Why I Voted for Obama

I participated in a caucus primary for the first time last night. It was an overwhelming turnout, almost 200,000 in Minnesota they say.

I cast my ballot for Obama because after listening to him speak at a rally here Saturday, more than once I was choked up with tears. In my lifetime, no politician has brought me to tears, at least ones of joy and hope. After eight years of lies about the war, the stripping of individual rights, wiretapping, the acceptance of torture and the degradation of what it means to be American, I am ready for something new. It was during the Bush presidency that I stopped saying the pledge of allegiance because I can't imagine dedicating myself to a country in such a state of despair and misdirection.

Yet, Obama makes me want to believe again. And though it's his mass appeal, his inspirational message of hope, his uniting vision and his powerful public speaking that first attracted me to his camp, it's his policies that kept me in.

His health care plan bridges the gap between the current system and the eventual universal health care system. He is committed to a reduction in troops in Iraq. His charm and uniting attitude will bridge the gaps between the aisles in Congress. Though he might not have experience as part of a Clinton-like political machine, his idealism and direction are what we need.

I'd rather elect a president with a idealistic hope for the future than one who has proven to be a divisive figure who is so beat down she fails to dream big.

Christmas shopping

I had my Christmas shopping done several weeks ago. Yesterday, though, the boy volunteered us to shop for his Adopt-A-Family kids that his company is adopting. I love doing stuff like this, unfortunately the Target gods were against us.

Granted, I shouldn't expect much from Target on basically the weekend before Christmas. But good lord. I started pushing the cart through toy aisles for maybe 30 seconds before I was ready to buy the kids some socks and call it good. We stared at V-Tech toys for about 15 minutes and then argued in the baseball equipment aisle for another 15 about how it's not ridiculous that a disadvantaged family would be happy with a $20 baseball glove even though it was going to fall apart in a year and wouldn't make little Victor into the next MVP.

So after getting the glove, some baseballs and bases, we only needed a nightlight. Just a $1 nightlight seems like an easy task. But, it's like rush hour on the Interstate on a Friday afternoon. People push their carts without looking or park them in the middle of the aisle to wander off to another area of the store blissfully unaware that I am plotting to steal all their purses to teach them a lesson. We looked in furniture, lamps, lightbulbs, kids bedding, toys, small electrics... everywhere for a nightlight. By then the boy is asking me why I keep snapping at him. Because I am. He keeps making jokes and I keep glaring at him like he has caused this mayhem and forced me to come here against my will.

We found the nightlight. Next to camping equipment. Because that's what I want to do when I am sleeping in a tent under the stars - plug in a nightlight.

And then the boy bought me a Dr. Pepper for my troubles, and the world was once again OK.

A Decade Earlier

Dear Sarah of 1997,

This your future you, 10 years later. You just started high school. It's December now so you've finally figured out where the stairwells go in that ridiculous old building they call the East Campus. Even though they gave you two lockers, you'll only use one. You'll take a reading appreciation class and skip entire sections of Jane Eyre yet get 100 extra credit points for reading it. You're going to have good friends this year. Enjoy that. Stop being so dramatic.

High school will be easy for you. You'll end up skipping a lot of class your senior year because you can't convince yourself to go to class when you keep acing tests. You should go to class anyway because in college you'll need that motivation.

You won't have a lot of girl friends. They'll come and go each year. Appreciate the things they bring into your life and let them go when they let you down. Listen to your mom when she says these girls won't be your bridesmaids.

When that dark-haired boy tries to break up with you because you're going to college, LET HIM. You're fighting for a relationship that is ultimately going to rock you to your core. Sometimes letting go saves you from years of recovering from a broken heart and anger I couldn't convince you now that you're capable of.

You're going to envelope yourself with journalism. It's your passion. But believe what's written on the ceiling of your college newspaper newsroom - "newspapers will always break your heart." You're going to experience a lot of heartache and hard lessons in the unfairness of life. Please, please, please keep a journal so you can remember what happened later on.

A few other things to remember:

- Don't lie to your parents. It's going to ruin your relationship with them for a few years. Whatever you think is worth losing trust, is not. Also, when they tell you you can't drive because you are crying hysterically, for the love of god, listen.

- I know you don't think your college GPA is important because that won't be on your newspaper resume. Resist that belief. You will want to go to graduate school in 10 years and you will want a time machine to kick your own ass when you have to turn in your applications.

- You are skinny and beautiful. You just don't know how to pull it all together yet. Stop skipping meals. It's so unnecessary.

- Don't just study abroad for a month. Do it for a year or at least a semester. You won't miss out on things, you'll gain the most life-changing experiences of your life.

- It won't be as you imagined when you were younger. After college you'll go through several jobs and several abusive bosses. You will cry in your car after work for weeks on end. But you will make it through it. You'll lose direction, gain confusion but will endure it all with grace.

- Stop spending your money on shit. You'll want it later and wish there was a 10-year return policy.

- Your future red Mustang is SO cool except when you are digging it out of Minnesota snow, or getting it stuck a the bottom of a driveway because it's rear wheel drive. Buy a Honda Civic instead especially if you can get a hybrid. Do you even know what that is?

