i love south park.

not only have i seen every episode (most, more than at least five times, no joke) but we own every season available.

i’ve laughed with them, i’ve cringed with them, i’ve quoted them continually in common conversation.

needless to say, i couldn’t WAIT until the twelfth season would air a few weeks ago.

the anticipation was intense.

then it aired.

and it sucked.

… “well,” i said, “it could have been a fluke. it was just one episode.”

then the next one aired.

boo.

then the next.

suck.

then the next. and the next.

bad!

tonight just sealed it.

season twelve is HORRIBLE.

this show used to be cutting edge; on the cusp of what was happening in the world.

now, it’s just reaching for something that just isn’t there.

parker and stone signed a multiple-year contract to stay on-air. could it be that they just stopped trying now that the paycheck is guaranteed?

i can’t believe they would give up on us so easily.

WAKE UP, SOUTH PARK PEEPS! your show didn’t die when chef left. it didn’t die when mr. garrison became a missus. DON’T LET IT DIE NOW.

screw you guys, i’m goin’ home.

2004 was an exciting year. not for the presidential election—kerry vs. bush was a virtual snoozefest—but for the illinois senate.

mr. barack obama was on the scene, swooping in for an overwhelming (70%) win that november. his state win was as publicized as bush’s re-election.

three months earlier, he had first grabbed my ear when he spoke at the 2004 democratic convention. his words were so eloquent, and for once, i felt that i was listening to a person, not a fronting politician. his words really seemed to matter.

“If there is a child on the south side of Chicago who can’t read, that matters to me, even if it’s not my child. If there is a senior citizen somewhere who can’t pay for her prescription and has to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it’s not my grandmother. If there’s an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties. It’s that fundamental belief—I am my brother’s keeper. I am my sister’s keeper—that makes this country work. It’s what allows us to pursue our individual dreams and yet still come together as one American family. E pluribus unum: “Out of many, one.”” —barack obama

after his senate win, i kept up with him.

when there was speculation he would run for president, i proudly signed the petition.

i watched the live feed as he announced his candidacy.

that was over a year ago. the excitement i feel about him has not died at all.

i’ve pointed this out before: his policies are very similar to the other democratic candidates. (i could go on and on about what he’s for and against, but you can read that here.) policy-wise, we could stick any one of them in there. at the end of the day, though, what it comes down to isn’t necessarily experience, but a belief in real change.

as the dallas morning news stated in their support column monday: “In sharp contrast to Mrs. Clinton’s antics mocking his optimism, Mr. Obama has shown that it is possible to have both hope and intellectual heft. Her campaign has confused proximity to power with work experience, selectively taking credit for her husband’s accomplishments.”

i believe in optimism and hope.

i believe that one person can incite change by inspiring others.

i believe in positivity.

i believe in making smart, informed decisions.

i believe in choice.

“No, people don’t expect government to solve all their problems. But they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life, and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all. They know we can do better. And they want that choice.” —barack obama

i respect him for how he’s run his campaign. he doesn’t stoop to a lower level to win. it dilutes the process, making it harder on us to make an informed decision. he called for a stop to this shortly before he ran.

“This can’t be about who digs up more skeletons on who, who makes the fewest slip-ups on the campaign trail,” he said. “We owe it to the American people to do more than that.” —barack obama

at the end of the day, i find myself moved to make a difference. i made an effort to become informed.

even if i had decided to go with another candidate after my research, i’d like to think that he’d still be proud that he inspired that act.

luckily, i’m just another person that stands behind him, as he takes us on a journey of change.

tonight, i plan on completing my vote by caucusing. for those of you in texas, you have until 7 p.m. to get your vote in, before caucusing begins at 7:15. make your voice heard, no matter who you choose to support.

what an exciting time this is!?

get informed. read these:

today’s usa today story

the dallas morning news supports obama

fiddle with the delegate tracker

delegate counter game, cnn’s version

voter guide

what’s at stake, courtesy of npr

also, here are the candidate’s websites:

Barack Obama

Hillary Clinton

John McCain

Mike Huckabee

 

i’m alive!

i was out of commission the past few days, thanks to allergies (and an allergic reaction).

i woke up yesterday to swollen, burning eyes.

couldn’t really see. definitely couldn’t drive.

turns out, i was having an allergic reaction to my mascara.

it was exacerbated by allergies, as i was unconsciously rubbing my eyes (thus rubbing makeup in them).

yeah, not my smartest moment, i can assure.

… in other news …

sorry i haven’t said much to anyone lately, i’m just working through my own “sad” feelings, which are truly far and few between. i just happened to find myself in a low spot when i last blogged.

sucky times.

loves and AOT,
–jen

come on, cnn.

you put an “-ish” word in your hard-hitting, prominently featured story.

how can i take you seriously anymore?

sure, i use “-ish” words all the time, but i would NEVER put it in print (especially on the front page!)

cnn, hire me. i can rid you or your “ish-isms” for sure.

like totally.

hmmm …

chug! chug! chug!

hell, no they don’t.

honesty hurts their feelings.

honesty tells them truths about who they are that they don’t want to confront.

they SAY they want honesty, but when you give it to them, it’s over.

you’ve just killed things between the two (or more) of you.

if i was miserable over something, i would say it.  tell you to your face.

you may not like it, but the kind of things we HONESTLY put out there is to mend the wounds you didn’t even know you created.

we say it to move on and grow.

instead, honesty is like a damn weed killer. you lose people around you fast.

your parents were wrong.

don’t tell the truth.

ever.

it gets you in trouble.

this is precisely why i don’t like people in the first place.

randy pausch, i salute you.

“… there was one practice where coach just rode me all practice.  You’re doing this wrong, you’re doing this wrong, go back and do it again, you owe me, you’re doing push-ups after practice.  And when it was all over, one of the other assistant coaches came over and said, yeah, Coach Graham rode you pretty hard, didn’t he?  I said, yeah.  He said, that’s a good thing.  He said, when you’re screwing up and nobody’s saying anything to you anymore, that means they gave up. And that’s a lesson that stuck with me my whole life.  Is that when you see yourself doing something badly and nobody’s bothering to tell you anymore, that’s a very bad place to be.  Your critics are your ones telling you they still love you and care.” —randy pausch

here’s his updated “last” lecture on time management.

can’t wait for the book to come out next week.

see the empty spot? that’s where my car was. i had branches covering the front. a few feet more, and i would have had a tree in my windshield.

fun times.

… thursday has not been a fun day so far, and it’s only 10:30.

oh, daniel radcliffe, how you’ve grown.