Election Reflection

From Election Night 2008

I’m a bit delayed with this post. Then again, what better time to discuss the election outcome than on the day designed for the whole nation to take time to give thanks?

I vividly remember where I was when Barrack Obama first entered the national stage. It was just a couple days before my mom and I moved to Arizona to join my dad. We were in a neighbor’s living room to watch that night's Democratic National Convention speeches, and I was standing toward the back of the room. I remember being enraptured by his keynote speech, his presence on that stage. (Watch that speech in full here.) A year later, when Obama came to Tempe to stump for Senate candidate Jim Pederson, I knew I had to be there. The crowd seemed huge then (read my account here), but by the standards he set this past election, it was downright intimate, and I was able to press my way to the front to shake his hand and say, “Thank you for all your hard work, Senator.” Five years ago I wrote up a list of things I want to do before I die (a “bucket list” before they were called that), and near the top of the list is “Meet the President”. I’m half-tempted to check that off thanks to my fleeting connection with our now President-Elect, but I have a greater hope that our brief contact is only a foretaste of a future meeting.

A girl can hope, right?

From Election Night 2008

On election night, I had a few friends over to watch the results roll in. When the election was called in favor of Obama, I expected the tears to flow like they had when I watched Michelle Obama speak at this year’s convention, like they had when Barrack graciously accepted the nomination. But somehow the tears didn’t come this time. I think by then it felt so natural, he looked so Presidential, the tears seemed better fitting for Jesse Jackson and Oprah. The only thing that flowed at our watch party was the bubbly, and that was quite sufficient.

From Election Night 2008

In short, on this day of Thanksgiving, I add this to my list of things for which I am grateful:

I am thankful for the inspiration Barrack Obama has brought to our country.

PS - I'm also very thankful for my sister, Ally, whose birthday is today! Love ya, Sis!

Obam-ha-ha

Best laughs of the day –scratch that– week came from this 10-minute video.

Gotham Font: An Inquiry & Exploration

Last week a friend inquired of me what the font that Obama was using for his "Change" placards was. A little poking around on the internet revealed that it is a font called Gotham by Hoefler & Frere-Jones. A little further investigation (thank you, NYTimes) revealed the origin of this font to be commissioned for exclusive use by GQ until 2002. The typeface got its notoriety, however, in 2004, when it was selected as the font to adorn the cornerstone of the Freedom Tower on the site of the World Trade Center towers in NYC.

These tidbits of info got me thinking about the implications Obama's team of graphic designers (who have earned heaps of praise for his website) wanted to suggest in the use of Gotham. These are two big points I think they wanted to make by way of Gotham (and yes, I'm sure they thought of these, good designers always think of these things):

+ Barack Obama is stylish enough to merit the use of the font that was once associated only with the style bible of American men

+ Barack Obama is strong enough to be the cornerstone of the America that is built out of the rubble of the Bush presidency

Or. Maybe they just liked that they had visions of butterflies and sprinkles when they looked at the letterform of the bold, capital A.

Related
The above-referenced NYTimes article mentions the font Trajan, which reminds me of this fantastic video. (Be careful to avert your eyes at the mention of Comic Sans.)

The Endorsement

In anticipation of this year's elections, I "read" the audiobook version of Hillary Clinton's Living History during my travels. I already knew much of my politics aligned with Clinton, just as I knew they also pretty much aligned with Barack Obama's before I recently started reading his Audacity of Hope. What I found in reading Clinton's story, though, was a woman who still bristled at the letters "GOP". Although I had intended on voting for her, after reading all 592 pages (23 hours), I came away with more misgivings than assurances.

Comparatively within the first 100 pages of Audacity of Hope, I knew Obama had won me over. Take page 68:

I am obligated to try to see the world through George Bush's eyes, no matter how much I may disagree with him. That's what empathy does—it calls us all to task, the conservative and the liberal, the powerful and the powerless, the oppressed and the oppressor. We are all shaken out of our complacency. We are all forced beyond our limited vision. No one is exempt from the call to find common ground.

And take page 92-93:

...the process of making law in America compels us to entertain the possibility that we are not always right and to sometimes change our minds; it challenges us to examine our motives and our interests constantly, and suggests that both our individual and collective judgments are once legitimate and highly fallible.

