Elegantly Random

WARSZAWA!

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to POLAND! Warsaw (pronounce it right), to be exact.

Why, you might wonder? My husband works for a big company based in Sweden. They do business all over the world, and every year they have a world communications meeting in a major city, alternating continents to make it fair and fun for their employees who are traveling from around the globe. Spouses are allowed and encouraged to come along. Last year the meeting was in New York. This year - in March - it'll be in Warsaw.

At first, we heard the meeting might take place in Helsinki, Stockholm, London or Prague. Awesome - I would have absolutely loved traveling to any of those places. My husband's already been to Helsinki and Stockholm, so I know how great they are. I got to travel to London last year, so that's an obvious win. And Prague? Well, that's just cool.

So when I heard earlier this week that it was maybe going to be in Warsaw, I admit I was a bit stumped. I thought the same thing you're probably thinking right now. Poland?! Warsaw?! REALLY?! If you're anything like me, the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Warsaw is this:

Or maybe this:

 

Or perhaps even this:

 

I'm pretty well-studied on World War II. I even took a course specifically about the Holocaust in college. When I think of Poland, I think of ghettos, uprisings, concentration camps, bombings and thousands upon thousands of people starved, enslaved, beaten and killed. Warsaw doesn't exactly evoke thoughts of holiday at first - in fact, the entire city was destroyed near the end of the war.

But you know what? I love to travel. And I love history. And I'd basically decided that I was going with Jay no matter where the meeting ended up taking place. So when I heard Warsaw, I pushed aside the obvious thoughts of war and devastation and I got online to do some research. Fortunately, I have a very dear friend (hi, Kari!) who spend a good chunk of time living in Poland a few years ago, and I knew I could count on her as a great resource. And you know what? It only took about 30 minutes for me to get TOTALLY excited about the prospect of exploring "Warszawa," Poland. 

 

 

 

Isn't it neat-looking?

What's likely to happen is that I'll be in Warsaw with Jay while he has meetings, but before, after or both we'll be checking out some other spots - Krakow is high on my list. I KNOW - you think it's depressing. But it's not! Check it.

 

 

See? Krakow is totally adorable! Squee!

Or how about Torun - a medieval village that's, according to Kari, the "gingerbread capitol of Europe." MAJOR DRAW.

So here's what I have to say to the naysayers: I think if a person has the opportunity to travel, she should do it. I want to see the world - as much of it as possible. There's almost nowhere I would refuse to go - basically only the most dangerous spots on the globe, places where I'm likely to die from an exploding car bomb or the like. And what's awesome is this. If you asked me, "What are the top 10 places you want to visit," Poland wouldn't have been on the list. It wouldn't have been on the top 20. But that's really only because I don't know much about it post-WW2 - which means I really don't know it at all.

But a couple of days' research has convinced me there's a LOT of neat stuff in Poland and seeing it can only make me a smarter, more interesting person. And I don't think a person should ever pass up a chance to become more interesting.

So - I'm going to Poland. In March. And possibly to a couple of other places along the way. Unless Jay's company changes course and we end up going to Helsinki after all. Either way, I'm pumped.

Robbed!

Americans woke up today and shit themselves over the shocking announcement that President Barack Obama, socialist, gun-thief and closet Muslim terrorist, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.*

(Wouldja look at that sinister face?)

"How can this be?!" cried the conservative right wing. "My kids are going to spend the next 500 years paying off the debt Obama has created! Not to mention the fact that he's gonna steal my cash and give it to the poor! Why should I help those lazy slackers who refuse to get jobs! And Obama's gonna take my guns! This is an outrage!"

Even the psychotic, socialist left-wing Obama supporters were forced to shake their heads in dismay, saying, "He hasn't DONE anything yet! Couldn't they have waited till AFTER he donned his red cape and saved the world from its certain demise?" And they might have a point. Lots of people feel like a Peace Prize should be rewarded for actions completed, not actions contemplated. But Nobel has lately been loving those who are trying to change the international climate - remember Al Gore?

