political dribblings

so, of course, i have been staked out on the couch in front of the tv beginning at 8p this week checking out the Democratic National Convention (DNC) being held in Denver this year. i've watched michelle obama and hilary clinton. i've heard the speeches of bill clinton and joe biden.

tonight, i first listened and then watched Barack Obama make his acceptance speech for the nomination for President of the United States of America. simply put, i was moved. i have typed all of this out because it is, undeniably, one of the most poignant events of history and one of the things in my life i will never, ever forget.

i am not without objectivity- politicians have to be charasmatic and generous in their promises- but i am so awed and so impressed with this man. i am overwhelmed in thinking of those who came before him. when i think of people who looked like me and faced raging, debilitating racist obstacles to even cast a vote - i cannot (and quite frankly am unable to imagine those who can) help but feel a swell of hope, pride and motivation. i know, i know, i can hear the music cued and the american flag waving. BUT, and i'm not exaggerating, for the first time in my life i would not mind hearing or seeing that.

i wonder about his choice of joseph biden for a running mate. i am far from a political historian or analyst but it seems a little risky. i just pray it pays off.

here's to november!

(did al sharpton lose weight again??)

just a deposit of thoughts

watching the olympics...i was before we left town but down at my mother and sister's homes there was nothing else to watch but the olympics. you would have thought NBC was the only station on their televisions. it actually got annoying. i, as ever other person in america, cheered on michael phelps. i have tired of seeing interviews with him though i really wish him well. as a former swimmer, it's good to see swimming get some respect. i never can recall another time when people cared that much about it. it's been encouragement to seek out a pool. one thing i will say for georgia, they had wonderful, accessible public pools. i'll have to do some digging for Vancouver though i do know of one in NE portland.

speaking of, the trip to georgia went really well. it was the first time i've traveled down there, lately, to attend something that had nothing to do with me. thank God!! it was such a touching moment to walk into my mom's house and hear my niece literally screaming for me to come over and acknowledge her. she is definitely one of those huge pieces of my heart. from that point on it was just family hanging out. my mom threw herself a wonderful party! she didn't stop dancing for the whole 4 hours and i wasn't too far behind. i love dancing and i like to get out on floor. i seem to only go out dancing once a year but man when i do..i do it. i'm a bit of a dance nerd though and love the line dances. i like to call them 'the reunion dances' because they are guaranteed to get everyone at a reunion up off their butts. the electric slide is the perverted old uncle of these but it can still be fun. our family's current favorite is the cupid shuffle. that was too fun. they only blip of the night was what i'm going to refer to as 'the Low incident'. this is a stupid song by a guy who calls himself Flo Rida in case you don't know. regardless of the stupidity it makes for something fun to dance to. well, someone requested the song and that was fine. all the women (plus JC just long enough to smack my booty) were on the floor and took turns 'getting low'. then the song repeated and repeated and repeated for a full 15 minutes. i kid you not. that DJ knew he was wrong. despite that it was a lot of fun. every single person there was out on the dance floor at some point. during a pause, a toast was made to my mom by, first, well, my mom (that's so her). her siblings took the mike next and then we, her children. my youngest sister got so choked up with emotion she made a bleating sheep kind of sound that made some think she was kidding. before they could laugh though- she burst into tears and the mike was quickly taken away. it was sweet. that catchall 'good times' is really appropriate to describe the long weekend.

all of that said, i'm glad to be home. it feels more like home than anywhere i've lived in the last two years...wow, that's a long time.

merry go round

Today was super until I stepped outside of my apartment. I was all jazzed to take care of all that crazy car stuff you have to do every time you move. I'm damn near a pro at it now. Having had to register my car/get a license in four states- I know a thing or two about how this is to work. That is until I met the forces of the state of Washington.

I have about $800 left on my car loan so naturally the bank holds the title to my car. In most other states they recognize that not everyone outright buys their car and so they have a leinholder; they accept the documentation of this and proceed to give you a registration card. NOT good ol' Washington. I have to have the bank fax them a copy of the title. Damnit! So that's just another thing i have to do. I called the bank. They can process the request for the fax in three days. wow, great, thanks. i am seriously wondering what people do at work all day. why does it take three days to read a piece of paper and then fax a piece of paper? I emailed JC's 250 page book to FedExKinko's, notorious for their incompetence, and they had it printed and bound for me in 2 hours. I don't get the three days thing. Whatever.

We leave for the A on Friday morning. I am not actually looking forward to it. I want to see everyone but I know that following that there will be no more trips out there. I am just getting used to being back out here: adjusting to being the "only one" everywhere, giving cyclists wide berth, coffee shops; all in  all, it's great and I am so happy to be out here. I've just never been good at goodbyes and trips keep digging in the wound. I am just loving the view from my terrace right now. Everything balances out.

"Don't lose the dinosaur"

Stepbrothers.  Lady ephany put the idea of movie watching in my head today. Not that it's never far from the forefront of my mind to see a movie but...

I visited Cinetopia with my friend and we saw the latest from the Judd Apatow money making manchild movie machine. I love me some alliteration.

Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly star as Brennan and Dale, respectively, who are 40 year old men still living with their parents who recently wed. That sentence should tell you pretty much all you need to know. It's a very silly film that felt like a ninety minute SNL skit- in other words it should have never gone on so long. This likely due to the fact that Adam McKay was the director. My mouth hung upon no fewer than five times just because of some truly vulgar moments. As the slapstick moments wore on, I was getting bored but then the "great life change" happened and that was a third act that worked well. Overall, the movie is coming of age story that is so predictable, gross and unrealistic you'll laugh in spite of yourself.  You just won't laugh very much.  C-

august redux

i think maybe i am not using 'redux' in its appropriate way but i like the way it sounds.

this month is almost eight days in and it has been a bucket of craziness. we pretty much got the apartment completely unpacked and settled-in-feeling by the month's beginning. on the 3rd i realized my birthday was but a month away. on the 4th i started work. on the night of the 5th i resigned. yesterday and today have brought time for reflection and tomorrow will bring two more job interviews.

i am feeling mixed about all of this. i have never left a job with such a short committment and notice. i am a bit ashamed about it but also proud of myself. the job that i was hired for was not what i walked into. i have a history of just taking what has been given to me and i have reached a definite limit on that kind of crap. so, i quit. as i mentioned, though, i have two other opportunities and i'm confident they'll both or one of them will pan out. it's all been an exercise in trusting my instincts. i'm not, for once, going to make a big "LESSON LEARNED" type of deal about it but i do appreciate the chance to be true to me.

in other news, i got some movie watching in. it's kind of pointless to review 'Incredible Hulk' and 'Iron Man'. they're comics-cum-movies. i am not a comic book reader but they were great fun. i didn't realize the connection between the two but that made it even more enjoyable.

there has been some sadness catching up to me about moving again but i am just letting the reality of what is my life now to just settle in.

well, it's almost eleven pm. time to pick up my husband because...i'm not working and we have one car. life.