Quarter Life Crisis

On H8te

2008-10-29T16:51:00.001-07:00

I'm short of breath trying to make myself stop thinking about this STUPID proposition that promises to divide a state along the most personal of lines. The division between banning same-sex marriage and allowing it to remain legal has already cut through my second family and made me doubt certain friends.

I'm a proud supporter of the campaign to defeat Proposition 8, California's initiative to ban same-sex marriage following the state supreme court ruling that the right to marry should be afforded to all citizens of California. Until now, I haven't been terribly vocal about it. I already see that this is an intensely personal issue for so many people, and more than anything else, this proposition SCARES people.

It scares me too. And on both sides of the line. I was a bit flustered when a friend asked, shortly after the state changed the terms "Bride" and "Groom" on a marriage license to "Party A" and "Party B," which Party I would be. It's a curious question, but one I had never thought of before. For a moment, it made me sad that I wouldn't get to officially call myself (in the legal eyes of the state) a "Bride" when I got married, and that there might be some illogical, drawn-out argument between myself and my loved one about who gets to be "A" versus "B" and why.

But after the moment of pause, I realized what scared me more was the thought of denying the joy, comfort, stability and benefits to ANYONE else in California.

Who exactly benefits if Prop 8 passes? Friends-of-friends (most of whom attend a certain church) claim fear over their children learning about same sex marriage in school, learning that it is okay for boys to marry boys and girls to marry girls.

My fear is that my children will get taught the exact OPPOSITE. Children, the most innocent of all citizens, should be taught that everyone is equal and has the same opportunities. Plus, don't get me started on the basic fact that California public schools don't even teach anything about marriage.

Marriage, in its essence, is a "church" term, a religious union. But until every man and woman has the same right in law, we will call a state union "marriage" and make it available for everyone. The separation of church and state IS the freedom of religion, so in no way does the right for same sex couples to marry equal an infringement on one's religious beliefs. No one is persecuted for what you practice or don't practice, believe or don't believe. But the state is no place to make a distinction about who or how you love.

On Republicans

2007-09-05T20:27:00.000-07:00

It is my duty as the holder of a political science degree to comment on the various happenings in the Presidential race. Mind you, this election thingy doesn't even happen until 2008, but apparently the candidates were bored and antsy, so they decided to begin their campaigns at least a year and half before the polls open (for real, not those stupid pre-pre-pre field polls).

And in an effort to be ahead of everything that happens, you get guys like Fred Thompson. How do you announce that you're announcing your candidacy for a race that you were already pretty much in anyway? Guy's got balls for running an ad during a debate he's not participating in, but come on, we know you're running, we know you're losing (registered Democrat, duh), so why all the hype? Just start reporting your fundraising already. Also, have you seen Fred Thompson's wife? Bet she looks nice on the shelf next to the medals and ribbons, is all I'm saying.

So running for big-time political office is a crazy freaking game, but let's move to actually holding a high-powered post under a high-powered official. Specifically, Tony Snow resigning as White House Press Secretary. He made these comments (as quoted from Yahoo! News) about stepping down:

"Snow, who had said recently that he would leave before the end of
Bush's presidency, said cancer was not the reason he was stepping down.
Instead, the father of three said he needs to make more than his White House salary of $168,000. He can earn far more on the speechmaking circuit.

"I ran out of money," said Snow, who was paid much more as a
conservative pundit and syndicated talk-show host on Fox News Radio 'We
took out a loan when I came to the White House and that loan's now
gone. So I'm going to have to pay the bills.'" (8/31/07)

My mouth was agape when I read these comments. I make the connection that Tony Snow speaks for the President and the President, therefore, knows nothing about minimum wage, a living wage or poverty in America. That Tony Snow has the gall to make those comments as the voice of the President reinforces my feelings toward the current administration: the 2008 election could not come soon enough (but I really do wish they'd stop campaigning for it already).

