In today's political climate, it is very rare that I find someone that actually inspires me with their rhetoric.  In reading the New York Times this morning, however, I actually did feel something akin to hopefulness and inspiration from a politician: Governor David Paterson of New York.

Regardless of how you feeel about his rumored extra-marital affair in a seedy New York City hotel, Paterson has demonstrated resilience, flexibility, and it seems a true desire for social change.

I first heard him speak in January 2007 when he gave a speech to my intern class after being recently elected as lieutenant governor.  Not only could he joke around about his new position and his own personal pride, he gave us all a sense that not all politicians were so bad.  I heard him again when he spoke at my graduation ceremony and while the speeches were similar (how could he know I was again in the audience), it was still just as humorous and inspirational as it was the first time I heard it.

And then Spitzer was caught with a call girl.  I found this disappointing, but not all that surprising.  While working as an intern in state politics, you hear all sorts of rumors that don't get out to the press.  Sex scandal after sex scandal, involving both Republicans and Democrats, although it must be said that the Democrats' scandals were a bit more insidious.

I also met politicians who were honestly working for the good of their constituencies and lobbyists who were honestly trying to bring about positive change (they just aren't as funded).  I met conservatives I admired and found actual points of common ground with Republicans I once thought I hated--I now don't affiliate with either of the two political parties--amongst a slew of ambitious grand-standers who only gave soundbites to further their careers.

I still find Paterson's rhetoric enlightened, politically astute, and moving.  The speech he gave at the NAACP pointed out some prevalent social realities and I sometimes think you can appropriate and admire the ideas of the individual, even if you don't always agree with all of their personal decisions.

I'm not saying to listen to vote primarily based on a person's rhetoric.  That would be blind and stupid.  When actually casting your vote, think about the whole package.

I guess what I am saying is that it is important not to completely discredit the ideas someone has just because you don't agree with all their decisions.  People make mistakes and don't always live up to what they say, but does that mean that what they say should be immediately discarded?

Ledisi - Alright

Go see what my cyber sister wrote about me.

Happy tears; had to share. It is a beautiful day in Michigan..in the 70's, sunny, cool breeze~ chillin' out with the boys, and melting glass tonight. :)

Check out the comments on my last blog! Some really super nice people in this glass biz! Gotta LOVE it!

However, possibly my favorite part of the movie experience was the new short shown right before it. Presto the magician and his hungry bunny, Alec. Enjoy.

I cannot contain my excitement about what lies ahead... but I know I will also miss all my very dear friends here.

After my last service @ church on Sunday, I thought about how the thing I think most about when I'm leaving's PEOPLE... Not buildings, not shops and certainly not food! (Even though I am not sure how I would cope without Starbucks... Ah!) I spent Sunday night after church on our 'ritual' Outback chesse fries (with ranch & honey mustard) trip and loved every moment of just hanging.

I am grateful for every moment I've had with my lovely friends and I am totally gonna stay in touch with all of you... CHEERING you on toward the most AMAZING destinies that you have!!!

She followed her heart and soon after college, Sarah moved to the Philippines for a missionary stint. Last year, she returned to Sydney for a little while before going back there again to Missionary School. Now she is fully into the thick of things on missionary placements in various rural areas in Philippines ... in villages caring for abandoned children, bringing practical solutions to families and sharing the Good News of Jesus.

I am so inspired by her passion for 'the least of these' and I feel totally blessed to have a friend like her in my life.

I love you Sarah!!!

Read about all her adventures on her blog... and if you'd love to support her in her missionary endeavour, message me!

My holiday weekend started on Thursday night with a trip to the Braves game.  We were playing the Phillies (CMc's team), and of course we lost again.  I've been to 2 games against the Phillies this year, and we always suck it up.  Oh well, we still had fun.  Little S went again on the 4th, and they won.  Plus they had an amazing fireworks show after the game.  Just my luck!

On the actual 4th, T, JD, CMc, and I went to our friend Adam's house.  His family always throws these awesome holiday parties where everyone eats and drinks way too much yummy stuff, but we all have a super time.  His parents are so cool and so much fun to hang out with.   They seriously bought 19 pounds of chicken (19!!!) and grilled it up.  And you know what?  It all got eaten.  Every last piece.  And they were worried they'd have chicken left over for weeks.

Saturday was pretty chill for the most part.  JD, T and I got some Mexican to help out our hangovers from the 4th of July party (it always does the trick!).  Afterwards we went back to the house and watched 40-Year Old Virgin.  Man, I forgot how funny that movie was.  At parts I was laughing so hard that I could barely breathe.  I thought I might die of laughter, literally because I couldn't breathe.

