My Take on the Debates

So I am officially old. I spent a Friday night glued to the TV watching the presidential debates - and I actually enjoyed it.

It definately wasn't a slam dunk for either candidate. Obama started off very strong, but McCain eventually came back to hold his ground. I think most people have their minds made up regardless of the debates, but I don't think that the candidates managed to sway those crucial independent votes who don't quite know who to vote for yet.

I thought I would point out some of the things that stood out to me:

1. Foreign Policy: McCain came down on Obama because Obama thinks that the US should sit down and attempt relations and diplomacy with hostile countries (Iran, Korea, etc..). He said that the use of sanctions to "punish" them is clearly not working because those countries are getting stronger. The U.S. no longer has that clout, because in a global economy, sanctions do not affect those countries as much as they used to (just because we wont buy their goods, doesnt mean that other countries won't). McCain states that speaking to the leaders of those countries will seem like we are legitimizing them and we should continue sanctions until they back down and agree to our terms (disarming, etc..). I fully agree with Obama on this and I feel that he did a much better job convincing his argument.

2. The Middle Class - I think McCain did a horrible job when it came to relating to the middle class. There was no mention of this on his part during the entire debate. It was a little depressing. He did talk about giving small businesses tax breaks. "Small business" sounds like it benefits the little guy, right? But then I thought about it. I used to work for a winery that would qualify as a small business. The owners lived in La Jolla in a multi million dollar house. I'd be surprised if anyone that worked there made more than $30k/yr. More tax breaks would only ensure the owners get a little richer and possibly add a few more minimum wage jobs. The tax breaks would be better suited to go to workers, not the businesses. This is an area where I thought I had more conservative republican views, but Obama won me over on that issue too.

3. Iraq - I was sucker and fell for the whole need to invade Iraq thing too. Lets admit it. We were wrong, we made bad decisions and used our military inappropriately. We should have been in Afghanistan and possibly Iran, not Iraq. This is where I agree with Obama. He even stated that our invasion of Iraq has caused Iran to get stronger (Iraq and Iran were enemies). McCain is still unwilling to admit that we screwed up.

However, we messed up. We can't just pull out and leave Iraq in shambles. We broke it, we fix it. It was a costly mistake, both fically and the human toll it took. Obama seems to want to establish a timeline and get out ASAP so we can move on to other pressing issues. I don't necessarily think thats realistic and possible. McCain might have the upper hand in handling the current situation over there.

Neither candidate was committing to anything regarding the financial crisis we are in. Im very disappointed that we are bailing out all these companies. The CEO's are giving themselves billion dollar bonuses, yet the taxpayers have to bail out their failed businesses?

Intelligence by Proxy

A few weeks ago, over a political dinner discussion, my friend made a statement that I thought was very intelligent and insightful. Ironically, she's always calling me her smart friend. Among the topics under discussion was the subject of same sex marriage. She said that while she personally does not think its right, she didn't think she should impose her morals on everyone else.

I have the same mindset, yet, I had never really been able to express those thoughts, so it was like a light bulb went off when she said that.

I mean, imagine if we start passing laws based on what kind of morals people should have. The Catholics could push a ban on birth control, because according to them, its morally irresponsible to interfere with God's will. Or maybe a group should try to enact legislation banning sex before marriage, based solely on the fact that its morally wrong and leads to broken families and disease. While they may be correct, should government have such a large say in your personal life?

Barbados

Well, all this talk of Belize and Costa Rica, yet good deals and the decreased threat of hurricanes put us in Barbados for the week. Barbados is in the Carribean, off the coast of Venenzuela. Jakes mom came for a few days to watch the kids and then my parents took over for the rest of the time, so the kids were in good hands.


I've never been too excited to see the Carribean. When I travel, I like to see the country and experience the culture. Staying at a resort sunbathing on the beach all week just isn't my thing. From what I had heard, the Carribean doesn't have much to offer once you leave the resorts, so I'd never really put much thought into going there.


Nevertheless, we went and had a really good time. Not only is every beach public in Barbados, but every beach is unbelievably beautiful. The water is crystal clear and is the same temperature as a lukewarm bath. The people there are very friendly, go out of their way to help tourists, and do absolutely nothing half-assed when it comes to ensuring you get what you paid for. There isn't a lot to see in terms of sightseeing, but we were still able to fill our days with lots of fun activities.


