Scrabble Pendants... How Brilliant.

Allow me to commence this blog entry by saying that if you played me in a game of Scrabble, I'd straight kick your a**. Just sayin'.

Now that that's out of the way........

I love handmade goodies. Even if those goodies are handmade by a complete stranger. The fact that they're made by hands, as opposed to being mass-produced in a factory, adds an element of speciality.

I have discovered: Etsy, and I'm liking it very much.

And on the fantastic Etsy website I have discovered something that I'm sure will make you say: Darn! How did I not think of that???

Scrabble pendants! It's a combination of some of my most favourite things in the world. Including, but not limited to: a.) recycling b.) wood c.) literacy d.) jewelry and e.) awesomeness.

I bought a few of these pendants online from Etsy the other day, and I just received them in the mail. I have to say that I am quite pleased. They're so versatile, I plan to wear them with dress suits to work, as well as on casual nights out on the town (as if I ever have casual nights out on the town).

I bought my pendants from HomeStudio mostly because they had the cutest pendants I could find and they do free shipping! Bonus!

They have tonnes of different pendants on there to suit every style.

They have pretty, vintage, environmentally friendly, and just about anything else you could imagine. I bought the first and last one. The last is definitely one of my favourites!

I totally envision this catching on and these little recycled Scrabble pendants becoming a fashion statement- simply for the fact that they allow people to express their own individuality and what's important to them in a cute and fresh way.

And somebody made this! HANDS made this! Brilliant.

Dear America...

It will affect you more than it will affect me...

But it still affects me, and I can't vote.

So let me encourage you to think. Think really hard.

Let it sink in. Don't just brush it off, but actually ponder. Ponder like you've never pondered before.

And then ask yourselves this question:

Do you REALLY, honestly need a LIAR as your President right now?

Truly?

Because it should be blatantly obvious to everyone at this point that John McCain is full of crap. He's spewing out lies left and right. Each day you are all being subjected to a waterfall of full-on lies. There's no polite way that you should put it for Presidential candidates. Lies are lies are lies. Liars are liars are liars. John McCain is a LIAR, and I can't understand why more people aren't concerned about that.

All I can say is that if you haven't noticed, you're not paying attention. 

Either that or your brain is on vacation.

WAKE UP.

As If Earaches Weren't Bad Enough...

Interesting...

A recent article on the Science News for Kids website (which I love) links earaches to weight gain.

It's no secret how common earaches are, especially in children. And it's also no secret how rampant obesity is in our society these days. So, when you think about it, the correlation makes sense.

The way I'm looking at it, is that if I suddenly put on a bit of extra weight I now have a legit excuse. I'm going to blame it completely on all those insanely brutal ear infections I endured, as opposed to my slight addiction to brownies and ice-cream.

But that's just our little secret.  :)

After These Messages...

It's been nearly a week...

I'm not too sure how some people are able to update 5 times a day. In my world, committing to once a day is a pretty heavy responsibility.

But here I am anyways, clinging to the hope that maybe someday this site could possibly harbour some devoted followers.

I hope to write a book, someday.

I wonder if anybody would read it.  Hmmm....

Systematic Desensitization.

Whenever I get a spare moment in my music room with no kids....

I take advantage of the time. If I don't have something particularly pressing to attend to or anything special to prepare, I generally just give my brain a chance to wind down by checking out some of the news stories on MSN, or HuffPo.

The other day as I was taking a breather and trying to capitalize on the few minutes of rejuvenation time, I came across an interesting article on MSN. It was about how Ugly Betty and Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants star America Ferrera views many of the most popular teen (and tween) shows that are out there right now (i.e. Gossip Girls, The Hills, 90210...).

She believes that these kind of shows almost train girls to be mean to each other.

While I may or may not be addicted to one of these shows myself, I have to agree with miss Ferrara. Each of these shows in all of their juicy, drama-filled glory, are bad examples of how people should live. Or perhaps good examples of how people should not live.

There's no moral to the story in these shows either. It's just one back-stabbing, revenge-seeking, affair-hiding, cleavage-flaunting, booty-shaking episode after another.

I guess it's an age-old concept, really, which can be evidenced by some of the soap operas that have been around since the dinosaurs roamed. The only thing is that it's getting much more blatant, and it's geared toward a much younger audience.

