31 May 2008

This is one ship I'd rather not go down with

This will be my second presidential election, and may I just mention that I am a very unhappy voter. Not once has my vote nor my voice mattered.

I am now struggling with a choice: Do I hold my nose as they say, and vote for someone I truly believe with no reservations what-so-ever is a mistake for this country, do I cross party lines and vote for experience at the cost of social advancement, or do I sit this one out and pray like crazy for a better choice in 4 years?

Or do I start a donation fund to myself so I can move to Canada?

I really can't justify not voting - after all, I'm always the one to tell non-voters "when things don't go your way, you don't have the right to bitch about it cause you didn't vote." But if I do vote, I will be voting against what I know to be my self interests, my economic interests, and my county's interests.

How can I just "hold me nose" and vote in the face of all that?

30 May 2008

I Have Returned

Last week I returned to the East Coast to visit my college and watch friends graduating this year. It was a wonderful trip! Things on the old campus have changed a little in the past year, but mostly they are exactly the same.

I took out friends and former professors, played D&D until 2AM, learned how to play Halo on the X-box, and learned that I like Malibu Rum.

But now I have returned to a steady internet connection:

Let the Blogging Commence!

16 May 2008

Cyberbully Mom Gets Jail Time

Two teenage girls are best friends. Then, they are enemies. Mom creates a MySpace account and assumes a fake identity as Josh Evans. She flirts and sends sexually suggestive messages to daughter's former friend. Then "Josh" tells the girl "the world would be better off without you."

Girl commits suicide.

I am happy to see that at last, this woman is getting her just desserts.

13 May 2008

2000 Chad's

I'm not typically one for TV dramas. There's something about being so hooked to a show that you tune in and tune out once a week for almost 2 hours.

(Just because I loved Hero's, Chuck, Life, and Bionic Woman does not make me a hypocrite. That was love, not addiction. See Grey's Anatomy viewers for description of TV Show Addict.)

But I'm so tempted to watch the new show "Recount," airing on HBO, based on the 2000 presidential "election."

What could be better than a fictionalized version of real events, real people, and real screw ups that led to an all to real disastrous 8 years?

Rare Acts of Unscripted Kindness

(Hat Tip) to my mom for e-mailing me this article.

I used to play softball, and have played several other sports. In my time playing and watching sports, I have never seen such genuine and compassionate displays of sportsmanship as these two girls show.

To me, "sportsmanship" has always been a vague term. Beyond playing fairly
, treating each other and the other team with respect, and recognizing the other teams win or your loss with honesty (not, "they only won because our star player was injured"), sportsmanship has never really looked like anything to me. It's not like there are a lot of good examples out there.

Now it does. This is what sportsmanship looks like. It is too bad more of these unscripted acts aren't seen in all sports - from pewee football to professional arenas.

08 May 2008

Reality Check

Look, I know she isn't going to win.

I knew it from day one. I am not saying this now hoping to "save face" for picking the looser. I held out hope that maybe, just maybe, the American psyche was up to the task. I was wrong.

I do not think it was a matter of gender or race that lost the campaign (although both played a part). I do not think that the media's choosing a favorite so early on lost the race (though it played a large part).

Hillary lost the race on her own. She could have taken the high road in arguments; she could have pointed out the clear favoritism of moderators and the media; and she could have done less reacting to comments and more constructive criticism of ALL candidates.

"But what can you expect from a women" some may say. "They're emotional, reactionary, and soft."

I ask, what else was she supposed to do? If she didn't argue back, she was uninformed and hesitant to show a backbone. If she did argue back (which she did), she was seen as "trying to have more balls than a man."

If she hadn't pointed out the unashamed favoritism of debate moderators and public media, the (less informed and aware) general public would have ignored it. But she did, and she was said to be whining and seeking sympathy "because she couldn't take the heat."

If she had spent more time doing what she does best, and putting her "best foot forward," instead of constantly reiterating the same arguments, and responding to the same attacks, and had leveled her attacks at both Democratic and Republican runners...

But what could she do? She's asked the same questions and every potential insult was relayed and a reaction asked for.

I'm not saying she's perfect - by no means. But she is better than this campaign has made her and has shown her to be.

I'll just try not to gloat too much when Obama makes Presidency and is miserable at it.

Really. I'll try.