Debate! Debate? Not me!

The Vice Presidential debate is this evening. I am not watching it.



Why? What substance will come of it? Will Sarah Palin suddenly present herself as a great orator? Will Biden become warm and homey?



It's not likely. What will certainly come is more rhetoric, more division and more bickering. Why do I want to bring that energy to my life?



I am going to vote and will watch the remaining presidential debates but in the long run the VP debate means nothing to me. Yes, I know the office is a heartbeat to the President (and with McCain's age folks certainly should have an eye on this!). The office of VP is a support role. It is often used as a 'pitbull' role to protect the goodwill of the President. In my opinion, both Palin and Biden can do do this effectively.



I don't vote for a pitbull. I vote for a leader. If watching the debate, will help you vote - THEN WATCH THE DEBATE!!! Just vote! Please. McCain? Obama? Choose! Nader? Fine!



Just exercise your right and responsibility to vote.



So what will I do tonite? I am spending it at work. A good civil servant. Doing my job!!

Right on Jim Wallis!

Cricket sent this blog post by Jim Wallis to me this evening. I found it incredibly striking. Mr. Wallis is best known to me as the author of God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It" (Harper Collins, 2005). Its a good read!

In his blog on Huffigtonpost.com, Mr. Wallis comments on the state of the American Dream, the American Congress and the financial crisis that is affecting us right now. He offers several suggestions for repentance that Congress could offer during the Jewish High Holy time. Most of which, I found to be right on point.

He also serves up a few suggestions for us ‘common’ folks:

“For being seduced into lifestyles beyond our means and contrary to our religious traditions of simplicity and stewardship. For living on far too much credit, rather than living within our limits. For sometimes putting economic values ahead of family values. For letting the relentless assault of advertising and a culture of consumption to seed in us the sin of covetousness. For valuing our lives too much by the cultural values of worth, instead of by the values of the kingdom of God. And, for the students at Harvard (where I sometimes teach), the fact that half of you want to go into
investment banking as a career is a sign that something has gone wrong with the
culture. Repent, and make sure your vocation benefits the common
good.”

He is right. What are we all doing for the common good? How have we each gotten caught in the ‘rat’ race of economic gain and possession management?

I don’t advocate a “Christian’ nation. However, I think we all need to be grounded is a firm spiritual base that cares for those around us as ourselves. If it is true that in the end, we are judged by how we treated the least of our brothers and sisters, then we might want to use this time of ‘crisis’ as a gift to re-evaluate where we stand in relation to that! It seems to me that it is a universal belief of most of the world religions. Care, Love, Respect. If I am not helping the common good – who is?

I am guilty of living beyond my means ( although it is slowly improving in time) and I know that I get caught up in the rat race that is consumerism and greed. I think this is a fine time for me to repent and make some resolutions to walk more humbly and care more deeply. I can rage against the politicans but in the end – I need to look into the mirror. I challenge you all to do the same.

Would love to hear your comments! Leave me some!

Reference:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-wallis/repent-the-end-is-near_b_130645.html

Rosh Hashanah begins on Monday

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins on Monday night. Like all New Year's celebrations, it's a chance to start over.

I am not Jewish. I am Catholic. As I have studied Catholic faith and tradition over the years, I wonder how this wonderful tradition got left out of the Christian experience. When did it morph into something else?

Rosh Hashanah occurs in the fall. What a wonderful time to start a new? I have never really been able to think of New Years as a starting point of the year. It just seems so odd. It is in the dark of winter often devoid of color and life. But in the fall as nature is starting to abound with color and the winds start to pick up, it seems a bit more understandable. So as a good Catholic girl, I ususally stop and pause with my Jewish brothers and sisters at this time of year.

I find it a great time to spend on some introspection, looking back on the past years successes and failures and make plans to go forward. This for me means forgiveness. Not just of the people that I have gotten angry with over the course of the last year but forgiveness of myself. To let go of all the things that I tend to use as weapon to hurt myself.

There is a great blog post on belief.net about this very subject. http://blog.beliefnet.com/windowsanddoors/2008/09/rosh-hashanah-repentance-and-t.html

The author serves up 10 tips for forigiveness. Most of which really hit home this year. According to the Talmud, G-d created mankind on the first day of the month Tishri. As such, Rosh Hashanah commemorates the creation of the human race. It is a time for cleansing and renewal, a chance to receive forgiveness and clear the slate. What a wonderful thing to commenorate and what a wonderful thing to celebrate in our lifes each and every day!

L'shanah tovah to you all.

Missing my 20's

In my 20's everyone was falling in love, getting married and starting off in new and interesting directions. Life seemed full of promise. Everyone was healthy and looking forward to the challenges that awaited them.

