Oh-BAM-ah!
I <3 Obama. Those of you who have distaste for the man, or disagree, I care not. He's my generations version of Kennedy. He's the peoples president. He's well spoken, idealistic and frankly, aggressive in my opinion.
I'm so curious as to why people don't like him already, or even why they are so quick to jump on a President who follows the Bush Administration. If you came into an office an was offered the job as CEO an discovered an office full of files shoved in a drawer, letters unanswered, phone calls un-returned, newspapers of scorned clients and angry employees would you feel people were justfied in judging you in the first month of taking over this mess?
I also wonder of vision. When Obama makes a decision can't people let it play out long enough to see if the man has a point or maybe this "new spin" could be just the change we need?
I just finished reading "The Help", a book about black women as maid's in the early 60's and the relationship they held with the white women they attended to. Hold please, the blog isn't racial. The discovery within the book isn't racial, it's about the relationships that develop when you discover how much difference you can find in exactly the same thing/person. The real differences, not differences in skin, not topical differences, surface issues. Also, the similarities you can find, the love you can develop, etc.
How as Americans, as a country, as human beings can we continue to do such terrible things to each other? Day to day things like stabbing your best friend in the back, stealing from your own family, cheating to get ahead of your co-worker…..Larger accounts of war and crime – rape and torture of human beings from other countries. It's terryifying see what the human has developed into over the last several hundred years. Not really an evolution of mind is it? More like an extension of beast.
I digress.
This post is ever so late in coming and only brought on by a late night YouTube speech video regarding education and perhaps has a small part in Nanowrimo '09.
I leave you with your thoughts and welcome any commentary on Obama.
Geico Caveman or Joaquin Pheonix?
Welp, yet another actor is all over the news for being “wacko”. Joaquin Pheonix announced to E News just before Halloween in 2008 that he was to retire his acting career to begin something new. Casey Affleck, brother in law to Joaquin, blurted out comments of a musical career instead. The E News reporter, not taking him seriously laughed as he put his hand on his shoulder muffling out a, “You’re not serious” remark. An offended Joaquin walks away leaving Casey to comment.
Articles over the web announce he is to become a rapper which is currently adorned with a YouTube video as the cherry on top. A seemingly drunken Joaquin spits out lyrics incoherent to the viewer. The video is muffled and far from quality. At the end, he falls off the stage.
Casey Affleck is taping this for a documentary that’s to be released on Joaquin’s journey to rap-dom.
That being said, seriously people? It’s a hoax. It’s all the set-up for the documentary or whatever project they are working on. Whatever it is, let it be noted people – I warned you. He’s not some crazy actor, he’s not on drugs and/or wasted. Seriously.
That beard and hair though. I can see how that would throw you off. Joaquin man, I would love to give you a haircut. You can keep the beard even. Deal?
The Flip Mino HD…or not.
Christmas 2008. It would definitely a different Christmas this year. This much I knew.
As per usual, Jon and I end up bending and giving each other our gifts early. It helps satisfy that Christmas craving to open and have something and it makes it easier Christmas Eve and Day with that one less present to open. Sounds strange, I know but I always want to give Jon his gifts when it’s just the two of us. Jon had a list of things he was interested in. Problem was and is, he can like something and five minutes later it can drop down to the bottom of the list. The next day it can be off the list entirely. It’s hard to shop for him. He manages to logically think of things that the average person would like to have just to have and talk himself (or me) out of it because he doesn’t really need it. He’s just too sensible.
So, three, (or four?) days before Christmas we cracked open the gifts. After much research, stealthy research I might add, at work and going to several places to find this gift I settled for the Flip. Welp, let me tell you – don’t believe everything you see or read on the interwebs. I googled Flip Mino HD, a gift on the top list of Kevin Rose to get a geek and nothing came up but the Flip Ultra’s. At the time, I did not know the difference. I thought there was only one. Show’s what kind of geek I am. Not an online tech geek. Clearly. So, I purchase the Ultra thinking it’s the Mino HD. GUH.
Did I mention how terrible I am with gifts for Jon?
He enjoyed it for five minutes before he realized it wasn’t the right one and wasn’t really what he was looking for in a gadget toy. I even took a photo of him holding his new gift. I wasn’t upset and suggested we return it immediately so we could get him something he could use and enjoy. I was a little perturbed that I purchased the wrong one after asking the last store associate if it was the Flip Mino HD and her saying, “Yes.” Turns out, they only sell that one online and the Flip Mino was only found at Best Buy. As we were driving to return the Flip I told Jon the story about attempting to buy it at Staples where we last saw it together. Unknowingly walking into Staples with one remaining Flip I walked at a normal pace. This wasn’t Valley Fair Mall, this wasn’t Santana Row, this wasn’t the Gilroy Outlets. There was no reason to run or prepare my elbows for shoving. I arrived at the section and there sat the last box. I go to grab it just as another woman does. My short hands were not long enough. She held it in her hand and examined the box. I had no issue with this. I wasn’t sure how many people even knew about this gadget yet and felt with certainty I could purchase this item somewhere else if need be. I wasn’t sure however the specs of the item. Politely and calmly I asked, “Would you mind if I just looked at the box for a minute? I won’t purchase it, I’m just looking to see some details on it.”