Rather than waste time contemplating the reasons why Obama may have gotten his precious prize (like his giant steps forward in international relations, leading by example with a great attitude and open mind, level-headed dealings with Iran and forward-thinking plans for the future, not to mention the spike in approval ratings around the globe), let's get back on track. I think we're all missing the point here. The Nobel Prize people missed a brilliant opportunity this morning.

If they REALLY wanted to piss off the conservative right and get major air time on Fox News, they should have handed the peace prize to Bill Clinton!

If what everyone wants in a Peace Prize recipient is action, well then Bill's your guy! He DID rescue two innocent women from the evil clutches of a North Korean POW camp and bring them home safely to their families, right? So no one could say he didn't DO anything. And let's face it - without Bill there'd be no Barry. Ask any right-winger - Bill is the root of all evil. So it makes perfect sense to me that HE should have been awarded the Peace Prize, since the Nobel peeps clearly choose their winners based on what will make Rush Limbaugh foam at the mouth. Am I right, fellas?

Already the troops are calling for Barack to decline this falsely awarded honor - as well they should! Waiting in the wings is our TRUE Hero and Savior, the TRUE King of Socialism and Gun-Thievery, Lord of Healthcare Torture and Murderer of Christianity in America, Bill Clinton!

He wears his evil like a well-tailored suit.

*In all seriousness - congratulations to President Obama for what I feel is a great honor. He may not be far along in his presidency, but he absolutely has raised the bar for world-class efforts in foreign relations. He sets a wonderful example for the rest of humankind about tolerance, kindness and open-hearted empathy. This is a tough time to be president - anyone who took the job would have faced the same struggles, impossible situations and tough decisions, and I am confident that even though things look bleak, we chose the right person for the job. He still has a lot of work to do, so if he declines the award, I wouldn't blame him - but if he keeps it, I won't fault him for that either.

And congratulations too to Bill Clinton, who truly is an outstanding public servant and a badass motherfucker. I love you both!

All we need is just a little patience...

Thank you, Axl.

I haven't been talking about politics lately. Not here. I bitch about things at home, but for the most part I've been enjoying the fact that we have a thoughtful, articulate and intelligent president who can form complete sentences. And who seems to be trying to do the right thing. But my temperature is rising.

I logged in to AIM this morning and my Dashboard news popped up the following inane report on Barack Obama's slipping poll numbers. I call it inane because 1) all presidents' poll numbers slip after they spend a few months in office and 2) it doesn't matter what the poll numbers are because it's not an election year. It's just the media once again trying to make hype so people will tune in to their stations and have their minds numbed.

But I digress.

I have been bubbling with irritation for months and months now while doing a lot of reading and a lot of news-following. I have absolutely had it with all the "Rate Obama's first 100 days!" and "Rate Obama's first 200 days!" stories and discussions and panels. Friends - it's too soon to grade his performance. Chill out!

I know you all think I'm just a bleeding liberal and I'll blindly follow my leader like a sheep, but that's not the case. There are things that Obama has done so far that I'm disappointed in - but that would be true of anyone in office, because no president can make me happy 100% of the time, let alone make the whole COUNTRY happy. It's just not possible. He's no Mary Poppins! He can't just snap his fingers and fix it all! (Oh, but if he could!)

I wish Obama had asked for a higher stimulus package - I think, contrary to most Americans, that it wasn't big enough. I wish he would stand up for gay marriage. I wish he would close Guantanamo RIGHT NOW. But I still trust him to get the job done in the way that's best for the most people - because it's not about me. I wish people could understand that. It's not about ME PERSONALLY. It's about what's best for the country, and you know what? I have no clue what the answers are, so I'm willing to sit back for a while and give the man a little time to figure things out. The terrible economy was going to bitch slap us no matter who was president or how big the stimulus was. We are paying the price for YEARS of irresponsibility, and to expect anyone to be able to clean up a mess that's been 20 years in the making in 100 or 200 or 500 days is just insane.

Stop whining. Stop freaking out. It's FINE. Lots of good things are happening. We voted for change, and it's in the works. Have a little trust, have a little patience, and for god's sake, enjoy the part where your president isn't spending months on vacation shootin' stuff all the time, but actually WORKING.

