There are no words

Mugabe is at it again. I just don't even think there is any way to respond to this. When you're dealing with blinded idiots, you just can't reason with them. I can't help but think that Mugabe's fear tactic reminds me of another dictator not-so-long ago.This from CNN:

Zimbabwe: Cholera is genocide by UK
One of Zimbabwe's top officials blamed his country's spreading cholera outbreak on what he calls "a genocidal onslaught" by Zimbabwe's former colonial ruler -- Britain.

Zimbabwean clinics have been overwhelmed by the cholera epidemic, according to aid organizations. "Cholera is a calculated, racist attack on Zimbabwe by the unrepentant former colonial power, which has enlisted support from its American and Western allies so that they can invade the country," Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu told reporters. Britain ruled the country as a colony until 1965.

Ndlovu's claims triggered quick and pointed reaction from Britain and the United States. In Washington, State Department spokesman Rob McInturff called Ndlovu's accusations "patently ridiculous."

Referring to Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, McInturff said Friday that, "Mugabe is clearly unwilling to take any meaningful action (to stop the cholera outbreak)."

On Thursday, Mugabe said "there is no cholera in the country." His spokesman later said that Mugabe was sarcastically ridiculing what he believes are Western designs to invade the country.Britain's Africa minister, Mark Malloch-Brown responded by saying, "I don't know what world he (Mugabe) is living in," according to the British newspaper The Guardian.

Malloch-Brown made the comment during a one-day trip to South Africa, where he visited a Johannesburg church housing 1,600 Zimbabweans who have fled their country, the newspaper said. "There is a raging humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe as well as an economic crisis and still there is no representative government able to lead the country out of this disaster," he said, according to The Guardian.

Cholera has ravaged Zimbabwe, causing nearly 800 deaths and infecting more than 16,000 people, the World Health Organization says.

The outbreak could surpass 60 000 cases, according to an estimate by the Zimbabwe Health Cluster, which is a group coordinated by the World Health Organization.

Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, by the way, is the same guy who said a few weeks ago that Zimbabwe had enough chemicals and money to repair sewer lines and clean the water. I guess his countrymen are still waiting for those chemicals and money.

Every smile matters

As we wind up 2008, I can't help but think what's in store for 2009. And I'm not sure what to expect: while I'm excited about the prospect of a new page in history for our country with our new President, Cabinet and Congress, I look around and see a lot of challenges.

There's the looming financial crisis - and with it, the depletion of so many people's retirement accounts; war in the Middle East - with the newest addition of Israel to the theatre; poverty, corruption and genocide in Africa; and the pollution and destruction of our planet, to name just a few. While there is a lot to celebrate from 2008 and a lot to look forward to in 2009, there's also a lot of sadness in our world.

So I think we should make a New Year's resolution to be nicer to one another. To smile to each other a little more. To be kinder and more generous. Yes, perhaps that sounds naive. But when we feel lost or overwhelmed, we must remember that we always have our humanity. We are all in this together - no matter where we live or what we look like - and we share in the sadness and the joys together. So by each one of us being a little nicer, a little more human, to one another, perhaps we can help make all these world crises a little more tolerable.

If my recycling makes a difference, then my smile can, too. It's just a little thing, but if everyone did something little, then think how great we, as a human race, could be together.

Washington, DC in love

This past weekend, Scott and I went up to DC for a quick trip. We live so close to the city (about 4 1/2 hours), but we have seldom visited, so we decided the holidays might be a great time to get away for a bit and spend the weekend exploring.

We had such a fabulous time and have decided that we love DC...so much, so, that we might want to move there. Up until now, I've longed to live in NYC. I'm a city girl at heart and I love the chaos and the hustle and bustle of New York. But after visiting DC, I might be changing my mind. DC offers everything New York does, but has more charm and character. I love that you are constantly surrounded by American history and there's always a buzz of politics going on around you. People in DC were so friendly, the prices were no more expensive than they are in Raleigh and the city has all of the bustle, without any of the hustle.

Of course, I'd want to live in Georgetown, but I seemed to have misplaced the $2 million dollars I saved for a house.

It was great catching up with Kristen while we were town. We ate at a fun brunch spot in DuPont Circle (Kramer's Books) with her and chatted over coffee, eggs and waffles. Yum! And I recommend the Newseum - possible the best museum I have ever been in.

I think we're planning another trip to DC in the Spring. We just might be in love.

Whopper Virgins

I came across this Burger King ad and loved it. The premise is that you can never really have a true, blinded taste test because everyone is influenced partly by brand, or has tasted one or the other burgers before. But what if you found people who had never heard of McDonald's or Burger King or the Whopper or the Big Mac? Which would they prefer? Of course, I'm not sure how accurate the tast test would be, given that hamburgers and beef are so outside of these people's cultural sphere.

This was done by Crispin Porter + Bogusky. It’s a little market research, a little ethnography, a little advertising and a lot of American domination of other cultures. After all, if everyone in the world hasn’t eaten a Whopper or Big Mac, then the terrorists have won.

It’s pretty interesting all around…

Mugabe is a thug

How has Mugabe managed to maintain control of Zimbabwe for the past 28 years? First he destroys Zimbabwe's farmland, then he refuses foreign humanitarian assistance and now his people are dying of cholera. And I haven't even mentioned the atrocities he and his cronies have committed against those who speak out against him and his political party.

This from an article on CNN.com:

Zimbabwe's information minister said Tuesday the cholera outbreak was under control, and he argued the West caused the health crisis and was using it as an excuse for military intervention.

Zimbabwe, already experiencing an economic crisis, was struck with the water-borne cholera in August. Health experts say the battle against the disease can only be won if Harare has adequate water-treating chemicals and disposes of refuse properly.

The information minister, Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, maintained the country has enough chemicals to purify water and enough money to buy pipes to mend sanitation lines.

I love it when the West is blamed for a dictator's actions. And if the country has enough chemicals and money to solve the outbreak, then why aren't they doing it?

I don't understand how someone in power could allow people - their own countrymen - to suffer in this way. I guess you can become so power-hungry and ego-obsessed that you're blinded to the terrible things you do to get that power. This guy reminds me of Amin. Why doesn't the rest of the international community do something to get this guy out of power and bring real democracy and peace to the country?

Tough times for the mistress

In these financial times, it seems as though the wealthy are hurting, too. In a recent market research study among individuals with a net worth of $20 million (alas, we did not receive this survey...it must have gotten lost in the mail), it was found that 80% who had extra-marital mistresses were planning on cutting back on their gifts and allowances. 12% said that planned to give up their lovers altogether because of financial reasons.

It seems that these millionaires are curtailing their spending, and their lovers are included. I guess it's harder to hide expensive gives from your spouse when there are fewer dollars in the bank account.

It should be noted that questions about curtailing gifts to lovers came at the end of a longer survey about wealth management. The full survey was administered to 518 people, with 191 opting to answer these "extra" questions. There were some gender differences found, with surveyed wealthy men more likely to curtail gift giving to their lovers than wealthy females. However, because only one third of the survey respondents were female (about 63 total), I don't think this difference is statistically significant.

The full story is here. I guess it's nice to know that the rich, or those in bed with the rich, are suffering just like the rest of us!

