Three decades of life!

So, I turned 30 years old nine days ago. I sure as heck don't feel like 30, or at least I'm not where I thought I would be at 30 in terms of life expectations. I don't have a masters degree, I'm not thinking about kids, I don't even have a start on a solid career. But! I do know that I am happy with who I am for the most part (I'm still the best procrastinator around!), I'm grateful for the blessings in my life, I love my boyfriend and my family with all of my heart, and I have the greatest friends! All in all, I look forward to getting up in the mornings and to what life has to offer. Here's to another new chapter in life, and to only making it better! (Pictured: Aaron, me and my amazing dad, John)

adendum to "Men and Their Cats"

This is Missy, my dad's cat, who can't stand to be away from him. She even puts up with things like this.

Obama Wins!

This has been the most emotional election of my lifetime, and that of others. I know we've made the right choice. I know the next 8 years will be full of CHANGE and HOPE! We will see the fruits of our labor. This is our chance to make this country great again, to realize our American Dreams.
I gasped for air tonight as I reveled in the celebration, and tried to ignore the bit of fear that crept in. I put my hands over the Obama family to watch over them, and our country's future.
I can't wait to begin tomorrow, and next week, and 2009 with Barack Obama, President Elect!
GOBAMA!

Pre-hurrication

These two items - box over window and television - say a lot about what's going on in my life and those of others. The stuff spread all over the floor is also indicative of history in the making.

I am prepairing to move out of my apartment.
Obama just accepted the Democratic presidential nomination.
And I am going to evacuate New Orleans tomorrow to Mississippi.
This hurricane is screwing up my moving plans.

No meGustav!

Aaron to Afghanistan

Aaron left the U.S. today for Afghanistan.
He'll be working at Bagram Air Base for a year doing air traffic control for Midwest ATC.
He'll get two vacations, for two weeks each.
I'm missing him like crazy.
I am moving in with a friend at the end of September.
I'll be fine.
He'll be fine.

Affirmations

Today was incredibly affirming, or positive, or whatever makes a good day good!

Everything seemed to work out even if I wasn't trying. Driving home at the end of the day somehow it all hit me...

I was early to work; the traffic flow was great this morning.

My great friend Matt who no one ever hears from emailed me from England.

When one of my professors found out I wouldn't be working with him in the fall, he immediately called to ask who he needed to talk to to keep me as his coordinator.

Another one of the professors I worked with in the Spring took me to lunch. I had a wonderful grilled salmon with sweet potato fries!

I have been getting to know my supervisor more and liking her more every day.

I'm looking forward to moving to a new office next week.

I am indeed making a good friend in the office who shows me appreciation by giving me Kit Kats.

We had plenty of chocolate in the office today.

I helped decide who to hire to replace one of my coworkers.

I've been given the assignment of designing a Teaching Assistant program for the upcoming school year.

Aaron and I were again invited out by two separate couples who I work with.

Our director came into my office with a smile while asking about a class update and in another conversation even mentioned me in the list of people doing a great job in the office.

We left work at 4:30.

All my favorite songs were playing on the radio on my way home.

I was home by 5:15.

I had a great conversation on the phone with my dad, though that isn't out of the ordinary.

I also had a great talk with my God/Universe Mother who offered to take me horseback riding when I visit home.

Aaron even had a great day as he was offered a position with the D.O.D.

The day isn't even over yet!

Animal Rights

Read the following blog at your own discretion. It contains images unpleasing to the compassionate soul. (Photo from PhotoBucket: Asparges' La Boquería market in Barcelona)

When I was in Jr. High, I remember my mom and neighbors flocking to the little restaurant down the road which was the designated site of an animal cruelty protest. It was the first time I found out about it, the first time I'd seen the awful pictures of rabbits with pieces of them missing. Entire pieces of skin from their backs gone, scalped, in the name of improving consumer products. Dogs and cats and so forth held in cages too small for them to move around in.
These memories come around now and then, but I've never put my put my foot down. Until now. I've decided to become a vegetarian.

Last night I watched part of an episode of 30 Days with Morgan Spurlock. If you ever watched "Super Size Me", he's the guy who endured 30 days of eating only at McDonald's and only super-sized meals. His show now puts people in similar situations, basically dropping them into the life of someone else who has completely opposite ideas. They live with them for the duration of 30 days in hopes that somehow they will come away educated (changed?) by their experience. Last night George, who has hunted his whole life and believes animals are here to serve humans, went to live with a vegan woman who works for PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). http://http//www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/30days/gallery.php# In those 4 weeks he was accosted by images of tortured animals both by video, photo, and real life.