And also page 97:

...I can't summarily dismiss those possessed of similar certainty today—the antiabortion activist who pickets my town hall meeting, or the animal rights activist who raids a laboratory—no matter how deeply I disagree with their views. I am robbed even of the certainty of uncertainty, for sometimes absolute truths may well be absolute.

Sure, I want a president that supports the same causes I do. But I also want a president that has examined the other sides of those causes and admits that his opponents have a valid point, he just chooses to disagree with them.

Last Wednesday I saw Obama at a rally in Phoenix (you can read about the first time I saw Obama and shook his hand here). To my right was a Black single mother; next to her was a Latina; next to her was a woman of Korean descent; next to her was an elderly couple; next to them was a trio of Latinas; and a few rows in front of me was a group of 20-something Muslim girls in their hijabs, waving their posters and posing excitedly for group shots for their point-and-shoot cameras. It was as if a cross-section of America had turned out. And if that's the following that Obama attracts, that's whom I want to throw my weight (and my vote) behind.

I'm no Oprah or Scarlett or Caroline. But for what it counts, I'm endorsing Barack Obama.

Moral Authority

I've been thinking a lot lately about moral politics. After the 2004 election, there was tons of talk about "moral values voters". It was said that the right was able to talk about their politics in moral terms, and were able to capture a large segment of the population that connected with that talk. There was lots of rustling that the left should frame their discussions in moral terms.

I've been wondering about the consequence of focusing on moral politics, though. If you say you believe that providing health care for all people is a moral imperative, you leave unsaid the assumption that to take the opposite view is immoral, and are more likely to take the next step of writing off their opinion as wrong. Really, I think all people would say that the moral thing to do is to take care of the sick. It is then the job of the politicians to find the most suitable way to do so.

Just some thoughts running through my head at this political time.

By the way, wasn't Kathleen Sebelius fantastic in her response to the SOTU? It's nice to be able to be proud of a Kansas politician.

A Candidate by Any Other Name Would Smell as Sweet
Upon Dan's recommendation, I took SpeakOut.com's VoteMatch quiz to see how my social and economic views aligned with today's politcal players; in particular to see if I fit more in the Hillary camp or the Barack camp, or someone else's camp all together. I was also interested to see how this quiz differed from OkCupid's politics quiz. Just as I was a year and a half ago, and as I suspected, I'm still a Hillary girl and a "hard-core liberal". But my presidential vote is still up in the air. Besides my belief that it's way to early to be choosing sides, I'm genuinely concerned about the prospect of having another Clinton in the White House. This isn't any conservative concern, of course; it has nothing to do with the Clintons in particular. It has to do with my concern that our country is built on democratic principles, not some kind of impromptu monarchy where the persiency is passed from family member to family member. If Hillary is elected in '08, she'll be in office at least until 2012. That means an entire generation will have grown up with heads of state that are either Bush or Clinton. We don't need two "royal" families battling it out. While I don't have any solid reason to think that a monarchial torch-passing of this sort could have a ruinous influence on our conutry, it's raised a red flag for me. As the '08 primaries creep closer, I'll be looking for Hillary, Barack and the others to convince me of their worthiness. I refuse to be swayed by name, (Ba)rock stardom or pretty face.

Cue David Bowie ("Ch-ch-ch-changes...")
Whewy, folks! It's been a crazy post-election day, huh? I've been almost giddy today when tracking the news:

+ A mandate on the need to change our tactics in Iraq
+ Rumsfeld's resignation
+ A woman just two heartbeats away from the presidency for the first time in history
+ Arizona the first state to reject a marriage amendment
+ A state-wide ban on smoking in bars and restaurants in Arizona
+ Looking forward to watching JD Hayworth pack up his office, which is just 4 doors down from our suite at work

But one of the best moments of last night's coverage on CSPAN was watching Santorum's son try not to break down on national tv. I know that's mean, and I probably wouldn't have made it without bawling, but seriously, you should have seen the poor kid.

PSA
Vote, yo.

