Happy New Year

This year, we usher in the new year amidst a political campaign. I was very sure where I stood about a year ago -- things have gotten significantly fuzzier since then. I am at the point where I am a bit relieved to know that my vote doesn't count, as otherwise, I'd have a lot of thinking to do.

While I still find Obama to be overly arrogant, and more smarmy than charming, the campaign has reached that icky point where the bloom is off McCain's rose, too. At first, I was willing to accept Palin as his choice for VP (well, she's no less experienced than Obama and she's not running for President). Now I kind of have to agree with my MIT girl-friends when they assert that she is an insult to intelligent women everywhere.

Now, even my father is giving me propaganda from both sides (Jews for Obama, Jews against Obama -- how is a Jewish girl to decide?) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m96chUuvoe0&feature=emailhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m96chUuvoe0&feature=email

So, I enter the new year with no solid convictions, economic uncertainty (fear?), but a feeling of hope never the less. Happy new year to all of you.

I blame the 2-party system

I just spent a week in Ventnor, NJ (which is to Philadelphians what the Cape is to Bostonians). I really do wish I lived in a swing state. Anyway, I was reading "The Nine" this week. One of the friends of my in-laws predicted that by the end of the book, I would have the fear of God in me and I would change my mind about voting for McCain. Here we go again.

Well, I really am a democrat, I swear. Well, mostly. I would categorize myself as a fiscal conservative, and in favor of smaller government, so, in that sense, I guess I am a republican. I am also strongly pro-Israel and that will sometimes cause me to vote one way rather than the other. On social issues, I lean way more to the left:

• marriage is whatever two adults want it to mean -- the government should not care one way or the other
• a woman must have the right to choose what is in her own best interest with respect to her own body (even if I or someone else thinks that it's icky)
• we need to save the earth for future generations
• (the list goes on...)

What I really want is a new party -- one for like minded liberals. I don't want higher taxes and I want the government to leave me alone as much as possible. I should be prevented by law from harming other people, but what I do privately should be my own business. It seems to me that the conservative movement is right on in some of that theory -- at least the way it is manifested in the state of New Hampshire (from what I can see). Why is it that the same party that wants smaller government also is in favor of wire taps? That it hates abortion (as murder) at the same time that it endorses capital punishment? I just don't get it.

Somebody help me!

Ramblings from the White Mountains

We drove up to NH on Friday for a "company trip". This is a new concept for me, and I have to say, I rather like it. The way it works is this: If the company does well in year x, then, in year x+1 all the employees get to go on a company sponsored vacation. There is a (limited) choice of dates/destinations and the hotel/resort is paid for for the whole family (extra for food for children over the age of 5, and, for now, all three of mine are 5 or under).

Jeff and I really love New Hampshire. We live in Massachusetts where, in the eastern part at least, the political climate is hotly liberal. New Hampshire is like a cool breeze for us McCain supporters (I won't get started in this post...). On the drive up we passed a car with the driver's political views spray painted on the window:

"NOBAMA"
"The best social program is a JOB"
and others.

So you don't get the wrong idea, I am actually a liberal at heart. I mean, I think I am on the right side of most moral debates. For instance, I am pro-choice, I think that whom a person chooses to marry is completely up to that person (and his choice of partner, of course). I used to be totally into small-scale communism (I don't think it works for political systems governing more than a community's worth of people) and still think that medicine might be better when socialized. But, in the last few years, I have been reading media from the other side. The Wall Street Journal is informing some of my more recent opinions. I am no longer a democrat because I feel my party has let me down.

But I digress.

This post is supposed to be about how amazingly beautiful New Hampshire is.

The White Mountains are breathtaking. I was up there a bunch of years ago to go to my friends' wedding (Jill and Steve) in Franconia Notch. Every where you look are green mountains and the way they interleave themselves in the landscape is just the way you would draw them if you were setting up a fantasy landscape. All the dark green in the foreground, working its way back to the light gray in the distance. Add in some late afternoon shadows and you've got me back to believing in God (well, maybe not the way the Rabbis would have wanted me to, but good enough).

I've always thought that I was the ocean kind of person; I believed myself incapable of living more than 50 miles from the ocean. I am now convinced that mountains may be more to the heart of me.

More on theism

A couple of weeks ago, Eli was being contentious at bedtime, refusing to put his pajamas on. I have started using threats/bribes to get my kids to listen to me. however, as they had already played their games (leapsters) I was at a loss of what to take away. I said, "Eli, if you don't ready for bed, I won't let you go to swim class tomorrow".

Eli stood up straight and defiantly declared, "You have to let me go to swim class; I need to learn how to swim!" (as he stomped his foot).

I countered, "Well, you won't have swim class if there is thunder."