I really, really respect the opinions of Paul Krugman - and before you start telling me how he's published in Rolling Stone and the New York Times, two uber-liberal platforms, let me remind you he won the Nobel Prize for economics, so I'm pretty sure he has a better idea of what he's talking about than you or I do. This article in particular from the March issue of Rolling Stone really makes a lot of great points.

My frustrations in a nutshell, and then I'll shut up for a few more months:

• I think we desperately need health care reform, and I hope that it passes, and I think people should do some research - most of the fears people have around this issue are ludicrous. No one is going to have to pay MORE. No one is going to be left for dead. And let's realize that those are the PRESENT conditions, so what we're trying to do is make it better for more people. And you know what, if health insurance cost me $20 more bucks a month but that $20 made it possible for someone else to go to the doctor, I would be okay with that. I have no tolerance on this issue. If you cannot see that our current system is shoddy, you are blind. If you are not willing to CONSIDER something new, you are selfish. There are people out there dying because they can't get in front of a doctor, and it is our duty as a country to fix that. Even if it DID mean those of us with money had to pay a little bit more. I've said this before, and I will keep saying it - TAX ME. GO AHEAD. TAKE MY MONEY. Most of the time, I'm pretty damn selfish, so if I can help others, BY ALL MEANS. Who am I to bitch, when I'm fortunate enough to have a nice life? And if I lost it all, I would hope someone else would feel the same way and want to help me.
• The GOP has got to stop being so unhelpful. Seriously, if they want to turn their party around, they need to cooperate and work together with democrats and independents to make change happen, not stubbornly block the road. It's getting ridiculous.
• People need to own their part in this destroyed economy and stop expecting our president to make magical changes in 1/25th of the time it took to create the mess. Start saving your money. Stop being irresponsible and racking up debt. And if you want things to be different, pay attention to YOUR LOCAL AND STATE GOVERNMENT because that's the best way you can bring change around. Don't hate the president - pressure your state representatives and congressmen and senators to do what's best for your state.
• I don't want to hear ANY MORE about how Obama is a socialist. SERIOUSLY. Someday I'm going to write a whole diatribe about socialism. GO READ ABOUT SWEDEN, PEOPLE. It looks PRETTY DAMN GOOD TO ME. We are NOT a socialist country, so SHUT UP!
• The media needs to re-learn what it is to report and stop airing 24 hours of opinion.

Change doesn't happen over night. Change takes time. And meanwhile, there's vodka.

There. I'm done. I'm getting off my soap box for a while.

PS - My husband wrote a really great post about the media, healthcare and all the rest - it's far more eloquent than this and I think you should read it.

Remembering a legend.

As everyone knows by now, we lost Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson (!!!) this week. What a huge chunk of Gen X's childhood to lose all at once. Ed was a household name, Farrah's hair was legendary and Michael changed the face of pop music forever.

I know it's kinda crass, but I'm really only sad about Michael - as troubled as the past 15 years have been for him, I didn't see that coming. At least Ed lived to be an old man. Farrah's death put an end to a long and painful battle with cancer. But Michael Jackson's heart stopped yesterday and it shocked the world.

What makes me sad is that because Michael got SO weird in the latter part of his life - financial and legal battles that obliterated most of his wealth and rumors and allegations of child abuse and molestation - many of us who "knew him when" have forgotten his former cool factor. And younger generations don't even realize how badass he was. Sure, everyone likes his tunes still, but most would ultimately categorize him as a freak.

And yes, Michael Jackson was a weird, freakish man. But I feel sorry for him. I think his story is tragic, and I think most of his problems can be attributed to a childhood spent almost entirely in show business - he really didn't have a childhood at all. It was spent singing for people in bars and nightclubs, and then the Jackson 5 exploded to fame and all the pressure was on Michael to lead the way. That's a lot for any kid to take.

In my opinion, Michael formed unhealthy relationships with children because they represented a purity and innocence that he never was able to experience. I believe Michael went to such drastic measures to change his appearance because he didn't know who he was. Even as far back as the Bad and Thriller albums he'd had a lot of plastic surgery. By the time Dangerous came out, he no longer resembled his childhood self. In the past ten years, I think I speak for most people when I say I couldn't bear to look at him.

