Decorating for Christmas (a.k.a. Being Stupid With Our Dogs)

Last night, Jesse climbed up in the attic to pull out our Christmas tree and decorations. Now we are all festive, and the cd player is fully equipped with Christmas tunes.

We used to only decorate half of the tree because we never bought enough decorations to go all the way around, though I'm not sure why. In any case, this year, my mom decided to go with a new theme on her tree, so we got her hand-me-downs, which just happened to match our red and gold perfectly. So for the first time, the tree is decorated all the way around!

And of course, what Christmas-y evening would be complete without doggie snuggle time?

Our self-family photo attempts... (That quite obviously did not work...)



Jesse was showing me what it might look like if he had too much Christmas "cheer".


Thankfully, Horton knows CPR and was ready and willing to revive.

Notice how I am the only one decorating...

Free Stuff

I always like free stuff, and according to this article, "Beginning Sunday at 12:01 a.m., coupons for a free 20-ounce soda will be available for 24 hours on Dr Pepper's Web site. They'll be honored until Feb. 28."

Jobs

It has been a crazy couple weeks. And I just realized tonight that Thanksgiving is next week. People kept talking about, and I kept thinking "oh just figure it out when it gets closer..." but I guess it's closer rather than further. Jesse and I have a fiesta of places to go starting on Thanksgiving day and the few days following, as I imagine most everyone does. Speaking of which, the previews for Four Christmases look really funny.

Otherwise, I have been looking more seriously for some extra work. I have had a couple interviews, and have two more this week. One of them is a follow-up interview...actually she called it an "observation day to make sure this is what you really want to do". Kind of sounds like a scary preface I guess...lol! It's at a vet place though (actually both interviews this week are at vet places), so I imagine they have to screen carefully to be sure that people are okay around animals, and secondly that they are okay seeing animals in surgery and stuff. I got a tour when I was there the first time and saw a little kitty in surgery, but when I go in for the "observation", I think she said they have three surgeries scheduled, so I guess that will be the true test. I honestly don't know how I will do, but I just hope it becomes clear to me whether or not it would be a good fit.

The first few times I went to the shelter, walking in, I would immediately feel overwhelmed and somewhat sad and wonder if I could "handle it". It's just this crazy sound of dogs howling and whining and crying and barking and the easiest thing to do is just retreat back home and think about happier things instead of animals who have been abused or neglected. The initial sound doesn't get to me the way it used to, though I won't say my heart never gets mangled over stories that come outta there. But, I think I have found that place where sensitivity and callousness meet just enough to allow you to do the job that needs to be done. Those pups have bruised me, knocked me over, scratched me, worn me out, dragged me across gravel, nearly broken my fingers, and made me cry more than once. But, it's the most fulfilling pain I've come across. And for every bruise there is a lick. And for every sad story there is happy story. The thing I love about the shelter is that while yes, some of those dogs have endured horrible abuse, the fact that they are at the shelter means their abuse is over. It's a new beginning. And instead of having just one person who loves them, they have dozens who love them. And those dozens will love them up until the day they leave the shelter and beyond. The shelter isn't a sad place. It's a really happy place, full of hope.

I'm not so sure that it will all work out the same in the vet world. But, I know I'm at least going to find out. And I'm hoping that this time next week, I will have an extra job!

Funny

University of St. Andrews has set up an online face transformer as part of a research project. It is pretty funny.

In case I ever needed to know what I might look like if I had different genes...

If my mother were a monkey:

If I had a little Asian:

If I were a cartoon:

I think this next one is supposed to be "afro-caribean":

When I'm older:

If I were a (kind of creepy) baby:

Tagging

Well, I am on my third round of being "tagged" by this bionic blog chain mail plague thing and I'm running out of stuff to say about myself. None the less, I will play along the best I can, but only because Miss October tagged me, and I can't possibly turn down a star.

So here we go, more than you ever cared to know about me:

1. I am in love with this boy and keep telling Jesse that he needs to come meet him too so that we can think about fostering him. The only downside to that is that I really want to keep him and would secretly hope that no one ever adopted him so that he could remain at my house. But, I know that our checkbook can't handle a third dog, so I am desperately trying to remain relatively detached when I go see him each week - even though I think he would fit in to our family so perfectly and he likes to swim and he walks so well for me and he is so sweet and lovable and he is just a gorgeous looking boy and the very first time I ever saw him, my immediate thought was "oh he fits with me so well, this is my kind of boy", and really, I've only ever had that similar thought about one other boy upon first laying eyes on him, and that episode turned out well because it was Jesse...which can lead to my second fact:

2. The very first time I ever saw Jesse, I was sitting on the bus by the fountains at the U of N and Jesse was walking up the side walk about ten yards or so away, carrying his photo bag, and wearing his signature "uniform" - white t-shirt, olive colored shorts, and tevas - and at the time, he still had his thicker brown artsy looking glasses and a necklace from the Philippines, and I remember looking out and seeing him and thinking "Hm. That is what someone I would be with looks like. That fits me." And I had never thought anything like that before - it was just matter of fact, it wasn't emotional at all - but I remember thinking that, and then the bus pulled away and I went about my day and didn't think of it again...until a few months later when I met Jesse for real and finally realized that he was that guy on the sidewalk.

