Reflections on Barack Obama's Victory Last Night

Last night was my proudest and most profound moment of being an American. In my lifetime, I was able to see Barack Obama, an African-American man, elevated to the highest position in the free world with the overwhelming support of our great nation (yes, our nation became great again!). There are no recounts, no lawsuits, no hanging chads this time. He is there because nearly 65 million individuals believed in the change he could bring, the "content of his character", his intellect, discipline, focus and leadership.

The night began in Arizona with John McCain's most sincere concession speech - the best of his entire campaign which is bittersweet. Then, I watched Barack Obama in Grant Park come out with his family - so appreciative of the honor, in front of an endless sea of people of all shapes, sizes, and colors, reflective of the America I know. Then, he gave his victory speech which was so incredibly unifying and poignant. It motivated me to take action and want to serve a nation that now believes in itself again. In a time where so much is wrong with our families, our country, the world, listening to his words gave me hope that things will only get better. I think he will mobilize the best and brightest to now want to serve the people vs. serve themselves.

It's hard to put into words a night like last night, much less the journey that brought us to that particular moment in time. Think about this ideal of equality we hold so sacred. Then think about how after over 200 years, we are not there yet. Our story is chapter after chapter of racial and gender oppression and struggle. So words to describe last night? Elation, disbelief, awe, pride.

For me, Barack Obama's journey embodies my dreams of what is possible. And, what is now probable. Our children will live in an America where leadership positions transcend race and gender (and someday sexual orientation - hopefully soon). They will grow up with more doors open, wider, with more opportunities and dreams that are within reach.

So, candidates aside, campaigns aside. Palin, Bill Ayers, POW, "present votes", Rick Davis, aside, aside, aside...history was made and what's great is that no one can take away or undo what has happened. Even some McCain voters have seen passed the campaign divide and to their credit, they have seen much more beyond Barack Obama, the man himself. They see this moment in time and understand its historical significance and impact. To the few that are still angry or confused, healing will come, but I am hopeful that they will also look back and see how a mountain was moved by the collective power of millions of normal people and a dream of one African-American man. This is exactly what our nation needs and what makes our nation so great. As cheesy as it sounds, it is a new dawn.

Botox - so far, so good

Who knew botox could drastically improve my quality of life! It's taken me over a year to actually go thru with it, but I finally did last week and boy do I feel better. It has also become a great source of comedy for those in my inner circle. I have successfully "one-upped" many folk who swear they had the worst week ever with a lay off or getting kicked out of a bar (c'mon people...cry me a river). I just pull the botox story out of my back-pocket, throw in some detail of how I had to withstand the pain of two separate injections, not in my lips or my crow's feet, but, now, where am I going with this story?

You're probably wondering about cost. My insurance covered the hole thing because of the medical need. I just go back in a month for a follow up. We'll see if I need more injections which will be a pain in the you know what, but I gotta do what I gotta do. Will keep you posted.

And by the way, my face does move when I smile.

Call banks

We are definitely in the hot and sweaty part of the campaign season and Rick Davis and his machine are definitely cranking out the smear to hit the fearful, uneducated folks. God bless 'em. I will have to say in the Obama camp, the negative ads have also hit the airwaves and top-dollar advertising space has been purchased.

It's all pretty disgusting and I would rather just focus on my spent calling the individuals in the swing states and helping them vote. It's my new thing. Talking to people on the phone. Actually, it's talking to people on the phone that I don't even know and hearing their stories and arranging rides and such. To me, this is what the campaign is about - mobilizing individuals to exercise one of our most sacred rights of this democracy. I'm just focusing on Change We Can Believe In because I know if we can get Barach Obama elected, it will be so amazing and inspiring for this country and the world to see.

Wake me up when it's all over

I have to say, I miss the days of Michael Phelps winning gold medals left and right because things have just snowballed. Back in early August, we were one nation of spectators engrossed in the spirit of competition that brought us pride in the athletes' hardwork, determination, and ability to overcome adversity. Back then, seemed like simpler times. Each day would end with a medal count, then we'd go to bed.