Honk if you’re a homophobe!
I nearly drove off the highway yesterday evening. NPR’s Michele Norris was interviewing Paul Weyrich, a conservative activist and leader of the Free Congress Foundation, about the Foley sex scandal and Dennis Hastert’s role and responsibility. Weyrich said the following: (transcript taken from Wikipedia)

Weyrich: It has been known for many years that Congressman Foley was a homosexual. Homosexuals tend to be preoccupied with sex — the idea that he should be continued, or should have been continued as chairman on the Committee for Missing and Exploited Children, given their knowledge of that is just outrageous (Interview at 1:08).
Norris: Now, before we go on, I think I can say, Mr. Weyrich, that there quite a few people who would take exception to the statement that homosexuals are preoccupied with sex.
Weyrich: Well, I don't care whether they take exception to it — it happens to be true.
Norris: That is your opinion.
Weyrich: Well, it's not my opinion, it's the opinion of many psychologists and psychiatrists who have to deal with them* (Interview at 1:40).

What?!?! The same has been said about men in general, but no one ever said, “We should have expected no less from Clinton; after all, he’s a man!” In no way do I condone or excuse Foley’s disgusting actions, but if Weyrich’s rationale were rational, then what we really need is a (straight) woman in the White House, for lord knows our culture’s stigma says that women don’t think or talk about sex (a claim that Sex and the City does well to dispute). So here’s yet another reason W. shouldn’t be president: he’s man and is probably spending too much time thinking about banging his wife to responsibly govern our country.

*"Deal with them"? I "deal" with traffic on my daily commute; I "deal" with pesky telemarketers; I "deal" with PMS. And unfortunately I have to deal with homophobes and bigots like my good friend Mr. Weyrich.

Excerpt from a phone conversation with my mother this morning:
Mom: Did you get my voicemail about Osama bin Laden yesterday?
Me: You mean the message you left about Barrack Obama? I don't think Obama is threatening Republican power quite enough to be the number-one man on the FBI's Most-Wanted list. Not yet, anyways.
Mom: Oh, right. Maybe I need to go back to bed.

Blogroll
The blog links to your right have been updated to reflect the following: changes in geography, new blogs discovered/begun, lack of postage, claims of shutting down (we'll miss you, Fiscus!). Let me know if I've missed something.

Desperate Neighbors
A fire engine! An ambulance! TWO police cars! A formerly raving, drugged-up lunatic knocked down by the police and bleeding on his driveway after being shot with a tranquilizer! His girlfriend talking with the cops! Two wild dogs roaming the streets!

That was the scene two doors down and across the street when I got home yesterday afternoon. It was like a scene from everyone's favorite suburban soap opera, all the neighbors out on their front porches, exchanging stories of what they saw from their viewpoint. We haven't seen that much excitement around here since just after Thanksgiving when the guy's wife died from a drug overdose and child protective services took their kids away.

The good thing about all this is that, in a city where no one knows their next-door neighbor's names, it's brought the neighborhood out and chatting. Now if only we can harness that community feeling and figure out why the new neighbors, two college-ish-aged guys who just moved in next door to us, drive a FedEx van. My mom speculates that they're moonlighting as coyotes (smugglers of illegal Mexican immigrants, not the hockey team currently in deep shit for being part of a gambling ring).

And This Makes Me Two Degrees From VH1's Best Week Ever
My hometown gossip sources (Inger via Tim) notified me last week that the K-State student who asked Bush about his reaction to Brokeback Mountain was none other than former MHS class clown Jeremy Parker. His interview skills are definitely a product of Mrs. Wika's intense journalism program.

Tagged by Margaret

FOUR JOBS I'VE HAD:
1. Youth reporter for the Manhattan Mercury
2. Daycare worker at Unique Fitness Gym
3. Student worker in the office of the Vice Chancellor of Administrative Services
4. Ambassador of General Awesomeness (You doubt me on that one?)

FOUR TV SHOWS I LOVE
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. Desperate Housewives
3. Arrested Development
4. Friends

FOUR MOVIES I CAN WATCH OVER AND OVER
1. Saved!
2. Pirates of the Carribean
3. Almost Famous
4. Love Actually

FOUR PLACES I'VE LIVED
1. Manhattan, Kan.
2. Columbia, Mo.
3. London, England
4. Chandler, Ariz.