A few of my favorite airports

Because I fly so often, I've started to concoct a list of favorite airports. Those that do a great job of making you excited to actually have a layover, or delay, because there's something about the airport that puts you at ease. I know, crazy. Anyway, I've come up with five that I think are among my most favorite I've visited so far:

5. Pittsburgh: While it's an older airport and in need of a little face lift, the indoor mall makes those extra-long waits a little more bearable. It's a little awkward to maneuver a roll-bag between the stand-alones at the GAP, but it's nice to be able to shop if you're so inclined.

4. Detroit: I never thought this airport would make it on my list, but the Northwest terminal is amazing. Spacious, contemporary, with a little red indoor monorail that reminds one of the toy trains that circle along the ceilings of kitschy toy shops. Good restaurants and comfortable seating take the chaos out of this airport.

3. Charlotte: The word "whimsical" comes to mind. I love the white rocking chairs nestled among the tree-lined atrium and they have some of the cutest mobiles hanging from the ceiling. It's easy to get around and they have my favorite eatery there - Yovana (freshly made yogurt).

2. Heathrow (British Airways Terminal): Despite this terminal being practically on the other side of the country from the rest of Heathrow, it's definitely worth the drive. It's exactly the kind of terminal I would imagine Apple creating - lots of fun high-tech imagery, high-end boutiques (in case you're in the mood for a $5,000 Gucci handbag at 7:00am) and easy to get around. It's a very fun terminal.

1. Raleigh-Durham (Terminal 2): Not only does arriving here mean I'm home, but the newly remodeled terminal is gorgeous. Contemporary and spacious, with outlets by every seat and really good restaurants (finally!). I can't wait to see what the whole airport will look like when they are finally finished remodeling...in another ten years!

A random list, I know. But it's the little, silly things in life that help make travel a little more bearable!

One very very lonely calorie

I'm not sure how I feel about this series of ads by BBDO, Dusseldorf. They are the new ads for Pepsi Max, which only has one calorie. Granted, these are ads that will, presumably, be placed in another country, but I still think they are in poor taste. I like the art and editorial aspect of them, but it doesn't quite seem fitting for a company that is trying to sell a brand. Seeing them in a high-end gallery somewhere, yes. On a billboard or in a magazine, no.


In short, these ads seem in poor taste. I'm surprised that Pepsi corporate didn't nix these right away.

To see the full series, click here.

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas

It is officially December, which means it's now appropriate to pull out the Christmas decorations and start playing the holiday music. While I had previously believed that Black Friday kicked off the holdiay shopping, I am now informed that it was, in fact, Cyber Monday. I've never heard of Cyber Monday before and I wonder if any other days of the week will soon get their own holiday adjective, as well.

Our firm is doing something a little different for its employees this year. Usually, it gives out holidays gifts to everyone (we're a small firm of about 40 people). Last year, for example, everyone got Wiis. Scott and I were excited about this for about a month; neither of us were allowed to have video games growing up, but the novelty of the Wii soon wore off and it's now sitting, dusty, in our living room.

This year, because of the economic downturn and the resulting effect on our communities, the firm is doing away with employee gifts and using that money to sponsor 10 families - 5 families in Atlanta (where our second office is located) and 5 families in Durham. So our employees have been busy playing Santa Claus and it has been touching to see what we have purchased for these families.

That sparked an idea for me and Scott - we are fortunate that neither we nor our families truly need anything. So we asked that we don't exchange gifts this year; instead, we'll use the money we normally would have spent on our families on a Raleigh family that is truly in need. So far, we are only halfway through our budget and I'm amazed by the amount of clothes we've been able to buy for these four children. We racked up on Black Friday, finding nice, warm coats at Old Navy for $30 each. Not only is it so much less stressful, but it also embodies the true meaning of Christmas. And, in the end, we will probably buy so much less "junk."

So this weekend, we're off to buy a Christmas tree and finish shopping for the family. This year, the holidays feel so much more like they should be - filled with the joy and giving of the season.

A free ride

We live in a capitalist society. This means that businesses are born, businesses die based on the market. Successful businesses are able to foresee hurdles and barriers in the marketplace and navigate around them in order to survive in ever-changing times. Those businesses that are unable to do that die or are bought up. It's a kind of Darwinian model.

So I have a little angst around the Big 3 car companies asking the government for help. These car companies did not successfully foresee the hurdles and barriers in the marketplace - or they did, but failed to change their course to navigate them. Now they are hurting in a big way and expect that the government will bail them out. I'm sorry, but that's not how our economy is supposed to work.

Three years ago, I was lamenting to my father (a big supporter of American cars, who will never, EVER buy a foreign car) how the American car companies didn't have any hybrid cars. That honor belonged to Toyota and Honda at the time. Even as the Prius sold out and was back-ordered, the Big 3 continued on their same track - building the big trucks and SUVs because they were still hot sellers at the time. If the car companies did a better job of making smaller, more gas efficient cars a priority, perhaps they could have by-passed some of this mess.

Now, I know that there could be huge repercussions if these car manufacturers go under. Loss of jobs, loss of health care, implications for the supply chain. But our demand for cars, overall, is unlikely to change. Which means the foreign car companies will get bigger and absorb those workers and give business to the supply chain. In the long-run, we would be a a stronger economy.

But no one wants to hurt in the short-run. Maybe that's our problem, though. Maybe the generations, starting with the Baby Boomers, never sacrificed, never suffered. That could be one reason the Iraq war was such a disaster - in WWII, everyone hurt together. Americans had to ration supplies and volunteered for the war effort. But today, we don't even know a war is going on unless we turn on the TV. We don't have to curb our consumption or volunteer for anything. In short, we're spoiled. Maybe if we stick to our guns now, stick to what our economy is supposed to be it will be very painful for a few years. But we'll suffer through as Americans and in the long-run we'll have better run businesses and maybe more efficient cars.

Of course, that means higher taxes in the short run, as we support the millions of people who will be unemployed and without health care. But if we give the Big 3 the bailout, then we'll just have more of the same. We'll be rewarding businesses that did not successfully navigate the market. That's no way to foster new ideas, business savvy and capitalism.

James Bond, baby

I've never been a huge James Bond fan. I guess I never did fully grasp what the draw was for guys. Yeah, Bond get the women, the cool gadgets, the fun spy job. But after 87 movies, doesn't that get a little old?

That was until Daniel Craig came along. As long as he's James Bond, I'll keep watching. Those eyes. Those muscles. That scruffy-yet-handsome face. Excuse me while I swoon.

So Scott and I went to see the newest 007 installment and we were a little disappointed. Daniel Craig, of course, did not disappoint, and there was a lot of action and fun gadgets. But the last movie came out - what? three years ago? And this movie picks up right where the last one ended, without any back story to remind you what happened. So we were confused for most of the movie. The plot was a bit thin and we felt that there were story lines that were started but never fully developed. Also, this James Bond is a little "colder" than other ones...you don't quite warm up to him like to you do the other Bonds (and he doesn't get the girl in this movie).

The problem will be magnified when this movie makes its run on Spike or TNT. Usually, each Bond movie is its own encapsulated movie. But this one relies on the previous movie to make any sense. So you really can't watch it in a vacuum.

A word to the interested: unless you're looking for eye candy, watch the last James Bond movie before seeing this one. Maybe you'll leave the theatre feeling a little more fulfilled.

Deck the halls with turkeys and pumpkins

I get it. Really, I do. The economy sucks and retailers are hurting. But that doesn't give anyone the right to put out Christmas decorations three weeks before Halloween.

