NY wedding weekend

B and I went out to New York over the last weekend in June to attend B's cousin Liz's wedding. As usual, my bad travel luck reared its ugly head. We were scheduled to fly to LaGuardia on Friday evening, and we arrived at the airport with time to spare. However, as we sat waiting, we heard rumblings that the flight was canceled. Because we really needed to get to NYC that night (our car rental was waiting, etc.), I ran to the counter to get in line. The agent came out and confirmed that our flight was indeed canceled due to bad weather. He gave us two options: catch a flight in the morning or try to catch a flight to JFK that was leaving at about the same time as the LaGuardia flight. We desperately needed the JFK flight, and I was trying hard to hold our space in line. However, people kept cutting in front of me. I called B over (she was on the phone with NWA) and explained what was happening. She then told the people cutting in front to back off and that we were going to return to our place in line. It was awesome. I wish I had that much chutzpah, but I don't. She also helped someone else who was cut off by grabbing her boarding pass and saying she was with us. Brilliant!

Anyway, we got our boarding passes for the JFK flight and ran over to that gate to board. We were already worried about our luggage (stupidly, I decided that we should check a bag, as we needed to bring both dress clothes and casual clothes. I don't know why I did this, as I know better.). The flight attendants told us that the ground crew was going to try to transfer our bags, and we figured they probably would, as they had almost a full hour to do so. Alas, we arrived at JFK but our bag did not. B managed to be first in line at luggage service desk (we had a bad feeling so she decided to wait there while I stood at the conveyor belt). Unfortunately, the woman helping her had NO clue what she was doing. B had to help her fill out the form on the computer, and even then, she almost reversed our home address with the hotel address. It took this woman FOREVER to help just B - I can't imagine how long the rest of the folks were waiting.

Not only did we not have our luggage at this point, but we also had no way to get to our rental car, which was at LaGuardia. Fortunately, B was able to reach her cousin Jenni and her husband Rob, who graciously and generously agreed to pick us up at JFK and to take us to the car rental shop. This was especially kind, as our flight was delayed and then we had to wait to file the missing bag claim - I think it was well after midnight when we were able to leave the airport.

After Rob and Jenni dropped us off, we decided to try to find a 24-hour store out on Long Island so we could at least buy toothbrushes. Oddly, every store on Long Island, including gas stations, must close at 1o or midnight, as nothing was open. We finally gave up and went to the hotel. We were able to purchase a few basics there, and finally went to bed at 2:30 or so.

The next day, Saturday morning, we called about our luggage. We figured it might arrive that morning even, as there are tons of direct flights from MSP to NYC. However, NWA had NO idea where our bag was - none, nada, zero, zilch. WTF?! As someone said, how is it that UPS can track millions of packages, some tiny, some huge, etc., always knowing where they are, but the airlines can't manage to move bags 100 yards from one gate to another without losing (or damaging) them? And how can the bag go from on the plane to completely lost??? What happens there? I'm very curious, and if anyone knows what happens at airports, let me know. I need a behind the scenes tour!

Anyway, also on Saturday morning, the whole gang (B's parents, B's siblings/significant others and kids plus me) went to Huntington Station to look around. I wasn't too impressed with the area - nothing special. After that, we went to Liz's and Justin's pre-reception, and I met TONS of B's family members. I had a good time at that, despite having to wear the same clothes as I wore on Friday (jeans and a polo, not exactly appropriate attire, but oh well).

After the pre-reception, and after learning we weren't going to be receiving our luggage any time soon (NWA still had no clue where it was), we decided we better go buy some new clothes. Fortunately, our dress clothes/shoes and pajamas were in our carry on, but we really had very little other than that. We found a local Target and bought some shorts and polos - what a waste of money, as we didn't really plan on buying clothes in New York! Sigh. After our shopping adventure, the family took Rich and Marleen out to a local Indian restaurant to celebrate their 35 anniversary - congrats!

Sunday was the big day - Liz and Justin's wedding! As I mentioned, we had our dress clothes, so we were in good shape for this. The wedding was at a country club in Long Island - quite nice. Unfortunately, I didn't figure out the ceremony was outside until that day...and I didn't really wear the best clothes for a hot, sunny day. Oh well, I was fine. I felt bad for the elderly though - most of them had to flee to the shade! Overall, I had a great time at the wedding and the reception. Liz and Justin are so genuinely happy that it's hard not to be happy for them. I hope their marriage brings them nothing but joy. Oh, a funny sidenote - I "caught" the bouquet. Really, Liz threw it so hard at me that it bounced off my legs and I just picked it up. I guess this means that B and I better follow through with our wedding plans! ;)