I know that in the next decade you're going to wonder if it all will ever come together. You're going to wonder if you'll ever find your soulmate, if you'll ever be excited on your way to work or if your parents will approve of it all.

Consider this letter a big hug to let you know it's going to be OK. You will be beautiful inside and out. You aren't going to figure out your career right away but your life will become bigger than what you do for money. You're not going to get married after college but you'll be grateful that you didn't.

You'll find someone that eliminates the trust issues you thought you had. You won't have to ask him how he feels because he always tells you. When you fight, you won't have that stomach ache worried he's reconsidering. This is how it's supposed to be.

So be brave, stop worrying, and never forget who you are.

Love, your future you.

How I Have Become a Housewife (without actually being a wife)

In the month I have not blogged, I have become a bonafide housewife. Considering I once was the opposite of such a description, this is quite a development.

First, I found a boyfriend with whom I unofficially live with. Unoffically meaning I still pay a large percentage of my nonexistant income to my landlord for an apartment I use to store my furniture, clothes I should probably give away and a place to pick up my mail once a week.

Next, I fell in love with this boy which compelled me to start doing things like make dinner, and not just heating up something from a box. Luckily, said boy is much more ambitious and happy in the kitchen than me. As the love grew, so did my desire to bake cookies for no reason.

Thirdly, I quit my job from hell giving me more time for housewifery. A good indication that you made the right decision in quitting your job is when you quit and you realize you are 500 pounds lighter and you quit contemplating running your car into ditches.

Without the job, there is a lot of time for things like laundry, loading and unloading the dishwasher, taking the dog for a walk, preparing dinner, driving two suburbs away to bring the boy the black tie he forgot before his business lunch and decorating the Charlie Brown Christmas tree.

I did find a new awesome job, however it means I get to work from home, which is no doubt going to lead to more domestic activity. The last two days, the boy has come home from work only to find me on the couch watching Rachel Ray's 30-Minute Meals.

What happens when I am stressssed with four s's

I start emailing people that don't have any clue what I am saying. Like "here are those jpegs you asked for?" They did not ask me for anything yet I am sending random crap to people because I can't keep track of who is asking me for what.

I start sleeping at my desk. However, it's rained 16 of the last 18 days here and it's dark by 2 p.m. Anyone would smack their forehead on their keyboard every other hour under those conditions anyway right?

I get really irritable. For example, "Sarah, are you there? I don't have much service." me: "God, yes. Just talk."

Running and eating cease to exist. One day this week I had a bagel, yogurt and some snap peas. For the whole day.

I start losing things. This morning it was pouring rain and I looked for a good 20 minutes for the two umbrellas I had yesterday. Didn't find them. My apartment is clean and is only 450 square feet. This is not possible. I also lost my keys but after 10 minutes I found them. Sitting on my couch. In plain sight.

When I leave work, it's dark and there is no rush hour traffic.

Rice part of Nobel Prize-winning group - Today's News

Rice part of Nobel Prize-winning group - Today's News

Happy

"Well," said Pooh, "what I like best," and then he had to stop and think. Because although eating honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called. ~A.A. Milne

Deja vu

I am sitting in the same Starbucks where this happened.

Funny.

Also, there are bank robbers on the loose. Better run fast and extra intimidating in the morning.

Diamonds and pink

I don't know the names of diamond settings. Jo was talking about one today and I had to ask "um, is that a diamond?" I think a big diamond would be really annoying to have wear the rest of my life. You can't take it off but I would probably snag all my clothes or something. Or scratch my face. "What's that on your face?"... "Oh, just a bleeding reminder I am engaged/married."

I think I'd rather wear a white dress with lots of red accents on it rather than pure white. I'd rather just have long, curled hair than all tangled up in a tiara and flowers. I'd rather have ice cream cake than traditional wedding cake. I'd rather have a huge game of Cranium than the Dollar Dance. But I still want the dollars. There can be roses or tulips at my wedding, but under no circumstances will a carnation or daisy set foot in the church. Nor is the Macarena or Hokey Pokey allowed. The Electric Slide is OK.

I am high-maintenance. But not in the traditional girl kind of way. More in the "STOP TOUCHING MY FACE" way.

Marathon report

The inline marathon in Duluth was super cold, super windy, much slower but fun. Start time it was a temperature in the 30s with a wind chill in the 20s. After a few miles, there was a definite headwind. The cold wasn't so bad except my legs felt tight and my hands were swollen from the cold. The course was beautiful along the lake and rocks.

I didn't beat my St. Paul time last year but considering the cold, wind and my being out of town the majority of the last month or so I am not disappointed. It was so much fun, and I am glad my parents could be there, cowbell and all.

Fantasy moment

After doing some work in San Diego, I went on a long jog (Ok, long for me) on this path by the San Diego river past luxury condos then changed into my swimsuit and spent the next few hours swimming and laying out in PERFECT 75-degree weather.

I got back to my hotel only to have wine and cheese delivered to my room by a cute boy who taught me how to open my wine with a cheap corkscrew. So there I was drying my hair, sipping white wine with my antique pearls around my neck.

