Giving Thanks.

Well, Thanksgiving was on Thursday. I'm not sure how America celebrates Thanksgiving anymore, but I'm pretty sure that it mainly revolves about eating Turkey and Pumpkin pie, watching football and preparing to shop the next day. In some ways it is comforting, since eating, football and consumerism define America in a lot of ways, but I'd like to think that at least a few people go through and at least think of everything they should be thankful for in life, reflect and spend some time with those they love. I was able to do those things this weekend and I wanted to share what I was thankful for...

-My family and how much they really do mean to me and what they have done and sacrificed for me. I consider myself very lucky to have the Mom, Dad, Brother and Sister that I do. I know this gets overdone and sappy, but it is true and I don't know if there is any other way to say it.

-My friends. Everyone says they have the best friends in world. That's not true. Only I have the best people in the world as friends. Really. I know I can count on them when it matters and that there will always be somebody, regardless of the circumstance, that I can turn to. My friends are a diverse bunch, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I am extremely blessed.

-I had a hard time with this next one initially, but I gritted my teeth and went with it. I'm thankful for my job. I'm really lucky to be able to be in the upper 2 percent of all the world and be able to provide for myself and work towards a secure future. As much as I complain about my job, I am lucky to have the job I have, especially right out of college. Even if it isn't what I want to do with my life, the fact that it provides me enough to do what I want and be independent is important. Getting past my own issues with idealization and focusing on the positives is something I'm working on, but for now I'll just be thankful for what I have.

-The list gets a bit more specific from there, but I'm not going to be shy with most of them. I'm thankful for having a great friend to live with who is understanding and fun to live with. I'm thankful to be able to travel. I'm thankful to be able to have grown up and make my own decisions and live in a country where I am free to do so. I'm thankful for a just, free, democratic America. I'm thankful to have siblings who are incredible people. I'm incredibly thankful for Lindsey, who clearly means a lot to me. I'm thankful to be the person I am and will continue to be, regardless of how everything else shapes around me. I'm thankful to have had almost the same exact best friends for almost 10 years. I'm thankful for my education.

I know it is a bit of a tedious list, and it is a little sappy, romantic, and idealistic...but I don't care. I don't think the main idea of Thanksgiving is given enough thought anymore, and I want it to make a comeback. Our holidays get so bloated in this era that they can pass by without a thought. I want to get back to their original meaning, and I don't mean the mass slaughter of an indigenous race.

I want to be pre-old school. I want to give thanks.

Happy "late" Thanksgiving.

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Feed the Hungry AND Cure Boredom?

I thought this was A W E S O M E...

http://www.freerice.com/index.php

What a fabulous idea. I know a way to hook ME on the internet is to have some sort of application/game that proves how smart I am. Double bonus that my strange addiction feeds people in impoverished areas.

I was wondering how they afforded to support this idea, but I saw the tactful advertisements on the bottom of the page for really big companies...so I guess that is where the funding comes from.

Honestly, I'm in awe of whoever was the mastermind behind this project. I'll keep donating AND improving my literacy whenever I can.

America: Help the hungry. Improve your own English skills when you are bored of contributing to the drab work life! What a slogan...

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Desperate For Change

I've been asked to write for another blog, a political blog. You'll notice it on the sidebar. "The College Whig Review" is a blog started by Alex Kurt, who has worked on The John Edwards campaign. I'll post there once and a while, and when appropriate, re-post that blog here, but I might not send them here, so make sure you check it out...there is some great writing already going on at the blog.

Here is the post:

Steven Colbert announced last week that he intends to enter the presidential race, running as both a Democrat and a Republican (delicious!) on the docket in South Carolina. Within days the web was swept up with "Colbert Buzz" and his Facebook group, "A Million Strong for Steven T. Colbert" has already passed a million members. Obama, the candidate who is supposed to be the one who "understands the youth" has just over a THIRD of that size in his Facebook group. Friends have asked me if I would vote for Colbert, if given the chance. I'm somewhat dumbfounded. Vote for a comedian with no political plan? I love Colbert. He is smart, hilarious and clearly on top of the satire game, but as a serious political candidate? Most can't even distinguish between the actual Colbert and the Papa Bear-esque character he plays on "The Report".

However, I am glad he is doing what he is doing. If for no other reason, Colbert's campaign has shown Washington that the young do want change and not "soon" or "down the road"...but now. The idea of change is labeled on a lot of campaign slogans...and has been since the birth of at least this nation, and probably since Acropolis in Greece. The advertised change is artificial. It might be a change from one party to another, or worse just a change in the warm body occupying the chair of authority. When we look at the last 40 years of American politics, we see change, but what kind of changes? We haven't seen radical political change since at least Wilson to FDR. Since the end of the Cold War, we haven't reviewed our political ways in America, we've gone on as usual, waiting for change to just happen, or worse...forced to happen.