While we were digging around our video cabinet, we came across some videos from a couple of high school parties we'd thrown.  They were from senior year, and we looked so young!  That was the phase of my life where I was blonde, super duper blonde.  And I was so skinny! And I hadn't learned about the wonders of waxing my eyebrows (eek!).  And T had a little baby face.  Little S was at a couple of the parties, and she looked like a baby with her ponytail and braces.  It was too funny.  In one of the videos, I sound like such a New Yorker.  Which is hilarious to me since I only lived there for 2 years.  I guess I pick up accents easily.  Auwwesome!

Sunday, T and I slept in until 2 because it was so dark, gloomy and stormy outside.  I woke up a few times, and it felt like is was really early in the morning.  Plus it was thundering and lightning like crazy, which didn't make us want to get up.  Once we finally got up, I decided to work on the invitations so I could get them out.  Especially because the torrential downpour kept me from the pool.  I worked on them for about 6 hours.  I seriously thought my hand was going to fall off by the time I stopped for the night!  I made it through about 65, and finished the rest up on Monday.  I mailed the last of them off today (I actually chased the mail truck through the office yard to give them to the mail lady - I'm sure I looked like an idiot).

Speaking of the invites, I had a little drama with them.  Thank God I trusted my gut instinct and weighed them before sending them out, even though we'd already stamped them.  They ended up fluctuating between 1 ounce ($.42) and 1.1 ounces ($.59).  Don't ask me how.  After a discussion with the mail guy, we decided I should add the extra $.17 to them just to be safe.  So now they have cute little heart stamps and blue ram stamps on them.  That totally screams wedding!  :)  Not so much...

But seriously, who really pays attention to the stamps anyway?

i was engaged. engaged in physics.

i remember that feeling, i thought.

i took physics in high school. when the student teacher took over the 2nd semester (the real teacher wasnt so much a teacher), i liked physics.

am i liking physics?

i review my past couple weeks.

holy shit.

here i am. here is me, my brain, MY brain.

i almost cry.

 

these -almost cry- moments are random.

sometimes ill get them several times within a week. sometimes none at all.

i cry because- because there aren't any words for it. there isn't a way to describe what it means. im crying as i write this now (as i attempt to find a way to say what im trying to say).

there isn't.

So, the house I was going to get is a thing of the past. The landlord dicked me around for nearly eight months, knowing he wasn't going to rent it to me, so I found a new landlord, one who actually maintains his properties. I'm all moved in, with just minor upacking, and other little things left to be done. The place is smaller, but that doesn't really matter. Oh, yes, I've finally got my Wii online. More on that below. No, it didn't take me a month to move in. It only took a little more than two weeks. I'm just lazy.

So, I've experienced about ten minutes of Wi-Fi with my Wii. That was a glorious ten minutes. I will be dowlonloading at least ten Virtual Consoles games, and two Wiiware programs. SD memory cards will be used, Wiipoints will be spent, and I shall be quite happy. Oh, yes, Super Mario Galaxy is splendid. Despite it being THE Mario game for the Wii, mimicing all the other major Mario titles in many ways, and being yet another Mario game, it is splendid, magnificent, and wonderful. This time, I may actually conquer a Mario title. I haven't done that since Super Mario World for the SNES.

I am in my happy place, and will hopefully stay there for quite awhile.

My foot slipped on the hardwood floor and I went down hard on my left knee and my right hand.  Scott was immediately right there, and so was Midas.  Funny how my mind couldn't wrap around the idea that I was in one moment moving fast and in the next moment stunned and still, trying to evaluate how bad I was hurt or not.  The bruise on my knee was immediate, but the weird thing was the cramp and feel of the strain on the back of my knee - the Achilles tendon.  My wrist was fine enough to bitch-slap anyone, if necessary.  I had a slight limp for an hour or so.  By the afternoon when we went swimming, not an ounce of pain - but the bruise looks pretty nasty.