But regardless of his personal battles, Michael Jackson changed the face of pop music worldwide. He was one of the most gifted performers ever to walk across a stage, and 25 years later his songs and his music videos are still completely awesome and cutting edge. One of my very first memories is of my mom watching the Thriller video in our house in Michigan - I couldn't have  been more than three - and I absolutely loved the music but the monsters scared me so I would hide behind the chair and just peek out intermittently. That's my first musical memory, and it completely shaped my musical taste.

I hope that the world will join me in choosing to remember Michael for his talent and his vibrant energy as a performer and not for his dark, troubled personal life. I'm going to remember him like this:

and this:

and maybe a little bit of this:

Rest in peace, MJ.

I hate hate (and Miss California).

I had planned to write a seething diatribe about the swine flu outbreak, but I'm all swine flu-ed out. Instead, I'll focus my seething diatribe on Miss California Carrie Prejean.

You've probably heard the news by now - that in response to an interview question from Perez Hilton amidst the Miss USA pageantry, Prejean denounced gay marriage. Sadly for America, Prejean's 15 minutes of fame have seemingly been extended to at least 20, as the National Organization for Marriage has placed Prejean in an anti-gay marriage ad. EW did a nice little piece about Prejean's interview with Fox News' Greta Van Susteren - read it and weep.

If you are still living in such a state of ignorance that you REALLY have a problem with gay marriage, fine. Fine. I'm not gonna argue with you. I'm all argued out. You can think whatever you want to think. You really think Jesus hates the gays? That's your issue. I think Jesus loves the gays just fine, and Jesus would say "Mind your own business, you ignorant jerks."

But to participate in a campaign opposing gay marriage is not just ignorant, it's hateful. Miss California is an agent of hate. And if she's using this as a way to extend her fame, that just makes her even more of a canker sore on the mouth of humanity.

Sometimes, I like to daydream about a day, in the (hopefully) not-too-distant future, when all of this will be just a memory. You know, when we as a society will have grown up and learned to pee in the toilet instead of our shorts and finally realize that intolerance is unacceptable, that being black or white or gay or straight or Christian or Muslim doesn't matter, that only being HUMAN matters. And the new, improved humans will look back on their former hateful, ignorant incarnations and hang their heads in shame and say, "What were we THINKING?" And if you don't think that day will come, you're blind.

So to all of you out there who are feeling oppressed, whether it's because of your religion or your color or your sexuality or what kind of toppings you like on your pizza, hang in there. I'm sure our grandparents never thought they'd live to see a black president elected in this country, and I truly hope that our children will grow up to raise kids who can marry whoever they want, wherever they want, whenever they want with no notion that anything less was ever the norm.

Dead, dead, dead.

For the past couple of weeks, Jay and I have been marathoning our way through the first two seasons of The Tudors in order to get caught up in time for the upcoming third season on Showtime. Have you seen this show? You NEED to watch it. Seriously. You will love it, regardless of how much of a history buff you are or are not. It's violent (beheadings! torture!), sexy (basically soft-core porn) and elaborate. Not to mention the hotness of the cast - I cannot think of a show with more gorgeous people on it. And they're good actors to boot. And if all that didn't sell you on it - it has Peter O'Toole! As the POPE!!! What are you waiting for?

Peter O'Toole. Is. Awesome.

I guess Peter O'Toole doesn't really convey hot steamy sex. Sorry about that.

That's better.

So anyway, we have been watching several episodes in a sitting, and then I inevitably go to bed and have nightmares about Tudor England and being forced to marry some ugly old man with an open, seeping wound and then being tossed in the Tower of London and left there with the rats. It's awesome.

One of the best things about the show is how they depict Henry's slow downward spiral into complete and utter psychosis. You know he's not a very nice guy when he unseats his wife, Catherine of Aragon, to marry Anne Boleyn, but by the end of the second season when Anne's about to get the axe, you're actually feeling sorry for her and terrified of Henry, who is clearly NUTS. Sorry for Anne Boleyn - what a concept! But you do, because the writers do a great job showing her progression as her motivations shift from family ambition to love for Henry to absolute fear and desperation.

