Dream Analysis

I had the weirdest dream a few nights ago - well, wait, let me back up just a bit... So for the last couple of weeks the theme seemed to revolve around dream analysis. Everywhere I turned I would hear some segment about dreams and what they meant. Oprah's XM channel had an older segment I was listening to regarding the topic and I have to say as open-minded as I usually consider myself to be on these things (I know, I know - it doesn't seem that way! I'm open-minded, but I'm cynical - it's complicated. ), this was a little weird. The man was talking about how a man can be running after you in a dream and instead of running from him, you should stop and go towards him. First of all, if you are able to do this, are you really asleep? Second, what if this person is trying to kill you in your dream? I don't know how everyone else feels about sleep, but my main goal is to sleep, not analyze my innermost desire or contact relatives from the beyond or to be stalked by and then embrace axe murderers. I'm tired and I want to... uh I don't know... actually sleep? Anyway, then I was listening to a local station and they were discussing snakes in dreams and how they can mean many things, but some people feel they represent death? Then I remembered my daughter waking up the other night saying she dreamt about snakes, which made me a little nervous. Then on the Oprah thing the man was saying snakes can be all sorts of things, good or bad. I can't help thinking of Freud's old adage here: Sometimes a snake is just a snake.

So back to this weird dream. First of all, I never dream. Okay, wait, the dream officials would say that I simply "don't remember" my dreams, but I have to dream. My theory is that I don't actually dream because I never actually sleep and that is why I am always exhausted and wake up every night at three in the morning. The only time I really remember dreaming a lot was when I was pregnant and I think it was because I finally passed out from exhaustion. Anyway...

Lately I have had quite a bit of company staying at my house, so I can see where this part of my dreams stems from: I had company staying at my house. It was my husband's best friend, his wife, baby, my husband's brother, his wife, and baby and they were out shopping together. So I guess I didn't want my kitchen to be messy or maybe I didn't feel I had enough room in my house, so I dreamt I broke into the house across the green belt behind my house and started cooking in their kitchen. I was also cooking in my kitchen, so I had run back over to my house to check on that food when I discovered these neighbors had come home and discovered someone had broke into their house. So I ran over to their house and asked "What's going on?" They told me about the cooking and the break in and I pretended to be shocked and offered to help clean up (I mean, it's the least I could do considering I was the one who made the mess. It was messy too! I must have been making some kind of beer bratwursts or something because there were beer bottles on the counter and stuff boiling on the stove? Weird). So I was cleaning up and afraid someone would discover I was the criminal, when the woman started telling me all about her marital troubles. I felt bad for her, but I SO just wanted out of there. It was like the girl cat in those Pepe le Peu cartoons. Then I woke up. So...I wonder what Oprah's dream guru would have to say about that dream! : (

McCain vs. Letterman

I just watched the best video of last night's Letterman show. McCaon was supposed to show, but didn't and isntead did another interview with CBS and said he was "rushing off" to Washington. Here are my thoughts on the interview:

Okay I am not typically fond of Letterman. What people need to understand here is that the media used to love McCain and as Letterman said here - no one recognizes the man anymore. He is a hero, but is bailing on an interview and the debates, which says something must be wrong. Letterman also has a fantastic point when he mentions Palin and asks where she is. If she is unable to step in for him on the campaign, where will she be as VP when the job gets really gritty. Ask yourself what you would do if you heard your running mate were postponing things, which could be detrimental to his campaign and nomination. Wouldn't you step up and say "I can do it" and jump in? I would! That's the first thing I do at my job when things get tight. There are also actual pins floating around in Alaska that say "Where's Sarah?" because that is a common question there.

Also, is the best thing for this campaign to postpone the ousting of George Bush from the white house? The economy is horrible and the best thing for the economy is a fresh new leader, no matter who it is at this point (well, maybe not anyone). Heck, where's Ross Perot, I would even take him right about now.

