Grown Ups Vote Intelligently... or at least try.

Well, here I am being a grown up and preparing myself to participate in the second big election of my adult life.  As I don't have cable, it has been really easy to tune out biased ads, plus I ignore all of your Facebook statuses that have too many angry comments (as often as I can), so I am a relatively clean slate, now for the real figuring it all out portion.

Here is what I know for sure: this is super confusing!  Sure there are a couple that are obvious decisions, but the majority of these props have a strange blend of good, bad, and confusing that have left me frustrated.

  I'll admit this is incomplete, but I am taking a break to hit the gym and elliptical-ize all of my angry feelings toward the government away.  If you are so passionate and set on your votes that my ramblings are going to anger you, please juts click back a post and watch my silly music video and pretend I never mentioned politics in front of you, it is what  would do.

Here is my incomplete feelings on what is on the ballot so far, I'm sorry if I'm still undecided on your favorite Prop, I promise I'll get my nose back to my research when I'm done.

Prop 30:  Frustrated Yes.

-School Funding-

First off, I will just note the conspicuous omission of Universities (like, say for example, Cal State Fullerton where tuition has more than tripled since my first semester)  and instead I will rant about our budget making process.

I've been lead to understand that the state budget has been written out with the assumption that this Prop will pass, so… WHAT? That is freaking insane!  

Here is the deal, I'm going to hand you this delicious smelling slice of cinnamon apple pie.  Smells good, doesn't it? Plus you're hungry… so very hungry with a sweet tooth, and this is the kind of pie with a little cheddar cheese baked in the crust and there is ice-cream to go with it.  Wait! Don't take a bite! First we have to have an election to see if the person this pie belongs to will let you have it, if not, you probably won't get any pie.  Ever.  Fuck you.

I feel sort of trapped into saying yes to this prop.  It is imperfect, but schools are so important! We can't leave them without any pie!  

Prop 31: undecided

-local gov't-

Um… I will read you again later.  First time around you just looked like a bunch of words.

Prop 32: undecided… but probably no

-Union Funding Politics-

I'm leaning toward no on this one.  So on the one hand, it totally sucks to have a decision made for you about what your group believes in, but the fact is that Unions throwing money in is the closest the every man can get to having a voice.

Prop 33: no

-Auto insurance

Sorry bros,  I want to not pay for auto insurance while I travel the world and come back to a similar priced insurance.  Also, some people go off to college, yo.  Come on.

Prop 34: YES

-Gets rid of the Death Penalty-

Come on!!!! I can't believe we kill people and still try to play it off like we are the "good guys".  That makes us no better than the bad guys, folks.

Also, one mistake, just one makes us murderers.  

Lets get rid of the death penalty so we can be ethically pleased with ourselves, but if that isn't enough for you, read the prop and revel in the money we'll save and how those prisoners for life will be put to work.

Prop 35: Yes

-Harsher maximum punishment for Human Trafficking-

Are you kidding? Are you freaking kidding me that the maximum sentence for forced sex trafficking a minor is currently 8 years? So lets just say we rescue a darling little 13 year old from a terrible life.  I'm proud of us, we convicted her capturer and gave him the max sentence, she starts to heal until bam, happy 21st birthday, that guy is back on the streets.  That is insane.  Yes, pass this prop, give them life in prison, I guess I'll settle for the 20 years they would receive life that sweet little girl I mentioned happened to be 18 when she was traumatized, better than the 5 year current max.

Prop 36: Yes

-Three Strikes Law-

Yes, can we please let go of the three time possessors of drugs and make room for our new collection of human traffickers?  Seriously, lets let the hammer fall on serious bad guys and give minor offenders the chance to amend their ways.

Prop 37: I don't know… no? yes? blah.

-Food Labeling-

I think it is a good idea to communicate what we are eating, I just don't think this prop necessarily is going to help.  It is confusing in its wording and seems to hand out so many exemptions that there s little actual accountability.  That being said, what am I eating??  I just don't know, I'm going to keep my research going.

Prop 38: Undecided

-tax to fund education

again…. universities conspicuously missing from the roster.  Must look again later... too exhausted from Prop 30 rant….

Prop 39: I don't know…

-multistate businesses-

I love the environment, but we can't keep making businesses hate us...

Prop 40: I don't know, possible abstain.

I don't know anything at all about redistricting, and I don't anticipate a sudden brainwave of understanding, so until next election, my friend.  (I will look again post gym just in case)

I don't want to start a fight, so I won't tell you who gets my vote for president…

It's Obama.