After the wedding (which was in the late morning), some of the family decided to go to Jones Beach, a state park in Long Island. We walked along the boardwalk (it was quite cold by the water so no swimming for me), and had a nice time. As we were walking back to our cars, B noticed a motorcycle accident on the side of the road. Because she had just renewed her CPR and first aid certification, she decided to go up and offer her help. The motorcyclist, Rich, had made it to the grass, but it was clear he was in significant pain. B told one woman to call 911 and then assessed the situation. She looked at Rich's eyes and then asked him to sit down. He made it onto the grass and leaned back, and despite our efforts to keep him talking, he lost consciousness. I was holding his hand when this happened, and all I could think was, "dear God, don't let this guy die right in front of me." B then instructed us to rip his shirt off in preparation to do CPR. Fortunately, she could then see that he was still breathing (shallowly), and she found his pulse, which was weak. Rich then suddenly awoke and became quite belligerent, yelling at us and asking who we were. Luckily, his friend was there and told him what happened, and he let B keep helping him. He then lost consciousness again, and B monitored his breathing/heart rate. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the beach EMT arrived (B's dad Rich ran to the beach to find them). B asked if he needed a second for CPR, but the EMT said his partner could handle it. Not wanting to get in the way, we left, not knowing whether Rich made it or not. I hope he did. It was quite scary, and I was definitely jittery afterward. I was also extremely proud of B - she was quite heroic, and I think she gave that guy a chance to live by acting quickly and handling the scene. Amazing, really amazing! My baby rocks!

After all that excitement, we went back to the hotel and then out for some Italian food. Then it was time for bed (our luggage still hadn't arrived btw), as we had to head into the city in the morning for breakfast with B's grandparents and to catch our flight home.

On Monday morning, as we were getting ready to go to the airport, NWA called us and said, your bag is at LaGuardia - do you want us to deliver it? Hello morons, we are now on our way back to Minneapolis! B asked them to put it on the plane, but they refused and said we had to come get it. Seriously? NWA is ridiculous. Unfortunately, we hadn't built that scenario into our travel plans, and we weren't sure we could make our flight if we had to add that extra step, especially after we got lost on the way to the airport (one of the major roads was closed). B called NWA back and basically said, "you will put that bag on the plane," and they relented.

After a crazy ride, we arrived at the airport and barely made our flight - I HATE when we cut it that close. I really don't want to do that again. As we waited in the security line, we ran into Mike, Aviva, and the boys (they also got lost), so we helped them through security and with boarding. The flight home was fairly smooth, and by some miracle, our bag was waiting for us at the MSP baggage claim. Ironically, it had a RUSH tag on it. Ha! Clearly that didn't happen. Oh well, at least we had it - I was starting to worry that it was lost forever, and I had a lot of my favorite clothes/shoes in there.

After that hectic trip, B declared that she is done with traveling for a while. It's just too stressful, and the airlines are a BIG part of that. I think I agree with her, at least somewhat - maybe I shouldn't travel for a while either. The travel gods seem to hate me (my flight home from London was canceled in 2007, forcing me to stay an extra day after 40 days away from home, my luggage was lost for five days at the beginning of my Jerusalem trip, my first flight on the way to Jerusalem was canceled, a 2007 flight to Florida was canceled and we almost missed the entire weekend trip, one of my suitcases was once lost and returned to me with a hole and a tire track over it, etc.). I seriously do not have good travel luck - perhaps the next step is a plane crash, and I certainly don't want to tempt fate! :)

All in all though, despite the travel woes, I had a great time in NY, and I'm so glad I got to be a part of Liz and Justin's wedding celebration. I love weddings. I also really enjoyed hanging out with B's immediate family and meeting her extended family, as I had heard so much about all of them. Now I can't wait until our wedding in September - yay!

PS - NWA gets the idiot of the week award. Really, all airlines probably deserve the award permanently, but I'll go with the week for now. I only have so much power after all. Haha!

Idiot of the Week Award - 3/22/09 - 3/28/09

The Idiot of the Week Award for this week goes to Fast Traxx movers. B and I purchased a used television armoire on Craigslist. My mom and I went to examine the armoire, and we found it to be in pretty good shape. The doors opened and slid back, the drawer worked, the backing was attached, and it held a 32 inch TV. The molding was loose on top, and the piece had some dings/scratches. However, for the price, I loved it and decided to buy it.

Unfortunately, the piece is HUGE, meaning that B and I couldn't carry it or move it in her Santa Fe. So, I decided to call Fast Traxx moving, as they advertise on CL all the time. The price was reasonable, and they were recommended by Angies' List - usually a decently safe bet. Plus, I didn't think that much could go wrong, as it's ONE piece of furniture. Boy was I wrong!

The movers arrived with the armoire, and eventually maneuvered it into the apartment. I noticed the doors were detached, but I figured that was just for the moving process. I asked them about the doors, and they then slyly stated, "oh, one of the doors fell off while we were moving it, but the sellers said it should pop right back in" or something similar. We then attached one door without any problems, but the other door wouldn't attach no matter what we tried. In fact, some random parts kept falling out of the hinges, which definitely seemed odd to me. I questioned the movers again, and they then said that the seller said this was normal and that I should call them for advice. Because I figured they were being truthful and that the seller would have advice for putting the door back on, I wrote them a check, with a decent tip, and sent them on their way. Big mistake (sidenote - I need to learn to not trust people so easily - it was probably obvious that they broke the door at this point, but I accempted their explanation - doh).

After the movers left, I called the seller, who almost laughed when I told her what they had said. She said that the idiots didn't tie the doors shut or take them off (even though both she and her boyfriend told them to do so) before they turned the armoire on its side and that as a result, the doors flew open and one fell off. I then closely examined the hinge and could see instantly that she was telling the truth - the hinges were REALLY bent and that's why the pieces were falling out. I immediately called the movers, who conveniently didn't pick up, and left a pretty forceful message stating that I didn't appreciate their lying to my face and that I expected them to return my check. I was upset that they broke the armoire, but I was more upset that they had lied to my face. Absolutely ridiculous.

