my reaction to Virginia election results: meh

First my Anaheim Angels lost the ALCS.  Then my Hokies lost two games in a row.  THEN my Trojans lost to Oregon in the most embarrassing game I've ever witnessed.  By the time Creigh Deeds (D) lost the election for Virginia Governor my reaction was meh*.

Unlike the mass hysteria that infected conservatives when Obama was elected a year ago (OMG Virginia is now blue therefore a communist state, OMG we've just elected a Muslim terrorist, OMG we have a baby killer as president), I will gracefully admit defeat.  The Dems lost fair and square.  There's no conspiracy, no right wing effort to keep the poor from voting, no excuse. 

Yesterday, I had to convince my boyfriend to vote.  Why did he not want to vote?  Well, he was sure Bob McDonnell (R and women-hater) would win.  I was all ready to drag him to the polls, but fortunately I was able to convince him that Deeds was not the only Dem who needed our support.  But it bothered me that he didn't really care. 

Not that I blame him.  I didn't feel very personally invested in Deeds' candidacy. 

As much as I enjoy the voting process, the decision to vote for Deeds was--again--kinda meh.  Deeds was not my pick in the primaries; Brian Moran was.  I phone-banked for the guy because I really wanted him to win the nomination.  Sure, he was a long shot, but I supported Moran out of principal--he was the only candidate of the three that vocally opposed the marriage amendment that defined marriage in VA as an arrangement only between a man and a woman.  When Deeds came out of nowhere to win the primary, I was less than enthusiastic.  However, as a loyal Dem, I knew I was going to vote for him (especially, considering the opposition). 

I thought about volunteering for Deeds a couple of times but I wasn't really inspired by him to do anything.  I've been hearing since the campaigning began that the VA and NJ governor's races would be an indication of the public's feelings about Obama thus far.  I didn't so much as THINK about Obama whenever I thought of Deeds and I don't think Deeds loss has anything to do with the President.  Deeds lost because he failed to connect with voters.  He didn't connect with independents and he definitely didn't connect with the base.  I visited a liberal VA blogger's open election day thread yesterday where everyone was posting whom they had voted for.  I was SHOCKED by how many libs didn't even vote for governor.  Sure, they voted for the other candidates but they left the governor slot blank.  Wow.  That's how disconnected we were.

Why the disconnect?  Well, Deeds didn't always represent my interests.  In the second debate, Deeds actually said he would consider "opting out" of any public option for health insurance, even though polls in Virginia showed that the majority of Democrats and Independents want a public option.  Who was Deeds representing with that statement?  The GOP?  As the Dem candidate?  It's statements like that (or the one where he told a reporter that he was going to do good in Richmond because people like him there) that caused a disconnect with the base. 

Still, I voted for Deeds but my vote was not so much FOR HIM as it was AGAINST MCDONNELL.  The man makes my feminist blood boil.

I hate to be selfish but I'm so grateful to live in the liberal enclave that is Arlington (sorry, rest of Virginia).  It's going to be a long 4 years but I hope that McDonnell doesn't f*ck up the state too badly (if he is as great a governor as Schwarzenegger then Virginia is doomed). 

Oh and good luck trying to widen 66 inside the beltway, McDonnell.  It's a 10-year-old battle but I'll to be happy to join the protest against your initiative.  

*Meh--"The verbal equivalent of a shrug of the shoulders." (definition courtesy of Urban Dictionary)

fun frisky felines: happy halloween edition

Happy Halloween, peeps!  Hope ya'll are having fun. 

The kitties and I had our own fun.

Can't you just tell that they love halloween?

same ol' crap, different era

Depression Era, people lined up for bread

 

source: nps.gov

2009, people lined up for free health care in L.A.

source: latimes.com

And for those of you who think only undocumented immigrants need health care (not sure how you can tell from that photo that the brown-skinned people aren't citizens)...

2009, people lined up for free health care in rural Virginia

source: prwatch.org

college football recap: the collision in columbus...and ann arbor...and stillwater...and...

