Am I dreaming??

PA??? Ohio??? Florida??? Indiana??? Colorado????

Pres. Elect Barack Obama?!!!!! Could it actually be true??!!!! Did we just win? did the nation just win?? Did the world just win????

I think I need to go to bed, to what might be a fitful slumber, and awake in the morning, check the news, and see if I'm simply sleep-walking at this point in time.

Somebody pinch me.

A letter to my child

Dear Sam-- Today is the most important presidential election in your life. Now I say this, knowing full well that you likely haven't been born yet. That being said, I have thought of you everyday of this election cycle. Let me explain:
Women and minorities didn't always have the right to vote in elections. As crazy as that sounds, until the 20th century, only white men were allowed to vote in the United States. But then, women and minorities, as well as sympathetic white men, began protesting and moving to change the law. Overtime, men and women of all races, fought at home and abroad in wars, to ensure that democracy stayed alive and well in America, and freedoms were ensured for all. The laws were then changed, and soon women, and then citizens of all races, were recognized as having the RIGHT and PRIVILEGE to vote for public office.

Now, it is important to remember the history of voting rights in this nation. That is because your father and I believe, and our parents believed and taught us, that voting is a sacred right and privilege, one we cannot take lightly. When you vote, you not only vote for the candidates you feel will best undertake the job at hand, but you also honor and respect those who fought, sacrificed and gave their lives for the right to vote. No matter what you learn in school, what you learn about the Electoral College, every single vote counts. No matter the election, every single vote counts. One year, not so long ago, about 500-odd votes determined the presidential election. 500 votes!!

So, even though you haven't been born and aren't in our arms, and even though we lived in Illinois which is a traditionally democratic state, and even though Sen Obama is from Illinois and therefore this is not a contested or "swing" state, your father and I voted today. We voted to make our voices known. We voted because it is our civic duty. We voted to respect and honor those who sacrificed for the right to vote. We voted because this election, more than any other, will effect the future for ourselves, our children, our nation and the world. We voted because we care about global warming, gas mileage, food prices, the economy, the jobless rating, and our retirement. We voted because no child should be without healthcare. We voted because no solider should be without healthcare. We voted to improve our communities and our schools. We voted for your future. We voted for you.

When you read this someday, remember we were voting for you even before you were born. And when you are an adult -- VOTE. VOTE for your community, for your schools, for the earth and sky and water, vote for healthcare, and most of all, vote for your children.

What you MUST do today

VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE

Locate your polling place and VOTE.

Help others locate their polling place and VOTE.

Remember that a lot of blood, sweat and tears were shed to secure your right to vote as a woman or non-white. Respect the sacrifices made for you. Honor and repay those that sacrificed and VOTE.

Remind those who aren't excited about voting that a lot of blood, sweat and tears were shed to secure their right to vote as a woman or non-white. Remind them to respect the sacrifices made for them. Ask them to honor and repay those that sacrificed and VOTE.

Remind your neighbors, your friends, your co-workers, and your relatives to VOTE.

Volunteer to drive your grandparents, or someone else's grandparents, or the whole apartment building/condo building/ nursing home to the polling place to VOTE.

Wear your "I VOTED" sticker proudly.

New Word Monday & "Its all in the Underwear"

I'm back girls.
I don't mean I'm back at the office (although I am), or I'm back to regularly blogging (although I will be good and blogg everyday this week). Nope, I mean, Meg's back. That crazy-cooky, loud, sweet, concerned, affectionate, and sometimes medicated girl we all know and love is back. I feel like me today, and I'm so very thankful for that. So on to the business at hand.

