Erin and I are practically twins (today)

Erin, I really dig your quizzes. They help eat up time in my afternoon.

Lao Tzu You two would probably really get along!

Founder of Taoism "In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don't try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present."

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 44% on Intuitive You scored higher than 42% on Structured You scored higher than 67% on Mildness You scored higher than 84% on Traditional

Link: The Religion Founder You Resemble Test written by Stinkbot on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

My mom thinks I'm woefully selfish

Truth be told, I am. But she still raised hell over me being more concerned about the smoking ban in DC than issues such as Abramoff's plea bargain and Sharon's stroke. I don't disagree that these are important issues, and I am following them pretty closely (although you'll see much better coverage on Erin's website than you will probably ever see on mine), but this Blog is all about me. In other words, I've always intended this Blog as a way for friends and family to keep up with me over the long term, when I can't write so many personal emails and letters.

But just in case you've got a hard-on for world news and desperately need to know my ideas on these specific incidents, here you go:

1. I find it relatively amusing that the media pretends to be self-righteous about practices we all know have been occuring for years. Having once dated a state senator's son and also having lived in lovely, politically corrupt Philly (and worked for a political watchdog to boot!), I know pretty well how small gifts can add up to political favors. I have a hard time believing that only the 20 or so aides and politicians who will be implicated by Abramoff are the ONLY ones in Washington to have committed such sins against the public. And while I don't believe it is morally viable for anyone to engage in bribery (because, essentially, that is what Abramoff was engaged in), I am also pragmatic enough to recognize that this is a part of the political system. Money trumps everything, and so long as the votes are still there, those who are most well-funded will hold onto political clout. The deeply immoral underpinnings and self-serving attitudes that abound in politics are the reasons why I don't pursue a career as a politician.

2. Israel and the Palestinian state. What can I say that hasn't already been said? Sharon is an incredibly intuitive and gifted politician. He made a bold move with the Gaza Strip and, no matter the outcome, would come up smelling like a rose. He gave land back to the Palestinians to help them create a viable and peaceful state, and this allowed him the political leverage to look good to the international community no matter what the outcome. If the Palestinians continued to push violence, he now had the moral high ground to attack. If the Palestinians began to participate diplomatically and globally, then a sort of peace would be achieved in the most chaotic area of the Arab world. Yet now with the doctors indicating that Sharon will not be able to return to his duties, there is no one left with the vision to make a peaceful Israel a reality. Peace is still possible, but there is stubborness on both sides that needs to be overcome, and without the great political leadership of someone like Sharon (and also without a strong hold on the Palestinian people - something Abbas lacks), it is unlikely that a truce can be brokered. It is an absolute tragedy that this is occuring at such a vulnerable time for Israel and Palestine. Many, many years may pass before another opportunity to forage peacefully ahead presents itself to these people.

Are you happy now, mom? (Also, Yael, feel free to tell me what a jackass I am for any of my opinions - anything you have to say on the ground from Israel would be more informed than anything I can formulate here in the U.S.)

In the epic battle betweend DC and New York, New York always wins

Yesterday I was walking (okay, so I was limping - so much for my getting back to the gym and feeling good about myself again) out of the Metro at my stop and I'm about to enter the turnstyle to exit when this guy cuts me off and jumps in front of me. Now I'm not saying that city folk can't be rude and insensitive bastards (after all, I am), but DCers really need to make up their minds. There is the whole Metro etiquette of not touching each other, constantly apologizing, and not making eye contact which would lead me to conclude that the rules of a track meet should trump all other decision here: unless you have a pace and a half lead, you can't cut in. Dry and simple.

At least in New York, people have no issues with elbow-checking you, shoving you, and pushing you aside so I really never thought twice about it when one of them cut me off when I was trying to exit the subway. And in all fairness, they were always walking faster than me anyway.

So, mister, where was my "excuse me" or "sorry"? It seemed to have slipped your mind and I don't mean to be rude, but the next time some asshole pushes his/her way in front of me and then proceeds to walk at a snail's pace, I am going to open a can of whupass on you. And that goes double for you freaks that feel the desperate need to stand on top of the door on the subway, instead of moving down the aisle and making room for the rest of us who are waiting impatiently to get home during traffic hour.

Why is This Relegated to the Back Page?