These shows are not really in place for 24 year olds like me. Serena and Blair are high school students. That's who the show is really for, though it certainly has a much broader audience than that. And if you think movies and television don't really affect behaviour then you're wrong. Let's arm wrestle it out.

Gosh, even at 24, while I'm not out gossipping about my friends or sleeping around as a result of being a die-hard Hills fan (there, I said it.... and...I feel like I just admitted to breast augmentation or something equally as fake) I do often find myself wondering if I could pull off the latest Lauren hairstyle or Whitney fashion. Even despite the fact that I'm obviously far less impressionable now than I was at 16.

Isn't it also interesting how almost all of the recent teeny-bopper shows have created characters that are generally filthy rich and carry out grandiose, posh lifestyles? Hmmmm.... How realistic is that?

It makes a difference. Our culture (minus the class factor) is becoming a bad scene from the Gossip Girls. The life seems glitzy and glamorous and many people want it even if it means selling their souls, sleeping around, or losing a best friend. It doesn't matter- it's a very selfish new culture that we're headed towards. As if our culture wasn't already selfish enough.

Here's my theory (not that it's a new theory): It's all a product of systematic desensitization.

The same thing goes with certain video games. I could not believe my ears when one of my grade 3 students was telling me about how he plays Grand Theft Auto and loves it. Grade 3. Virtually picking up prostitutes and beating the crap out of random people. Stealing. Sex. Violence. Grade 3. Please don't tell me there's nothing wrong with that. Please don't tell me that game shouldn't be banned. I don't care if you're in grade 3 or if you're 300 years old. NOBODY, I repeat: NOBODY should be playing a game like that, as a human being. In my opinion it should be burned to ashes and whoever made the game available in the first place should be fined and forced to see a psychologist.

This may sound very narrow-minded, but trust me, I'm quite an open-minded person. I come by all this honestly. Do I believe that people who watch certain shows are going to do all the drastic things that they see their favourite characters do? Not necessarily. Do I think that everyone who plays Grand Theft Auto or other such shameful video games are going to go out and do in real life all the things they do on the game? No, not necessarily. However, do I think that people have been subjecting themselves to these awful things to such a degree that they have become desensitized, less shocked and appalled by things that remain shocking and appalling? Yes, yes I do.

And it's a slippery slope. It's systematic. If it continues, who knows where it might eventually lead. As it stands right now it's not entirely unheard of for someone to do something they know is wrong based on something they have seen or heard about on one of their favourite movies, TV programs, or video games.

The more blood and guts and shooting guns we see in movies, the less shocked we become when we hear about similar horrific things in real life. It may be a slow process, but it's still a process.

We're headed towards paralysis. We can't let bad things get old to us. We have to be shocked and appalled and not allow ourselves to become complacent or indifferent. Let's not lose all of our morals here.

Err Canada

Dear Canada,

I am ashamed, no, appalled that you have allowed certain aircraft to fly high in the skies boasting in bright, bold lettering the name of our beautiful country. Can't you see why that's such a disgrace? Or why it's a blatant abhorrence to our home and native land???

Is this really how you want to be represented, Canada? As a Canadian, I have often been forced to fly Air Canada for the simple reason that there was no other option presented to me. My problem with the carrier extends way beyond it's outlandish prices.

I've always hated Air Canada, and now, after travelling throughout Asia, I detest it even more. Many Canadians might not realize that plane food included in the booking price still exists in the world. It's not just a slab of meat thrown between two pieces of stale bread either. I've flown Singapore, Korean Air, Thai Airways, and AirAsia - the only one of these that doesn't serve a superb hot meal is AirAsia. There's a good reason for that, though. AirAsia is admittedly a no-frills airline, which was perhaps the reason that I could fly from Khota Bharu, Malaysia to Siem Reap, Cambodia for less than $100. They didn't feed us because their goal is simple, to get you from one place to another for dirt cheap.

The most shameful thing, though, is that we flew in more comfort on that AirAsia flight than we ever had on the exorbitantly-priced scar that is Air Canada.

And every year there's some new substantial reason that justifies the Air Canada hate. Baggage prices, crappy service, lost luggage, broken luggage, delays, extra fees, flight changes, so on and so forth, etcetera. While I realize that sometimes, some of the aforementioned issues are unavoidable, there's no excuse for the rate at which these issues occur on a daily basis with Air Canada. It's just bad business.