A few weeks ago, I walked into Crabtree Valley Mall, only to find workers hanging fake garland from the ceilings and assembling a ten-foot tall reindeer-shaped garland topiary. And I didn't even mention the Santa-land that is now positioned by the entrance of Southpoint Mall. Before you even think about turkey and stuffing, you can now have Junior's picture taken with Santa.

Adpulp has a good article about retailers' strategy for the holidays. It sounds like consumers are cutting back on shopping (although, as I've mentioned before, I have yet to actually witness this is Raleigh). But maybe this is a good thing. Just like when gas prices skyrocketed and we saw people curtail their driving and opt for gas-sipping vehicles, maybe we'll see people reorder their priorities and become less wasteful and less consumption-driven.

Of course, no one wants anyone to suffer or to go without things that they need. But at the same time, there are lots of things we buy that we don't need and which we buy just for the sake of buying or having. Perhaps tightening our belts a bit will allow us to better understand what really matters and to just consume those things we truly need. Not only is it better for our souls and pocketbooks, but it's also better for our environment.

So let's turn off the holiday music and take down those hideous topiaries. Let's enjoy the season for what it is and maybe, for just one year, take it easy on all that shopping.

A new chapter

Regardless of who won last night, our country was turning a page and starting anew. But with Obama's win, we're also starting a new chapter. I'm excited to see what this new president will bring (God knows I wouldn't want his job right now) and how he will guide us through all our current troubles. And I'm also excited to see how the election of an African-American to the presidency will speed up the elimination (or, at least, the suppression) of racism in our country.

I thought McCain had a very eloquent concession speech and did a great job of bringing closure to the campaign while encouraging his supporters to support the new president:

I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited...

I wish Godspeed to the man who was my former opponent and will be my president. And I call on all Americans, as I have often in this campaign, to not despair of our present difficulties, but to believe, always, in the promise and greatness of America, because nothing is inevitable here. Americans never quit. We never surrender. We never hide from history. We make history.

And Obama did his fair share, trying to unite the country. Both speeches moved me to tears.

The one reservation I have is that our government-elect is now made up of the majority Democrats. As a moderate, I like to see balance, and I'm nervous that the pendulum is going to swing the other way without temperance or hesitation. This isn't just for four years - this new government will make several Supreme Court Justice decisions, whose rulings will affect us for decades to come. I just hope that Obama and the Congress keep some moderation in their decision-making and remember that while the Democrats have won in the elections, the make-up of the country is much more evenly split.

So here's to a new president, a new chapter in our nation's history. May our leaders be guided by faith and temperance and may the next four years bring success and happiness to America.

The confederacy is dead

If Chris Matthews makes one more comment about the South in reference to the Confederacy and how that affects how southern voters vote, I'm going to scream.

While there are, no doubt, some Southerners who still fly the Confederate flag and secretly wish for succession, I would hazard a guess that the vast majority have bookmarked that part of the South's past to the history books.

Mr. Matthews, let's get a better grip on your southern viewership. Enough with the Confederate references.

I voted!

I hope everything has had a chance today to go out and vote. Fortunately, the there was no line at my polling place; I walked in and walked out.

I'm not particularly a big Carrie Underwood fan (country music isn't quite my thing), but I did love this quote from her in TV Guide. I've ranted about the media doing this before, but I also feel the same way about celebrities. In my opinion, celebrities aren't qualified to tell American voters how to vote and I think it's a little arrogant of them to think that their opinion should matter to the average American. Get over yourselves.

Carrie put it a bit more eloquently:

There is someone I do support, but I don't support publicly. I lose all respect for celebrities when they back a candidate. It's saying that the American public isn't smart enough to make their own decisions.

So today, don't listen to the media. Don't listen to well-paid celebrities. Don't listen to your friends or family. Make up your own mind. Decide for yourself and what you think is best for this country. And vote.

Go Vote!

Tomorrow is the big day. I don't think I've been this excited since 2000, when my college roommate and I tried to stay up all night to watch the election results, only to fall asleep at 2:00 am and wak up the next morning just as confused.

Just about everyone I know has early voted, but I'm waiting until tomorrow. There's something about voting on the actual day that is special and emotional. Yes, I'll probably have a long line, but isn't that part of the experience? Isn't it about sharing that energy with other voters, all waiting to exercise their moral obligation to vote? After all, not everyone in this world has that freedom, and I think it's special to be among our countrymen who are fortunate enough to have been born into a nation that values that freedom.

Plus, it'll be fun to get a free cup of coffee.

Happy Halloween!

We survived the hosting of our first Halloween party and had a blast! The party was a costume party, but I really didn't expect many people to dress up. But almost everyone came to the party in a costume! I think, secretly, people love a good excuse to dress up. Plus, being silly and fun helps to keep us young!

The best costume awards of the night went to Jen and Rich for their rendition of the Geico caveman and the Gecko. Hilarious! Runners up went to Alison and James for McCain and Palin. Apparently, Alison had been practicing her accent all week, and it showed. She really did look at Sarah, too! Of course, their visit wasn't complete without the McCain/Palin sign they stuck in our front yard...Scott promptly removed it and it's now sitting in our garbage can. Sorry, Sarah!



Thank you all so much for coming! We hope you had as much fun as we did!

Oh, Baby!

The past couple of months have been littered with baby news and this month is no different. I now have five Fuqua friends that are pregnant and one college friend. Congrats to Joanna and Elizabeth who are the newest receipients of fertilized eggs.

I suspect by the end of the year, there will be a few more names to add to that list. I guess we've officially entered that phase in our lives when it's perfectly acceptable to start reproducing.

In all seriousness, I'm really happy for my friends. It's exciting to see these women whom I've known for several years and watch them grow into mothers. I get to watch a whole new transformation, becoming someone a little different, developing a side that I never knew about before or could previously imagine. Watching that transformation is such a special experience for a friend.

Heck, I knew Elizabeth as a wee college freshmen, when we bonded as roommate over having some of the same clothes. And now I get to watch her become this whole other person. We've come a long way, baby!

Congrats to all the newest carriers of life's creation! I'm not quite ready to join you all, but I'm available for babysitting anytime!

Fuqua moves up in the rankings?

Saw this article on Adpulp today. Looks like MBA students at Kellogg got a little out of hand during a party at the Field Museum. The night of drunk debauchery included vomiting in the museum, spitting on fellow party-goers and throwing things at Sue, the T-Rex. It's all fun and games until the dinosaur gets pissed.

The complete story from the Chicago Tribune is here.

Now, Fuqua students liked to party with the rest of them, but I don't recall anything quite as scandalous as what the Kellogg students did. At least when we partied this hard, it was usually in a parking lot, camping out for basketball tickets. Maybe I just didn't hang out with the right crowd.

I wonder what this will due for the MBA rankings? If Fuqua moves up, do I get a raise?

Quote of the Day

I'm really pushing the quotes this month. Must be something in the air. In any case, I figure people could use a diversion, given then firehose of politics that have been aimed at us these past fifteen months. This one comes courtesy of a tall non-fat vanilla latte.

"When I was young I was misled by flash cards into believing that xylophones and zebras were much more common."

--Amy-Elyse Neer, Artist and Starbucks customer in San Jose, California

Add X-Rays to that list, as well.

Oh, to be wooed

I'm registered as an Independent. Sometimes that means I'm conflicted - I like the policies from one candidate and the policies from another. I tend to think that there are good and bad ideas from both parties and, ideally, would love to wed the two of them together to form the perfect party. And, this political season, I've been hearing personally from both sides - my husband is a staunch Democrat and my parents are staunch Republicans. They all use me as their sounding board. Being the first child, it's hard to balance my own views with the need to not disappoint my parents. So, sometimes, being an Independent has its trying moments.

