My question today is this. Hilary is saying that she has the experience to lead from day one but where did she get this experience? Is she counting her days as being the first lady? That's the only thing I can think of and, for me, that means nothing.
I understand that Hilary took a more hands on approach to being the First Lady than many of her predecessors but does that really mean she gained the experience that she talks about? Not to me. You're the first lady, no matter what, you are not the one making policy, you are not the one getting out of bed at three in the morning because of trouble somewhere in the world, and you are not the one that other world leaders came to talk to. She may have wanted to be that type of person while she was First Lady but, let's face it, she wasn't.
So, if someone else can explain how she has way more experience than Obama, I would appreciate it. The only candidate that really had any experience was Bill Richardson and I would have voted for him.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
Interview Yesterday
So, my interview went well. I do have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by how everything turned out. Let me explain.
When I received the call to set up the interview, I was a little perplexed. You see, I didn't remember applying for the position. It was one of those things that I was sending out my resume to a lot of jobs at the same time so I had to go back and search for the job description. Luckily for me, I saved every correspondence that I sent out to a potential employer because you never know when it may come in handy. So, I found the job description with ease. It wasn't until I was looking over that I realized that maybe, this wasn't that great of a thing that was happening to me.
You see, the job description didn't fit what I was looking for. To me, the position had an office manager feel to it than anything else. So, what was I to do? Well, I never would turn down an interview so I decided to go and use it to practice. They wouldn't want me anyways because all my experience is with event planning.
I showed up for the interview and met the Executive Director (ED). Well, my first impression of the ED was awesome. The ED reminds me of my old director, and my gut tells me that this person is someone who I can trust which is very important to me. The organization, which I had my doubts about working for, ends up being one that is civic minded, working with ALL aspects of the community. This is mostly because of the ED but regardless, the direction that the organization is heading is one that I can agree with and that's something that's very important to me. So, hopefully, I get a second interview and then I get the job. I have the feeling that regardless, something very special will come out of this. Keep your fingers crossed!
When I received the call to set up the interview, I was a little perplexed. You see, I didn't remember applying for the position. It was one of those things that I was sending out my resume to a lot of jobs at the same time so I had to go back and search for the job description. Luckily for me, I saved every correspondence that I sent out to a potential employer because you never know when it may come in handy. So, I found the job description with ease. It wasn't until I was looking over that I realized that maybe, this wasn't that great of a thing that was happening to me.
You see, the job description didn't fit what I was looking for. To me, the position had an office manager feel to it than anything else. So, what was I to do? Well, I never would turn down an interview so I decided to go and use it to practice. They wouldn't want me anyways because all my experience is with event planning.
I showed up for the interview and met the Executive Director (ED). Well, my first impression of the ED was awesome. The ED reminds me of my old director, and my gut tells me that this person is someone who I can trust which is very important to me. The organization, which I had my doubts about working for, ends up being one that is civic minded, working with ALL aspects of the community. This is mostly because of the ED but regardless, the direction that the organization is heading is one that I can agree with and that's something that's very important to me. So, hopefully, I get a second interview and then I get the job. I have the feeling that regardless, something very special will come out of this. Keep your fingers crossed!
Da Bears
Much has been said about Rex Grossman coming back as a Bear. Well, I'm all for it. Don't get me wrong, I hate the guy because he's not consistent but when the guy is on and playing with confidence, there's nobody else in the league that can match him. He has the POTENTIAL to be that good. I just don't think he CAN be that good on a consistent basis. But, my fellow bears fans, the emphasis shouldn't be on Sexy Rexy but it should be on the Bears running game. You see, Lovie is right when he says that this is a run first team so we're not going anywhere if we don't have a running game. 2006? We got to the superbowl because we had a running game. Thomas Jones, might not have been the BEST running back out there but he was THE BEST FOR OUR SYSTEM. Because of him and the offensive line, we had running plays of over 20 yards a couple times a game and that is the difference between the bears making a deep playoff run and the bears going 7-9. Cedric Benson is not cutting it. He can't shake off the first hit and that's because he's running so top heavy that any contact will knock him down. He might have been a good runner in college but his pro game is horrible.