Poor B and I then had to spend the rest of the day attempting to fix the door (as what good does a TV armoire do if the doors don't work - the whole point is to hide the TV!). After several trips to Home Depot and Rockler Woodworking, we couldn't find matching hinges, so we tried to jerry-rig a solution with smaller hinges and wood putty (parts that weren't exactly cheap). That didn't work, and poor B had to chisel out the wood putty before it completely set. After that failure, we gave up for the night, but I continued to scour the internet for matching hinges. I finally found something and emailed the local Rockler manager, who responded on Monday that he thought he could help us (PS - Rockler is a great store - very helpful personnel. I highly recommend it. They even gave us our money back for the wood putty and small hinges, as it was their recommendation.). B went over to Rockler later that week and voila, we had working hinges and a working door again. Nice!

Unfortunately, Fast Traxx's idiocy didn't end with the doors. As we set up our TV equipment, we also discovered that they managed to rip the particle board backing off the back of the armoire, and I think they damaged the drawer as well. Plus, the TV shelf wasn't as strong as it should have been. At this point, B and I didn't know what to do, as we had already spent more money than we had planned. We aren't very handy, and we had no idea how to fix a piece of furniture. We knew we could fix the molding and the particle board, but that was about it. Luckily, B had a moment of brilliance and decided to ask Gordy, her landlord, if he would look at it. He said sure, and after a couple of hours of his time, we have a functional armoire! He only charged us for the hardware, about $10. We keep pestering him to tell us what we owe him for his labor, but he just shrugs it off. What a great guy!

Anyway, while we are thrilled with the armoire now, the point of this entry is to tell folks to avoid Fast Traxx. I understand that furniture can be damaged during moves, but lying about what happened is COMPLETELY unacceptable. I was so angry that I actually decided to write an email demanding my money back, and I wrote it from my work account. I've never done that before - meaning that I've never used my position as an attorney to receive fair results, if writing an email can even be called that. I felt weird about it, but I'm not sure why, as I only asked for fairness. Even if I wasn't an attorney, I would have taken those jokers to small claims court, as they seriously damaged the furniture and then lied about their actions. And, who knows if they even noticed my signature - probably not. I need to get over feeling bad about demanding fairness, honesty, and good customer service. Seriously.

In Fast Traxx's defense, they did return the check after my emails. That was decent. Regardless, they still receive the idiot of the week award, and I definitely advise against using their services. Pay a little more for good, honest movers, and you won't have to spend money and a week repairing broken furniture! :)

Idiot of the Week (maybe even the year)

I was just reading a friend's blog and came across a mind boggling entry capturing her recent experience. To summarize, my friend wrote to state senator Paul Koering, the Republican who represents the Brainerd area. Despite his Republican status, Senator Koering is gay. However, he still plans to vote no on the recently introduced bill (S.F. 120) to legalize gay marriage in Minnesota. My friend wrote him a polite letter asking him to reconsider his position. In response, she received a poorly written, extremely rude letter from Senator Koering's legislative assistant, Ken Swecker. Seriously, read the letter. It's amazing that Mr. Swecker is still employed, and I say that as a former legislative assistant. My senator would have fired me on the spot if I had written and sent that letter out from his office (I think anyway - on the other hand, he used to tell the anti-gay folks where to go. It's different when he does it though). Not only is the letter incredibly rude, but it is also horribly written. Where did that guy go to school? Did he go to school? Yikes, Senator Koering - you have a stupid, uneducated loose cannon working for you. Beware.

I honestly think my jaw actually dropped while I read that letter. Who does Mr. Swecker think he is? He has no right to treat Minnesotans that way, even if they aren't Senator Koering's constituents. His job is to help Senator Koering represent his district, not to be a total asshole.

I do know what it's like to be bombarded with letters from non-constituents, and I understand how frustrating it can be. I worked for my senator for five sessions, and we received 100s if not 1,000s of such letters/calls each session. I also endured the anti-gay onslaught of 2004, when we received 1,000s of horrible, hateful letters and phone calls from people telling my senator to vote for the gay marriage ban (and saying many nasty things in the process). I literally received threats and was told I was going to hell on a regular basis (I actually saved copies of some of the letters if you don't believe me). I had to threaten to call security to protect my boss, and I fought tears on many days, as I read and listened to awful, ridiculous, hateful statements. Through all of that, I never once responded to those folks in a manner resembling Mr. Swecker's letter. Not even close. Did I want to? Absolutely. Was it the right thing to do? No. That wasn't my job. I represented my senator, and such a response would have embarrassed him. Also, while such a response might have felt terrific, it wouldn't have done any good, as arguing with folks filled with that much hatred rarely accomplishes anything; it's like arguing with rabid anti-choicers.

Mr. Swecker's response is even more ridiculous because I sincerely doubt that he is dealing with the level of hatred I endured. I cannot imagine that the pro-gay marriage crowd is telling Senator Koering that he is going to hell, and even if some of them are saying stupid things like that, I don't think most are (plus, I don't imagine that Senator Koering is receiving that many calls/letters, period). I'm sure most people are simply writing to ask him to reconsider his position, like my friend did. Regardless, no call or letter would justify Mr. Swecker's response. He has a right to hang up on rude callers, and he has a right to respond curtly to rude letters, but what he chose to do was absolutely ridiculous. Simply stated, there is no excuse for Mr. Swecker's behavior, and Senator Koering should be ashamed to employ him. Really, ashamed. I mean it. Mr. Swecker's letter is embarrassing, and it reflects poorly not only on him, but also on Senator Koering.