Today, my stomach aches with thoughts of my shrinking 401K and the many, many years of work I have ahead of me. And this very horrible and very possible scenario of me couch surfing or moving back to my parents. What's worse is those poor people that are currently in or so close to retirement. What a mess to be in during the twilight of their lives. So what better time to complain, than the present?

Ok, so where do I begin? I'll start with Me. I blame Me for buying a place at the height of the housing boom - probably paying too much - and getting an interest-only loan. [Note to self...throw more money at the principal]. Stupid, stupid, stupid!
Next, Alan Greenspan. You were the one that bubbled that bubble!! Bad, baaad Alan!
Oh and W - well, I have an earful to blame you but I'll just give you Iraq for now. I don't know why I'm letting you off easy.
Then there's Greed on Wall Street, but I will let you off easy too because I think I was an enabler of you and you're probably debating the most painless ways to self end your life, perhaps? I suggest OD-ing on something.
American People - for calling up your congresspeople telling them to vote against the bailout during an election year. It's really the only time they'll pay attention. And, American People, I would just like to say right now, stay in school. The mind is a terrible thing to waste. Stop with these visceral voting strategies you have.
Pelosi - yup. You're getting blamed for an untimely, partisan speech made right before the vote. Bad, bad timing.
And last but not least, Elected Congresspeople - for not practicing the power of influence bestowed upon you. Yesterday would've been a good time to be wise and think of the good of the whole.

Ok - I shall stay tuned with this and hope I don't have to sell my dog on eBay. [How much do you think I can make off of him?]

I heart my pitches.

This may be hard to believe but not only am I an athlete, but I am a part of the reigning championship softball team in the Corporate Co-Ed Wednesday Night 5:30 Summer Season league at Twin Creeks. I know! Get out, huh!

We started another season about 3 weeks ago, and won AGAIN, tonight. The pressure is really on, but I think we are used to it because we've been playing for, like, 7 years or so and make it to play-offs every single time. We actually went thru a change in management this season as our former coach, Keith, decided to move on to coach his daughter's team in a different league. Weak. And traitor.

So with new management, Michelle and Farnetti, comes name change. We are now, Where's My Pitches? And given we are now at a record-breaking 3-0, I think: new name, new game. Here are my Top 10 observations on why I think our pitches look especially promising this season:

1) We pretty much have rights to say "Move, Pitch. Get out the way" anytime someone takes our table back at the clubhouse. We earned it. That's called confidence.

2) Churn. Got rid of Wes, couple seasons ago. Now Keith. They may think they are the Dara Torres of softball. But that's just it. They are the Dara Torres of softball. (how do you pluralize Dara Torres?)

3) Our bench is deep. I can put my feet up when I lean back.

4) Babies. The more children the men have, the more likely they will actually show up for the games. I believe that's geniune team loyalty, which frankly, brings a tear to my eye.

5) Sawicki pitching. He only lets maybe 3-4 people walk per game.

6) Cleats. I guess most my team wears them - I don't personally because I am holding out for pink ones - and I hear they work.

7) Boston Red Sox. I don't think anyone on the team likes them.

8) We're dang smart. And the reason why I say that is because I don't think anyone on the team, except maybe Angie, would try #1 (above).

9) We have two Koreans, directly impacting #8.

10) Ok, Dara Torres was actually really good. We now want Wes back and aren't to proud to admit it! Come back, come to the light!

Leading by fear

I remember shortly after the towers went down, I was walking down the streets of Manhattan with that eerie cloud that hung over the city from 9/12 to probably 9/15 or so. Loud sirens going off now and again, the smell of burnt plastic, and that presence of absence of the hustle and bustle of rushing cars and people that is quitessential NYC.

I was still recovering from the day before, when I had to walk upstream through the crowds of frantic professionals trying to hightail it as far away from downtown as possible. The fear I felt was almost palpable. My body still sort of shaky and my mind wandered like crazy. I couldn't really think straight. The fear was mostly of "what's next?" Both in the very literal sense - what was next when I turned the corner? Another downed building? Car bomb? And also the bigger question, what's next for our country and the world as we knew it?