I understand why we got rid of Thomas Jones. It was all business. We drafted Cedric 4th OVERALL and because of that, we can't possibly keep him on the bench. We have to give him time to shine so Thomas Jones is shipped off to NJ for basically nothing. Well, the scouts that told the organization that Benson is a good runner should be fired. Either that or the running back coach should be because someone is either wrong or not doing a good enough job to make this work.
So, Bears fans, don't worry about Grossman or Orton, worry about Benson and Peterson and Wolfe, they are the ones that we need to debate on, who should stay and who should go. Rexy, I feel, has learned his lesson and will become more of a game manager, making smarter choices on the field and throwing less interceptions. By doing this, all we need to do is have a decent running game, with a runner who can churn out a consistent 100 yards/game and you will see our Bears back in the playoffs... and when they are there, I like our chances of winning...
I understand why we got rid of Thomas Jones. It was all business. We drafted Cedric 4th OVERALL and because of that, we can't possibly keep him on the bench. We have to give him time to shine so Thomas Jones is shipped off to NJ for basically nothing. Well, the scouts that told the organization that Benson is a good runner should be fired. Either that or the running back coach should be because someone is either wrong or not doing a good enough job to make this work.
So, Bears fans, don't worry about Grossman or Orton, worry about Benson and Peterson and Wolfe, they are the ones that we need to debate on, who should stay and who should go. Rexy, I feel, has learned his lesson and will become more of a game manager, making smarter choices on the field and throwing less interceptions. By doing this, all we need to do is have a decent running game, with a runner who can churn out a consistent 100 yards/game and you will see our Bears back in the playoffs... and when they are there, I like our chances of winning...
Sunday, February 24, 2008
My Life is Missing Something...
So, my life is out of balance at the moment. It feels like I'm stuck in a rut and can't get myself out of it. Something is missing in my life. Well, many people have that feeling, right? Lucky for me, I realize what it is that is missing from my life. I need three things.
Music. I need to play an instrument again, or better yet, I need to play as many instruments as I can. I see a piano and I want to play it but then get frustrated when I can't remember any songs. I miss playing and creating songs. I miss how playing would calm me down. But, it's not only the piano. I want to pick up the violin again. I want to play the trumpet and start playing jazz songs. There are a couple of other instruments that I wouldn't mind playing and so I'm going to make it happen. I have my violin, I'll get it tuned and start playing again. My next place will have enough room for me to buy a baby grand piano and I'll buy a trumpet and start playing that within the next couple of years.
Running. I need to go out and start running again. I watched the US Indoor Track and Field championships and I miss everything about the sport. I miss the feeling of waiting for my heat. I miss getting into the blocks. I miss how it felt to finish a race. I miss it all. I'm not talking about marathons and distance running, I'm talking about 200 meters, 400 meters, sprint races. So, I'm going to start training again. I'm going to start running with the University of Chicago Track Club and hopefully, I'll be able to run a couple of meets later this year.
Acting. There is something about it that I'm drawn to. I love being on stage, I love the work you have to put into learning lines, I love going to rehearsals, I love being in a acting class environment, I love everything about acting. I am very fortunate to have met so many wonderful actors and to see them work, not only on stage but in rehearsals as well. This is something that I am very realistic about and I have no ambitions of making it big in this field. This is something that is a lot of fun for me and I feel the bug every so often to get back into it. It doesn't matter if it's community play or improv, soon, you'll find me doing something and you better be in the audience watching. And, if I suck, go ahead and tell me. Criticism is very important here and you shouldn't hold back.
Well, that's it. That's all I need now to get my life back in balance. Everything else will fall into its own place.
Music. I need to play an instrument again, or better yet, I need to play as many instruments as I can. I see a piano and I want to play it but then get frustrated when I can't remember any songs. I miss playing and creating songs. I miss how playing would calm me down. But, it's not only the piano. I want to pick up the violin again. I want to play the trumpet and start playing jazz songs. There are a couple of other instruments that I wouldn't mind playing and so I'm going to make it happen. I have my violin, I'll get it tuned and start playing again. My next place will have enough room for me to buy a baby grand piano and I'll buy a trumpet and start playing that within the next couple of years.
