Friday, December 19, 2008

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Being at school, it never really hit me that there was only about a week until Christmas. I left a cold and dreary Goucher with no real signs that the holidays were approaching to come home; I pulled up to a house decked out in lights, with the Christmas tree visible through the upstairs windows. Wreaths and garlands adorn doorways and banisters, the nativity scene by the staircase is sans baby Jesus for a few more days, and the little light up village glows peacefully from its place in the dining room. All of these sights reinforce the fact that Christmas is almost upon us- but one thing that really brings it home for me is the way the house smells. The pine scent from the tree spreads through the house and as soon as you enter the door you're well aware of what time of year it is.

So, our stockings have been hung and the little mechanical carolers are swaying away. I have yet to do ANY Christmas shopping, but hopefully that will change soon. It was supposed to change today, but Mother Nature decided it was going to remind me of the season again and dump over a half a foot of snow on us.


I hope everyone has a joyous holiday season, I know Hanukkah starts at sunset on the 21st... oh hey, it's Friday today, so that means I owe all my favorite Jews a big Shabbat Shalom!


Happy Holidays! I'm off to revise the Story of Christmas and edit the cast list.

Friday, December 12, 2008

It's the least/most wonderful time of the year...

So winter break is almost upon us, but before we all get over a month to chill and not worry about papers and tests and homework we have... well, what I can only describe as the point in the semester when I have an incredibly strong urge to burn down the library. Goucher's campus has a lot more zombies now than during HvZ. But I don't have to worry about getting pegged by Nerf guns.

Before our actual finals we have the distinct pleasure of an epic week wherein multiple papers and projects are due. Papers and projects that I, being the expert procrastinator that I am, have managed to put off.

It's all my own fault. But I still like to bitch about it.

Also, if only I could delegate this Christmas Pageant to a younger cousin... hmm.... Maybe it's time to leave the directing to the 15 year olds. I can't believe we still do this thing.



On a happier note- one week 'til home! As much as I love the Gooch, there's something about Jersey that I miss. And there's also Christmas, and Advent calendars, and family parties. And driving to NY to see all my cousins. And my friends, and my parents, and my brothers! Sweeeeet.

I'm ready to peace out. I don't recognize what sleep is anymore.
I leave you with this.
A beautiful, beautiful man. And though Richter will always be the epitome of a Rangers goalie, Lundqvist is closing the gap between 1 and 2. You just gotta win us a Cup, Henrik!

Saturday, November 8, 2008

No kidding with the change...

Volleyball's over. Well, not entirely (we have 6 practices left with coach) BUT we have no more games and are no longer allowed to use the court. It's a strange feeling to know that something that has consumed my life the first half of this semester is done. What to do with all this spare time? I could... sleep more. Read more. Or maybe do my homework without getting motion sickness from a bus! The options are nearly endless.

I just need to make sure I don't spend all that extra time on Facebook. or on here. The internet is a dangerous place for people prone to procrastination, such as myself.


That's all I got for now, unless I want to rant for a million years about how the season ended.
Which no one wants to hear, and I don't think I want anyone to hear. Ergh.



AND THE RANGERS LOST. GOSH DARN-IT.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Change I Do Believe In.

"They always say that time changes things, but you actually have to change things yourself." -Andy Warhol

The man who has inspired a nation and the people who voted for him now have the responsibility to work as hard as they can to bring immense change to this nation, for the better.

Yes we can.

I spent the day watching CNN, taking in results from the first town to report in the United States, little Dixville Notch which chose a Democratic candidate for the first time since 1968, to the announcement that Obama was the presumptive President-Elect. My roommate and I had devised our own little activity to keep us even more engaged and excited than we already are. As I sit here I can look over at the map we colored in, state by state, and smile. That map, and the results it shows, make me so excited for the future of this nation.

Yes we can, and yes we did.

It gives me a sense of pride to know that the first election I was able to participate in was such a monumental one. The first black president ever. Some of the biggest voter turnouts in a long time. An election that made young people like myself so excited about its outcome that we cheered for the outcome of Pennsylvania as if our favorite team had just won the Stanley Cup.

