I'm blogging again. But, not here.
www.jackisinkorea2009.blogspot.com
Monday, March 9, 2009
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Slate...
Why I Can't Vote for John McCain
I admire the man, but his party has been taken over by anti-intellectual extremists.
By Anne Applebaum
Monday, Oct. 27, 2008
This weekend, while reading the latest polling data on John McCain, Sarah Palin, and their appeal—or growing lack of it—among "independent women voters," it suddenly dawned on me: I am, in fact, one of these elusive independent woman voters, and I have the credentials to prove it. For the last couple of decades, I've sometimes voted Democratic, sometimes Republican. I'm even a registered independent, though I did think of switching to the Republican Party to vote for John McCain in 2000. But because the last political party I truly felt comfortable with was Margaret Thatcher's Conservative Party (I lived in England in the 1980s and '90s), I didn't actually do it.
The larger point, though, is that if I'm not voting for McCain—and, after a long struggle, I've realized that I'm not—maybe it's worth explaining why, because I suspect there are other independent voters who feel the same way. It's not his campaign, disjointed though that's been, that finally repulses me; it's his rapidly deteriorating, increasingly anti-intellectual, no longer even recognizably conservative Republican Party. His problems are not technical, to do with ads, fund raising, and tactics, as some have suggested. They are institutional, to do with his colleagues, his advisers, and his supporters.
I should say here that I know McCain slightly: He spoke at a party given for a book I wrote a few years ago, though I think that was as much because of the subject (Communist prison camps) as the author. But it's not his personality I admire most. Far more important is his knowledge of foreign affairs, an understanding that goes well beyond an ability to guess correctly the name of the Pakistani president. McCain not only knows the names; he knows the people—and by this I mean not just foreign presidents but foreign members of parliament, journalists, generals. He goes to Germany every year, visits Vietnam often, can talk intelligently about Belarus and Uzbekistan. I've heard him do it. Let's just say that's one of the things that distinguished him, for me, from our current president, who once confessed that "this foreign-policy stuff is a little frustrating."
The second thing I liked about McCain was the deliberate distance he always kept from the nuttier wing of his party and, simultaneously, the loyalty he's shown to a recognizably conservative budgetary philosophy, something that many congressional Republicans abandoned long ago. Fiscal conservatism, balanced budgets, sober spending—all these principles have been brushed away as so much nonsense for the last eight years by Republicans more interested in grandstanding about how much they hate Washington. McCain was one of the few to keep talking about these principles. He was also one of shockingly few to understand that there is nothing American, let alone conservative, about torture and that a battle for civilized values could not be won by uncivilized means.
Finally, I admired McCain's willingness to tackle politically risky issues like immigration, the debate about which has long been drenched in hypocrisy. Those who want to ban it are illogically denying both the role that immigrants, especially the millions of illegal immigrants, already play in the American economy, as well as the improbability of forced deportations; those who want to allow it without restriction don't acknowledge the security risks. McCain tried to put together a bipartisan coalition in an effort to find a rational solution. He failed—blocked by the ideologues in his party.
But if these traits appealed to me, I'm guessing they would have appealed to other independents, too. Why, then, has McCain spent the last four months running away from them? The appointment of Sarah Palin—inspired by his closest colleagues—turned out not to be a "maverick" move but, rather, a concession to those Republicans who think foreign policy can be conducted using a series of clichés and those in his party who shout down the federal government while quietly raking in federal subsidies. Though McCain has the one of the best records of bipartisanship in the Senate, he has let his campaign appeal to his party's extremes. Though he is a true foreign-policy intellectual, his supporters cultivate ignorance and fear: Watch Sean Hannity's "Obama & Friends: History of Radicalism" if you don't believe me. Worse, in a fatal effort to appeal to the least thoughtful, most partisan elements of his base, McCain has moved away from his previous positions on torture and immigration. Maybe that's all tactics, and maybe the "real" McCain will ditch the awful ideologues after Nov. 4 if, by some miracle, he happens to win. But how can I know that will happen?
Here's what I do know: I would give anything to rewrite history and make McCain president in 2000. But in 2008, I don't think I can vote for him. Barack Obama is indeed the least experienced, least tested candidate in modern presidential history. But at least if he wins, I can be sure that the mobs who cry "terrorist" at the sound of his name will be kept away—far away—from the White House.
I admire the man, but his party has been taken over by anti-intellectual extremists.
By Anne Applebaum
Monday, Oct. 27, 2008
This weekend, while reading the latest polling data on John McCain, Sarah Palin, and their appeal—or growing lack of it—among "independent women voters," it suddenly dawned on me: I am, in fact, one of these elusive independent woman voters, and I have the credentials to prove it. For the last couple of decades, I've sometimes voted Democratic, sometimes Republican. I'm even a registered independent, though I did think of switching to the Republican Party to vote for John McCain in 2000. But because the last political party I truly felt comfortable with was Margaret Thatcher's Conservative Party (I lived in England in the 1980s and '90s), I didn't actually do it.
The larger point, though, is that if I'm not voting for McCain—and, after a long struggle, I've realized that I'm not—maybe it's worth explaining why, because I suspect there are other independent voters who feel the same way. It's not his campaign, disjointed though that's been, that finally repulses me; it's his rapidly deteriorating, increasingly anti-intellectual, no longer even recognizably conservative Republican Party. His problems are not technical, to do with ads, fund raising, and tactics, as some have suggested. They are institutional, to do with his colleagues, his advisers, and his supporters.
I should say here that I know McCain slightly: He spoke at a party given for a book I wrote a few years ago, though I think that was as much because of the subject (Communist prison camps) as the author. But it's not his personality I admire most. Far more important is his knowledge of foreign affairs, an understanding that goes well beyond an ability to guess correctly the name of the Pakistani president. McCain not only knows the names; he knows the people—and by this I mean not just foreign presidents but foreign members of parliament, journalists, generals. He goes to Germany every year, visits Vietnam often, can talk intelligently about Belarus and Uzbekistan. I've heard him do it. Let's just say that's one of the things that distinguished him, for me, from our current president, who once confessed that "this foreign-policy stuff is a little frustrating."
The second thing I liked about McCain was the deliberate distance he always kept from the nuttier wing of his party and, simultaneously, the loyalty he's shown to a recognizably conservative budgetary philosophy, something that many congressional Republicans abandoned long ago. Fiscal conservatism, balanced budgets, sober spending—all these principles have been brushed away as so much nonsense for the last eight years by Republicans more interested in grandstanding about how much they hate Washington. McCain was one of the few to keep talking about these principles. He was also one of shockingly few to understand that there is nothing American, let alone conservative, about torture and that a battle for civilized values could not be won by uncivilized means.
Finally, I admired McCain's willingness to tackle politically risky issues like immigration, the debate about which has long been drenched in hypocrisy. Those who want to ban it are illogically denying both the role that immigrants, especially the millions of illegal immigrants, already play in the American economy, as well as the improbability of forced deportations; those who want to allow it without restriction don't acknowledge the security risks. McCain tried to put together a bipartisan coalition in an effort to find a rational solution. He failed—blocked by the ideologues in his party.