A dear friend and I (you know who you are) play a game called "New Word Monday" in which we come up with a new word, well, every Monday. I guess the name of the game is pretty self-explanatory so my definition was superfolous. Today's new word is one I want to share w/ the world, not just my dear friend. My word:

HOPTIMISTIC
Definition: to be hopefull and optimistic at the same time regarding the same subject.
Used in a sentence: I remain Hoptimistic regarding the election and trust the American citizens to vote with their heads and hearts tomorrow.
You all know my views on this election and know I'm a HUGE Obama supporter. I have been since he was in the IL senate, 12 years ago. I won't preach about who you should vote for, but will once again urge you to vote tomorrow. Go early, go late. take a book and stand in line. Take the kids with you, take the kids to a friends. Do whatever you need to, but VOTE. That being said, statistics and polls show us that new voters and early voters are by and large voting democratic...enough said.

Next subject from my intriguing title: It's all in the underwear. Now, studies show that 99.4% of my faithful readers are female. For you 0.6% male readers, please feel free to skip the rest of this posting.

Did you know that 8/10 women are wearing the wrong sized bra? That means that unless you are reading this in your pjs (and kudoos to you if you are!) you are more likely than not wearing the wrong sized bra. I found out this gem of a factoid on Saturday when I got professionally fitted for a bra. I have been wearing the same bras as I was 50 lbs ago, but on the tightest settings, and it has not been working out too well. So I finally broke down, and we were at the mall anyway, so I went to the Lingere dept at Nordstroms and asked to be fitted. A lovely, perky sales girl measured me and, low & behold, I was wearing a bra 4 inches too big in the band, and 2 cups too small. WHAT???!!! 2 cups too small?? Who knew I had porn-star boobs?? I guess the fact that the rest of me doesn't resemble a born-star threw me off. But let me tell you something, a bra that fits properly changes EVERYTHING. My clothing fits better, I have better posture, and I truly look like I lost another 10-15 lbs. FANTASTIC!! So faithful readers, go out and get professionally fitted! Most department stores' lingerie dept will do this, as well as V. Secrets and other chains. It doesn't cost anything, you don't have to feel obligated to buy their bras. But -- and here is the kicker, try on try on try on. Bras, like dresses and pants, change size slightly by maker, so a 36 B won't always fit like a 36 B. Also, I found out that not all sizes will be out of the floor, so if you find something you like, don't be afraid to ask for it in the size you wear. Chances are, they have it in the back, but didn't have the room on the racks to put it out.

So -- the moral of today's posting:

VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE, and get fitted for a proper brassier!! (not necessarily in that order.)

Leftovers

We finally remembered to pick up batteries so I could take and upload pictures of my beautiful anniversary flowers and the fabulous onesie we got for Sam at the vineyard this weekend. It seriously could be one of the cutest damned onesies I ever set my eyes on.

For anniversary dinner, Gregg made a pork roast w/ rosemary, roasted sweet potatoes w/ rosemary and garlic, spiced baked apples, and asparagus (that was for me, Gregg tries not to consume green veggies when at all possible.) I know what you're thinking, Meg's a veg and doesn't consume meat. While that is true, I do on occasion eat some meat. Primarily chicken if I am otherwise protein deficient. This happens about 1-2/month. I don't purchase it, and it's only if it's already been prepared by someone else. (While there is no requirement for Buddhists to be veg, it is used by some of us to accumulate merit to be dedicated to others, like an extra blessing.) If someone makes a meat dish especially for me, I will just say extra prayers before the meal and will eat it. Although I am by no means going to go back to the amount of meat I ate prior to becoming veg, let me just say, that pork roast was FANTASTIC!!!!!!! Of course, my wonderful hubby could make shoe leather taste fantastic, because he's just that good. There was some extra pork left yesterday so I got to have it again. YUM!

I know what you are thinking, what about Sam & siblings? Will the kids be raised veg? The answer is -- they will be raised to have a healthy diet. That healthy diet will include some veg protein, soy protein, egg & dairy protein, and occasional chicken/fish/pork. When they are old enough, they will make a choice for themselves. Just like with religion. Gregg is an ex-Catholic, I was raised Protestant, converted Buddhist. We will raise the kids to have respect for all varieties of spirituality and to have faith of some type/shape/form. I don't care if our children connect with anyone of the Ibrahimic or Dharmic religions, or anything else. So long as they are healthy and happy and well-balanced.

