Friday, August 29, 2008

McCain's Pick

As everyone I am sure knows by now, John McCain has picked Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska, to be his running mate. Mostly people today were saying, who?, when they heard the news. I had never heard of her either. One can say that he is sort of like the old maverick picking someone who was not at all on the radar screen, and who doesn't have a lot of political baggage, I guess. But on the other hand, it is an odd choice. I don't think he is going to get a lot of the disappointed Hillary voters because of this choice. They would not share values with this woman at all, or at least not in the crucial areas. After all, she is an NRA nut and pro life. Nada. The next few months are going to be interesting!

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Barack Obama--Wow Is All I Can Say

I have had tears in my eyes all night as I have watched the DNC convention. Starting with Al Gore--Tennessee's homeboy, who should be president now. How things would be different. Then that video introducing Obama--how powerful. Then Obama himself. Unbelievable. I feel good things coming for our country. David Gergen said it right--tonight it wasn't a convention but a symphony. And it didn't hurt to have such great music. Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered," and Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA." And I even heard "Rocky." Three of my favorite tunes, and power tunes to boot.

And How About that Russian/Georgia Thing?

Now who would have thought that one of the political parties might have had something to do with the Georgia/Russia war. Meeeee! I did! And I will whisper in your ear which one it is. It rhymes with nepublican. They are manipulative and desperate. They want us to be scared so we will elect another conservative. Please Americans--be smarter this time.

DNC Convention

Thank goodness that as the Olympics came to a close, another huge event came on board: the DNC convention. I kind of like having two huge mega events one after another.

I have only been able to watch bits and pieces of the speeches, but I am hoping to catch other parts online. I did not get to see Joe Biden's speech or Bill Clinton's. But I did see Hillary's and it was fantastic. I couldn't believe how good she was. Just as some of the commentators said, she was presidential. If she had been that good at speaking all along, she would have gotten the nomination.

I definitely want to watch Obama tonight. He'll make a home run, I am sure.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Whole Lotta Love

How did I miss "Whole Lotta Love" last night on the Oympics finale? It is one of my favorite songs, albeit a hard rock tune. And with Jimmie Page???? I can't believe I didn't listen to it. I heard them announce Jimmie Page on TV, but I kind of zoned out. I hear they cleaned up the song a tad. Even so, I would have loved to have heard it. Oh darn. And I missed the Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake halftime show too. I miss all the fun.

One Way Getting Older Is Not So Bad

I really don't like the idea of getting older, and I am one of those who is determined to fight it all the way, or age gracefully, whichever makes me look better. But there is one respect in which getting older is not so bad: no more acne! I have heard there is such a thing as adult acne, but I have never had it and hope I never do. Not having acne means I don't have to have acne treatments, and that is fine with me.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

The End of the Olympics

I am watching the closing of the Olympics, and it is beautiful. Seeing the closing always makes me sad, especially the extinguishing of the torch. The torch holds so much promise. And then it goes out until the next Olympics. I wish the feeling of the Olympics could go on forever.

Friday, August 22, 2008

Feeling Kind of Lonely

This afternoon I have been feeling kind of lonely. Like I really want to sit down with a good friend and talk, but there is no really good opportunity. I am trying to put the law of attraction into play and turn it around and say that I have plenty of friends and never feel lonely, plus that my love and future husband is on the way. It is true that I have plenty of friends and most of the time I don't feel lonely. But it is bad when these little lonely times come out of the woodwork to bite you. And when there is no handy person to chat with on the phone. I know I will pull out of it, but I can be lonely in the meantime.

Thinking About New Houses

I have been fighting it, but I am getting the urge to house hunt. I own my condo, but I have always known I want something bigger. I have been fighting the urge, because I can't afford a down payment right now or a mortgage payment. So I don't even want to think yet about mortgage quotes. I don't know how people can afford a mortgage. My condo mortgage was so low, it was doable then. I still have too many bills is the problem, and I would have a hard time adding a mortgage payment. I guess people who buy homes don't have bills like me. Or maybe they do and that is how the whole mortgage mess happened! So I may look at new houses, but it will only be window shopping!