I'm sure someone is thinking: "Do we need change? Is this not working?" The answer, of course, is yes we do. I'm not talking about a mere change from George W. Bush to someone else, be it either a Democrat or a Republican, but actual, meaningful change to the system, the people and how we view our leaders. The Cabinet, Senate, House and all elected leaders are supposed to be public servants, but they aren't anymore. They serve their own causes, not those of the people they serve. How can we have a president have a 30 percent approval rating? How can the huddled masses be shouting at the top of their lungs and not be heard?

I realize how idealist this is. I know that any political system will become corrupt at some point, it is the way humanity works, but I think our current system has been exploited enough and it may be time for a change, and it has been shown to us all by a guy who became famous on Comedy Central. God Bless cable.

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Getting Hit on at Chipotle, Drink! and India

First off, I love the diversity of this blog's title. Actually, it is really just a listing of the three things I'm going to ramble about today, but still...I like to feel I live a diverse life of thought. I can think about international relations one second and completely shift to American versions of imported food the next.

So goes life.

Yesterday I was eating at Chipotle for lunch. I was sitting by myself dressed up for my Target HQ visit later that day, enjoying my chicken soft tacos (cheese, tomatoes and lettuce please) and reading "Chasing Daylight". A girl got up from her table and came over and sat next to me. She commented that she had read the same book I was reading. We talked about for a minute or two, me being secretly shocked by the tenacity of this stranger. After some small talk about where I work and where I'm from....she asked me if I wanted to get coffee after work.

I was kind of in shock. She probably saw that, since it took a second to realize what just happened. I politely told her about the wonderful girlfriend that I already have. Obviously, she understood.

She left and went back to her table with her friend/co-worker/whatever. It was like nothing skipped a beat. I was blown away. I have never been asked out by a stranger after a short conversation like that. The funny thing is that the book is about taking charge, and chase what you feel Jesus and you want to do. I found it interesting that our common bond was THAT book. Interesting. I guess you never know what is going to happen on any given Chipotle trip!

On Saturday I met up with Phil late into the night at Drink! in Uptown. I generally don't like places like Drink to begin with. In fact, I'm confused by the point of it. It is way too loud to talk to anyone. It is way too packed to even move around. There is almost no where to sit. The patio is nice, but it still suffers from the same problems. Too loud, and too crowded...and a bottle of anything costs 4 dollars. Why do people WANT to go there? In closing, it isn't a place you would normally find Phil, and a place where I would never choose to go...but have been to on at least a half dozen occasions. At least we got to make a bad song like "Hollaback Girl" into a political treatise about embargo and strife. I'm pretty sure that is exactly what Gwen Stefani was thinking about when she wrote that song.

Apparently, my company is still considering sending me to India for a few weeks sometime around the new year. I've never been so excited about a possible business trip before. If the plan comes to fruition I'll go and do whatever work I'm supposed to do (set up our India facility with some marketing materials) and then take some time off, explore India and come back. I think I'd take 10 days to explore. I'd want to try and go to Nepal, if their political dispute gets resolved, and maybe Sri Lanka, if it is cheap. If it works out, I'd go to other places in Asia (Japan, Taiwan) if it works out with work flying me back from where ever. I've learned so much about India the last two years that it has made me really excited by the prospect of going there. I really hope I can make it happen.

That is all I got for now. Peace out.

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The Weight Issue.

So, I'm going to talk about something most people think to be pretty personal in a public blog. Either I am brave, unsure of what I am doing, or have an IQ in the teens. I'll let you decide.

It is probably natural for everyone to fret about their appearance and health. People who say they don't care might be telling the truth, but likely they are just as concerned, or likely more concerned then you. I'm not sure I've ever fallen into that category over the last few years, but I don't really talk about my weight very often, not in a serious way at least with most people.

I've been a lot of different sizes in my life. I was a stick for all my life through 9th grade. I ate healthy because my parents raised me that way and was an active kid. The rest of high school was much of the same, but I started eating badly and at bad times, which started a bad cycle to start college. During college I ate terribly, despite some efforts to try and do better. The cafeteria and cheap food make for a terrible combo. Also, I was a lot less active and didn't really start exercising on a regular basis until near the end of college...after I started to notice, and other people started to notice that I was not quite the same size anymore.

I was sad. I didn't show it, or talk about it...in fact if people brought it up in a serious way I would lash out at them...which is just NOT me. I knew it wasn't good. I think the most I ever weighed was 265 pounds...not good, at least in my eyes or the eyes of those who cared.

Post college has been better for me in a lot of ways. I think I'm a better person in a lot of ways, and I've tried to include being more healthy in that mix. It's been up and down a little bit, but it is starting to actually work out. The problems are that much of my health and weight depends on me exercising and staying active, and I can be really good about exercising, but I just need to stay with it, regardless of the situation. I've let interning in Connecticut, working full time and an injury stop me in the last 2 and a half years, but I can't let those things get in the way anymore. I bought a stationary bike for the winter and have been really good about my running the last 5 months. I hope to keep it up for the rest of my life.

Eating has been the hardest part for me. I'm busy. I like being busy. However, that does not leave time for the best of eating habits. However, I try to be smart about it. I've just been trying to eat less, and that doesn't always work out, but just doing less then before is a start. I try to make better choices when they are presented to me, but this is definitely the biggest challenge for me.