I received the dirtiest look. She held the box closer to her chest and snorted, “Oh, I don’t think so. You’re not going to take this from me.”
I started at her, blankly, without blinking like she had just said, “Bananas don’t have feet you know.” Confused and semi-aghast I replied meekly, “Oooookay lady. Thanks and Merry Christmas.” Is it wrong now to hope that her gift receiver also wanted a Mino HD and she spent all that attitude and dirty looking on little old me for nothing?
At any rate, we returned it and spent the rest of the night in search of a Jon gift. He left with a Banana Republic sweater jacket (looks so good!) and all in all, I was actually pleased I got the wrong item. It left us with a night out together. Going to school at night and working during the day we don’t get nights like that very often these days.
Different Christmas yes, but a different one I could do next year too.
The Article
A few years back I was asked to write a story or an article about my experience with open adoption. Being a writer I felt like I could honestly create an article or story that portrayed what I wanted it to be. Not a story about being irresponsible or having a lack of love for my child or even being too afraid or selfish to take care of a child. I had always wanted something for my son to look back on so he knew what my reasons were, what my thoughts were and where my heart was at the time. I was asked by the adoptive parents of my son, the mother in particular. She was mainly asking due to her more recent adoption to take place. The other woman who was discussing the possibility of open adoption wasn’t one hundred percent sure of her decision yet. She was still on the fence and being someone who made my decision and never went back, the adoptive mother felt I was the prime candidate to push her in one direction or the other. Don’t get me wrong, she didn’t want me to convince her to give the child up, she seemed to be looking more for her to be pushed to make a decision one way or another. I understood.
In the hospital, on the last day I was there I could see the fear on her face that at that last minute I would decide to keep the child and the months we had spent discussing her new baby, the names, how we would plan the visits, etc. would be for nothing. I can’t imagine what that would be like, only assume it might be just as hard as carrying a child for nine months and then having to let it go.
Once I put paper and pen in front of me it became harder and harder to write down. I over-analyzed the entire thing. It had to be perfect. If one sentence, one word, one letter didn’t feel write I erased the whole thing. That one letter could ruin the whole thing. That one word could say something like, “I didn’t want you,” to him and that was something I just couldn’t have. The pages remained blank.
I made some phone calls and even met the other girl who was researching the adoption. While her situation was a little different, (she was in a state where the adoption process is through lawyers and not an adoption agency) she ultimately decided to go through with her adoption. She did keep the baby for a week after his birth, which made even me nervous. In the end, my son became a brother.
Once the stress of the second adopted child subsided it became clear the adoptive mother was aware of the difficulty of my attempt to write it all down.
I’m not quite sure of how the interaction between her and the journalist began however, it did. A journalist from the Washington Post began interviewing all of us for her article. I spent hours on the phone with her. At one point, she came to visit me on the West Coast and had dinner with my mother and sister. Telling the details of my story to her were much harder than I imagined it would be. Alas, I kept on with the details feeling guilty about not being able to meet this request on my own months prior. The journalist interviewed the other birth mother as well.
A photographer came by from San Francisco and spent the day talking with me and taking “natural” photographs. I had to re-tell my story again. I did not like the photographs that came out and yet I let her take them to proof for the article without protest.
Shortly before the article came out I was contacted. The editor read the story and decided my details weren’t dramatic enough to get the point across. She had written all of the details down, including the details given from the other birth mother. Being aware that this was not just a local paper and was a prestigious magazine read by many on the East Coast I decided not to divulge certain details of my experience. The other birth mother did not hold back. She let it all go. Her story was exactly what the editor was looking for.
They went with hers and left me with a small paragraph that no longer depicted what I had imagined. I received copies of the article and chose not to read them. I was furious. My mother respected my decision and did not read the article to me. Instead, she paraphrased the brief moment I had in the article. It sounded like I had said I didn’t want to have any more children because of my son. Like it was his fault.
Two days ago, I came across the article again looking for a photograph of the parents so I could “elf” the whole family in one of those elf virtual email cards from Staples where you post a photo and it pastes it on an elf’s body. The elf dances. I digress….
I still have not read it but sent it to a friend of mine who was asking what my son looked like. On the fly, being at work, I sent her that. She read the article and said it was beautiful. She’s one of many who tells me I should just read the article.
Point of this long rant: New Years Resolution: Read the article.
Oops, I did it…but here’s why….
“So much has gone on over the last couple of years and there’s a lot that people don’t know about me that I want them to know,” Spears told MTV News in a statement about the special. “I wanted to make this film because I started to feel like I wasn’t being seen in the light that I wanted to be seen in. This is an opportunity to set the record straight and talk about what I’ve been through and where I’m headed.” – B.S.
Britney Spears decided to release a documentary, ‘For the Record’ to air on November 30th, 2008.
