Yes. We. Did.

Whew.

What's up with the election, google-style

Can't change my mind!

Vote

Yet another YouTube about voting. It's a bit charming though. I'm excited that I already voted. And I really can't wait for the election to be over!

"Redneck Support for Obama"

Great video from the BBC. Stuff like this makes me feel really good - gives me hope.

Barack Obama is AWESOME

Seriously, look at this picture:

Doug Mills/The New York Times

That guy is awesome.

Tonight I'm gonna watch the Obamamercial, and while that sort of stuff is usually hard to swallow whole (I'm still not sold on the whole politics thing, I'll be honest), you *know* it's gonna be a well produced 30 minutes of politics. A couple of things I watched during the Democratic convention choked me right up, and I imagine a little of that will happen tonight. A friend of mine said he thought there would be a backlash against Obama because of it, but I don't think it will happen. People who have already decided to vote for him aren't going to suddenly not, and undecided voters* will or will not be swayed by seeing this thing. In any case, I think his committed base will be energized by it. That's my guess. And that can't be bad for his campaign.

*What the hell is wrong with people that they are undecided at this point in the game? There are a lot of theories floating around in my head, none of which pass the "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything" test.

My oldest turns 13 next week and he totally loves Obama. He is reading his autobiography right now. I got him a book of photos of Obama for his birthday. What do you get teenagers anyhow?

UPDATE: Here is the Obamamercial on YouTube. I really, really liked it.
Barack Obama is awesome!!! And yes, I'm his base, but still. Nice piece of work.

I'm angry

So my therapist suggested to me that I get angry about my bipolar disorder. Not angry at myself for having it and all the struggles that come with it, but angry at IT.

This has been an interesting few days experiment. I'm not so good at being angry at an amorphous IT. It's way more familiar to be angry at myself.

In any case, I'm pissed off, and it isn't pretty.

Here I am!

Wow, I've been gone for a while, haven't I?

So where have I been?

For a week I was in the hospital being treated for my huge ginormous depression (which was just about strangling me to death). I've been home for a week and a half, and am just getting used to things and trying to take it easy while I regroup.

That's about it.

It's autumn here, which means I need to get out my warmer jacket, and maybe take my camera out for some fall colour shots.

I watched The Elephant Man today. Hadn't seen that since it came out in 1980. Used to see a lot of films in the theater. These days there are few films I really want to take my kids to.

That is all for now. See ya later!

Hooray!!

I finally canceled the DSL today! Hooray!
Also started a gentle exercise program. Baby stepping it until I feel strong.

Past 6 days I've had a cold, and it is holding on tight. My lungs are miserable. I'm still a snot machine. It's a LOT of fun.

Had a bad day yesterday and feel like hiding out today, but I really ought to get out and get something done.

Right? Or is staying home okay?

Wow. Just - wow.

So I just got some news, news I've been waiting for literally for months, and it's GOOD.

GOOD NEWS CAME.

It means I have space and time to work on getting my head and my life together, won't be worried about every little penny (although money is still tight), and have something close to validation regarding the impact of my mental health on my day to day living.

When the dust settles and I see what this means for me, I will likely write some more about my circumstances and how I see them, personally and politically.

The one-day-at-a-time plan

There are times when thinking a week out is just too hard for me. It feels like the world is caving in on me and I can't stand it. That's when I go to my one-day-at-a-time plan, and try to stop myself from worrying about tomorrow. It is what lays right in front of me that I will deal with. Today.

This is WAY WAY harder than it looks, because nothing is one day at a time. It's all about the future, and planning, and getting things done so other things can happen.

Today. Now. This is my list of one day things:

Take shower.
Brush Teeth.
Dress.
Return movie to video store.
Buy a few gallons of gas (literally, 3 or so).
Make lunch for my son and his playdate.
"watch" them while they play videogames and such.
Finish watching my current disc of "The Wire".

Things I might do, but don't have to:

Take a nap.
Put away clean clothes.
Organize dirty stuff.
Go to laundromat.
Wash dishes.
Clean dining room.

Once The Man comes home from work, I expect I'll interact with him. He's cooking dinner tonight (yay!), so I'm off the hook there. Good for us all, I say.

The night of a thousand dreams (about tea)

Actually, I think there was only one, long dream of tea, but it was enough. I'm up at least 2 hours earlier than I'd planned to be, and if it weren't for bf's need for another hour of sleep, I'd be banging around getting laundry ready and taking a shower, etc.

As it is, I've got a cup of ginger tea by my side (this fabulous Thai stuff, which is really a mixture of granulated ginger and sugar, sure to cure what ails me).

I did dream of tea, though. This after drinking two large mugs of it last night (one earl grey, one raspberry). The weather is turning cooler, and I've been fighting an odd combination of allergy/cold symptoms for a week or so.

So tea is nice.

Now it's back to The Wire, my ginger tea (I think I'll follow it up with some more earl grey), and waiting for my antihistamine drug to kick in an stop this sneezing!

On what Sarah Palin actually stands for...

There is much that has been said about the VP pick on the Republican side of the aisle, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. I personally see the pick as a transparent and desperate bid to appeal to women who are on the fence about voting for Obama, as well as a ploy to change just what the election is about.

The scary thing is that Sarah Palin's nomination is roughly equivalent to Clarence Thomas' nomination to the Supreme Court. Her lack of experience and her odd political background (as well as ultra conservative stance on abortion) is obscured by the uniqueness of her as a choice.

Anyhow. We all know that her underage daughter is pregnant out of wedlock (but she'll be married, soon, which will make it ALL BETTER). But what we did not know is that Gov. Palin cut money which funded a state wide program in Alaska which helps teenage mothers get their feet on the ground.

According to the Washtington Post,

... earlier this year [Palin] used her line-item veto to slash funding for a state program benefiting teen mothers in need of a place to live.

After the legislature passed a spending bill in April, Palin went through the measure reducing and eliminating funds for programs she opposed. Inking her initials on the legislation -- "SP" -- Palin reduced funding for Covenant House Alaska by more than 20 percent, cutting funds from $5 million to $3.9 million. Covenant House is a mix of programs and shelters for troubled youths, including Passage House, which is a transitional home for teenage mothers.

According to Passage House's web site, its purpose is to provide "young mothers a place to live with their babies for up to eighteen months while they gain the necessary skills and resources to change their lives" and help teen moms "become productive, successful, independent adults who create and provide a stable environment for themselves and their families."

Here's a picture of the actual bill, with Palin's initialed changes.


This kind of funding cut shows a lack of "family values", in my opinion. Not every teenage girl has the kind of family Bristol Palin has, one which will no doubt take care of her and her child for many years to come. If people want to force all women to carry unplanned/unwanted pregnancies to term, those same people are duty bound to provide funding and secular assistance to those same women, no matter what their age.

In a way I'm sick to death of reading about Palin, but in another way, I'm deer-in-the-headlights fascinated to see just how deep the depths of her story go.

This woman is so unfit to be in the position of Vice President, it's not even funny.