In good news, if Mr. Swecker ever wants to run for office, that letter will probably come back to haunt him. Perhaps not in that little Senate district, but it will elsewhere. Heck, in time, it might even hurt him up in Brainerd, as more and more people realize that bigotry is bigotry, regardless of who the victim is. I sure hope it bites him in the ass someday, sooner rather than later. For now, let's hope he is the laughing stock of all state senate employees - you can help with that. Spread the word - Ken Swecker is a bigoted idiot, and he wins Schmiddy's idiot of the week (if not the year) award. Also, feel free to call Senator Koering at his home to complain about Mr. Swecker's rude behavior - Senator Koering needs to know who works for him. Thanks.

House Hunt Update

So far, I'm finding house hunting to be incredibly frustrating. I feel like we've seen 100s of houses online, and out of those, maybe 25 are worth seeing. I do not understand what people are doing to their houses, honestly. Scary stuff out there. Plus, tons of houses we like are on short sale status, which makes everything way more complicated. In fact, we actually made an offer on a house, but it's on short sale status. This means that we may wait for months and months before we even hear from the bank that they've even looked at our offer. Also, it means there is very little room for negotiation, as we are dealing with the bank rather than the seller. Yikes! Clearly, B and I can't wait forever, as our leases end early this summer. So, while we wait for an answer (or mere acknowledgment) on that house, we must continue to shop.

Unfortunately, none of the other houses we find really compare to the one on which we made an offer. Most of the other houses are smaller or have major flaws (lack of bedrooms, need a ton of work, etc.). Plus, for some reason, our realtor doesn't always seem to listen to us. I feel like we've sent her tons of homes we want to see, yet we've barely seen any houses. And then yesterday, she told us we've now seen enough houses to know what we like. We've only seen 9 houses in person...pretty sure that's not enough. She also showed us homes that didn't meet some of our requirements...another odd move. Further, we've now sent her at least 2 homes that have sold before we even had a chance to see them. That's sort of frustrating, but I'm not sure how to push things along either. I think B is going to send her another list of houses with specific instructions to set up appointments for all of them. Hopefully that will work. We haven't even looked in SLP yet, which seems weird to me. Idk what to think about all that.

Ultimately, I think B and I are going to wind up compromising on a lot of things we want, which is sort of a bummer. I already feel like I've compromised a lot by giving up on Saint Paul (I really don't like Mpls all that much), and now I don't know if we will be able to afford a house that we like either. That's frustrating and hard.

Anyway, I don't know why I thought buying a house would be easier than this, but I was clearly wrong. It's tiring, consuming, and stressful. Plus, I keep worrying about the economy and whether I will be laid off. If that happens, we would be in major trouble. A tiny part of me thinks maybe it's better to just keep renting for a while until things settle down. However, the other part of me knows that we need a place to live whether I'm working or not. And we could always get a renter if I lost my job. Still scary, but I think we would manage. I just wish the house hunting and moving (and the recession) could be over now. A girl can dream, right? :)

How can I be sick AGAIN?

I am sick. AGAIN. How is that possible? I was just super sick in January. Maybe I'm just doomed to be perpetually sick. At times, it feels like it. One of my law school classmates once asked me if I drank the cold virus for breakfast...perhaps I do somehow and don't even know it. It's not like I'm teaching kids, which explained the strep throat twice in two months my 2nd year of law school. And I don't see Charlie and Matt enough to blame it on them. All I can think of is stress and lack of sleep. Maybe that's it. Who knows? Regardless of cause, I just want to feel better ASAP. Though, figuring out the cause is probably important too, as I don't want to be sick every month. Anyone have any thoughts/advice?

Saturday the 14th?

As you know, yesterday was Friday the 13th. I'm not one who puts much thought into superstitious dates like that, so I didn't give it much thought. However, perhaps I should have, as some idiot drunk driver smashed into B's parked car early this morning. Technically, it was already the 14th, but I'm pretty sure those Friday the 13th movies extended into Saturday the 14th sequels...anyway, I can't believe that happened! Poor B has some of the worst luck of anyone I know.

Here's a recap of what I know: I went to bed around 2:00 am and fell asleep soundly. The next thing I know, B is shaking me awake at about 5:00 am and telling me to get up because someone has smashed into her car and the police are here. I was completely out of it, but I crawled out of bed and threw on my jacket, a hat, and my boots. Sure enough, when I went outside, the police were there and her car had been smashed. So sad. The idiot hit it hard enough that her car actually moved and the bumper is cracked and pieces of the wheel well are all over the ground. We aren't sure if it's driveable, so B arranged for a tow later this afternoon. Boo, boo, boo.