***

We put Midas in the house and closed all the windows and put the A/C on.  The stereo sounds we hoped would drown out the majority of the firework sounds.  We were going to drive the Cavalier convertible and made it five miles from home when the oil light warning went off, and then we watched the oil gauge drop from full to nothing.  Pulling into a side street, we parked the car, Scott looked under the hood, and then we started walking to a nearby gas station.  Neither of us brought our cell phones (now THAT feels like being naked in public).  In the middle of a block was a church.  Scott went back to the car to verify the address and I was the brave one - I went into the church to see if I could use a phone. The interior was beautiful with lots of stained glass in the rotunda, 360 degrees of color and light.  The pastor was friendly - he immediately made his office available.  I called Mark and Rommel and told them our situation.  Scott came in and we were going to make another call for a cab, but a parishioner said she was going that way and would gladly take us back home.  I loves me some good Samaritans.  Both Scott and I have driven past the church many times, but neither of us had been inside before.  The pastor invited us back, any time.  When the lady dropped us off in front of our house, she commented on the tree and the flowers and wanted to know who had the green thumb.  Scott and I each pointed at the other and she laughed and wished us both well.

All in all, we got to Mark and Rommel's only an hour late.  We brought some of the honey pale lager home-brew and a peach pie from Marie Calendars.  They spoiled us with cheese and grapes, wine and filets on the grill.  Sitting on the patio, looking out over their valley and seeing Mt. Diablo off in the distance and the sliver of moon on the west hovering over the west horizon, I felt a peace and calm that is still new enough to be filled with wonder and awe.  Rommel had been playing Janet Jackson's newest album, but then he swapped it out for a cd of Andrea Bocelli in Tuscany.  The meal, the wine, the dessert, and more importantly, the company, were sublime.

I don't have a religion, but I have religious experiences.

Things I need to get done, like NOW:

• Schedule a time to go in and have my dress altered/fitted. I need to have the bottom let out (just a little), the back tightened up, and some of the beading removed from the sides of the dress. Underneath my arm is sensitive and will get irritated by the beads. Can't have that on my wedding day. I'm also a little hesitant to change too much in regards to the size of the dress in case I lose any weight. I wish I could have it altered a few weeks before the big day, instead of 7 weeks before.
• Send out the invitations. <---Bad I know. But everyone's already gotten a Save the Date, so they know when the festivities are going down.
• Pick out my wedding day undergarments. I think I'll definitely invest in some super cute and girly undies, but I may skip a bra. My dress has boning in it, so I can totally get away without a bra. Plus the back dips down a little and the bra may show.
• I need to decide on my something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue (maybe the undies?)
• I have no idea what kind of jewelery I want to wear on the big day. The top of my dress is very ornate, so I'm having a hard time deciding if I should skip a necklace or not. Also what type of jewelry: pearls, something diamondy, or something more plain? Here's a picture of the top of the dress. Any input is greatly appreciated! :)

• Get with T and start deciding on the songs that we want to use for the ceremony, reception, etc.
• Plan out our ceremony so we can get programs made.
• Find somewhere to make the programs.
• Decide on a groom's cake for T and where we should get it from.
• Meet with our florist to go to the flower market to pick out the types of flowers we want to use for the bouquets, centerpieces and boutonnières.
• Decide on signature drinks for our cocktail hour. We can bring our own liquor, so we thought it'd be fun to have 2 special drinks that represent T and me. Anyone have any cool ideas?
• Make final decisions on our rings and buy them. We also need to decide if we want to get anything engraved on them.
• Decide on the favors. Do we do a food item like yummy truffles? Or koozies?
• Pay for the rest of our honeymoon. It's due on the 12th.
• Book our wedding night hotel.
• Book a hotel for the bridesmaids and me to stay in the night before the wedding.
• Decide on shoes for the bridesmaids. CMc found some at Target that she says are really comfortable and super cute. I like them a lot, I just want everyone to try them on and make sure they like them too.
• I think these shoes are cute too, and they have a lower heel.
• Decide how I want to wear my hair. At first I was all about the half up, half down look with some curls. But now I'm also considering pulling it all up. I'm so fickle sometimes.
• Decide on my make up. I meet with my salon team in 2 weeks to do the trial hair and make up run, so I guess I need to make a decision before then.
• Start getting ideas for my rehearsal dinner dress. Any suggestions for cute stores to try are appreciated too! I'm trying to branch out.
• Buy a new dress for my second shower next weekend.
• Get a marriage license.
• Find out everything that I need to do to change my name.

And, I think that's all I can think of for now. I feel pretty laid back about this whole process. So far, I haven't been really stressed and everything is going fairly smoothly (knock on wood). I don't need the day to be perfect. To me it's more important to be surrounded by our family and friends and share in the joy of T and I uniting as a family.

But who knows, once it gets a little closer, maybe I will freak out a little. But I will seriously try to keep Bridezilla in check!