But sometimes it means you're seen as a little more special than those who are registered to just one party. I've received polictical mailings from both sides. I get special home visits from volunteers in the neighborhood, asking if I want to talk about it. I'll get personal phone calls from campaigns. Everyone wants to woo the Independent.

In a way, it's nice. Not just because I'm loved. But also because I get to hear both sides and become a little more educated than, perhaps, the average one-party voter. Sure, a lot of the information is propaganda and needs to be taken with a grain of salt. But, at the very least, they have incited questions which have prompted me to dig in a little deeper into the local and national issues and better understand who I agree with and who I'd like to vote into office. Despite some of the heartache, I think being an Independent has its advantages.

Plus, it's nice to be loved.

Quote of the Day

Mark Twain has always been a favorite of mine. Saw this quote from him today and I thought it was perfect, given the impending debates and elections.

"Politicians and diapers need to be changed often and for the same reasons."

--Mark Twain

Financial crisis? What financial crisis?

If I were visiting America from another country, I would cry foul on all the newspaper headlines about America's current economic situation. The images I would conjure up are black-and-white pictures of long unemployment lines, parents stealing bread to stay alive - a la Les Miserables, people tightening their proverbial belt buckels and pulling their money out of banks.

But these images are nowhere to be found. I visited two malls this past weekend (Raleigh-Durham has a lot of shopping centers), only to find them bustling with people, their arms laden with shopping bags, taking advantage of all the Columbus Day weekend sales. I went to Charlotte to see David Sedaris this weekend, only to find the hotel - and concert - sold out, ticket-holders sipping their $8 glasses of wine in the lobby. The restaurants are packed - we had to go to four different restaurants before we found one that could seat us immediately.

Where is this economic meltdown we've heard so much about?

Maybe people are drowning their sorrows in restaurant-prepared meals and retail therapy. Maybe employers haven't felt the tremors of the crisis and have yet to cut their balance, and employee, sheets. Maybe this part of the country has somehow gained immunity. I'm just completely surprised by the reaction.

If I was visiting from another country and never read a newspaper, I would have no idea of the chaos that is going on. After all, even my currency would be weaker against the dollar than it was a month ago.

The Subprime Primer

I thought this was pretty funny and actually did a decent job (I think) of explaining the current subprime disaster that we're in. The only thing that's really missing here is the responsibility of the borrower (but that's another post for another time).

Warning...explicit language is used in the presentation, so keep little children away from the monitor!

div style="width:425px;text-align:left" id="__ss_626325">Subprime Debacle Explained

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: mortgage humor)

Rock on, Tina!

Seven costume changes. Four dancers. Three-inch high Louboutin heels. Two backup singers. Fireworks. Fireballs. On Fire.

Abby and I went to the Tina Turner concert in Chicago this past weekend. She played a few songs that I hadn't heard before, but she didn't disappoint on her oldies. What I can't get over is that this lady is 69 years old and she is kick-ball-changing around in her Louboutins and belting it out with the best of them. The highlight of the show was the encore, when a crane swing her out over the crowd and she was dancing on the platform, as we held our breath that she wouldn't fall into the crowd. Of course, the crowd would save her...they loved her. She is a diva, after all!

It wouldn't be a weekend with Abby without an adventure. On Saturday morning, we pulled out our tickets and realized that we bought them...for Friday night. Whoops! Fortunately, StubHub came to the rescue and we found tickets for cheaper than our original tickets. Once we got to the concert, we were randomly chosen for an upgrade, so we actually got closer to Tina than we ever imagined!

Thanks, Tina and Abby, for a fabulous weekend!

Holy Dow!

We live in interesting times, indeed.

I've always learned that you play the stock market for the long haul. That there will be ups and downs, but over a multi-year time horizon, the stocks do well and always trend upwards. Over these past few months, as I've watched our funds lose more and more money, I've had to repeat that mantra over and over: "We're in this for the long haul. We're in this for the long haul."

But the end doesn't yet seem in sight. Another "tumble" in the Dow this morning (I love how analysts use that word, like it's Humpty Dumpty sitting on some wall), falling more than 700 points before regaining 300 of those points.

I'm a little sketchy about the details of the bailout plan. One thing I want to ensure, though, is that government doesn't become too involved in our economy. Government involvement in healthcare, surely. Government involvement in the environment, possibly. Government involvement in the market, definitely not. Our markets to very well and the model is good. Of course, it seems like there are things that precipitated this fallout and maybe there needs to be more regulation of some sort, but we start to walk on some thin ice. I know it's unfounded, but I have these visions of our country becoming this communist state and everything that we once held dear and treasured are memories of the past.

A bit gloomy, I know. The strange thing is, no one I know has felt the effects of this economic downturn. We still go on living our lives as normal, driving to work, putting away money into investments. I'm in Kansas City on a project as I type. Nothing has really changed.

I can't decide if that's a good thing or not.

Fall is here! Fall is here!

Monday marked the official start of fall, and the cool weather couldn't be more on time. Monday was really our first day of cool weather and it seems like it's a little earlier than normal. Driving along the interstate this morning, I could make out just the faintest blushes of color on the trees. I guess the annual turning of the leaves has begun.

We got our first true taste of fall in Boston this past weekend. We were up there for my cousin's wedding and, after adjusting to 90+ degree heat in NC, the 70 degree weather in Boston was quite a shock to the system.

I love the very beginning of fall. There's something about the changing of the seasons that's exciting - the leaves turning colors, the approach of Halloween, the crisp apples and baked goods, squash soups and chunky sweaters. Of course, this excitement only lasts a few months and then I'm ready for summer again - the fresh veggies, grilling out, running around in shorts and a tank top. I guess the beginning of anything is always fresh and exciting and then looses it's luster after some time.

But for now, I'm excited about fall! I'm planning a full-out Halloween party (with costumes!) so that will keep me busy for awhile. I'm ready for the apple pies and warm soups!

And we've got a winner

I love advertising. And when I come across a particularly genius idea, I feel compelled to pass it along to others.

This is a viral movement by Wendy's. You may have seen the "meatatarian" commercials promoting The Baconator. If you go to meatatariansunite, you sign up to become part of the movement and receive a coupon for a Baconator. Pretty ingenious, I think. You get people talking and then you give them something free for the effort.

The commercial is pretty funny, too, and totally appeals to their main target market - guys who like to eat meat (I guess that's redundant, huh?).

Crazy Lettuce

Peer Pressure

This past weekend, Scott and I had dinner with several of my Fuqua friends. There were a total of four couples that went out to dinner - all four of the couples met through Fuqua and we're all still in town.

One of the couples already has a nine month old baby. So we were asking how the baby was doing, since this couple just recently moved back into the area. And then the big announcement came - one of the Fuqua friends is nine weeks pregnant. There were claps and cheers as the sonogram picture was passed around. And then the second big announcement came - the other Fuqua friend is nineteen weeks pregnant. Everyone hugged. And then everyone looked at us.

This is one eggo that is not preggo.

It's very strange that just one of my college friends has a baby and no one is even pregnant, but several of my Fuqua friends are already pregnant. I wonder if it has to do with where we all are in life - my Fuqua friends are all at a similar stage: advanced degree, settled, good jobs; whereas my college friends are all at different stages: some are back in school, others are changing jobs, some aren't married, so there's less congruency in terms of having a baby.