Not to mention this: http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2008/08/25/jazz-lifevests.html
Yes, Canada, you read it right. Removing life vests to reduce weight to save on fuel. Doesn't this violate some law, somewhere? If not, WHY NOT?

Oh, but at least they were thoughtful enough to not remove life vests for babies. I'm sure the babies will appreciate that as they watch their parents sink to the bottom of the ocean. Then they'll suddenly realize: "Oops, I forgot to put my life vest on!" and swim back to the site of the crash, find a life jacket, securely fasten the belt clips, befriend some sharks, and perhaps shoot up a few flares until they're spotted.

I've flown Air Canada Jazz before. As if it weren't uncomfortable and ridiculous enough already, now people have to worry about plunging into the Atlantic and trying to fit into infant-sized life vests. The question I now have to ask myself is how on earth I'm going to be able to stuff a PFD into my poptart-sized carry-on.

And Canadians have almost nothing else to choose from. WestJet flights are scarce to a number of places, and Jetsgo died a few years back.

It's time for Air Canada to just die, too. Either that, or for someone to have the "testicular fortitude" (or estrogenal-fortitude?) to step in and say: "Whoa, whoa, whoa, enough is enough. You've gone much too far here. Fix it, or lose it."

Your citizens are ticked off, Canada. I mean, really. Case in point: http://www.ihateaircanada.com/
It's now being referred to as Err Canada. It's an embarrassment. You're an amazing, special country and so many people cannot even get the chance to see you because of your lack of a decent airline.

I don't know what else to say. I think I've made my point.

Oh, Canada.

Sincerely,
A very pissed off Canadian

Class vs. Laughs

At the risk of offending every comedy-buff in existence....

MadTV > SNL.

I believe this whole-heartedly. MadTV is funnier, and better than SNL.

Now, before you fall over and have a coronary, please hear me out.

I understand the classy appeal of all things SNL, and even have an incorruptible appreciation for it's history. Once in awhile it's still possible to catch a note-worthy, chuckle-inducing sketch, but the truth is (in my opinion) that SNL started to slide on a slippery slope shortly after Jimmy Fallon left. How's that for a tongue-twister?

The way MadTV borders on impropriety and incoporates so many risqué themes may prove to be a little much for some tastes. Surely it's more rough around the edges than SNL has ever been. If MadTV and SNL were men, MadTV would be the rugged forestry officer with a 3 o'clock shadow and drinking a beer, while SNL would be the clean-cut, clean-shaven, Armani-donning, grey poupon-eating, analyst from Wall Street.

Lately it seems that when I watch SNL I'm always left scratching my head at the end of certain sketches, thinking: who, who could possibly have thought that this would generate laughs? It's quite comparable to watching the downfall of Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan, seeing them spiral out of control.

Except for the political sketches (such as the brilliance that was last night's Sarah Palin portrayal by the amazing Tina Fey), which are about the only decent sketches they're producing these days, I feel a sense of sadness as I watch the incorporation of similar kinds of cheap humor that Ricky Gervais was trying to combat in Extras.

MadTV, on the other hand, remains creative, innovative, intelligently ridiculous and just plain awesome.

It's hard for me to let go of SNL for many of the aforementioned reasons. The truth is, though, it's all about the laughter. If I had a laugh-o-meter (perhaps something resembling the one in Monsters Inc.) there's no question what an experiment of SNL vs. MadTV would show.

So, basically, it's simple:

You want more class ----> watch SNL. You want more laughs ----> watch MadTV.

VS.

GOPro-Choice?

Did anyone else......

Watch Sarah Palin's interview with Charlie Gibson?

I felt a sort of frightened amusement when she talked about the fact that she didn't blink when John McCain asked her to be his running mate.

In all honesty, is that truly the kind of question that you have an immediate answer for?

Even for the most qualified of candidates, wouldn't that be something to ponder? Something to mull over at least for a few days until you can make a wise and conscientious decision?

Things that make you go.... hmmm.....

And what about J-Mac on The View. Thank God for Joy Behar, who is not afraid to jump on the "straight-talk express" and call out John McCain on the fact that these ads he is approving are not just half-truths or hyperboles, but flat-out lies.