This is a moment I will never forget. As the final result sunk in, we could hear yelling filtering through the open window. It was much of the population of Goucher having an impromptu party on the residential quad, elated about the news they had just received and shouting it as loud as they could. Chants of "O-ba-ma", "Yes We Can" and "USA" rattled off the buildings that surrounded us, hugs were given out like candy, and the smile could not be wiped of my face.

We moved into the Gopher Hole to hear Obama speak, a speech that moved many (admittedly, myself included) to tears. He promised to not only be the president of that percentage of the nation that elected him, and vowed that even if not everyone would not put their vote behind him, he would always listen to their voice. In a line he has used before Obama said that we are not "red states and blue states, but the United States of America."


So I'm in an immensely good mood right now; I'm holding onto hope that Prop 8 will not pass, though many of the other bans on gay marriage seem to have passed, unfortunately.

Get a good night's sleep, everyone, we now count down eagerly to January!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Food for thought.

I got a very interesting e-mail from my mother the other day which made me think even harder about some things, namely, this election. Oh, I'm still positive that Obama is the man for the job, but the e-mail brought about some interesting points that I had never thought of (and in some cases, didn't know existed). Here it is:

Obama/Biden vs McCain/Palin; what if things were switched around?.....think about it.

Would the country's collective point of view be different? Could racism be the culprit?

Ponder the following:

What if the Obamas had paraded five children across the stage, including a three month old infant and an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter?

What if John McCain was a former president of the Harvard Law Review?

What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?

What if McCain had only married once, and Obama was a divorcee?

What if Obama had a long affair while he was still married?

What if Michelle Obama was the wife who not only became addicted to pain killers but also acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?

What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?

What if Obama had been a member of the Keating Five?
(The Keating Five were five United States Senators accused of corruption in 1989, igniting a major political scandal as part of the larger Savings and Loan crisis of the late 1980s and early 1990s.)

What if McCain was a charismatic, eloquent speaker?

What if Obama couldn't read from a teleprompter?

What if Obama was the one who had military experience that included discipline problems and a record of crashing seven planes?

What if Obama was the one who was known to display publicly, on many occasions, a serious anger management problem?

What if Michelle Obama's family had made their money from beer distribution?

What if the Obamas had adopted a white child?

You could easily add to this list. If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are?

This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.

Educational Background:

Barack Obama:
Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in International Relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

Joseph Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

vs.

John McCain:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899

Sarah Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism

Education isn't everything, but this is about the two highest offices in the land as well as our standing in the world. You make the call.

There are some facts about McCain in there that I had heard nothing about, such as the fact that he was part of the Keating Five scandal (which I had to research to learn about) or the fact that his wife was formerly addicted to pain killers. The Obamas were so thoroughly vetted that I guess I just assumed that the McCains had all of their dirty laundry aired out as well. Maybe because the controversy surrounding these things was older, people didn't bring them up because it was rehashing issues that had already been discussed? If that was the case, I don't think that logic is completely sound, when these issues may also not be remembered by the common voter who is trying to make an informed decision.



On a completely separate note, the Rangers' organization is mourning the loss of one of their own, Alexei Cherepanov. The 19 year old was the Rangers' first draft pick in the 2007 draft and was playing in the Russian KHL this year. From what I've managed to gather, Cherepanov was playing in a game when he collided with Jaromir Jagr, his teammate. Cherepanov made his way back to the bench where he collapsed and his heart stopped. After he was moved to a hospital in Moscow doctors attempted to revive him, but he was later declared dead.
The fact that a young, fit man can die so suddenly is scary to think about- Cherepanov was only a few months older than I am. My prayers go out to his family and friends.


Questions are also being asked now as to why there was no defibrillator on hand. In the case of Jiri Fisher, a defibrillator is credited with saving his life.


