artykins

So a friend of mine sent out a list of 26 things about herself that people might or might not know about her and to kill 20 minutes here at the office, I've decided to do the same.

1) I've never broken a bone.

2) I used to play left forward on a soccer team.

3) I stopped playing soccer because of an accident that involved an opposing team member, a freshly rained-out field and a chain link fence.

4) My jeans always end up ripping in the inner thigh when they're old and worn in...and subsequently most comfortable.

5) I love swimming.

6) I hate flying.

7) I'm applying to grad school this year.

8) I love all things Mac.

9) I have a love affair-like relationship with Jasmine tea.

10) I don't exercise nearly as much as I should.

11) I love my job, but hate my boss.

12) I've been to the top of the Golden Gate Bridge.

13) I've been to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

14) I still look at my wedding ring and think how beautiful it is.

15) My best friends are my husband, my brothers and my parents.

16) I think I'm borderline obsessive-compulsive.

17) My love life before I got married was complicated at best.

18) My faith in God is being refined.

19) I'm becoming more and more convinced that Calvin is right.

20) I'm a snob when it comes to music.

21) I love smart TV shows.

22) I love shoes.

23) I love skirts but rarely wear them because they're not exactly the warmest article of clothing.

24) I'd very much like to open up a little cafe someday.

25) I'm struggling with my pride because when it comes right down to it, at the end of the day, I'm no better than her and I know it.

26) It's a dream of mine to buy land, build a house and take care of my family there.

So Matt and I are watching Sleeping Beauty of blu-ray and the DVD knows what time it is in my kingdom and what the temperature is because it's connected to the internet.  It's amazing.  I love technology.

So I've re-affirmed my self-proclaimed whore-ish-ness today with the history surrounding the inauguration of Barack Obama.  I've been clear of any pre-inaugural stuff simply because we don't have a cable connection for the TV.  It's basically there, hooked up to our PS3, for movies and other DVDs.  But today, I was given the chance to watch a live stream of the ceremony at work.  It was amazing.  My boss actually paged me over the phone and asked if I was watching it, to which I replied 'No, but I'm thinking of pulling up a live feed within the next couple minutes' to which she responded 'Sounds good to me' and hung up.

Given that small blessing, I pulled up msnbc.com on my computer and tapped into the live stream.  I also set Linda up on her computer so she could watch it.  Thing is, my sound was on a two second delay behind hers, so I just muted my sound and listened to hers while looking at all the festivities on my own screen.

I have to say, I was weary about Obama when he accepted the party nomination.  Then again, I was weary of that Republican dude whose name everyone forgot the moment he gave his resignation speech after losing to Obama.  Cheney?  No, that's the guy in the wheel chair today.  The former vice-president.  You know.  Sarah Palin's running mate.  Yeah.  That guy.

I was wary of both parties simply because there didn't seem to be definite and clear answers to anything.  But then again, when debates (the life-blood of politics) turn into mud-slinging contests where each candidate tries to get a bigger barrel of dirt on the other guy, I lose all interest because at that point, dignity is lost and it's something that can't easily be regained.  That's right.  Lost forever.  And I usually get lost with it.  I just don't have time to listen to potential leaders...people who will affect my every day life with policies and decisions...point fingers at each other and say 'he's worse than I am and here's why.'

Yes, mistakes are made and will be made.  The American people hold presidential candidates to a standard that demands them to be perfect, to make all the right decisions.  That's a flaw in us.  Perfection is not something to be attained, nor is it something we should ever hope for.  We can't by nature grasp it, physically, mentally or spiritually.  We can certainly try, but it's not going to happen in our lives.  

That said, I don't think a presidential candidate should be held to an 'average' standard.  If you and I can pick up and reposition a heavy box, the president should be able to pick up and reposition a mountain.  He needs to be held to a higher standard.  That's an absolute truth.  He should be held to a higher standard and that's because he is in the public eye for his term.  His family is in the public eye for his term.  Sure, people are going to criticize, but to lash out just for the sake of having something to say about that criticism isn't and doesn't deserve the loftiness of the office of the president.  It just doesn't.

Again, that said, I found myself harboring a slight hope inside myself when Obama was sworn in.  He cares about what people think, but not to the extent of caring what Linda Wells, editor-in-chief of Allure magazine has to say about the first lady's dress.  Really?  Come on, Linda.  She's the first lady and as such wields some power which demands your respect.  Spend your day rating the Hollywood disasters no one cares about anymore.  I'm actually disgusted.