-Trying to be educated about the election + 1,000 GUP

-Not being very good at it -500 GUP

-Pressuring people to vote regardless of where we each stand on issues +1,000 GUP

Subtotal: 3,110 GUP 

(Grown Up Points)

Apartment Musings Music Video

I wrote this song on Thursday and decided to record it on Garage Band and make a quick music video. The attempt at flavor was mostly to cover the fact that I was having a hard time playing along with the lead guitar I improvised when I was recording... but I think that made it fun. :-)

Femininity: Where Preparation Meets Confidence

It's the best part of my day: coffee time.  A little breath of fresh air and caffeine in the middle of the hustle and bustle of my otherwise crazy Monday.  This is my me time to sneak in a little pleasure reading, pleasure writing, or the homework I've been putting off for the last week, all while sipping a delicious liquid conveyer of my life force.

Today, however, my true love turned on me and my attempt at fashion.  The lid of my coffee was loose and popped off mid-sip, allowing a menacing splash of coffee to plop onto my dress.  

Well crap.

Fortunately, I was running late this morning and had decided to drive my car instead of bike to school today.  Unfortunately, I recently removed a large supply of garments from my car in an effort to keep it clean like a grown-up….

All that could be found in my car was a cardigan, necklace, and headband.  So, this isn't the most prepared I could be, but it was just enough to scrape by.  Under my spoiled dress I had on leggings and a slip… though a rather sexier slip than I hoped to show off to my classmates… 

I threw the cardigan on over the slip, added the necklace and headband in an effort to make my "look" seem more intentional, and applied the most essential adornment to makeshift outfits: confidence.  A quick strut to my classroom and I was safely tucked beneath my desk with no further embarrassment.

Cleaning out my car +100 GUP

Clean car backfiring in my moment of need -100 GUP

Making it work +500 GUP

Subtotal: 1,610 GUP

(Grown Up Points)

Shredded Wheats

Do you see how freaking grown up this cereal is! This is legit. Look at all that fiber. This is a great start.
+10 grown-up points
Subtotal: 1,110 GUP

Kittens and College

        About seven weeks ago, my little rescued alley cat Mia created four fully functioning tiny versions of herself.  Yes, yes, always spay your pets, I know.  I was planning to very soon, but Mia got out for one last night on the town, shacked up with some careless Tom and the rest, as they say, is kittens.  

       As adorable as these little fluffs are, this is not a blog about them.  These kittens got me thinking about someone else that is too cute for words.  Me.  

        It dawned on me today that in nine weeks I am graduating from college and joining the big kid table.  This is it.  No more hiding behind the "I'm in college"excuse, I have to be a full fledged human being.  At least until I tuck my tail between my legs and run back for graduate school, but that is a long way away.  Nine weeks however, seems terrifyingly close.

          This brings me back to my kittens.  At nine weeks old, they will be ready and off to move in with new families.  In nine weeks they will have gone from slimy little free-loaders to fluffy scampering quasi-cats who've left me and Mia to our empty nest syndrome.

             This is an inspiration (the kind you get in a movie that makes you cry so you only watch once, but you still appreciate what you've learned).  My goal is to spend the next nine weeks becoming a better version of myself.  If these kittens can be fluffier and more playful, surely I can be healthier and wealthier.  I have the power of rhyme on my side.

    
The Plan:

What adults do:
1) Make Money (generally generated in a career related fashion)
2) Take Care of Themselves (this is a broad one that goes from eating healthy and cooking to keeping the apartment tidy and remembering to floss)
3) Probably a bunch of other stuff, but I'm still young, I just want to get down the basics not the boring nitty gritty.

What I want to do:
-Write and/or perform
    -Music and/or comedy

Can these things be combined?  I am going to try.

The Obstacles:
1) I am crazy busy
2) Really that's it, I'm just busy, but here are the main sources of business:
    -Powering through my last semester of classes
    -Teaching 16 one on one guitar students a week
    -Interning for a management company... reading screenplays and shooting down the dreams of people in the exact same position that I am.
    -A passion for pleasure reading, improv classes, and social drinking

So here I go, chronicling the final countdown to my degree and my quest to make it significant. +100 grown-up points for rambling on about it.
+1,000 grown-up points for giving myself another excuse to write everyday (that is after all what I want to do)

Subtotal: 1,100 GUP (Grown Up Points)