Hope for the Future

Please let this man be the next President of the United States of America.
He gives me hope, which can be a beautiful thing.

Being a political science major in college, I take politics quite seriously. You will never hear me use the phrase, "I believe..." lightly. It's hard for me to pay attention to politics sometimes because it means too much, the stakes are too high and the failures too spectacular.

Our country has failed to live up to its potential over the last 8 years... in some ways even longer.

We went from a booming economy and a balanced budget to recession, joblessness, and a great big whopping deficit.

Our government smiles and nods as our jobs are shipped over seas.

The disparity between the rich and poor grows larger and larger. What does anyone gain if the middle class disappears?

Our leaders have allowed torture as a part of national security. There is a line. A clear demarcation between those who torture and those who don't. Why are we on the wrong side of this line? Why is our country okay with this?

I believe in what America tries to stand for. I believe all people are created equal. I believe in freedom. I believe that Americans can be a compassionate, generous people who want to do the right thing.

I wrote and deleted a paragraph about the dark side of what I believe about what the people of this nation are capable of, but this is not the post for that. This is a post of hope.

For me, it all goes back to my father. When it came to making decisions he would always say, "you should do the right thing, because it is the right thing to do." Meaning don't do it because you expect some benefit for yourself, but because it is right.

What is right means different things to different people. To me, it means that we take care of people. Children are fed, clothed, housed and have access to a quality education. They have the tools at their disposal to CHOOSE their path. The sick are nursed. The hungry are fed. Men, women, black, white, gay, straight, every one is treated equally, whether this is pay or the opportunity to marry the one you love.

For the first time in awhile, I have have hope that we can be better, that things will be better, if only this man is elected President.

It is with a mixture of terror and hope that I will watch the next few months unfold.

Please let this man be the next President of the United States of America.

A: Awesome!

Q: What is one word you could use to describe Sara Lee's Cheesecake bites?

Other acceptable answers:
Delicious
Amazing
Yummy
Stellar
Tempting

Dancing with the Stars

I don't normally watch this show. The husband and I tried once, but we got bored and quit watching it.

However! I was looking over the list of who is going to be on the show for this next season and there are a lot of boring people that I don't care about, but MSN feels I should like Susan Lucci (meh), Toni Braxton (double-meh) and Lance Bass (I repeat, meh). But, then down further I come to find out Rocco DiSpirito is going to be on Dancing with the Stars!!!

I'm a little bit of a Top Chef nerd, so I was kind of excited to see Rocco's going to be on DwtS.

Rocco DiSpirito! Architect of the following zinger, "His gnocchi aren't the only thing that are dense around here... "

Oooh. Burn!

Maybe he's no Anthony Bourdain, but still you can't fault the guy for trying and in truth the dude he was talking about WAS really, really dumb.

So, I'm not sure I can commit to a season of this show, but I might (maybe) tune in to see the cooking all-star take a turn about the floor.

**Disclaimer** I'm never sure how sarcastic these posts are rendered, so I wanted to be clear. Rocco's zinger? Kind of lame. Rocco being on DWTS? Kind of awesome. I really am kind of excited about it.

Dell Fucking Blows

I've been on hold for technical support for 25 minutes and counting.
I'm sorry, but Dell is such a piece of shit.
I hate them.
Fucking bastards.
I hate being on hold.

ETA: 1.5 hours later, I have removed/replaced my memory card, hard drive and optical drive only to have Dell ask me to ship my computer to them. Awesome.

Computers are a beautiful thing. No wait, my mistake, I said computers when I meant rainbows.

Computers are fucking annoying.

You MUST Listen to this

I'm in love, love, love with this song.
King by Weezer.
Listen.

No really. Take a minute and listen.

Liberation

I went to my 10 year high school reunion this weekend.
It was oddly liberating.
It sounds cliche, but I finally realized how far I've come once I looked at where I've been.
High school wasn't a bad time for me.
I don't remember being persecuted or snubbed.
I laughed, cried, had friends and enemies, good times and bad. It was a pretty normal experience I'd say.
But, I was self absorbed and insecure. Teenagers are so full of drama. Everything is life or death.