Oh, and here is a point I found really interesting. In the discussion around Roe v. Wade, John McCain was almost eloquently stating his pro-life stance, but tip-toeing around it in such a way so as to not offend any voters. Basically he started doing the stereotypical political thing and creating a hurricane of words in an effort to try to make the questioners forget what they were even asking in the first place. Towards the end of the discussion he conceded that he believes life starts at conception, but that he respects the rights of people who do not believe the same way he does.

Think about that for a second.

If... God forbid... John McCain were to become President of the United States, there's proof. He is now on video as saying that he respects your right to believe that abortion is okay.

In respecting that right, as President, would that not mean that he could not try to press his own beliefs on the American people? And, in turn, wouldn't that make him pro-choice?

Pro-choice in that, for him abortion is wrong. But because he respects that all people have their own beliefs about the issue, those people then have the choice to decide whether or not abortion is right or wrong for them.

There are people out there who believe that nobody should have the right to have an abortion. People who think that the belief that abortion is okay should not be respected. These people are truly pro-life and not pro-choice.

Does it make crystal clear sense to anyone else?

This was a point that I believe Joy Behar was trying to bring up at the end of the whole abortion argument. Then, as per usual on the show, someone else interrupted and I saw the point drift away into outer space.

I wish he had the chance to respond to that. It would have been supremely interesting to see how it would have played out.

Chuck Norris Reads Chuck Norris Jokes.

I always thought Chuck Norris was part human, part ninja.

Now I just think he's part ninja, part ignorant hillbilly from the 1800s who should really invest in some anger management classes.

News Flash:  You're not ACTUALLY the texas ranger, Chuck.

See link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzD84QQv_6g

Cops and Robbers

Shortly after my trip to Cambodia and Malaysia.......

I was robbed.

It happened while I was still in Korea, probably somewhere around the end of May.
Granted, I was living in the shadier, foreigner-infested part of Seoul (and yes, apparently that does matter) but I never thought that it would ever happen to me. I guess part of me is still an isolated, naive girl from a super-small-town. I felt too safe there. I felt so safe that I made it unsafe. I guess I should have been more aware of the fact that I was living in a city of 13 million as opposed to a town of 2000.

It happened while I was sleeping. My bedroom door was left unlocked and I had the fan on thanks to smoldering Korean humidity and heat.
I went out to get ready for school the next morning and noticed that the patio door was open. I vividly recall thinking: "Hmm, that's odd. I never leave that open," and then going on about my business.

Later Craig came, and his wallet had been there the night before. I was in the bathroom putting on makeup when he says: "Why did you take everything out of my wallet?"
After a few seconds I replied: "I didn't touch your wallet...."
It took a few minutes before I got a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach. I immediately went out into the living room and asked Craig to check my wallet. When I went to the porch where the door was left open, I looked out and noticed that the window, screen and all, was also wide open. I knew for sure that we would never leave the window open like that. So that's when it hit me.

Craig showed me my purse and how it had so clearly been rummaged through.
We just stood there, holding each other, in shock.
Never in my life have I ever felt so afraid, violated, shocked, angry, sad, or lucky.
It was horrifying. Absolutely horrifying.

So Craig called our truly empathetic ex-boss (you'll catch the sarcasm in a minute) who told us that we'd better come into work anyways.
The entire day, trust me, I was in no state to teach. Craig held it together better than me, but it was clear that neither of us should have been at school that day.

It could have been so much worse. The person got $200 and my ipod. But what if he/she had wanted something else? My door was not locked, it would have been ridiculously easy to get to me. What if I hadn't turned the fan on before I went to bed? I most likely would have heard noises outside and might have gone out to see what was going on. I don't even want to think what might have happened if I did that.

The next day Craig and I got the cops to come to my apartment. As I expected, like most Korean cops, they were useless and did little more than take my name.

I also had my Nintendo DS and separate R4 card stolen while I was in Thailand over Christmas. After several clear-cut incidents, we're positive that my landlord was corrupt. I don't know why she would want a pink Nintendo DS, other than to sell it, or for a grandchild perhaps? Either way, before we left Korea to return to Canada we had a lot of issues with her claiming that the TV we bought was hers, things going missing left and right and her falsely claiming other things as well.