Running. I need to go out and start running again. I watched the US Indoor Track and Field championships and I miss everything about the sport. I miss the feeling of waiting for my heat. I miss getting into the blocks. I miss how it felt to finish a race. I miss it all. I'm not talking about marathons and distance running, I'm talking about 200 meters, 400 meters, sprint races. So, I'm going to start training again. I'm going to start running with the University of Chicago Track Club and hopefully, I'll be able to run a couple of meets later this year.
Acting. There is something about it that I'm drawn to. I love being on stage, I love the work you have to put into learning lines, I love going to rehearsals, I love being in a acting class environment, I love everything about acting. I am very fortunate to have met so many wonderful actors and to see them work, not only on stage but in rehearsals as well. This is something that I am very realistic about and I have no ambitions of making it big in this field. This is something that is a lot of fun for me and I feel the bug every so often to get back into it. It doesn't matter if it's community play or improv, soon, you'll find me doing something and you better be in the audience watching. And, if I suck, go ahead and tell me. Criticism is very important here and you shouldn't hold back.
Well, that's it. That's all I need now to get my life back in balance. Everything else will fall into its own place.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Memories
Another poem. Oddly enough, I wrote this on 9/11 apparently. I emailed it to myself (my method of saving at the time).
I'm left with memories
Of us holding hands
Making plans
To be together
Forever
But now
I'm just left with
Trying to understand
How this could be
Why did you leave me
In the cold
All alone
No support
Grasping at memories
Memories that betray me
Reminding me of
Everything we had
Things we did
Moments we shared
Our past tells me
Our love should have survived
It wouldn't die
It was endless
Beautiful
As bright as the sun
It warmed my soul
Gave me hope
Showed me the way
But now
I only have the memories
I'm left with memories
Of us holding hands
Making plans
To be together
Forever
But now
I'm just left with
Trying to understand
How this could be
Why did you leave me
In the cold
All alone
No support
Grasping at memories
Memories that betray me
Reminding me of
Everything we had
Things we did
Moments we shared
Our past tells me
Our love should have survived
It wouldn't die
It was endless
Beautiful
As bright as the sun
It warmed my soul
Gave me hope
Showed me the way
But now
I only have the memories
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Lifetime
Written on Valentine's day, 2002 and was one of the last poems I ever wrote...
I might have spent a lifetime
Cradled within your arms
And you within mine
As we spend our time
Lost in our love
Holding you in the dark
On a cold winter's night
Or watching the rain strike
Against the windowpane
I might have spent a lifetime
Looking into your eyes
Listening to your voice
Hearing your heartbeat
As we lay amongst the trees
Watching the golden leaves
As a brisk autumn wind
Brings us closer together
And we swear that we never
Would ever say goodbye
I might have spent a lifetime
With your head on my shoulder
Listening to Marvin Gaye
As we danced the night away
With your hands in mine
Watching the sun rise
Waiting for the next sunset
So we could watch the stars
As they light up the night sky
Or take in a fireworks show
On the Fourth of July
I might have spent a lifetime
Preparing for that special day
Where you and I become we
Like two peas in a pod
Until we are old and grey
Watching our grandkids play
Maybe that is what will be
Together until the very end
I might have spent a lifetime
Just to find out
By R.Santana
© 2002 R.Santana (All rights reserved)
I might have spent a lifetime
Cradled within your arms
And you within mine
As we spend our time
Lost in our love
Holding you in the dark
On a cold winter's night
Or watching the rain strike
Against the windowpane
I might have spent a lifetime
Looking into your eyes
Listening to your voice
Hearing your heartbeat
As we lay amongst the trees
Watching the golden leaves
As a brisk autumn wind
Brings us closer together
And we swear that we never
Would ever say goodbye
I might have spent a lifetime
With your head on my shoulder
Listening to Marvin Gaye
As we danced the night away
With your hands in mine
Watching the sun rise
Waiting for the next sunset
So we could watch the stars
As they light up the night sky
Or take in a fireworks show
On the Fourth of July
I might have spent a lifetime
Preparing for that special day
Where you and I become we
Like two peas in a pod
Until we are old and grey
Watching our grandkids play
Maybe that is what will be
Together until the very end
I might have spent a lifetime
Just to find out
By R.Santana
© 2002 R.Santana (All rights reserved)
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Political Defeat
For those of you that still don't know who to vote for, or maybe those that are just voting for a person because it sounds like a good thing to do, here's something for you to help you decide who to vote for.