Additionally, Obama said yesterday that a good leader will have to do numerous important things at one time and he's absolutely correct. Why can't McCain do this? Even George Bush proved he was able to handle many things at one time after 9/11. Granted, he didn't have the task of reviving a bumbling campaign or making it seem likes there's hope in an economy that is worse than anything since the Great Depression at the time, but still... He was relatively new to office and still stepped in during a crisis.

Anyway, maybe I secretly loved the interview because Olbermann was on there and I just adore him. ;)

It's Okay to Wear Pink:

So that title sounds like that Jim Henson book "It's Not Easy Being Green," which in a way it sort of feels like, but not exactly. So how about "It's Not Easy Being Pink," although that sounds more like I am saying I am actually pink. If you refer to earlier posts we know that's not even true; it's more like Casper the Friendly Ghost, but that's a different issue. Anyway (You know, it's really a wonder I get to any kind of point, ever! LOL)... So awhile ago in class we were discussing Feminist Therapy, which encompasses a variety of job duties, so I wont go into details on that. I will say this though, I realized that Feminist Therapists do have a role in society, but not one that I feel like getting into right now. Basically I realized that you can be a normal sort of feminist, or some crazy gung ho feminist that shuns anything to do with traditional woman roles, colors, etc.

So anyway, my friend is going to have to have surgery and was told by her doctor that she should just have her ovaries out "while they're in there" because it can prevent that kind of cancer, but that seems so clinical and something only a male would say so casually. Yes, they are only organs, but they have so much significance to women (as much as a vasectomy would have for a man, if not more) and not to mention that no woman wants to be thrown into menopause early. Although I remember asking my mom how long my, uh, girl stuff would last when I first went through it and she told me "until menopause." So I asked "When is that?" and she said "When you are about 45." So every month I would say to myself "Only 35 more years of this crap." So maybe there is something to look forward to (I can't believe I just shared that story). Anyway, sometimes it is nice to have someone who understands the conflicts we face as women; yet, maybe a true feminist would say "Ovaries schmoveries, you don't need those to be complete as a woman." Who knows. Bottom line is that it turns out that after having a second opinion, ovaries do more than give you cancer and make you feel womanly for having them, they also prevent Osteoporosis. Who knew?

Back to feminism... and the title: A friend in class and I were talking about how she just recently started wearing pink because of the stigma attached to the color and even bought a pink iPod recently. I was telling her that I was the same way until I had my daughter, but now she literally picks pink stuff out for me - water bottles, clothes, fingernail polish, etc. I wish more people could look at the world like kids. The feminist in some of us assume pink is bad because it isn't gender neutral, it's "too" girly, but why can't we just like pink for the sake of liking pink? Maybe little girls like pink because it is pretty. So feminism, with all of it's good qualities, sometimes makes me cringe when I hear the word. In fact, when we originally read the chapter I just had flashbacks to my youth where my stepmother - who was an anchor woman, a motivational speaker, a police officer, and whatever else she did - was a little over-the-top feministic. I loved that at the time because it taught me that I as a woman can work, I can be educated, and I don't have to put up with crap because I am a girl, but what it didn't teach me is that I am allowed to be feminine, I can be emotional, and I am allowed to be vulnerable. Being a "true" feminist(whatever that is) is a lot of work and even the thought of it while I was reading my book, was mentally draining for me. I kept thinking about how hard it is to remember that I am not allowed to say fireman, anchorman, or "man and wife." I mean really, try it one day because it's a lot of work.

So here's my proposal: I propose that we all just do our best and that should be good enough. We have all of these set standards and we dock people when they don't meet those standards, when in actuality we should reward people when they make improvements towards an end goal instead. So now we have a idealistic 100% requirement we hold people to and take points off when they don't meet those standards. Maybe I am not 100% gender neutral in my conversations, but I am authentic and something should be said for that. Therefore, in addition to my Feministic (is that even a word) education I received this week, I also learned this from one of the most amazing, influential, and ground breaking women ever, Maya Angelo: "When you get - give. When you learn - teach" which was told to Maya Angelo by her grandmother. Words to live by. So, let's just pass on the good things we take in each day to our fellow "humans" and just continue to focus on our progress as a society as a whole. Let's continue to teach those who are oppressed what we have learned, lend a hand to those who need help with change, and lend a shoulder to those who just aren't ready yet. It's like Todd Parr says "It's okay to be different."