It's the return of the college football round up! Honestly, I was going to scratch this off the list of things to do on this blog and just tweet about the games all day on Saturday (which I still plan to do because it's fun...follow me!). But then this weekend was SO FULL OF AWESOMENESS that I just had to blog about it. Well, enough about me! The games were far more interesting...

• The weekend got started with a close one in Atlanta where #15 Georgia Tech took on Clemson on Thursday. Georgia Tech took an early lead which was kinda reminiscent of the Battle of the Techs game a few years ago in Blacksburg which started with the Yellow Jackets scoring 4 straight TDs on my Hokies to begin the game. And then Clemson came back. Unfortunately, the Tigers comeback fell short at the end, but it was a great game. Kicker Scott Blair scored 3 field goals and had a touchdown pass! Quote of the game: "I actually don't remember catching the ball or throwing the ball too much. I guess it was dreamlike." (Blair commenting on his TD pass)

• Once upon a time, some huge oil zillionaire decide to donate all the money he could to Oklahoma State so that they could finally win the college football mythical national championship. And then the #5 Cowboys of OSU played the Bulldogs of Georgia and they were dominating and proved that they deserve to be a contender. And then they hosted the Houston Cougars...and were completely shocked. Houston played their hearts out on the field, capitalizing on OSU turnovers and sealing the victory by converting an interception into a TD in the final 3 minutes of the game. Everyone loves an upset, but I can't help but feel bad for OSU because...well, as a USC alum, I've been there. But kudos to Houston for a game well played. Quote of the game: "For us as a program, this is a big win because it legitimizes our university. It legitimizes our program." (2nd year head coach Kevin Sumlin of Houston)

• Early on Saturday, #14 Virginia Tech took on Marshall's Thundering Herd in a cake walk of a game. Of course, the Hokies beat Marshall 52-10, but that's not important. Last week, when the Hokies took on Alabama, the offense was seriously lacking in that game, and I don't mean points. I mean yardage, complete passes or lack thereof, running the ball, all that good stuff. On Saturday, two tailbacks proved that the Hokie offense is still alive. Freshmen David Wilson and Ryan Williams (yes, Freshman, which bodes well for the future of the offense) ran all over the place, amassing a good chunk of the Hokies 600+ yards of offense and combined for 4 TDs. Quote of the game: "I think we really needed this. I know we needed this." (VT Coach Frank Beamer after the game...Frank, what you really need is a new OC)

• You know that few things (my kitties, the boyfriend, convincing at-risk youth to use condoms) make me happier than a Notre Dame loss. After hearing Lou Holtz proclaim at the beginning of the season that Notre Lame was going to make it to the mythical national championship (MNC), I did the usual rolling of the eyes, followed by the statement, "No effing way." Basically there are too many better teams out there that Lou Holtz likes to pretend don't exist when he makes these statements(besides USC). Anyway, at least for one day, Lou Holtz had to recognize Michigan. Coming off a 3-win season, Michigan had a lot to prove and a win against #18 Notre Lame would certainly help their cause. Both teams traded scoring opportunities for most of the game and with 5 minutes remaining, Notre Lame looked like it was going to win by a hair. Instead Michigan Freshman QB Tate Forcier began a drive that led to a Wolverine TD in the final SECONDS of the game. If you look at the stats, both the Irish and the Wolverines had similar numbers in yardage, turnovers, etc. But it was Michigan who scored last... Quote of the game: "This is a very disappointing, disheartening loss." (Notre Lame coach Charlie Weis)