But if these traits appealed to me, I'm guessing they would have appealed to other independents, too. Why, then, has McCain spent the last four months running away from them? The appointment of Sarah Palin—inspired by his closest colleagues—turned out not to be a "maverick" move but, rather, a concession to those Republicans who think foreign policy can be conducted using a series of clichés and those in his party who shout down the federal government while quietly raking in federal subsidies. Though McCain has the one of the best records of bipartisanship in the Senate, he has let his campaign appeal to his party's extremes. Though he is a true foreign-policy intellectual, his supporters cultivate ignorance and fear: Watch Sean Hannity's "Obama & Friends: History of Radicalism" if you don't believe me. Worse, in a fatal effort to appeal to the least thoughtful, most partisan elements of his base, McCain has moved away from his previous positions on torture and immigration. Maybe that's all tactics, and maybe the "real" McCain will ditch the awful ideologues after Nov. 4 if, by some miracle, he happens to win. But how can I know that will happen?
Here's what I do know: I would give anything to rewrite history and make McCain president in 2000. But in 2008, I don't think I can vote for him. Barack Obama is indeed the least experienced, least tested candidate in modern presidential history. But at least if he wins, I can be sure that the mobs who cry "terrorist" at the sound of his name will be kept away—far away—from the White House.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Rollin' On...
Well, I seem to be on a roll with these blog updates. And I don't want to stop now.
First, a quick shout out to Duane and Kat who apparently both read this blog on occasion, bringing my readership up to a cool half dozen.
As for other things on my mind...
I have a penpal in Ireland that I have written to for over a year and a half. We met for nine hours on April 2nd, 2007. He recommended three books, one of which was sitting on my nightstand at home. As we drank he was crass, arrogant and intellectually curious. An excellent combination. We started emailing the very next day. We now have over 700 emails between us... Averaging more than one email a day for over 550 days. And about four weeks ago I stopped writing. I don't really know why. I continue to care deeply about the person, but I just stopped. Nothing dramatic or final, I just couldn't conjure words to type. He didn't wonder where I was or what happened, because maybe it just seemed natural that we would eventually flicker and then fade. I often consider him to have been the light to my fuse, resulting in a series of violent and positive explosions that rattled my once a mundane life... But, something seems lost. I wish I knew what it was. Maybe then it would be easier to find again.
In other news... Thailand. Wow. I am looking forward to Thailand in three weeks. I think I included it in the last post, but I have plans to pet tigers and ride elephants. I'm going to be in Bangkok during the full moon so I'll be going dancing on the beach at a full moon party that draws 10,000 people every month. I'll spend a few afternoons laying on the beach, letting my pale skin blind the other beach-goers while I drink potent concoctions. Mmmm... I want to leave today.
But, since I can't leave today I'll have to rely upon my kindergarten students to tide me over. Today, one of the little girls pulled my arm so that I would crouch down to her height. She wrapped her arms around my head and pulled my ear close so that she could whisper, "I love Jacki Teacher." And not to be outdone, while I was already hunched on the floor, Mike wanted to smell my hair and give me a hug while Chris wanted to give me a dozen kisses on my face, head and elbow.
What constantly amazes me about my little kids is just how little they are. They are the tiniest, littlest people with totally unpredictable minds. They can cause incredible amounts of damage when their energy is focused, but if someone takes the pink crayon their world collapses. Mike started crying in class today for an unknown reason. I was reading a story to the class and he just broke into tears. I looked over to see what was wrong and reached my hand toward him. That was encouragement enough, because he crawled across the floor and sat in my lap. He just curled into a ball on my lap, held onto my sweater and watched me turn the pages of the book while the tears dried on his cheek. I was astonished at how loud and disruptive his wails could be and then how tiny he was on my lap. Like a small tornado that suddenly calms.
Graduate school apps are due within the next three-five weeks. I am working frantically and I hate it. I'd forgotten how ridiculous these can be, especially when all the materials I need are 6000 miles away. I have to mail letters of recommendation forms back to professors that are on the other side of the planet and then get them sent back to me. BUT, I am moving apartments and jobs so the address I can use to have the letters sent back keeps changing! It is enough to make a girl lose sleep at night... In fact, I should be sleeping right now, but I am blogging in order to avoid working on the apps and therefore losing more sleep! What a vicious circle.
Alright... Here is the plan. Stop blogging. Go jogging. Use the adrenaline from jogging to power through another school's application.
Ready. Set. Go.
First, a quick shout out to Duane and Kat who apparently both read this blog on occasion, bringing my readership up to a cool half dozen.
As for other things on my mind...
I have a penpal in Ireland that I have written to for over a year and a half. We met for nine hours on April 2nd, 2007. He recommended three books, one of which was sitting on my nightstand at home. As we drank he was crass, arrogant and intellectually curious. An excellent combination. We started emailing the very next day. We now have over 700 emails between us... Averaging more than one email a day for over 550 days. And about four weeks ago I stopped writing. I don't really know why. I continue to care deeply about the person, but I just stopped. Nothing dramatic or final, I just couldn't conjure words to type. He didn't wonder where I was or what happened, because maybe it just seemed natural that we would eventually flicker and then fade. I often consider him to have been the light to my fuse, resulting in a series of violent and positive explosions that rattled my once a mundane life... But, something seems lost. I wish I knew what it was. Maybe then it would be easier to find again.
In other news... Thailand. Wow. I am looking forward to Thailand in three weeks. I think I included it in the last post, but I have plans to pet tigers and ride elephants. I'm going to be in Bangkok during the full moon so I'll be going dancing on the beach at a full moon party that draws 10,000 people every month. I'll spend a few afternoons laying on the beach, letting my pale skin blind the other beach-goers while I drink potent concoctions. Mmmm... I want to leave today.
But, since I can't leave today I'll have to rely upon my kindergarten students to tide me over. Today, one of the little girls pulled my arm so that I would crouch down to her height. She wrapped her arms around my head and pulled my ear close so that she could whisper, "I love Jacki Teacher." And not to be outdone, while I was already hunched on the floor, Mike wanted to smell my hair and give me a hug while Chris wanted to give me a dozen kisses on my face, head and elbow.
What constantly amazes me about my little kids is just how little they are. They are the tiniest, littlest people with totally unpredictable minds. They can cause incredible amounts of damage when their energy is focused, but if someone takes the pink crayon their world collapses. Mike started crying in class today for an unknown reason. I was reading a story to the class and he just broke into tears. I looked over to see what was wrong and reached my hand toward him. That was encouragement enough, because he crawled across the floor and sat in my lap. He just curled into a ball on my lap, held onto my sweater and watched me turn the pages of the book while the tears dried on his cheek. I was astonished at how loud and disruptive his wails could be and then how tiny he was on my lap. Like a small tornado that suddenly calms.
