bumblepug

mrs. edwards

mrs. edwards has breast cancer.  :(  it is sad for us that kerry/edwards didn't win the election but maybe it was for the best since the edwards family will have some stuff to deal with.  i hope she will be healthy soon.

a note from mr. kerry to his supporters

Dear jane doe,

Earlier today I spoke to President Bush, and offered him and Laura our congratulations on their victory. We had a good conversation, and we talked about the danger of division in our country and the need, the desperate need, for unity for finding the common ground, coming together. Today, I hope that we can begin the healing.

In America, it is vital that every vote counts, and that every vote be counted. But the outcome should be decided by voters, not a protracted legal process. I would not give up this fight if there was a chance that we would prevail. But it is now clear that even when all the provisional ballots are counted, which they will be, there won't be enough outstanding votes for our campaign to be able to win Ohio. And therefore, we cannot win this election.

It was a privilege and a gift to spend two years traveling this country, coming to know so many of you. I wish I could just wrap you in my arms and embrace each and every one of you individually all across this nation. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you.

To all of you, my volunteers and online supporters, all across this country who gave so much of themselves, thank you. Thanks to William Field, a six-year-old who collected $680, a quarter and a dollar at a time selling bracelets during the summer to help change America. Thanks to Michael Benson from Florida who I spied in a rope line holding a container of money. It turned out he raided his piggy bank and wanted to contribute. And thanks to Alana Wexler, who at 11 years old and started Kids for Kerry.

I thank all of you, who took time to travel, time off from work, and their own vacation time to work in states far and wide. You braved the hot days of summer and the cold days of the fall and the winter to knock on doors because you were determined to open the doors of opportunity to all Americans. You worked your hearts out, and I say, don't lose faith. What you did made a difference, and building on itself, we will go on to make a difference another day. I promise you, that time will come -- the election will come when your work and your ballots will change the world, and it's worth fighting for.

I'm proud of what we stood for in this campaign, and of what we accomplished. When we began, no one thought it was possible to even make this a close race, but we stood for real change, change that would make a real difference in the life of our nation, the lives of our families, and we defined that choice to America. I'll never forget the wonderful people who came to our rallies, who stood in our rope lines, who put their hopes in our hands, who invested in each and every one of us. I saw in them the truth that America is not only great, but it is good.

So here -- with a grateful heart, I leave this campaign with a prayer that has even greater meaning to me now that I've come to know our vast country so much better and that prayer is very simple: God bless America.

Thank you,
John Kerry

a sad day in u.s. history

i was crushed to hear that kerry conceded (tim puts it best in his latest entry) to bush this morning. it's a sad state of affairs in america when one of the nation's worst presidents receives the highest number of votes in u.s. history. something is crooked and it's not just my spine! at least in 2008, w won't be an option. maybe hillary will pull through. what would that make bill? the first first gentleman (masculine equiv. of lady)?! anyways, back to the original issue of bush being re-elected...how can our country select a president prior to knowing the exact numbers? i know the answer to this but i'm such a stickler for accuracy and fairness. it hardly seems fair that bush has won despite the fact that overseas votes haven't been counted and neither have all the states absentees. i feel the dem party has been screwed 2 elections in a row since they have been so close. i'm hoping things don't get worse.

as you can imagine, i didn't sleep well last night because i was anxious to hear the "final" election results. it reminded me of past christmas eves as a child when i couldn't sleep because i was too anxious to catch santa delivering gifts. this time, i didn't get a gift. :( it's nice to wake up early because i'm able to complete a lot of chores. i know it might sound crazy to wake up at 6 am and clean but if i don't do it then, it won't get done. i'm the type of person who likes checking out and being leisurely once i'm home from work...too many fun things to do that don't include cleaning.

dog was a lazy bum this morning who chose to sleep on the couch under a blanket because she was waiting for ralph. she's so funny! at least her skin isn't itchy anymore thanks to the power of the derm capsules my mom bought at the vet. maybe i could pop a few of her pills to get glowing skin and a shiny coat. my hair could certainly use the boost.

