25 Things!

25 Random Things.  I don't have much to say, but because it was requested of me...

1. I collect many things.  All of them nerdy.
2. Our TiVo dominates the evening.
3. I've a blog and a twitter, but the twitter's been more busy of late.
4. I like to write, but only for fun.
5. I've worn a bunny suit.
6. The first thing I remember drawing was the Lone Ranger.
7. I can walk home from work in around 30 minutes.
8. My feet have fallen arches.
9. I could spend all day at a Barnes & Noble and not get bored.
10. There are two cowlicks in my hair.
11. My birthday is the day before my sister's.
12. I'm very good at remembering faces, but terrible with names.
13. JJ Abrams is my personal hero.
14. My palate is terrible, so I cook by smell.
15. I cook breakfast every Saturday, with no plans or recipe at all.
16. If someone gave me a box of Nutter Butters, I'd eat the whole thing.
17. I've been to a comic book store where the owner looked exactly like Comic Book Guy.  Actually, I think most of these stores have at least one.
18. A door jamb gave me a concussion.
19. The only food item I will not eat is an olive.
20. I believe the only way to make good tortillas or beans is with lard.
21. My favorite books would hardly qualify as "literature."
22. I disrupted an entire movie theater when I was younger while watching ET.
23. I enjoy stupid puns and word games.
24. I wouldn't mind paying almost $100 for a good bottle of tequila.
25. Someday I hope to perfect my hamburger recipe.  Complete with In-N-Out style bun.

The Precedence

Never before have we seen a day like yesterday, for on January 20th, we inaugurated our 44th president of these United States, Barack Obama.  It was momentous, truly a day that I'm sure many of us will tell our children and grandchildren.  The future remains to be seen, however, but I remain hopeful, for it was Mr. Obama who told us to choose Hope over Fear.

The last 8 years have been a tumultuous time for us as citizens.  Thinking about all that's occurred, it's hard to imagine the horrors that have been set upon us as citizens, but also the global horrors that have reared their ugly head.  Much has changed in 8 years and now it's time for a different sort of change.  I believe that we've taken Mr. Obama's promises to heart.  For me, I'm encouraged that he's been very frank in the language of his speeches.  He does not promise sunshine and flowers, but envisions a difficult path we must ready ourselves for.  We've always known that he is a different kind of politician, but in this I feel we share a common ground with our new president.  His journey through the cratered political landscape will also be troubling.

Let's suppose for a second that everything comes up roses.  The economy makes a 180-degree turn, the country is victorious in its war on terror, and we are able to regain the good will of the global community.  Let's suppose this is the future that Mr. Obama can guide us through.  Regardless of his political affiliation and regardless of our own political or sociological views, shouldn't this be a future we should all strive for?  I imagine that there are dissenters out there, ready to scrutinize every single word, every bill set in motion, and every single appearance, and I guess this is human nature.  We take great pride in our freedom of speech and holding the government accountable of these promises will always be a part of this for the majority.  We can all dream of this perfect world, but I know that this is impossible.

So wherever we are and whatever our situation, I am strangely proud of the position we find ourselves in today.  I do find it odd to have some sort of national pride, but maybe that's what the last 8 years has done.  Through this, however, I will continue to hold onto that hope and look forward to seeing what this new administration will bring.

Poutine to Go

We always seem to ring in the new year or use our winter break to go someplace more, um, winter-like than Southern California. We kinda went to the extreme this time around and headed to the great white north for some French Canadian goodness in Montreal. The Quebecois were friendly, robust, and also quite... French! Luckily, there wasn't much of a language barrier, but I did manage a "bonjour" here and there.

Most notable: the food. I don't think I've ever consumed so much gravy in my life. Unbelievable, actually, but awesome. Also, the public transportation was great, the weather wasn't as terrible as advertised (save for the unusually icy steets), and the sights were incredible. We would go back, but there are way too many places in this world we haven't quite been to yet.

Until then, all we have are the pictures and the memories. Here's to 2009!

Happy X-mas!

The blog has been neglected, but it will never be neglected over the holidays.  Most people take this time to reflect on the events of the past year, but I want to take some time to wish everyone the best for the future, a very Merry Christmas, and an excellent New Year!  

See everyone in 2009!

Rock the Vote!

In the spirit of the day, I will re-post something I wrote approximately four years ago regarding the 2004 election. If you will, here's the original text. Get out and vote!

Several times throughout the last few days, I've heard arguments from both sides of the political spectrum attempt explanation of the electoral process and how we now have G-Dubb as prez for the next four years (FOUR years!). It comes down to a couple of simple issues that I've consistently seen:

1. Kerry is not a strong candidate for president.

2. Bush makes people feel like their moral values are safe.

I'll accept the first tenet because I was never fully comfortable with Mr. Kerry from early on during the primary elections. Mostly, I was surprised that he came so strongly out of left field to steal the primaries from more viable candidates, but in the end, he was it, and we had to accept that as fact. His rhetoric towards the end of his presidential campaign became much stronger, but unfortunately, it appeared to be too little too late. For what it's worth, I believed in what he had to say: that he could empower the economy, become a champion of the middle class, return our civil liberties to what they once were, and heal our standing within the international community, but unfortunately, the majority (yes, it is an official majority) of the country didn't hear this side of his message and instead saw an untrustworthy and weak-minded candidate.

Now, the second idea, that Mr. Bush makes people feel their moral values and lives are protected is not a lot of hogwash. It's no surprise that middle America finds his down-home demeanor and devotion to faith reassuring. We out on the west coast and northeast of the country may think differently, however. While many of us may have seen the economy, the international spectrum, and the war overseas as the biggest issues, many outside of these states saw gay marriages, stem-cell research, and abortion as abominations of faith that should be gutted and thrown overboard. Forget that people with different sexual orientations should be allowed civil liberties, forget that many adults suffer daily from debilitating disease, and forget that violent sexual crimes can lead to unfortunate choices, but remember that our country was founded by what else, Puritans. Is it any surprise then that moral values were the highest rated deciding factor in this election?

Ultimately, I like to believe we all wanted our moral values protected. It can be argued that those of us in the blue counties (check out the purple map to get an idea of what I mean) were thinking of others while those in red counties thought of themselves. I'm not trying to say that there's less compassion in the south and Midwest than in other regions of the country, but isn't it what drives these issues. Do we not want others to have the same rights we do, or are we more concerned that their rights will infringe on ours? I like to think that it's a little of both for everyone.

I'll end by posting what the newly elected Senator from Illinois, Barack Obama said at the Democratic National Convention:

Yet even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there's not a liberal America and a conservative America—there's the United States of America. There's not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there's the United States of America. The pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I've got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and have gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.

It's my country, and your country, let's make it work for us.