Graduate school apps are due within the next three-five weeks. I am working frantically and I hate it. I'd forgotten how ridiculous these can be, especially when all the materials I need are 6000 miles away. I have to mail letters of recommendation forms back to professors that are on the other side of the planet and then get them sent back to me. BUT, I am moving apartments and jobs so the address I can use to have the letters sent back keeps changing! It is enough to make a girl lose sleep at night... In fact, I should be sleeping right now, but I am blogging in order to avoid working on the apps and therefore losing more sleep! What a vicious circle.
Alright... Here is the plan. Stop blogging. Go jogging. Use the adrenaline from jogging to power through another school's application.
Ready. Set. Go.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Breaks Over...
Aaron Sorkin Conjures a Meeting of Obama and Bartlet
By MAUREEN DOWD
Now that he’s finally fired up on the soup-line economy, Barack Obama knows he can’t fade out again. He was eager to talk privately to a Democratic ex-president who could offer more fatherly wisdom — not to mention a surreptitious smoke — and less fraternal rivalry. I called the “West Wing” creator Aaron Sorkin (yes, truly) to get a read-out of the meeting. This is what he wrote:
BARACK OBAMA knocks on the front door of a 300-year-old New Hampshire farmhouse while his Secret Service detail waits in the driveway. The door opens and OBAMA is standing face to face with former President JED BARTLET.
BARTLET Senator.
OBAMA Mr. President.
BARTLET You seem startled.
OBAMA I didn’t expect you to answer the door yourself.
BARTLET I didn’t expect you to be getting beat by John McCain and a Lancôme rep who thinks “The Flintstones” was based on a true story, so let’s call it even.
OBAMA Yes, sir.
BARTLET Come on in.
BARTLET leads OBAMA into his study.
BARTLET That was a hell of a convention.
OBAMA Thank you, I was proud of it.
BARTLET I meant the Republicans. The Us versus Them-a-thon. As a Democrat I was surprised to learn that I don’t like small towns, God, people with jobs or America. I’ve been a little out of touch but is there a mandate that the vice president be skilled at field dressing a moose —
OBAMA Look —
BARTLET — and selling Air Force Two on eBay?
OBAMA Joke all you want, Mr. President, but it worked.
BARTLET Imagine my surprise. What can I do for you, kid?
OBAMA I’m interested in your advice.
BARTLET I can’t give it to you.
OBAMA Why not?
BARTLET I’m supporting McCain.
OBAMA Why?
BARTLET He’s promised to eradicate evil and that was always on my “to do” list.
OBAMA O.K. —
BARTLET And he’s surrounded himself, I think, with the best possible team to get us out of an economic crisis. Why, Sarah Palin just said Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had “gotten too big and too expensive to the taxpayers.” Can you spot the error in that statement?
OBAMA Yes, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac aren’t funded by taxpayers.
BARTLET Well, at least they are now. Kind of reminds you of the time Bush said that Social Security wasn’t a government program. He was only off by a little — Social Security is the largest government program.
OBAMA I appreciate your sense of humor, sir, but I really could use your advice.
BARTLET Well, it seems to me your problem is a lot like the problem I had twice.
OBAMA Which was?
BARTLET A huge number of Americans thought I thought I was superior to them.
OBAMA And?
BARTLET I was.
OBAMA I mean, how did you overcome that?
BARTLET I won’t lie to you, being fictional was a big advantage.
OBAMA What do you mean?
BARTLET I’m a fictional president. You’re dreaming right now, Senator.
OBAMA I’m asleep?
BARTLET Yes, and you’re losing a ton of white women.
OBAMA Yes, sir.
BARTLET I mean tons.
OBAMA I understand.
BARTLET I didn’t even think there were that many white women.
OBAMA I see the numbers, sir. What do they want from me?
BARTLET I’ve been married to a white woman for 40 years and I still don’t know what she wants from me.
OBAMA How did you do it?
BARTLET Well, I say I’m sorry a lot.
OBAMA I don’t mean your marriage, sir. I mean how did you get America on your side?
BARTLET There again, I didn’t have to be president of America, I just had to be president of the people who watched “The West Wing.”
OBAMA That would make it easier.
BARTLET You’d do very well on NBC. Thursday nights in the old “ER” time slot with “30 Rock” as your lead-in, you’d get seven, seven-five in the demo with a 20, 22 share — you’d be selling $450,000 minutes.
OBAMA What the hell does that mean?
BARTLET TV talk. I thought you’d be interested.
OBAMA I’m not. They pivoted off the argument that I was inexperienced to the criticism that I’m — wait for it — the Messiah, who, by the way, was a community organizer. When I speak I try to lead with inspiration and aptitude. How is that a liability?
BARTLET Because the idea of American exceptionalism doesn’t extend to Americans being exceptional. If you excelled academically and are able to casually use 690 SAT words then you might as well have the press shoot video of you giving the finger to the Statue of Liberty while the Dixie Chicks sing the University of the Taliban fight song. The people who want English to be the official language of the United States are uncomfortable with their leaders being fluent in it.
OBAMA You’re saying race doesn’t have anything to do with it?
BARTLET I wouldn’t go that far. Brains made me look arrogant but they make you look uppity. Plus, if you had a black daughter —
OBAMA I have two.
BARTLET — who was 17 and pregnant and unmarried and the father was a teenager hoping to launch a rap career with “Thug Life” inked across his chest, you’d come in fifth behind Bob Barr, Ralph Nader and a ficus.
OBAMA You’re not cheering me up.
BARTLET Is that what you came here for?
OBAMA No, but it wouldn’t kill you.
BARTLET Have you tried doing a two-hour special or a really good Christmas show?
OBAMA Sir —
BARTLET Hang on. Home run. Right here. Is there any chance you could get Michelle pregnant before the fall sweeps?
OBAMA The problem is we can’t appear angry. Bush called us the angry left. Did you see anyone in Denver who was angry?
BARTLET Well ... let me think. ...We went to war against the wrong country, Osama bin Laden just celebrated his seventh anniversary of not being caught either dead or alive, my family’s less safe than it was eight years ago, we’ve lost trillions of dollars, millions of jobs, thousands of lives and we lost an entire city due to bad weather. So, you know ... I’m a little angry.
OBAMA What would you do?
