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Government Efficiency - Who Woulda Thunk It?
Author: Jenn, Category: Life
I just have to say - I’m pretty damned impressed with the State Department.
I’m hoping to make time to visit England in February. It’s my first international trip (other than a trip to Canada as a kid, which I don’t count). I didn’t have my passport yet.
While I knew not to expect the 12-week-style delays of last year, I was expecting it to at least take 2 - 3 weeks before I’d get it.
To my amazement, it arrived yesterday - just 5 business days after applying. I don’t know if I’ve ever been that shocked on checking the mail.
I was anxious for it for a few reasons:
1. I didn’t want to seriously look into hotels and flights until I knew I had that in-hand.
2. I found out recently that I was born a dual-citizen (US and German). I needed to get this passport before I could go up to NY to the German mission and apply for a German passport as well.
Because it came so quickly (and if I get some news I’m expecting this week), I may even have the German passport before going to England. I don’t really need it while I’m in England, but if and when I go back to Europe, it means I can travel a bit more freely (read: quickly) between EU countries. Being the family history buff that I am, it’s also pretty exciting uncovering a birthright like that - especially one that connects me to the most difficult branch of my family tree to trace (my namesake no less).
Election 2008 - Just Have to Say It
Author: Jenn, Category: Life
I was never a huge Obama fan. But over the last few weeks I warmed to him a bit more. I didn’t find it surprising - I’m never a huge fan of any politician.
Anyway, I voted for him (I believe I had 5 elections yesterday, and voted pretty typically - on a case by case basis that ended up with 3 democrats and 2 republicans).
I tried to convince myself that I shouldn’t watch the results come in. The last time I did was 2000, when I voted for Gore, and well… we all know how that one went. I gave in though. I couldn’t resist.
I ended up watching MSNBC (mostly because I’ve always like Chris Matthews). I was nervous as hell. After voting it got worse - I realized there wasn’t much more I could do but wait.
So I waited.
And thankfully I didn’t have to wait very long.
Around 11pm, they announced it - Obama will be our next president.
Something happened - a reaction I didn’t expect, because I didn’t realize previously exactly how “down” I really was about this country and our government. I cried - like a friggin’ baby. Not because we had our first black president (that’s historically important of course, but I hope it doesn’t distract everyone from everything else this election says). I cried instead because this huge weight was lifted - this incredible, heavy gloom that loomed over me for much of the last 8 years was gone.
Yes, Bush is still our president. But for the first time in years I realized that I could have faith in the American people again. I was finally proud again. We stood up, and said “Not anymore!” We took the country back, and can finally look forward to trying to heal - our economy, our relationships with other nations, and our relationships with each other.
I know everyone’s not happy about the results. Frankly though, I don’t give a damn. Those who feel that dread now can finally see what so many of us felt and feared for years. They called us “Un-American” while being so out of touch with what the American people really wanted themselves. I don’t see us doing the same. In time, I hope that most people will warm to Obama like I did (I know “all” never will). More importantly, I hope he earns that respect and warmth by finding ways to unite us after the divisions of the Bush administration.
I think everyone with an ounce of sense knows things won’t suddenly change for the better the moment he takes office - things take time. We took 8 years to fuck up this country, and it’s going to take time to fix it. What I’m finding amazing here though is that Obama’s helped a lot of folks realize that they can take steps to fix it - they’re not just puppets of their government. And for that, I’m pretty damned thankful. It’s exciting to see that excitement brewing in people who want to get involved. Let’s hope Obama keeps that spirit alive.
Listening to Obama’s speech, I didn’t hear anything overly fascinating. It was about what I expected, and he delivered it well as he often does. I was particularly happy to hear him reaching out to the international community though. Having so many international friends, colleagues, and clients, I often hear what others around the world really think of us beyond what we hear from our government or in the media, and frankly it’s been scary (even from people in countries that are supposed to be our allies). I think Obama will make an excellent diplomat, and I hope he steps up on that front.