Needless to say, our last few months in Korea were severely tainted. Even in general, I am now much more distrusting of people and I hate that. At the same time I feel like I need that. Immediately after the robbery, every person I saw seemed like a robber to me. It was extremely difficult for me to even walk down the street without getting angry at innocent strangers who were walking by. Everyone seemed guilty. Even while that was happening I was aware it was stupid and illogical, but I guess I felt like it was better to be stupid and illogical than unaware and in danger.

It has been the worst feeling in the world.

Every night spent in Korea after the incident, was spent in fear. And I genuinely mean that. Unless you've ever been in the situation, you won't understand. I know I wouldn't have understood pre-May if I had read something similar to this written by someone else. It's just gut-wrenching, sweat-inducing, heart-palpitating pure fear.

Even now that I'm back in Canada I feel it. I don't trust a lot of people. I feel like they're out to get me. This whole thing has made me paranoid.

And when things like this happen, I fail to understand the human race. Where we went wrong. How someone could possibly think it's okay to devastate another person so entirely. How someone can completely violate a person's safe place, their haven, and just go ahead and take the things that they have worked so hard to earn.
And it's not even about the money. Living without that two-hundred dollars didn't pose much of a problem, and I bought a new iPod. But having to be afraid to go home each night, that stabs your quality of life to death.

So, all of this played a huge part in my eagerness to get back to Canada. I had an excellent, fantastic, wonderful experience in Korea. But I'm not going to lie. It's somewhat tainted. Living in fear is not living, I felt like a prisoner.

It's still hard for me to talk about. This is actually the first time I've acknowledged it to this extent.

I just wish I could have a chat with whoever did this. I'd truly like to know why. I understand that people want money, but what would motivate someone to the point that they would go and take someone else's? How does that decision-making process go down?
I don't have a repertoire of readers at all yet, but if anyone ever does read this and has an idea, please - enlighten me.

Death by the Brownie.

Like most women....

I'm ever-so-slightly annoyed with the needle on my scale that travels a little too far to the right for my liking.

It's not that I'm remotely obese or even really overweight, but I know I'm not at my best and that irritates me.  I was thinking it could be the perfectionist Virgo in me coming out, but I don't believe in that stuff.

I think I know what my problem is. My problem is that I feel very entitled. Any little thing that doesn't go as planned in my day leads to me telling myself with complete confidence that: "You deserve it, Laura. You really do. Just do this and worry about it later."

And I do worry about it later, but the worrying makes me upset and makes me feel like I should eat a brownie to relax.

Mmmm, brownies. For future reference, the way to my heart is a brownie.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not completely obsessed with weight. It's not like this is a constant burden on me and it isn't always weighing on my conscience. I'm mostly comfortable in my own skin. I just wish I could care more. Obviously, I'm just not upset enough about it.

I'm not upset enough to give up my decadent cookie dough cake from DQ. I'm not upset enough to stop watching CNN and go for a daily jog. 

I do make somewhat of an effort though. The easiest possible thing I could do is exactly what I do. When I go grocery shopping, I try to pretend I'm all healthy. There are four levels of Miracle Whip, apparently. There's the regular, lite, low fat, and fat free. Lately I've been opting for the low fat or fat free- which makes me feel like I'm taking control of the issue, even though in reality I know that low fat miracle whip alone is not going to get me to my ideal weight. It just makes me feel like I'm doing something about it. I couldn't handle the embarrassment that would accompany me in bringing a bottle of regular Miracle Whip to the counter. I can just picture it now, the check-out lady getting all shifty-eyed and muttering under her chain-smoking breath: "There are 4 levels of Miracle Whip and this is the one you choose. Ew. You are gross."

See if I ruled the world, brownies would be like spinach and all things chocolate would be like... soy beans.  Pepsi would beat out mineral water and ice-cream would be an essential part of a well-balanced diet.  Oh yes, and you can rest assured that nachos, tacos, and all things Mexican would be to our bodies as rain and sunshine is to flowers.

What a beautiful world it would be.....

I think the reason it bothers me at all is because I believe in healthy eating and living a healthy lifestyle. I think people should be moderating what they put into their systems to some degree and I'm definitely an advocate of exercise. 

I'll go through phases where I put a strong emphasis on these things in my own life, and then I'll go through phases when I have bigger and more pressing things to think about.