BARTLET GET ANGRIER! Call them liars, because that’s what they are. Sarah Palin didn’t say “thanks but no thanks” to the Bridge to Nowhere. She just said “Thanks.” You were raised by a single mother on food stamps — where does a guy with eight houses who was legacied into Annapolis get off calling you an elitist? And by the way, if you do nothing else, take that word back. Elite is a good word, it means well above average. I’d ask them what their problem is with excellence. While you’re at it, I want the word “patriot” back. McCain can say that the transcendent issue of our time is the spread of Islamic fanaticism or he can choose a running mate who doesn’t know the Bush doctrine from the Monroe Doctrine, but he can’t do both at the same time and call it patriotic. They have to lie — the truth isn’t their friend right now. Get angry. Mock them mercilessly; they’ve earned it. McCain decried agents of intolerance, then chose a running mate who had to ask if she was allowed to ban books from a public library. It’s not bad enough she thinks the planet Earth was created in six days 6,000 years ago complete with a man, a woman and a talking snake, she wants schools to teach the rest of our kids to deny geology, anthropology, archaeology and common sense too? It’s not bad enough she’s forcing her own daughter into a loveless marriage to a teenage hood, she wants the rest of us to guide our daughters in that direction too? It’s not enough that a woman shouldn’t have the right to choose, it should be the law of the land that she has to carry and deliver her rapist’s baby too? I don’t know whether or not Governor Palin has the tenacity of a pit bull, but I know for sure she’s got the qualifications of one. And you’re worried about seeming angry? You could eat their lunch, make them cry and tell their mamas about it and God himself would call it restrained. There are times when you are simply required to be impolite. There are times when condescension is called for!
OBAMA Good to get that off your chest?
BARTLET Am I keeping you from something?
OBAMA Well, it’s not as if I didn’t know all of that and it took you like 20 minutes to say.
BARTLET I know, I have a problem, but admitting it is the first step.
OBAMA What’s the second step?
BARTLET I don’t care.
OBAMA So what about hope? Chuck it for outrage and put-downs?
BARTLET No. You’re elite, you can do both. Four weeks ago you had the best week of your campaign, followed — granted, inexplicably — by the worst week of your campaign. And you’re still in a statistical dead heat. You’re a 47-year-old black man with a foreign-sounding name who went to Harvard and thinks devotion to your country and lapel pins aren’t the same thing and you’re in a statistical tie with a war hero and a Cinemax heroine. To these aged eyes, Senator, that’s what progress looks like. You guys got four debates. Get out of my house and go back to work.
OBAMA Wait, what is it you always used to say? When you hit a bump on the show and your people were down and frustrated? You’d give them a pep talk and then you’d always end it with something. What was it ...?
BARTLET “Break’s over.”
By MAUREEN DOWD
Now that he’s finally fired up on the soup-line economy, Barack Obama knows he can’t fade out again. He was eager to talk privately to a Democratic ex-president who could offer more fatherly wisdom — not to mention a surreptitious smoke — and less fraternal rivalry. I called the “West Wing” creator Aaron Sorkin (yes, truly) to get a read-out of the meeting. This is what he wrote:
BARACK OBAMA knocks on the front door of a 300-year-old New Hampshire farmhouse while his Secret Service detail waits in the driveway. The door opens and OBAMA is standing face to face with former President JED BARTLET.
BARTLET Senator.
OBAMA Mr. President.
BARTLET You seem startled.
OBAMA I didn’t expect you to answer the door yourself.
BARTLET I didn’t expect you to be getting beat by John McCain and a Lancôme rep who thinks “The Flintstones” was based on a true story, so let’s call it even.
OBAMA Yes, sir.
BARTLET Come on in.
BARTLET leads OBAMA into his study.
BARTLET That was a hell of a convention.
OBAMA Thank you, I was proud of it.
BARTLET I meant the Republicans. The Us versus Them-a-thon. As a Democrat I was surprised to learn that I don’t like small towns, God, people with jobs or America. I’ve been a little out of touch but is there a mandate that the vice president be skilled at field dressing a moose —
OBAMA Look —
BARTLET — and selling Air Force Two on eBay?
OBAMA Joke all you want, Mr. President, but it worked.
BARTLET Imagine my surprise. What can I do for you, kid?
OBAMA I’m interested in your advice.
BARTLET I can’t give it to you.
OBAMA Why not?
BARTLET I’m supporting McCain.
OBAMA Why?
BARTLET He’s promised to eradicate evil and that was always on my “to do” list.
OBAMA O.K. —
BARTLET And he’s surrounded himself, I think, with the best possible team to get us out of an economic crisis. Why, Sarah Palin just said Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had “gotten too big and too expensive to the taxpayers.” Can you spot the error in that statement?
OBAMA Yes, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac aren’t funded by taxpayers.
BARTLET Well, at least they are now. Kind of reminds you of the time Bush said that Social Security wasn’t a government program. He was only off by a little — Social Security is the largest government program.
OBAMA I appreciate your sense of humor, sir, but I really could use your advice.
BARTLET Well, it seems to me your problem is a lot like the problem I had twice.
OBAMA Which was?
BARTLET A huge number of Americans thought I thought I was superior to them.
OBAMA And?
BARTLET I was.
OBAMA I mean, how did you overcome that?
BARTLET I won’t lie to you, being fictional was a big advantage.
OBAMA What do you mean?
BARTLET I’m a fictional president. You’re dreaming right now, Senator.
OBAMA I’m asleep?
BARTLET Yes, and you’re losing a ton of white women.
OBAMA Yes, sir.
BARTLET I mean tons.
OBAMA I understand.
BARTLET I didn’t even think there were that many white women.
OBAMA I see the numbers, sir. What do they want from me?
BARTLET I’ve been married to a white woman for 40 years and I still don’t know what she wants from me.
OBAMA How did you do it?
BARTLET Well, I say I’m sorry a lot.
OBAMA I don’t mean your marriage, sir. I mean how did you get America on your side?
BARTLET There again, I didn’t have to be president of America, I just had to be president of the people who watched “The West Wing.”
OBAMA That would make it easier.
BARTLET You’d do very well on NBC. Thursday nights in the old “ER” time slot with “30 Rock” as your lead-in, you’d get seven, seven-five in the demo with a 20, 22 share — you’d be selling $450,000 minutes.
OBAMA What the hell does that mean?
BARTLET TV talk. I thought you’d be interested.
OBAMA I’m not. They pivoted off the argument that I was inexperienced to the criticism that I’m — wait for it — the Messiah, who, by the way, was a community organizer. When I speak I try to lead with inspiration and aptitude. How is that a liability?
BARTLET Because the idea of American exceptionalism doesn’t extend to Americans being exceptional. If you excelled academically and are able to casually use 690 SAT words then you might as well have the press shoot video of you giving the finger to the Statue of Liberty while the Dixie Chicks sing the University of the Taliban fight song. The people who want English to be the official language of the United States are uncomfortable with their leaders being fluent in it.
OBAMA You’re saying race doesn’t have anything to do with it?
BARTLET I wouldn’t go that far. Brains made me look arrogant but they make you look uppity. Plus, if you had a black daughter —
OBAMA I have two.
BARTLET — who was 17 and pregnant and unmarried and the father was a teenager hoping to launch a rap career with “Thug Life” inked across his chest, you’d come in fifth behind Bob Barr, Ralph Nader and a ficus.
OBAMA You’re not cheering me up.
BARTLET Is that what you came here for?
OBAMA No, but it wouldn’t kill you.
BARTLET Have you tried doing a two-hour special or a really good Christmas show?
OBAMA Sir —
BARTLET Hang on. Home run. Right here. Is there any chance you could get Michelle pregnant before the fall sweeps?