There was also that very creepy fear of knowing who was at the helm of this ship. A newly elected, former frat boy that somehow got away with the presidency. At the time, he wasn't as well-disliked as he is today, but we were definitely questioning #1 where was he? and #2 can he actually do this? He was the guy that would now be responsible for pulling together the nation and the world. Forging alliances. Making decisions on foreign policy. Helping us make sense of this all and setting a clear execution plan and vision for us to move forward. Ok. Deep breath.

Can't believe it's been 7 years since that horribly tragic day. It feels particularly strange this year given we will soon have a change in leadership for the first time since 2001. Will there be more fearful days to come and how will we handle them differently?

Looking back, I can see that first type of fear really got the best of us. That fear of being attacked at any moment and not being able to think clearly for ourselves. Even more, the fear of people that looked different from us. Basically this fear of the unknown that is so unfamiliar to us as Americans. We shouldn't have to ever feel that kind of fear. But we certainly felt it. And that really set us up on this course that we have let our leadership take us on and that we are still on today. Granted, we did have a very motivating set of cowboy speeches that made us feel like we were all holding torches in our hands ready to hunt the bad guy - any bad guy.

Will 9/11/09 be a better day than 9/11/08? Will we let fear get the best of us again or will we try to get ahead of the fear instead?

Is 30 the new 70?

I am on Day 6 of walking like a gimp and being super knowledgeable of the benefits of prescription Motrin vs. regular Advil vs. Vicadin vs. Aleve. I threw out my back yet again last Thurs, which is starting to turn into an annual thing with me. It's up there with writing new years resolutions and purging my closet, and I may even say alphabetizing my sock drawer. This time it happened because I was docking my very heavy laptop into my very heavy docking station(!?). I believe last time was because I sneezed. And prior to that, I actually collapsed in the hallway of my parents' house and laid there for 3 hours until they came home and threw a blanket on top of me. I was in the same position for 3 days. I wore the same clothes, couldn't turn over, had to hold my pee. Seriously pathetic.

I also constantly run into issues with regularity of the digestive system and literally ran out of Citracel a couple of times. I don't think I need to go into further explanation on this topic.

Now I know I am no longer a spring chicken. Maybe more like an autumn hen. But, I would like to continue to brag that I got carded twice an A's game in a single day and I still fit into my highschool clothes. Ok, maybe when I make statements like that, I am actually being punished by the humility gods. Truth be told, I fit into the same socks, ok?

Why can my mom go hiking at 6 in the morning and watch, entertain and cook homemade baby food for two 1-year-olds and a 3-year-old full-time, 4 days a week? Since when did 65 become the new 35 and 35 become the new 70? [Yes, all these numbers are meant to promote ambiguity of my real age] Perhaps it's all this time I spend simultaneously blogging and procrastinating real work. Or is it excess amounts of Cheetos I ate in early childhood or Chinese contortionist class I took back in the day. Hmmm...craving more coffee...gotta go.

Unplugged at the Lost Coast

Kara, Lisa, Lynda, Dan, Paul and I spent the last 4 days with heavy packs on our backs, hiking 25+ miles down a secluded stretch of dramatic northern California coastline called The Lost Coast. The trip began before we even left our homes on Friday with meticulous portioning of food, and planning for "worst-case scenarios." There were also the last-minute trips to REI, obsessing over biodegradable soaps and the shelf life of raw cheese. It's been awhile since I've backpacked so, it was a great exercise in learning exactly what I can live without - fresh clean undergarments everyday, moisturizer, hair brush. And of course, learning what I absolutely cannot live without...water, earplugs, a warm place to sleep. On the trail, the hiker with fewer essentials is rewarded with a lighter pack. Hmm...not exactly "this american life."

Getting up there (north of Mendicino - and that is about as much as I can tell you) was quite a haul, with even a few pull-overs in the car needed due to my car sickness (puker). The situation was like this: we parked our cars, got someone to drive us to the trailhead, then hiked down the coast for 4 days to the car we just parked like an hour ago.