In good news, our neighbors heard the crash and called the police immediately. In more good news, that same neighbor, or perhaps another neighbor (we don't know for sure) stopped the driver from fleeing, so the police were able to arrest him. The officer said the driver was drunk, and he also said he was uninsured. Of course the jackass was! Nice. A side note: Seriously people, don't drive if you don't have insurance. My friend Paige was recently involved in a similar accident involving an uninsured driver, but she wasn't as lucky, as no one stopped the driver who hit her and he got away. Grr - take responsibility for your actions people! Anyway, the officer said the court would require the jackass that hit B's car to pay restitution to either us or B's insurance, which is good (if the jackass ever pays). In bad news, we have to cover B's insurance deductible and go without a car for a while, but in the grand scheme of things, that's okay. Really, I'm just relieved the guy didn't come driving down the street an hour later, as he could have careened right into B as she left for work...a smashed car seems insignificant in comparison to that scenario!

So, even though the whole thing really sucks, and I'm sad for poor B, I also feel pretty decent about it too. It's great to know we have such fantastic neighbors, and it's great that B is okay. All in all, and based mostly on some ridiculous horror movies, that clearly wasn't the worst Friday the 13th/Saturday the 14th thing that could have happened. :)

Hope your Valentine's Day started off better than ours! Love to all!

Rage Against...Everything?

I'm not sure what is going on with me lately, but little things irritate me to no end. Meaning, I'm getting furious over idiotic, daily life things. It's like I have 'roid rage, but without the steroids. Odd. Perhaps mildly justified (see below), but really, still out of proportion.

A few examples: I stopped at McDonalds the other day to pick up a hot fudge sundae for B, who wasn't feeling well. I wanted to do something nice for her; alas, McDonalds did not assist me. Why? Because apparently their idea of a hot fudge sundae is a squirt of chocolate on the bottom of the cup, a ton of vanilla ice cream, and then a drizzle of chocolate on top. And to make it worse, it had to be the slowest McDonalds ever. Honestly. So normally, this incident would leave me mildly irritated. Not last week though; I was seriously angry. So much so that I complained for a long time to B. And I think I twittered about it too. Whoa. Like I said, I think I had a right to be irritated, as I paid for something and didn't receive it, but come on - get a grip!

Another example: I grocery shop at Target a lot. I find the experience to usually suck, as they are normally out of many, many things, and their produce goes bad in approximately 3 minutes (okay, okay, more like four days). Plus, it's always overcrowded, and people drive their carts like they drive their cars - idiotically. One of my biggest pet peeves at Target is the cashiers. Usually, they are slow, and half the time they have no idea how to bag groceries. Sometimes they attempt to use all plastic bags without asking (when I'm shopping, I buy a lot of food - WW makes me eat at home a lot more). What, am I supposed to carry out 20 plastic bags? How does that make any sense? Another thing - they always try to put the fruit in with the cans, which greatly bruises the fruit (which then shortens its short life even further). And the other day, my cashier packed ALL of my cans in one bag. Hello moron! How am I supposed to carry that bag without having it break into several pieces in the parking lot? And he also forgot to use my coupons (after HE had pushed them to the side). When I mentioned that, he said I had to go to customer service if I wanted the credit. Now, it wasn't like I was going to be saving a lot, but it's the principle really. How can someone do their job so poorly??? I left Target feeling so angry that I actually vented to Karen on the phone. I swear I need daily Xanax or something...

One more example - I paid for a car wash tonight and the car wash failed to finish washing my car. I was in a hurry, so I asked the cashier if I could have my money back. He refused and said I could have a free wash, which meant having to go to the end of the line and waiting again...for a car wash that may or may not work. Again. I didn't have time, so I took the free wash and left in a huff, vowing to myself to never shop there again. Honestly, how can all these places be so craptastic? How can I learn to accept that I live in a mediocre, at best, world? Perhaps I need to seriously consider my xanax idea above...

Or maybe it's not totally me, and maybe we are just living in a world without customer service and without quality products, making me rightfully disgruntled, at least somewhat so. I don't remember things being so awful even five years ago. I'm not sure what is happening, but customer service seems to be completely dead. I really don't think it's too much to ask for decent service and a decent product when I'm SPENDING money on it. Come on people, get with the show! I also hate the argument that people don't want to work hard because they aren't paid well. Hello, I worked at Wal-Mart and Byerlys as a kid, and I busted my ass for my tiny wages. I guess some people just don't believe in working hard or even just doing a good job anymore either. Sad, but true. This is not to say that I don't believe in paying people livable wages. Obviously I know many people are paid horrifically, particularly teachers, but that is a post for another day. However, along with my belief that we should pay people better, I guess I just believe people should work hard and do their best too, no matter what their job is.

Unfortunately, I don't think the world is going to be changing any time soon, so I need to figure out how to implement an attitude adjustment if I don't want to be a raging bitch all of the time. I think lowering my expectations is a good place to start, and perhaps I need to reexamine where I choose to spend my money as well. I used to love Target, but it's not the same as it was even 5 years ago. Too much cost cutting has led to some horrible experiences, and they have changed their political priorities as well. Maybe it's time to shop elsewhere, though I refuse to go to Wal-Mart. Same goes for eating out - maybe I will only choose places that still value service and provide quality food. Might cost a bit more, but probably worth it.

Regardless of what I change, I know I have to do something. If I don't, I'll be the mad woman driving around screaming to myself in a Honda Civic...watch out world! :)

My worst nightmare

As I've made clear on my blog in the past, I cannot stand Michele Bachmann. I think she is pure evil, filled with hatred and bigotry. I also think she is a complete moron but also a savvy politician who has managed to fool those around her into thinking she's legitimate (or the people of the 6th district really are just that scary - I don't know if I can't accept that).