Listening to McCain’s speech was similar I suppose. I figured he’d concede as gracefully as possible and not do anything to even further damage his party’s reputation (like acting like a whiny, pouting bitch demanding recounts left and right). So bravo to him for that and for asking his followers to unite under our new president elect. I do wish he’d put less emphasis on the race issue early in the speech though. At the time, I almost got the vibe that it was a “he won because he’s black” sort of thing (although I’m sure that was unintentional), and it disturbed me until he moved past it. Nothing terribly surprising in what he said, but I have to admit, it was the best speech I heard him give. Why he sounded more passionate and involved in a concession than in running is beyond me. Or maybe I was too caught up in feeling hope, faith, and pride last night to hear any typical boring, droning elements.
Anyway, congratulations to the incoming first family. Now let’s sit tight and see Obama’s first important decisions - who he fills his cabinet with.
I received more campaign garbage in the mail on Saturday, including one flyer that really rubbed me the wrong way.
It was dubbed something like a “complete voting guide” for one of the parties - listing the party’s presidential candidate and all of the local, state, etc. folks running. That was their “complete guide” - a list of names, with the party name emphasized below each one, and the office they’re running for. No mention of the issues.
What really got me is that the list was done in vote ballot format, showing voters that they could either manually fill in their little circles for each one, or that they could just fill in their little party bubble and vote party lines.
That’s always disgusted me. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think anyone should be allowed to place all votes across party lines by simply filling in a little circle (or whatever you do where you are). While I’m sure this is an unpopular opinion, I feel that if you don’t know the issues, you really have no “right” to vote in that particular race. Anything else is ignorance - something we have far too much of here already. I’m sure it happens elsewhere, but obviously it’s on my mind locally with the election tomorrow.
I never vote in a race where I’m not aware of the candidates’ positions on issues that are important to me. I also never vote strictly along party lines - I very regularly end up with a pretty even mix of votes for liberal and conservative candidates depending who I feel is the best man or woman for the job, period. There’s no other valid reason to vote for someone as far as I’m concerned. And frankly, as an American, knowing exactly what we’re voting for is more than a simple suggestion - it’s our responsibility.
So if you’re an American who plans to vote tomorrow, I truly hope that you’re more than just a label.
Supermarkets are Evil
Author: Jenn, Category: Life
Nowhere else but the local supermarkets do I ever go with plans to buy 2 - 3 things, coming out with armloads of groceries. And just to stick it to me, they always entice me to buy more frozen crap than I have room for in my freezer. It’s like nature’s way of keeping my mind fresh with puzzle games - I have to rearrange shit until everything fits. Fortunately I usually figure something out.
My 9-11 “Tribute”
Author: Jenn, Category: Life
September 11, 2001 was a tragedy. I think we’re at the point where companies, artists, etc. really need to pull their lips off of the American people’s asses and stop using it as a fucking marketing gimmick.
That is all.
Sunday night I had a dream about a guy I know (while he was the main focus, he wasn’t the main person involved). Anyway, it was totally fucked up, and since I rarely remember my dreams this vividly beyond the following morning, I thought I’d share:
It started with me and this guy I know together (we were “involved” in the dream - apparently exclusively - assume such as least, as I don’t do things any other way). We both lived in NY (although we both live pretty far from NY in reality - me near Philly and him, well, “elsewhere”). I was having a small get-together and was borrowing a DVD from him to watch with the friends and family coming by. He said he couldn’t make it. OK.
No big drama during the get-together (barely remember that part). Afterwards is when it got exciting. It was late on a weekend evening, so I figured I’d surprise him with a late night visit. So I grab his DVD (may as well return it while I’m there), and head to his place.
I get there and knock. Someone else answers the door - there’s a party going on (no wonder he couldn’t be bothered to come over - and it was obvious he didn’t want me knowing about it). Everyone’s completely toasted.
I don’t see him anywhere, so I ask this guy where to find him (in real life, this guy doesn’t exist, but in the dream I knew he was the other guy’s best friend - oddly I remember what he looked like pretty vividly - about 3 inches shorter than me - or maybe taller and just not standing up too straight because of his “condition”, a bit of a baby face, with blondish, short, not quite spiked-not quite buzzed hair). Anyway, he’s obviously been drinking way too much. He tells me the guy I’m there to see is back in the bedroom.
I go back there, DVD still in hand, and open the bedroom door.