How these candidates handle defeat is key to how I am going to vote. Do they accept defeat, offering excuses and moving on to the next issue or do they roll back the sleeves and get down and drity to work hard on improving themselves? I do not want our next president to just sit there and give me excuses as to why stuff is not getting done. I don't want a president who doesn't fight a fight all the way through, no matter if it is a losing cause. I want a president who can accept defeat, learn from it and use it as a springboard for later successes.
Personally, I think that there are only two candidates that have proven to me that they are presidential based on the criteria I provided above, Obama and McCain. Early on in their campaigns, they both faced hard times. They both tasted defeats and were talked about as not having a chance to pull of a victory. They both regrouped and learned from their previous mistakes, went out there and preached their messages louder and neither offered excuses for their previous disappointments. That's just my point of view.
How these candidates handle defeat is key to how I am going to vote. Do they accept defeat, offering excuses and moving on to the next issue or do they roll back the sleeves and get down and drity to work hard on improving themselves? I do not want our next president to just sit there and give me excuses as to why stuff is not getting done. I don't want a president who doesn't fight a fight all the way through, no matter if it is a losing cause. I want a president who can accept defeat, learn from it and use it as a springboard for later successes.
Personally, I think that there are only two candidates that have proven to me that they are presidential based on the criteria I provided above, Obama and McCain. Early on in their campaigns, they both faced hard times. They both tasted defeats and were talked about as not having a chance to pull of a victory. They both regrouped and learned from their previous mistakes, went out there and preached their messages louder and neither offered excuses for their previous disappointments. That's just my point of view.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Freedom vs. Safety - 2nd Time Around...
From my other blog written last year but wanted to repost...
I was asked, not too long ago, "which would I rather have, Freedom or Safety?" At first, it seems like a difficult question. I mean, everybody wants to be free AND safe, right? Why do I have to choose between the two? Then I thought about it. The choice is not that hard at all. As a matter of fact, it's a lot easier of a question than we realize. If faced with the choice, I will pick freedom, 100%, hands down every time. Ask George Washington if he wanted to be free or safe, I'm sure he'll back me up on this. You see, freedom has never, ever been safe. As a matter of fact, to be free is to live in constant danger. Throughout history, humans have always tried to make others subservient and those who were subservient strived to be free. There will always be people out there trying to take away our freedom and we must always fight them.
So, if this question is so simple, why is there so much debate on the subject? Well, since the dawn of time, humanity strived for safety. It's something that is embedded into our very being. We need to be safe. That's why it takes a special person to risk their safety for someone else, put their lives on the line for an ideal or a purpose. When faced with the choice of being free or being safe, people are faced with choosing between something that we all strived for (safety) and something that is actually very foreign to mankind (freedom). You can't fight me on this, history is filled with civilizations that enslaved others. It is what we know, it was how we lived. Hell, even the bible listed rules regarding slavery (Leviticus 25:44-46) (Exodus 21:20-21) (Titus 2:9-10) and not one of them says to set them free. Freedom is a foreign concept to humanity. This is why we pick safety. This is why so many are okay with the loss of a few personal freedoms. They collectively scream "I WANT TO BE SAFE!"
I brought up George Washington earlier to make a point. He faced enemies that came from across an ocean to fight him. He also faced enemies that might have lived next door. There were a lot of colonists that didn't want freedom but wanted to be safe. They would rather be subjected to the rule of the King of England than rather control their own destinies. If it meant that they would be inconvenienced, they wanted no part of it. Why upset the status quo?