"But how can you make it thunder?"

"I can pray to God for thunder"

Without missing a beat, Eli inquired, "Who's God?"

Oy vey. What rat hole did I just step into? I answered, carefully, "God is the guy who controls the weather."

In rapid fire, the following Q&A ensued:

"Where does he live?"

"God lives in Heaven".

"Do you know how to get there?"

Not wanting to enter into a conversation about death and the afterlife again, I dodged with, "You don't get there."

"Then, do you have his phone number?"

"God doesn't have a phone."

"Then how do you talk to him?"

I explained that all you need to do is talk, and God can hear you whereever you are. Eli was unconvinced and told me that didn't make sense. So much for his early religious education!

Euthanasia

Yesterday, I had to euthanize Alaska (our cat). I would probably describe myself as fairly antipathetic to her existence over the last few years; having young kids made Alaska a nuisance in the end. And I've never been a cat person. Jeff got Alaska when he was in another relationship, in another life. I inherited her.

Alaska was a furniture scratcher and an occasional people scratcher, too. I would usually describe her as "ornery". Even when she was younger, when we first met, she was not very friendly to strangers. Strangely enough, though I don't particularly like cats, she was immediately friendly to me. I think I may have secretly liked her for this.

I'm ambivalent now that the deed is done. Even though I have been expressing a wish for her to die for the past few years (I'm not proud of the fact that I probably expressed these feelings to be cool -- you know, a non-cat-person who has had a cat forced upon her) I had no idea that I would have to be the author of her execution. But there she was. In then end, despite her destroying several sofas with her claws, she was a "good cat". She stopped eating and forced me to bring her to the vet where, at her advanced age, the best thing for her was to be "let go".

I actually cried even though I knew (or thought I knew) this is what I wanted for some time.

Goodbye, Alaska. I hope you are in a better place now with hundreds of beautiful sofas to use as scratching posts. The kids miss you.

... the darndest things

We just spent a long 4th of July weekend in scenic Granville, VT. We stayed with the Spitzes at a log cabin. Here are some of the cute things uttered by Eli over the weekend.

On seeing the log cabin:
Eli: Our house is made of sticks!
Vivi: Is it a tree house?
Eli: No -- it's not up a tree, it's made of trees.

On the absence of a television:
Eli: Where's the TV?
Dad: There isn't one.
Eli: What do the people do?
Dad: They probably talk.
Eli: What do they talk about? TV?

Playing I-Spy on the ride home:
Mom: I spy something yellow.
after no correct answers, she offers the answer
The reflectors.
Eli: I knew it! What's a reflector?

Knowing I don't count

Sometimes it's lonely being a person who supports John McCain whilst residing in the greater Boston area. Actually, it's lonely being on Facebook and being a political moderate.

What can I say? I haven't bought into the rock star icon that is Obama. I try to read a balance of media sources and the skew is alarming. Is there anyone else out there reading the Wall Street Journal?

Well, the Times opinion columns sometimes have something to balance the rest. Check out: The Two Obamas

Lucky Louie

On Saturday night, Jeff, Alex and I went to see Louis C.K. at Berklee Performance Center. This performance was being recorded for an HBO comedy special and was entitled, "Chewed Up".

For some reason, Jeff and I (and now Alex) really relate to his humor. I guess that is the essence of comedy; it becomes funny when you recognize the feelings being expressed as being expressions of your inner self -- the things you think but might never say. Add in some colorful language, excellent timing and delivery, and you have an audience full of people peeing themselves. Well, in all truth, the peeing may not have been entirely due to the humor. Because it was being recorded, they wouldn't let anyone out to the restrooms between the opening act and the main event. One guy stopped by an usher said, "OK, but, do you at least have a bottle I can pee into?".

The very cool part about going to this show, is that I also went with a work-friend of mine, Cathryn Szekely (pronounced, "C.K."), who happens to be a sister of the man, himself. Cathryn called me up to arrange meeting up before the show and introduced herself as "Louie's sister". "Cathryn?" I asked, and she responded, "Not today".

Well, I got to meet Louie afterwards. I just wanted to shake his hand, because I admire him so much. Alex had grander ideas; he wants Louie to join his poker game while he is in town for 6 weeks sometime in the near future. Dream big.

More videos

Note to readers, I will be updating this post as I upload a few more videos...

Musical Girls

Here's a video from a while back -- but priceless.

Happy New Year

Last night we all went to Auntie Cynara's house for NYE. There were 10 adults and 12 kids and it was really quite enjoyable. At one point, all the little girls were gathered around the kitchen table painting (fairly independently) while the boys found more physical means of entertainment. The kids pretty much took care of themselves, allowing the grown-ups the rare chance to socialize (and drink).

Happy new year to anyone reading...