FOUR PLACES I'VE VACATIONED
1. Winter Park, Colo.
2. Barcelona, Spain
3. London, England
4. Block Island, RI

FOUR OF MY FAVORITE DISHES
1. Just about any cut of steak
2. Grilled salmon
3. Toasted ravioli
4. Macaroni and cheese with hot dogs

Filed Under: Other
Jack the Mac is in the hospital. He might not make it out alive. Your support is much appreciated at this tough time in our lives.

Barack Obama is a rockstar
He also has nice hands. I went to hear the senator from Illinois at a rally in support of 2006 Senate candidate Jim Pederson on the ASU campus this afternoon. It made me miss the fun and excitement of election season. And true to his reputation, Barack "Too Hot for HottestUSSenator.com" Obama had quite the swooning following, including someone who had strung up a "I LOVE OBAMA" banner.

I didn't get that fancy degree for nothin'
After the rally, and after I shook his hand and told him, "Thanks for all your hard work, Senator," I managed to get snagged by a reporter for the East Valley Tribune who proceeded to ask me a bunch of questions. (Nosy reporters.) When I had answered them to her satisfaction, she told me, "You know this job requires me going up to random people anywhere from 8-years-old to adults and asking them a bunch of questions, and I don't think I've ever had anyone answer my questions so concisely and clearly and eloquently as you." (Concise! Clear! Correct! -- Of course my opinions are correct!) My response: "Well, I have to admit that I graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism, so I've been in your shoes before and I know a bit about what you're looking for." "Cheater!" she replied.

I went to the fights tonight, and a hockey game broke out
I got my introduction to hockey tonight at a Coyotes game against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. (An appropriate opponent because my only previous experience with the sport was The Mighty Ducks, the movie.) I would have benefited greatly from the expertise of my many northern friends who grew up in hockey country. The game halted several times without any clear reason, players all of a sudden jumped over the wall at random (yet seemingly planned) times, and penalties were dished out without explanation. But I enjoyed myself and was surprised at how graceful the athletes can be on the ice in such bulky outfits.

I've never promised that this blog would contain original content
In the vein of Pat, Megan and Sarah, I give you my political views, OKCupid-style:

You are a Social Liberal (73% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (10% permissive) You are best described as a: Socialist Link: The Politics Test on OkCupid Free Online Dating Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

I took the same test a few years ago, and I must say, I don't think much has changed. I must agree, Megan, I would much rather be in a cluster with Hillary, Ghandi and Bono than anywhere near Darth Vader, Osama bin Laden, Stalin or the Unabomber. Who's the man to the left of my dot, though? Anyone know? And who's the crazy, wide-eyed fella at the top of the square? On the same page as my results, they list the edicts that fellow test-takers would make. My favorite was this one from AMS in South Milwaukee, Wisc.:

Everyone must use full, LITERATE language when talking in e-mails, instant messages, notes in school, and cell phone texts. Anyone making a word other than "a" or "I" with one letter or number is shot immediately.

li ho
(I think that means Hello in Taiwanese.) Someone recently stumbled onto my blog through Yahoo! Taiwan's translation search. Ever wonder what A Leaky Cauldron, of Sorts looked like in Taiwanese? (Click the pic to enlarge.)

sojo-incidence*
*Or as my mom would say, a God-incidence
This morning I navigated to the Sojourners website on a whim, thinking as I have off and on over the past year-plus that I should subscribe to the magazine. (Its price tag is a little heftier than my $8 Esquire, so this decision has required much thought.) Not two hours later, I received a forward from Sarah saying I should read the article below. I take this as a sign in the affirmative that I should subscribe. I copied the full text of the article below. I'd just link to it, but I thought you'd be more likely to actually read it here. The point is one I strongly agree with. (I bolded the lines that struck me the most.)

The Religious left fights back
by Van Jones
AlterNet 7-28-2005

Rabbi Michael Lerner is stirring up trouble again - thank God.

Earlier this week, Lerner was the main organizer of a national gathering in Berkeley, California, for the religious Left. His "Spiritual Activism" conference was intended to help launch a much-needed new initiative: the Network of Spiritual Progressives (NSP).

Lerner has been the spark-plug for many progressive, faith-based undertakings over the years, including Tikkun magazine. But this latest effort is an order of magnitude more challenging than anything he has attempted thus far. And given the stakes for our ailing would-be democracy, the birthing of NSP may prove to be his most important calling.