It's amazing the peer pressure that these pregnant women exert on non-pregnant women. Whether it's explicitly asking when we're going to have a baby or talking with other pregnant women about day care and matters-of-the-belly (a conversation to which I can contribute nothing), there's this constant pressure to join the "club."

In school, you learn about how to resist peer pressure when it comes to smoking, drugs and drinking. About how to say "no" when you feel peer pressure to have sex. But no one tells you about the peer pressure you feel ten years later when these mothers try to get you to have a baby.

I am (we are) just not ready for a baby now. I admit it - I'm selfish and can't imagine sharing what I have with anyone else. But this peer pressure will get to you.

I'm staying strong.

Shattered Ceilings

As we Americans prepare to enter a political sprint until the November 2008 elections, I can't help but look forward to the 2012 elections. This year, we have seen some historic events, with the first African-American presidential nominee and second female vice-presidential nominee. Either way, come November 2008, our country will have made a historic decision - either the first African-American will become president or the first female will become vice-president.

What will this mean for 2012? Will the political scene change forever because of this race? Will we see fewer white faces, fewer men take charge? I wonder if that glass ceiling will be shattered forever and future elections will ever be the same.

While part of me is excited about the potential change in mindset when it comes to the leaders of our country, part of me is also indifferent. And maybe this is the greatest testament to where we, as Americans, are today. It doesn't seem that odd or strange that an African-American or woman is running for president. And while I know that our country - like most countries in this world - still has a lot of ground to cover to forever bash the prejudice and discrimination that continues to live in this country, I think it says a lot that our generation barely seemed to notice that something historic was in the making. That our generation doesn't see what the big deal is that an African-American may be president; that a female may be vice-president.

And if that's the case, then anyone, truly, can be president of this country. I wonder if 2008 will have forever changed the old-school mindset and if 2012 will be more representative of who and what this country was founded for.

Wine Whine

During our wine trip to California in June, Scott and I fell in love with Kunde Winery's Chardonnay. Unfortunately, we only picked up two bottles, thinking that we can always order more if we wanted (wine was so much more expensive in California than we expected, so we didn't quite stock up as much as we wanted to).

After all, you can get anything from anywhere these days, right? Want that special perfume that's only made in Paris? No problem - a few clicks of the mouse and it's on it's trans-atlantic journey to your front door.

So I didn't think anything of it when I went online to order a few more bottles of that delicious, buttery Chardonnay. I added the bottles to my "shopping cart", entered my mailing information and then....click...."We cannot ship to that address." Confused, I called to find out what was wrong with their website. Apparently, nothing.

Not every state will allow wineries to ship direct to consumers. North Carolina is one of them. Apparently, the law is pretty complex, so not every winery is blocked. Just some. And apparently there is a lot of paperwork to fill out if you want to ship to certain states.

I'm not ordering Uzzies. I'm not transporting illegal drugs. I just want my Chardonnay. Just two bottles, as that. Not even a case. I feel like I'm living in a Communist country - my right to drink California wine is being violated.

I guess even the internet has its limitations.

Say what?

I think all Americans should be required to learn a second language (at least) in school, starting at a young age. The fact that Americans, as a majority, only speak English is a bit of an embarrassment, especially as we now live in a global economy. Speaking a second language is something I think all parents, as well as the school system, should expect out of their children.

I also love that this country has so much diversity and that it is accepting (usually) of people from all walks of life and from different backgrounds. It's neat to walk in a city and hear different languages being spoken.

Saying that, I also think that America should step up and claim English as its official language. Sometimes I feel that we are so scared of offending someone, of being politically incorrect, that we end up not having a backbone and, as a whole, we suffer as a result. I think those who choose to live in this country should learn to speak English - whether that's an initiative supported by government, religion organizations or personal responsibility. That doesn't mean giving up their own language, culture and customs - but it does mean being able to interact with others around you.

I was in Target the other day and couldn't find an item. So I went up to a sales associate working in the aisle and asked for help. She brought me to a second sales associate, because she couldn't speak English. The second sales associate spoke broken English. My husband was at McDonald's the other day (don't ask me why) and had to literally point to the value meal he wanted because the cashier didn't speak English.

If I was in France or Mexico or Kenya, I wouldn't complain about these incidents. The oneness should be on me to know the language of the country in which I'm visiting. And if I didn't know the language of the company, I wouldn't mind being shuttled as they found a sales associate who could speak my language.

But I'm in an English-speaking country. It is poor business practice for Target or McDonald's to have non-English speaking associates helping customers, unless they are there for the explicit purpose of helping non-English speaking customers. But I guess I can't complain because, after all, English isn't the official language of this country.

Now the LPGA is under fire for requiring all its competitors to know English proficiently in order to compete in its tournaments. The LPGA is a US-based tour, with sponsors and fans and media who primarily speak English. From a business standpoint, it seems to make sense. It will be interesting to see how it plays out legally.

Sweet Home Chicago

About two weeks ago, Scott and I took a jaunt to Chicago to see our friends Abby and Nathan. It was quite an exciting weekend. Between experiencing a Cubs game (vs. Pirates, Cubs won), walking around the Magnificent Mile, laughing at Second City, gambling at the Arlington Heights horse racetrack and stuffing our faces with sushi, we saw a lot of Chicago and had a great time!

A few pictures from the weekend. The sign in Japanese says (hopefully) Fukedome, which is one of the Cubs' players and whose shirt I was wearing. And the giant polished steel structure is what, I am told, Chicagoans affectionately refer to as "The Bean." You can see the Chicago skyline reflected.

Thank you, Abby and Nathan, for such a fun weekend!

Olympic Fever

I am totally addicted to the Olympics. For the past week, I haven't gone to bed before 1:00 in the morning because I've been glued to the TV. Things that have gone out the window this past week include working out, reading and talking to my husband. All because I am obsessed with the different sports.

I'm a pretty competitive person, so there has been a lot of jumping around the living room and general yelling, hoping that I can send some karma across the world to my American counterparts, propelling them through the water or pushing them to run a few hundreths of a second faster on the track.

Mostly, I just want us to get more medals than China. Preferably, more gold medals than China. Call it ethnocentricity, call it national pride. There's something about getting those medals that helps to shine our tarnished international reputation.

By the way, has anyone else noticed that almost every non-US competitor resides in the US? They are either going to college in the US or just chilling out here. I think there should be some kind of requirement that you have to actually live in the country which you are representing. By that count, we are totally kicking it in the medal department...I think we can take credit for just about every medal that those other countries have earned.

Of course, I'm totally kidding.

Kinda.

It's a doggy-dog world

My local Starbucks is running two donation drives.

Donation #1: For our troops - donate a pound of your favorite Starbucks coffee (or donate a box of tea) to help caffeinate the troops. As a special treat, you can write a message to the troops on the bag. This donation has been running for about three months now, and there are 6 bags of coffee and one box of tea in the donation basket.

Donation #2: For the Orange County Animal Shelter - donate any items (food, toys, grooming products, etc) for the animal shelter. As a special treat, when you make a donation, you're entered into a raffle to win a (1) free Starbucks drink. This donation has been running for about two weeks and there are three baskets overflowing with doggy items.

It seems a little sad that the dogs get all the love and our troops get a few measly pounds of coffee. I was talking to the barista about this and she thought it had something to do with the fact that the pound of coffee costs about $10 and a dog toy could be purchased for about $1.

I hope that's the case...I'd hate to think that we value our dogs more than we do each other.