The bed itself is completely stripped. All of the bedding is down on the floor where he, 3 chicks, and another guy are all having a little post-fuck-fest smoke. Needless to say, in the dream, relationship… over. The odd thing is that I didn’t say a word about what I’d walked in on, and he didn’t even begin to act like he was doing anything wrong (and I normally would have said something - or perhaps lunged for a sharp object). Instead, what I do say is that his best friend is completely drunk off his ass, and I ask if he wants me to take his keys and have him crash there. He tells me to “let the bastard drive himself home.”
And even more oddly, that’s what finally had me livid in the dream. I threw his DVD at him (I’ve thrown worse) and slammed the door behind me. He didn’t even seem phased.
So I go back out to the front room to his best friend. He’s not in the mood to give up the keys. So I turn on the helpless damsel in distress routine, asking him ever-so-sweetly to give me a ride home (wasn’t going to let him drive alone). Between there and his car I manage to charm him into giving up the keys and letting me drive (nevermind how).
Problem: I have no idea where the guy lives, and he keeps babbling something that makes no sense. Lovely.
So I take him back to my place. I get him setup on the bed, and I go out to my living room and crash on the couch.
In the morning, I don’t have a clue why, but before he woke up, I got up and left for some reason. So he wakes up in my bed, only vaguely remembering anything from the night before.
He goes to his friend (the one throwing the party the night before) and tells him that I must have slept with him (there’s no sign I was on the couch - I guess I’d cleaned up before I left?).
And the oddest, most infuriating part of the dream? My then-ex, or whatever he was, came storming into my place later that day furious at me for “sleeping with” his best friend. Needless to say I was baffled - a fucking orgy the night before and he barely blinked when I showed up, but he had the nerve to be pissed at me for looking out for his best bud. We got into a screaming match, and I guess that part was tense enough to finally wake me up, because that’s where it ended.
–
I really don’t get my mind sometimes - I have plenty of screwy dreams. But this one actually made a lot of sense. It was like an over-dramatized version of exactly how I’ve been feeling in regards to this person over the last few weeks - the drinking, the orgy bit, the getting upset with me over something small when he’d done worse without even acknowledging it, and even the DVD … it completely made sense.
Perhaps it was just my mind’s way of trying to work out issues and what I wish I had the nerve to do. Or maybe it was my mind’s way of showing me that our own bit of bickering and frustration really isn’t a big deal or anything to be too upset over in the grand scheme of things. I honestly have no clue. But seriously… I should work that scene into the novel I’m working on. (j/k)
Gotta love dreams where you wake up, still feeling the raw emotion of it all.
(And for the record, I had a much more pleasant dream about said guy last night, so at least it’s not like my dreams are telling me I subconsciously hate him or something - always a good thing.)
So… any dream interpreters in the house? lol
Why I Don’t Mind Sex Spam
Author: Jenn, Category: Life
I get a lot of spam every day that doesn’t get picked up by my filters. Why? Because I have to keep settings low, or half of the bands I have to deal with can’t email me. *sigh*
Anyway…
One of the most amusing parts of my morning is sifting through the early messages - usually about half legitimate / half spam. Of the spam, most are sex-related (celebrity porn, viagra, etc. with the stupid links to stupid things you should never click on of course).
I was just getting ready to hit the sack and decided on one last email run.
This little sex spam message was just darling:
“My rod is so long that 3 girls could lick them at the same time”
It was actually quite mundane until the “them.” Bravo spam-meister. Bravo. (Frankly though, I think one “rod” is too much trouble as it is.)
Sleep, Sex, or Chocolate
Author: Jenn, Category: Life
I’m having one of my “exhausted days” today. It’s just been busy with new client work on top of my own sites and such (and errands to run, and an inspection of my apartment to see if plumbing, tiles, wiring, etc. needed to be updated, and, and, and…).
I’m finally in slow-down mode (although I have a sneaking suspicion I’m going to try to get a little bit more work done to make tomorrow less hectic before bed). The day has had me thinking - what’s the best form of stress relief when I really need to unwind?
- Sleep?
- A good, hard workout?
- Yoga session?
- Getting a massage?
- Getting laid?
- A long, hot soak in the tub?
- Candles and a cup of herbal tea?
- Calling a friend, family member, or anyone else I care about?