There are parts of me that are the same.
My sense of humor, Loving to read, Loving history, art and poetry. I'm still a dreamer.

Then there is the stuff that changed.
I know who and what I am, and I'm not going to apologize for it.
I know whose opinion matters and whose doesn't.
I rarely take that which isn't meant personally, personally.
I don't judge other people's choices. There's no "right" way to live your life.
I have a more practical side that has developed over the years. The side that likes my job and works hard at it. The side that figures out how to deal with mortgages and car payments. The dreamer is still there, but she had to make room.

I talked to a lot of people at the reunion. Some I was friends with in high school, some I wasn't. It was fun to hear about the paths they've taken and seeing what their spark of possibilities has turned into.
It's liberating to realize that everything good and bad about me, was most likely true for them too. So few teenagers are really comfortable in their own skin.
We can talk now and be friendly in way that never would have worked in high school.
I don't know if I'll stay in touch with people any closer than I did before the reunion, but it was good to see them.

Breakfast

There was a black "frosted flake" in my bowl of cereal this morning!
Black!
I threw it out, but I still ate the rest of the bowl. What?! We're running low on cereal AND milk.
I hope I don't die.
How does a frosted flake end up black?
Think it was just burned?
If I die, somebody sue Kelloggs for me, okay?

YELLING

I was grading a project today at work and I was sort of annoyed with the young lad that did the project.

All his lists were in ALL CAPS. ALL OF THEM! IT'S LIKE THE LITTLE SHIT WAS YELLING AT ME. SEE HOW ANNOYING THAT IS?

Is it wrong that I really wanted to find reasons to take points off his project because he was yelling at me?

Little cocksucker that he was, only got 4 points off. Damn him.
Damn me and my fair, forgiving and enlightened nature that forced me to give credit where credit was due.

Hopeful

I came across this quote today in Chronicles and I thought I would share because I like it...

Hope is a necessity for normal life, and the major weapon against the suicide impulse. Hope is not identical with optimism. Optimism is distant from reality; like pessimism, it emphasizes the importance of "I". Hope is modest, humble, selfless; it implies progress; it is an adventure, a going forward - a confident search for a rewarding life. - Dr. Karl Menninger

Math Whiz

This is an excerpt from an article that I was reading on MSN...

If you try the diet-only approach, you need a clear idea of how much you should be eating. Multiply your weight by 10, then add your weight again to that sum: That gives you the number of calories you need to maintain your current weight without activity. For example, 135 pounds x 10 = 1,350 + 135 = 1,485 calories.

I'm no math whiz, but wouldn't it just be easier to multiply your weight by 11?

Small Victories

I had my follow-up breast ultrasound done.
Turns out the tumors have not come back, or whatever the hell they were checking for today.
So, I have that going for me... which is nice.

Who brought a knife to the party?

This is an article in the Cap Times today... http://www.madison.com/tct/news/stories/301383

WTF?
No seriously, WTF?
Normally, I would make some snarky comments here, but is it even really necessary?
There's no sport in shooting fish in a barrel.

Broken Again!

My curling iron broke again this morning.
AGAIN!
I've only had this one since June.
I'm so done with Conair.
I liked this curling iron because it was a combination curling iron/flat iron.
While convenient, this does me no good if the damn thing is always breaking.
So annoying!

Tie Breaker?

So, the 12 year old cheater went first in the Uneven Bars event finals and scored a 16.725.
Then, the non-cheater Nastia Liukin went and also scored 16.725.

The computer has some fucked program that figures out how to break the tie.
What the hell?
And naturally, the cheater has come out on top.

What a fucked up way to win the silver medal.

The announcers keep making comments like, well she [Nastia] knew the were tie breaking rules.
Um, okay. Who goes into the Olympics and thinks they're actually going to get a fucking tie?
A tie with a 12 year old cheater? A tie that gets you second place based on some stupid software program?

That's lame, IOC. And kind of bullshit.

ETA:
Bela Karolyi: Jah jah jah, this is ridiculous! Jah, jah, jah.

I couldn't have said it better myself, Bela.

Literally?

