes of the next 4 years being smooth sailing if Barack Obama wins, but I harbor deep-seated fears if "that [other] one" (how you like 'dem apples, John?) wins. He won't though. He can't. Can he?!? Oh God.

Moving on before I have an anxiety attack.

Oh wait, one more thing - In a week we will also be voting on all of those "props" that have been constantly in seemingly every commercial on the radio or on TV. Of course, the one everyone is talking about is Prop 8. Why are we voting on this, what is the purpose? We have already voted on, passed, and put into practice legal gay marriage in the state of California. Who are these people that suddenly decide that one vote is not enough, that we must keep voting and re-voting and re-re-voting because they don't like the way people have voted before on a human rights issue? Does this mean that given enough support, we may one day see on the ballot Prop whatever, asking that we amend women's right to vote? What if someone woke up and said, hey, I think a hundred years ago or whenever, they had it right, and black people should only count as a fraction of a person when casting their votes. Should that be allowed on the ballot, even though we have clearly made equal voting rights a human right for everyone a long time ago? How is marriage any different than voting rights? Everyone has the right to vote, to speak, to pray, to protest, to do all kinds of things! Why not marry? And why are religious groups the ones most against this? For Christians, doesn't Jesus tell us to love EVERYONE? Isn't he a defendant of the misrepresented, the marginal, the outcast? Isn't his first miracle performed at a wedding? Why should gay people not have the privilege to enjoy this greatest of human self-imposed misery? The thing that most irks me though is this insane propaganda for Prop 8 that tries to terrify us by using the oldest and lamest trick in the book - "the children." Oh, God, the children! If Prop 8 does not get passed, our children will be forced by their public school teachers to listen to endless propaganda about homosexuality. They will be corrupted! They will turn away from Jesus! They will all become homos and whores! I exaggerate, but this is the innuendo in these ads. I mean, what in the name of all that is holy? When did we EVER talk about "marriage" in elementary school? I don't remember a SINGLE time when we talked about marriage AT ALL unless it was "oh Pocahontas married so and so." Even during Sex Ed no one mentioned MARRIAGE. I highly doubt that if Prop 8 is defeated, suddenly PUBLIC, GOVERNMENT-FUNDED SCHOOLS will all of a sudden include curriculum about GAY marriage, let alone any kind of marriage. It's so sad really that this is even an issue.

In a week, I will have finished this most obnoxious book, Taltos. I don't know what possessed me (ha!) to pick this up. I had sworn off this book after reading Lasher last summer... Oh! It was listening to Blackwood Farm on CD during our long drives to/from L.A.! You see, that books combines the Vampire Chronicles AND the Mayfair witches! AWESOME! But thank goodness we are LISTENING to it and not READING, because I may have actually thrown the book at the wall, Anne Rice is SO annoying in her portrayal of Taaaarquiiiiinnnn Blaaackwoood. Let's out it this way, we are on disk 15 of 18, and we STILL have no gotten to the CORE of the novel!! Anyhoo, listening to BF on CD made me really curious about the gap between Lasher and BF, so I finally gave in and checked out Taltos from that haven of mine, the Mountain View Public Library. The first 200 pages were FABULOUS! I felt SO redeemed! There was character insight, interesting plot turns, short scenic descriptions, teasers, sex, the whole shebang. Now, smack in the middle of the book, it has gone incredibly sour. I should have known when I caught a GARRISH mistake on Rice's part -- on one page, the character Mona decides to drink orange juice instead of coffee, we even get a description of what the oj tastes like (so Rice!) and on the VERY NEXT PAGE, the character (Mona, the slutty 13 year old pregnant with her mentor's husband's baby who may/may not be a Taltos, a non-human giant) sits at the breakfast table drinking COFFEE! Then, in the very next paragraph, she is back to orange juice. Tsk, tsk, Anne Rice! I could have forgiven that, if the following chapters didn't deteriorate into a mindless mush. For some reason, my favorite character (aforementioned Mona) has become a complete idiot, and we have entirely lost track of the other, more interesting side story about the actual TALTOS, which gives the book its very title. Enough ranting about this bad literary mistake on my part, which I nevertheless will trudge through, and perhaps award myself with some Didion once I am done.

In a week I will have survived my lover's first midterms in grad school! I may not be the one studying all the time, writing the papers, doing the projects, but it is very tasking to stand by helplessly as your loved one sells his soul over to the demons of academia. Oh, this also makes me miss school SO much. Tonight, I actually felt envy when I read his paper because I want to be writing them too. Even though those going through this right now probably want to slap me (and probably Dickens, as well!)

In a week I will have entered my second month of being "gainfully employed!" I am still settling in at work but I am quickly becoming familiar and comfortable there, and I think it will bring lots of good things.

In a week I will have watched almost the entire first and second seasons of "Desperate Housewives," living on my DVR at the moment. When one's boyfriend is in grad school, and one doesn't have homework of one's self, and one has developed a DH addiction while UNemployed, one begins watching DH at random moments! Now I have gotten to the point where Bree finally finds out that it was George who killed her trifling husband, Rex! And Gaby is upset that her husband has found religion instead of spending lots of money on her after his return from jail! Escandalo! I think another reason I like DH so much is that the show reminds me of my mom, because we used to always watch it together on Sunday nights last year when I lived at home.

