The 44th President of the United States of America

Well, he did it.

We have finally overcome whatever racial issues/prejudices we have held, as a country, and elected our first Black president*. We've come a long way. I can hardly even imagine: we've come from the 1860's where there were Blacks who were slaves, to the bigotry and prejudice of the pre-civil rights movement America, to today; we are finally beginning to see people instead of color.

Or, are we?

I have such mixed emotions about President-elect Obama. I would like to believe that people elected him based on his merit, his experience, and his political platform. However, I can't shake the idea that this particular election was more about race and prejudice than we want to admit.

Howard Stern proved how ignorant some of us are when he chose to do 'man on the street' interviews in the Bronx. Stern's show was asking passers-by who they intended to vote for, when the people answered "Obama" the interviewer would prompt with questions like "are you voting for Obama because of his pro-life beliefs and platform?" or "Because Obama wants our troops to stay in Iraq?" and the respondents would, shockingly, agree and say things like "yeah...I'm pro-life, and I'm voting for Obama because he's pro-life. And yeah, we don't want to pull out the troops." Essentially, the interviewer twisted everything around and presented McCain's platform, but saying it was Obama's. It was heartbreaking to me to hear it. To realize that so many of our American citizens are uninformed and so proud of their political beliefs/understanding and yet they have an equal vote to those who are informed...I can do no more than just shake my head. It makes me believe that they were voting for Obama not based on his political platform, but more for the pigmentation of his skin.

On the other side of the coin, we have McCain: the typical White Male In Power. By all accounts, if we Americans are as judgmental (racist) as we're portrayed to be, McCain should have won by a landslide. But, he didn't. In fact, he lost. One of the reasons that was brought to my attention was because of his age. "He would be, at age 71, the oldest president elect." To look at his age as a factor that counted against him i.e.(he's too old and doddering to make coherent decisions), isn't that yet another form of discrimination? Prejudice? Isn't it ageism? Does that mean that all older adults are incompetent, and that they should not be considered sentient, cerebral human beings? I sure hope not. That isn't to say that some folks as they get older don't suffer from diseases and 'old timers' that makes their intellect less sharp than it once was.

But, truly, can we say this election wasn't about prejudices? Is this yet another example of the 'Fleecing of America'? Let us hope not.

Let us not take what is evil and say that it is good. Let us not pervert the truth. Let us pray for our leaders that they make right choices for all of our people and the world, and that they do what is right, and good, and just. Let us hope...**





*(I don't like saying African-American, as all of us are equally American. Are we trying to suggest they feel more patriotic toward their ancestors' birth place? By suggesting 'African' first and 'American' second, it somehow seems anti-patriotic. We are all members of the same race: the human race. And, as an example, I don't refer to myself as a Norwegian-American...likely I am un-PC, but I don't mean it in any type of disrespectful way. I am described as 'white' they don't say 'Caucasian'. Sometimes I am referred to as 'Anglo' although, I find them term insulting. By assuming that I am Anglo based on my skin tone, you are completely discounting my heritage, it really can spiral out of control...you get the idea.)

**I hope I have not offended anyone. I don't wish to say one candidate was a better choice than the other. When it comes right down to it, I wasn't particularly impressed by EITHER candidate. I only write to sort out my own feelings and thoughts, that I might look back in the coming weeks and months to see what I was thinking at this time.

Small Victories

Thank goodness for small victories. Without them, it makes most tasks that require substantial effort nearly insurmountable.

I have decided on a lifestyle change, or rather (more appropriately) I have decided to renew my dedication to changing my lifestyle so that I can be more healthy. Also, to be perfectly honest, I'm sick to death of shopping in the 'porker section' of the store. There's really nothing terribly attractive in the clothing ( beyond about a size 12) choices I may select from, and, I'm tired of being ripped off.

Yup. If you're a porker, you gotta pay more if you want any sort of selection beyond gold lame, butterfly appliqued sweatshirts, and (shudder) elastic waist poly-synthetic pants. Yuck. It is a complete gyp; if you're big, and I am, you pay more. I can't make use of those uber cool sales racks at the T.J. Maxx store or at Ross Dress for Less because, well, they don't go beyond a size 12 (maybe a 14). I want to be able to satisfy my cravings for good deals and walk away from the clearance rack with an entire ensemble costing less than $20. In the porker section? Ain't gonna happen.

So, yeah, I want to be healthier. Ironically, on paper (minus the figure that represents the total number of metric tons that compose my svelte figure) I'm actually pretty healthy already--a drag, because it makes it harder to stay moivated. Its not like I'm suffering from high cholesterol (I'm pretty proud of the fact aht my total cholesterol is about 138--thought I'm working on lowering it more) or I'm diabetic. I think if I had some serious health issue (not that I want one, I don't) I think it would, possibly, be easier to stay focused and on-task. Also, I want to feel better (lighter), and I want to be around for my kids into old-age without being one of those crippled-up, old fat-ladies who scoot around in a 'hover-round' or some such contraption. But-the shallow end of it is I want to look better, too. So, I'm back to watching what I'm eating.

NO. It isn't a diet.

NO it isn't a resolution. If it were a resolution, it wouldn't be successful; who, after all, actually accomplishes 'New Year's Resolutions' anyhow? They're made to be broken.

