Trippin' on Tryptophan

Ok, I'm not so stellar about the updates. What to do? It's been busy.

I did Thanksgiving in Columbia and it was the first time I had been back there since I moved up this way in February. Everything has changed - yet it all remains the same. The parents went on an interior decorating spree and painted everything in sight, pulled up carpet, put down wood flooring and a few other select adjustments. I couldn't believe it - it's still the warm, cozy house that I grew up in, it just looks super trendy and modern. We have been in that house since, well, before I was born. It got me thinking-what makes a house a home? I took my first steps on the driveway, I used to run in the sprinkler in the yard and let's just face it - I'll always be scared of the attic room for no good reason. There are all these memories tied to one place, one fantastic place, and I guess that's what makes it a home.

The Thanksgiving tradition went on as usual, we don't cook on that day, rather we go out to one of my favorite cafeterias and get 4 meals (2 for me...you know lunch and dinner, 1 for mom and 1 for dad) and we take it home, put it on plates and eat Thanksgiving dinner around the dining room table. In my eyes, you just can't beat that. I guess the thought process is that there's no need to cook an entire Thanksgiving meal for three people and a big turkey for two people (mom's a vegetarian). Afterwards there's usually some napping and t.v. watching involved. The next morning it's up early to do the Black Friday shopping. Mom and I are crazy, we know, and we like it!

Back to the point of all of this...I realized while I was in Columbia that it will always be my hometown, but what I consider home now is Arlington. I have already tied this place to several fond memories and I am looking forward to making many more.

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Last blog, AB called me out on the new background for this blog in her comment. I guess there were several reasons for it, but the past few months I have had a "mkp Renaissance" of sorts and it has shaken my world up and kept things quite exciting. Change is good. Change is very good.

Rocking the Vote

Remember when MTV jumped on the voting bandwagon to try to appeal to the younger audience to get out there and make their voices heard? Well...it worked and it stuck with me. I remember voting in my first presidential election. It was so thrilling and made me feel so powerful.

Up until a few days ago, I was concerned that George Allen would beat out Jim Webb for the U.S. Senate seat. I voted against Allen out of spite, sadly enough. That was incredibly wrong - I'm usually one to figure out the issues, see where the candidates stand, do the comparative analysis and then vote according to who I think is best for the position. I totally bypassed that process during this election and went to the polls with a mission to vote against Allen. In total honesty, I would have voted for yellow dog before I voted for Allen. It's tragic (but not really) that one mistake, one racist remark can screw you out of your position. Maybe he learned a lesson from all of this - when you get elected for an office you represent all people and when you insult those people, they don't want to have you as their voice, so they will speak up and out against you and it WILL work. Oh, and mad props to Webb's PR people because I saw a picture in the WaPo of him making dosas surrounded by Indians. Well played.

Frankie Say Relax

I was re-reading some of my prior posts and I most certainly sound cynical, don't I? I guess it's healthy to have *some* of that going on.

Lately, I've been in a completely different frame of mind. I think normal folks call it "relaxed." I can't remember a time when I wasn't on edge about something - in school there were always finals, papers due, and various other projects. When I first entered the working world, I had to make not only a good impression, but the BEST impression. This required me to constantly bring my A-game, no less. Make no mistake - I still have my A-game, it's just I'm in a point in my career where I've actually proven my abilities to those who need to see them. It's a good place that I'm in right now. I'm getting used to not worrying about everything so much - and it's not that I don't care, it's just the realization that worrying doesn't accomplish anything. Of course, I've heard this from so many people over the past several years...I'm glad I finally decided to listen.

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There are people in the world that make you smile so much it makes your face hurt. Thnx, NC. Have a Ukulele :)

There is a light that shines...special for you and me

I was thinking about my friends today and how much unconditional love there is among us all. Though we don't necessarily say "I love you" - we show it, and we show it often. It can mean all of us sitting around watching Saved by the Bell at the residence of RS, it can be an impromptu e-mail just to let someone know you are thinking of them, or it can mean planning a birthday party for one or two of them (haha!). This unconditional love obviously extends to family too - like when my cousin JK came to DC just because he needed to see me.

I don't believe in soul mates - well, let me clarify - I don't believe there is just ONE person that we can consider as a soul mate. I don't buy that there's only one person in the world that we are meant to be with. I believe in soul mates in the sense that there are people (male and female, relatives and friends) that I'm clearly compatible with, who have been with me through thick and thin and still love me no matter what. Of course they haven't always agreed with me, my point of view, but they respect it for what it is. I love that there are people out there that have seen me at both extremes of worst and best. It's with these people that I feel like I can truly let loose and be myself.

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On a kind-of related note, I read something today that made - in southern terms - my cup overflow. It has absolutely nothing to do with me or the group, but with my friend, perhaps a soul mate. She will keep fighting the good fight as long as necessary. And she knows that we all love her...unconditionally.