Couple pics from Saturday's protest:



more here

i'm now ranked 15 out of about 9,300 in my stock competition. current annual return is 248% :)
Also, ouch:


oh and i had a birthday. hello 26.

Was it just me, or was this weeks SNL really really gay?

coincidence? nod to the prop 8 protests?

Oh hey, I'm on Slog...

Ok, here's my guess for tonight's outcome. I was hesitant to give Obama both Florida and Ohio... Maybe leftover feelings of shenanigans from 2000 and 2004.

yesterday work announced that all raises were being suspended, and cost of living adjustments are capped at 3% (or maybe also suspended-- not sure on that yet). Layoff notices are being sent next week *fingers crossed* :\



also I'm now up to #28 out of 9,374 on that stock competition.

First entry was too long so I broke it into two...
Anyways, after a lot of soul searching, I decided to switch my degree/career plans from Business to Electrical Engineering. Sat down with an advisor at school just to make sure I was approaching this correctly before I registered. It's a good thing I did. Originally my plan was to go ahead and follow through with my AA, then move on and complete my AS, then enter the school of engineering at UW. Apparently, you can't earn both an AA and an AS. So after juggling things around again, I ended up taking a math course at night and an online english course for this quarter.

The kinda-exciting/kinda-shitty thing is that, after this quarter, I will have exhausted all of my online and night class options. So I needed to plan out some kind of schedule that would allow me to continue working and fulfill my responsibilities there while being able to take classes during the day. I sat down with my boss and he was very supportive of my new career goals as well as the proposed schedule. One hurdle down.

When stressed, some people like to get attention or want a shoulder to cry on or someone to vent to. I just want to be left alone. This is difficult for Troy- I think because of his caretaker personality (duh, he's a Nurse). School is stressful for me. and since it started up again I feel constantly on edge. Not able to relax or have a good time. That's not very encouraging, considering that things will only get more difficult from here. It's affecting my interactions with Troy and my roommates, and that's not fair to them. Need to work on dealing with it better.

Also, latest lust: Triumph Speed Triple 675

Since April I've been participating in a stock trading competition at investopedia.com. As of yesterday, I was ranked 62 out of 9,228. Top 1%! I was pretty happy about that. In the real world, I've been completely out of the market since Sep 18th. I don't have the balls or the experience to make money in a market where the rules are constantly changing. I may dip my toes back in after the bailout passes- which looks inevitable, but I still urge everyone to contact your legislators and tell them to let the bailout die. The reality is that the bailout does NOT fix the problem. Others can explain it better than I can... ( Read more... )

Next up, Wachovia?

Please oppose the bailout. Contact Congress quickly and easily through Congress.org.



I'll do a real update soon. Hopefully.

I said early on that Biden was my fave for President. From the start, he didn't have the support to see him through to the end, BUT, I'm very very happy that Obama has chosen him as his running mate. Obama had a tough choice to make on this one-- a choice that was sure to be criticized no matter who was selected. For me, as a big Biden fan, I think he made a solid pick. Joe brings a long public service record and a great deal of foreign policy experience to the table-- issues that Republicans have really tried to use against Obama.

Anyways, here's an ad made by the Biden campaign back in November. It's my fave Biden ad...

Hey guys--

MSF Course
Troy and I finished the 3-day motorcycle course a few weeks ago. The weather was pretty hot, and we had to wear long sleeves, jeans, gloves, boots, helmet, etc so it was fairly miserable at times. But we both did well and passed the final test, earning the DOL motorcycle endorsement. My new license picture is *terrible*. Good thing the only people who really look at it are bouncers and bartenders, right? :) It was easier than I expected to get used to a motorcycle clutch. Troy was able to pick it up pretty quickly, too. He was nervous going into it because he had no car-clutch experience. Going from motorcycles back to our scooter left me wanting more power (something I was afraid of). But it's best if I stay on the scooter for a year and build experience before graduating to something bigger. I thought I wanted a sport bike, but I saw a Suzuki SV650 the other day and really liked it. Oh well, lots of time to think about it.