I experienced my first scuba dive during this trip. WOW. It was an amazing experience. I managed to make my air supply last 41 minutes (being that this was my first dive and I was very nervous, this is very good) and I overcame all my fears. No sharks ate me, I didnt panic and inhale water while 40ft under, and my lungs didnt explode from not breathing correctly. I had the pleasure of seeing all kinds of sea life swimming around a ship that had been sunk 50 years ago.


On another day, we went on a catamaran. Due to my severe sea sickness (I get sea sick almost from swimming alone), I needed a hefty and constant dosage of dramamine to endure this. There was a really obnoxious british woman on there that provided much of the entertainment. Her itsy bitsy bikini on her orca-like body (well, except for the boobs - those looked more like udders from the biggest cow youve ever seen) and her immodesty about everything was a show in itself. They provided us with an open bar and a scrumptious delicious Bajan lunch. We made a few snorkeling stops and we even got to swim with giant sea turtles.


We also went on an island tour. A crazy, barefoot, middle-aged Irish-Bajan man named Ted took us around the island on a bus. He gave us a little historical information, as well as many other interesting facts about the island. In between the serious informational chats, he would put on a comedy routine and tell such awful jokes that you couldnt help but laugh. We stopped at a few points of interests, but I have a feeling those stops were mostly to fill us up on rum punch. I was rum punched out at this point (rum punch is flows like water on the island). At one of the stops I had "rum punch" (not the drink, this is what a bajan man working the tour was named) cut me open a coconut and I drank the juice (or is it milk?) inside instead. When I mentioned that it wasn't as sweet as I was expecting, he chopped off a piece of sugar cane from the sugar cane field we were standing in and showed me how to eat it.


Overall, we had a really good time. I was able to relax quite a bit and I came back refreshed. I notice that I have a lot more patience with the kids and feel like I have been recharged. One week of no contact (besides email) with the outside world did my body (and mind) good.



Jake and I outside our hotel







Sugar cane field overlooking an incredible view

My pal "Rum Punch" cutting open my coconut

Politics

McCain chooses Palin, Obama chooses Biden. Honestly, I feel like either one would be a billion times better than what we have and neither would be terribly bad. McCain isn't afraid to stand up for what he thinks is right, even if it means pissing off his party. I find that admirable. And I like that he picked a woman VP. Obama also has that same independent quality. He wasn't afraid to say how stupid the federal gas tax break idea was, even when the other Democratic candidates were for the popular plan. However, I'm a little more liberal than McCain is and a teeny bit more conservative than Obama. So how is this newly-registered Independent going to vote?

I've decided that I have to pick issues that are important to me. So I've narrowed it down to a few. 1. Environmental Issues 2. Inequalities 3. Economy/War 4. Immigration

1. Even though McCain has much more progressive views on environmental issues than most of his republican counterparts, I'm not sure he goes far enough. Palin has stated that the Alaska pipeline is "God's will". Uh huh. Whatever... Was the Exxon-Valdez oil spill also God's will? Until people have an incentive to develop alternative energy sources (ie. less abundant and more costly gas), we will be dependent on oil forever. While Republicans don't go far enough, Democrats go too far. I still want the ability to enjoy the outdoors. Democrats tend to make it off limits or extremely limited.


2. Inequalities. Over the weekend, there was a pretty intense discussion about gay marriages. So I went a little further and investigated the differences between civil unions and a marriage. It turns out there are HUGE differences. Civil unions do not allow for tax benefits (you cannot file jointly, as married couples can). They also do not get other the federal benefits that married couples get, such as social security, medicare and pension protection. So basically, gay people can never get married and have that same sense of security that a married couple has. Every citizen (so no, getting married to your dog is not an example) should be entitled to the same benefits, regardless of whether or not the lifestyle is something that you agree with.

Unfortunately, it will take time to erase the current ignorance that exists. While both parties have a long way to go on this issue, the Democrats have more progressive ways of thinking. Religious conservatives, in my opinion, follow a semi-caste system. Its not necessarily advertised (nor recognized by many of them) this way, but when you look deeply, you see that there really is an unbreakable mold for many people. This way of thinking only pushes the inequalities among citizens - whether they are women, gay, or black.