Which brings me to my observation about Henry VIII, and I hope you'll indulge me a little Tudor history here. These women - these wives of Henry? Not so smart. As season 2 is winding down, Jane Seymour is on the scene and I'm forced to ask myself, what's wrong with this woman? She cannot be very intelligent if she doesn't experience pants-shitting terror in the presence of ol' Henry. How did these women not seem to entertain the notion that they might be, you know, dead if they married this dude? Anne of Cleves was the only one who seemed appropriately nervous about her husband, and you'll note that caution paid off for her, as Henry allowed her to live when he got sick of her.

I mean, think about it for a second. You're a princess somewhere in, say, Germany or something. And you get a phone call - or parchment scroll, or whatever - and it's from some Duke of Sorescrotum in the shire of North Bumblestump, England or what have you on behalf of Henry VIII, wanting to know if you'd be interested in getting married. To Henry. And you'll be wife number five or something. I don't know about you, but my reaction would surely not be, "Why, yes, that sounds lovely. I'll pack my things immediately." It would be more along the lines of, "Aaw, HELL no, beeyotch!" And I don't care if I had some grumbly, overambitious father who wanted me to bring power and riches to the family. I'd skip town, enter a convent - ANYTHING. I'm just sayin'.

Watch The Tudors. It rules.

That's Jane Seymour. She's gonna die. Soon.

Yesterday was magic.

January 20 was the best day of my life. Well, pretty close anyway. For those of you who weren't snowed in for the first time in 2 years, or who weren't able to get away from work to watch the inauguration, I'll post video of Barack Obama taking the Oath of Office (way to screw up your ONE job, Justice Roberts) and delivering his inaugural address. It was not to be missed. By the end of the day, I was ready to reach through my television and strangle Wolf Blitzer though - seriously, I can't take all that analysis. "The speech was too long" - "No! It was too short!" "The speech was too serious." "No! It wasn't meaty enough!" Can it, pundits! This day is magical and I won't let you ruin it for me!

For all the ceremony and the spectacle and the inspiration and the 10 inaugural balls (again - if I had to hear "At Last" one more time I was ready to drink rat poison), you know what the best part was? No, it wasn't Cheney in a wheelchair - although that was pretty effin' great. It was Bush's departure. Here you go, Texas! You can have him! I don't even like you as a state anyway! And I can't help but admit that it was a warm and fuzzy feeling to know that, for the first time in eight years, good ol' Dubya is no longer in power. Do you know what he is? A gun-totin' peasant, folks! And I couldn't be happier.

Now! On to saving the country and all that crap!

Change we chose.

I wish everyone could have gotten up this morning and felt as happy as I did about the outcome of last night's election. Having a president (and at times a senate and house) whose politics absolutely opposed mine for the last eight years was really tough. I was angry about the voting scandals in 2000 and 2004. I tried to be open minded about George W. Bush, but from the minute 9/11 occurred, it was a downhill spiral. I vehemently opposed the war in Iraq. I was as angry as most Americans with the way Hurricane Katrina was handled. No Child Left Behind and the tax cuts, in my opinion, were both poorly handled. I could go on and on, but I won't, because in two months, he'll be out of the White House and back on his ranch shootin' stuff where he belongs.

I wish everyone liked Barack Obama as much as I do. I don't think he's a perfect man, but I think he is a good man, and I think he's going to try to fix our country. Whether or not he achieves that goal, I think it will be a more honest process than we have seen in recent years. And hopefully, he will reach across party lines, despite his liberal voting record, because that's the impression I got when I listened to his speeches and read his two books - that this is a man who sees things just a little bit differently than most people in Washington. It's not about left and right, blue and red. It's not about majorities in the House and Senate. Power has a way of ebbing and flowing. In a few years, there will be more Republicans in the Senate and a Republican Speaker. Nothing is permanent.

