World of Warcraft

That Mountain Dew commercial kind of makes me want to play World of Warcraft.

But, then I think, do I really need to be that girl? I really don't need another reason to sit around and play on the computer. I've already embraced my nerd-dom, but I'm not sure I need to ramp it up and take it to the next level.

I'm pretty happy with the level I'm on, so I'm not going to pursue this any further.

But, c'mon, it kind of looks fun, doesn't it?

Passion

Where has all the passion gone?
Long time passing.

Yesterday, on my way to get my hair salon, I passed a group of senior citizens holding up signs on the corner for Barack Obama.

The signs said stuff like "God Save America, Elect Barack Obama"
They were out there in their orthopedic shoes and old people wrap around shades fighting the good fight.

What happened to my generation? Why are we so lethargic?
It seems like nothing stirs us to action.
No matter how bad it gets, we seem able to turn a blind eye.
No matter what the impetus, we don't want to leave the safety of our couches.

Our parents protested. They had sit-ins. They marched on Washington.
They threw caution to the wind. They put more value on their beliefs than their personal safety.
They were outraged. They had passion.
Or maybe, they didn't.
I wasn't there, maybe history makes it look more widespread than it was.
But it seems as though some of them had passion at least.

I want that.
I want to feel passionate about something.
I want to feel moved to action.

I stopped by the Democratic Headquarters in Monroe today and bought an Obama sign for the yard. I talked to them about volunteering. If they have something for me to do that doesn't involve phone banking, I'm there. They seemed to believe they do.
It's not the complete package.
It's not the passion I'm looking for, but at the very least it's a step in the right direction.
Can you baby step towards passion?

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.

Life

Life is hard, and it never turns out quite the way you imagined.
The road seems so clear when you are a child.
You get older and follow a pre-specified path, first grade, second grade, etc.
There is right (get good grades, share your toys) and wrong (fighting with your sister, lying).

Somewhere along the way the trail tapers off.
You realize that you're not following a path anymore. You find that you are standing alone in the forest wondering where the hell the path went.
The line between right and wrong gets fuzzier. The gray areas grow larger. You start to miss the old black and white days.
You either stay at your current job or leave for another one.
You either stay with your spouse or strike out on your own.
You live in one community or another.
You drive one car versus another.

The decisions are no longer right or wrong, they are just different.
So, how do you decide?

In one way, it's sort of comforting.
No matter how badly you fuck up, you've never left the path, because it was always your own anyway.
In every other way, it's just confusing.
If you are the only one setting your path, how the hell do you know where to go?

Most of the time, I don't really think about it. I just do what I do and let the path determine itself. Although I'm not entirely sure that this is the best way to live, it is easier to be happy this way... I think.

Other times, I feel like I am drowning.

No matter what decision I make at any given point, there is always that one eternal question that looms above everything I say and do, "Where do we go from here?"

Could anybody lend me a map?