Lerner wants to help forge a new alliance of "religious, secular and 'spiritual, but not religious,' progressives." This alliance will someday expose and challenge the cancer of American consumerism. And it will oppose the religious Right's abuse of scripture to promote war, intolerance and ugly corporate agendas.

By itself, those two goals would warrant full-throated support from all progressives. But don't be surprised if the good rabbi's efforts also draw some serious "boos" from many parts of the Left, as well. That's because Lerner's bravest and hardest work is aimed much closer to home.

He wants to do more than just minister to the mall-lobotomized masses or give the fundamentalists a well-deserved spanking. He also wants to challenge the Left's chronic and toxic bias against religious feeling, expression and people.

Lerner hopes to end "religio-phobia among progressives." And such efforts will not be welcome among a great many rabidly secular progressives.

As for me, I will be praying for the Rabbi's success. I am an African-American Christian who was raised in the American heartland. When I moved to the cosmopolitan coasts of Connecticut, and later California, I ran headlong into shocking levels of anti-religious bigotry among progressives.

I literally have had liberals laugh in my face when I told them I was a Christian. For awhile, I felt self-conscious about telling other activists that I preferred not to meet on Sunday mornings, because I wanted to go to church.

It is still commonplace to hear so-called radicals stereotyping all religious people as stupid dupes - and spitting out the word "Christian" as if it were an insult or the name of a disease. I thought progressives were supposed to be the standard-bearers of tolerance and inclusion.

I certainly know the monstrous crimes that have been committed through the ages in the name of religion, or with the blessings of religious people. But I know a few other things about religion, too.

I grew up in the Black churches of the rural south, listening to the stories of my elders. As children, we heard about the good, brave people who had poured their blood out upon the ground so that we could be free. We learned how police officers had clubbed and jailed them. We learned how Klansmen had shot and lynched them. And how the G-men from Washington had just stood by and doodled in their notepads.

We learned of marches and mayhem, freedom songs and funerals. We saw images of billy-clubbed Black women on their hands and knees, searching for their teeth on Mississippi sidewalks - crawling while still clutching their little American flags. We felt pity for the children who spent long nights in frigid jail cells, wearing clothing soaked by fire-hoses, while their bones - broken and untended - began to mend at odd angles.

We saw pictures of Black men, like our fathers, hanging by their necks - their faces twisted, their bodies rigid, their clothes burned off - along with their skin. And we saw photos of carefree killers, sauntering home out of Alabama courtrooms - their faces white and sneering and proud.

We learned how the very best of humanity had faced off with the very worst of humanity - each circling the other under the same summer sun. That epic struggle had elevated southern back roads and backwaters onto the Great World Stage. And the fate of a people - along with the destiny of a nation - hung in the balance, for all to see.

In the end, we children cheered, for the righteous did prevail. More than that, they performed one of the great miracles in human history: They transformed American apartheid into a fledgling democracy, tender and delicate and new.

All progressives today proudly celebrate that achievement - and rightly so. But one key fact seems to escape the notice of today's activist crowd. The champions of the civil rights struggle didn't come marching out of shopping centers in South. Or libraries. Or high school gymnasiums.

To face the attack dogs, to face the fire-hoses, to face the billy-clubs, these heroes and she-roes came marching boldly out of church-houses. And they were singing church songs. They set an example of courage and sacrifice that will endure for the ages. And as they did it, they prayed on wooden pews in the name of a Nazarene carpenter named Jesus.

The implications are clear for those who seek today to rescue and redeem U.S. society. The facts are simple and profound: The last time U.S progressives captured the national debate and transformed politics, people of faith were at the center of the movement, not stuck in its closet.

As a descendent of enslaved Africans who were told that God (and not capitalist greed) required their degradation, I know the crimes of the Christian church as well as anyone. But as a child of the civil rights movement, I also know the power of Christian faith, the power of moral appeal and the power of spiritual strength - to break asunder the bonds of servitude.

And in our do-or-die effort to set things right in America, it is time for U.S. progressives to return to the bottomless well of soul power that sustained the slaves and defeated Jim Crow.