The hike consisted of tredging through soft sand, hard sand, wet sand, some trail, lots of rocks, lots of wind and angry/happy/calm beautiful ocean to our right at all times. Not too much uphill (thankfully). Throughout the four days, we walked endless stretches of beach, then rock, turned the corner, and there was more endless stretch of beach then rock. We sang songs, complained of aches and pains, discussed mileage, told stories. It no doubt challenged us - but got easier as we ate our way thru our packs and adapted to the pack actually morphing to our bodies, leaving our hips bruised, necks burned, and muscles tight. We encountered friendly sea lions, dead birds, spectacular sunsets and starry nights (stunning). And, like with all trips, lots of agreeing and disagreeing, sucking it up and letting it out, dirty fingernails and congratulating those achieving successful bowel movements. It was just us, the coast, the elements and the next campsite and meal for four straight days.

As we worried about whether our tent would fly away or if we picked the right spot to camp, the thought of what could possibly be happening in the world crossed our minds. On occassion. How were our families? What transpired with McCain's "hardly known" running mate? Perhaps something earth-shattering has happened, and here we are creekside, pumping water into our Nalgenes. Our usual lives are constantly bombarded with voices/stresses work, our families, the media - not to mention, managed by smartphones. Carrying our trail mix and a bag of 2-day old trash was actually quite liberating, if not humbling. The opportunity to escape from the crazies of work and life and presidential elections was respite despite the sunburns and blisters.

As our dreams of taking hot showers soon became a reality, we thought, or I guess I thought, maybe a few more days carrying that heavy pack, with only my essentials, on my back walking endless stretch of beach is actually more refreshing and cleansing for my life than clean hair and nails.

Dogs in SF. Love 'em or hate 'em

I went to Walgreens today to pick up my prescriptions after my doctor said I had bronchitis. Last time I was there, for perhaps something similiar given I have turned into "that sick girl", I got the evil eye and a comment about bringing my dog into the pharmacy. So this time I tied him up between 17th and 18th street and got reprimanded by a man who had said he waited an hour for the dog's owner (me) to return. I told him my prescription is taking longer than I anticipated and the last time I brought my dog in, I got the mean comment. Alas, I carried Tommie in like Paris Hilton and waited for my prescription.
So what gives? Dogs or no dogs in Walgreens?

08.08.08

Today's gonna have a jackpot win at Cache Creek Casino. Google tells me it's also opening day for the big Tibet protest, I mean Olympics in Beijing. Given how our world is today, I also have to practice "media blackout" which will be tough given all the information that's thrown at me every minute of every day. Or, I'll be tough and watch these games live as they happen at 3 AM.

Guess it's also a good day to have a baby, anyone? anyone? But what I like best is it's going to be Friday and I get to end my work-and-cough-athon of a week I've been having! Hopefully this lucky day of the century is going to grant me healthy lungs once again!

E and E Music Factory

 

Is this blog boring?

I think it is. Here's why. There's really more to me than just random banter about nothing in particular that you'll find here. I'm trying to see if my blog will take shape, but so far, not so good. See, I'm afraid I'm not cut out to expose too much of myself for fear of my mom or sister or someone I actually know to come read the interworkings of my mind. Cuz there's a lot going on up there. Trust me.

So, I'm not really sure how the other bloggers of the world become so comfortable with exposing themselves like they do here. Maybe I just keep on the high-level. Let's not talk about anything of significance. I'm not even going to Doogie Houser (sp?) it. Just keep it at a certain level. And hopefully, with that, I'll entertain.

Recent reviews by Janet C.

What's this?

Daylight Savings

I am so off and so exhausted because I seem to have lost an hour 5 days ago. How can that be when I am fine adjusting to EST rather quickly when traveling? Is it because everyone else is dragging along with me, all the same bad mood which creates some sort of evil domino effect?

Self Seriously Takers

I think my friend, Daisy, coined that phrase. But I turned it into an acronym "SST"s. They are those women, who normally work in corporate, who normally doing marketing, normally in the area of communications. Normally over caffeinated, over worked (or so they put on that perception). Dare I say, normally single or normally in thankless marriages. Perhaps doormats? Normally pretty good writers, but poor managers. They graduate from good schools, drive nice cars. They are well-kept - hair/nails. But you wouldn't hear the end of it if you were on a camping trip with them. Or, maybe you would hear nothing because their silence and fake smiles, gritted teeth would tell you more than an earful.