Songs on the brain...

Three songs that have been in my head this week, and not necessarily in a good way?

Don't Trust Me by 3Oh!3: This song is an anomaly. It is a great song (especially for clubs); yet it is somewhat offensive to me with lyrics something like: "Shut your lips. Do the Helen Keller and talk with your hips" or something like that. Interesting concept. Hmmm... Blind and deaf girl in a sexual reference? I am not sure if I am offended only because I know an abnormal amount about her for bizarre reasons that I wont get into or if I am really all that offended at all - not sure. I really like the rest of the song though!

Typical by Tickle Me Pink: I really, really, really like this song, which makes one of the band member's death right before the national launching of their album that much sadder. Great song though - fantastic flow of up and downs. ;) It's been out awhile, but I just heard it on the radio on the way into work yesterday and couldn't get it out of my head.

Forevermore by Katie Herzig: This is just a great song! It's sweet and has toe tapping abilities in a totally different dynamic than the other two songs! :)

Meditation Through Decoration?

I was listening to some home decorators/designers talking in an interview today and I found their conversation to be interesting. They were talking about how before they can decorate for someone, they need that person to be honest with themselves. I found this funny because it almost sounded like two therapists talking about a client "I can't help them until they want to help themselves." What they were discussing made sense though because they essentially were talking about how the client will be eternally unhappy with everything that is done by the decorator if they are designing their home around the need to please others. So, if you have your home designed to impress your friends and family and not yourself, you will never quite be comfortable in your own home, because it is someone else's idea of what is considered to be a "home" - not yours. Interesting! So maybe therapists should take tours of their client's home or ask about their homes to see if they are congruent with the person's wants? We'll call it Decorating Therapy! ;)

I now know what emotionally exhausted feels like...

I have discovered why my professor recommended that we not use our own current dilemmas to help others practice therapeutic skills. I have played the role of "mock client" too many times over the last few weeks and I am finding myself to be emotionally and mentally drained. It's like doing therapy for an entire week straight, but not finding any answers. We are so new to the masters program that we are not supposed to attempt to solve anyone's problems, so we get about 15-30 minutes in and then quit. It's awful. I thought I wouldn't have an issue with it because, to me, just talking it out seems to help, but I was wrong. It's tough though because she suggested we use past issues to discuss with our classmates not current ones, but the problem with that is when I am done with a problem and I have moved on, I don't feel like drudging up past issues. One reason is that I am sick to death of an issue by the time I have convinced myself to move on, but another reason is that I am overly analytical and may feel the need to revisit the issue to see if I could have changed the outcome. So then it becomes fresh again.

So on my way home I called my mother for her fantastic family lasagna recipe, but she wasn't there, so I left a message that went something like this: "Hi there, sorry, I am not stalking you and sorry for calling two times in a row. There is no emergency, I just got cut off right when I was going to leave my message as I was going through the valley. I don't know why I chose to call you right before I went into the valley since I know that my phone wont work there. Sorry, I am rambling. I have a lot going on right now and so I am a little exhausted and I ramble when I am exhausted. You're message on your voice mail sounded so upbeat and positive, which is great. Anyway, I was hoping you could give me the measurements for the lasagna because I seemed to have misplaced them and I going to make it for my house guests even if they hate Italian sausage (and apparently onions, who knew? Who hates onions? ...and olives and mushrooms...). Call me back. I may be doing homework upstairs, so if I don't hear the phone, please leave a message." So my mom called back and said she was really worried about me, but I assured her I had calmed down at that point. So anyway, we went on to have a really good conversation and I realized that when my mother is in one of her good phases she is really, really good and wise. She helped me with my troubles I was having and explained some other things to me that made me have some introspect, which is remarkable because I generally don't talk to her because we have never really been too compatible. It was a nice feeling.