i had my fourth special appoinment yesterday and i think it's safe to say that it's the end of the line until further contact is made on their part. on friday i have another special appointment, this will be the 3rd with this group, and i'm quite nervous because this one had 300 people from the start. what is it now, 20? i don't think this one will pan out but who knows? stranger things have happened, like bush winning this election! :(

latest netflix:
mean girls- 1st viewing, i liked it a lot but i wouldn't add it to my collection or make it a common rental.
white chicks- 2nd viewing, love it!
texas chainsaw, circa 1770 something- waiting to watch with ralph

election day

if you're sitting at the computer reading this and you haven't voted yet, go vote...go vote for kerry! ;)

ralph and i voted this morning and the line was longer than i expected. our polling place only had 5 voting machines which seemed like a low number considering voter turnout was high. ralph was registered twice, which he suspected because he kept receiving duplicates of state election material. too bad they wouldn't let him vote twice. former mayor hammer was in our line so it was interesting to watch opinionated citizens voice their concerns to her considering she doesn't have control, let alone input, over the election process. guess it made them feel better to say it to a former elected official than to keep it pent up in their brain. w.e.

ralph is going to boston today. :( he'll be lucky to be in the state where kerry plans on giving a victory/concession speech. ralph...if you're reading this...don't forget to buy me a red sox world series t!

election eve

(if you wish to skip the journal entry and read only about election stuff, go to the 4th paragraph.)

some things just didn't work out this weekend...volunteering didn't pan out on saturday because i was never phoned with where or what to report to and when i tried calling them nobody answered. going to castro last night didn't happen either because a group of us were discouraged by last year's stabbings. i guess it all worked out for the best because i was really tired by 9:30 pm because of the time change.

friday night was a lot of fun because we went to a halloween party and the kids were dressed in the cutest costumes, my favorite being toddlers dressed as the hulk and a lion. ralph was clark kent and i was a bee. lotte was a party animal for aunt b's party but that lasted for a quick 10 minutes for her arrival and some quick pictures. she was tired of the balloons, streamsers, glow sticks, and paper cups so she would've maneuvered it off somehow if we didn't take it off for her. amanda took some nice polaroids but they need to be scanned. they'll be posted sooner or later. last night we hung out with my family to greet trick-or-treaters and ralph and i dressed like mickey mouse and a mouseketeer because we wanted to be something other than our friday costumes.

we watched saw yesterday which was a rather disturbing film with bad acting and some twisted costume ideas! i would definitely wait to catch this one on dvd. movie tickets are so expensive now that it's cheaper (or as much) to buy a dvd (assuming a pair of people is going). if prices continue to increase, i'll have to stick with the matinees.

tomorrow is a big day for the nation- election day! don't forget to bring your id with you when you go to the polls to vote!

i'm concerned with the accuracy of this election because there are so many systems being used across the nation, with the software style of voting being the most suseptibale (sp?) to error. it's not clear to me why our government hasn't developed a single method of voting across the states?!

here are some useful links that might help undecided voters, first time voters, and those who are trying to decide how to vote on ca propositions.

non partisan (sponsored by league of women voters): looking for a president?

non partisan: first time voters

non partisan: project vote smart

non partisan (sponsored by league of women voters): ca state propositions and find your polling place

non partisan: ca health care propositions

democratic/independent-oriented: strategic voting with a swing state partner (things that make you go hmm...)
i'm not supporting this because when it comes to an election this important i can't rely on a good faith vote that alligns with mine, but maybe you can. i find it interesting.

if you believe you are a registered voter but your local poll does not have you on their roster (or you do not have an id), insist on a provisional ballot because it is better than nothing.

v is for volunteer

today i'm volunteering at my local democratic party office. i'm still not sure what i'm doing but i don't really care at this point as long as it means victory for kerry. v is also for victory!

more on my adventures or unadventures as a volunteer, to come!

bush relatives for kerry

"because blood is thinner than oil." interesting site worth checking out.

new yorker

way to go, new yorker! click on link to read about their political endorsement, obviously for kerry!

on to other things...i'm a netflix subscriber, again. third time is a charm but between me and ralph, i'm sure this has gotta be something like our sixth time subscribing to the service. they just reduced their prices and i've been wanting to lay on my couch more often lately so it was perfect timing. i should get my flix tomorrow and i'm redy to be scared...blair witch, original texas chainsaw (1974?), and confessions of a teenage drama queen.

i'm lovin' the red sox!