That is why I applaud Rabbi Lerner's efforts. He is standing in a long tradition of faith-honoring Americans, who have helped lead the charge from barbarism toward democracy. In the 1800s, escaping Africans fled enslavement through the bedrooms and basements of Quakers, along the famous Underground Railroad. In the 1980s, religious congregations led the Sanctuary Movement. Their efforts opened up U.S. cities to Latinos who were fleeing U.S. President Ronald Reagan's violent and covert interventions in Latin America.

The Rabbi's new efforts also resonate today. Reeling from the steady string of recent defeats, even the most hard-core U.S. activists are seeking deeper meaning and spiritual sustenance in their lives. At the same time, previously apolitical "spiritual types" are getting involved as activists for the first time - to defend the Earth and her people from the predations of the Bush agenda.

Rev. Jim Wallis' most recent book, God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It, struck a chord this year and became an instant bestseller. Rev. Frances Hall Kieschnick (spouse of Working Assets wunderkind Michael Kieschnick) is taking steps to start a Beatitudes Society, to give more voice to progressive people of faith. Similar efforts are springing up on smaller scales all across the country.

Somewhere, in all of these stirrings, I see the seeds of a wisdom-based, Earth-honoring, pro-democracy movement - one that affirms and applauds religious and spiritual impulses, while opposing fundamentalism, chauvinism and theocracy. Over time, this kind of progressive movement has the potential to win - and win big - in the United States. To be honest: it is probably the only type of progressive movement that stands a chance in a country as religious as ours.

Such a movement is within reach. But progressives must abandon the old pattern of reducing the Great Faiths to their worst elements, constituents and crimes - and then dismissing all other facts and features. It is not just stupid political strategy. At a moral level, it is a form of blindness and bigotry that is beneath all of us.

My prayer is that a critical mass of progressives can agree on two basic premises.

Number one: Any progressive approach to "faith in politics" that ignores the awful crimes of religiously-inspired people is dishonest, inauthentic and can never achieve emancipatory ends.

Number two: At the same time, any approach that fails to honor and embrace the positive contributions of religiously inspired people is also wrong-headed, and it foolishly and needlessly shuts progressives off from our own history, achievements and present sources of vital support.

I believe that Rabbi Lerner has come up with a thoughtful, sensitive and wise approach, worthy of broad-based affirmation. He aims to: "build an alliance between secular, religious and 'spiritual but not religious' progressives - in part by challenging the anti-religious biases in parts of the liberal culture (while acknowledging the legitimacy of anger against those parts of the religious world that have embodied authoritarian, racist, sexist, homophobic or xenophobic practices and attitudes").

That is a formulation that the vast majority of progressives should be able to adopt, affirm and cheer about. And I proudly say to it, Amen, brother Lerner ... Amen!

Attorney Van Jones is the national executive director of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights in Oakland, California.

jaded with american politics?
The vote here for the hottest Canadian MP. Why? Because he says so. (Does this trend mean that Megan will be setting up a HottestBritishMP site sometime soon?)

thanks...
...for all your book suggestions! That was fun! I had forgotten about many of my favorite childhood books. Did anyone else love Cam Jansen, the girl detective who would say, "Click," and store a scene in her photographic memory? Or Harold and the Purple Crayon?

are you missing election season?
Then check out HottestUSSenator.com, set up by Elise and vote for - you got it - the U.S. senator you believe to be the hottest (not counting Barack Obama). I've been wondering if the winner has to be selected based on his/her current appearance. Because, certainly, 20-something John McCain beats out the competition:



speaking of hot...
Not only is it supposed to get up to 110º in the next few days, but yesterday our air conditioning went out...and it probably won't get fixed until Tuesday. Our house was 86º this morning before the afternoon heat wave hit.

coincidence? i think not
The day after Ashcroft resigned, I called my bank to check the status of my credit card approval. My new card was put in the mail this morning.

projection error
Goodbye John Ashcroft. Maybe once he's gone, Bank One will finally process my credit card application. I blame the Patriot Act for it taking more than seven weeks to approve my credit. In time, I could have received two frisbies, three t-shirts, a pair of sunglasses and a keychain from the credit card vendors outside Dominos on campus. I'm starting to wonder if the "rewards" for this special card are worth it.

learned
I submitted to Esquire my own version of "What I've Learned." If anything looks familiar, it's because I've pulled from previous blog posts and emails:

It's easy to find someone to drink with. It's more challenging, and thus more rewarding, to find someone whose presence you enjoy after you have each been drinking.