Homework time is now upon me; I have an hour before I need to be on the bus to CND for tonight's game! Night.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

We've successfully tallied a W in the score book tonight, home game 3 of 5 has been completed! Its almost surreal to play at home now- to look into the stands and see the faces of my friends, roommates, or people I simply recognize from Van Meter Highway. I've begun feeling a bit nomadic with all the traveling we're doing; every night holds a different school in a different part of Maryland or even an entirely different state. I think I've spent more time on a bus so far this season than I have my entire life- and that's not such a stretch.
But as Calvin's dad (of Calvin and Hobbes fame) would say "It builds character"! Along with sleepless nights and motion sickness from reading on a moving vehicle.

But I really do love this sport, so though this is stressful and sometimes difficult, I can't fathom life at Goucher without it.




Now back to homework.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Debate to the Death!

So, CNN is still using their focus group technique with those ever-moving lines on the bottom of the screen. The lines are divided between men and women, and all of the voters are uncommitted Ohio residents. The six pundits tallying off points on their debate scorecards is either not happening or we're not getting it on our non-HD channel.

We begin!

Palin won't answer the first question about the bailout plan: it was simply talked around. I think when she doesn't know the answer, she also just reverts to talking about how Obama isn't doing anything good. Biden, I must say, also occasionally talks around questions and just reverts back to talking about McCain's voting record and policies.

Quotable Palin Quotes:
"I've only been at this for what, 5 weeks?"
"I beg to disagree."
"Now, doggone it"
"Say it ain't so, Joe"
"Shout out to all the third-graders"
"We have got not to allow..."


just a few key phrases/words:
middle class
end corruption
values
tax breaks
fairness
create jobs
support Israel, don't force policies
McCain and Bush are the same
eliminate Al Qaeda
'regime change'
agree w/ major initiatives of Obama
together we stand for freedom and equal rights
most respected nation in the world
government is a problem
never again taken advantage of
together we are America
John McCain is not a Maverick in anything that counts.

Just as a person, I think Joe Biden is the man, and I really respect him for everything he's been through in his life. Also, I thought I was going to cry when he did.

I may be biased, but I really wanna give this one to Biden.

CNN poll results soon!

I wanna hear some music...

...but I'd rather not hear the girl next door belt out tunes I can't quite discern the words to. Luckily I downloaded the new Jack's Mannequin album on Ruckus so I'm drowning her out right now. (When she hits a particularly high note, though, she can't be stopped. :/ )

I'm eagerly awaiting the beginning of the Biden/Palin debate tonight; T minus 28 minutes! I've been reading articles that say Palin is slicker than we give her credit for and that debating is her forte. Well, we shall see! Maybe I'll sporadically record my thoughts about what was said as if I'm one of the pundit's lining CNN's broadcast.

Friday, September 26, 2008

David Simon doesn't like me.

Well, that may be a bit strong. But yesterday at David Simon's "Discussion" at Goucher he lamented about the decline in newspaper and the increase in the use of the internet to obtain news.
Yes, I agree that I normally go to sites that show me a more liberal viewpoint. I avoid Fox News because I don't want to be bald from pulling my hair out. That said- I don't go there expecting to get an unbiased viewpoint.
In addition, I don't think that many people go to blogs (and no one goes to this one so I'm not really worried about it) in order to get an unbiased view of the news. These so called 'citizen journalists' are just bloggers; for the most part, they do not claim to be a source of complete information. There must be some discretion used by the viewer to know that they are not going to get the entire picture.

Alright, back to the debate. It's getting testy.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

A lil' bit of Anderson, Keith and Obama; plus a Bush faux pas.

So, I'm mad at George Bush. Watch this video. He sings, jokingly, about things that had serious negative consequences for the US. I just. No.
WHY ARE YOU RUNNING MY MOTHERLAND? Sometimes I feel bad that he gets so much flak, when I know he has people advising him to do what he does, but then he does things like this and I just cannot comprehend how his mind works. I know it's a secret dinner, but come ON!
I know you're leaving office, but right now you represent the nation. Act like it.



On a lighter, and happier note, random YouTube searches can yield much better results.