I'm at a pretty good point right now. I am at probably the lightest I've been since the begining of college and am in pretty great shape. Nothing amazing on either levels, but I'm pretty comfortable with both issues right now. I've come a long ways, and I'm not really sure what the goal is. Maybe this is the goal...but I'm still going...so who knows!

Thanks for reading all of this. I wanted to blog about this for a couple reason, namely because it feels good to write about things like this for me. Therapeutic, if you will. Also, I know that I'm not alone dealing with this subject matter and thought maybe it might make a difference to some people to know that others are going through issues. Also, I think a lot of attention goes to girls when it comes to weight standards and I know that guys struggle with it too, so I thought getting a guy's perspective might be something worth while.

Anyways, again, thanks for paying attention, and feel free to comment on whatever. I promise less sensitive and personal material will come next time. Word up.

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Bumper Stickers

This is more ranting then I am used to, so bear with me. I'm not used to ranting about much of anything outside of work, so this might get sloppy. (Insert subtle "That's what she said!" here)

I don't get bumper stickers. Oh, I understand them. What I don't get is why you would deface your car. Cars are a terrible investment anyways, why would you further abuse the paint job with a silly sticker? Do you really need to express your ill-researched beliefs to passing motorists that badly?

More importantly, I don't understand the need for publishing your beliefs, political standards or personal philosophy on your car's exterior. You think Jesus loves the Republicans. Great. That's you're prerogative. Why do you have to slap it on your bumper sticker? Because you believe but never want to have to talk about it? Because you just love shouting your opinion to the world, but fear anyone trying to be critical of you?

This isn't just about bumper stickers that offend me...even if I agree with what it says, I still think it is weird. Are you the kind that yells your opinion at someone and refuses to let the other person talk to you about it?

I've seen some really offensive bumper stickers before too. What is the point of that? To show everyone how "edgy" you can be? Way to go. You ordered something off the internet, put it on your car and likely never actually have to explain to anyone, since you are in the safety of your car, where you can like an ass and no one can do anything.

I guess this all goes back to my thoughts on why people act so differently in cars. I wrote about that once before here.

Good to get that out. Oh, and I don't hate you if you have a bumper sticker...and this rant does not include the little Jesus fish and support ribbons...those are fine in my mind...just in case you were worried I would be offended.

Just don't expect me to be impressed with your new bumper sticker of a knock-off Calvin pissing on a Ford symbol. I think I just threw up a little bit. Gross.

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Untitled Ramblings.

I'm sitting here at work trying to think of a reason why I haven't blogged in a month. I can't really think of a suitable excuse. I'm really hot/cold with blogging. I seem to write three times a week sometimes, and then all of the sudden not do anything for three weeks. It is a viscous cycle, to be sure.

I do think it has to do with terms of audience. I don't like being too vague, but I can't be too personal either, especially since my blog gets reposted on Facebook and is Google search able. Not that I have things to hide, but I also don't know what is suitable to talk about with a mass audience.

This seems to coincide with me changing personally a bit too. I'm no longer nearly as comfortable in groups of people as I once was, and now prefer smaller groups, or even better just one or two other people. I'd like to say it is a maturity thing, but I'm not sure. Anyone have input on this? I still am as confident and fun in a large group, but sometimes feel like I get swallowed up by it all, when I don't remember feeling that way before. It is definitely a new development.

Otherwise, life is rolling along. I feel pretty good about where I am, and I think that is an accomplishment all on its own. I try to set meaningful, small goals while trying to keep up with large sweeping goals at the same time, and so far I am managing it pretty well, considering I want to change some pretty giant things next spring and keep maintaining the small(er) things. We'll see how it goes.

Among the things rattling around in the brain these days is how much I have loved Google's applications and software. Gmail is definitely my favorite application of all time. I seriously think better of people who have and know Gmail and Gchat. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but it has really just worked out that the most important people to me generally also have Gmail. It is remarkable. However, it doesn't end there. Google Calender is slick and has replaced my flimsy Outlook calender at work, and was already in use for my personal calender. Google Maps and Google Earth are usually the most reliable mapping apps out there. I could spend an entire day just fooling around with Google Earth...and occasionally be practical with it. Google Documents is also fantastic...and it looks like Google is actually going to release an operating system at some point. I can't wait.

I'm also back on the educating myself bandwagon. I've really focused on world politics right now. I'm trying to branch away from the inclusive world of U.S. politics and reset my mindset. So, I have been keeping up on current events world wide, re-learning geography and world culture and studying different political systems and some country's political history. It is really interesting, and I would like to think it has a purpose...as I am still very interested in pursuing a job on a political campaign this spring. I think I'd like to maybe branch out from a strict communications/marketing perspective and also have some sort of role with foreign relations in mind.

Alright, I suppose I'll leave it at that today. When is my next post going to be? Who knows. I won't make any promises, but it will likely be sooner rather then later.

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