It's hard to have a good day when you're wearing uncomfortable shoes.

If you talk like you know what you're doing and act like you know what you're doing, people will treat you like you know what you're doing. That gives you the time to figure out what the hell you're supposed to be doing.

E-mails tend to circulate. Never write anything down that you don't want falling into the wrong hands.

After eating many meals alone, I've learned to appreciate good dinner conversations.

Just about any photograph looks artsy in black and white.

I consider myself a very tolerant person; I can get along with just about everyone. Ironically, though, the people I am most intolerant of are the people I consider intolerant.

Office phone systems are more confusing than a computer network.

As stressful as the job hunt was, there was always that lining of expectancy, the opportunity for a great adventure. Now everything is defined by deadlines and the 9-5.

This having a job thing, it's kinda weird. I feel like I am constantly acting, pretending to be someone much more knowledgeable and more creative than I actually am.

The more I talk to people who speak in terms of black and white, the more convinced I am of life's shades of gray.

God is bigger than my doubts and bigger than my beliefs as well.

Moving is hard. It takes time to get used to a new place. You have to scream a little, cry a little, dream a little there and soon it becomes a place full of you.

people who have earned my respect this election season
Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano. She spoke at the DNC, has shown bipartisan support within state government, has made a special trip to Utah to meet with leaders of the LDS Church to gain understanding to deal with the rise in Mormon population and is currently in London working to attract British businesses and airlines to the state. (A direct flight from PHX to Heathrow would be fabulous by my standards.)

Arizona Sen. John McCain. Even though he was so highly favored to win reelection that his opponent didn't even have support from the Democratic party, McCain still agreed to debate Stuart Starky because he "was very impressed that Mr. Starky went all over the state to gather signatures...The fact that he qualified to be on the ballot, he deserves to debate me face to face." He's just a class-act. And because he made Jay Leno laugh so hard he couldn't speak on the Tonight Show a couple days after the election.

Candidate John Kerry, for knowing when to let the political process speak and not causing greater strife by drawing the process into a legal battle. My hope now resides in the fact that Kerry still has his Senate seat and that he and McCain will use their friendship to encourage their parties to work together.

NYT columnist Thomas Friedman. He puts words to my own beliefs. Everytime I read his column, I come away learning something about myself and the world. An example from today's column: "...what troubled me this past Wednesday was my feeling that this election was tipped because of an outpouring of support for George Bush by people who don't just favor different policies from me—they favor a whole different kind of America from me. We don't just disagree on what America should be doing; we disagree on what America is." (emphasis not added)

The more than 70 Boulder High School students who organized a peaceful protest (with the consent of the principal) in the school's library Thursday night because they were concerned that their views were not being listened to.

Colorado Rep. Mark Udall. He met with said students Friday morning at the end of their protest to engage them in discussion about their concerns.

Speaking of Coloradoans, Sarah. She and I can debate and discuss politics, and even though we come to different conclusions, we can leave our debates knowing that our friendship is stronger because we respect each other's beliefs.

My sister, Allison, who made the efforts to learn about the local and national issues and candidates before voting for the first time.

My parents. My mom, for her emotional response this morning in church to a hymn that reminded her that even though the election outcome did not match her beliefs, all is in God's hands. My dad, for his half-joking/half-serious suggestion that "marriages" (the religious ceremonies) should be left totally to the churches/synogues/places of worship, and that the government term for civil unions for any/all couples who wish to be so united should be changed to "partnerships." Says he: "We would be Ken and Hildie, Inc. She's the CEO and I'm the CFO."

election reflection
Disappointed? Yes. I cried. Surprised? No. But do I understand it? I try. But I just don't understand how 52% of America can say they are dissatisfied with how things are going and still elect the same leader. I don't know how I'm going to be able to listen to that man for another four years.

post-election projections
+ Colin Powell will leave.
+ Condoleeza Rice will leave.
+ Donald Rumsfeld will be asked to leave.
+ John Ashcroft should leave but won't.
+ Karl Rove will tour the country, waving his arms about and shouting, "Hallelujah!"