OBAMA The problem is we can’t appear angry. Bush called us the angry left. Did you see anyone in Denver who was angry?
BARTLET Well ... let me think. ...We went to war against the wrong country, Osama bin Laden just celebrated his seventh anniversary of not being caught either dead or alive, my family’s less safe than it was eight years ago, we’ve lost trillions of dollars, millions of jobs, thousands of lives and we lost an entire city due to bad weather. So, you know ... I’m a little angry.
OBAMA What would you do?
BARTLET GET ANGRIER! Call them liars, because that’s what they are. Sarah Palin didn’t say “thanks but no thanks” to the Bridge to Nowhere. She just said “Thanks.” You were raised by a single mother on food stamps — where does a guy with eight houses who was legacied into Annapolis get off calling you an elitist? And by the way, if you do nothing else, take that word back. Elite is a good word, it means well above average. I’d ask them what their problem is with excellence. While you’re at it, I want the word “patriot” back. McCain can say that the transcendent issue of our time is the spread of Islamic fanaticism or he can choose a running mate who doesn’t know the Bush doctrine from the Monroe Doctrine, but he can’t do both at the same time and call it patriotic. They have to lie — the truth isn’t their friend right now. Get angry. Mock them mercilessly; they’ve earned it. McCain decried agents of intolerance, then chose a running mate who had to ask if she was allowed to ban books from a public library. It’s not bad enough she thinks the planet Earth was created in six days 6,000 years ago complete with a man, a woman and a talking snake, she wants schools to teach the rest of our kids to deny geology, anthropology, archaeology and common sense too? It’s not bad enough she’s forcing her own daughter into a loveless marriage to a teenage hood, she wants the rest of us to guide our daughters in that direction too? It’s not enough that a woman shouldn’t have the right to choose, it should be the law of the land that she has to carry and deliver her rapist’s baby too? I don’t know whether or not Governor Palin has the tenacity of a pit bull, but I know for sure she’s got the qualifications of one. And you’re worried about seeming angry? You could eat their lunch, make them cry and tell their mamas about it and God himself would call it restrained. There are times when you are simply required to be impolite. There are times when condescension is called for!
OBAMA Good to get that off your chest?
BARTLET Am I keeping you from something?
OBAMA Well, it’s not as if I didn’t know all of that and it took you like 20 minutes to say.
BARTLET I know, I have a problem, but admitting it is the first step.
OBAMA What’s the second step?
BARTLET I don’t care.
OBAMA So what about hope? Chuck it for outrage and put-downs?
BARTLET No. You’re elite, you can do both. Four weeks ago you had the best week of your campaign, followed — granted, inexplicably — by the worst week of your campaign. And you’re still in a statistical dead heat. You’re a 47-year-old black man with a foreign-sounding name who went to Harvard and thinks devotion to your country and lapel pins aren’t the same thing and you’re in a statistical tie with a war hero and a Cinemax heroine. To these aged eyes, Senator, that’s what progress looks like. You guys got four debates. Get out of my house and go back to work.
OBAMA Wait, what is it you always used to say? When you hit a bump on the show and your people were down and frustrated? You’d give them a pep talk and then you’d always end it with something. What was it ...?
BARTLET “Break’s over.”
Obama vs. The Gays...
Obama vs. McCain vs. Gay Marriage
In California, the presidential race is taking a back seat to gay marriage.
By Farhad Manjoo
Posted Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008, at 4:00 PM ET
No one doubts that Barack Obama will win California by a double-digit margin this year. In some northern counties, he may well hit 90 percent. Yet politics in this nonswing blue state still defy prediction. California's 2008 ballot is a thicket of closely contested, closely watched social issues. And on some of the biggest questions, blue voters—in one case, the very same voters that Obama is counting on—look ready to swing red.
Among other state initiatives, Californians will vote on a measure to ban gay marriage; to require parental notification for abortions for minors; and to institute a program of rehabilitation, rather than incarceration, for nonviolent drug offenders. Even the beasts have a stake in the election: Proposition 2 requires that cows, pigs, chickens, and other farm animals "be allowed, for the majority of the day, to fully extend their limbs or wings, lie down, stand up and turn around." (The New York Times has come out in favor of the measure, while a number of local papers, including the Los Angeles Times, oppose it on grounds that it'll damage the state's huge agriculture industry.) In surveys, a large majority of voters say they'll pull the lever in the animals' favor.
But on the question of whether human beings will be allowed to lie down and extend their limbs with whomever they please, Californians are much more uncertain. In 2000, residents voted overwhelmingly to ban same-sex marriage. The state Supreme Court struck down that initiative this spring, saying such a ban required a change to the state constitution, and gay couples up and down the coast have been marrying ever since. Now comes Proposition 8, which would enshrine a ban on same-sex marriage into the California Constitution.
Early polls showed the measure tanking. Liberals were buoyed: Not only were they going to win the White House; they would also see their neighbors repudiate the 2000 vote and embrace an unmistakably libertine (if not strictly "liberal") social policy. But over the last month, proponents of Proposition 8 have pulled in more campaign cash (40 percent of it from Mormons) and launched an aggressive TV ad campaign. Now the anti-gay-marriage measure looks likely to pass. Says Yvette Martinez, political director of No on 8: "I think maybe we got a little complacent."
There's an interesting demographic wrinkle to the debate over Proposition 8. Obama has come out against the measure—but his supporters are another matter. The Democrat is expected to bring a surge of black and Latino voters to the polls on Election Day. This spells trouble for gay marriage; in some surveys (PDF), minority voters have expressed much greater support for banning same-sex marriage than have whites. Chip White, a spokesman for the pro-Proposition 8 campaign, stopped short of saying that Obama's presence on the ballot will help the measure. But he did point out that the campaign plans a big push in minority communities, especially through churches and other religious networks. "Traditional marriage initiatives have historically been supported by African-Americans," he says. "We think this one will be no different."
Martinez of the anti-Proposition 8 campaign, meanwhile, says that her side has also begun to tap minority communities, and several prominent black ministers as well as La Opinión, the large Spanish-language Los Angeles daily, oppose the gay-marriage ban. Still, Martinez concedes, minority voters could be a problem. "We think these communities have to hear our message a little stronger," she says.
Late last month, the Proposition 8 campaign hit on what seems to be its most effective argument against gay marriage: that if the court's ruling stands, kindergartners will be "indoctrinated" into the gay lifestyle. They've pushed the message in a couple of goofily creative TV ads now blanketing the airwaves. The more outrageous spot features a girl who comes home from school to show her mother a book her teacher has given her—King & King, a fairy tale about a young prince who doesn't show much interest in getting together with a princess. "I learned how a prince can marry a prince and I can marry a princess!" the girl in the ad tells her mother. An announcer declares that under California law, schools are required to teach kids about marriage, and that even if parents object, "teaching children about gay marriage will happen here unless we pass Proposition 8." The Proposition 8 slogan: "Protect Our Children. Restore Marriage."