Oh what, oh what, will a week bring? No drama, vote for Obama!! ;)

Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Definitely my new favorite book, Age of Innocence soared higher than my expectations in everything from tone to sentiment to subtlety, and made me fully understand why Wharton holds the place she does in American letters. This book was so beautiful that I actually stretched out reading the last 100 pages because I did not want it to end, and when it did, I felt like I had not read a more perfect ending to a novel in a really long time. I was also struck at how timely Wharton's novel was to us, towards the end of 2008, at at time when we too face a chancing social climate, a clash of old-world culture with forward-thinking, technological advances. Pieces of this novel read as if Wharton was directly describing the world around us, which only reminds us that while history may not repeat itself, it does rhyme a lot :) (Thanks, Mark Twain!)


View all my reviews.

My Anderson

To keep the Anderson Cooper love-fest going, I am re-posting about his awesome blog:

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/blog/

Several people contribute to the blog, and they are all pretty interesting, though Anderson's is the wittiest :) (I may be partial.) On the right side of the page, you can click on "Anderson Cooper" and read just his entries. Lots of fun stuff about swimming with sharks, tragic reports about natural disasters, and political commentary. Brains and good lucks, galore!

Presidential?

When I first saw this picture, I laughed, I snickered, I rolled my eyes. I thought, "Not only does the picture capture McCain as emotionally erratic, angry, defensive, and bordering on the verge of hysterical at times, but also as ridiculous."

In front of him, Barack Obama looks nothing if not presidential. The picture captures the mood of last night's entire debate -- Obama as serious, and McCain as erratic. CNN's panel of post-debate commentators kept bringing up the word "professorial" in relation to Obama's behavior as if this was a bad thing (I suppose it can be, though personally I did not view it as such), but admitted that he scored well because he kept his cool, smiled, maintained a respectful and thoughtful demeanor throughout. Meanwhile, they drew attention to McCain's smirks, defensiveness in basically badgering Obama for an apology because his feelings were hurt over accusations of racism, and complete inability to hide his utter disdain for Obama. Someone used the word "seethe," which is perfect. McCain practically seethed disdain, an extremely unattractive trait in anyone, but especially terrifying in someone who may potentially have to sit down with world leaders whom he abhors but maintain diplomacy.

The smirks, the cracked-out looking scary big eyes, the rolling of the eyes, the frightening goblin grin... these all frightened me and made me think that I was watching a scarier version of Bush. Why scarier? Because McCain is clearly more intelligent than Bush; clearly more deserving of the presidency that Bush has been, and has a history of being stabbed in the back by his own party. All these added together, I think that a vengeful, embittered, 72-year old former torture victim who can't control his emotions, let alone his facial expressions, is much scarier than a fool who smirks and hiccups into cameras, but no one takes seriously.

After all this is said, however, I look at the above picture and am saddened nearly to tears. John McCain was a beacon of hope once for many Americans across partisan lines, and many were saddened to see him lose to a man who should not have won the presidency. He is not lying when he says that he has in fact battled with his own party; he even came close to considering leaving the GOP, disgusted with the first G.W. Bush administration. But something has happened in the past few years, and I think the party broke him.

The picture above saddens me because I see, underneath the scary bug eyes, the mean comments, the irrational arguments, the unflinching disdain, I see an old man. An old man who had, and I am sure still has, a good heart with good ideals and hopes for a country that he genuinely loves and has nearly died for. I see a man who finds himself to be nearing the end of his life, and who wants to win. I don't know if he wants to win for himself, or for the country, or for his party, but it is most likely he wants to win for all three. To watch George W. Bush be president for eight years and know that could have been him at least for four, and know that he could have done a better job, and that the people and his own party turned away from him, must leave him bitter. And now he wants his moment. He wants the win. He wants the glory and the prestige and the chance to prove that he is what he has told himself he is for so many years. He wants to win, and he wants the other guy to lose. What is more human and more understandable than the desire to see yourself the victor and the other guy the loser?

The photo saddens me because he tries to be funny, but he is awkward. He is a sad, old man. He sees the presidency slipping away from him a third time, and knows he will never get this chance again. He knows that the woman that he picked for his vice president is a moron (he has to) and he knows he chose her to pander. And it makes me sad that an old man knows that he has succumbed to people he hates.

I don't think the hatred that McCain feels and shows for Obama is entirely aimed at Obama, though certainly much of it is. He must hate Obama for being so young; for being so popular; for being so privileged as to talk about terrors of war without having gone through them; for being an iconic image to a country that McCain thinks owes him something; for swooping up something that he wants so badly. But I also think some of that anger and disdain is aimed at himsef; he must feel disappointed in himself because this race is proving so difficult for him, because he is running out of time, because he is not young and vibrant and handsome and eloquent. He kept taking jabs at Barack Obama last night, drawing attention to Obama's "eloquence," as if this was a grotesque quality. The cynicism was just jumping off the screen, and it saddens me that he feels that way, that he is so cynical that he thought the only way to win was to pick that crazy woman as his running mate, because that would get him votes from a particular base. It saddens me that he did not have enough faith in himself and his constituents to truly fight a worthy battle and run a truly worthy campaign. It saddens me that he is brought down to this, and the picture above captures a sad old man who is so painfully awkward that even when he tries to play off a moment of disorientation, he can't do it without looking like a puppet.

I don't know, really, what it is about that picture that makes me so sad. I think it's funny-looking, but the old man with the awkward "oops, what did I just do?" makes me want to give him a hug. It makes me want to slap him, and say "wake the hell up, and tell me who you are, and tell me what you want to do, and stop bullshitting, and be honest, and be yourself!!" I think that is part of the sad part of this picture. I don't know if McCain can still be himself. The facial expression is one that people make when they feel too many eyes on them, and they feel so uncomfortable in their own skin that they make some random weird move to push away the discomford.