I am also reading (well, listening to) the Alchemist (A story about a boy on his life journey) right now and it is extremely thought provoking.For example, how is this one for you? From the Alchemist: “When you can’t go back, you have to worry only about the best way of moving forward” (Paulo Coelho). Wise, but also obvious, but then again sometimes we need people to point out the obvious. This also made me realize the beauty of Reality Therapy, although I am still not a fan of that theory. How about this one: "Everything that happens once will never happen again, but everything that happens twice is surely to happen again" - The Alchemist - insightful when you really think about it! Anyway... I am longing for a new Sophie Kinsella book that will allow me to be a vegetable where my thoughts are concerned.

So what I have learned this week is that a doctorate in counseling knows more than me about myself and that I should listen next time she tells me something. I have also learned that I am drained and that I am going to walk straight ahead and not veer my eyes in any direction than the one I am going in order to avoid seeing anything that my require me to think, be thoughtful, contemplate anything, or make my brain work in general.

Learning new things:

I guess recently Rick Davis, McCain's campaign manager, used the word "uppity" to describe Obama. Olbermann, from MSNBC Countdown asked Obama about this comment on his show Monday, but Obama seems to avoid bad mouthing people, which is nice but also really frustrating when you want a guy to stand up for himself once in awhile. Now before I go on, I have to admit that I am a bit naive because I have not heard of this comment in terms of racial stereotypes; however, after reading the definition, it does make sense that this would be considered to be an offensive comment... Uppity: "Taking liberties or assuming airs beyond one's place in a social hierarchy" from UrbanDictionary.com. Okay, so what Davis is stating is that he feels Obama is stepping out of line? So, even still, I had a hard time believing that someone in this day and age would actually say this; yet, when asked, I guess Davis essentially said "No, that's what I meant." Uh, seriously? Even without bringing race into the conversation and assuming he meant to say "elitist" or something else, it's still an interesting concept to use in regard to a person who went to school on scholarships and in the mean time the comment is coming from a campaign team devoted to a man that doesn't know how many houses he has (I actually saw this video where he said this) and who's wife said the only way to get around Arizona is by private jets (also from Countdown). Is Obama "uppity" because he isn't out killing his dinner with his bare hands like McCain's running mate? Some of us just prefer to go to the grocery store. Hmmm...


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Also, it's been a few days, but I wanted to talk about a concert I went to last weekend with my family and my friend's kids. My friend's daughter is the most amazing singer, so I thought she might enjoy someone else with a killer voice and guitar skills. We went to see Katie Herzig and Tifah. Katie is a friend of mine's sister, so I was introduced to her music through her, but i always hesitate to say that because I feel like people will think I am plugging her because she is my friend's sister, but she is seriously amazing! Tifah has the most amazing voice as well and was an incredible "live" performer, but for some reason it didn't translate that well to the CD my husband bought. Katie however has a voice that works in both respects. She is on several television show soundtracks, as well as the up and coming Sex and the City soundtrack (?). My friend also pointed out a way that I could get her CD for free by passing the word about her onto three friends through NoiseTrade.com, although I am not sure it is still up there. Anyway, she was really, really great. :)

Great song of Katie's (on YouTube)

Katie Herzig review from Billboard

Genetic bad habits?

An episode of the Today Show mentioned a new study showing there might actually be a "cheating" gene. There is evidence that there is a gene that shows whether or not a man has more of a capability of cheating on his wife. I was thinking about this and wondering whether or not it would be a good thing to be able to detect this kind of thing. I should interject that it's not because I am suspicious, it was just part of my usual insomnia - laying awake with nothing to do but think. Anyway...wouldn't this be bad? No one would ever go into a relationship with one of these individuals and may be missing out on a really good thing. The people discussing the gene said that many factors influence whether or not a person will cheat, such as upbringing, not just the gene. I was also thinking that this would be a real bummer for those that knew they had the gene. There might even be a wave of scheming and conniving to cover up results, such as men switching urine or blood samples to throw a girl off the scent of his impending fate. Plus, would people start avoiding those people just for the purpose of gene refinement? So if someone has a bad trait, do people choose not to procreate with them so that their offspring can avoid the gene? Craziness! What if you were really in love with someone and discovered this? Do you just kick them to the curb?