Anyway, in a new development, she has now started a blog. I refuse to link to that blog here, as I don't want to increase her traffic even a tiny bit (my three readers might accidentally click it, and I cannot be responsible for that). I quickly glanced at it myself (oops), but I didn't see much. I can only imagine what kind of right wing, anti gay, bigotry she will be spewing in the future, but I certainly won't be checking it out. I really wish she would just go crawl under a rock somewhere, but I don't think that's going to happen any time soon. Sigh. At least you've now been warned - there is another scary blog lurking out there for you to avoid. Good luck!

Do you know where your college transcript is?

As we begin this house buying process, I'm figuring out it's a huge pain in the ass! At least the mortgage part anyway. Example: I have to produce copies of both my college and law school transcripts. Law school is not a problem, but I graduated from college TEN years ago! Obviously, I don't have a transcript handy, so I had to order one. Another example: I have to call all of my utility providers and ask them to write letters detailing how long my account has been open, how much I pay, and if I've ever paid late. That doesn't seem like an easy thing to do - what incentive do those companies have to write such letters? Third example: I have to write a letter explaining the gaps in my recent employment history. Why the law school transcript isn't good enough is beyond me - doesn't that prove what I was doing for the last 3 years? Bizarre. Anyway, those are just a FEW of the things I have to produce - wow!

My favorite suggestion from the banker so far? Go out and USE my unused credit cards to prove that the accounts are active. WTF?? You want me to go shopping with credit cards to prove I have good credit? I already have an active account that has a balance - an account I've used for years. Plus, I have a car loan and student loan payments that I've been working on for years. None of that is good enough - I might have to go out and SPEND more money to prove I'm worthy of a loan for a house. Sigh.

Clearly I didn't do enough research into what this process entails before I started. We've barely started and I already feel tired. Plus, I'm worried that we won't be able to afford a decent house, and the current state of the economy scares the crap out of me. Every day brings more layoffs, more businesses closing, etc. It's starting to catch up to the firm, and I'm worried this is just the beginning. If I get laid off, we would be screwed! Scary, scary times out there, and things aren't supposed to get better until after 2009!

Despite all these worries, I'm still excited about the idea of home ownership. It is a great investment, and houses are basically on sale right now. Plus, interest rates on mortgage loans are currently low as well. Most signs point to moving forward, but the fear bubbles up every once in a while too. One day at a time, right? :)

When is the flood coming?

Is a flood coming? Have warnings been issued? I'm not really sure, but clearly, Twin Cities men must think a flood is coming, as I'm seeing many of them wearing super short pants lately. As in ankle showing short. And in all types of pants - suit pants, khakis, jeans, you name it. Yikes! Obviously, women do this too, but lately, the male offenses seem more egregious.

Because I'm fairly confident we aren't about to be flooded, I'm not sure why this is happening. Perhaps people have packed on some pounds, making their pants fit shorter. Perhaps they just bought the wrong size, or maybe their tailors screwed up. Regardless, short pants make people look ridicious and clown like! I know my libran soul causes me to care more about physical appearance than I should, but I'm willing to bet the non-libran folks out there would completely agree with me as well. Short pants = clown car with you spilling out of it! Or Revenge of the Nerds. Seriously.

A rule of thumb - your pants should at the very least touch your shoes (don't quote this as a fashion rule - it's a Lisa rule for what looks halfway decent). I should not see your ankles, period. This is especially true when you are dressing for work. I know the economy is bad right now, but that makes it even more important to look sharp for work. Heck, even Target sells some decent dress pants, and you can always tailor your old clothing too. No excuses - end the short pants now! Oh, and don't get me started on male capris - yuck! ;)

Adventures in FloHo

I spent the weekend in Florence, Massachusetts, aka FloHo, where Sarah lives. FloHo is part of Northampton (I think this is right - it confuses me. It's sort of the British model with villages in towns, etc.). I had a really good time, and it was fun to meet Sarah's friends and her new girlfriend, Patty O'Brien. Random note - could her name be any more Irish? Beth wanted me to say "top o' the morning to ya, Patty O'Brien" when I met her, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Sarah and I giggled about it all weekend though. :)

In surprising news, my flights out east were all on time. I made my connection in Philly with no problem, and my flight into Hartford was actually early. When does that EVER happen these days? Air travel is just not fun anymore. In fact, it's often the opposite of fun - miserable. The planes are full, you have to fight for space in the overhead bins because no one wants to pay to check their bags, and flights are always delayed or cancelled. Every time I have to buy a ticket with a layover, I fret about actually making the connection, especially on short weekend trips. If a non-stop flight is available, I seriously consider purchasing it even if it's $100 more. Sad, but true. The airlines are a disaster, and yet we as consumers have no viable alternatives. Boo.

Anyway, after my surprisingly successful travels on Friday, Sarah picked me up and then we got dinner from Bueno y Sano, a local burrito place in Northampton (NoHo). It was delicous! Then we went over to Larissa and Heather's house, Sarah's friends, and we watched a movie. I loved their house - they have done all the remodeling work themselves, and I swear it looks like a Martha Stewart/Real Simple house. Beautiful. They even had great Christmas decorations and a tree.

