drive by guilt trip

I'm hosting a big event for my program this week and I've been crazy-busy lately trying to get everything ready in time.  This means long hours at work and no time for me.  Last Thursday, another day that I stayed late at work, I was waiting for a bus at the Pentagon.  Because it was way past rush hour, there weren't too many people waiting for a bus at that time.  I was in the middle of texting the bf when a woman said something to me from a few feet away.

Me:  I'm sorry but what did you say? 

Lady: I asked you if you just got off from work.

Me: Yes, I did.

Lady: You're so lucky.  Must be nice to have a job to get off from.

Me: ????

I was the victim of a drive by guilt trip.  I had no idea who this woman was and had never seen her before but the last thing I expected to be subject to while waiting for the bus is a guilt trip by a complete stranger. 

What she doesn't know is that a key component of my program is case management and my case managers have done an excellent job in finding jobs and job training for the participants that are unemployed. 

What she doesn't know is that I am completely aware of how lucky I am to have a job.  I honestly do think about this every day.  I realize that unemployment is high and I'm certainly fortunate to have a job in this economy.  I'm lucky because I have the capacity in this job to help people who need it.  I'm especially lucky because I love what I do. 

Upon realizing this, I decided to just go about my business.

Guilt trip over. 

i hate myself for liking meghan mccain

It's not often that I admire a Republican for...well...anything really. So, I'm actually quite shocked to find myself liking Meghan McCain more and more.

I love a good political debate with the other side. However, I can't get into a good debate with most of the Republicans I know (note that I mention the ones I know; I'm aware that not all Republicans are like this) because they simply repeat the party talking points or they repeat often-misleading garbage that comes out of the pundits' mouths or they repeat whatever they hear on Faux News (you know, that bastion of honesty and balance on cable TV). I want to debate a Republican that can think for him/herself and believes in what he/she says with passion. I don't want to hear that Obama sucks because he shouldn't even be president due to the fact that he wasn't born here (I'm curious. Is Faux still pushing that BS? If not, why am I still hearing this crap?)

So then I start reading Meghan's postings on the Daily Beast (I read her personal blog once and found that all of the comments in the one post I read were complimentary to Meghan and her dad, which led me to believe that comments were moderated and only the ones that agree with Meghan were allowed on the blog). Holy crap, she sure is smart and articulate. At once, I think Dude, I would love to pick her brain. After reading more of her stuff, I realize that I can't debate Meghan because I already agree with most of what she says.

Which is strange for me. I mean, how often do I find myself agreeing with a Republican?

Personally, I think Meghan is more of an Independent than she realizes. I get that she wanted to support her father in the campaign, but she supports stem cell research and gay marriage. She's most certainly a little left on the social side. To be honest, I don't know about her stance on fiscal issues. Yeah, she obviously supports the military, but I don't think the GOP has a monopoly on this.

Regardless of her true political affiliations, she has made some great points as far as what the GOP needs to do to stay relevant. Look, I get that they are the party without a unifying message or leader (ummm...Rush is anything but unifying) at the moment. But honestly, now is the time for a makeover.

Meghan wrote a thoughtful piece on how the GOP needs to jump on the internet bandwagon. I mean, no sh*t. This is how you reach young people with your message. The Obama campaign used and abused the internet. His message was everywhere. The campaign even had its own personal 'myspace' type of thing, where volunteers could connect with other volunteers to organize grassroots efforts. As a frequent user, I found it awesome to connect with people who believe what I believe in and had the passion to act on behalf of those beliefs.

Recently Meghan wrote the now controversial piece on how Ann Coulter sucks (no, that's not the title, but the gist of the piece). She writes about how dangerous it is that Ann Coulter is the face of the GOP (personally, I think Rush is more detrimental). Because of her extreme views and the GOP-ers that sing her praises, she is alienating potential Republicans. With Ann, it is such an 'us vs. them' mentality at a time when the GOP needs to be more inclusive.

So here is Meghan, a young woman who can eloquently describe the issues within her own party and what must be done to gain prominence once again. And what does the GOP do? Well, conservative blow hard Laura Ingraham calls her fat. Rather than get into a thoughtful debate with Meghan, she labels her as a hater whose fat (and Laura's not the only one; go to her Daily Beast postings and read the comments about how Meghan is stupid and fat). Really? That is the extent of intelligent discourse in the GOP these days? See?  It's an 'us vs. them' mentality (and sexist too, seeing as that intelligent women are being told to shut up).