This also reminded me of a conversation about ethics in one of my counseling classes. There is a code of conduct stating that a therapeutic professional will not get involved with a client or friend/family member of said client for 5 years. We were discussing this in class and someone posed the question about what would happen if you didn't know the person was a relative and you were in love. One girl said that you would just have to end it, which seemed pretty cold. I can't imagine just walking away and saying "See ya" just because of a law and having it be so cut and dry. Luckily I am married and I imagine this sort kind of thing is pretty rare, but it was kind of on the lines of the cheating gene. Could I just walk away? That would be crazy; although I may want to reevaluate this on a day where I am not mad at my husband.

Unnecessary Competition

For class, we have to practice counseling tactics with another student. I have been a little stressed because I couldn't think of any ideas of problems to talk about with my classmate, until now...

Okay, so I work with this person that is extremely competitive. I am not sure what it is about me, but I seem to bring this out in people, but I really see it in this person. Today for example, I got this brownie from my corporate office that was wrapped in crumpled tinfoil and I have this serious germo-phobia (what's the technical term for that?) about mysterious food. I even keep my cereal in the refrigerator. I think it might stem from my upbringing and how my parents didn't really seem to eat leftovers even. My parents also grew up in a really poor working class neighborhood in Detroit and my dad is scared of rats; the stories of which may have something to do with my fears of mystery foods and pot lucks (okay, I am insane, I know!). Anyway, it was a really poor place where my parents lived, like something out of 8 Mile - that movie with Eminem.

I remember actually feeling sad for the kids I saw walking to school when I was visiting one winter ("visiting" is another long story for some other time). They didn't have enough clothes to cover themselves even though it was icy cold outside. One image is embedded in my mind to this day. It was this boy with a skimpy tan coat, who was pulling on the edges of his sleeves to try to cover his hands to keep them warm. I also remember my grandmother and the other neighborhood elderly women talking about "dumpster diving" and my grandmother using food stamps to get groceries. After hearing about dumpster diving, I always wondered where my "prepared" food came from. I was suspect of anything made by someone else - for example Potlucks! I also worked at a hotel where mice would get into the breakfast foods because where I live the mice are just everywhere and when the construction workers plow the corn fields to build, the mice run into the nearest building. Yuck! I also knew a guy who worked for the health department who brought in a photo album once that featured pictures of local restaurants that failed health inspections. Double yuck!

Anyway, so my coworker made some comment about how I didn't want the brownie that kind of sounded like I was weird because of my germo-phobia and keep in mind, I didn't ramble like entire story to my coworker. I just said that I think it had something to do with my parents growing up poor and my dad's fear of rats that he passed onto me. I don't know why I am the way I am, but this seemed like a sufficient answer to get her off my back. So what does she say? "I bet my husband was a lot more poor than your parents." Huh? Why and when did this become a competition? I don't get it. I wanted to say that, but I figured it wasn't a good idea to call her out on her unnecessary competitiveness about who's relative was poorer. Who cares? Anyway, what else can I do but ignore her? Every time I talk to her for any length of time I get frustrated at her eagerness to beat me out on bizarre things like this morning when I said "Wow, we got a lot of work" and she said "Oh, I knew we would" in a tone like she knew this before anyone else. Who didn't? It was a holiday Monday and our business day is Tuesday, so Wednesday would naturally be our busiest day this week.Or how she knew someone was out sick first. Again, who cares??? If she wants to be smarter than me, by all means, she is more than welcome to it. There are no prizes at my work for the smartest person or even the best guesser of daily workloads, but if it makes her feel better, then okay. I just wish she would leave me out of her weird compulsion to be the best because I just don't care. I just want to get the job done and go home.