Saturday morning, I was supposed to participate in a walk for a local safe house, but I woke up with a migraine. I slept in while Sarah walked and Patty ran, and eventually I felt better. We ran some errands, and then we went to a place called Judie's. Judie's is famous for popovers, and they were quite good. After dinner, we went to the local debut of a GLBT movie called Tru Loved. It was quite cute, but it always amazes me how bad the acting is in most GLBT films/TV shows. The main character, Tru, did a decent job, but some of the others were quite painful/humorous to watch. Sarah thought it might be because most GLBT movies are low budget, but many low budget movies aren't horribly acted. I just don't get why we can't do better. Maybe someday.

The movie experience was rather unique. It seemed like every lesbian in NoHo was there, and they all seemed to know each other. It was a like an odd family reunion or something. While it seems like such an environment would feel welcoming, it actually felt sort of off putting. Perhaps it's because I'm not from there, or perhaps it's the fact that they all seem to know each other's business. I'm guessing that everyone has dated everyone too. Idk, the whole thing was just surreal! NoHo is an odd place for that same reason - it's like if Chaska was a gay town. I'm not sure why I felt uncomfortable or why I found the whole thing funny, but I did. I need to do some more self exploration of that, as it doesn't make sense that I would feel uncomfortable in an all lesbian environment. Internalized homophobia perhaps? ;)

After the movie, we went to a neat coffee shop in town with some of our fellow movie goers. I really liked the place, but I skipped all drinks due to WW and because I don't really like coffee. One small victory in a weekend filled with food disasters!

On Sunday, we all slept in a bit and then went shopping in NoHo. I love shopping in NoHo for some reason. Lots of little cute shops filled with things created by local folks and non-local folks. Just really cute stuff, and I love it. After shopping, it was time for a quick lunch and then it was off to the airport. The weekend flew by, and I was sad to go. This time, I seriously considered whether I should move out there...I miss Sarah, and I'm tired of the bitter cold (it doesn't get quite as bitter there). I do think NoHo is too small for me, but perhaps Boston. Maybe some day...

Back to the airlines and air travel - here's a funny story about my return trip home: My flight to Philadelphia was on time, but then we were stuck on the runway for a LONG time because a plane broke down and had to be towed away. We sat there long enough that I started to worry about missing my connection, but we finally started to move forward. I made my connection, and then when that plane landed in Mpls (25 minutes late due to the disabled plane forcing all the planes to be late), they didn't have a jetway ready for us. They also couldn't find a jetway driver. What the heck? LOL. I finally got off the plane and headed home.

Really, the travel mishaps weren't a big deal, especially considering I've been through much worse, but I can't remember the last time I flew without some problem. It's like the airlines are held to a completely different customer service standard - or perhaps they just don't have any at all. Yuck. At least my plane wasn't the disabled one - those poor folks might still be in Philly!

So much hatred...

Despite my elation over Obama's victory, there was a lot to be sad about on election night as well. First, voters in four states, Arizona, Arkansas, California, and Florida, all passed anti-gay constitutional amendments. Arizona, California, and Florida amended their constitutions to ban gay marriage, and Arkansas banned gay adoption. If I understand correctly, Florida's provision was especially onerous, as I think it banned domestic partnership agreements as well (don't quote me on that - I need to do the follow up research).

The loss in California was especially devastating because their Supreme Court had just recently held that the denial of marriage to gay couples violated the state constitution. I really hoped that California would lead the way on this issue, as it often leads the way on most social issues. This time, it failed miserably, and the loss really, really hurt. I believe CA also voted to protect animal rights while at the same time taking away basic civil rights from humans. Ouch. I'm all about animal rights, but come on.

I will never understand why people are so scared of me or other gay people or why they hate us so much that they feel it's okay to deny us basic civil rights. No matter what they try to say, it's simply no different than voting for Jim Crow laws or "separate but equal." Hell, it's not even an attempt at equal. I am a second class citizen in this nation because of who I love, which is something I cannot control, and it makes me angry and sad. Obama's election might show us how far we've come in some ways, but the results in those four states show us how far we still have to go.

To those who voted for such measures or who support them, I find you despicable and pathetic. I don't care who I anger by saying that - it's true. In 10, 20, 30, or maybe even 50 years, society will look back on you the way we look back on slaveholders or segregationists, and you or your relatives will be ashamed of your bigotry and hatred. Times are changing, and you are being left behind. History will not be kind to your bigoted asses. And while I'm not religious, no God I believe in will be kind to you either. You should be ashamed of yourselves. Grow up, and grow a heart.

I'm sure the response will be that it's about preserving the family, religion, or something besides hatred...but we can see right through that. It's a bullshit, cowardly response, and again, history will not be kind. Wake up now, or regret your choices later. One day you will see this, and you will regret the time you spent filled with hate and ignorance. I hope it's sooner rather than later, but I doubt it.

Clearly, I'm quite angry about the anti-gay results. However, that's not the only thing that bummed me out on election day. Minnesota's overall results weren't that great - Coleman is winning, even if barely, Paulsen beat Madia, and Michele "nut job" Bachmann was also reelected. How can Minnesota go for Obama in such huge numbers and then turn around and elect extreme conservatives in other places? Obviously, the burbs aren't the ones voting for Obama, but it's still quite stunning.