For the record, I’ve never liked Britney’s music. Not when she sported her cutesy pigtails and schoolgirl fashion, not when her voice became sultry as she told the world she was a “slave for you…” and not even when she teamed up with Madonna. I just never got into it. I’m particular when it comes to music. I just never felt her voice was anything real. To me, it seemed her career was based on the looks more than the vocals.
Don’t get me wrong, typical girl, I’ve had my moments of looking at the pictures of her in whichever trashy magazine was carrying them during her moments of turmoil. Getting out of Paris Hilton’s car, shaving her head, how could I not look? I found a small interest in her when she was at her worst.
Last night, her documentary was released on MTV entitled ‘For the Record’. The documentary was to be filmed beginning the day of the VMA awards and would take us through her journey making her new album, Circus. I sat down and decided to watch the first few minutes.
Her statement to the media and to her fans watching was simply that she felt she was being viewed in a light that wasn’t true to her. While she didn’t divulge what light she wanted to be seen in, she tells us she just knows it’s not the light she’s in currently.
The documentary shows her working, which is pretty much her daily life and routine. There’s no show of a personal life other than a five minute blip of shopping and a small moment where we see her get ready to take her kids out for Halloween. She stops in between clips of being on video sets, etc to talk seriously to the camera about things.
I found she’s pretty basic. She’s normal. A normal girl who got thrown into the spotlight and ended up being a little more famous than she expected it seems. She made decisions she can’t take back, she’s been influenced by the wrong people, she’s spiritual, and some days, she just wants to go for a walk and be left alone. All really normal things.
All in all, she didn’t portray herself as the girl I would see in the magazines. She wasn’t really into going out on the town with Paris Hilton and partying until the wee hours of the morning. She wasn’t a crazy woman on drugs who isn’t fit for her children’s care. She wasn’t even snobby. While I still am not a BS music fan, I do have a new look on her as a person.
I can say without a doubt I know that life happens to you whether you like it or not, good or bad. I suppose if the media was all over me I might be labeled just as crazy or on drugs or whatever the case may be. In one shot, she says she let some of the people who may not be good influences into her life because she was lonely. Plain and simple and something I understand.
Madonna was in her documentary for a few minutes as well. She on the other hand…..
The Little Things
Being a student now and living on a student’s budget I’ve had to adjust. In a year I went from making 80,000 annually to zero. The fight just to get a 20,000 salary from the government to compensate took time, sweat and tears. Right when I get my EDD issues resolved and the check arrives I also get a job offer. Coincidence or what?
I digress.
My point is simply this: I’ve learned adjustments in attitude and spending. I’ve learned what is and is not a necessity and to appreciate things I took for granted before. Today, it was a walk and a cup of coffee. A coffee shop lies within a few minutes of my house. I can walk over and get coffee at any time.
I had to cut the coffee budget out entirely for a while and only introduce it back into my life with great ease and careful thought. Today, I treated myself. I took a walk, pondering political issues a friend of mine was discussing with me. It’s been a while since I’ve had a quiet walk and been able to think about the real issues of the world.
I’m off to school, hoping by the end of the drive there the coffee kicks in, to finish out the last working five hours of my day before the weekend starts.
Working on three hours of sleep I still have a smile on my face and have yet to take a “nap”.
It’s funny how a simple cup of coffee, a nice quiet walk with your thoughts and an interesting conversation with a friend can make your day.
Nanowrimo ‘08
I made the official decision to attempt ‘Nanowrimo’ this year a few days ago.
Yes, a few days ago and the word count was only at zero as of this morning. Terrible, right?
I began the outline, researched a million ways to start a novel and even decided to hit Barnes & Noble to read up on PLOT. Two days later I still had no plot, no start and no words. I called on the advice of my sister, a fellow Nanowrimo participant. She’s been doing Nanowrimo for the last three years and last year, won.
Many blog posts out there say the same thing she did – just write. Write, write, write until you can write no more. Don’t focus on plot. Don’t focus on character development. Heck, don’t focus. If one sentence says something about a blue coat and the next says something about what you ate last night, let it be. Her #1 rule: NEVER EDIT. Write as much as you can and edit at the end of the month.
So, I slept in this morning, woke to a cup of tea and a healthy breakfast. I began with an outline just to ensure I would not lose my ideas for things I wanted to write about.
I took a break mid-afternoon to lunch with my boyfriend and pick up my sister. I arrived back home, walked over to the nearest coffee shop and grabbed a heaping cup of joe.
It’s now an hour later and as Radiohead blares through my ears, (great writing music), I’ve got a word count going and ideas coming faster than Disneyland’s Space Mountain ride. It’s been years since I’ve acknowledged I can write and write well at that. I put my pen down when I lost my fellow writers as friends feeling like I couldn’t go at this all by myself.
Funny thing, I don’t even like it when my friends read what I write.
The ball is rolling, the words are tumbling and the first blog of the event is down. I may not win this year, but this is a small win for the writer in me.
Welcome back writer me, with a bullet.