And therein lies the problem. And as a proud Dem, I'm pretty happy to see the infighting in the GOP. But I can definitely appreciate what Meghan is trying to do.

Lucky for us libs, the GOP isn't listening.

RIP 'rethuglicans'

Despite the title, this post is not what you think it will be about. If you voted for McCain and are one of the 3 conservatives that read this blog, I encourage you to keep reading (and to set aside your anger/disappointment/fear/etc).

I suppose I can gloat. Or call the GOP 'losers'. Or curse W and start a countdown to January 20, 2009. But I'm not. Nor do I feel that it is appropriate (except maybe the countdown because I'm looking forward to inauguration day for a different reason now).

I stayed up long enough last night to hear Obama's first speech as president (elect). And like his other speeches that I was lucky enough to listen to, I was in awe of his meaningful rhetoric and inspired by his passion. Just like the first speech I ever heard him speak, I felt like I was being called to do something. If you listened to his words even casually, the message was clear: we are all Americans, the politics of division are over, and now we must work together.

Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House – a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, "We are not enemies, but friends…though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection." And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn – I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.

Barack Obama, President Elect, Nov. 4, 2008

I didn't go traipsing around the state of Virginia talking to people about Obama just because I wanted a Dem to win. I did it because I believe in Obama and what he represents in this country. It's not just change. It's progress. For the first time in 8 years, I feel like this country is moving forward. And honestly, we cannot move forward and create positive change in America without working together. Red states and blue states. Conservatives and liberals. Republicans and Democrats.

Therefore, this is my official reaching-across-the-aisle post. I heard Obama's call for unity and I'm going to act on it. I am officially retiring my use of the word 'Rethuglican'. Sure, I don't think I've ever used the word in a blog post and certainly never used it in the presence of my Republican friends. But I use it while in the presence of my fellow liberals and in casual conversation with other like-minded individuals. It's more a sign of my anger at the past 8 years of GOP rule and less a sign of my views on conservative politics. I realize now that using that word was not only petty of me, but completely not constructive.

I may be drunk on post-election euphoria, but this is a promise I intend to keep. And I encourage all of you, both conservative and liberal, to put down your verbal weapons and embrace the notion of working together. It's really the only way to get this country back on its feet, both domestically and abroad.

As the past 8 years have shown us, negativity gets us nowhere.

stop the presses! i quit!

I turned in my notice today. It was a bittersweet experience. I realized a long time ago that this job just wasn’t the job for me. I wasn’t inspired. I didn’t look forward to my job on a daily basis. I did a lot of time-consuming grunt work. But the worst part about my job is that I am stuck at a desk surrounded by 4 walls all day while there is an HIV/AIDS crisis in DC.

I wanted to be out. I wanted to help. I wanted to fuel my passion for this cause. I wanted to be a part of the fight.

And now I am. On Friday I was hired to manage an HIV/AIDS outreach program for a major DC non-profit. I’ve been on cloud 9 all weekend.

Last night, I wrote my resignation letter. This morning, I stuck the letter in my bag and walked out the door. Despite the gloominess outdoors and the rain that made my morning hair straightening process a waste of time, I had a spring in my step. I stepped into the office and I was glowing. I didn’t know I was until someone asked me if I was pregnant. Ummm, no, I replied. Well, you’re glowing, he said. I didn’t know that, I told him.

But I certainly did feel it.

I cannot wait to start my job. Getting to this point in my life has been 5 years in the making. I cannot wait to start making a difference.

Last Wednesday, when the job offer was still in doubt, I talked to my shrink about it. Dr. W was completely informed about my job search. She knew how hard I had been looking. She knew about that 7 part interview with a potential employer who ended up picking someone else (yes, 7 different interviews). She knew about every previous rejection. She knew what kind of job I was looking for and why it would make me happy to finally find that job.

I asked Dr. W what I thought were rhetorical questions, “Is it too much to ask for a job that you look forward to every day? Is it too much to ask for a job that inspires you and motivates you and pushes you? Is it too much to ask for a job that you’re passionate about? All I want to do is help people.”

With all the wisdom of her (old) age and the experience of someone who knows exactly what I’m talking about, Dr. W quietly said, “No, it’s not too much to ask.”

I’m really glad I never stopped asking.