My Poor Little Loopot Gone

I have been dreading writing this post, but my poor little cat Loopot died about a week ago. Complications from diabetes. I am really sad. I found Loopot as a little stray kitty and brought him home. He was a handful, but I grew to love him. I feel very bad like there might have been something else I could have done. Maybe there was. Or maybe there wasn't. I miss him, and I hope he enjoyed living with me. I enjoyed him living with me.

Trying My Hand at Mystery Shopping

Now that the bar exam is over, and I am still in need of a few extra dollars, I have decided to give mystery shopping a whirl. I signed up for a $4.99 trial with a company that farms me various assignments. You then sign up with the companies offering the assignments. So far I have done one health club and one grocery store assignment. I will get reimbursed for eating dinner out tonight. I do another health club sometime this weekend, and then I have a retail assignment on Monday. So far that is $40 plus the reimbursement of my meal. So far so good. I am not sure whether I will renew at the regular rate or not. It depends on how many assignments I get during this month and whether I think it is worth it or not. So far, it seems worth it. It is something you can schedule yourself and take assignments between other obligations in your life.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Where is My Letter for Bar Interview?

I still haven't gotten my letter from the bar examiners saying when and where my interview will be. Some people have gotten theirs and some haven't. Of course, I turned my application in at the very last minute, so that may be part of the problem. Breathe deep.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

High Tech Swimsuits

There has been much ado about the new high tech swimsuits some Olympian are wearing. There has been debate as to whether they really give an edge to those who wear them or not, and if so, is that fair to the schools who won't be able to afford them for their swimmers? I won't address my second question, but as to the first: If the swimsuits afford the edge that is claimed, I would think it would give those wearing them unfair advantage. When some of these gold medals are won just by a hundredth of a second, a swimsuit giving you a second or two advantage would definitely change the playing field. But why not just make that the swimsuit for all Olympians, and then they would be on a level playing field again?

Monday, August 18, 2008

10 For $10

I just had to laugh--just saw a commercial on TV about Kroger's 10 for 10 sale. They are offering 10 frozen vegetables for $10. Good--I thought. I need to improve my diet. Then I saw they are offering 10 Little Debbie Snacks for $10. Ick, I thought. I love some (but not all) of their snacks. I am tempted.......maybe I can buy the vegetables but not the cakes. Well, maybe one or two is fine, but I know I won't buy 10!

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Dara Brings In Another Silver

Within just a few minutes of her last swim, Dara was the final leg in 4X100 M medley relay. Another silver medal. Nothing at all to sneeze at.

I loved what she said in her post interview: Don't put an age limit on your dreams.

Dara Torres!

Dara Torres just won the silver medal for the women's 50 freestyle. Too bad she didn't win the gold--she lost only by .01 second. Unbelievable. But winning the silver, especially at her age, was awesome. I think they said it was also a personal best time for her. She still has a relay to swim tonight, and Michael Phelps will try for his 8th gold medal.

I love the Olympics.

Bush Hogged

What Can I Say? Our Pres Enjoying the Olympics.



Nail and Beauty Care

I have really gotten into manicures and pedicures. I love going to the salons and would like to make that a monthly habit. The pedicures seem to last longer than the manicures. Sometimes the manicures wear off in only a matter of days. That is too soon to be spending that much money. So what I will probably do is go to the salon once a month, and then do my own nailwork the rest of the month. Also I want to spend more time on other beauty care, such as care of my eyebrows. I have heard of Rubis that has tweezers and scissors.

Making the Kitchen Cut

I am sitting here realizing that I have to make today count. As in housework. I am going to tackle the kitchen today. And the mound of junk mail on my kitchen table. I will worry about what to do tomorrow tomorrow. But I must make this weeknd count in terms of housework. Just too depressing otherwise.