A picture says it better

I came across this editorial cartoon in the paper this weekend, and thought it nicely summed up my previous post.

The collective media - a soapbox rant

Can I just step on my soapbox for a moment?

Let me preface this rant by saying that I don't like to be told what to do. Ever. Just ask my parents.

I am sick and tired of the collective media making the election decision for the American public. Obama is on the cover of Time Magazine this week, with the caption "And the Winner is...". Fortune's cover has a picture of Obama with a headline about the two candidate's positions on the economy (where's the picture of the second candidate?). CNN seems to only report positive stories about Obama and negative storis about McCain. What happened to telling both sides of the story and letting the people make the decision?

Answer: the media is tired of Republicans in office and have decided not to trust Americans to make the decision at the ballot box again. After all, the American public had been given a second chance and blew it, electing GW into office a second time.

But that shouldn't matter. How is what the media doing any different than when developing countries/dictatorships stuff the ballot box? Or intimidate people when they go vote? Or just having a dictator make the decision himself, without the hassle of an election?

News Flash: we haven't had one debate yet between the candidates nor do we really, truly know what these candidates stand for. All of it is rhetoric at this point, on both sides. How can the winner already be determined if we don't even know where they stand on the issues?

I'm not suggesting that we should swing the other way and glorify McCain. But I am suggesting that we give the relevant information to Americans and let them vote based on the facts and figures. It makes me so angry - physically angry - that the media is essentially making the decision for us. Yeah, our freedom gives the media the right to say whatever they want. But now they are just being irresponsible and a bully.

It's almost enough to vote a certain way, just out of spite.

Tour de France

So I finally got around the uploading this video. I spent this past weekend in Paris, as I previously posted, and was lucky to get a front row seat of the last laps of the Tour de France. The whole experience was truly incredible.

It started with a parade around the city, with the most fun car floats I've ever seen. The whole thing was very campy and very tongue in cheek. Then about an hour later, the cyclists started to arrive into the city. Near one end of the Champs Elysee, there's a huge jumbotron that showed the cyclists entering the city. At that point, we started to walk down the line of people and find a spot where we could squeeze in. People from all nationalities lined the streets of Paris for miles, holding country flags, foam hands of their favorite teams and emitting an buzzing energy.

The cyclists do about eight laps around the city, before finally ending at the Arc de Triomphe. So we were able to see the cyclists whiz by about six times. On the first lap, they were just one big clump. By the second lap, they had begun to spread out, and spread out more and more with each subsequent lap.

This video was taken on my smartphone, so the quality isn't the best, but it gives you a sense of how fast these cyclists are going.

There are a few things in life that I feel lucky to have experienced - attending a Presidential debate, going to (what was) the Sugar Bowl - and being a stone's throw from the Tour de France cyclists is one more to the list.

And a few still pictures in a bit slower motion...

Oil Speculations...continued

In the New Yorker this month (I usually catch up on my issues during air travel), I read another article about oil speculation. This author also agrees that punishing the speculators isn't the answer to climbing oil prices, but he has a slightly different perspective.

A ruined woman

Most of the air travel I've ever done in my life has been spent sitting in a coach seat. You know, in the peon section. Not First Class. Not Business Class. Not even Economy Plus, whatever that means. I'm basically the passenger that barely got a ticket onto the Titanic - stuck in the bowels of the ship while the other passengers feast on duck and caviar.

So when I discovered that we travel Business Class across the Atlantic, I was super excited. The plush seat reclined a good 120 degrees. The leg rest came up. I even had lumbar support. The flight attendants served me vegetable lasagna and complimentary reisling and even ice cream for dessert. I had my own video monitor and a real blanket. "This is the way to travel," I thought. I knew then that I could never go back.

Until the flight back. The gods smiled upon me at Charles de Gaulle and I got upgraded to First Class. First Class across the Atlantic! No one has this kind of luck! The seat fully reclined into a bed - I got the best 3 hours of sleep on an airplane ever. Real pillows, a real quilt. A three course meal with salad, chilled carrot soup and tortellini. A choice of three desserts. My own little pod, where it was just me, my recliner and my cubby. An ameneties kit with toothbrush, mouthwash, toothpaste, lip balm, socks and face gel. When I got my "wake up" deli tray, I knew it was over. I was ruined forever.

I have another trip to the UK coming up in about three weeks. I'm slated for Business Class again. I don't know if I can do it. I don't know if I can go back to Business Class. Now that I've tasted the duck and caviar, I just can't go back to the bowels of the ship. Maybe the Fergie gods will smile upon me again and grant me another First Class voyage.

A hop, skip and a jump over the pond

Today I leave for London and Paris! While most of the week in London will be spent doing actual work, we should have some time to enjoy the food and sights. Paris is purely for fun. I figured I flew 7 hours to get to Europe, I might as well enjoy things while I'm there.

The exciting thing is that the Tour de France will end in Paris on Sunday. I'm sure it'll be a mad house, but I'm thrilled to be able to watch it. We'll be squirming our way through the crowd, with cameras held high to catch the bikers on their final push home. Hopefully I'll get some good shots.

It's amazing, but it's been 7 years since I've been to Europe (wow, that makes me sound old). When I graduated college, my friend, Lindsey, and I backpacked for about a month through Europe, starting in London, circling around, and ending in Paris. My French has definitely rusted since then so I'm a little nervous about navigating around Paris, but I'm also excited to be back in two of my favorite European cities!

Enjoy the week!

SOS

In business school, Finance was never my strong point. There were concepts I found fascinating, but they seemed very nebulous to me, and lacked that concrete feel that you could wrap your brain around.

Last week, I received an e-mail from 12 airline CEOs, asking me to pressure congress to Stop Oil Speculation (SOS). Their argument: speculators have put upward pressure on oil prices, thereby causing their operating costs, and costs to the everyday consumer, to skyrocket. At the time, I didn't pay it much mind and deleted the e-mail.

But I came across it again this week. And I wondered if they had a point. Then I had a chance to read the counterargument by Walter Williams and all those lectures in Finance class came back to me. His argument: speculation allows for the distribution of resources over time. While speculation may increase prices a bit now, curtailing speculation now may decrease supply available in the future, thereby increasing prices by a lot more.

I think I have to side with Williams on this point. Yes, increased gas costs suck right now, but those prices will (hopefully) cause us to decrease demand (consumption) for oil, thereby increasing supply available.

Williams goes on to say that by drilling for American oil, we will effectively decrease the price of foreign oil. Even if we aren't able to realize the efforts of that drilling for another 5-10 years, OPEC will see the writing on the wall: increased supply will decrease prices in the future, so it's better to sell now while the cost per barrel is high. I agree, but...

Now we throw the environment into the equation. I do think we need to decrease our dependence on foreign oil, but I don't know if that means drilling at home. The implications mean a continued dependence on oil and the destruction of our environment. But Williams' construct should still hold true if we invest and invent new ways of creating energy - wind, solar, bio, nuclear. Some of these new ways means changing our infrastructure - wind power grids, more hydrogen fuel stations, easier access to biofuel - which could be costly and time consuming at the front end. But, like speculation, we have to look towards the future. The upfront cost now means a much lower cost for energy all around, including oil, in the future.

So increasing regulation on speculation isn't our answer. It's looking for alternatives at home and changing our mindsets as consumers. The higher prices supposedly caused, in part, by oil speculation may be the best thing that happens to this country.