Ultimately, he did walk away a changed man. Although he said he'll still hunt, he also went home with new understanding and with a new friend ~ a calf who's life he had saved from becoming a plate of Veal through a very slow death at a factory farm. When he saw how calves are kept in a cage with their heads chained to the ground, completely unable to move, so that they can be slaughtered for man's consumption, he was moved to rescue this one calf from a torturous death. He hand-fed it and worked with him in physical therapy until the calf could walk and run on his own. Although I missed a large chunk of the show, I was, of course, bawling while watching the end. George had gone through the visuals of the cruelty of factory farms and even actively protested in front of Burberry, a company who continues to use real fur in their clothing line. George, through maintaining his relationship with nature and hunting, was able to see that informed decisions can make a big difference. He is exemplary of the the fact that people who have entirely different views of the world can come together to see each other's sides.

This isn't just about being vegetarian or "omnivorous". This is about the torture of animals and the cruelty weaved into their harvesting. Humans have been built to be omnivorous, but it is in our decision making, educated morals and decisions, that set us even further apart from animals, and sometimes each other. I'll be honest about being a hypocrite. Just last night I ate ate at Outback Steakhouse, my meal was complete with medium-well chunks of beef. It sounds good, and it is good, paired with a fully-loaded baked potato. But if I had made a more conscientious decision, I would have stuck to the scallops and veggies. When faced with the reality of how cattle are harvested and killed, I would not morally be able to eat another piece of meat again. I'll never eat veal, or red mean in general again, unless someone in my family or friends killed it themselves, but only because I wouldn't want that life to go to waste.

So this is me, asking you to educate yourself on where your food comes from and to purchase only cruelty-free products. PETA puts out an up-to-date list of companies that do and do not test on animals. I always look here before I buy beauty products or household items. http://caringconsumer.com/resources_companies.asp The products sold by these companies are no less effective or beautifying than companies who subject animals to senseless torture. It really is easy to live cruelty-free. Here is the Cruelty-Free Pocket Shopping Guide: http://www.petaliterature.com/VIV236.pdf

My decision is recent, my thoughts scattered, and I'm still evaluating my decisions. I think I'll still continue to eat seafood, especially because I'm here in N'awlins. But maybe my active change in eating habits will spur others to do so too. I hope our journeys are fruitful!

Surprise!

Aaron and my best friend, Katrina, surprised me this weekend with her flying out for four days. And I mean surprised! I was brushing my teeth on Thursday night when she silently poked her head around the corner. I dropped my brush and flew to hug 'er. We spent the rest of the night laughing about how long they had been scheming - a month and a half! - about the whole thing and what kinds of tattoo Kat wants to get, what we should do, where we should go. What a rush; it was the greatest surprise ever!

So, Friday we ran some errans, had lunch, and then layed by the pool for a few hours. Then Aaron came home and we went to Dragos for dinner - char broiled oysters and soft shell crab! mmmm Went home and changed and then went down to Bourbon St. to show her the sites and sounds of the French Quarter. Of course she had a hand grenade with moon shine, and then a nice 190 octane daquiri that she and Aaron had to share. Bourbon St. is known for it's gigantic, very potent drinks - which one can legally carry around with them on the streets AND drive with as long as there isn't a straw in it. Then we went to a club called Ampersand where apparently Bow Wow was having a party. His little shindig took up the entire second floor and for some reason we ended up waiting half an hour to get in the place. Anyway, it was nice to finally go dancing and pretend I was 23 again. ;-)

Saturday we had lunch at home and then I took her over to Aaron's tower. Then we went down into the 9th Ward to get a better picture of the devastation of the flood, and the bright new homes they are rebuilding! Then we went home to rest a bit before Aaron came home and we went to Korean BBQ and sushi for dinner. mmmmm again! Then we persuaded Aaron's friend Dave to join us for a late night showing of Sex and the City!

Sunday we we drove around looking for somewhere to get a tattoo for Kat. Unfortunately because we hadn't planned it in advance no one was available. We had lunch at Slim Goodies (sweet potato pancakes and bacon cheeseburgers!) and then found the Anne Rice house and then the witches house she wrote about and oogled around the fence. When we got home we looked online and discovered we had been looking at the house accross the street from the real house in which the witches live. It sure looked like what we imagined it to be.