I'm not a Homer Simpson kind of pig. I don't consistently stuff my face while lying on the couch and watching Jerry Springer reruns all day either. I just find it extremely difficult to turn down brownies with pecans. Is that such a bad thing?

I know what the future holds for me, that's the worst part. I'm 24, an age when I could be at my very best if I had enough will-power and discipline. Don't worry, I know good and well that as I get older brownies get yummier and even harder to work off.

It's very difficult for me to think of anything more torturous than running on a treadmill for a hour each day. It's just not me. Back in my last year of University I tried to go to the track at the fieldhouse and run a couple times each week. But I hated. every. second. of. it. You wouldn't believe how discouraging it was to watch the seconds tick away on the clock so sloooooooowly.

On the other hand, if I'm playing sports, or walking outside (so I get to at least enjoy some scenery) or shopping, I'm all about the exercise. I guess I'm too selfish to do something solely out of respect for my body. All the while my brain is shouting: "HEY!  What's in this for ME!?"

The point is, I need motivation. So if anyone out there reads this, who can relate in any way, please know that we're in this together. We will save our bodies one fat-free, disgusting, yogurt brownie at a time.

American Politics from a Canadian Perspective.

I'm not American.....

Nor do I wish to be. No offense. I'm a Canadian girl through and through. There's no mistaking that.

It doesn't matter though, does it? Your nationality doesn't matter when it comes to this intense election, because no matter where you live in the world the next President of the United States will probably affect you in one way or another.

That's why I'm more disgusted with the Republican party than ever.

Hello, Sarah Palin. Um.... who? Oh, I'll tell you who. Governer of a state that is much less populated than most major cities. Former mayor of a town with less than 10, 000 residents. Yes, that's who. If this were a regular conversation, I would say that Sarah Palin is an incredibly accomplished woman who has lots of obvious drive and exudes confidence and sucess. There's no downplaying that. That is, until she accepted John McCain's reckless invitation to help guide (and possibly be responsible for at some point... John McCain is 72 people) the world's superpower nation. You've got to be kidding me.

I'm not saying that Barack Obama is the most experienced candidate in the world. But surely you could agree that he has a thicker resume than Mrs. Palin? Not to mention his stamina, temperament, and genuinity. He's no saviour, but no doubt he has more packed behind his belt than the former beauty queen/sportscaster who seems to be relentlessly fishing for her fifteen minutes of fame.

Oh, but this is about the top of the ticket... John McCain was a P.O.W...... wah wah wah wah.

So, go ahead and compare the top of the ticket. Why is it that Americans even have to worry so much about national security in the first place? Why do terrorist networks plot against the U.S.? I'm going to go ahead and say that America is hated around the world because of people like George Bush and John McCain, who place such an emphasis on war and fighting and guts and blood and guns and shells and bombs and "tear-ism." Am I blaming them for terrorist attacks and plots? No way. I don't question for a second that those two men love their country, want to protect it, and actually think that fighting and killing is going to make the world safer. But America has given off an air of superiority that people just don't like. Nobody enjoys being around the arrogant people who are constantly pumping iron and flexing their biceps, or giving themselves a little wink in the mirror.

Don't get me wrong, I have lots of American friends whom I love dearly. And I love America and the patriotism and the whole shebang.

The thing is though, as long as America keeps fighting and going to war, people will hate the nation. It's just the way it is. And when people hate the nation, bad things are going to happen because there are some crazy mofos out there who will do some crazy things to people (or nations) they hate.

Barack Obama will be a diplomat. I honestly feel that world leaders who are leaning on the "enemy" side will appreciate his down-to-earth, authentic, "we're-all-equal" attitude.

As a teacher, if I went into a class full of 30 students who were on a sugar high with a militaristic attitude and teaching style, everything would fall apart like cheap bread in a grinder.

That is not how you earn the respect of people- it just doesn't work. Humans don't enjoy being dictated to or threatened. Is it necessary sometimes? Yes, but only as a very last resort, and sometimes not even then. And imagine if I went into a classroom and started to punish a student who had done nothing wrong. That my friends, would piss a lot of people off. Make no mistake, that would make my student seek retribution.

So while John McCain and little miss "pageants-didn't-work-out-so-I-turned-to-politics" claim to make America more safe, rest assured that their bully behaviours will serve to make America LESS safe. If the American people elect him I wouldn't be surprised in the least to hear of more attacks on American soil within the next few years. Just putting it bluntly here.

