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...