So it's been awhile.... again
So it's been a little while since I've blogged. Probably about a month or nearly. I guess I should just jump right in because I've had a bevy of stuff to put up here.
First off, yes, I've found a job in Santa Cruz. In UC Santa Cruz, to be exact. It's the position of ACPC (Assistant College Programs Coordinator). I've been given a formal offer, which I've accepted (for those of you curious... that'd be Kali and probably only Kali, I didn't get the salary increase I was negotiating for... I suck at negotiations but at least I tried this time. Next time will work better... I hope). I suppose since I haven't signed on any dotted lines yet there's always some chance that the job offer will be revoked but it's a slim chance.
Since I've found a job at UCSC that means that I'm going to be moving back to California. It'll probably be sometime in the middle of next week. I still need to pack hardcore and I need to ship things hardcore so it's not like I can just waltz on a plane. That being said, I don't anticipate any real hardships... just the mailing of my stuff back to California. Which will suck. But it's alright.
One of the main reasons why I wanted to go back to California is because of my family. I think that there are members of my family who are getting to certain health and age ranges that make them more susceptible to sudden and unexpected hospital trips... or worse... so I think it'd be better if I were geographically closer to my family. Last November, my dad was admitted to the ER. It turned out to be nothing serious but it was a scary moment when I got a phone call from my cousin telling me my dad had been sent to the ER from work. I realized I needed to be geographically closer to home because 3000+ miles is just too far. I realize I'm probably alone in this but I like being closer to my family.
So, moving back to California. That's big news, I suppose. For me anyway. Because it's a pain in the tuchas to move this shit.
Last weekend, however, I got a bit of a headstart by attending Sara's wedding. I took the opportunity to move 100+ pounds of stuff back to California through checked luggage and carry-on luggage. The only real stuff I took that I took back were my laptop and my clothes. I left probably over 80 pounds of DVDs, comic books, books, papers, etc. And I haven't even really made a dent.
The important part in that last paragraph, however, was Sara's wedding. I can't believe I attended a wedding of someone in my close friend circle. I mean, seriously now. I feel... old and very immature for my age. It was a beautiful wedding tho. I'm not going to detail it out like I did my cousin's last month mainly because I detailed his wedding out because 1.) nobody who reads this blog attended his wedding and 2.) it was a longer and more expansive story what with the airplane delays and junk. Sara's wedding was not problematic (altho the driving was a little ridiculous. Honestly now, that was a very far way to go for a wedding and a reception) and was fun. It was nice and romantic and sweet and exactly how I thought Sara's wedding would be (which was nice, romantic, and sweet). Oh, and she looked lovely in her dress. (I think all brides do. It's a requirement for a wedding.)
I'm finishing up stuff at work. Tomorrow's my last day. Although it's my last physical day in work as an employee, I am working on a couple of projects for them that obviously won't be finished by tomorrow's end of day. So, I'm going to freelance for them from California, including work on the catering menu (which is what I spent pretty much the whole of today working on). I'm going to miss working here because it was mostly fun. It was loose and non-restrictive and generally free-flowing in what you could do and what you could have fun with. Sometimes we'd drink at work. We'd always listen to loud and fun (and obnoxious) music. We'd always be dancing or singing or whatever. It was mostly fun.
Tomorrow also won't be my last day in work. I pre-ordered Harry Potter 7 (the Deathly Hallows... oooo...) like 2 or 3 months ago (Harry Potter I can pre-order but a plane ticket bought more than a week early I can't? Obviously I have my priorities skewed) and I used my work address because I'm very wary of my Boston home address's ability to receive mail (I don't get my newsletter regularly, which I pay for and which is sent regularly). However I discovered that we don't get Saturday delivery at Zigo so I have to go back Monday to get the stupid package (I'd have canceled the order but I ordered the limited edition one with the prints and prettiness so I'd rather have that 2 days later than the normal one day-of). Plus, I figure I'm going to have to do hardcore serious brow-furrowing packing this weekend and if I have the new Harry Potter in my hands, that's totally not going to happen. So, this weekend, instead of reading Harry Potter 7, I'm going to be... packing.
What else? Yesterday, I saw Sicko, the new Michael Moore documentary. It was really good but, like all Michael Moore documentaries, it so blatantly exploits your emotions (and does a good job at it) that you sit there wondering how many things were glossed over and fudged around to make the point he's making in any one scene. Still, I'd recommend going to see it if, for no other reason, than to see the part about Nixon and the part about Cuba. Those two parts were exceptional film-making and it proves why Michael Moore is able to raise the ire of so many people, whether for good or evil. Because Michael Moore, if nothing else, is skilled at what he does.