The picture comes from Reuters, and no, it is not doctored. We all saw the little dance that McCain did when he lost his way coming off the stage, and the picture just captures a split second of that.

To slightly switch the subject, I also feel like slapping Barack Obama and yelling at him for his utter failure to answer the VP-question last night. What in the freaking world was that!?!? Here was his chance to discuss Palin's lack of experience; of education; her shady background; her hateful speeches; her delusional views that somehow combine traditional family values, a lack of sexual education in schools, no government spending, and a welfare program that pays for children born to teenage single mothers; her lack of diplomacy; etc etc etc. And what does he do? He practically kisses her and McCain's asses, and calls her "capable." Now, I realize he was trying to be "diplomatic" and not trash-sling, but he could have drawn attention to some of the questionable issues without calling her a mindless and poorly programmed robot, as I would have done. I can't forgive him for that, and he needs to step up his game!

To end on a positive note, I would like to draw attention to a matter of high importance, and that is the perfection that is Anderson Cooper. Now, over a year ago, when I opened up and admitted to several people the affection that I harbor for him, I was met with chuckles and even several helpful pointers that in fact Anderson Cooper may be gay. Now, over a year later, Anderson Cooper has grown only more dreamy and perfect in my eyes. He is so dreamy that his steely blue eyes make my tummy all aflutter each time I see him, and his voice, perfectly inflectioned, gives me the schoolgirl giggles. Is Anderson Cooper gay? Who the hell cares? If he is, it does not in the least affect me, seeing as how this love affair is completely single-sided. All I know is that he makes me very, very happy, and it will be a sad, sad day in America and the world when his beautiful face and lulling voice retire from national television. Now, if Anderson Cooper was dumb as a board, or even remotely dull, he would be completely undesireable to me. The man looks like he weighs 95 pounds, and is 5 feet tall. He has prematurely white hair, and pointy, elfin ears. He is objectively a semi-attractive skinny little man, but his eyes are always aflame with intelligence, and his reporting especially during times of crisis like Katrina is always inspiring, enraging, and well thought out. The fact that he went to Yale, marches along everyone else during protests he believes in, and went to Vietnam for the hell of it after graduating from Yale... I don't know how it can get any sexier than that. The man is a tasty morsel of visual, aural, and mental candy, and I can't get enough!

VP Debate, SNL Style

Watch the great Tina Fey do Sarah Palin. Queen Latifah is great, too!!!

How could anyone hurt a pig?!?!?

Now, I eat pork, and I find it mighty tasty. I don't know exactly how I justify this, while at the same time holding a huge soft spot for the snouted creatures. All I can say is that eating pigs once they have been killed seem to be okay with me, but actually hurting them while they are alive and being cruel to them is a very big no-no!!

I came across a story on the cnn.com website from a couple of days ago about these awful people in Iowa who take out all their pent-up frustrations due to huge inadequacies in every aspect of their life (this is my deduction) by doing horrible things to the pigs they grow for Hormel.

Read the story here and get mad!!

The awful, awful men apparently stuck metal rods up sows' patoots, and even slammed cute little piglets on the floor! Now, I have been around pigs before, and know how large they can get. I wonder why the sows didn't turn right around and smash those bastards to the ground and stomp on them!!

UPDATE
I had actually written the above before watching the video accompanying the story (click "Video" at top right to view) and I have to admit that it made me so mad that I actually teared up (annoying thing I do when super pissed, I cry, go figure). I usually poke fun at PETA and I think a lot of the things they do are really hypocritical, but this time I hope that they bring these assholes to full prosecution. The video is appaerntly "heavily edited" and I can't even imagine what else they do to these poor piggies. Hateful hateful people!!!

Best Political Commentary on YouTube

Hahaha. "If he said 'put lipstick on a pig and it's the second coming of Reagan, then you'd know he was talking about Sarah Palin."

And go to 2:43. Purty pig! Purty pig!

Things that make me happy

I feel particularly jolly today. Perhaps it is because my morning started out by waking up next to my best friend (awe!); or perhaps it is because I have decided that I need to be positive and optimistic about life in general. Whatever the cause, today I was struck at nearly every turn by things that made me happy, and I'd like to share them.

1. I walked out of my apartment today, turned the corner, and arrived at the Copy Factory from which I sent a fax out. I love living close by to necessary things, and I love that I have small private business options, instead of having to go to conglomerates like FedEx Kinkos which basically suck you dry. Case in point: for the same project that FedEx Kinkos would have charged me around 200 bucks, the Copy Center charged me $16!!!

2. My blue suede shoes. They are adorable, and comfortable, and blue! I wore them to my interview at FSI today, and I think they definitely helped me feel confident, vibrant, and prepared to handle anything. Don't think a pair of blue suede shoes can accomplish this? You clearly have never stepped into a pair of blue suede Mary Janes with a flower on the side!