A couple of weeks ago she even said something snide to a supervisor about me in front of me, as though she was kidding, but I knew better. I asked a friend at work what her deal was and she told me that I was intimidating because I have goals and ambitions. This makes no sense at all, but I went with it because it made me feel better. Now that I think about it, what the heck sense does that make? Could that be the real reason this lady is so competitive? Doesn't that seem counterproductive? Ughhh...

So, in the end, I didn't go with this dilemma for my classmate to work on with me. I actually went with a similar one from this specific coworker where she mentions every single day how she was home with her kids when they were young, as though I should be too. She said something when I first met her about me working while my daughter is in daycare and I explained that I work because my husband works for a small company that doesn't have health insurance. She even says stuff like that for new moms at the hospital or friends that stop by with babies, such as "Oh, I am so glad you are able to stay home with him because that is so important." I wonder if she knows how bad it makes me feel. So one day I told her that my mom stayed home and we resented her for it because we were dirt poor to the point where my sister couldn't even go on a $3 field trip without her teacher paying for it.

I feel it is important that my daughter have the opportunity to go on field trips, go to classes she wants to take (ballet, etc), phonics, tickets to the children's series at the theater, a pass to the Nature and Science Museum, have the socialization and education, that daycare offers, and more. To me, hanging out with me all day would be nice for about a week, but then she would probably go stir crazy and would benefit more from experiencing the rest of the world - culture, people, drama, etc. I know because when we are on vacation she is pretty much ready to see her friends and do some serious interacting after a week. Plus, I believe adults need interaction with others or they may go crazy, church and PTA just wouldn't be enough for me. I am going to school to rectify the longer hours than I would prefer, but in the mean time my classmate did help me figure out that this is what is right for me and this is my belief about how my daughter should be raised. It has nothing to do with anyone else or their "good" opinions on parenting.

Are Dems “cooler” than Republicans?

Are Dems “cooler” than Republicans? Well, of course they are, but here's why…

My husband was telling me that a friend (who is a young Republican) was saying how much cooler the Democrats seem when you watch their convention versus the Republican National Convention. It’s funny because I was thinking the same thing when I was watching it, but at the moment I am biased. Watching the RNC was like watching some kind of convenience store convention; full of old men, rich women with too much jewelry and makeup, and dorky people with lame cowboy hats. They don’t even look good in the cowboy hats like some of the rodeo “folk” where I live. I mean the young, studly cowboys and girls where I live seem to pull off that look, but dorky republican convention goers? Not so much. It's like when the new college kids come into town and they all think because they are in an agricultural type of state they need to wear a cowboy hat, but mostly look like dorks.

Anyway, the DNC was full of excitement, hope, celebrities (dare I say that word? Oh heck, who cares! - So celebrities like a Democrat, big shocker), concerts like the Flobots, poker games with Ben Affleck, and even funny signs that said “Discounts available for Liberals” and "Stop Bird Porn" (still not sure what that is about, but see below). The RNC was full of well, no one really special – sorry. Their big buzz speaker? Uh, a Democrat - A traitor, but still, a Democrat. That brings up a good point too! They had to “bring in” someone from the other party to create excitement! In fact, while watching the convention, I realized the coolest people there were Sarah Palin’s kids.

I know, I know, the coolness of Republicans or Democrats is really not important, but do we really want the world to see us as a bunch of stuffy, aging old fuddy duddies or do we want the world to see us as a group of young, vibrant representatives of the “American Dream” and all of the good stuff that comes with that? I heard someone from another country talking about the American Dream the other day and she had no idea what this meant. Didn’t people know what this was at some point? Before we all lost hope for any kind of dreaming at all? Plus, from a marketing standpoint, wouldn’t we want the younger, non-voters who are considering choosing a side to see a livelier and exciting group? Those people are going to see the excitement of the DNC and subconsciously think of “Change,” “Fresh ideas,” “Hope,” or well, breathing. The RNC? Again, not so much.