Troy meets Dad
I feel bad that it took so long, but Troy and my dad finally met last week. My stepdad, Steve, came into town for a job interview down in Olympia and he thought that it might be a good opportunity for everyone to get together for dinner. Maybe Dad wouldn't be as uncomfortable if another 'guy' was there. It turns out that Dad had the same idea as Steve- which surprised me. So my sister, nephew Anthony, Dad, stepdad Steve, Troy, and I all had dinner together. I've said before that Dad is a pretty quiet guy and not a conversationalist at all. Troy said that it wasn't as awkward as he was expecting. So Troy met Dad. Yay :) It'd be great if Steve got that job he interviewed for in Olympia. Everyone would enjoy having Mom and Steve back in the area.

Cabin
We spent the weekend at a cabin in Leavenworth. This is the 2nd year we've gone out there- though last year was camping. After last year's trip we decided that tent camping just isn't for us. I need a shower and a kitchen. So me, troy, our roommates Ryan and Jon, and 7 other people rented a cabin on the lake this year. We spent all day Saturday tubing down the wenatchee river (same trip as last year only longer). We started the tubing trip with something like 130 beers and finished them all by the end of the day. Yikes. A cabin is definitely the way to go, for me anyway. Troy was going to get the film developed today so maybe I can post some pictures soon.

Degrees
I thought I had my degree all planned out, but a little voice inside is asking if Business is what I really want to do. I'm a science geek at heart, and lately I've been thinking about some kind of career in renewable energy-- wind, solar, tidal, hydrogen, geothermal, hamster wheels... I guess that would be electrical engineering if not a specific renewable energy degree. Originally I planned for sort of a 'path of least resistance'. Business is nice and broad allowing for a range of careers, avoids the more difficult math and science classes, and there are a lot of online-only programs that suit my style well. But lately-- i dunno-- I just question if I will regret not pursuing this renewable energy thing later on. It'd be a ton of math and physics (though I tend to enjoy those things once I start to grasp the concept), and taking in-person classes is almost guaranteed. I'd probably even have to relocate if I wanted to go for a specific renewable energy degree rather than electrical engineering. Ugh I'd also need to take more classes at community college for an AS instead of the AA that I've been planning on. hmm....

Anyways, that's kind of what I've been up to.

Sis called... my Dad has been laid off.
He was a director of something-or-other in a company that does offroad/racing parts. Since no one is buying trucks anymore and no one can afford to race as a hobby, business has gone in the shitter. Dad is a quiet, proud person and was too embarrassed and depressed to tell me himself. I feel terrible for him, but I'm prepared to support him in any way that I can.

Had a wonderful time. Toronto was just awesome. I'll try to post pics eventually...

In the meantime, please buy Troy's truck:
http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/car/746533289.html

Went to buy the scooter on Saturday... things didn't really go as planned. The place that we decided to buy from was in Bellingham, about 1.5hrs north. The only other 2 dealers that were closer (Kent - 30mins & here in Seattle) were priced $500 higher than the Bellingham place. We also figured that demand in Kent and Seattle would give us less leverage than we'd have in Bellingham.

So, 1.5hr drive, found the place ok, looked at the colors and decided that we liked the Green best. Talked to the guy about price, got it down by 8%, which I was pretty happy with considering we were already saving $500 over the ones closer to home. So done deal, pay for it, sign papers... but it turns out we can't take it home. Apparently, scooters need to be prepped before they leave the dealer, which takes about a day. On the showroom floor they don't have any oil, gas, or a battery. I guess there is that stuff plus getting the license plate and some other things the mechanic has to do takes about a day. I felt like I had really done my homework for this stuff, and I was frustrated that I didn't read about that anywhere.

Everything worked out alright, though. The guy said that he would be in Seattle today, and offered to deliver it. It's actually kind of a relief... I was a little concerned about having to load it on the truck, tie it down, and transport it home. I'd never done something like that before, and was nervous that I'd mess it up somewhere along the way.

It should be here around noon :D

Troy and I went to look at one last model before making a decision. We really liked the Genuine Buddy International 150. Excellent reviews, bigger engine than the Vino, better warranty, bigger seat, better suspension. Troy likes the Blue, but I like the Green. Originally we were planning on buying 2 scooters, but after sitting on this one we decided to only buy one. Nearly everything we do is within a few miles of home, so we think that 1 will be fine. If we find that sharing is way too inconvenient, we can always pick up another. But for now, I'm happy to save 50%. We're going to pick one up on Saturday. Excited!

Been working on my final paper for Humanities (Intercultural Communication). Came across this excerpt from a piece by Peggy McIntosh about White Privilege. It's difficult for me white Americans to change perspectives and understand the concept of privilege from the eyes of non-white Americans. That's what Peggy attempted to do. I found it somewhat eye-opening, and maybe you will too...