So, I went out more this weekend than I had in months! It was strange to look over and see my best friend from home right here in New Orleans. We had such a great time and I'm so grateful for the surprise, and time with my friend. Thank you Aaron and Katrina! I hope you had a fabulous time too!

That's My Girl!

Danica Patrick and Helio Castroneves, April 20, 2008 - "MOTEGI, Japan (AP) - Danica Patrick became the first female winner in IndyCar history Sunday, taking the Indy Japan 300."

Ever since my dad first told me about Denise McCluggage, one of the first female race car drivers in the 1940's, when I was in Jr. High, I've had a vision of driving race cars, or at least getting to some driving school. I've been behind the wheel since I was about 6 years old when I almost "drove" my mom's car into the river. Sitting behind the wheel, I happily took it out of park and into neutral and found myself slowly coasting down toward the water. Mom came out and fixed my situation, surely through her mothering psychic tendencies. Then I moved onto my Dad's or God-sister's laps to steer on some quiet dirt road. Eventually I was romping around in arroyos with my uncle in my Toyota 4x4.

At various times, I could be found driving everything from a golf cart [into the lilac bushes], to a 15 passenger van, to a Ferrari Modena, to one of my dad's V8 Lightning Motorcycles Trykes at the ripe old age of 11! (http://www.lightningmotorcycles.com/ ) Though I adore my Tundra, I'm on the lookout for a more fuel efficient vehicle. I won't get started on the astronomic gas prices these days which no one seems to know who sets them. But I've never actually sold one of my cars in order to buy a new one. I have very little idea of how the process actually goes.

In any case, I love to drive. I've always loved to drive and I take it seriously, unlike so many people on the roads today (ahem, New Orlineans!) I love that I have a standard transmission and when I'm driving an automatic I realize how boring it is. My dad taught me how to double-clutch when I got my first car - a 1980 Subaru GL Hatchback! This poor thing was a sad gray, I eventually had to use a screw driver for an antenna, and neither of the rear windows would lock. When I locked my keys in my car I would just reach through the back window with the original long antenna and poke through one of the rings to save myself from having to call a locksmith. That car saw some hard times. Because it had 4-wheel drive we thought it was invincible and would take it "romping" through arroyos it had no place being. It was even searched for drugs once. I say that lightly since there were none whatsoever in the car and so she only experienced the embarrassment with me rather than the slammer. To top things off, my Subaru was decked-out with the ill-designed "cow catchers", or bumpers, attached by wood and screws and fitted with metal bars painted white that served as the impact landings. Hard to imagine, so I'll have to find a picture of it. Needless to say, my poor car was the recipe for endless humor. But I've never found a car so efficient at getting me out of the snow, or providing me with a better reason for taking the back roads of NM - the speedometer didn't go over 70mph so I was safer to stay off the highways. Back then gas was about $1.30 a gallon.

So that was the car that I learned how to double-clutch for on account of the tranny being somewhat old and stingy. I also learned about patience with that car because I couldn't force it to do the things it just wasn't designed for. I also had to learn to love the slow lane, because I had dreams of getting to the fast lane and those dreams are the kind that take their time. I still dream of the fast lane and the closest thing I can come to attaining this is driving the trykes, which are nothing like any other vehicle out there.

But for now, I'll have to keep dreaming of the racing school and let Danica and Denise rule the roads.

Eye

My left eye has been seriously twitching for a few days now. Ever happened to you? It first ocurred the first time I was at a gun range a few months ago, and every time a gun would go off my eyes would twitch even when I was shooting. I have read the twitch is associated with stress.

Every since the indoor gun range, whenever I hear "LOUD NOISES!" or get scared by any little thing, my eye twitches.

Until recently it had subsided. But this last weekend, it began twitching so much, and with little provocation, I thought my face was going to contort into some permanent wink-like state. The recurrence has slowed, but the strength of the actual twitch has not. When it happens, I bet the person looking at me might imagine I'm on the verge of Tourrettes. At least it feels that strong, but I guess I don't really think I look like I'm about to snease, I just feel like I look like my cheek is reaching for my nose.

Anway, eye twitches have been linked to exhaustion, stress, dehydration. I think at any given point in a working person's life, they have a bit of all of these at once. So listen to your body. Or your eye. It just might be trying to tell you something.
Side note: I wrote papers on the Eye in both Jr. High and High School. I still have the E encyclopedia I used. Oops!

I'm going to have some more chocolate and then go to bed.

Sweet dreams!