So in conclusion: I am agreeing with my husband's friend - not because I am a Democrat (because I am really registered as independent - I know, hard to tell, huh?) and not because I was in the Denver area at the time of the convention, so I want to be "cool by association" (because I would never take a leap far enough to consider myself to be cool). No, I am agreeing with him because I have watched both conventions now and have reached that conclusion based on observation. I saw that the most exciting thing during the McCain speech was two, yes count them - two, protesters that were smart enough to get tickets to the opposite side's big night. One of the protesters appeared to be a Vet and for the record, sadly McCain does "vote against Vets" and he big issue with me is the unwillingness to give an appropriate amount of rest between deployments and voting against mental health issues. Sad! The Vets actually gave him a lower rating than Obama! I don't think you get to stand up and give a speech at your convention stating 9 million times that you are a war hero and not feel at least a little bit hypocritical that you are not in favor of the current troops situation. Maybe he thinks they are whiners, like Palin feels Hillary is for women's rights. Maybe "Maverick" means to belong to a group (Women, Vets, Democrats, etc.), but to secretly dog it from the inside.

http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/articleid/9559
http://www.aflcio.org/issues/politics/mccain_vets.cfm

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Stopping Bird What?
This seems to explain? Uh, Okay?? Maybe this is counterproductive in proving Democratic coolness, but you will get weird people at any big event. The point is that at least the DNC kept things interesting!

Politics? Ughhh...

So, I can't help thinking about politics these days. Similar to the days when the Republicans "won" the last presidential election, I have been waking up at night worrying about the country's future and the future of my child. It turns out I had a good reason to worry with the proof being the current condition of the environment, the economy, and the status of the world in relation to our country, but Sarah Palin? Really??? Watching her entire speech was painful because she came across mean and nasty, which is not what I would hope for from what could potentially be the first woman VP. So, I have three theories about this pick and it turns out, there are many others floating around out there amongst my friends and the rest of the world.

Theory one: McCain has simply lost his mind. This is self-explanatory given that the McCain 5 years ago is a different person than the one today, so I am imagining he slipped and hit his head sometime between now and then. Five years ago I actually said I would vote for him if he came up on the ticket and now I wouldn't vote for that man if I had to chose between him and a chimp. It turns out a chimp can actually run the country, as we have seen over the last eight years. We have also watches people vote for him. What a crazy world! Thankfully, I don't have to choose a chimp over McCain because we have a much more qualified human being to chose (Obama) instead.

Theory two: McCain has always been accused of being more of a Democrat than a Republican and he is actually on an undercover mission to lose the election for the Republicans so that the Democrats will win. I also think he is receiving an incredible amount of pressure by Republicans to push absurd values that he simply does not believe in. He knows if he chooses Palin as a running mate that no one in their right mind can vote for a woman that argues about Polar Bears being on the endangered species list and that global warming and an increase in Greenhouse Gases are indeed being enhanced by man-made elements. Although, I know, I know, Global Warming is in dispute and I have witnessed this from a personal friend who refuses to believe in the concept, but polar bears? We cannot deny that the polar bears are scrambling to stay afloat during their migration due to the melting polar ice caps. We can watch this on Planet Earth or some other Discovery Channel video with our own eyes. I was looking at a picture of Sarah Palin's office and thought to myself "Now there's a woman that I couldn't possibly relate to or have less in common with." She was sitting on her couch that was covered with the dead carcass of a bear (head, fangs, and all) with a gigantic dead crab taking up the entire width of her coffee table, while she sat there with her smug beauty pageant grin. Hmmm....

Theory three: McCain was trying to appeal to and win over all of the beauty pageant, gun toting and hunting from helicopters, anti-environment, anti-birth control, anti-freedom of women being able to think for themselves Hilary Clinton supporters out there who have yet to make a choice of who they want to vote for. Not to mention, those would also have to be Clinton supporters that don't care that she called Clinton a whiner. Even if he is trying to appeal to just plain old women out there in the world, how many woman could really find themselves relating to this lady? I heard this morning that she wants to teach Creationism in schools. The United States is a mixture of several different cultures and beliefs, with people from all religions. How many of the women in the world, or men for that matter, want to have their children be taught Palin's beliefs in school. How fair is that to other religions? Like it or not, we are not all on the same page where that is concerned and forcing our beliefs on people is sure to isolate children and close them off to learning.