Politics 2008
What's the difference between a black or white president? Can one race be better than the other? What about Hispanics or Asians? Can a woman be a better president than a man? Should we ever elect someone who is of Islamic faith? Focusing on the race, sex, religion of a candidate has nothing to do with what the candidates stand for or their ability to lead this nation. We are electing someone to lead us and the ONLY qualities that we should focus on are those that offer proof that the person we elect IS THE BEST CANDIDATE for the job, not if he/she is man or woman, black or white.
I share the same sentiment with you in regards to our society, I do not believe that a majority of people are ready for a black president, or a woman president for that matter. It's really sad that that is the case.
Is this nation ready for a black president? I believe a better question would be, is this nation ready to look past differences and elect a great president. I'm not saying that Obama would be a great president, but until we stop choosing people to lead us for all the wrong reasons (HE looks "presidential", HE out raised his opponents, ect.) and start looking at candidates that show us that they can lead this great nation, we will always sell ourselves short. We will always do this country a great disservice.
I share the same sentiment with you in regards to our society, I do not believe that a majority of people are ready for a black president, or a woman president for that matter. It's really sad that that is the case.
Is this nation ready for a black president? I believe a better question would be, is this nation ready to look past differences and elect a great president. I'm not saying that Obama would be a great president, but until we stop choosing people to lead us for all the wrong reasons (HE looks "presidential", HE out raised his opponents, ect.) and start looking at candidates that show us that they can lead this great nation, we will always sell ourselves short. We will always do this country a great disservice.
V Day
I refuse to acknowledge this day. Why? I believe that romance and affection should be shown throughout the year, not just on a select day. If I take you out to a romantic dinner followed by a horse carriage ride on 2/10, should I go and try to top that on 2/14? Why? Because someone said that this was the day to do that? Romance is one of those things that nobody should force you to do. It's either you are romantic or not and if you are, you probably are romantic all year round. If you are not romantic, why put the pressure associated with this day to learn how to be romantic? That's just how I feel about it. Besides, because everybody's waiting for this one day to show that they can be romantic or show some affection, you now run into the problem of trying to go out while everybody else is trying to do the same thing. That means, you will wait hours for a table at that resturant that was empty two days ago. You won't find a horse carriage to take you on a stroll downtown when they were just standing around last weekend. Try finding a red rose or any roses for that matter when two weeks from now, nobody else will be buying them. It's a huge cause for trouble in a relationship. So, I say, I refuse to acknowledge this day and I encourage everybody else to do the same.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Drugs and Guns
Ha. 3 in the morning and I can't sleep and all of a sudden, it hits me. Don't ask why I was thinking about this, just read what I have below and then comment on it. This is just an initial idea and I know it needs some hammering out.
Gun laws seem to be a big dividing line between people. There are those who firmly believe that the 2nd amendment is not to be messed with and there are people like me who hate guns because we see what they are doing in the streets. I've had guns aimed at me a number of times and the thought that I'm here now only because people didn't pull a trigger is reason enough for me to not give a rat's ass about the 2nd amendment. But, this is America and a compromise needs to happen. Here it is. You do not take away the guns from those who LEGALLY obtain one. You do make it hard to get a gun, enforcing background checks and such, but you do not interfere with people's rights to have a gun. As a matter of fact, you require people to become educated regarding guns. They have to pass a certification test on their weapon to own it. Allow gun shops to teach the classes, and have gun ranges available for practice. The gun shops will go with this because this is now an added source of revenue. The NRA will look favorably on this because you are now educating the public about guns and hopefully, this causes the people to make smarter decisions.
Now, at the same time as you are making guns appealing, you stiffen the punishments on crimes committed with guns. You make it so that people will think twice about using a gun. I'm talking about sentencing a person for a MINIMUM of 20 years with no parole for just armed robbery. Something along those lines. This has to apply across the board to everybody so that people will honestly be discouraged to use guns.