3. Sugarland. I L-O-V-E Sugarland. No, this does not refer to a candy store, but rather to my new favorite band! I have been listening to their music for about a year now without knowing who they are. First, I heard "Stay," a lovely acoustic ballad about loving a married man who inevitably never does leave his wife, and the hard realization that it's better to move on than to be a door mat. I used to bump this LOUD on my drives home from Honnold at 2 in the morning. Then, I heard "Settlin'," the should-be-theme-song for anyone who's ever woken up one day and thought, "What am I doing with my life, wasting it away in this dead-end relationship?" The song captures that moment of clarity when you realize that it's better to be alone that be waiting on Mr. Wrong to mystifyingly turn into Mr. Right. Then, I heard "Everyday America," a song that misleadingly gets you to bop your head and stomp your foot before you realize that you're singing along to a song pointing out that everyday Americans are often barely getting by, but that somehow they push on and make the best of life. Then, I heard "Baby Girl," the sweetest song ever! Basically it's about a young girl struggling to make it as a singer, asking her parents to send her some money so she can get by; luck is hers, and she becomes a big star, and it's her turn now to send money to her parents, to whom she writes,

"Dear Mom and Dad,
I'll send money. I'm so rich that It ain't funny.
Well it oughtta be more then enough to get you through.
Please don't worry cause I'm alright,
I'm stayin here at the Ritz tonight,
Whatta ya know we made our dreams come true!
And there are fancy cars and diamond rings,
But you know that they don't mean a thing,
Well they all add up to nothin compared to you,
Well, remember me in ribbons and curls...
I still love you more than anything in the world
Love,
Your Baby Girl"

Then, I heard... well the list goes on and on. But the point is, I had been singing along to these great songs without ever really knowing anything about the band playing them. Then, M and I watched them on TV, and it was love! This is their website, where it clearly says that they will NOT be playing any time soon in California! Tragedy! Anyhoo, the duo is composed of Jennifer Nettles, who is all teeth and perkiness and smiles, a prettier version of Janis Joplin (and with a cleaner voice) who seems to cute to be country!, and Kristian Bush, who plays a mad guitar and likes fedoras!

4. My DNC shirt. Today I wore the pink "Democratic - Denver Democratic National Convention 2008" shirt that I got in the Denver airport on the way back from Nebraska, and it sparked a nice conversation with the nice man from the Copy Factory! It feels a little like cheating wearing it, because I wasn't at the convention, but I was technically in Denver during the DNC! Anyhoo, the shirt makes me happy for the same reason that people wear Senior Class shirts, or team jerseys - it makes me feel happy to be part of a group, part of an identity with a common interest and a common goal. Plus, it's pink, and pink always makes the day brighter!

5. My upcoming drive to LA. I haven't been to LA in a while, and I really hope to see some of my friends this weekend, while my lovah is at the debauchery that is a bachelor party :)
5a. In addition to seeing some fabulous people while I'm in LA, I'm looking forward to the drive itself, as it will offer the excellent chance to continue listening to Anne Rice's "Blackwood Farm" on CD. It's been too long since we spent any time with Taaaarquuuiiin Blaaackwoood, and I have to know what happens! The book-on-CD is 18 CDs long!!! We are barely on CD 9, I think, so we have a long way to go, but the story is getting good!

6. Costco. How great is Costco? I bought a 36-pack of Diet Pepsi today for the same price as 2 6-packs at Safeway. The only drawback is I can never really make up my mind what else to buy besides soda, bread, and non-perishables, because I fear that the mass quantities will inevitably go bad before we have the chance to eat them! I mean, really, who needs that much cheese?!?!

7. "Scrubs." M and I were pulling "Scrubs" marathons for the past couple of weeks, but we have reached an impasse and need to wait for the next CDs to come. This show is briliant in so many ways. Not only is my second ex-husband, Zach Braff, at his best in this show (or is his best in "Garden State"? Hmm.. It sure as heck wasn't in "Last Kiss," the evil movie from hell! But I digress...), but the writing is fantastic! I didn't think it was possible for a comedy to successfully and sensitively tackle death, or for a show about doctors to make you relate to nearly every character, but somehow, "Scrubs" does. We have temporarily replaced "Scrubs" with "The Office" and it just isn't the same. Sure, "The Office" is funny, but it's no "Scrubs"!

8. Colder weather. I love wearing sweaters, coats, scarves, floppy hats, socks, and my boots with the fur! Fall is beginning to peek through, with a cold breeze every now and then reminding us that the seasons are a-turning, and my new down jacket from Costco is already getting some wear! I feel cozy and comfy in chilly weather, and I only wish it could get only a tiny bit colder, instead of the inevitable COLD that I know I will have to face living in NorCal. I'm trying to hold on to memories of Honnold at 2 am (hmm I see a theme now!) in December, and think, "I can do this, I can do this!" Let me tell you, it is COLD in Claremont in December at 2 am, and after 10 hours of Martha Gellhorn paper-writing, I would emerge from Honnold in scarf, beanie, gloves, and coat, and would drive home to Upland trying not to touch the steering wheel with my bare hands because it was so cold, but also unable to drive wearing gloves because they would slip on the wheel when I turned corners. Oh, joys of grad school!

9. Webcams! I can see my parents every day with the magic that is the webcam! Makes the world much smaller, and lets me show my parents my pretty blue shoes!

10. My boyfriend. Sorry, ladies, but he's taken, and he's the best, so eat your hearts out!

This is from way back when! Winter of 2005, in Big Bear.