"You have to literally get back on the horse with your next event..." (Chris Collinsworth while interviewing gymnast Alicia Sacramone)
Huh?
No, Chris Collinsworth, not literally.
Unless...
Is she competing in some equestrian event, in addition to the individual finals?
Or, if I'm giving you a little leeway, is Alicia going to be the only girl competing in pommel horse this year?

Married?

My brother's Facebook account lists him as married to his girlfriend, Marie.
That's a joke, right?
It's like when Alexis tells a lie, it seems like it's probably a lie... there's a 99% chance it's a lie, but it could be the truth, that one lonely percent, so I'm just not completely sure.
The one bright side would be I'm pretty sure if he was idiotic enough to get married that his mom would finally let me taser the dumbass.

Hmm... that presents something of a moral dilemma for me.

On the one hand, we would have the possibility of tasering my young (under-age) married brother.
On the other, we would have no tasering, but the dumbass isn't married.

Normally, I'm going to advocate whatever position gets brother tasered... in this case?
Well, I guess he's already either married or not, so it doesn't matter what I "advocate."
Whew, another moral paradox taken out of my hands. Probably for the best on all sides of that one.

Long Drives and Babies

I am finally home again and my rear end is sore from so many hours in the car.
I am exhausted!
Today was Mandy's baby shower, so I spent 5 hours (at least) driving up to Point and back.
It was a fun, if bizarre day. Baby stuff is weird.
Some of it is so adorable, I can't get over it. Some of it is so weird and foreign I can't believe it's used to care for another human being.

Here's a shot of the three of us from the shower. Aren't we cute? This is a good pic of the three of us.


Lots of mothers and daughters share clothing. Mandy's just starting a bit early. Ha! I can't believe Mandy let me take this picture! Despite what Mandy said at the shower, you will notice that she's smiling in a number of these pictures. I think she had a better time than she's willing to admit. Although I teased her a bit today about being unhappy about the shower, I'm no better. You would think it would great being the center of attention and getting tons of presents. But, I don't remember enjoying my wedding shower that much. I just felt awkward and uncomfortable, so I really don't have a lot of room to accuse on that one.



Mandy with her sisters and niece. Kudos to Becky for planning and executing the whole thing.


Heather (Mandy's sister) holding the best candle I have ever seen.
He's a beach bum dude who is bald and has a rat tail.
I'm jealous.


A diaper cake. Made unfortunately out of baby items and diapers, not cake.

Alexis and Mandy at the shower.

The yummy spread from the shower. Alexis and I were so hungry when we got there! Everything was pretty yummy!

Admiration

When it comes to people I admire, the list isn't really that long.
And don't feel bad if you're not on it, I haven't ever actually met anyone on the list.
And I wouldn't put anyone I know on the list. I won't look up to you, because we have to be equals.
The people I admire and respect tend to make me put my own life in perspective.
They make me realize that whatever I have accomplished, there are greater accomplishments out there.
They make me realize that even though I am good at doing a lot of things, there are people who do them better.
These people make me work harder, even though sometimes they depress me.
They also possess talents I don't usually have myself.

Here are some (not all) of the folks on this admiration list for me: (Although they are numbered they are in no particular order)


1. Josh Beckett - He's my age. He and I graduated from college the same year. He also managed to win a world series ring that year. **I am an underachiever!
2. Julia Childs - I have grudgingly admitted her to the list recently. She's a cooking biddy, which is all well and good (although in all honesty, not enough to make the list), but she was also a spy. A mother-fucking spy! Sigh... my life is SO boring in comparison.
3. Tats - He is better than me at running and pretty much everything else at the gym. He gives me something to aim for.
4. Kanye West - Whatever else you want to say about him, he believes in himself and he believes in quality. I don't think there is anything he couldn't accomplish if that's what he decided he wanted to do.
5. My boss - The CEO of my company is a really and truly ethical person. "We believe that what we tolerate is what we stand for..." (I'd say her name, but then I know people at work have Google alerts set up for her name and I would rather be able to speak my mind on my blog)
6. Drew Barrymore - Look at young Hollywood today. Drew got herself into trouble when she was a teenager and somehow managed to pull herself together to become one a big star in Hollywood. She is a beacon of success in a sea of failures. She's had to figure out how to steer her own course. She's made herself into what she's become.