Stale Donuts

One of my guilty pleasures is donuts. I don't care for all kinds, but I love cinnamon and white powdered, chocolate covered, maple frosted, etc. I bought some mini white powdered donuts in a box at Krogers, and I sat down this morning with my hot cup of coffee, my laptop, and the donuts, ready for a treat. And then I discover the donuts are stale. Now keep in mind, I did not open the box until I put one in my mouth. What a disappointment. Maybe it is the universe telling me I need to start eating better.

Golf and Business

I always wondered why the important connection between golf and business? I used to hear that playing golf was important to a business career. It made me wonder why I--a non-golfer--and pretty much a non athlete--should be disadvantaged at business because I don't play golf? Curious, I asked a golf pro that question. Her answer indicated that it was not really the game of golf itself, or your ability at it that was important. She said that playing a round of golf allowed business associates or prospects enough time together to get to know each other. You could have a good conversation, make plans, brainstorm, and also observe someone in this setting. You would get to know if they are patient, rude, etc. So it is not just about golf. Actually, now that I am out of law school, I may take lessons. It has been one of the things on my list to do. I don't know if I would be good at it, but I would love to ride around in the golf cart, and there are some nice golf bags out there, and the ones with backpack straps would be easier to carry.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Cycle of Life: Olympics--Law School--Olympics

It occurred to me today that the last time the Olympics were on I had just been accepted to law school and was starting the following fall. Watching the Olympics in '04 was bittersweet: I love the Olympics, but at that point I thought watching it was the last fun thing I could do for four years. I had no idea what law school held for me, but I was afraid it was the end of life as I knew it. Although I did have a meltdown in October of my first year of law school (Crying all one weekend--What did I do? I asked myself. Put myself in prison, I thought.) I quickly recovered. Such a meltdown is almost predictable in the first year. I went on to not only do pretty well in law school, but to love it. I am now watching the '08 Olympics as a law school alum. I survived, and deserve at least a bronze medal in the stress/work/life ambition category. A lot has happened in four years. And I am the happier and better for it.

Friday, August 8, 2008

America's Fastest Dying Cities

In Forbes' list of the 10 fastest dying cities, Ohio is in the unenviable position of having four of its cities on this list: Dayton, Cleveland, Youngstown, and Canton. Part of the rust belt, these cities have experienced decline as manufacturers have left, with residents not far behind. If I were the governor, I would be very concerned and working to rejuvenate those areas. I have relatives in Canton, but luckily their jobs are secure. Another city on the list is Scranton, PA, which has seen a decline for similar reasons. The TV show The Office is set in Scranton, which has helped a little, with the city hosting an "Office" convention and such. Good for them.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Brass Rail

No I am not talking about a favorite restaurant of mine with that name. I am talking about brass railings. A lot of restaurants and bars have bar rails. I don't know what it is about brass that immediately gives a place a polished look (no pun intended). And if you get brass, you want the top brass.

Monday, August 4, 2008

Poor Little Loopot

I got home from vacation and found my cat very dehyrated. It is my fault and I feel so guilty and negligent. The cat has diabetes and is fairly old. I had a bag of the right food and a bag of the wrong food at home. I should have thrown away the bag of wrong food. The pet sitter chose the wrong bag and gave it to him, and he threw up all weekend. Which is very bad for cats, especially when they are old and diabetic. I am giving him pedialyte tonight and am taking him to the vet tomorrow. But I feel like a bad mom.

Friday, August 1, 2008

Disabled Teen Dies From Neglect and Uncaring

This article really makes my blood boil. A 14-year-old suffering from cerebral palsy was just left to waste away in her own home. Not only her family, but child protective officials turned their head. This is unbelievable to me. Part of why I wanted to become a lawyer is to help prevent situations like this:

http://news.aol.com/article/nine-charged-in-disabled-teens-death/112952?icid=100214839x1206874120x1200370486