Tuesday is Rant Day

A strange and frightening species has invaded my hallowed place of serenity (i.e., the Mountain View Library). Squeals, screams, and whimpers are being heard throughout this place of quietude and reflection. BABIES have somehow appeared in the midst! They are everywhere! I walked across the second floor to use the restroom and I encountered THREE (3!!!!!) babies just on the way there and back. These aren't even toddlers. These are those lumpy, squishy, drooly, kitten-eyed blobs who can't keep their own heads up. Tiny, barely out of the womb babies! What in the name of Melville are people doing with BABIES at a public library? They can't read. They can't even speak. They make random and rude noises, and most importantly, they violate the silence that I and the rest of the studious or otherwise Solitaire-playing people who have come to the MVL for some peace and quiet, seek! I know it's difficult to raise babies and have time for one's own interests, but for James' sake, hire a babysitter or give the kid some Benadryl and leave it alone for 15 minutes while you sneak off to the library for whatever you need. Or better yet, sign on to your laptop at home and trust me you will find whatever it is you need on that incredible invetion, the internet! That way, your screaming BABY will bother no one but yourself and your unfortunate neighbors. Why must people bring their babies EVERYWHERE? The library, the mall, restaurants, even PFF meetings at CGU! Ugh. If I have a baby I hope I don't turn into one of these drones who think because they have to love their spawn, so must everyone around them. It's bad enough when people drag their forsaken tiny dogs in purses and sweaters everywhere, but at least the dogs don't scream bloody murder in the middle of a LIBRARY. Ok, now that the rant is over, I must try to re-focus on the task at hand, which currently is reading up on current public policy issues that the FSI Institute is participating in. Oodles of joy!! (And yes, I am using a picture of Dubya with a baby because he makes me want to scream like the baby he's trying not to drop).

Technical Difficulties Magically Resolved

I believe it was the picture of the adorable pig that made my McCain and Obama, and most importantly, Wall-e videos, go back to working! I am taking this as proof that pigs truly are lucky as well as awesome.

Technical Difficulties!!

For some reason, all the youtube videos (including my Wall-e post!!!!!) are broken. I don't know why, but it makes me very sad! Will try to fix asap.

Lipstick on a Pig

I would like to thank the McCain/Palin campaign for drawing my attention to what has become my new favorite phrase: "Putting lipstick on a pig."

The Republicans are "outraged" that Obama described McCain's policies on the economy, health care, taxes, education, and foreign relations, as likened to "putting lipstick on a pig" -- meaning, they are pretty much identical to George Bush's policies on similar issues, even though McCain is now (and how originally!) running on "change." Why are they "outraged"? Because they believe that Obama's "lipstick on a pig" phrase is a jab at Sarah Palin, who described herself as a "pitbull with lipstick."

The funny thing is, that if you watch the video (clip below), you will hear clearly that Obama is actually talking about McCain, and in fact, not just McCain, but his policies. He is saying, "McCain is trying to sound like he is all for change, but many of his policies are similar to those of George W. Bush. If you put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig! Calling it "change" but doing nothing different is still the same old, same old." (My paraphrase. You're welcome!)

Watch the clip here: (I'm having trouble keeping my youtube clips on, so if the video doesn't work, go here)



Now, what I find hi-larious is that McCain himself has used this exact same phrase before, and not very long ago! So, in pointing fingers, the Republican camp is completely ignoring the fact that "lipstick on a pig" is a popular phrase (why oh why have I not heard it before?!).

Not convinced? Watch McCain use it here



and again here (around the 29 second mark. keep watching right afterward to watch the LOVELINESS (read, "evilness) that is Fox News): link here



So... the moral of this story is this: There is NO MORAL! This is politics, people. I personally find it a) Ridiculously funny that the Republican campaign thinks that acting all sensitive and inventing personal attacks is an actual campaign tactic; and b) Sad that this kind of tactic actually works with a large part of their voter base.

Here is Obama's response to this "phony" sensitivity used to distract people from the issues.

Obama shirt fr Moveon.org

Hey,

Want an Obama T-shirt? MoveOn's giving them out if you make a small donation (only 8 bucks, people!) to their young-voter registration program, aimed at registering half a million young voters in swing states. I just got mine, and wanted to share the opportunity with you.

Click this link to get your Obama T-shirt:

http://pol.moveon.org/obamatshirts/index4.html?id=-10512612-UTfQsyx

The polls are showing McCain in the lead for the first time. Registering voters is crucial so that come Novemeber, people can actually vote! I sent my registration form in last week. Have you sent yours in?

Anita, Gilberto, and Leah & Luke are up

My last semester at CGU, I interviewed several really interesting people for student and alumni profiles for The Flame. Amongst them was a lady named Anita Boling, a PhD student named Gilberto Ocampo, and a married couple, both PhD's, Leah and Luke Schulte. Well, last night, I accidentally came across the profiles on the Flame website! I did not know that they were up, so it was a pleasant surprise, and I thought I would share them :)

Anita is really an amazing woman, who overcame a great personal loss to go on and do some amazing things with African "virgin" villages (meaning, African villages that have never received outside aid) by creating a non-profit named ViNA (Village Network Africa). During our meeting, she was lovely, and even brought a big bag full of African toys, instruments, and other items from the first village she and her team had been to. Read my profile on her, but know that it is by no means doing justice to the amazing work she has done, or the people she has met!!

Gilberto is also a really interesting figure - a CGU botany PhD student originally from Mexico, he traveled to Australia to do field research on a tiny plant called Portulaca, which may be used in cholesterol medicine. He is very charming, and a great sport, and gave me and my friend Joey a great tour of the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden.

Leah and Luke were really lovely, a couple who met at CGU and have since gotten married. Both are PhD students at the School of Religion, and together, they have put on conferences at CGU where students from different faiths could come together and discuss their points of view.

The profiles are on CGU's The Flame website:
Click here and then go to Alumni Profile for Anita Boling, and to Student Profile for Gilberto Ocampo and the Schultes.

Wall-e meets M-O

What's in a week, part 2

This week has not been quite as exciting as the last, but still, it has been an interesting one.