There are more, I just can't think of them at the moment.

Cupcakes

Remember how I told you about how a guy a work used the phrase "... takes the cake..."?

Well I was cautioning him against using it again as it has sparked a minor obsession with cake. And what did he say?

He told me that he was eating the most fabulous cupcakes yesterday!
I'm a little torn here...
On the one hand, he's clearly evil.
On the other, he's got cupcakes.
Evil = Access to cupcakes?

I'm not sure if I should hate him, or aspire to be more like him?

Either way, I still want cake. It doesn't help that I'm hun-gry! at the moment...

He's going to try to win every gold medal possible...

While watching the Men's All-around gymnastics competition, the announcer said that he had talked to Yang Wei (the Chinese competitor) and he told them that he was going to try to win every gold medal possible.

I assume he meant gymnastics gold medals in events in which he is competing.

If so, no fuck, huh?
Who goes to the Olympics and thinks, well I'm going to go for the gold in the team competition, but I think I'll let off the gas a little and aim for the bronze in the all around.

I'm just guessing, but I'm pretty sure that EVERYONE is going for the gold in EVERY competition, no matter what.

But, thanks NBC commentators, thanks for letting me know that in fact that Yang Wei is trying to win. That was both informative and interesting. I bet he's going to give 110%, too.


** Side note: That poor Japanese gymnast... I feel so bad for him. He is having a TERRIBLE night.

Ethics

I decided while watching the Men's synchronized springboard diving tonight that I'm only allowed to root for the athletes I want to win, I'm not allowed to root against those they are trying to beat.
(Exception: Trash talking Frenchmen)

So, I did not allow myself to root against the Ukrainian team, so the Americans could medal.

It's important to have standards.
Plus, I will cop to having a bit of a blood-thirsty side that usually only comes out in relation to some sort of sporting event.
(No, not Brewers games, but Badger b-ball versus Ohio State or Michigan State? You betcha. I don't just want the Badgers to win, I want them to slaughter them.)
I try to keep that sort of thing in check.

Thwarted

Everyone I need to talk to at the moment is MIA.
It's pissing me off.

I hate being thwarted.

Poor Girl

Alicia Sacramone looks like she is going to cry.
I feel for her, I really do.
It must feel like the weight of the world is bearing down on her shoulders.
Poor girl.
At least Nastia and Shawn also stepped out of bounds.
Not that that's good, but at least maybe she won't have to feel like the gold medal slipping through their fingers is entirely her fault.
A silver medal is still good. It still rocks, actually.

And just as a side note... really China? Really? All those girls are 16 are they?
Hmph. If you say so.

I think my mom could anchor this relay...

My favorite quote from the Olympics so far.
Rowdy Gaines said, "I think my mom could anchor this relay..." talking about the men's 4x200 freestyle relay.
Did you see that shit?
It wasn't as exciting as the men's 4x100 freestyle relay... true, but it was fucking amazing.
They didn't just break the world record. They crushed it.
They smashed it and ground it into little tiny bits of pieces.
It must have been awesome to get drafted for that team.

I imagine it went something like this....
Listen, kid, Michael Phelps is going to give you a phenomenal lead.
All you have to do is not suck.
Got that?
All you have to do is not suck and you can win a gold medal and perhaps break a world record.
Are you in?

That was awe inspiring. By the third swimmer, the Americans would have to gotten a cramp and died in order to lose. They would have had to quit swimming and started doing the doggie paddle.

So, I'll give you that Rowdy Gaines, your mother, my mother, any body's mother could have anchored for a win for the Americans.

Cake on the Brain

A guy at work used a cake reference at work.
"... and it takes the cake in this case..." is approximately what I think he said.
I can't stop thinking about cake since then... luckily only this afternoon.
I want white cake. Light fluffy, sweet, but not too sweet white cake.

(No comments about how you'd pick a better cake. It's my fantasy. Let me have my cake... even better if I could eat it too...)