So, on to my small victory:

I'm sticking to counting calories. 1,500 calories, daily, to be precise. I'm not worrying about any other aspect of the counting game other than the calories. I don't eat processed foods at home (too expensive), so by virtue of the fact I'm sticking to the 1,500 cal/day I'll be eating foods automatically low in fat, cholesterol, sodium, and sugar. Don't we just love us some good salty and sugary foods? I digress.

I need to go grocery shopping (rates about #2 or #3 on my top ten least favorite activities list), as usual. So I have exactly no food in my refrigerator that would be lunch-ish fodder. Unless you count mustard and every other condiment known to western civilization--I don't. So that left us with a dilemma: what to do for lunch.

I know! Go to the evil grease-empire: McDonald's (not to be confused with THE Evil Empire: Starbucks). But, what can I possibly eat there? Everything is deep fried and smothered in chocolate--wait, that's from Shrek 2--at any rate 'healthy choices' and 'McDonald's' aren't typically found in the same utterance.

Let's just say I did some online homework before we left the house. I looked at the available nutritional information for several fast-food restaurants: Quizno's, Subway, Taco Bell, Wendy's, McDonald's, Burger King, Jack in the Box, and Applebee's. Let's just say if you were to look up what you might typically order off of the 'super value/combo menu' you'll be ill to see how many calories you (and I) consume(d). Of the burger joint variety, to my surprise, McDonald's was the healthiest of the options I researched.

Huh?

Strange but true. Applebee's has the healthiest and most appetizing choices for low calorie dining, but, alas, they're considerably more worrisome to the ol' pocketbook. So off to MCD we went.

I succeeded in enjoying (truly!) my lunch, while not utterly 'blowing it' calorically speaking. I ate a Grilled Chicken, bacon, ranch Salad with low-calorie vinaigrette. Surprisingly, it was really good, very filling, and (angels sing, now) it came in at a modest 260 calories. Add in a Diet Dr. Pepper, and I was good-to-go.

Small victories add up. And, this victory made me do the happy dance. Hmm...I wonder how many calories that burned off....

Happy New Year: 2008 Edition

Welcome to 2008. Can you even believe that we're here already? Where does it go? It seems like I was just celebrating Independence Day and reveling in the Terra-cotta warmth of August, and here we are again already, past the 'holiday 26.2' and the dial has flipped over.

I'm grateful for the beginning of this year. Why? Well, it is quite selfish, really. I have finally recovered from a frightful bought of Viral Gastroenteritis, or for those of us without a score of years spent at med school: Stomach Flu. Most cases run their course within 1-3 days. Not me. Nope. I'm special: I managed to have a whopping 10 day bout of the joyful intestinal upset that keeps on a-giving.

Groan.

Yes, dear friends, I have effectively spent my entire holiday suffering from the stomach flu, in bed, or when not in bed vomiting from either end of my g.i. tract. A lovely image, I know. I'll spare the rest of the details. Let's just say it wasn't pretty.

I regret being sick mostly because of the lost time with my kidlets. Normally winter vacation and the holidays are a time when I enjoy spending extra time with my kiddies, going to OMSI to enjoy the latest (and most grotesque, at times) science exhibits and cool hands-on activities. Or, often we'll head to the Zoo to enjoy a brisk afternoon of learning about exotic and some-not-so-exotic species. We also enjoy just puttering around the house, baking cookies, and relaxing the rules on junk-food, television, and just plain old goofing off. Not so this past season.

Sigh.

B.J. reminds me that there's always Spring-break. It is so rare to be able to enjoy my babies during the part of the day where they're fresh and new and ready to go (mornings), so I really indulge during my vacations. Tomorrow I head back to the daily grind, and with it those beautiful, happy mornings fly with my kidlets back to daycare. Such is the life of a working mother.

On to 2008.

What do I want to accomplish this year? Lots of things. Here's where I'd normally begin to lament all the things I managed to NOT accomplish in '07, and write down a lofty list of 'resolutions' to tackle for this year. Not gonna happen.

I'm not going to look back. At least not today. I often spend so much of my mental 'free time' ruminating about the past and living among the specters and ghosts of my past failures, defeats, and all of the 'should haves' that are a part of my existence. Today (even if only for a day) I'm going to look forward: I'm looking to my future and all the things I can still do. I'm thinking today of how I want to make myself a better person. I'm starting very small. I'm even a little embarrassed to say what my first goal I'm working on is, but here it goes: I will yell less.

There. I said it. It already feels a teeny-tiny little bit better. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I yell a lot. I didn't grow up in a household that yelled. My mother and dad did not yell and scream (they did have discussions, but not drag-down screaming matches or anything close to it). My mother rarely yelled at me; when mom did yell at me I really had it coming, and I was, in fact, deliberately doing something naughty and I knew it. Not so in my household. I find that I start out small: I talk louder to be heard. Then, the ante gets upped and I've escalated a bit more and I'm talking REALLY REALLY LOUDLY...eventually I'm yelling, usually something to the effect of "Quit hitting your brother! Be nice or be quiet! STOP IT! YOU'RE DRIVING ME BANANAS!!". Sad to say it, but it gets worse than that. But, you get the gist. My first goal to make everyone's day a little nicer (including my own) is to yell less. I did not grow up with a screaming dragon of a mother, why should my children?

Yell less. Sounds simple, right? We'll see just how 'simple' it is.

Cheers to you and the new year. What are you improving?