I wish we all agreed about everything and crapped rainbows, but we don't. But if you're one of those folks who woke up bitter and angry and afraid this morning, I am sorry for you - I know that feeling. The only thing I can offer up by way of why I think this was the right choice for our country right now is this anecdote.

Last week, while Jay and I were in D.C., we stayed at The Akwaaba Bed and Breakfast, which is owned by a successful black woman, an entrepreneur who made her own fortune and owns several places. Not only did she cook a mean breakfast, she was incredibly inspiring. On Saturday morning, we went downstairs for breakfast with the others staying in the house. Among us were a Jew, an agnostic, a Baptist, a couple of conservative Christians, a Rastafarian, four black people, four white people, twentysomethings and sixtysomethings, from the South all the way to New York. We sat down to eat at 9:00 and, with the election just four days away, politics quickly came up. It took about five minutes to go from "So, aren't we all ready for this to be over" to the most passionate, honest, inspiring discussion I have ever had about politics in my entire life. Just thinking about it sends chills up and down my spine.

At no point did anyone bash John McCain. Several people spoke, calmly and eloquently, about why they disagreed with Sarah Palin and didn't want her in office, but it was respectful and calm the entire time. Everyone sitting around the table, as it turns out, intended to vote or had already voted for Barack Obama. I found this amazing - that we could be gathered in a city we didn't live in, not knowing one another, a group so diverse, all in agreement that this was the right person to lead our country. I don't think that's ever happened to me. Before we knew it, the clock had struck noon. We had passed three hours sharing stories of race, religion, political fears and uncertainties. The name Barack Obama wasn't even mentioned all that often. What was evident was a sense of urgency and passion and an unspoken agreement that this was the right guy at the right time.

And, most of all, there was hope.

As a nation, we absolutely, fundamentally disagree. There is a deep divide in this country when it comes to social and economic issues and how to fix the problems we face. I don't think that will change, and because we are in such disagreement, what we need is a concensus builder, someone who will work across party lines to rebuild our country, who will encourage those who cannot agree to at least find a way to have breakfast together and learn from it.

This year, America made a decisive choice to elect Barack Obama. It wasn't a close race. There was no gray area. There was no scandal. To me, that means a lot of people were having breakfasts like the one I had. It means other people, like me, have a coworker in the office next door who they absolutely disagree with on certain issues but can still work it out. This morning, mine said to me, "I didn't vote for Barack Obama - but I won't be bitter about him. He is our President, and I will grant him the respect that office deserves until, God forbid, a day comes when he no longer deserves that respect." That's change we need.

My hope for Barack Obama is that he will help us reach that middle ground we so desperately need to find - so that we can stop trying to drag each other across a center line and try to shake hands over top of it instead.

And so concludes Indecision '08. Now we can get back to talkin' about boobs and beer! WOOOOH!

What I feared would happen...

Later on, I'll write about yesterday in a heartfelt, meaningful way. But for a minute, I want to talk about the backlash I had a feeling was coming. Do you know that my boss got a phone call at 1:30 in the morning telling her to wear black today to mourn the death of our country? Gotta love the South.

It took me about 3 seconds to find this uber-insane post on the boards of Politico.com this morning. As we celebrate the triumph of our nation overcoming racism to elect its first African-American president and enjoy the result of an contest that was decided definitively, with no scandal or doubt but by a wide margin of votes (popular and electoral), let's all work together to end speech like this - the speech of fear and racism.