Another thing that's been on my mind when I started this blog is that the front page of the NYTimes.com website right now has an article about Hillary Clinton and how she's polling right now. I think Hillary Clinton actually does have a fairly decent chance of winning. I think that if she does win, she would accomplish some ultimately beneficial things. I think she would be able to introduce a national health care plan. I think she'd be able to find a way out of Iraq (not fix Iraq. Just find a way out). I think she'd be able to reconcile some of the polarization that Bush's presidency's created by being bipartisan. I also think that she's going to be battling an almost completely vertical uphill battle.
I think, first and foremost, she needs to solidify her base constituents. One of the ways that Hillary has to establish herself as a credible candidate is to demonstrate that she has very solid and identifiable morals; even moreso than male candidates because she's such a high-profile female candidate. She needs to appeal to Democratic standards and one of the easiest ways to do that is to subtly have Bill by her side more. It doesn't need to apparent and it certainly doesn't need to be 24/7 but once in awhile, it would help. To remind Democrats that "Hey, I'm married to the most popular Democrat to have been around in the last 20 years, not mention one of the smartest political minds in the last 20 years." Perhaps one way to do this would be to have an agenda for Bill Clinton as the First Husband. Announce, at some point during a slow news cycle, that as First Husband, Bill Clinton will be working 100% toward... say... cleaning up the environment and fight back global warming. Give him an agenda and then you'll have a legitimate reason to say his name in debates.
(If using Bill is going to be part of her strategy, and I think it should be, they first need to address the default response which is "you're riding on your husband's coattails." The kindergarten response would be "Bush rode on his father's coattails and it got him re-elected. Obviously America doesn't have a problem with coattails." But that's very obviously a bad bad bad response.)
Hillary also needs to address some issues head on. I understand the strategy to stay away from foreign affairs but perhaps she needs to attack something head-on as not a "woman's point of view" but a "new point of view." Definitely never say the word "woman" unless she's being directly challenged on it but always use rhetoric like "new point of view" or "fresh way of thinking." Something like:
"We've followed Bush [don't refer to him as "president." Ever.] and he's failed at his agenda for Iraq. (# of people) have been killed. (# of people) are living in squalor and shame. (# of soldiers) have been killed. Enough is enough. It's time for a new point of view. It's time for a change."
[where did I steal "squalor and shame"? it feels like a quote from a Disney song or something.]
At this point, I actually hope that Hillary gets the Democratic nomination because the debates are going to be unbelievably interesting. This is one campaign I'd follow closely.
Anyway, aside from all that, nothing else has been on my mind. Except that packing's going to suck. Suck a lot. Hopefully I'll poke my head up outta my mess of a room this weekend and do some more virtual interactions. Until then, however, see ya!
First off, yes, I've found a job in Santa Cruz. In UC Santa Cruz, to be exact. It's the position of ACPC (Assistant College Programs Coordinator). I've been given a formal offer, which I've accepted (for those of you curious... that'd be Kali and probably only Kali, I didn't get the salary increase I was negotiating for... I suck at negotiations but at least I tried this time. Next time will work better... I hope). I suppose since I haven't signed on any dotted lines yet there's always some chance that the job offer will be revoked but it's a slim chance.
Since I've found a job at UCSC that means that I'm going to be moving back to California. It'll probably be sometime in the middle of next week. I still need to pack hardcore and I need to ship things hardcore so it's not like I can just waltz on a plane. That being said, I don't anticipate any real hardships... just the mailing of my stuff back to California. Which will suck. But it's alright.
One of the main reasons why I wanted to go back to California is because of my family. I think that there are members of my family who are getting to certain health and age ranges that make them more susceptible to sudden and unexpected hospital trips... or worse... so I think it'd be better if I were geographically closer to my family. Last November, my dad was admitted to the ER. It turned out to be nothing serious but it was a scary moment when I got a phone call from my cousin telling me my dad had been sent to the ER from work. I realized I needed to be geographically closer to home because 3000+ miles is just too far. I realize I'm probably alone in this but I like being closer to my family.
So, moving back to California. That's big news, I suppose. For me anyway. Because it's a pain in the tuchas to move this shit.
Last weekend, however, I got a bit of a headstart by attending Sara's wedding. I took the opportunity to move 100+ pounds of stuff back to California through checked luggage and carry-on luggage. The only real stuff I took that I took back were my laptop and my clothes. I left probably over 80 pounds of DVDs, comic books, books, papers, etc. And I haven't even really made a dent.
The important part in that last paragraph, however, was Sara's wedding. I can't believe I attended a wedding of someone in my close friend circle. I mean, seriously now. I feel... old and very immature for my age. It was a beautiful wedding tho. I'm not going to detail it out like I did my cousin's last month mainly because I detailed his wedding out because 1.) nobody who reads this blog attended his wedding and 2.) it was a longer and more expansive story what with the airplane delays and junk. Sara's wedding was not problematic (altho the driving was a little ridiculous. Honestly now, that was a very far way to go for a wedding and a reception) and was fun. It was nice and romantic and sweet and exactly how I thought Sara's wedding would be (which was nice, romantic, and sweet). Oh, and she looked lovely in her dress. (I think all brides do. It's a requirement for a wedding.)