- Chocolate?
- A good movie?
- Meditation?
- A long drive?
- Some Sinatra? (or jazz, or classical, or whatever I’m in the mood for)
What relaxes me best? What do I enjoy the most? I’m really not sure. Maybe it’s blogging (oh, please no). Or maybe what I could use tonight is a little bit of everything - can you imagine what that night would look like?
So tell me… what relaxes you? Are any “essentials” missing from my list? I’m always open to new ideas.
Fall is in the Air
Author: Jenn, Category: Life
It feels like fall today. Well at least in my apartment it feels like fall today (outside it’s going to around 80 degrees or so). It started last night.
I left my air conditioner on until I went to bed, which was about three hours later than I’d expected (so the apartment was pretty cool by that point - enough so to give me shivers). I was just too caught up in what I was working on to notice before then.
So I climbed into bed, loving the warmth of pulling the covers up over me (almost like a cold Autumn night). It was a reality check - cooler weather’s just around the corner. God that’s a nice thought!
I love the fall. All year long I wait for it to be fall - the leaves changing colors and dropping from the trees, the cool, crisp, blustery breezes, that “fresh” kind of smell to the air, soccer season, holidays rolling around… doesn’t get much better. I think me hating the summer so much is the best part of it - it makes me appreciate the fall all that much more when things change over.
So there I was, freezing in bed, deciding whether or not to dig out another blanket from the closet (I opted against it - that would have meant getting out of what warmth I did have already). And you know what? I was happy. I was bloody ecstatic. I’m always more chipper during that time of year, and apparently “artificial fall” can be just as nice.
So today my apartment is still quite cold. I have an apple cinnamon candle burning next to me. And golly gee, I think it might be time for a nice hot chocolate. 
President Schmesident
Author: Jenn, Category: Life
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been finding myself thoroughly un-impressed with the presidential campaigns. I’m at the point where you may even say I just don’t give a rat’s ass anymore.
- I really don’t know who I plan to vote for (and neither is doing a great job of convincing me). I consider myself pretty independent. I always vote for the candidate I think is best for the job at hand - I vote pretty cleanly down the middle between Democrats and Republicans. Then again, I’ve not yet felt inclined to vote for a Republican for president. I said years ago that if I ever did, McCain would probably be it. But now I don’t know.
- I can’t stand this lead-up to elections where grown men (and women) think acting like children with their silly campaign ads and stupid remarks actually demonstrates they should (or could) lead this country. Would they act the same way if we have international disputes, tossing out insults the way they do during campaigns? This shit just drives me nuts - and makes me glad I never got into political PR as I once planned. Maybe it’s odd given my line of work and the bad reputation that sometimes comes along with it, but aside from the insult ads, I find it disgusting whenever I hear their canned speeches designed to do nothing more than persuade the ignorant masses. Then again, perhaps the “ignorant masses” deserve whatever they get if they can’t be bothered to read into things.
- One of the big things that will be influencing my vote this Fall is which candidate can do the most to improve our international reputation and relationships. And that’s one issue I’m really torn over. On one hand, McCain is more experienced, so he has that edge. On the other hand, Obama is charismatic enough that I get the feeling he’d be a good bet on the relationship-building front. But is that enough? Probably not. (Then again, our current president hasn’t done a huge amount of thinking for himself, so perhaps it wouldn’t be a big change.) And then there’s McCain - sure he’s experienced, but would he be able to hold a conversation with international leaders without putting them to sleep? They should record the man and sell the album - “McCain After Dark?” - better than a lullabye.
I’m a big believer in voting. But I’m a bigger believer in only voting if you’re actually informed about who or what you’re voting for. I guess I look at it this way - as an American it’s your responsibility to stay informed and then to vote for the best candidates; not vote simply along party lines (as far as I’m concerned, anyone doing that deserves to be shot for sheer stupidity).
Yet when push comes to shove, I really don’t think most voters care so much about the issues as they do about having their registered party represented. Sure, we have a few that sway (like the bitter Clinton-supporters threatening mutiny), but in the end do most people really think for themselves when voting? Or is all of this pathetic campaign bullshit just a nice little show they put on every 4 years (kind of like the Olympics - but for exercising one’s mouth)?
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