Fish are not Nature's most simple creature

Over the summer, we had some interns in our office to help with some demographic research our company was doing. While they were here, they decided to adopt a fish from the local pet store. They set him up with a cute little fish tank, some rocks, and a little groovy sea-tree and affectionately named him Schlomo, The Peace Fish. I feel like I've mentioned this before.... yes, I have. Ok, so moving right along... I have nothing against fish, however, this fish has caused me nothing but grief since the moment I got it. Actually that's not entirely true either. He's been pretty good to me, which less than I can say for how I've treated him. You see, a couple weeks ago, one of my co-workers got a McDonald's Happy Meal complete with a groovy little mini-Barbie. While observing Schlomo in his solitary existence within his little plastic fish bowl world, we decided it would be a good idea to give him some company, and what better company than a mini blonde bombshell? So we put her in there. Everything was fine for a couple weeks - Schlomo excitedly swam about her and Barbie's plastered grin never wavered, and all was good in the world. That is until one Monday morning I came into work only to notice that Schlomo's fish bowl was a decidely yucky colored green. Algae covered the walls and rocks - yuck. Something had to be done. And what could've caused this? Barbie. No doubt about it. I tell you, she fools you with her innocent all-American image; she's clearly up to no good. That said, I cleaned out the tank and it looked good as new. Barbie and Schlomo officially broke it off and so he was left again to swim along by himself.

Now that was about a week ago. And for some strange reason, the fish tank is back to that yucky colored green again. I don't know what it was this time, but I tell you one thing, marine biology is not my calling.

The picture doesn't really do it justice though - it seems worse in person...

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The Office

The Office is, hands down, my most favorite TV show. Ever. I'm sure I'm in the company of many others when I say this, but I can't help it, it's great! I could be the absolute worst mood ever, feeling down and dreary, and I put in an episode of The Office and it's like I completely forget myself. Erin, Katie, Ann and I used to do that when I was still living in Arizona. I had gotten all three seasons (there were only three seasons at that point) for Christmas from Lola and so we decided we had to watch all of them. So we did!! And it was so much fun. All the characters are so great, and most of them are quite lovable. My favorites of course are Jim and Dwight. From one of my favorite episodes, here is a picture of Jim dressing up and impersonating Dwight:


I've also decided to spread my Office enthusiasm to, in fact, my own office and purchase the 16 month wall calendar and desk calendar. I'm such a nerd that I'm writing about this, but it's the little things that I get excited about. :)

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Notes on the election

As everyone already knows, the presidential election is over and for the past couple days every political commentator, analyst, and journalist has exhausted their opportunity to put their two cents in on the results, why voters voted the way did, what they predict will happen in the future, etc. That is, except me. :)

Don't worry though, I'll be short and to the point... or at least I'll try to be. As I've heard many other people say since Tuesday, never have I been more proud to be an American, and I say that for a couple reasons. Since elementary school, I remember reading in history books about the great generations before us, those that endured the Revolutionary War and secured our nation's independence; the suffragettes who risked their safety and reputations to ensure women's right to vote; the many Americans that fought for our country in WWII and those that stayed home to provide and support the troops abroad all while maintaining normalcy as best they could at home; the many Americans, both white and black, that fought for Civil Rights; and the list goes on. I was proud of those that lived before me, who risked everything all for a better tomorrow. But thing about all that I read was that it was another generation, not mine. Granted, I'm not really old enough to have a legacy just yet and it is a little difficult to save the world when your biggest problems in life are trying to pass linear Algebra and keeping your room clean, but reading history made me want to leave my mark, whether it be individually or part of a collective group. For the first time this week, I felt as though I was part of something greater that had historical significance and would result in positive and progressive change for our country. We elected the nation's first black president and I can tell my children and grand children that I was a part of it; that's pretty awesome.

Not only was the actual outcome impressive, I was almost more excited about the activity that lead up to the election. Never have I seen (and yes, I do know that I am still quite young, but still) such an interest in a presidential election, or any election for that matter, in my lifetime. When I was younger, my mom would always take my brother, sister, and I to the polls with her when she voted. She would do her thing while we went over to the kids' section and filled out junior ballots, after which we each got an "I voted" sticker, which was what I was actually looking forward to most of all. But what I did notice, and more so as I got older, that voting wasn't really the cool thing to do. Whether it was apathy or a feeling of insignificance, most people didn't see the value in taking the ten minutes needed to cast their vote. However, that all seemed to change in this election. Like usual, campaign coverage started two years ago, typical for a presidential election, but so did the push to get people registered to vote and aware of the issues effecting our country and the world today. And what was even more impressive was the response. Movie stars, musicians, athletes, prominent social figures all worked to encourage people citizens to register and vote on election day. From what I've noticed, young people in the 18-30 demographic had a huge influence in the election, more so than ever before, through campaigning and getting the word out themselves. Whether or not your candidate got elected, it's important to notice that people have finally caught and realized that their vote does make a difference, that it makes a statement. And whatever the outcome, it was so neat to see how loudly and clearly the People's statement was. I honestly got goosebumps while watching the footage of the election, seeing the percentages and updates as they came in. I'm so proud of our country for finally realizing their impact and taking action, for actually caring about the outcome and their future.

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