I'm finishing up stuff at work. Tomorrow's my last day. Although it's my last physical day in work as an employee, I am working on a couple of projects for them that obviously won't be finished by tomorrow's end of day. So, I'm going to freelance for them from California, including work on the catering menu (which is what I spent pretty much the whole of today working on). I'm going to miss working here because it was mostly fun. It was loose and non-restrictive and generally free-flowing in what you could do and what you could have fun with. Sometimes we'd drink at work. We'd always listen to loud and fun (and obnoxious) music. We'd always be dancing or singing or whatever. It was mostly fun.
Tomorrow also won't be my last day in work. I pre-ordered Harry Potter 7 (the Deathly Hallows... oooo...) like 2 or 3 months ago (Harry Potter I can pre-order but a plane ticket bought more than a week early I can't? Obviously I have my priorities skewed) and I used my work address because I'm very wary of my Boston home address's ability to receive mail (I don't get my newsletter regularly, which I pay for and which is sent regularly). However I discovered that we don't get Saturday delivery at Zigo so I have to go back Monday to get the stupid package (I'd have canceled the order but I ordered the limited edition one with the prints and prettiness so I'd rather have that 2 days later than the normal one day-of). Plus, I figure I'm going to have to do hardcore serious brow-furrowing packing this weekend and if I have the new Harry Potter in my hands, that's totally not going to happen. So, this weekend, instead of reading Harry Potter 7, I'm going to be... packing.
What else? Yesterday, I saw Sicko, the new Michael Moore documentary. It was really good but, like all Michael Moore documentaries, it so blatantly exploits your emotions (and does a good job at it) that you sit there wondering how many things were glossed over and fudged around to make the point he's making in any one scene. Still, I'd recommend going to see it if, for no other reason, than to see the part about Nixon and the part about Cuba. Those two parts were exceptional film-making and it proves why Michael Moore is able to raise the ire of so many people, whether for good or evil. Because Michael Moore, if nothing else, is skilled at what he does.
Another thing that's been on my mind when I started this blog is that the front page of the NYTimes.com website right now has an article about Hillary Clinton and how she's polling right now. I think Hillary Clinton actually does have a fairly decent chance of winning. I think that if she does win, she would accomplish some ultimately beneficial things. I think she would be able to introduce a national health care plan. I think she'd be able to find a way out of Iraq (not fix Iraq. Just find a way out). I think she'd be able to reconcile some of the polarization that Bush's presidency's created by being bipartisan. I also think that she's going to be battling an almost completely vertical uphill battle.
I think, first and foremost, she needs to solidify her base constituents. One of the ways that Hillary has to establish herself as a credible candidate is to demonstrate that she has very solid and identifiable morals; even moreso than male candidates because she's such a high-profile female candidate. She needs to appeal to Democratic standards and one of the easiest ways to do that is to subtly have Bill by her side more. It doesn't need to apparent and it certainly doesn't need to be 24/7 but once in awhile, it would help. To remind Democrats that "Hey, I'm married to the most popular Democrat to have been around in the last 20 years, not mention one of the smartest political minds in the last 20 years." Perhaps one way to do this would be to have an agenda for Bill Clinton as the First Husband. Announce, at some point during a slow news cycle, that as First Husband, Bill Clinton will be working 100% toward... say... cleaning up the environment and fight back global warming. Give him an agenda and then you'll have a legitimate reason to say his name in debates.
(If using Bill is going to be part of her strategy, and I think it should be, they first need to address the default response which is "you're riding on your husband's coattails." The kindergarten response would be "Bush rode on his father's coattails and it got him re-elected. Obviously America doesn't have a problem with coattails." But that's very obviously a bad bad bad response.)
Hillary also needs to address some issues head on. I understand the strategy to stay away from foreign affairs but perhaps she needs to attack something head-on as not a "woman's point of view" but a "new point of view." Definitely never say the word "woman" unless she's being directly challenged on it but always use rhetoric like "new point of view" or "fresh way of thinking." Something like:
"We've followed Bush [don't refer to him as "president." Ever.] and he's failed at his agenda for Iraq. (# of people) have been killed. (# of people) are living in squalor and shame. (# of soldiers) have been killed. Enough is enough. It's time for a new point of view. It's time for a change."
[where did I steal "squalor and shame"? it feels like a quote from a Disney song or something.]
At this point, I actually hope that Hillary gets the Democratic nomination because the debates are going to be unbelievably interesting. This is one campaign I'd follow closely.
Anyway, aside from all that, nothing else has been on my mind. Except that packing's going to suck. Suck a lot. Hopefully I'll poke my head up outta my mess of a room this weekend and do some more virtual interactions. Until then, however, see ya!
posted by Chris "Krang" Yang | 12:49 AM
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