Happy Halloween!

Yes, this is actually a real sign in the neighborhood where I work! Who knew it was so dangerous?!

Election Covereage '08: Hillary

I've always found Hillary to be a fascinating person. She is one of the most divisive figures in politics, yet she very well may be our next president. For purposes of full disclosure, let me just say upfront that I'm a fan of Hillary's and as of right now, she's got my vote. Though I reserve the right to change my mind considering it's over a year until the actual election. But I just wanted to get that out there, so feel free to stop reading if you wish. But I hope you'll indulge me and read on.

I am not registered with either party and consider myself pretty independent. Certain views I have are pretty conservative and certain views I have are pretty liberal. You can call me a liberal Republican or a conservative Democrat, though I tend to identify myself as a Democratic-leaning independent. It's funny because back in Arkansas I felt like I stuck out as being too liberal, yet out here in Cali I definitely stick out as being too conservative. I went from one extreme to the other. But that's the problem with America. We've become a country of extremes and only want to fight with each other rather than work for the common good.

But I actually came here to talk about Hillary. I encounter many people who dislike her, and I always ask why? The majority of time I get one of two responses: 1) Because she stayed with her husband for political gain, or 2) Because she's a ***** (I think you all know what I'm implying without me actually saying it). A good chunk that throw out reason #1 to me are fellow Christians. I find this incredibly laughable. We discourage divorce and encourage forgiveness, yet many of us continue to judge her for doing just that. And who are we to say that Hillary stayed with Bill for political gain? Maybe she did...or maybe she really loves the man and chose to forgive. It's something that only Bill, Hillary, and the Man upstairs know for sure, and I for one have no right to question. As for reason #2, this is where my feminist nature comes out. I don't really consider myself the bra-burning variety, but I'm definitely an encourager of women. I'm sorry, but if you believe that men and women stand on the same footing in this country, then you are sadly disillusioned. Any strong woman in a position of power is called a ***** at some point, but a man is considered a good leader and competent at his job. And since I don't know Hillary personally, I would never attempt to attack her character in such a vile manner.

I've written before about how annoying I find it when people are one issue voters. Many Christians vote Republican solely on the basis of the abortion and homosexuality issues. Many liberal factions vote Democratic using equivalent reasoning. And we'll see a new crop of that in the next election as I'm sure many women will vote for Hillary simply because she's a woman; or conversely, many black Americans will vote for Obama if he gets the nomination. But this is not the way to cast a vote. In this day and age, it's so easy to research the issues and each candidate's stance on them. So I encourage you to start today. Investigate, do some digging, see how they all line up on the issues, and then make your decision.

Here are some links to get you started:
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/youdecide2008/platforms/index.html

I'm going to be honest, Hillary does not share my position on every issue out there, but she comes the closest of them all. I'm not going to give her my vote strictly because she's a woman, and I'm not going to withhold my vote because I question her motives for staying married. I'm giving her my vote because of all the candidates, she shares ideas similar to mine and I believe she is the most qualified and competent for the job at this juncture. As I said, I reserve the right to change my mind as the election unfolds. And I hope everyone can take their blinders off, do some research, and be open to change. We don't have to vote a certain way because someone told us to, and that's the beauty of America!

Go Red Sox!

I didn't get to enjoy the Red Sox' 2004 World Series win because they defeated my beloved St. Louis Cardinals. And while the Sox are my second favorite team, my devotion to them pales in comparison to my devotion to the Cards. But I'll be rooting for them full force over the next week. And now I can say out loud, "Go Red Sox!"

SoCal Fires

When I first moved out here, everyone would call anytime there was any wildfire in the area. Over the years, people have come to be concerned less and less because only once has one of them been anywhere remotely near me. This time is no exception as I've continued moving further and further into the city, thus necessitating less concern. However, the Malibu fire that continues to burn out of control is continuing to scorch and threaten an area that I spent the better part of 4 years in. I found some pictures online to give y'all an idea.

This is a picture looking directly at the law school. I lived in campus housing that is just on the other side of the law school. I was talking to one of my friends last night about how absurd we thought it was that we had to have wildfire evacuation drills when we lived there, but I guess it's a good thing that they make residents do that year after year. I'm so thankful that I'm not having to deal with all of that. I can only imagine that most of the grad school residents feel pretty helpless because it is heavily attended by out of state students, unlike most of the undergrad who can pack up and go home.

The fire has destroyed several homes in the area. I was saddened to hear that it burned down the "beloved" Castle. I say beloved in quotes because many area residents consider it an eyesore. I, however, always thought it was pretty awesome. It was always a location I pointed out to anyone who visited me. The picture below is what it looked like sitting up on the Malibu hillside in all its glory.