So, back to Sarah.

John McCain was stupid for picking her and it was clearly a ploy to win Hillary Clinton voters. That's point number one.

Point number two, WHY THE HECK WOULD SHE EVEN ACCEPT IT? I mean there are the obvious reasons: money, legacy, fame, fortune, cash, green bills, celebrity... but really...a little overconfident there, Sarah? I mean, as a mother of five (and yes I know Barack Obama has children too) and the vice-president, how much time will she actually be able to devote to her little son with down syndrome? I've just never met a mother who would accept the proposition of such a life-consuming role with five kids (and one grandbaby on the way) to worry about. Most people have a baby and then go on maternity leave, rather than try to become the next vice president of the United States. So go on and call me sexist, but to me- it's weird. I'm being real here. And perhaps she's a remarkable lady, who has accomplished more than most women have even thought to. But she's still a mother, and mother's have a bond with their babies that I don't understand, because I've never been one. But I do understand that it's there. I don't get what her motivation for the vice-presidency could be other than the things I've already mentioned.

It's different with Barack Obama. And even John McCain. I feel as though they really believe in their causes and want to do good for their country. No doubt Sarah Palin loves her country too, but I get the impression she's more interested in doing good for herself.

Point three. Obama gives jabs from time to time, but he has held his head much higher, played the political game much cleaner, and showed a greater maturity and respect in this entire campaign so far than John McCain, Sarah Palin and company have shown in just the past few days alone. For Mr. Rudy can't-even-spell-his-last-name and Sarah Palin to suggest that Barack Obama's time as a community organizer in Chicago is unimportant or no big deal is something that anyone in the Republican party should be ashamed of. That was one of the points of Obama's biography that I admired. So he wasn't a P.O.W. from a war that made no sense in the first place and he hasn't been kicking up with the political icons of Washington for years, BUT, he has done something special in the lives of Americans and served a cause greater than himself. He passed up various lucrative opportunities to do something he felt was more necessary and time-worthy. I wish people would use their brains and look beyond these things to the characteristics that would make a person do that. THOSE are the kinds of characteristics you want in a President, folks. Those are the kind of characteristics that will make you more secure on a variety of levels. Someone could have fought in Vietnam for any number of reasons. Maybe they were drafted, maybe they were pressured, maybe they wanted the recognition, maybe they were just doing their job, or maybe they really believed in the cause. There's no mistaking why someone would pass up high-paying, high-class jobs to work as a community organizer. That's character.

There's nothing wrong with small towns, Sarah. Heck, I'm a small-town girl and I love the quaintness as much as anyone else. But does that qualify you? Really? In this case, size does matter. It's a lot easier to keep 10,000 people happy and healthy than the millions of people that reside in the U.S. right now. Is it a start? Of course, but you've got a ways to climb up the ladder, hun.

Don't even get me started on the convention. In watching it I got an eerie "stepford wives" kind of feeling as the sea of white people with their southern accents and cowboy hats screamed and pissed bricks and started killing each other with all the excitement about the talk of war. Okay, so only half of that actually happened but there were times when I felt that it could. There were also times that I was expecting to see people start burning effigies of Barack Obama. Never have I witnessed such a crowd of hateful people. Someone would ridicule Barack Obama and the crowd would go wild like something out of Lord of the Flies. It was a scary site.

The worst part is, the majority of the Republican party claims to be based on Godly principles and God's biggest principle is the principle of love. There wasn't much lovin' going on at the G.O.P. convention, let me tell you. McCain and company skillfully crafted and molded hate, which is the last thing America needs.

I think the people on both tickets are each very successful, talented, smart and skillful individuals. They each have their positives and negatives. I'm sure we could all find + and - in each of them. I would urge Americans to really think about what's important right now. I strongly believe that changing the image of the U.S. across the world would solve a lot of problems, such as national security, which is pretty important.

Which candidate do you think could most effectively change America's image across the world?

Choose carefully, America.

The world is scared.

First Comes Love...Then Comes Marriage... Then Comes... Extra Laundry?

It's not that I don't like kids......

I mean obviously, I do. I'm a teacher by choice. Kids make me laugh when they say things that don't make any sense as well as when they talk about things that I had no idea they knew about. I love the way they are unhibited about picking their noses no matter where they are. There's a sense of honesty and genuinity behind that.

