2008-11-07 00:50 | Full. of. politics.

This has been sitting in my head for a couple of days now. It's a jumble of thoughts and things. Like my head.

To be completely honest–

Which means "Usually I don't talk about this", not "Usually I lie about this". I am so picky about that phrase, I swear.

–I don't usually pay attention to politics, largely because I can't. And I am using "can't" nonliterally – yes, I could pay attention, but the problem is twofold:

1) I need to be able to get out of bed in the morning, for serious. I posted this elsewhere: I know it probably makes me a weak person, but I strongly prefer to get my news from feminist-leaning sites (as that's my strongest leaning; after that is "generic moderate-liberal"), because it helps knowing someone is on my side. A real-life equivalent would be reading newspaper sections aloud to a like-minded friend (or having them read it, whatevs) – I feel less alone.

2) I am not good with my time sense, so it's hard for me to process… I can't explain this well. I can't see the forest for the trees, is the best expression. I see all the little things piling up day after day, and it's fantastically hard for me to pull back and go "Things are improving", in a way that leaves me feeling like my contributions even matter.

Not to mention the usual anxy things of "What if I don't have all the facts?" and so forth. Feh.

But damn, yall, Obama. I seriously teared up when he gave his speech on Tuesday. I've been watching videos and viewing photos all day today, and have continued to get all sniffly. I tried looking at McCain videos/pictures, but it turns out I'm not always big on schadenfreude. Earlier on Tuesday, I went to the elections office to drop off my ballot*, and I was practicing thinking of other people as real, important individuals, even if I don't know or like them. I couldn't turn that off for the McCain folk, it seems.

* Oregon has mail-in ballots, but I don't trust the USPS, and I do trust my anxy procrastination. Sounds weird, but it's true. And hey, I dropped off my ballot, with plenty of time to spare. Portland made it wicked easy – it's right on a bus route, and they had street signs for directing traffic to the drive-up drop-off box. *pleased* I like it here.

And he and his wife are going to get their kids a shelter dog on the way to the White House. Good heavens, I beamed so widely at that.

I rankle at people talking about how we should get to work now. But then, I tend to rankle when people are being patronising. copperwise here put it best: "Quite a few people are posting cranky things which indicate to me that they don't know the difference between hope and naivety." And Naamah encapsulates it perfectly:

I'm not expecting anything out of Obama, really, more than some good speeches, looking swell, and not embarrassing us to the world at large. And being able to say "nuclear." WE are the ones who have to do all the work. And that is the part that makes me think we chose well. We chose someone who CAN inspire that in us, and who won't attempt to tear it all down.

HELLO YES THX.

It's not hope like blind faith. It's hope like inspiration, like motivation.

2008-10-21 22:33 | Gratefultude, day 1 of 30.

A friend elsewhere engaged in a sort of project or pledge or what-have-you – to post daily something that you're grateful for.  I keep contemplating it, because my default setting is "too stuck in my head".  I think it'd be good for me, as it were, to remind myself of the world around me.

Today, I am grateful that I get to vote.  My ballot came in the mail today, which pleases me.  I wish there existed a factcheck.org for non-national politics (non-national because factcheck.org covers the Presidential part), but that's why wiki sites exist, I suppose – so I can create wikis.

*resists*

I won't say who I voted for in the primaries, but I will say I voted Democrat for both the Congressional and the Senatorial elections.  (FF's spellcheck says that latter is a word…?  Okay.) That's Jeff Merkley for US Senator, and Earl Blumenauer for Congress.

Tomorrow I'll be researching what all of the other positions are, whether there's a reason not to vote for the only person listed in a section (such as Martha L Walters, Judge of the Supreme Court, Position 7), and the various and sundry measures.  I'll also be buying a stamp off one of my roommates.  I may even figure out what the terms are for the House of Reps (these are congressfolk, yes? Stupid Civics class never tells me anything).  That's the danger of contextual definitions – I can't always tell if I'm using the right word.

I will not, not, be making a wiki or site or something to compare local candidates.  Dammit.

2008-10-20 20:16 | Random.

Random things on my mind.

• I could never see stupid name-calling from either side of the political divide and it would still be too goddamn soon.  For serious.  Grown people are doing this, and I do not just refer to Republicans here.
• I 100% like this interface better.
• I swear, the more I read about marriage and divorce, the less likely I am to ever, ever get married.  Jesus, I will deal with the paperwork hassle of domestic partnership instead.

I think I had more, but my brain's been replaced with Skittles, so I am going to go play The Sims some more, instead.

2008-02-06 21:19 | Xtina Shaolin speaks.

What doesn't interest me is why people are saying "Hillary".  More than enough people have pointed out that she's creating a brand of that name, like 'Oprah' or 'The Rock' (whose name I can't recall, entertainingly).

What interests me more is why she chose that.  Was it to separate her from her husband in the public's mind?  Was it using the habit of "Mr. Smith" vs. "Jane" to her advantage?  Was it to soften her image by being on a first-name basis, especially given how much Republicans appear to love her?  I would be massively interested to hear of an interviewer asking her these things, and her answers to them.

I also wonder about how other politically active women have been referred to.  Condoleezza Rice, Janet Reno, Nancy Pelosi, Madeleine Albright, Sandra Day O'Connor…  In order, from off the top of my head: Condi Rice, Janet Reno, Pelosi, Albright, and Sandra Day O'Connor.  I could be awry; that's head-toppish info.

Input welcome!

2008-02-06 09:59 | Goodbye, goodbye.

2006-11-10 07:55 | Sometimes, I just don't have time for in-depth commentary.

* Hooray for the Democrats winning a bunch of stuff!

* Whoa for the narrowness of the win!  After the partying in the streets, it's totally time to prep things so's a Democrat wins, and that winning means something, in two years.

* Hooray for Oregon measure 43 (regarding mandatory parental notification in the event of a minor seeking an abortion) not being passed!

* Boo for my home state (VA) being populated by bigots!  But, I imagine gay folk will be flocking out of there, so that's a thing, at least.

* Buh-bye to Santorum and Rumsfeld!  Buh-bye!

* Boo for strawmen being thrown at me!  Today's fun one – when I say "I'm pissed that a lot of men treat women like they're supposed to be pleasing at all times", I must totally mean "I want to take away their right to free speech".  I just don't even have the time right now to wonder how someone figures "Why don't you smile?" is polite.