The first time I saw these ads, I thought Proposition 8 was sunk: Is this the best the anti-gay marriage side can muster? An obviously tangential "Think of the children!" campaign? What's more, the ad is misleading: Although state law offers health-education guidelines for school districts to follow, it does not mandate a curriculum, and it explicitly allows parents to pull children out of any health classes they may find objectionable. In the summer, when the Proposition 8 campaign attempted to add language about schools teaching gay marriage on the statewide ballot pamphlet, a Sacramento Court found the claim "false and misleading."
But then, last week, a school in San Francisco arranged for a class of first graders to take a field trip to City Hall to toss rose petals and blow bubbles at their lesbian teacher's wedding. The trip, which has set conservative blogs on fire, seemed tailor-made to prop up the anti-gay marriage side's argument—San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, whose cocky stand on the issue doesn't play well in other parts of the state, even officiated at the wedding. In May, Newsom told a cheering crowd of supporters that gay marriage is going to be legal "whether you like it or not," a quote that has ended up in ads by people who don't like it. Now the Proposition 8 campaign has a concrete example of schoolkids being forced to hew to San Francisco's gay agenda, and they're sure to pummel voters with that message in the days before the election.
From afar, California is often seen as a liberal haven. Sure, Bill Clinton won the state by 14 points in 1992, and ever since, the state's electoral horde—55 votes, 20 percent of the threshold necessary to win the White House—have been a lock for Democrats. Yet between 1952 and 1988, the Golden State burned bright red, voting for a Democratic presidential candidate only once (Lyndon Johnson in 1964). Nixon and Reagan—homestate boys—won handily, and in 1988, George H.W. Bush eked out a respectable margin. And voters here have a history of passing conservative ballot initiatives. Yes, we've legalized medical marijuana and funded stem cell research; but we have also severely restricted property taxes, denied medical services to illegal immigrants, prohibited affirmative action at public universities, and forced sex offenders to wear GPS tracking devices. Californians have twice rejected measures to require minors to inform their parents before seeking abortions, but polls suggest that the proposal will pass this year.
At least 11,000 same-sex couples have gotten married in California since the summer, and now many are rushing to get hitched before their fellow citizens close the door for good. Slots for gay weddings at San Francisco City Hall are booked through the election. Ceremonies take place every Friday. Whether those marriages will still be legal if Proposition 8 passes is a matter of intense legal debate. But for now, at least, watching the brides and grooms stream out of the rotunda is a wonderful way to spend the afternoon.
In California, the presidential race is taking a back seat to gay marriage.
By Farhad Manjoo
Posted Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008, at 4:00 PM ET
No one doubts that Barack Obama will win California by a double-digit margin this year. In some northern counties, he may well hit 90 percent. Yet politics in this nonswing blue state still defy prediction. California's 2008 ballot is a thicket of closely contested, closely watched social issues. And on some of the biggest questions, blue voters—in one case, the very same voters that Obama is counting on—look ready to swing red.
Among other state initiatives, Californians will vote on a measure to ban gay marriage; to require parental notification for abortions for minors; and to institute a program of rehabilitation, rather than incarceration, for nonviolent drug offenders. Even the beasts have a stake in the election: Proposition 2 requires that cows, pigs, chickens, and other farm animals "be allowed, for the majority of the day, to fully extend their limbs or wings, lie down, stand up and turn around." (The New York Times has come out in favor of the measure, while a number of local papers, including the Los Angeles Times, oppose it on grounds that it'll damage the state's huge agriculture industry.) In surveys, a large majority of voters say they'll pull the lever in the animals' favor.
But on the question of whether human beings will be allowed to lie down and extend their limbs with whomever they please, Californians are much more uncertain. In 2000, residents voted overwhelmingly to ban same-sex marriage. The state Supreme Court struck down that initiative this spring, saying such a ban required a change to the state constitution, and gay couples up and down the coast have been marrying ever since. Now comes Proposition 8, which would enshrine a ban on same-sex marriage into the California Constitution.
Early polls showed the measure tanking. Liberals were buoyed: Not only were they going to win the White House; they would also see their neighbors repudiate the 2000 vote and embrace an unmistakably libertine (if not strictly "liberal") social policy. But over the last month, proponents of Proposition 8 have pulled in more campaign cash (40 percent of it from Mormons) and launched an aggressive TV ad campaign. Now the anti-gay-marriage measure looks likely to pass. Says Yvette Martinez, political director of No on 8: "I think maybe we got a little complacent."
There's an interesting demographic wrinkle to the debate over Proposition 8. Obama has come out against the measure—but his supporters are another matter. The Democrat is expected to bring a surge of black and Latino voters to the polls on Election Day. This spells trouble for gay marriage; in some surveys (PDF), minority voters have expressed much greater support for banning same-sex marriage than have whites. Chip White, a spokesman for the pro-Proposition 8 campaign, stopped short of saying that Obama's presence on the ballot will help the measure. But he did point out that the campaign plans a big push in minority communities, especially through churches and other religious networks. "Traditional marriage initiatives have historically been supported by African-Americans," he says. "We think this one will be no different."
Martinez of the anti-Proposition 8 campaign, meanwhile, says that her side has also begun to tap minority communities, and several prominent black ministers as well as La Opinión, the large Spanish-language Los Angeles daily, oppose the gay-marriage ban. Still, Martinez concedes, minority voters could be a problem. "We think these communities have to hear our message a little stronger," she says.
Late last month, the Proposition 8 campaign hit on what seems to be its most effective argument against gay marriage: that if the court's ruling stands, kindergartners will be "indoctrinated" into the gay lifestyle. They've pushed the message in a couple of goofily creative TV ads now blanketing the airwaves. The more outrageous spot features a girl who comes home from school to show her mother a book her teacher has given her—King & King, a fairy tale about a young prince who doesn't show much interest in getting together with a princess. "I learned how a prince can marry a prince and I can marry a princess!" the girl in the ad tells her mother. An announcer declares that under California law, schools are required to teach kids about marriage, and that even if parents object, "teaching children about gay marriage will happen here unless we pass Proposition 8." The Proposition 8 slogan: "Protect Our Children. Restore Marriage."
The first time I saw these ads, I thought Proposition 8 was sunk: Is this the best the anti-gay marriage side can muster? An obviously tangential "Think of the children!" campaign? What's more, the ad is misleading: Although state law offers health-education guidelines for school districts to follow, it does not mandate a curriculum, and it explicitly allows parents to pull children out of any health classes they may find objectionable. In the summer, when the Proposition 8 campaign attempted to add language about schools teaching gay marriage on the statewide ballot pamphlet, a Sacramento Court found the claim "false and misleading."