So yes, I missed AC tonight on television, but I got my fix online.
Oh! I'm watching Countdown right now (where I first got wind of this Bush video), and I just got Keith Olbermann's book "Worst Person in the World and 202 Strong Contenders". I'm expecting another of Olbermann's books in the mail (hopefully before I leave for break), but the book I do have is very funny. Some of the people are actually cringe-worthy in their stupidity. And I love his "Worst in Show".

On another note, Obama's had some wins! Wyoming and Mississippi have gone to Obama, Mississippi by quite a large margin, actually. I don't know the exact division of delegates, but I'm assuming that Obama's delegate lead has expanded.

I don't even want to talk about Spitzer, because I've heard so damn much about it in the last 48 hours that I'm over it. News stations found another story that wasn't the election to latch onto and they worked it for all it's worth. I live in Jersey, I still like our Gubernatorial scandal better. :)

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Holy crap, one more week.

Everything comes to a head now- the last week before break and I have soooo much work. Probably not as much as other people, but for me- argh! I'm pulling Bs in all of my classes, so I'm not really worried right now, but I'd like to pull them up for the end of the year. To do that- I have to pass all of my midterms. Oh god. I need to read 4ish books by Tuesday for History, memorize some vocab and do a take home midterm for Historic Preservation by Thursday, write two chapter summaries for Anthro for tomorrow... and I'm probably forgetting something but whatever.
I'm sure everything will work out. I really should stop distracting myself by writing in a blog that no one even reads.

Bobby Boucher loves his momma.
Peace out.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Obama Grandmama!

http://news.aol.com/elections/story/_a/obamas-grandma-rips-campaign-tactics/20080305150509990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

Hmmm....

I've decided that Ninja Warrior is an awesome show to watch when you just need mindless entertainment. Which is what I'm in need of write now, after 3 hours of watching CNN and trying to take in everything that's going on in the nation right now.
The thing that's most intrigued me today is the fact that Michigan and Florida are pushing to have their delegates count, despite the fact that the DNC revoked all of their delegate power earlier in the year when the states moved their primaries up. If FL and MI get their wish, this could have an incredible impact on the results- but I'm not sure in the direction I hope they'll go. The earlier results have Hillary winning both (though Obama wasn't even on the Michigan ballot) and I'm still pulling for Obama.
On a side note, I get to write an entire paper about AC 360, which makes me really happy. I love my english class; first I write a paper dedicated to The Daily Show and now I get to write about a show I watch religiously anyway. Yay!


Nap time.
So I've been up and about since 7:45AM, with literally NO breaks in between, so as a result this blog is probably going to be minorly cracked-out.
Dad came to town tonight, it was so nice to see him! We hit up the ESPN Zone for dinner to watch the Rangers play. Lundqvist severely disappointed me in net; I didn't think any of the goals scored against him were particularly stellar and two were just plain soft. He's falling into that age old trap of becoming a Ranger and proceeding to become BAD.
I'm doing my 'civic duty' right now by waiting up for the Texas primary results to come rolling in. I guess it's pretty safe to say that Hillary is NOT dropping out of this race, not by a long shot. Her Ohio victory is actually pretty worrisome for Obama fans... I think the Democratic nominee in the last god knows how many elections has been the one who won Ohio. Well, this election is historic in so many ways I'm kind of hoping we can add another to the list. C'mon Obama!...


OH!- Wolf Blitzer and his beard are predicting Hillary in the Texas Primary! As far as I know, Obama is still carrying the caucus, but that could change. Eek!

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/dates/index.html#20080304

Monday, March 3, 2008

So I decided I needed a place where, when I got fed up with typing up papers and reading class work, I could just write about anything and everything I felt like. Mostly about life at Goucher.

Tonight's agenda is pretty simple- finish this freaking paper about museums, art, and 'liturgical apparatus', play flag football in an attempt to win the Class of 2011 some money, see a presenter for Psych class for extra credit, and then cap it off by watching Hillary on the Daily Show.

Dinner? Vauge possibility.
Sleep? Not likely.



Also: my Uncle went with the NY Philharmonic when they played in North Korea, and he blogged about it on his radio show's blog. Check it out!
http://blogs.wnyc.org/soundcheck/category/on-site-north-korea/