I realize people tend to think of life in terms of milestones. You're born. You start kindergarden. You go to high school. You graduate. You go to college/get a job. You get married. You have sex. You procreate. After that, what else is there? Nothing else until retirement?
It scares me slightly that I've already hit the vast majority of milestones in my life, but I digress.

The point is, I've been married for less than a month and I've already had a least a handfull of people bring up the B-word to me. And right now all I want to do is skip right past that milestone. I am by no means prepared to raise a child, and I'm not even sure I ever will be.

I love my nephew and am ecstatic that there's another little niece or nephew on the way for me. With only one sister on my side and nobody on Craig's, to have two little babies around will be a rare and special occurrence. The thing about nieces and nephews, though, is that they poop their pants and you can promptly hand them back over to one of their creators and not feel overly guilty about it. When they get older and start bullying their friends you can be the cool aunt or uncle by teaching them proper wedgie techniques while the parents have to be the disciplinarians. That's okay by me.

Another big reason I'm not too sure if motherhood should be in my future is because I'm a teacher. The LAST thing I want to do after dealing with other people's lovely little angels all day is go home and have to worry about teaching, disciplining, and supervising my own. After a busy day at work isn't it nice to just go home, lay on the couch, and get rested up for the next day? Working a full-time job is big enough of a responsibility for me! It's crazy enough that I'm responsible for my own life, how could I be responsible for the life of someone who thinks it's okay to pick their nose in public? (As admirable as it may be....)

This is not something you can say to just anybody, though. Oh no. You have to step lightly around this issue. If you tell some people that you don't know if you ever want to be a mom they will just look at you like you are the ten-headed loch ness monster from Hell. As if there is something fundamentally flawed about not wanting to be responsible for irrationally bringing a child into the world. As if that milestone is an obligatory one and to use discretion in making such a major decision would be injustice. As if there are not already enough children in the world.

The worst part is, the school I'm working at right now is known for the rate at which teachers who work there are getting pregnant. My first day at a staff meeting people told me to be careful and to not drink the water. Great.

Don't miss the point here. I really do love children. I know though that I'm quite capable of loving them without having my own. Perhaps this will all change as I get older and "mature" (ahembecomebrainwashedcoughcough). But please people, give me a chance to enjoy my marriage and life! I'm 24! And if I'm 30 and still have not decided to have children, that doesn't make me selfish or screwed up. But it probably does make me more rested and relaxed than you. :)

Why Hello.

SHE'S ALIVE!

Yes, folks, it's true.  After more than a month away from blogger, today I'm making my comeback.

I'm sure all those blog catalogues I signed up for have abandoned me and I'm once again in the deepest part of the blogosphere funnel. To be quite honest, lately life has just been spinning out of my control and I have had no choice other than to flow with the current.

I made my return from Korea, which has been fantastic.  Every now and then I miss all things Asian, but mostly I'm quite content with being in peaceful, clean Canada.  I met my nephew and fell in love with him.  I've never been sure what to do around babies but with Isaac it's different. Perhaps I'm biased, but I don't think so.  I think he actually is the best child in the world.

I was home for a few days and then took off (literally) to Cuba to get hitched. We had an amazing wedding that was perfect for our laid-back, unconventional personalities. Nothing was traditional but everything was how we wanted it. The crowd we were with was great, and the whole trip went perfectly.

We returned home for oh about two days before we had to leave to drive across Canada to our new home. It was a nice extension of our honeymoon and we stayed in some ritzy hotels along the way, thanks to the wedding money.  :)

Now we're getting settled into our new community and Craig has already began teaching. I start tomorrow, though I've been back all week doing teacher orientation/system start-up stuff. I met some great new friends already, and am half excited about everything. Not so excited that I'm ready for summer to be over, though. I feel like I skipped right past summer!

Now Gustav is dominating the news and I'm just happy my ears don't have to be subjected to John McCain and company at the Republican Convention.

So that's what's been happening. Craig and I have sure had an eventful few months. I'd be grateful for some down time and stability at this point. That means, NO MORE MOVING OR SUITCASES! Funny that every time I see a suitcase now I just wanna light a match and let it burn.  Thank God for drawers and shelves!