And I like it

It's a guilty pleasure. I really like "I Kissed a Girl" by Katie Perry. It has a really good beat. And it's kind of a fun, naughty song.

The problem is, I find myself singing it softly in the grocery store, in the airport security line, in Starbucks. Then I realize that I'm singing, and what I'm singing, and I look around frantically, to see if anyone has heard me and mistaken me for, er, a girl who kisses other girls...and likes it.

The funny thing is, this song would never have made it on the radio if the genders were reversed and if it was sung by a boy:

I kissed a boy and I liked it
The taste of his cherry chapstick
I kissed a boy and I liked it
I hope my girlfriend don't mind it

Why is that? Why can a girl sing about kissing another girl and we love it, but no one would ever - has ever - heard a song about a boy kissing another boy. I don't know whether I should be insulted from a feminist point of view (is it OK for a women to be an object, a plaything and not for a man?) or a social one (do we favor lesbians over homosexual men?). Maybe I'm reading too much into the song.

In the meantime, I'll continue singing it (softly) to myself and hope no one comes to conclusions about my feminist or social points of view, based on the song I'm singing.

The best movie of all time?

I'm going to call it. Best movie. Hands down. And yes, it's an animation.

It's true, though. Pixar has given us another gem that is not just clever, not just creative, but pure genius. The movie has so many meanings on so many levels that it's something you can turn over again and again in your mind and find a new nugget to consider. On the surface, the movie is about a robot that follows his love to explore new things. But there are so many other things that it touches on - mainly a call to take our heads out of the sand and make a change. That change can be to reach out to humanity or reach out to our planet or discover a world outside of the one we know.

And it's moving - after the movie was over, not one moviegoer left their seat. We just all sat there, taking in what we just saw. Who would have thought that the greatest love story this year would be between two robots? And that that love could be conveyed with only three words spoken between the two (Wall-E, Eva, Directive)?

The animation is incredible - the moment the movie started, I forgot I was watching a cartoon; everything is so realistic. I can't believe that the animators can create humanity in a pair of two-dimensional robot eyes.

So if you're looking for a good place to plop down $9 this summer, go see Wall-E. It's an incredible movie and you won't be disappointed.

California or Bust

We had a terrific time on our vacation! Between drinking lots and lots of wine, we also went up in a hot air balloon, canoed the Russian River, went horseback riding through Jack London's Park, squirmed in mud baths, biked across the Golden Gate Bridge and ferried to Alcatrez.


Of the eight wineries we tasted at, our favorites were Kunde and Benzinger. We found some amazing "winery only" wines at Benzinger. Can't wait for our UPS shipment to make it's way to our front door so we can relive the grape adventure.


The vacation, of course, wouldn't have been quite the same without our friends Abby and Nathan. This marks our fourth annual vacation with them and we can't wait for next year. Now we just have to find another location that starts with a "C" (we've done Charleston, Cape Cod, Costa Rica and California).

The view from our balloon...Before the big climb to the Golden GateGrowing baby grapesThar she blows! Old Faithful Geyser near Calistoga

Why, you don't say...

Last week, I zipped off to Boston and Chicago for a project (I landed in Raleigh on Saturday night at midnight from vacation in California and then boarded a plane at 2:00pm the next day to Boston for work).

While there, I was working with an external consultant for the client. The consultant and I chatted during our few days together, but I never once told her about my love for New York or my stint up there one summer. She had no back story, no idea what New York meant to me.

We were in Chicago one afternoon and were walking from the facility to the hotel. In the middle of the sidewalk, some "kids" decided to form a circle to better talk to one another. In the middle of the sidewalk.

So my colleague and the consultant paused and walked around the circle. I just walked through the circle. The consultant said to me, "You negotiated that like a New Yorker."

I glowed for a full day. I think I still may be glowing.

In the Valley

We leave tomorrow morning for our long-awaited vacation to Sonoma Valley. We're joining our friends Abby and Nathan out west: two days in San Fran and then the rest of the week in Sonoma. I'm really excited about our adventure...we even have a hot air balloon ride planned!

Have a wonderful week and I'll be back soon!

Evangelize Me!

Driving to work today, I saw this license plate on the car in front of me:

LUV GSOS

It took me a moment. I even had to say it out loud to figure it out. But when I did, I had to chuckle.

I'm not a big fan of people evangelizing on license plates, bumper stickers, cars or billboards. In fact, I detest it. Somehow, I don't quite think God is looking down, proud of the fact that he is plastered on such things. That's not what religion and beliefs are all about. And does putting a fish icon on your car or a bible verse on a billboard really convert the masses? I can't quite imagine a non-Christian driving down I-40 and seeing this license plate and thinking, "You know, I wasn't sure before, but now I'm convinced. I love Gsos, too."

But I do have to give this guy points for creativity. Sadly, LUV JESUS was probably already taken. So he did the next best thing. I'm sure God is quite pleased.

It's a girl!

Meet my new baby. She's a girl and her name is Weber. Isn't she beautiful?
Ever since our yard was landscaped, complete with a real live back patio, I've been wanting a grill. The debate was between a gas and a charcoal grill. I have a few reasons against gas grills:

• Back in high school, I had a scary encounter with a gas grill that landed me in the emergency room. My tip to all gas grill owners: always open the cover of the grill when you turn on the gas and attempt to ignite it. Fortunately, that encounter left me with no permanent scars, except for a general skittishness around gas.


• I have a problem leaving a gas tank outside of my house. Granted, this is a very safe neighborhood, but there's something unsettling about harbouring a large tank of fuel that could burn down your house.

But I think the biggest reason of all - and, ultimately, the reason that I prevailed in my campaign for Weber - is the taste. What you gain in the convenience of gas you lose in flavor. No matter what you do, you just can't replicate the charcoal taste. Food is just so much better on a charcoal grill.

Tonight Weber got her first test run - turkey burgers, corn on the cob and roasted tomatoes. Man, that girl can cook! I'm in love with my new baby.

Let the mud-slinging begin

Now that there are unofficially two candidates running for president, I'm a much happier person. I haven't decided for whom I'm voting - that's what the next several months of debates and speeches are for. But knowing that there is plenty of time for candidates to make their case is a good thing - we, as a nation, will have the ability and time to research and make up our own minds.

Every morning, I go to CNN to check out the goings-on in the world. And, as much as I'm sick of the presidential campaign, I will occassionally click on the Politics page to get a quick synopsis. This morning, I did just that and found this page:

Now, I understand that the ad on this page is paid for by Obama. And I also understand that Obama is all up in the news right now because of the recent primaries. (Every link on the page is about Obama, along with the ad about Obama. Only one link mentions McCain...in respect to Obama). However, I also believe it is the responsibility of a new organization to watch its content and ensure that no wrong perceptions are made. When I was business manager of the student newspaper at Wake Forest, we constantly checked to make sure ads were placed correctly and that the overall look of the page didn't portray an unintended message.

When I clicked on this page, the unintended message was the CNN had placed its vote - for Obama. Of course, being who CNN is, I'm absolutely sure who they want to win this election. But as a reputable news organization, they need to make sure that their content, advertising and layout doesn't give away their intentions - explicity or implicitly. This isn't the first time I've found some biased reporting on this site, but the first time it struck me enough to get upset about it.

I don't know who I'm voting for in November, and I want to make an informed and educated decision based on my values and where I'd like to see this country go in the next four, eight, twenty years. I get especially stubborn and upset when I feel someone else is trying to make that decision for me.