Now, you might be saying to yourself that if we are locking up people for long periods of time with no chance of early release, locking them up in an already overcrowded prison system, where are we going to find the room for everybody. This is where the drugs come in.
Whatever your views on drug use is, you do have to admit that sending users to jail is not solving anything. It's crippling our judical system and overloading our prisons. So, what do we do? We no longer send users to jail. We just give them a fine. Now, I'm not talking about a fine of a couple hundred dollars, we are talking about something in the thousands. You want people to stop doing something, you make it too expensive for them to do it. It worked for cigs, why can't it work for drugs? A person who pays a fine and is caught again will have to pay a higher fine, until he/she learns their lesson.
Now, if a person cannot afford to pay the fine, what happens? Well, you have the person work it off. For $10/hour (this will have to be untaxed and I'm using that rate as an example), you have the person work off the fine by doing community service projects. Cleaning up graffiti, picking up trash, hell, even shoveling snow, whatever you can find for that person, they will have to do until their fine is paid. What this does is gives the government an indirect way to tax drug use, it eases the overcrowding of jails, helps out the communities with beautification projects, and discourages drug use by making it financially unsound to continue.
Alright, now I wrote this down and now, maybe, I can get some sleep. Please comment on this, no matter if you are pro or con to these views. I'm just throwing this out and like I said earlier, some of the details do need to be worked on. You do have to remember, this just popped into my head and it took me all of 15 minutes to type it out.
Gun laws seem to be a big dividing line between people. There are those who firmly believe that the 2nd amendment is not to be messed with and there are people like me who hate guns because we see what they are doing in the streets. I've had guns aimed at me a number of times and the thought that I'm here now only because people didn't pull a trigger is reason enough for me to not give a rat's ass about the 2nd amendment. But, this is America and a compromise needs to happen. Here it is. You do not take away the guns from those who LEGALLY obtain one. You do make it hard to get a gun, enforcing background checks and such, but you do not interfere with people's rights to have a gun. As a matter of fact, you require people to become educated regarding guns. They have to pass a certification test on their weapon to own it. Allow gun shops to teach the classes, and have gun ranges available for practice. The gun shops will go with this because this is now an added source of revenue. The NRA will look favorably on this because you are now educating the public about guns and hopefully, this causes the people to make smarter decisions.
Now, at the same time as you are making guns appealing, you stiffen the punishments on crimes committed with guns. You make it so that people will think twice about using a gun. I'm talking about sentencing a person for a MINIMUM of 20 years with no parole for just armed robbery. Something along those lines. This has to apply across the board to everybody so that people will honestly be discouraged to use guns.
Now, you might be saying to yourself that if we are locking up people for long periods of time with no chance of early release, locking them up in an already overcrowded prison system, where are we going to find the room for everybody. This is where the drugs come in.
Whatever your views on drug use is, you do have to admit that sending users to jail is not solving anything. It's crippling our judical system and overloading our prisons. So, what do we do? We no longer send users to jail. We just give them a fine. Now, I'm not talking about a fine of a couple hundred dollars, we are talking about something in the thousands. You want people to stop doing something, you make it too expensive for them to do it. It worked for cigs, why can't it work for drugs? A person who pays a fine and is caught again will have to pay a higher fine, until he/she learns their lesson.
Now, if a person cannot afford to pay the fine, what happens? Well, you have the person work it off. For $10/hour (this will have to be untaxed and I'm using that rate as an example), you have the person work off the fine by doing community service projects. Cleaning up graffiti, picking up trash, hell, even shoveling snow, whatever you can find for that person, they will have to do until their fine is paid. What this does is gives the government an indirect way to tax drug use, it eases the overcrowding of jails, helps out the communities with beautification projects, and discourages drug use by making it financially unsound to continue.
Alright, now I wrote this down and now, maybe, I can get some sleep. Please comment on this, no matter if you are pro or con to these views. I'm just throwing this out and like I said earlier, some of the details do need to be worked on. You do have to remember, this just popped into my head and it took me all of 15 minutes to type it out.
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