3. The economy has definately suffered. A lot of it has to do with this Iraq war. Clearly we need to clean up our mess and get out. Its time to be humble and admit that it was a mistake. This is where McCain still has his head somewhere up in the clouds (or maybe in a much darker place).

4. Immigration. Seeing how much immigrant students are costing our schools (and I don't just mean fiscally), is unacceptable. Free breakfasts, free lunches..and thats just the beginning. The learning process is dramatically affected when most of the children in the class don't even know English. Just a few non-English speaking students can decrease the academic progress of an entire class. The school system is not the only problem. The justice system is also clogged. I am not against immigration, I just think it needs a major overhaul. Again, neither party particularly stands out on this issue. However, Republicans have done more to speak out about this than Dem's.

My Absence

So much has been going on lately that I have only thought about things that would be fun to post about. I never actually get to it though.

To start with, I went back to school this semester. I begin my masters program in the spring, but I decided that I'd take a few science courses before that so I could get an additional science endorsement on my teaching credential. So many science courses (2 of those being physics) at once is more overwhelming than I thought! Here's a "you were right" to those who are saying "I told you so" :o)

On top of that we've been having a lot of fun. We visited family down in S. Ca and even spent the night with some friends while we were down there. Last weekend we went to the balloon races and this weekend we will be sipping Pina Coladas on the beach in the Carribbean. Then we get back and Im planning a killer 30th bday party in Lake Tahoe. It seems like every weekend has been filled with lots of fun and excitement this summer.

It wasn't until the other day that I began thinking how truly happy I am. I have a wonderful family, I am surrounded by good friends, and I am experiencing a self-satisfaction that I have never felt in the past. I am confident in my beliefs, in my appearance (well, as confident as a woman can really be), and in my abilities. I can't help but think about what it is that has brought this on. Is it just my age? Maybe it took 30 years to "figure it out". My weight loss? Maybe its a combination of both.

Running a Marathon With Your Mouth on the Exhaust of a Diesel Truck

It's been years since I've had any interest in the Olympics. I watched the Barcelona Olympics because I had been in Spain first hand watching all the preparations for the event. Granted, I was like 12, so it was an entirely different perspective than I have now.

As I was on the elliptical, huffing and puffing away, secretly wishing that I had the body of any woman on that beach volleyball team, I noticed the background and what looked like it was a cloudy day in Beijing. Then I remembered; those aren't clouds, thats smog! I had seen a piece on the news about how nobody is expecting any records to be broken in any kind of endurance sport due to the poor air quality in China. In fact, athletes are putting their health at risk by competing in such events.

I wonder what compelled the Olympic committee to give Beijing the honor to host the Olympics. Was it their incredible record on human rights? Or was it their impeccable environmental policies? They say this is giving the Chinese an opportunity to "showcase" their country, yet I don't see what they can show off. Tall buildings, a few large stadiums and a "booming" economy. Thats nothing special, if you ask me. I say, give it to a country that deserves it rather than a country that continues to oppress their citizens, pollute the planet with no regard to the rest of the world, and supply us with low quality, tainted junk.

On another note..... I thought the synchronized mens diving teams looked super hot in those teeny speedos and ripped bodies. Then they showed the slow motion repeat of the dive. For some reason, they just didn't look quite so appealing after that:
And this isnt even the "bad" angle

This Friday will be our 10 year wedding anniversary. Thats pretty good if you ask me. Not a lot of couples make it to 10 years.

Its funny because my friends and family always tend to believe that things come easily to me... things like getting A's on tests and papers, losing weight, etc. My parents practically threw a party when my brother passed his state nursing exam, yet it was just expected for me to pass all my state teaching tests which were probably just as hard or harder. I got the same reactions from friends in college after I got A's on tests and papers and they got C's. Its frustrating because I work really hard, yet people tend to think I snap my fingers and things "just happen" for me.

But in the case of my marriage, they are correct.

Everyone always comments on what a perfect marriage Jake and I have. While we definately have our disagreements, I do have to admit that things are pretty good. And it does come easy. Most people have to work really hard to make a marriage work. I feel extremely lucky to have such a close and honest relationship and to have found it so early in life.