M and I went to Dublin (the San Fran East Bay one, not the infinitely more interesting Ireland one), and ate with our friend Z at an Indian restaurant playing music as varied as traditional Indian music and Aqua (as in, "Barbie Girl").


I listened to and watched the DNC in Denver, CO, which was the first political convention I've watched, and the day after, witnessed on TV the naming of the first female vice presidential candidate for the presidency.

M and I watched my new favorite movie, "Wall-e"!!! This movie is GRRRREAT! I loved everything about it, and can't wait for it to come on DVD so I can watch it again.

My first CGU visitor came and visited me!!! S and her husband C were wonderful house guests, and they totally inspired me to be more proactive in my own life, as well as to listen to more jazz! Oh, not to mention, study for my GRE again!

I took my first class at our new gym, and it totally kicked my butt! I walked around in pain for two days after, but I'm definitely going back.

And I bought really cute blue suede Mary Janes! The perfect topping to a pretty good week.

Palin update #1

It has been brought to my attention that McCain may have picked Palin in an effort to "steal" Hilary Clinton's female supporters. The thought initially did not occur to me because I like to give women more credit than to think that they would vote for ANY woman just because she IS a woman. But, now that I have thought about it, I can see how many women would fall for that. "Oh well she is a woman, she has five children, she is a Protestant, etc etc etc, therefore she gets ME!" Really? She may get YOU, individual nameless woman, but does she get the COUNTRY, and the other nameless women and men out there? I really hope that come election day, women and men alike make their decision not based on the gender of those running for office, or their religion (Biden is a, GASP!, Catholic), or their color, or their age, as much as I poke fun at old McCain, but based on what we may hope to see from these candidates.

No one seriously believes that either McCain or Obama will be able to pull off 100% of what they promise to do if in office; but if just 10% of what they promise will be achieved, it will make a big difference in the direction this country will move in from now on. If there is only a 10% improvement in health care availability for those who need it, I will be glad to see Obama in office. If there is only a 10% improvement in education, it will be 10 much needed percentage points that will be welcomed. If our dependence on Middle Eastern oil decreases just 10%, it will be 10% of a move in the right direction.

It is sick to think that Palin is attractive only because she is female, and her appointment as the nominee for VP has revealed the Republican machination's flawed ethics. She has a newborn child with Down's syndrome, who will need constant care. When Edwards' wife developed cancer, Republicans cried out that he should retreat from the race and stay home with her. How is this any different? I'm not saying that I think this should keep her from being a candidate for VP, but it is interesting to actually see the Republican hypocrisy at work.

It is sick to think that Republicans think that a woman, any marginally, semi-qualified (though this I find debatable) woman, will convince women who wanted to vote for Hilary to actually vote for her own party's ticket, only because she is a woman. When Obama began running, Republicans cried out that blacks will vote for Obama because he is black! Well, they are doing the same thing here, if in fact that is what they are doing.

But what is most sickening is the fact that I do deep down believe that it is possible that many women will mistakingly view Palin as a beacon for feminism only because she is a woman. I think it is possible that an ill-informed woman would vote for McCain/Palin solely because half the ticket is female, ignoring that this ticket will advocate that women should NOT have the right to choose, that women should NOT be allowed to marry their lesbian partners, that women should NOT have those rights solely because they are not women acting in the way that THAT party would want them to. I want to believe that a majority of Hilary supporters will not feel this way, that they will remember WHY they wanted to vote for Hilary besides her gender, remember that she herself has asked her own supporters to give their support now to Obama, and I think that if this gender game was the reasoning behind Palin's nomination, the Republicans will be disappointed come November.

However, four years ago, I did not believe for a second, for a second! that Kerry would lose, and I appreciate and like Obama much more than Kerry. So, like I said in my previous post, this is an exciting and history-making election. In a few months, Palin and McCain, Biden and Obama, will stand trial in front of the millions of Americans who will cast their vote, and I only hope, regardless of the outcome, that these millions of Americans take at least a minute to think about WHY they are voting for their choice. I can see why some people will want to vote Republican. That is their prerogative. But I only wish that people would vote with their eyes and ears open. That women do not vote for McCain ONLY because he chose a woman, but because they truly believe that team is the better of the two options. Just as I hope that when voting for Obama, people don't vote for him and Biden ONLY because they want to see what a black man will do as president, given the chance, but because THIS black man is the better choice for president between himself and McCain.

What is he thinking?

I am going to base this ENTIRELY on Wikipedia and CNN.com articles, so as I'm not entirely informed, I don't profess that this should be taken in any way too seriously as a political commentary, but rather a first impression.

Let's see what Wiki says about Sarah Palin, in a nutshell...

Runner up in a beauty pageant, which got her to college, which led to a journalism degree and her early career as a .... sports reporter.

City councilwoman and then mayor for Wasilla, Alaska, population less than 10,000.

Current governor of Alaska, population less than a million.

It seems that her politics are clean, and she is a strong advocate for ethical politics and has spoken against corruption, and is an advocate for environmental policies including "independence from big oil companies." *Note, her husband is in the oil industry, and, as will be mentioned later, wants to drill for oil in Alaskan national reserve lands.

She is anti-abortion, anti-same-sex marriage, is pro capital punishment, and advocates creationism to be taught alongside evolution in schools!!!!

She is for drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve, which even McCain opposes.

She has five children; her eldest son is in the army, and her youngest, born this year (she is 44), unfortunately has Down syndrome.