But back to the hope I found inside myself.  It was strange.  I've spent my life not knowing anything other than a Bush or a Clinton in office.  I was born under the administration of Bush Sr., was a girl/young lady when Clinton was in office and (sadly) spent my first presidential vote in a race between Bush Jr. and John Kerry.  Like there was much of a choice there, let alone reason to be excited about any prospects my future held.  But with Obama, I find myself perking up with the idea of change.  Change has indeed come and there's really no reason why it shouldn't.

It's an uphill battle Obama will have to face now.  It'll take two years (maybe longer) for him to undo the mess we're currently in, internationally, domestically, economically, etc.  By then, approval ratings will have dipped because he'll have 'wasted' two years getting nothing done and people don't seem to understand that in the White House, for every step we take forward, we often take two back in a different direction.

Still, I hope that he's effective as a president.  I hope and I pray that he'll be kept safe, that his wife and daughters will be kept safe, all of the hidden beneath the wing of God.  I hope he can administer policy and grapple with the hard questions that haven't been formed yet.  I hope he reforms education and turns public schools into palaces.  I hope he stabilizes the economy and creates jobs for the unemployed, healthcare for the sick and security for the elderly.  

I also hope he keeps his sights set on loftier things that what some editor-in-chief of some fashion magazine says about his wife's clothing.  Because when it comes right down to it, he may be annoyed and put off by criticism against his wife (as is his right, really), but at the end of the day, what Linda Wells has to say doesn't matter, especially when she's only one voice of millions.  The other voices need to be heard.

So I sat at my desk today, thinking of all of that.  Here's hoping, kids.

Happy new year to you, my readers!  I trust you all did something wild and outrageous on New Years' Eve.  Personally, I did something so wild and so outrageous it defies description.  Despite my company (namely, my brothers) wanting to go streaking at the stroke of midnight, I spent the days before and after January 1st with a cold.  My New Years' Eve frivolity consisted of drugging myself heavily with cold medicine and falling asleep before midnight.

Matt even tried to wake me up, but he recalls that I was 'cranky' which probably isn't so far from the truth.  I'm not at my best at the 'waking up' stages of the day.  In fact, if I could, I'd totally be part bear and sleep through the winter.  But then I'd miss Christmas.  And winter is my favorite time of year, so I'd miss that.  Maybe a koala bear would be best.  They don't hibernate, I don't think, and they sleep for 20 hours a day and spend the rest of their time eating.  Sounds good to me!

Christmas this year was nice, as it usually is.  Uncle Ron and Aunt Becky came over with Pepper and we all ate and opened gifts and were generally very pleased with each other's company.  Pepper was able to sniff out one of her presents under the tree and whined until we opened it for her.  She then made herself quite happy stretched out near the fireplace with her new rawhide bone where she remained throughout all the present opening.

We all did pretty well this year, gift-wise.

I got lots of socks, which is what I wanted.  I got some new shirts, a beautiful blue leather-bound book from Jeff containing The Odyssey and The Iliad.  It's now next to the red leather-bound copy of The Scarlet Pimpernel that he gave me a couple years ago.  I got completely awesome dishes, a rad bowl and a rockin' cookie jar.  I got a 9"x13" cooking dish from my grandmother (which means I can now make lasagna!).  I got a pizza pan, Matt and I got a shredder as a joint gift from Uncle Ron and Aunt Becky (woo!) and Matt (DARLING WONDERFUL MAN THAT HE IS!) got me a pair of diamond earrings.  Yeah.  I wear those ALL the time, needless to say.

Dia de los Reyes is coming up this week.  Tomorrow, actually, but since it's in the middle of the week, we're celebrating on Saturday.  That, of course, means that all the viejos will be over at the house generally making noise and laughing and eating good food.  It also means some more presents, although there's never as much as Christmas.  I'm hoping for more socks!  I'm in need of new ones.

I'm also getting a new computer at work.  I'd be more excited if it was a brand spanking new Mac product.  As it is I'm being saddled to an HP Pavilion complete with Vista operating platform.  Oh yeah.  I'm super excited about that and you should be able to tell by the sarcasm dripping in my voice.  Still, it comes with 3 GB of RAM, which is a definite step up from my 448 MB of RAM.  It should take a couple days to be delivered and then a morning or afternoon for me to set it up and transfer all my files, which I've burned onto CDs as compressed files.  All in all, I'm a little impressed with myself for doing all this technological sorcery.  I usually leave that to Matt.

Staff meeting is tomorrow and at the suggestion of my illustrious leader, I'm going to purchase some cans of chili later this afternoon and set it up in a crock pot for that.  I'll also grab some sour cream, some scallions and some cheese.  It should be fun and save me having to go out tomorrow morning for something when Trader Joe's is crawling with customers.

Right now, however, my left eye is making me crazy.  I want to scratch it out because it's itching and watering like crazy!  More later.

- Arty