But then, last week, a school in San Francisco arranged for a class of first graders to take a field trip to City Hall to toss rose petals and blow bubbles at their lesbian teacher's wedding. The trip, which has set conservative blogs on fire, seemed tailor-made to prop up the anti-gay marriage side's argument—San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, whose cocky stand on the issue doesn't play well in other parts of the state, even officiated at the wedding. In May, Newsom told a cheering crowd of supporters that gay marriage is going to be legal "whether you like it or not," a quote that has ended up in ads by people who don't like it. Now the Proposition 8 campaign has a concrete example of schoolkids being forced to hew to San Francisco's gay agenda, and they're sure to pummel voters with that message in the days before the election.
From afar, California is often seen as a liberal haven. Sure, Bill Clinton won the state by 14 points in 1992, and ever since, the state's electoral horde—55 votes, 20 percent of the threshold necessary to win the White House—have been a lock for Democrats. Yet between 1952 and 1988, the Golden State burned bright red, voting for a Democratic presidential candidate only once (Lyndon Johnson in 1964). Nixon and Reagan—homestate boys—won handily, and in 1988, George H.W. Bush eked out a respectable margin. And voters here have a history of passing conservative ballot initiatives. Yes, we've legalized medical marijuana and funded stem cell research; but we have also severely restricted property taxes, denied medical services to illegal immigrants, prohibited affirmative action at public universities, and forced sex offenders to wear GPS tracking devices. Californians have twice rejected measures to require minors to inform their parents before seeking abortions, but polls suggest that the proposal will pass this year.
At least 11,000 same-sex couples have gotten married in California since the summer, and now many are rushing to get hitched before their fellow citizens close the door for good. Slots for gay weddings at San Francisco City Hall are booked through the election. Ceremonies take place every Friday. Whether those marriages will still be legal if Proposition 8 passes is a matter of intense legal debate. But for now, at least, watching the brides and grooms stream out of the rotunda is a wonderful way to spend the afternoon.
Friday, October 17, 2008
She returns...
It has been an extraordinarily long time since I last blogged and I have no excuse. I guess I’ve been too busy living to bother reflecting or informing. Slightly selfish, I’ll admit. But, dear god there are new developments… I’ll just take off and see where this leads.
First, my hagwon is going bankrupt. Wow! They are closing at the end of this month so
I have two weeks to find another job. The closing of the hagwon creates numerous problems and opportunities.
Problems...
1. I have only 9 more weeks left on my contract. No one will want to hire me for only 9 weeks.
2. The hagwon pays for my apartment so I’ll have to find a new place to live.
3. Without a job, I can’t save money. The whole point of moving here was to save money.
4. The hagwon pays for my cell phone. I’ll have to get a new phone.
5. The hagwon owes me salary for October. The hagwon is claiming to be broke.
6. The hagwon owes me my bonus for completing my contract. The hagwon is claiming to be broke.
7. The hagwon owes me a plane ticket home. The hagwon is claiming to be broke.
Opportunities...
1. I only have 9 more weeks left… I can work part-time and teach private lessons. With just a couple odd jobs I can triple my hourly salary and probably make even more money than if I stayed at the hagwon.
2. I’ll just see if they’ll let me pay for the next two months of my apartment. If not, I’ll find someplace else to crash. This problem is totally solvable.
3. Saving money? See Opportunity #1
4. No cell phone? So, I’ll buy a new cell phone. Or get my current phone put onto my credit card. Whatever.
5. They’ll pay me or I won’t show up to work tomorrow and they’ll have to refund tuition.
6. They’ll pay me or I won’t show up to work tomorrow and they’ll have to refund tuition.
7. They’ll buy the plane ticket or I won’t show up to work tomorrow and they’ll have to refund tuition.
BONUS Opportunities...
1. I was already planning on going to Thailand in November. And now, since I have all this time to do whatever I want, I think I’ll just extend my trip and go to Vietnam!
2. I work on Sundays, but now I won’t have to. Sundays are all mine again! Late brunch with tea and good company. That’s the very definition of Sunday.
3. I was going to go home three days after Christmas. Now, I’ll be home in time for Christmas.
3. Change! I like change. I was getting bored and dreading the next nine weeks, now I’ll be flying by the seat of my pants.
So, I think this whole situation is going to be a blessing in disguise.
In other news…
The value of the won is taking a nose dive. What a nightmare! It is down about 25% to the dollar since I arrived, so I’ve lost about 25% of the money I earned if I convert it to dollars. Since I am definitely coming back to Seoul to go to grad school, I’ve decided to leave as much as possible in won. I’ll take out a few million won for my trip home, but leave the rest in Korea and pray for a better exchange rate!
Grad School...
Applications are happening. I’m finishing them, turning them in and crossing my fingers.
Birthdays...
I turned 24. I am now a twenty-something... A mid-twenties kind of girl. I think 24 is going to be a good year. In fact, the year started out pretty great with a fantastic birthday celebration. It was a night of drinking, kissing and dancing.
First, the drinking. There was lots of it. But, the best part was the free drinks. I don’t think I paid for a drink all night. And I even had a couple strangers walk up and say “Someone told me it’s your birthday and that I should buy you a shot.” So, I kept being pleasantly surprised by a variety of fruity shots. But, since I have clever friends, the people bringing me shots were all handsome men. I don’t really remember any of their names, so I just started labeling them "Cute Boy #1""Cute Boy #2" and so on.
And now onto the kissing... What free shot would be complete without a kiss on the cheek? My cheeks got a lot of action. I even had a few ask if I'd kiss them on the cheek. And being drunk and flirty and 24, I was happy to oblige.
And finally, the dancing! We danced at Wolfhound. Others went to the club, but at Wolfhound they played Jailhouse Rock and Sweet Caroline and all the classics that everyone knows. I just sang along and let the good times roll. Besides, if I had gone to the club it would have just been thumping techno with no room to move. I needed room to dance and breath and rock!
But, before I move on... Let me share the wonder of Wolfhound, my favorite bar! Wolfhound has become the hangout for me and all my friends... We go there almost every weekend. There are a couple other popular foreigner bars, but this one is particularly cool because it is a little out of the way. You have to go off the main road and down a back street to get to it. And, more European, Australians and New Zealanders hang out there, so there are fewer rowdy and crass boys and more cute boys with accents. And, since our crowd always hangs out there, we’ve started to know the other “regulars.” We have a couple other groups of friends that we’ve met there and we can expect to see and hang out with whenever we go out. It has a real ‘Cheers- Where everyone knows your name” quality about it.
Speaking of “Where everyone knows your name...” About a block away from Wolfhound is Seoul Pub, which is my other favorite bar. One of the owners is named Junior and last time when my friends were in town we stayed out all night at Seoul Pub. They are open till 6am and we hung out with Junior, playing cards and darts until they shut the place down. So, now Junior knows me and whenever I come in he always says hello with gusto and plays my favorite songs. He lets me be the DJ and pick any music I want. Sometimes he’ll buy me and my friends a round of drinks “on the house.” It makes me feel like such a cool, hip gal who is “in the know.”
A few other random updates...
Song of the Moment: Sex on Fire by Kings of Leon
(This song has been on the top of my list for quite awhile now.)
Fall is here and I am in love. Crisp breezes. Gold leaves. Scarves.