They are curt and disrespectful. If we could visualize baggage, boy, they would be carrying the heaviest of heavy loads. If there they had a website, it would be called "i'm-better-than-you.com" (Daisy phrase). Because they think they are just that...better than you. Or at least, they seem to be better than me. And they just drag me...down to this pit of worrying and doubting my abilities. They set me up for failure, because that is the best I can do. But I've learned over the years, that it is best to be pleasant with the SSTs. Compliment them on their new outfit. Joke about that terrible meeting we just got out of. Ignore the tone in their emails. Be careful with responding then pressing Send too quickly. And never, ever, reply-all.

Even after almost 9 years in the place I currently work, an SST has crawled into my In-Box and sent a scathing 2-sentence email that has made me doubt myself and blog to death, risking my career and reputuation when it's being put out in this Web 2.0. But perhaps this is payback, because the rest of the world will know who you are. You SST. But you are probably too busy destroying the nice day of someone else.

Thanks!

Welcome to Bloomington, Jamaica

Yesterday I was on a frozen lake, today I am in the Caribbean. My suitcase is having an identity crisis. But we are going to have the greatest video ever.

Although Kingston is not a destination location, I did enjoy being in the office there today. It's always nice to get out of the pressure cooker of San Jose and see what the rest of the world is like. The office was pretty small, but bustling, the people, extremely friendly and smiley. Banana trees outside. Crazy traffic (what's expected here in the 3rd World). Gotta say, I did enjoy having a hospitality person on staff who brought me coffee and refreshments all day.

How do I pack?

Tomorrow, I'll head off on my strangest business trip ever. To Minneapolis Tue-Thurs, then Kingston Fri-Sat. I'm putting a lot of trust in my white puffer jacket. It's kept me warm enough during the winter treachery of San Francisco so why not test it out in MN. Then there's friggin Jamaica - who knows what that's going to be like. Ugh, I will just deal with the elements when I get to these places. I mentally cannot pack both a puffer and short summer skirt in the same suitcase. I would be horrible in the Amazing Race.

I am now waiting for my phone to send me a photo I took yesterday during our drive back from Girls Gone Wild Weekend in Tahoe aka Storm Watch 2008. The biggest snowstorm of the year! I had the best time skiing by myself, enjoying the needle-pricking (that's right, I said pricking) sting on my face and the fresh, fluffy powder. My favorite scary moment of the day was when I was riding halfway up KT22 and realized I really do practice poor judgment, given it was pretty much white-out conditions up there + crazy high winds. I blame it on the altitude. It's like your brain goes on leave for a split second. I visualize the search and rescue crew coming to get me and took inventory of the rations I had hidden away in my pockets. Wait, none. Rats. Plus, there was no one else up there, except a few "blurs" of skiers that quickly disappeared down edges that had yellow signs that said "Experts Only" or "Cliff." But most of all I realized, I am kind of a chicken. Fortunately, there was another lady that was probably as bad as a skier as I am but apparently had some sort of confidence in her skiing abilities to get herself down, and let me follow.

So one of the back stories to this weekend was, Laurie (from Minnesota) brought her Saab convertible up which we couldn't find in the parking lot yesterday morning. The chains she brought didn't work and we had to call a tow truck to find her car, tow her car to an area that was plowed so she could actually drive it. While this was all happing the snows gods continued to dump snow on us - as they had all night and all day - two feet of it. Laurie was still thinking she didn't need chains, even though they don't let folks through the pass. Those Minnesotans, they are tough! They can talk the highway mountain pass people that their convertible cars (which by the way, her brakes went out on her the day before) will get them through the mountain pass. I guess it took an SUV spin-out that transpired in front of her car to finally convince her, ok, chains are a good idea. Luckily, we all made it out of there alive, safe and sound. Not so lucky - we all had to show up to work today. And me - figure out what to big on my weird trip this week.