The fire also burned down a church right across the street from Pepperdine. I passed Malibu Presbyterian every day going to and from school. It's kinda bizarre to think that it's not there anymore. One of the local morning show hosts lives in Malibu and attends church there. As her pastor pointed out to his congregation in the midst of this travesty, a church is not the building, but rather the people. I pray that the weather shifts and the firefighters can get all of these raging fires under control, and I pray that all of the individuals affected by these fires can take solace in the fact that a home is not the building, but rather the people.

Pumpkin Palooza

In my previous blog I mentioned that we carved pumpkins last weekend. I hadn't done that in forever! I had a lot of fun and thought I'd share some pics. I was going for an Arkansas theme with my pumpkin. I tried to give it a pig nose and I think you see what I was going for with the teeth...or lack thereof.

What I Did Last Week

Monday: Went to work, came home
Tuesday: Went to work, came home
Wednesday: Went to work, came home
Thursday: Went to work, came home, had friends over to watch The Office
Friday: Went to work, came home, impulsively bought a new computer b/c mine is about dead, watched Elizabeth: The Virgin Queen
Saturday: Slept in, ran errands, laid on the couch and watched TV, watched Arkansas lose, carved pumpkins with some friends
Sunday: Visited a church, went to a pizza joint to watch the Cowboys lose, came home, went to see Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Point of this post: Los Angeles is very exciting.

My Favorite Person of the Week

Don't know who he is or why he's my favorite person right now? I'll give you a hint...

A Happy Birthday Post to my Nieces!!

Happy 1st Birthday, Jordyn!

I can't believe you're already one! My how time flies. I feel like I'm missing your babyness, just like I missed Caroline's and Nicholas'. And now that you live so far away, I fear you're going to be a terrible toddler before I get to see you again. I hope you have (well, had since you're probably close to going to bed at this time) a great birthday. I bet mommy's cake sure was yummy! Tell Mommy to keep taking lots of pictures so that we can all watch you grow up. I love you lots and can't wait to see you and your brothers again!!



Happy Belated 7th Birthday, Caroline!

I thought it would be fun to post birthday greetings on here, but I just got this bright idea. Since your birthday was just a couple of weeks ago, I didn't want to leave you out! What can I say about you, Caroline? You are the most intriguing girl I know. You are a walking contradiction. Never have I known someone who is so girly, yet so tough at the same time. You are the perfect niece for Jolee and me. She can appeal to your girly side, and I can appeal to your rougher side! I can't believe that you're 7 years old. You are growing up so fast. I hate that I don't get to see you and your brother that often, but when I do I certainly enjoy it. My favorite thing to do is sit at the bar and color with the two of you, even though it always turns into a fight over who gets what crayon! Remember that I love you lots. Maybe you can talk your Mom & Dad into bringing you and your brother out here to visit sometime soon!

My Awesome Day

For those of you who are unaware, my job is in the heart of Hollywood right by the famous Chinese theater and where all the stars line the sidewalks. It's been fun being in the area because I get to do all the touristy things on my lunch break. But even better is the fact that I've already seen a bunch of famous people in the short time I've been working there. There's a Backstreet Boy who has a studio on our floor (Kevin, in case you're interested). One week I spent my lunch breaks watching Will Smith and Charlize Theron film scenes for John Hancock, which is a huge summer blockbuster pic coming out around 4th of July. I saw Hilary Swank getting on an elevator as I was getting off another one. I passed Carnie Wilson on the street filming some sort of interviews. But today, well today was the best day of them all. The elevator doors opened and who was waiting there to ride all the way down to the lobby (10 whole floors!) with me? The one and only Ryan Reynolds! Now some of you may say, who? Aren't Will Smith and Charlize Theron way more exciting? And to all of you who don't immediately know the answer, let me please direct you to my previous post entitled The Nines. Ah, life is good!

A Blog About Nothing

I haven't written anything in a couple of weeks. I know a couple of people read this blog, so I thought I'd just give a little update for those that care. Not much is going on out here. Just getting into the routine of working. It's a busy time for me because all the new tv shows are starting, and I like to sample a good chunk of them. Not too much is grabbing my interest so far, though Pushing Daisies finally premiered tonight and I must say that it was excellent! I've been looking forward to it since last May when I found out it was from the creator of Wonderfalls, one of my all-time favorite shows (which I'm sure none of you have even heard of considering it only aired 4 episodes before getting the axe!). But I encourage you to check out Daisies. It's very quirky and original. You won't be disappointed. Plus, I'd really like it to stick around a bit longer than Wonderfalls! If you've seen any new shows you think I should check out, send me a comment. I'm always up for suggestions.

I know this wasn't a very exciting post, but like I said, I just wanted to give those couple of you who read this an update. I'm going to try to keep this thing updated a bit more often. Mainly for you, Jolee, since it's so hard to actually get to talk to you seeing as how you live halfway across the world!

'Til next time...