3. I put three Christmas cds into rotation on November 1st. Which reminds me of another fact:

4. In a few weeks, we will be going to see The Trans-Siberian Orchestra, courtesy of a birthday gift from my brother and sister-in-law. Traditionally, I have played my TSO cd on repeat throughout the months of November and December. As of last year, our Christmas music expanded exponentially thanks to a gift from Cheremi (which accounts for fact #3.)

5. Jesse and I seriously considered doing something just like this for our last vacation. Timing and exchange rates didn't quite pan out, but I am hoping that we can still do it within the next year or two.

6. I just asked the first person on my list for a reference letter for grad school, who happens to be my favorite ever professor (and a major influencer of my political views I might add), and he said yes, but his rule is that he makes you write the letter first, then he tweaks and signs. So, a few days ago, I wrote a letter bragging on myself in the third person.

7. Tonight, I am going to watch Private Practice and ask myself, as I do each week while watching, if I am sure that I really want to rule med school out. And for minutes, I will be tempted to apply. And then I will remember my friends in med school....and the bags under their eyes...and their pasty white faces... and I will say Crap no!

So, there you have it. Tag complete.

(Long-winded, but important) Politics

I've gotten a good number of e-mail forwards this week about politics, most of them trying to sway my vote on way or another. I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Some people have asked me why I am voting how I am, so I will spill it here. Ignore this post if you are all fired up over politics or sick of hearing about it. (I have been enjoying all the political banter between people, so I am going to milk it while I can.)

A few things to mention before I begin -

First, let me say I'm an independent. My presidential vote happens to land on the Democratic side this round, but my overall ballot swings both ways and generally always has. (By the way, there is a short political typology test here if anyone is interested in checking out how their views line up with different US parties.)

Second, let me say I am sincerely impressed with Obama (as if you hadn't figured that out yet), and yes, I'm biased. But at the same time, I'm not totally black and white, and I know Obama has faults and McCain isn't all bad. In fact, I don't have terribly much against McCain other than I just simply don't agree with many of his policies, and I don't feel his vp candidate is ready for office.

Third, if you wonder where I am getting my statistics and facts, I'll tell you. =) The source is either cited in text in the blog, and if it's not, then it means I am pulling the fact from various sociology textbooks - namely Crisis in American Institutions and Social Inequality: Forms, Causes and Consequences. Both are excellent reads and I would highly recommend them to anyone. (You don't have to say it, I know I'm a total geek for recommending textbooks for leisure reading.)

So now that you have my full disclaimers, here we go:

Morally, many people side with McCain for abortion/gay marriage issues. Regarding gay marriage, I honestly don't know if homosexuality is right/wrong or somewhere in between, and I really don't care if I never figure that out. What I do know, however, is that I firmly believe every US citizen should have the same legal rights. Currently, homosexuals do not have the same freedoms as heterosexuals. For example, things like hospital visitation rights, being added to a healthcare plan, or filing joint taxes. I don't feel a need to "protect" marriage. My marriage is holy and sacred all by itself and I don't need to dictate someone else's love life in order to keep it that way. (And secondly, if we really want to "protect" marriage, here's a novel idea - uphold your commitment and stop getting divorced.)

Regarding abortion, I think it's wrong, and especially during late term, I think it's cruel. But I also think it's complicated in most situations and I also think that having it be totally illegal would create major health risks because people would try to have abortions illegally and unsafely. I don't have the answer for abortion rights and I don't think Republicans or Democrats will ever have a good answer either. I think generally, women facing that decision will do the best they can with what they have and what they know.

Financially, I like Obama's plan and I really don't like hearing John McCain say that corporations are paying record high taxes. In reality, US corporations today have one of the lowest tax rates in the history of the nation. For example, if corporations paid the same tax rate today that they paid in the 50's, then tax payments to the US Treasury would be $380 billion higher than they are right now. There are insane amounts of loopholes that allow corporations to avoid paying taxes, and believe me, they take advantage of everyone of them.

Healthcare, I like the starts of Obama's plan. I like that you would be able to choose public or private. I like that everyone can be covered. I know in this area, some people are saying he's socialist or what not. But he has said that he knows America could not operate on a socialist health care plan. The other concern is that it would end up costing too much to offer this coverage to everyone. But, when the Canadian government converted to 100% socialized healthcare, their total healthcare costs actually declined, and beyond that Obama's plan isn't even socialist. He's simply providing an alternative to those who may be having trouble getting private insurance. And McCain's plan? I don't see it functioning for the long term. Taxing health benefits? A $5000 break? That's like putting a bandaid on a brain tumor. I've lived without health insurance and I know what it's like to pay for stuff out of pocket or to wait to go to the doctor until you feel really, really crappy because you don't know how you'll afford it. And trust me, from that standpoint, Obama's plan is looking a whole lot better.