She also represents a hypocritical nature in her campaign. She preached against private jets, while McCain's wife stated that the only way to get around Arizona is by...private jets. She also said that she would leave the country in a better condition than how she found it, which makes it sound as though she believes it is not in a good condition to begin with - uh, George Bush. Plus, not to point out the obvious here, but how well have her beliefs worked in her own family's situation? How well can a person with so much turmoil going on in their own lives really do their job effectively? She is being investigated by the State Legislative Council, a bipartisan group(Countdown, 2008). She has a pregnant underage daughter that probably needs her support through a very tough time in any woman's life; especially after her mom exposed a very private issue of hers to the world. I'm guessing she didn't receive a choice. Imagine being a pregnant teen in a normal setting, but then imagine the world knowing about your situation and most likely judging you (unfortunately people will and most likely these will be the people from her mother's party since that is what they generally preach against). My husband told me that even Howard Stern was talking about this. She just appears to have a lot of other things going on. Keep in mind, I am not saying because she is a woman she should be home with her kids because no one is more of an advocate for working moms than me, but as a parent, she should be more concerned with her own family's issues than what other people are "allowed" to do. I don't need someone judging me and my values, when what she is preaching doesn't seem to be working well. I would worry about putting my family through such a grueling interrogation at such a rough time for the family. I think the timing just isn't right for her, but hey, that's just me.

Anyway...no matter how you look at it, we should genuinely take a look at the running mate of a 72-year-old "President" McCain because she may very well take over for him someday. Is this really who we want to lead us? I can't imagine that the people in our country have become such polar opposites that on one side we want a well-spoken dreamer Democrat and on the other we want a man who's own campaign says he "Doesn't speak for the McCain campaign," along with his insanely conservative running mate who has less experience than the candidate McCain criticized for having...get this...too little experience. Oh well, on a positive note, if McCain wins, Saturday Night Live may finally be able to write some funny material again. Palin seems like a younger, prettier version of the Church Lady. That could be potentially funny. I mean, we're going to need something to laugh about.

Article: More evidence of Global Warming

PS. I also came up with two more theories:

4) Palin has some really good dirt on McCain and is blackmailing him.

5) All of his other choices turned him down at the realization that his campaign is a lost cause (This one is more wishful thinking)

Oh! I have to mention Palin's littlest daughter during the speech and how she licked her hand while the camera was on her and then wiped down the baby's head. How cute, but yucky and embarrassing, was that? Poor kid. That video will probably follow her around the rest of her life.

Too much to do...

Okay, I had all of these ambitions to read ahead in my textbooks over the long weekend so I wouldn't have to read too much when we have house guests next week, but... Well, let's see. I can't remember Friday even. It was end of the month and I have a financial job, so I know I worked late. After that is a blur. Saturday we ran around town all day, then went to the dog park (where I was attacked my nine million mosquitoes), and then my friend "J" and I went out for drinks and to talk about school. Sunday I was preparing for our house guests when I was distracted by a shopping trip. Then we had to go to a birthday party/local college football rivals party, where I was eaten alive by spiders and mosquitoes. I actually had fun though and I am surprised by that because, well, it's a long story for five in the morning. Anyway, yesterday I did pull off some reading, but I really did need to bake cookies, talk on the phone, and clean some more (okay I actually did need to clean). So, apparently I am easily distracted. Of course my daughter and I needed to play all weekend because I can't leave her out of my life while I try to figure out the true meaning of existentialism. Anyway, so here it is Tuesday and I feel like I haven't accomplished anything. :( Oh well, tomorrow is a new day. Or today is a new day, I guess I should finish today before I move on to tomorrow!