I don't mean this in a smart-ass way, but I wonder what McCain is thinking. He must have his reasons to pick a 44-year old woman whose only political experience has been in Alaska, a state in many aspects removed from the continental U.S., with no foreign policy experience, and
who I'm sure many will question whether she can become this country's Commander in Chief if something were to ever, God forbid, happen to McCain, who would be the oldest non-incumbent president in U.S. history. As this story develops, it will be exciting to see where all of this goes, though I admit I am surprised and a bit impressed that McCain chose a woman. I think Hilary would have been a better choice but that's my opinion :) Ha. Can you imagine an Obama/Biden vs. McCain/Clinton ticket? God forbid. Hooray for Clinton giving her full support to Obama!!!

I am excited for the Republican Convention in Minneapolis to see what the Republicans will say. The DNC has been very exciting, and I was very lucky to hear Obama's speech last night (read his speech here), which I believe addressed a lot of the reasons why he, as opposed to McCain, gets why certain things need to be done, and done soon. Like he said, it's not that McCain doesn't care; it's that he most likely doesn't know.

By the way, did you know McCain attended Episcopal High School in Alexandria, VA, a prep boarding school that today, in 2008, has a yearly cost of attendance of $38,000? Nothing wrong with that, lucky him that his wealthy navy admiral father could send him there, but this just shows that from the beginning, he was quite removed from the lifestyle that most American teenagers in the 50's were leading. The fact that he was a teenager in the 50's also brings to mind the question of how in the world is he supposed to relate to the country's youngest voters? I think McCain is a bright politician, but this country has had enough of wealthy old white men who have never lived among "us"!!

In conclusion, how lucky are we to partake in this historical moment? A woman nearly made it as president, and now, a woman is in the race for becoming vice president! We are going to witness America's first black president, and I'm looking four or eight years ahead, and thinking, Hilary, why not?!

This is an exciting time, to be sure. But the question remains, what is McCain thinking? Is this a plot to fill seats at the RNC, which I hear has been difficult? Does he truly believe Palin is a better choice than, say, Romney? Palin is 28 years younger than McCain, and perhaps he views her as that voice that can relate to the younger population. Can't wait to see where all of this goes.

And seriously, people, check out this site and read through the speeches. I am sure they must be on youtube, but speeches are really interesting when read, as well :) They make for remarkable documents for posterity, and like I said last night, I expect my kid to study last night's speech in his or her political literature class two decades from now :)


Oh what the heck. Here are some youtube clips :)

One of the speeches I most enjoyed, Beau Biden's, Joe Biden's son, and Delaware's Attorney General and a Captain in the Delaware Army National Guard (and born the day after my birthday!!). Check it :)



And one of the best parts of Obama's speech. *Note- Obama's comment about McCain saying that middle class means making less than $5 million/year is in relation to an August 15, 2008 response that McCain gave to the question of what he believes "rich" to mean, to which McCain said, "I think if you're just talking about income, how about $5 million?" (Obama's response: "I would argue that if you are making more than $250,000, then you are in the top 3, 4 percent of this country," he said. "You are doing well.") McCain's spokespeople later said McCain had been "joking." Hardly believable when his wife is an heiress and his own background was highly privileged. Seriously, this man has NO IDEA what it means to be a regular American. At least Obama went to law school on loans, not because his daddy had been an alumni! Anyways, I regress. Here is part of Obama's speech:



P.S. Happy birthday to John McCain. Today, August 29, 2008, he turns 72.

Pictures from Nebraska are up

I have added the Nebraska pictures, as well as some other pictures from this summer, to my Picassa albums. They can be seen here.

Summer 2008

What's in a week?

M initiated a kind of ritual that we have established over the last several weeks, of taking some time on Sunday night and reflecting on all the events that happened over the last seven days. What we have come to realize is that no matter how dull one's life may look like from a distance, if you break it down in such a way that you look at life day by day and week by week, you come to realize how much really happens!

As an example, I will share only the last seven days. Last Sunday night, I never would have thought that within the week, I would have traveled to Nebraska (and possibly for a brief moment, to Iowa!) and spent time amidst hundreds of miles of corn and soy beans, with people who refer to my presidential candidate preference as merely, "the idiot." Or that I'd have to say goodbye probably for the last time to a wonderful human being. Or that I would watch several thunderstorms happen hundreds of miles away, visible only because the land in Nebraska is so flat you literally see to the horizon. Or that I would spend more time with a screaming infant that I ever really cared to. Or that I would attend Sunday service at a Methodist church and meet the pastor. Or that I would spend hours upon hours in the Denver airport, to and from Nebraska! Or that I'd discover that I'm to be an aunt, making my little sister the first to reproduce and get married. Or that a friend of mine would get engaged! Or that I'd get a second callback interview and have it scheduled for the morning after our late return flight. Or that I would actually find myself very much enjoying Henry James's Portrait of a Lady.

All in a week's time, and all with absolutely no prior knowledge. Now, we stand outside on Sunday nights, and hope that the coming week will be as exciting as the last, hopefully with less sadness and with more happy news!

Pictures from Nebraska to ensue shortly!

EquiFAT

I went to my shiny gym today to have my Equifit test. I met my trainer, K, who is so cute I want to put her in my pocket, even after she poked and pinched and made me sweat!