A day to remember?..November 3, 2008! The day that they United States of America ceased to exist as a free and independent capitalist nation. The day that the pledge of allegiance became a worthless statement and the Constitution was reduced to the status of toilet paper. The day that the principles and ideals that once served as the foundation of the nation were trampled underfoot and banished to the realm of oblivion. The day that the decline and fall of the greatest nation in the world reached the point of no return beyond the possibility of rescue or salvation. Congratulations to all of the lazy mindless gullible greedy selfish idiots responsible for the travesty who are only capable of sucking off of the tit of the real working citizens of the country and stealing their hard earned money and property for themselves. Congratulation for ushering in the change you so earnestly desired which will establish the first totalitarian government of the United States. Congratulations to those wonderful racists, those immoral scum bags, those incredible extremists, those stalwarts of socialism, those tremendous lovers of fascism?you?ve managed to succeed at the task that all of the previous enemies of the United States of America could not?to bring the bastion of truth, liberty, justice, and freedom down to the ground! Now that you have managed to destroy the nation that so many have suffered for and have given their lives for, you should all be proud to continue to show your ignorance and disrespect for their sacrifice by making certain that all of your Messiah?s campaign promises are kept. Only then can you revel in the evil mess that you have made and truly enjoy the disaster that you have wrought for future generations. When you awaken from your drug laden stupor, if you can manage to pull yourselves away from the task of counting everybody else?s money that you?ll be stealing from them, then maybe you?ll see what you?ve done. When you notice that you no longer have the right to criticize your wonderful leader without suffering ridicule, humiliation, intimidation, and retaliation, you?ll wonder why? When you notice that you aren?t getting all of those wonderful jobs that some of you thought you were going to get, you?ll start to become suspicious that the ?change? you were all so eager to usher in wasn?t what you thought it would be! When you notice that the enemies of the USA are running the country and dictating to it, you?ll become a little more worried. When you notice that the government is slowly acquiring control over everything and providing you with less and less, you?ll start to question yourselves. When you notice that what you were told is not what is happening, that the rights you thought you had have become quietly and incrementally redefined, that you now belong to the state as the property of the state and all resistance is now rendered futile, you?ll start to realize that you?ve made a mistake. Unfortunately, just like what happened in Germany when Hitler took over, there will be nothing you can do about it! Equally as bad is that nobody else will be able to help you out either! The time to have prevented that from happening is now passed and you neglected the solemn duty that you had as citizens of this land to do your due diligence and exercise your right to vote for the right person. So, you will all get what you deserve! It just angers me that you have dragged the rest of us into the same sewer that you live in and we can?t do anything about it. At least not yet, but we may be able to find a way to overcome the burden you have so eagerly placed upon us. Time will tell. In the meantime, I will wait patiently for the time I can relish in your dumbfounded despair, your suffocating depression, and your disabling despondence when the truth about the error that you?ve just made comes back to haunt you. I am certain that it will happen. It is just a matter of time. Of that there is no doubt. - From Politico.com's message boards

I voted, and there were cookies!

Today I left work early and headed to my polling station mid-afternoon to cast my vote (for Barack Obama! You know, the fake American? Yeah, that guy). It was completely awesome. I love the fact that we have this right to voice our opinion. People who don't vote are so stupid - why would you toss away an opportunity to make a difference, to help shape your country? There were a couple of first-time voters there, and everyone in the room cheered for them as they stepped up to cast their votes for the first time ever.

I asked my mom the other day how it felt to vote for Barack Obama, having lived through the Civil Rights movement. I can't imagine what that would feel like - knowing that in your life time, something like a black man on the presidential ticket was absolutely impossible, that black people couldn't even cast a ballot. It's amazing how far we have come as a nation, and I'm really excited for women and black Americans today. I know I sound like a total cliche, but in case you haven't noticed, it's history in the making. It must give our parents such a thrill to go to the polls and see a black man and a woman on the ballot.

There's been so much excitement in North Carolina because this year, amazingly, we are a battleground state. It's been neck and neck here, and I cannot wait to see how it turns out. The fact that a democrat was competitive here is huge. Most of the major news stations have been issuing ominous warnings for the past week about impedning confusion and chaos at the polls, but I have to say - today's voting experience was so easy, it was criminal. I left work early, got to the poll at 3:00. There were about 3 other people there to vote, so I had to wait less than 3 minutes to step up to the machines. Mine worked perfectly and after I'd cast my votes, the kindly, elderly volunteers directed me to the kitchen for still-warm-from-the-oven cookies and brownies. And freshly brewed coffee or tea. So today, I'm proud to live in the South. Not only are we breaking the mold when it comes to our voting habits, but there's nothing like a little Southern hospitality to make your experience at the polls all the more pleasant.

And now I'm settling in with vodka and some friends to watch the returns - fingers crossed that for the first time in my adult life, this goes my way.