I know that the recent mining explosion in W. Virginia was a tragedy, but why is the U.S. media so unconcerned with the same issue in China, especially because it is happening on a much larger scale? An article in the BBC from December states that over 6,000 deaths have occurred due to mining accidents in the past year. China's mining industry is considered the most dangerous in the world, and yet our 12 dead miners are plastered all over the front page and China is buried in the middle of the paper.

At the very least, the media could have tied these stories together and really done an in-depth survey on mining conditions and causes for accidents. Instead, the media insists on focusing on the "miscommunication," the resolution of which will still not bring these men to life. (By the way, you should hear my rant on reporting in the media. Can you believe the number of papers that didn't check their facts and ran with the story of 12 LIVING miners???!)

What happened to fair and equal reporting? What happened to just giving us the news? I am so tired of the sensationalism and the need to sell newspapers that drives these stories. Instead, I get small tidbits in today's newspaper like, "China is closing 5,290 coal mines in a safety crackdown on the world's deadliest mining industry, the government announced Thursday. The figure is higher than a previously reported estimate of 4,000 mines that would be closed after safety inspections in 2005, the official Xinhua News Agency said." And that's the entire article. I suppose I should be happy because it at least has some news in it, but I can't help wanting more details.

Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory

And that will seriously take effect in January of 2007. City Council just passed a measure to ban smoking in all public places. It awaits approval by the mayor, who promised to veto it when it was being discussed in 2005, but there are enough votes in City Council to override his veto. Smoking bans will take effect in restaurants immediately, and in bars by January of 2007.

Many people, both smokers and nonsmokers alike, are against this type of ban because they believe it is someone's right to smoke in public and that if you don't like it, you can always choose to go somewhere else. To be honest and fair, that line of thinking isn't exactly correct. To my knowledge, there are no bars that cater to a non-smoking crowd. The closest thing I've been able to find is a gay bar called Halo. And while I love my gay boys, I am not particularly fond of overly priced martinis.

Of course, there is also the anti-smoking anthem that proclaims that second-hand smoke can cause serious health issues. Let me point out here that there is simply no scientific evidence to prove this statement. It is just like that "greenhouse gases are killing the ozone" theory - there is nothing conclusive that indicates that this is a fact. So let's get off that bandwagon already.

Personally however, I am THRILLED about this measure, and hope it goes into effect immediately. It is just common courtesy to not smoke in a restaurant - even my mother, a veteran pack-a-day smoker, refuses to smoke when she goes out to eat. There is nothing less appealing than a steak with a side of cigarette smoke. Seriously folks.

As for the bars and taverns inclusion, I am just happy that someday I may be able to go out for a few hours and not have to burn my clothes when I get home. On occasion, I've been known to stay out late and the last thing I want to do when I go home is take a shower and dry my hair at 2AM (I just happen to not be able to sleep with wet hair). If there were other viable options for a non-smoking bar experience, I'd be all for it, but noone seems to step up to the plate on this issue.

It seems that a lot of bar owners think that smoking is integral to their profits. I don't remotely understand the connection, but the proof is in New York City: people will NOT stop going to bars, and they will NOT stop getting drunk and overspending on the weekends, so get over it. The biggest problem NYC faced was when the barhoppers would stand outside the bar in large groups to smoke, and their obnoxiousness would bother the tenants who live in the apartments above and around the bar. Obviously, this is more of an issue in NYC than it will ever be in DC, but so long as bar owners are aware of this and prepare for this, it will all work out in their favor and no cops have to be called for disturbance of the peace issues.

(p.s. That quote in the subject line is from Albert Schweitzer.)

Today's Useless Verbal Diarrhea Disguised as Wisdom

First things first. I looked up "diarrhea" in the online dictionary to make sure I know how to spell and found this:

di·ar·rhe·a also di·ar·rhoe·a n.
Excessive and frequent evacuation of watery feces, usually indicating gastrointestinal distress or disorder.


Evacuation? What is this, a mass refugee escape? Very amusing choice of words.

Anywho.

My real point of writing today is that, once again, I've been reading Heather A. Armstrong's weblog and found myself feverishly hoping to find myself in middle America, just like her. And by that I mean that I want to relocate to some remote place, where the sea and sky and trees and mountains abound. Really, anywhere that's not suburbia would be nice. Preferably some place where my nearest neighbor is at least ten acres away.