WITH icing.
It makes my mouth water just to think about it.

But, there is no cake in my immediate future.
Maybe at Mandy's shower, but frankly, at the rate my brain is obsessing over cake, Mandy's shower might as well be in fifty years.

If you are wondering what my brain processes are like tonight. Here's a recap:
Cake
Cake
Cake
Gym
Cake
Cake
Olympics
Cake?
Cake??
CAKE???????
Sigh, no cake. :(

Happy Birthday

To no one in particular... where ever it may find you.

It's a Marathon, not a Sprint

I am exhausted today.
The Olympics were on until past 11:30 last night and 11 on Sunday.
This leaves me conflicted.
I love sleep.
I will make a lot of compromises to get a few extra minutes of sleep.
I also love the Olympics.
The Olympics only come around once every couple of years.

This puts me in an impossible situation.
Go to bed and miss the United States men's gymnastic team's struggles to pull out the bronze medal last night?
Stay up and be exhausted?
Well it's obvious what choice I made, but I'm going to be one cranky bitch if I can't catch up on sleep at some point.

Oh well...
Did you see the United States struggles to pull it out for the bronze medal last night?
It was kind of crazy.
The hard part is not really understanding how they score gymnastics.
That Justin guy (may or may not be his name) impressed me the most.
Were there magnets in his feet?
It seemed like he stuck every landing like he was jumping into glue.
Impressive!

Also, did you see the American swimmers last night?
Holy buckets!
It's almost an embarrassment of riches on the US swim team!
Michael Phelps didn't just beat the competition... he crushed them!
Aaron Piersol has been a favorite for a while. His attitude out of the pool is such the laid back surfer dude. Yet, he's amazing to watch in the water. He doesn't seem like the type to have the killer instinct (ahem... like Michael Phelps) so maybe he's just that good?

Go team!

ETA:  The husband reminded me that in fact it was the Jonathan kid, not the Justin guy who impressed me.

Suck it, France!

Ha!
Did you just see that 4x100 freestyle men's relay?
Too bad for you if you missed it because it was fucking awesome!
France was talking shit about coming to smash the Americans, and instead Jason Lezak manages to pull off the last hundredth of a second win over the French anchor (who was said shit-talker).
The husband and I were just screaming at the tv for them to "Go! Go!"
Damn, I love the Olympics!
That's some beautiful stuff.

Poor Romania

According to Sist-A and KhakiRepublican,
people who predict the end of the world and all that stuff have predicted that the anti-Christ will one day come from Romania.

(Maybe Sist-A will post a blog on how this conversation came up between them... *ahem*)

On the one hand, you have Dracula and the anti-Christ.
On the other, you have Nadia Comaneci.

All due props to Nadia Comaneci, but she really doesn't balance out the other end of that scale.

So, if you run into a Romanian in the next couple of days, be nice to them.
Heck, they might be the anti-Christ, and while I wouldn't suggest "joining ranks", you probably don't want to get on the bad side of somebody like that.
And if they aren't the anti-Christ, maybe you want to say something nice about Nadia Comaneci to them. You know, just give them that little ego boost. Let them know that we don't think Romania is all "immortal blood-suckers" and end-of-the-world-dooms-bringers.
It's the nice thing to do.

Brat

Sometimes I can be such a brat...
Shut it.
You're not supposed to agree.

ANYWAY!

I was at the grocery store tonight and I had to bag my own groceries.
Boo.
Booooooooooooo!

I don't know why it annoys me so much, but it does.
I don't want to bag my own groceries.
Isn't that what they pay the bag boys for?
Ugh!

Boo.

Ouch

I burned my tongue eating lunch. It hurts.

Maybe this will teach me some patience. Even if I'm really hungry I'll have to wait until my food is cooler to eat it.

That *sounds* like a good plan, but I wouldn't bank on it if I were you.

This Makes Me Sad...

I read this article on MSN today...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25875340/

Boo.
I can't even imagine how hard this would be.
For them, for their families.
You finally make it back. Make it back alive. And even then, you don't get any peace.
What kind of burden are we putting on a generation of young men and women in America?
Boo.