A casting director approached me today on the street to be an extra in the movie “Beverly Hills Ninja 2.” They are filming here in Korea. Maybe I’ll call them. Why not, right? It could be my big break!
I fell down yesterday. I just fell over. I thought it was pretty funny, since falling down is a pretty infrequent occurrence. I mean, think about it... When was the last time you just fell down. Didn't trip. Didn't step on a shoelace. Didn't get bumped by another person. Just one minute you're walking. The next minute you are on the floor.
I really like Holly Flax.
Book I’m Reading: Lonesome Dove
(It’s Liz’s favorite book, so I said I’d read it. Actually, surprisingly good.)
Current Color of my Toenails: Chipped Gold
Current Color of my Mood: Yellow… with a hint of Leafy Green
Most Recent Reason to be Thankful: Billy Joel's Live Albums and English Breakfast Tea
Word of the Moment: Megalomaniac
Youtube Video of the Moment: Hey Sarah Palin”
First, my hagwon is going bankrupt. Wow! They are closing at the end of this month so
I have two weeks to find another job. The closing of the hagwon creates numerous problems and opportunities.
Problems...
1. I have only 9 more weeks left on my contract. No one will want to hire me for only 9 weeks.
2. The hagwon pays for my apartment so I’ll have to find a new place to live.
3. Without a job, I can’t save money. The whole point of moving here was to save money.
4. The hagwon pays for my cell phone. I’ll have to get a new phone.
5. The hagwon owes me salary for October. The hagwon is claiming to be broke.
6. The hagwon owes me my bonus for completing my contract. The hagwon is claiming to be broke.
7. The hagwon owes me a plane ticket home. The hagwon is claiming to be broke.
Opportunities...
1. I only have 9 more weeks left… I can work part-time and teach private lessons. With just a couple odd jobs I can triple my hourly salary and probably make even more money than if I stayed at the hagwon.
2. I’ll just see if they’ll let me pay for the next two months of my apartment. If not, I’ll find someplace else to crash. This problem is totally solvable.
3. Saving money? See Opportunity #1
4. No cell phone? So, I’ll buy a new cell phone. Or get my current phone put onto my credit card. Whatever.
5. They’ll pay me or I won’t show up to work tomorrow and they’ll have to refund tuition.
6. They’ll pay me or I won’t show up to work tomorrow and they’ll have to refund tuition.
7. They’ll buy the plane ticket or I won’t show up to work tomorrow and they’ll have to refund tuition.
BONUS Opportunities...
1. I was already planning on going to Thailand in November. And now, since I have all this time to do whatever I want, I think I’ll just extend my trip and go to Vietnam!
2. I work on Sundays, but now I won’t have to. Sundays are all mine again! Late brunch with tea and good company. That’s the very definition of Sunday.
3. I was going to go home three days after Christmas. Now, I’ll be home in time for Christmas.
3. Change! I like change. I was getting bored and dreading the next nine weeks, now I’ll be flying by the seat of my pants.
So, I think this whole situation is going to be a blessing in disguise.
In other news…
The value of the won is taking a nose dive. What a nightmare! It is down about 25% to the dollar since I arrived, so I’ve lost about 25% of the money I earned if I convert it to dollars. Since I am definitely coming back to Seoul to go to grad school, I’ve decided to leave as much as possible in won. I’ll take out a few million won for my trip home, but leave the rest in Korea and pray for a better exchange rate!
Grad School...
Applications are happening. I’m finishing them, turning them in and crossing my fingers.
Birthdays...
I turned 24. I am now a twenty-something... A mid-twenties kind of girl. I think 24 is going to be a good year. In fact, the year started out pretty great with a fantastic birthday celebration. It was a night of drinking, kissing and dancing.
First, the drinking. There was lots of it. But, the best part was the free drinks. I don’t think I paid for a drink all night. And I even had a couple strangers walk up and say “Someone told me it’s your birthday and that I should buy you a shot.” So, I kept being pleasantly surprised by a variety of fruity shots. But, since I have clever friends, the people bringing me shots were all handsome men. I don’t really remember any of their names, so I just started labeling them "Cute Boy #1""Cute Boy #2" and so on.
And now onto the kissing... What free shot would be complete without a kiss on the cheek? My cheeks got a lot of action. I even had a few ask if I'd kiss them on the cheek. And being drunk and flirty and 24, I was happy to oblige.
And finally, the dancing! We danced at Wolfhound. Others went to the club, but at Wolfhound they played Jailhouse Rock and Sweet Caroline and all the classics that everyone knows. I just sang along and let the good times roll. Besides, if I had gone to the club it would have just been thumping techno with no room to move. I needed room to dance and breath and rock!
But, before I move on... Let me share the wonder of Wolfhound, my favorite bar! Wolfhound has become the hangout for me and all my friends... We go there almost every weekend. There are a couple other popular foreigner bars, but this one is particularly cool because it is a little out of the way. You have to go off the main road and down a back street to get to it. And, more European, Australians and New Zealanders hang out there, so there are fewer rowdy and crass boys and more cute boys with accents. And, since our crowd always hangs out there, we’ve started to know the other “regulars.” We have a couple other groups of friends that we’ve met there and we can expect to see and hang out with whenever we go out. It has a real ‘Cheers- Where everyone knows your name” quality about it.
Speaking of “Where everyone knows your name...” About a block away from Wolfhound is Seoul Pub, which is my other favorite bar. One of the owners is named Junior and last time when my friends were in town we stayed out all night at Seoul Pub. They are open till 6am and we hung out with Junior, playing cards and darts until they shut the place down. So, now Junior knows me and whenever I come in he always says hello with gusto and plays my favorite songs. He lets me be the DJ and pick any music I want. Sometimes he’ll buy me and my friends a round of drinks “on the house.” It makes me feel like such a cool, hip gal who is “in the know.”
A few other random updates...
Song of the Moment: Sex on Fire by Kings of Leon
(This song has been on the top of my list for quite awhile now.)
Fall is here and I am in love. Crisp breezes. Gold leaves. Scarves.
A casting director approached me today on the street to be an extra in the movie “Beverly Hills Ninja 2.” They are filming here in Korea. Maybe I’ll call them. Why not, right? It could be my big break!
I fell down yesterday. I just fell over. I thought it was pretty funny, since falling down is a pretty infrequent occurrence. I mean, think about it... When was the last time you just fell down. Didn't trip. Didn't step on a shoelace. Didn't get bumped by another person. Just one minute you're walking. The next minute you are on the floor.
I really like Holly Flax.
Book I’m Reading: Lonesome Dove
(It’s Liz’s favorite book, so I said I’d read it. Actually, surprisingly good.)
Current Color of my Toenails: Chipped Gold
Current Color of my Mood: Yellow… with a hint of Leafy Green
Most Recent Reason to be Thankful: Billy Joel's Live Albums and English Breakfast Tea
Word of the Moment: Megalomaniac
Youtube Video of the Moment: Hey Sarah Palin”
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