Food, religion, next topic is obviously politics. After saying on a yahoo group post that I don't care who you vote for so long as you vote, which remains true, I had goose-bumps after Sen. Obama's closing remarks. Heck, I have goose-bumps each and every time I hear Sen. Obama give a speech. Sure, he is a well-versed orator with an engaging cadence. But it's so much more than that. I have voted every opportunity since I became 18 (92, 96, 00, 04 and all the local elections in between.) I have taken a great deal of pride in voting, and every time I do so, I always think of my Grandpa, who was a political activist and lobbyist in Indianapolis and Washington for elder rights, after he retired from his work as an ambassador for the World Council of Churches. I have thought of grandpa a lot during this election cycle. Although a registered Dem, I know, from my mom, that Grandpa and Grandma had some less-than-desirable opinions about blacks in America. Specifically, when my mom was a teen in the 60s, they didn't let her date a boy she was quite fond of, solely because he was black and "what would the neighbors think." They were okay w/ Mom going to the March on Washington, but didn't attend themselves because "what would the neighbors think." I cannot understand or explain that viewpoint, and believe it is more a product of the times, rather than my grandparents being racist. That being said, I truly think Sen. Obama would have been the one candidate that would have been able to forever change their opinions, and that both would be proud to announce their support of him in this election. Sen. Obama has a gift -- he truly can bring diverse people together, and get them start talking. I really believe he can finally change the world stage. Let's face it, the majority of the world is NOT white. Having a head of state who is NOT white can only serve to help how other nations feel about America. Please don't think that I'm voting for Sen. Obama purely because he is black. I am voting for him because he gives me hope. Hope for tomorrow, Hope for the future, Hope for my children, Hope for getting out of this pathetic war, Hope for the economy, Hope for education, Hope for health care, Hope for global warming, Hope for EVERYTHING. When I hear Sen. Obama, it lifts my heart and spirit. It makes me believe again. If you are voting for Sen. McCain, I hope he makes you feel the same way. If you are voting for Sen. Obama, I already know he does.

Okay, off my soap-box. I'm actually home a bit earlier today and going to enjoy a bit of time w/ my man.

Put up or Shut up

Excellent post

As is true most of the time -- the best stuff here is taken from other blogs/ people/ websites, etc.
Jenny, of Mamushsky Wold Headquarters fame, posted a link to this blog
http://www.mumblerrr.blogspot.com/, the post is call "hypocritical much?"

Although I am not Christian, I think Jesus was a very, very cool guy and try to follow his teachings of peace, love, and compassion as much as possible. (I fail at this most of the time.) This post is excellent and makes a strong point that many of us have not realized until this weekend.

Although no one is trying to put Obama on the same level/pedistal as Jesus, I think the point is there. ALL great men/women from history have been discriminated against, and most have faced hardship, many even death because of it. (Jesus, Ghandi, King, Kennedy, etc.) We need to be vigilent and make sure another tradegy doesn't befall our country.

Necessary political ranting

************DISCLAIMER -- THIS POST IS OF A POLITICAL NATURE. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN CAUTION.****************

I received this well-researched email from a friend today and thought it was so very appropriate for tonight's pending debate, that I had to post it.

I'm a little confused. Let me see if I have this straight.....

* If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're 'exotic, different.'
* Grow up in Alaska eating moose burgers, a quintessential American story.

* If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.
* Name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you're a maverick.

* Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable.
* Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're wellgrounded.

* If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the firstblack President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drivethat registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Lawprofessor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district withover 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and HumanServices committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on theForeign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairscommittees, you don't have any real leadership experience.
* If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city counciland 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months asthe governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified tobecome the country's second highest ranking executive.

* If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a realChristian.
* If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left yourdisfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.

* If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including theproper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.
* If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no otheroption in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teendaughter ends up pregnant, you're very responsible.

* If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in aprestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community,then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't representAmerica's.
* If you're husband is nicknamed 'First Dude', with at least one DWIconviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaskafrom the USA, your family is extremely admirable.

OK, much clearer now.