First, she handed me a heart rate monitor, which I've never worn before. I strapped it on, and we headed to the treadmill. She hikes the incline to 10 (TEN!!!) and starts off slow. Now, I've been jogging for a few weeks, so my calves, thank God, are not in completely disastrous state, otherwise I think I may have started crying, going at that incline! So, calves in order, I start walking. After a couple of minutes, K increases the speed, until I finally got to the goal, which apparently was 175 (85% of my heart rate potential, or something medical like that which I don't quite understand yet). I was pretty huffy and puffy, but I felt pretty good.

Next, we go to a room where she took my weight (which of course is 3 lbs higher than my scale at home says. How does that work!?!?), checked to see my squat form (apparently good), and then prodded me with this trippy little pincher device which she used all over - my upper arms, my hips, my thighs (basically, a woman's least favorite places to be poked at). Final verdict -- my body fat percentage is 31%!!! Now, K, sweet gal that she is, tried to make me feel better by saying it's really easy to improve that, especially doing my favorite thing which is weights. But still, I felt like a big fatty after she told me that my goal should be between 21-25%. I am ten whole percentage points over!!

This totally inspires me to keep going to my shiny gym, even more than the hefty price does! A year from now, I want that percentage to be at 21%, baby!!!

Romeo and Juliet in the Redwoods

For the second year in a row, I had the pleasure of attending Shakespeare Santa Cruz on the UCSC campus when M and I went to see "Romeo and Juliet" last Thursday, Aug. 14. Last year, we saw "The Tempest," which I had never seen as a production, theater or film, other than the very strange "Prospero's Books" movie took much patience to sit through!

Surprisingly, I have never before this actually seen a live staged performance of Shakespeare's most popular play, R&J, only movie versions, my favorite of which will forever be the DiCaprio/Danes movie! Perhaps the movie itself prepared me a bit for this production, as it too was slightly adapted to fit a more modern - though still distant - setting; the director, Kim Rubinstein, placed her star-crossed lovers and their ill-fated families in a Budapest-like environ, complete with Hungarian gypsy music and gypsy-inspired costumes for the cronies of both the Capulet and Montague gangs-- Mercutio, Benvolio, Tybalt, as well as Romeo were excellently captured as young, restless, and violent.

The best part about Shakespeare Santa Cruz is that the stage and seating are all completely immersed in the beautiful tall redwoods, and as the play goes on, the night around you gets blacker and blacker, and you are literally in the middle of the forest, just a few feet away from the stage. Another fabulous part was that part of the set was in the trees itself -- Romeo has an awesome tree house, replete with bright red curtains billowing in the forest breeze. Also, characters often come in through the isles, so actors are inches away from those sitting in isle seats.

The direction for this performance was really interesting in that it combined the comedic with tragic. Juliet (Caitlin Fitzgerald) was great at capturing a 13-year old in desperate first tragic love. She was funny, jubilant, and innocent, and once the love story becomes more and more of a downer, her heartfelt misery was completely believable. We first meet her as we might any 13-year old girl, listening to music, lost in her own make-believe world, drawn out of its childish comforts by her overbearing (and stick-thin!) mother and loving nurse, who introduces young Juliet to the world of womanhood by shaving her legs and armits as Juliet giggles in surprise.

At the party where Juliet meets Romeo, Juliet sings "Dream a Little Dream" for her parents' guests, an original and sweet modern moment that infuses this 400+ year-old play with a little contemporary charm.

When Romeo and Juliet first clasp eyes, the world stands still - literally. The party goers go into slow motion, a clever stage effect, capturing that feeling of being alone in the world with one's beloved. The lovers' kisses throughout the play are so smoldering that the freeeezing Santa Cruz night got hot !

Romeo (Charles Pasternak) was swarthy, moody, and really sexy, a reminder of a young Joaquin Phoenix mixed with Heath Ledger. We watch him evolve from a horny teenager, wanting to get in Rosaline's pants, to a love-struck young man, and finally to a heartbroken husband.

The rest of the cast was really great, especially the Prince, the voice of reason and authority, and Mercutio, flamboyant, loud, funny, and tragic. His death is one of the highlights in this production, the foreshadowing of the unfair calamity that plagues both the Capulet and Montague houses.

The only character who was very miscast was Paris. the actor playing Paris was too flamboyant to be believable as a suitable (read, 'straight') match for Juliet, his voice was weak compared to the strong voices from Romeo, Mercutio, Juliet, and everyone else, and he was completely uncharismatic. I feel very bad for him, because he may be a great actor, but he really stuck out like a sore thumb among the other great talent and chemistry.

I'm posting the picture of the final scene, which is posted on the Shakespeare Santa Cruz website, only because it was a beeeautiful end to this beautiful play about the funny side of love --- how soon poor Rosaline is forgotten; the exciting side of love --- the lust, the romance, the friendship. After Juliet sheathes Romeo's dagger into her broken heart, she falls into death as if into sleep upon her lover and husband's chest. They are lying on top of a marble coffin, which becomes illuminated as everything else goes black. Over them, the Prince ends this tale of woe of Juliet and her Romeo.

The main reason I loved this production, more than the actors themselves (great!) and the setting (fabulous!) was that the actors were able to somehow capture the greatness of Shakespeare's words. The cynical reading of the play may imply that Romeo and Juliet's love is too young and naive to survive, too perfect and ideal, and it must be killed in order to be forever remembered as pure, because had they lived, they would soon realize that their young love was not the stuff that dreams are made of. However, this production captured the sadder view. Romeo and Juliet are two very young, very naive teenagers, but, somehow, against all odds, as their story progresses, we are convinced that theirs is a real love, a mature love, one that is rare and precious in this world of superficial, interest-based relationships.

Here is a great review of the play on playshakespeare.com.