Daily effects of white privilege

I decided to try to work on myself at least by identifying some of the daily effects of white privilege in my life. I have chosen those conditions that I think in my case attach somewhat more to skin-color privilege than to class, religion, ethnic status, or geographic location, though of course all these other factors are intricately intertwined. As far as I can tell, my African American coworkers, friends, and acquaintances with whom I come into daily or frequent contact in this particular time, place and time of work cannot count on most of these conditions.

1. I can if I wish arrange to be in the company of people of my race most of the time.

2. I can avoid spending time with people whom I was trained to mistrust and who have learned to mistrust my kind or me.

3. If I should need to move, I can be pretty sure of renting or purchasing housing in an area which I can afford and in which I would want to live.

4. I can be pretty sure that my neighbors in such a location will be neutral or pleasant to me.

5. I can go shopping alone most of the time, pretty well assured that I will not be followed or harassed.

6. I can turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see people of my race widely represented.

7. When I am told about our national heritage or about "civilization," I am shown that people of my color made it what it is.

8. I can be sure that my children will be given curricular materials that testify to the existence of their race.

9. If I want to, I can be pretty sure of finding a publisher for this piece on white privilege.

10. I can be pretty sure of having my voice heard in a group in which I am the only member of my race.

( Continue reading the other 40... )

This American Life and NPR have put together a pretty good story about how we got into this mortgage mess. To explain the mechanics of it all in plain english, they use stories of real people from all up and down the chain - a first time home buyer who is facing foreclosure, a man who works 3 part time jobs and was loaned $500k, a mortgage broker who at one point were making upwards of $100k every month but now hasn't been able to make a mortgage payment since January, investment bankers who bought millions of loans and sold them as packages to wall st, and others. If you have some free time, it's a good listen. It's a free download for now, but not for long.

http://podcast.thisamericanlife.org/podcast/355.mp3

So with the ticket change, we have a $280 credit to use at Delta by mid-October. Any suggestions on a good city to go for a weekend trip?

Jesus, look at the size of those hands. Yikes!


Also: angryrenter.com

I wish this one didn't turn out blurry...




Mom, Belinda, me. Poor sis is all worn out.

He's a pretty cute kid. Very quiet, just observes a lot- taking it all in. Kind of looking forward to baby sitting.

My sister to Anthony Kevin this morning at 3:30. He's a healthy 8lb 3oz little boy. I'm heading down to say hi later this evening. Mom came into town yesterday to help out for a week or two so Belinda isn't too stressed and can have some time to relax, recover, and get used to this whole 'mom' business.

Delta sent an email over the weekend telling me that they changed my itinerary for our Toronto trip in June. crap-frickin-tastic. At the end of the trip, we planned on staying a night in Niagara then catching a train down to Buffalo the next morning to fly home. Flights from Buffalo are way cheaper than Toronto, and Troy and I wanted to check out Niagara anyway so it seemed to work out well. The only problem was that Delta decided to change our Buffalo departure from 6:00pm to 2:00pm. The first train from Niagara puts us into Buffalo at 1:30pm! Considering that we'll have to deboard the train, grab our bags, catch a taxi from the train station to the airport, check bags, AND go through airport security, 30mins is definitely not enough time. After speaking with several different agents and making several phone calls, the only options that they were coming up with was a 2:50 flight (which was still too close for comfort, imho), or staying the night in Buffalo and grabbing the first flight out in the morning.... AT MY EXPENSE. ugh. I called again this morning with the mindset that I'd be stuck taking the 2:50 flight and if (when) we miss it, we'd sit on standby for the rest of the night hoping to catch something out. FORTUNATELY I reached a very polite and very helpful woman who magically found a flight out at 5:25. How these other agents missed it, I have no idea. But anyways, it's pretty close to our original flight time. Whew!

Also I bought a new tv. This one was my 2nd choice, but the new models are over a month delayed and I got impatient, plus Philips is pulling out of N.America tv sales and licensing their brand to some japanese company so I'm not sure if the new models will be coming out at all. Anyways, I got it all wall-mounted and pretty. Living in an apartment, I don't feel comfortable punching holes in the drywall to run wires, so I went down to Dad's over the weekend and we built one of these. Saved me $80, and I think it does a good job of blending in and covering everything up. I'm very happy with how it all turned out. Hooray movies!