the red sox are on a roll and i'm so excited for them! i wish i could be at fenway for one of their games, even st. louis would do. i've caught a few minutes of each game, which is all i can take when watching baseball on tv (quite a different experience than the live thing).

this weekend was really mellow. didn't cook or bake. didn't carve pumpkin. didn't do election/proposition review (must do tonight). on friday ralph and i went to consuelo's and then we saw the grudge. the food was so good but we were let down by molten chocolate cake. if it was molten, so am i. it was so cold and barely tasted like chocolate (embedded are some links for good molten cake recipes that i've tested and been happy with). on the other hand, their filet mignon, sopes, sangria, and mojitos made up for it so we left satisfied, mas o menos. as for the movie, it was so scary! i had my hands over my eyes for most of it because there were some disturbing images that i didn't want to carry over into my dreams and wild imaginiation. i would definitely catch it if you're shopping for scares and frights close to halloween.

on saturday we went to the outlets and i bought some overpriced cole haan's (which i retutned the next day) and a plain jane white button down at banana republic. stopped by the coach outlet and it was good for leather purses but they don't carry the signature bags. oh well.

yesterday was an errand day and i hung out with my mom. i feel like i did 5 million things from my "to do" list and i was lucky enough to squeeze in a strawberry crepe! i found some awesome flat shoes which i have been ordered to wear (by my pt) from here on out as long as my back pain persists. i should really get working on my abs so i can wear mini-heels (the kind that make your feet look like little pig's feet) by christmas! i ordered my shoes online to save on the price, get free shipping, and skip paying taxes. yay! so glad i didn't buy them in the store on the spot. my mom and i also picked some goods from kyle's garden which is quite impressive. when i own a home i hope i can have a garden as plentiful as his. mine will definitely have pumpkins though. now that i have fresh basil and vine-grown tomatoes, i'm inspired to make a caprese salad for dinner.

i cleaned my bathroom at 11 pm and it feels so great to not have my makeup bag items and dirty clothes all over the floor and toilet top. it was really gross before. now if i can just get working on the rest of the place. today i'll try to get to the living room and my bedroom after the gym. pg&e person is coming between 1-5 to light the pilot and i'm so embarrased for my mom because they might think the mess is hers. i'm so glad i'm not there to let them in! ;)

today i'm going to boost my mileage at the gym. i've been doing 2.5 miles (don't laugh!) and i'm going to move it to 3 today. i've been running for about 2 weeks and i'll be ecstatic when i can make it to 6 miles, that's my goal. i better get a new pair of running shoes soon because mine are losing their bounce.

i came up with a genius idea for dog's halloween costume (speaking of dressing dogs). best of all, it is easy to make! i'll post pics on saturday because we're going to ant b's halloween party on friday (i better confirm that dog's attendance is ok before i get too zealous with the costume idea). i still need to find a gold crown for my costume and some fake bees for ralph's.

i just received an email from grant and sav confirming their wedding date. i can't wait. my third friend to tie the knot!

haven't heard from dad yet. he's probably consumed with very important things regarding his health right now. i'll try a few more times later.

ralph's corner: on kerry and recent economic advising.

da.da.da

i'm excited that it's friday because this week has been entirely way too long! i'm tired of wearing heels to my appointments because they are breaking my back, so i hope this process is done quickly. i've also switched to a new face product which totally disagrees with my face and my skin now looks like that of a hormonal teen! ugh!

tonight i'm taking ralph out for a surprise. i'm excited myself; i hope he is too! i love surprising people!

ralph's corner: a rolling stone interview with senator kerry (soon to be president kerry!).
careful where you celebrate sports winnings.
oh my gucci, can this be true?
not a bad idea if you've been lookin' for love (or a husband)in all the wrong places.

my corner: interesting creative story on living with dying.

things to do today:
- appt.
- return sources of skin destruction @ bliss and don't take no for an answer!
- walk dog, unless mom sits
- run @ gym
- candy tray
- clean living room
- get ready for tonight, iron hair? christine left her flat iron at my place! ;)

this weekend:
- carve pumpkins
- return cute but overpriced shoes @ DSW
- return good for nothing socks @ target
- clean everything
- help ralph build stairs for dog, need home depot
- get a library card, find new book to read
- bake and cook
- visit ecco store
- outlet shopping?
- city and hot chocolate?

mmm...now i'm craving starbuck's.