Now it seems at 36, those bigger 'challenges' are starting to get thrown at folks. Parents are aging. Marriages are dissolving. Health challenges for us and our children are popping up. Those friends who have tried for years for children are starting to shift expectations to adoption or a childless life.

Perhaps the challenges aren't that much bigger than ones that came before and will come after. Maybe it is the urgency and the newness of them that make them seem so much larger? I don't know.

As for today? My thoughts are with S & J ( and their 6 and 4 year old ). J is undergoing a bi-lateral radical mastectomy. Both are under 40 and have the love and support of a wonderful family. S's mom tells me their attitude is great.

What happened to the times when the biggest crisis we faces was to go to class or not on a Friday AM? I wouldn't go back if I could but it is nice to dream about.

Happiness Project: 12 tips to be happier at work

One of the blogs that I read frequently is a Happiness Project. The author, Gretchen Rubin, is writing a "memoir about the year I spent test-driving every principle, tip, theory, and scientific study I could find, whether from Aristotle or St. Therese or Martin Seligman or Oprah" It can be found at: http://www.happiness-project.com/. Her book is due to be published in 2009.

On the Happiness Project, Wednesday is always tip day. Today's tips focus on how to be happier at work. I must admit that my job is pretty OK. It is really the first job that I feel I have a handle around and can do it well. The stress is intermittent and I get an adequate amount of time away from the office.

The tips today have given me a few areas of thought:

"Tip 8: Take care of difficult calls, tasks, or emails as quickly as possible. Procrastinating makes them harder; getting them done gives a big boost of relieved energy."

Good news is that I do this naturally. I am a person who hates to hear the words "There is something that I need to discuss with you." In my experience procrastinating does make it worse.

10. Let yourself stay ignorant of things you don’t need to know.

This tip is truly the one that I need to work on! I need to know everything. And often times, I have to talk myself off a virtual ledge when I learn too much. My boss is great with this. He often says - well...its just best not to ask the question to unimportant matters. In our society, we think that knowledge is power and we forget that knowledge often carries a responsibility. I didn't need to know that a co-worker thinks of me as useful but moody! I spent hours thinking about how I wasn't moody while in fact demonstrating the exact point! I pushed to learn that knowledge from a third party thinking it would provide me insight. It didn't. It wasn't productive and did not change the way I work.

Lastly...

12. Say “Good morning” to everyone. Social contact is cheering, and if you feel that you’re on good terms with all the people in your office, you’ll be happier each day. Also, it’s polite.

I often forget to say Good Morning to folks. I get wrapped in my thoughts, my blackberry, my tasks to even acknowledge the folks around me. I do notice a difference when I make it a point to say Good Morning, Good Afternoon or a Howdy!


Take a look at the post on HAPPINESS PROJECT. Let me know what you think! Let Gretchen know what you think!

Govt Employees, Work and Voting

In very short order, the election season will be over. It seems that the candidates have been campaigning for the last 3 years. How does any work get done at all by these candidates in the 'real' jobs? If I want to work elsewhere, can i get paid by my current employer to not show up so I can 'woo' the perspective employer? It seems like a good gig if you can get it. To answer the question on how work gets done... its by the faithful GS employees who are non political and are there election after election doing the work of the American people. We GS employees often get a bum rap in the press as being lazy and set in our ways. I beg to differ. Most that I know and work with care passionately about their jobs and the work they produce. It doesn't matter if you are 25 and hired out of college or within 5 years of retirement! Lets give them their due!

Totally unrelated... I was speaking with someone this morning who informed me they weren't going to vote! Please! Everyone should vote. I don't have to agree with your choice. You dont't have to agree with mine. That's part of the wonderful beauty of our nation. EVERYONE NEEDS TO VOTE. I can share my opinions with you and hopefully bring you over to my side if you would like me to but I think there are plenty of opinions out there right now.

VOTE! I don't care what age, color, gender, or orientation you. Get to the polls. If you cant get to the polls, get to your county and register to vote absentee. Get it in. It is your right and your responsibility. I don't think I need to remind everyone about the economy, the war, the cultural/religious issues that exist today in our country. ( Frankly, they have ALWAYS existed! Some more pressing than others!)

Where will you be for about 30-40 minutes on Tuesday, Nov. 4th? Your neighborhood polling location is your best bet!

Omnivores 100 List

I am a picky eater. Better yet, I am becoming a less picky eater! When I first saw the Omnivores 100 list on Very Good Tastes Blog, I knew it was a challenge.

Basically, you copy the list from Very Good Taste's The Omnivore's 100 and post it to your blog, bolding the items you've tried and striking through any you would never try.

So without further ado...My list

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile (Does Alligator count?)
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries ( Thank you, Shawn!)
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more ( Thank You, Joseph!)
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

So by my count - 46 items out of 100. Not bad for a white bread and butter eater, vanilla shake drinker with dreams of velveeta! :)