Sweet Land of Liberty

I believe I saw my first plateau today. It’s strange to use the word plateau outside of a business setting - in recent history, I have used it to describe an area of a graph, a condition or state of being of particular business matters. But it’s been quite a long time since I visualized an actual plateau outside of the business setting.

Flying to California today, I looked out of my airplane window and marveled at the land below. I’m always in awe whenever I fly over the western part of our country. The land takes on different shapes and colors and few highways and cities mar its beauty. In a world of overpopulation and pollution, it’s refreshing to know that land exists that is still – somewhat – untouched by human hands.

Among the wrinkled mountains, snaking rivers and isolated lakes, I saw the first plateau. It looked as if a knife had horizontally cut off its peak, its sides rising from the dusty ground, only to be abruptly sliced flat. The last time I truly thought of a plateau in its most essence form was middle school social studies, learning about different land forms along with Native Americans and cloud formation. But it wasn’t until today when I really saw one in person – or maybe took the time to really notice.

And then I saw another one. And another. Each one took on a slightly different form, one was small and contained, another much larger. And then the mack-daddy of all plateaus – one whose sides rose from the ground, but the flat top extended for as far as I could see from 35,000 miles in the air.

On these western trips, I am constantly amazed by the vastness of our country. And while there are politics in this country that enrage us, war that fractions us, racism that divides us, and miles that separate us, we should all be united in that we are Americans, in that we live on and share this beautiful land. This land is our country and knowing that should bring us solidarity as a common people, as Americans. That no matter how different we are or how much we disagree or how many mistakes we sometimes make, we share this journey, this culture and this land together. Maybe if we embraced that solidarity more, embraced the pride in our patriotism, we would feel more like a family that argues and less like a garment that is ripping apart at its seams.

Sex comes to the city

Tonight was the Raleigh premiere of Sex and the City and I got to see the sneak peek! Special thanks to Alison who won two free tickets on the radio and brought me along. A little dinner beforehand with a glass of wine and then a special screening of the greatest movie to hit the streets of New York...kinda.

I did win a shirt before the movie started. They were giving out shirts to people for random things, and one of the things was having something from NYC in your purse. I, of course, had my MetroCard with me. Who knew it would come in so handy in NC?

Overall, I would give the movie a B+. The movie had its cute moments and its share of witty - and hilarious - dialogue. Every one of the characters are still true to form and it maintains a pretty good clip, despite the movie clocking in at 2.5 hours. Like hanging out with four of your best girlfriends, the time really did fly.

The biggest thing missing was that sparkle that came with the series. It seemed as if the actors were trying too hard to make this into something it wasn't. At times, it felt that the acting was a bit strained (I think Kristen Davis - Charlotte - did the best job of everyone). Even Oscar-winning Jennifer Hudson didn't seem to quite fit in. The plot was a bit thin; I had a hard time buying that Carrie would have done what she did. The movie didn't do much to develop the characters, which I realize is probably because it's aimed at a certain target - those women who followed the show for six seasons. But, being one of those girls, I still had a hard time emotionally connecting with some of the characters and their predictaments. Don't get me wrong - I laughed, I cried, I cheered. The movie was just missing that frosting on the cake. I would have just liked to see SATC go out with just a little more style.

But the point of a good chick flick is to get away. To escape into a fantasy of New York City for a few hours. And the movie did a good job of that. The fashion was fun to see, the city was fun to see, and the denouement of the show was fun to see. And, of course, seeing the movie with my good friend made it fun to see. Thanks for the fun girls night out, Alison!

On a random note, I just read an article in The New Yorker about Pascal Dangin, who is this world class retoucher of fashion photographs. Apparently, he's so good that photographers actually have him on set to help them with their photos. Well, he had a cameo role in the movie. He was on screen for all of three seconds, but it was so fun to see him and know who that crazy hair belonged to. And it made some of the movie make sense. Random to have just read that and then to have seen him in the movie.

A new milestone reached

I stopped at the gas station today to fill up my tank, and saw that the inevitable milestone has finally come to Raleigh: gas is $4/gallon.

So this is the first time, that I can remember, that a gallon of gas is officially more expensive than a gallon of milk. I don't know whether I should say "It's about time" or "Holy monkeys."

If Ford's announcement this week means anything, then maybe this means smaller, less-polluting, more-efficient cars are finally in our consistent future.

All in a wave

The human tendency (at least, I think it applies to all humans, although I haven't tested this theory among all the world's cultures) is to wave to a video camera. It's almost instinctive; as soon as the camera begins to whir, the jazz-handed wave greets the viewer.

We seldom sporadically wave in other parts of our lives. When driving down the road, we don't wave to fellow passerbyers. We don't wave to others on a train or if we see another plane crossing air space, miles away.

But, I noticed this weekend when vacationing at the beach, that we do wave to other boaters. I felt as if I was on a parade float, waving to people as we zoomed by each other. On almost every boat we passed, the passengers waved to us...and we waved to other passengers, sometimes instigating the acknowledgment ourselves.

And it made me think of other times that we wave to people. And I think that we have a higher tendency to wave to people when there's a personal contact made, like eye contact. In a boat, you can't help but see the other person coming towards you, and once that personal connection is made, it's rude not to wave. Maybe it's a way of embracing our humanity, sharing our collective sameness, acknowledging each other, especially when you have no other choice but to. In a car, we're distracted; we have an excuse not to wave and the person never really knows if we saw them or not. But out in the open - whether it's on a boat, or walking down a neighborhood sidewalk, or passing someone on a carriage ride - things become a little more personal.

Maybe we should all wave more, even when we're in our cars, or in a place where we normally don't wave. If anything, it's a friendly gesture, even if you do start to feel like you're in a parade.

Going Down?

I came across an interesting factoid in The New Yorker the other day ("Up and then Down", April 21, 2008): since the 1990's, the "close door" button on elevators doesn't actually work. The only person that can activate that button is a fireman with a key that he or she uses in the event of a fire or emergency.

How many times have I pressed that key impatiently, smashing it again and again to get a door to close, usually when the elevator has stopped nonsensically at a floor where no one is present? That button almost acts as a valve, releasing the rising anger and angst of frustration. As if pressing it again and again - even though the doors still don't seem to immediately close - helps keep our temper in check.

Or maybe we use that button as a signal, a way of letting others in the elevator know that we are in a hurry, need to get somewhere, frustrated that the elevator is taking it's sweet time to get to the next floor.

Now that I know that this button doesn't actually work for us common folk, I'm going to more carefully watch how other passengers use this button. I'd like to see how many times they punch the button and what makes them believe, as I did, that their actions actually have some sort of consequence. And maybe, if I'm feeling particuarly punchy - or brave - I just might share the insight of the dummy button with them.

What's Love Got to do with It?

When I was five or six years old, I would prance around the house with my favorite red purse, belting out the words to "What's Love Got to do with It?" My dream was to be Tina Turner - complete with the crazy hair - and marry Michael Jackson.

Well, some dreams don't quite come true. Alas, marrying the King of Pop was not in the cards, and neither was pulling off the crazy Tina hair - or getting the fabulous Tina legs, for that matter.

But dreams can come pretty close - in October, Abby and I will rendez-vous in Chicago to see Tina perform on her last tour ever! I'm pretty excited about the whole thing and just hope that Tina is prepared for me to sing with her on stage. Oh, Tina, you're "Simply the Best!"

By the way, do you know that Tina is 69 years old? I just hope I can age as gracefully as she has.