• And the award for "Over-hyped Game that Actually Lived Up to the Hype" goes to the USC/Ohio State game. On Saturday, #3 USC went to the uber-scary Horseshoe to play the Buckeyes of #8 Ohio State. Last year, my Trojans embarrassed the Buckeyes in L.A. and they were looking for revenge. Ohio State has gained a reputation for choking in big games, so they had something to prove. USC has a true Freshman starting at QB who has never played a college game outside of L.A. Matt Barkley, the aforementioned QB, was pretty lackluster for most of the game. Had the Trojan defense not been so awesome, USC would've kissed any hopes for an MNC goodbye. However, in a moment of brilliance in epic proportions, in the final minutes of the game, Barkley and Joe "No More Fumbles" McKnight led an 80+ yard drive to the endzone which culminated in a short pass to Stafon Johnson (also really awesome) for the game winning touchdown. The drive was incredible and seriously shocking because for most of the game Barkley looked nothing like the QB who ended the game. But a win is a win and USC is now 7-0 against Ohio State. Quote of the game: "We're Trojans. That's what we do. This is what we dreamed of, coming back like this." (USC QB Matt Barkley on the final drive)

Next up for the Hokies is a game against #22 Nebraska in Blacksburg. On deck for the Trojans is a game @ U-Dub.

religion dilemma solved

Two weeks ago*, I went home for just over a day before heading out to Hawaii with the family. Unfortunately, this meant that I had to spend a Sunday morning at home which meant church time. It's always difficult to be forced to go to mass with my family and, this time, I didn't have Jesse with me to act as a buffer. I figured I'd be the only really, really, really lapsed Catholic in the church.

The church my family goes to is not a regular church. A few years ago, the Diocese of Orange purchased land to build the Diocese's second cathedral. This was before the pedophile priest scandal broke out. The church had not yet been built at the time of the scandal and, in an attempt to build a church community, religious services were held at a nearby grade school auditorium until a Cathedral could be built. A few years later, the Diocese still didn't have the funds to start building on the land they had purchased. Why? Well, they were too busy spending money on those case settlements for the pedophile priests the Diocese had protected**. Just last year, the Diocese bought the church community some portable units and combined them to make a makeshift church-like facility. This has been about a 5 year process. To this day, the Diocese has not yet started building the Cathedral.

When I entered the makeshift church, I noticed the community's demographic--old and young, nothing in between, and mostly Latino. I was greeted by friends of my family and soon sat down and waited for mass to begin.

Unlike all those other times since I've moved out that I've been forced to go to church, I felt like I didn't belong and I was COMFORTABLE with it. I listened to the deacon give his sermon (which was about communication) and felt that the advice was not only helpful, but universal--as in, not just advice for Catholics but for everyone. When the collection plate came by, I refused to put any money into it. Everything was fine and dandy until...

Communion time. We were seated in the second row and, soon it was my row's turn to go up to receive the body and blood of Christ. Catholic teachings require that your soul should be pure before receiving the host and the wine. Considering I violate Catholic teachings every day with my views, I knew that the Church didn't deem me worthy of receiving the body and blood of Christ. However, as I was about to sit down, my mom pinched me hard, forcing me to stay in line to receive the host.

Whenever Jesse and I go to church with my family, I never receive communion. After many years of Catholic school, I know I have sinned by violating the teachings of the Church and the sacrament of Confession requires that you reveal your sins and be sorry for committing them. I do not feel sorry about my views and my job and therefore I have not been to Confession in forever. I think my mom assumes that when I don't go up to receive communion I do it to keep Jesse company (Jesse cannot receive communion since he is not Catholic).

So my mom forces me to stay in line for communion and I know exactly what to do when I get up to the priest. When it is my turn, instead of extending my hands palm up to receive the host, I cross my arms over my chest and look down. This is a common signal to a priest that I want a blessing, not communion. The priest blesses me and I'm on my way. I'm not sure if my mom saw that I didn't take communion because when I went to my seat, she was beaming at me.

That day was remarkable to me for one reason--I realized that day that I am not a lapsed Catholic. I'm a former Catholic. While there will always be some Catholicism in my life as it is so ingrained in my culture, I feel comfortable not subscribing to one particular religion. In fact, I think I will make the following bible passage the main tenet of my religious faith:

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

From the parable of the sheep and goats in Matthew 25: 34-40


*Yes, I know that this story is way late but in the last 20 days, I've spent only 7 days in DC. The rest were business travel and vacation travel days. If you are wondering, yes, I'm still jet-lagged :)
**Everything you wanted to know about the priest sex abuse scandal in Orange County can be found here.