It was at this moment I concluded that I most certainly am going to have to find a rich doctor or lawyer to marry because otherwise these moments will remain fantasies.

Rules for listservs

1. Do not EVER e-mail the whole list asking for the phone number or e-mail address to a common organization/business that has a Web site and could have been found out through Google in 25 seconds.

2. If you do accidentally e-mail the whole list with a personal message to one person and you avoid the well-deserved stoning, do NOT immediately e-mail back the whole list and say "oops. sorry."

3. No e-mails with content that solely includes any of the following: "Thank you." "I agree." "Great!" "I'm printing/saving this." "Haha." "Me too."

4. No message with more than 12-point font.

5. One exclamation point or question mark only. !!!!!! does not convey excitement, only stupidity.

6. If your question starts out with "I know we talked about this last week" that is exactly when you should stop typing and hit delete.

21 miles and counting

I skated 21.3 miles at semi-marathon speed tonight. I ate a third of a Clif Bar before I skated and then on my 18th mile tired PowerBar gel. I wanted to test it out before the marathon so I knew it wouldn't make me spew.

Luckily it worked, I got a little shaky but then it was just renewed energy. I had the stamina but my quads were killing me so I stopped at my seventh time around the lakes.

Best part though was this speed skater (who had the biggest calves ever) I was keeping up with for a short time passed me, and he said "You are skating very strong. You're a little power house"

MY LIFE IS AWESOME TODAY

These were delivered to me at work. Can you hear me smiling from here?

20-something queries

I don't know why because I am bordering on being closer to 30 than 20 that everyone needs to ask the same questions over and over. It's like high school graduation but more painful and neverending. At least I had an answer to "where are you going to college and what are you majoring in?"

Is there anyone special in your life?
Of course there are a lot of "special" people in my life. I am just not waking up next to them. This question really means, "are you getting married soon like everyone else we know?" No, I am not. The prospect of me in a white dress and shoving cake into someone's mouth is less nauseating than it was a year ago but it still just makes me queasy. My favorite followup to this is "well, have you tried online dating?" Nothing wrong with some match.com but it's like saying "well you better do something soon before your eggs dry up."

Do you want to have kids someday?
I am only 24. 2.4. That's too young. I am still at the point of eating only toast and green beans for dinner because that's all I have and I am too lazy to go to the grocery store. Clearly, I am not ready to take care of another human being especially one that eats digusting things like strained peas.

Are you surviving winters up north?
Ok this isn't related to my age. But I haven't traveled anywhere without people commenting on what must be my great inner strength for not dying when it snows or is bitterly cold. The truth is we know how to do winter up here. My car does not but at least the streets are clear. No one's car does well when there are 10 inches of snow blocking your car door. And I still want to stay in bed rather than face the prospect of my face freezing off when I walk to my car. So I am surviving in a seasonal affective disorder kind of way.

Small towns

I'm home in Kansas. I went to the grocery store in a wrinkled Cheerios t-shirt, pajama shorts and flip flops. On top of that I had no makeup, my hair was still wet and I looked generally white trash.

In the 10 minutes it took me to walk from my car, buy everything on the list for my mom and walk back to my car, I saw three people I knew. A family friend of a friend, a guy from high school and a guy from college.

Oy.

Very real

I am used to (unfortunately) watching national tragedies play out on CNN. Usually I have been to the city, for a visit. Usually I am glued to the TV, online newspaper sites and blogs for at least a week. Reading the latest statistics, the causes for the tragedy, the investigations, the eye-witness reports.

But this time, I am watching it play out in the city where I live. On the bridge that I drive on at least four times a week. The route that takes me to Target, the grocery store, the airport, Twins games and home from work. I wasn't there when it happened, and it still seems like it's far away when I watch it on TV. But when I go home Sunday, it will all be very real.

By Sunday, everyone will be adjusting to the new traffic patterns after losing a main path through the city. Funerals will be scheduled. National news media will be starting to leave. But it will all be new to me. Seeing first hand that less than a mile from my apartment, just a few blocks from my work, a bridge just fell down. That's not supposed to happen.

Just a normal Target run...

I go to this questionable Target because it's close to my apartment and the Interstate to get there isn't torn into pieces like the luxury Target shopping center north of me. I never leave the questionable Target or adjacent questionable grocery store without a story.

Location: Walking toward the cleaning supplies

Large man with dreds and shades: "Heeeeey there girl. You've got yourself some sexy legs."

Me: "Um, thanks"

Man: "Can you stop and talk to me for a minute. ... Too busy?"

Me: "Yeah, sorry."


Location: Checkout registers

Man: "Sure you don't want this number?" (pointing to his cell phone)

Me: "Yep, sure."

Man: "Come on. I want to give you some nigga love. I'll take care of you."

Funny how life works...

Amazing how life can go from this:


and this:


and this:



to this:

in less than 8 hours.

The training begins

I'm signed up for the North Shore Inline Marathon. Yes, 26.2 miles. It's the biggest inline marathon in the U.S. with 4,000 skaters along the shore of Lake Superior from Two Harbors to Duluth, Minnesota.


My goals are:

1. Don't fall.

2. Finish faster than my time in the St. Paul marathon last year.