On Wildlife

2007-05-20T16:11:00.000-07:00

Photo credit: Sacramento Bee/Ken Cavalli

You may have heard, but WHALES HAVE ENTERED SACRAMENTO. It's the biggest thing to happen to Sacramento since we discovered gold in them hills. It's breaking news, top stories, special reports, tourist attraction, and wildlife rescue mission all rolled into one. And thank god it's May sweeps. Those local TV stations are salivating for Emmys and Pulizters.

Personally, get the whales away from me. If you know me almost at all, you know I have a somewhat irrational fear of sea creatures. Sharks can eat you, so duh. There was a traumatic snorkeling experience from my childhood, so fish are not my friends (unless I can eat them and they are tasty). As for whales, it's probably in the same vein as my fear of dinosaurs. They're just LARGE, somewhat deadly creatures. I can just see them squishing me against the sea floor (doesn't help that I'm not big on holding my breath under water), appearing out of NOWHERE in murky ocean water, and swallowing me whole a la Pinocchio or Jonah or Dory and Marlin or whoever the hell it is that gets swallowed whole. I don't care that they live in the end, I just do not want to be in a whale's mouth.

And don't try to convince me that whales are harmless creatures that can't hurt me. It's not all about that. It's about knowing that at any second Willy was gonna straight FALL ON TOP OF THE KID if he didn't make that jump during the Michael Jackson song. And Orcas are actually killer whales. They WILL EAT YOU. So leave me alone with my whale fear, and do not make me go to West Sacramento to see the darn humpbacks. Ain't happening.

On Sportsmanship

2007-05-14T20:10:00.000-07:00

I believe...

one must always arrive before the national anthem (best intentions marred by traffic delays given credit).
silence is necessary during the national anthem. A little respect, please.
professional athletes are overpaid, but team owners even more so (bring ticket prices down, bring more people to the game!!).
clapping for the opposing team does not make one a traitor, it makes one a good sporting fan.
one must always wear team colors to a sporting event (or at least a neutral).
one must always wear appropriate clothing to a sporting event (get OUT if you're in heels, a tube top or anything of the like; the players are a little busy at the moment to notice you).
as an American, one should know a little about what teams play in which league (there are no Ravens in baseball, nor any Tigers in basketball).
as an American, one should be aware that the respective sporting championships are occurring at the time they are happening.
the Super Bowl is a spectacle disguised as a world event pretending to include a football game.
soccer is underappreciated.
NASCAR is amazing, if only for its crazy marketing abilities.
rowing is the shizz. Holla.

On Facebook

2007-05-01T18:43:00.000-07:00

I could write an ode to Facebook, but since I haven't yet, I will merely muse about it.

I think it starts with the "friendly" stalking aspect of it. Like, why do I need to know what these people are doing at all hours of the day, on their vacations, at parties on the weekend? I maybe had a class with these people in high school, worked one summer at the same job where we may have had two (?) total conversations, or know them through a friend of a friend; but somehow I am privvy to their every action, hook-up, interest and photo op. What is that?

I have sort of figured out that Facebook (and also Myspace) may eventually devastate the market for high school reunions. (Is there a market? Like are people in the year-round business of getting people together over drinks and a crappy band to reminisce and talk shit behind each other's backs?) I can already track marriages, babies, residences, and weight gain through the magic of the internet social network. It would be sad however to not actually get the chance to see the people in person at the high school reunions, since the camera can lie, and smell isn't something that can be recorded online (random thought, disregard). It's quite a lifestyle change, if you think about it in a long-term sense (and maybe a superficial "lifestyle" sense).

Facebook also allows high school and college crushes to exist into eternity, since one can keep visual track of just how cute the crush remains, or how sweet they still appear in print. Crush on, I say, since that's half of the reason why I log on every day.

So I devote myself to the weird connections I retain, in the hope that one day I will not suffer for this obsession in whatever afterlife there is.