Trade - I like Obama's caution and consideration of all factors. I feel like McCain really puts profits ahead of everything else. An example of this came about in the last debate. Columbia was McCain's example of choice regarding free trade. He spouted all the benefits of it and implied that Obama was a naive young pup who doesn't know a thing about trade because he has stated that he is not all for a free trade agreement with Columbia. On the surface, McCain's argument makes sense because trade seems to simply be about economics and world allies. But if you look deeper, it has really heavy human rights ramifications. There is so much screwed up stuff happening in Columbia with US corporations paying paramilitary groups to kill people (workers) who threaten the bottom line of profits by wanting to unionize, etc. (I'm looking at you Chiquita bananas!!!) If we just sign this free trade agreement, in many ways, we are telling the world "profit before humanity", "our own interests come before anything else", "money matters more than lives". And certainly, especially with America's current global reputation, we don't need more of that message sent. As such, I don't think it's a bad thing when Obama is cautious to sign a deal that has major human rights flaws. It's ironic really to me, because all along, Obama has been criticized for a lack of foreign policy experience, but when I listen to them, it seems that Obama has a more proper worldview as far as consideration of all aspects instead of just economic or military ramifications. Obama has also been active in support for Darfur, which obviously, hits close to my heart. I like that he seems eager to want to restore America's global identity through diplomacy, and I feel like we are in dire need of that, as most of the world hates us.

The rest of the issues regarding foreign policy and economics are probably too clouded in my mind. I have a very distinct world view about inequality and capitalism, and I know I'm very biased in that. So the rest of this is more my personal view than objectively looking at issues.

I don't believe there is a "free market" and I don't believe there is "equal opportunity". For example, over 80% of black people would have to move if we were to completely desegregate our neighborhoods in America. And how are school districts largely funded? Property tax. Which means, with large concentrations of blacks in poor urban areas, the schools located in those areas will also be poorly funded. Which means not all kids receive the same education. Which means their general life chances are different. One kid grows up having access to computers and up to date textbooks while the other is using outdated books and has no technology at his school. Which one do you think will get accepted into college? This is an example of what I mean when I say that America is not "equal opportunity" or that there is no "free market". The reality is, some people have better chances than others at making a good life. Hard work doesn't always pay off.

There is a huge myth in American that poor people are lazy and it's their own fault. Yet, empirical research shows that people on welfare largely prefer work to welfare, and the majority of those receiving welfare are indeed working. Welfare scams are the exception to the rule, not the norm. (This citation is both thanks to my text, plus numerous other places. One interesting article online is here.)

I by and large believe that inequality is a result of the structure of our social institutions, not the result of individual character or work ethic. And here's the thing, when you travel globally (outside of business), your life changes. Things aren't simple anymore. You see the poverty and the crap and you suddenly realize that you are a part of the cause and you realize that it's not about being a world power anymore, and it's not about being an economic leader anymore. And humanity is infinitely more connected than you ever realized.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about with different world views - our friend, Rex, in the Philippines, literally grew up on a trash dump called Smokey Mountain. A few years ago, the government there did some sort of land grant and built "condo" type places for the people who were living on the landfill. Now, Rex and his family live in a one room "condo", sleep on the cement floor at night with a few cardboard boxes, and just generally struggle with paying for food or other necessities. Recently, we received an e-mail from him. He wanted to write us to make sure that we were okay because he had heard about the economic crisis in the States and he was worried about us. Experiences like that make all these giant abstract ideas like "free trade" suddenly personal. It's people just like Rex who are affected by trade agreements or by what we as individuals buy when we go to the store. "Free trade" isn't always free to those on the other end.

In reality, our wealth means someone else's exploitation.

Which brings me to another point - many people criticize Obama for wanting to "spread the wealth" around or for wanting to "take from the rich and give to the poor". And, I'm sorry, but when I think about people like Rex, I can't help but think that that is exactly what this world needs. If me having a little less, or paying a little more for a t-shirt or for my groceries means someone like Rex has a fighting chance of decent living standards - things as basic as food, housing, and clean water, then give me less and charge me more. I don't see any issues with spreading wealth in order for basic human rights to be met - whether that be health care in America or food on the table in Africa. If those basic human needs are met globally, then by all means, deregulate, fight it out and let capitalism run its course. But if we are going to play that game, then let's at least make "free trade" truly free and ensure that people really do have equal opportunity.

Sous Chefs

I was thinking about baking something tonight, and guess who wanted to help.

Horton insisted that we make the cinnamon rolls on page 238...


which made Abe very put off because he had a craving for scones.


We finally decided on muffins and all was well.