Seriously. Look at her pictures from today. I can't stop thinking about how lovely it would be to live simply, walk the dog in the local field, ride a bicycle without fearing for my life (damn cars!), go running in the woods...

Anthony keeps talking about his pipe dream to live in Montana like Teddy Roosevelt did, and frankly, it sounds pretty good to me. Except for that whole lack of jobs in the area thing. Other than that, I'm perfectly reconciled to live in the midwest.

I guess I'm just tired of the sirens, the buses, the exhaust, the pedestrians, the Metro, the landscape... I grew up in a fairly small factory town, where the houses all have yards and the busiest highway probably saw a hundred cars a day. And for the past 8 years I've lived in cities. Big ones. Philadelphia, New York, D.C.

I just can't seem to reconciile my career choices and my lifestyle choice. The former requires me to work in a metropolitan area, and the latter allows me the fresh air and mountainous views. It sounds like a very simple problem, but when I see pictures of other people enjoying the outdoors I get obscene cravings for trees. And no, I don't want to eat them! The cement blocks of the city are just no balm for my tree envy.

In happier news, I've decided to start running again. Since moving to DC, Anthony and I haven't been able to afford the gym so I've mapped out a route in Rock Creek Park. I'm going to try to give it a go in the mornings before work. This may do wonders for my need to see nature in all its glory. I'm hoping that 5-5:30AM is early enough that I see nothing but squirrels. As much as I love humans, and I honestly do, I'm tired of all their noise.

This running fad coincides nicely with the New Year so it is almost like a New Year's resolution, except that I don't believe in them. It is simply a coincidence.

Anthony and I are also visiting the baby panda this Saturday. Did I mention that I love going to the zoo??? There are also baby cheetahs, baby tigers, and baby elephants to visit. I'm hoping the New Year holiday and the rain will keep everyone else at bay, but even more so I'm hoping Tai Shan will come out and play during my scheduled 10-minute visitation with the Giant Panda Habitat. Very exciting stuff.

If I get any pictures of the adorable one, I'll be sure to post them here (if ever oh ever my Comcast internet works again).

Caffeine Withdrawal

Okay, I admit it: I've been drinking coffee. While I will continue to maintain that it is Anthony's fault for the rest of my life, I have, on occasion, been known to shoot down a mug of Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks Grande expresso.

It all started this past summer, when we attended the Dropkick Murphy's concert in New York. We were a bit early so we went to the Starbucks down the street. At that point I was pretty damn tired of Anthony asking me if I wanted something and not liking anything in the store, so I went ahead and got my first grande expresso.

Which led to other grande expressos, and multiple coffees. In fact, while I was working at BJ's over the summer, I got a cup of coffee every morning before work. Even when I had to search for change in the seat cushion, I got my coffee.

Then I moved to DC, where I am even poorer. I drink Anthony's coffee on the weekends and try to avoid Caribou Cafe in the morning. I have FAILED.

Two days ago I went to see my new doctor for the first time. I told her that I'd been experiencing these headaches for about a year or so and had thought they might be due to an eye problem. Then I went to an optometrist over the summer and he said there was nothing wrong with me. So new doctor tells me, "I would cut out the caffeine."

Traditionally, I'm not much of a caffeine person. Until this summer: no coffee. Prior to that, no soda, no caffeinated teas, no sugar - nothing on a regular basis.

And now I'm on day 2 of a headache. A frickin' Advil-repellent headache. Grrrrr...

I read up on the subject too. An article on CBS News says:

as little as one cup of coffee can cause an addiction, and withdrawal from caffeine produces any of five clusters of symptoms in some people:

-Headache, the most common symptom, which affects at least of 50 percent of people in caffeine withdrawal

-Fatigue or drowsiness

-"Unhappy" mood, depression, or irritability

-Difficulty concentrating

-Flu-like symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, muscle pain, and stiffness.

"Onset of these symptoms typically occurs within 12 to 24 hours of stopping caffeine and peaks one to two days after stopping," Griffiths [Roland Griffiths, PhD, professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine] tells WebMD. "The duration is between two and nine days."


The rest of the article can be found here.

Can you believe it??? If I'm going through caffeine withdrawal, this crap can last up to NINE DAYS?!!!

Someone just shoot me now.