As for the Senate race, I do know that Al Franken wasn't a great choice, and I have friends who couldn't stomach voting for him. Plus, Coleman isn't a bible thumping, social conservative or anything totally crazy. I guess I'm not all that surprised at that race. The DFL often chooses the wrong candidate, and I think this was another example of that. Regardless of what went wrong in this race, it makes me sad that Norm still fills Wellstone's seat.

Bachmann's reelection was especially disturbing, as the woman is not only completely unqualified but she is also a total and complete bigot - and she's proud of it! She basically runs on an anti-gay, anti-choice, pro-fossil fuels consumption, pro-war, pro-ending church and state separation, anti-all tax platform and convinces the people of the 6th district to vote for her. WTF!?! This is a woman who actually hid behind bushes to watch the OutFront rally at the state capitol, and a woman who basically wants to bring back McCarthyism, and yet she is still in office. It actually takes work to be that anti-gay, and it usually comes from personal experience. Perhaps her husband bats for the other side...there have been rumors about that. Regardless of what made her crazy, I always knew I felt uncomfortable in the 6th District, and now I am convinced that my feelings were absolutely correct. Scary place for sure, especially for anyone who is different. Best part about Bachmann? She now thinks she's qualifed to sit on the House Ways and Means Committee! God help us all...I'm pretty sure her law degree (she claims her experience as a tax attorney qualifies her) is from some a bible college affiliated with the Oral Roberts University. Yeah, I'm sure she's qualified. Excellent.

So, while I felt happy about Obama's victory, election night 2008 left a lot to be desired, especially for all gay Americans. Obama might be our ally, but he's not going to lead the way for change for us. Few politicians have the courage to take a real stand, and I don't think he'll be different.

Overall, the outcomes left me feeling sad, but also angry. I'm hoping that others feel the same way too and that we can channel that anger into some constructive grass roots advocacy for change. Lord knows we have a long way to go before we reach equality. Let's start today. I still believe in America, and I still believe in Americans. Hatred and bigotry are not our destiny, and we can overcome them. Obama's election definitively proves that. To steal his line, "yes we can!" Together, we can fulfill America's promise, one day and one person at a time. It might take all of my life time and all of my children's life time, but we can do it. Say no to hatred, and say no to bigotry. Say yes to equal rights for all Americans, gay or straight, black or white, rich or poor, able or disabled! We can do this, we can make a difference. "Yes we can! Yes we can! Yes we can!"

PS: It's posts like this that will prevent me from ever running from political office. I just can't reach out and tell anti-gay folks that I hear their voices and that I understand. I just don't have it in me. C'est la vie!

Polling place problems

I went to vote rather early in the morning, hoping to beat the crowds. My strategy worked, and I was able to vote really quickly. However, I saw much that disturbed me at my polling place. First, one of the people checking us in was so old that I'm not sure he could even function much less read the small print on the voter rolls. Poor guy. They should have had him handing out stickers or something. Not good.

Second, and far more disturbing, was the attempt of some of the workers to turn an unregistered voter away because she did not have ID. This really, really pissed me off. You do not need ID to vote or register in Minnesota. You can show up on election day, register, and then vote. All you need is proof of residence (ID) OR a utility bill OR someone from the district who can vouch for you. This woman had a friend who was vouching for her, yet they tried to turn her away. I spoke up and said that was not the law, and the person in charge of the place came over and agreed with me. Thank goodness. I was very angry, as they almost sent someone away for no reason. I was even more angry when I learned this was happening in lots of places. The Strib was even reporting that poll stations were checking IDs. WTF???? That is not right.

To make good use of my anger, I decided to write to the Secretary of State's office. I wrote a relatively polite email and thought I would never hear from them again. However, within 20 minutes, I had a response back saying that I was correct and that they were going to call the precinct and remind them of the correct law. She even CCed the guy who was supposed to make the call. I guess it pays to be an attorney sometimes (I wrote the email from my work account). Pretty cool.

Despite the quick response from the Secretary of State, I still feel pretty worried about the state of our elections. My polling place was sort of a shit show, with people not knowing what they were doing, etc. I can only imagine what other places were like, and how many voters were turned away. So sad, and pathetic really. Democracy can't work like that - we need to do better! The whole thing made me angry enough that I am thinking about volunteering to be an election judge next time around. Only problem - I would want to root for my candidates and I couldn't do that if I was a judge. I guess I'll decide next go round.

What's nuts is that Minnesota actually is WAY better than many places. Think of how many people probably were improperly denied the right to vote all over the country. That makes me very sad. And angry. It's not right, period.

Message from all of this: know your rights as a voter, and speak up for yourself. The election judges don't always know what they are doing, and they are often wrong. Minnesota has liberal voting laws, and odds are good that you should be able to vote. Please, please, please stand up for your rights! It's your duty and right as an American. Don't let your voice be silenced!

I'm officially an attorney!

Yesterday, I officially became an attorney, as I was sworn in to the Minnesota bar. This means that I can practice law in Minnesota and represent clients before all Minnesota courts. Pretty cool. I guess my moral character measured up!

The ceremony itself was slightly obnoxious. It was an official session of the Minnesota Supreme Court, and each member of the court had to be introduced. Then, we had to wait for what seemed like an eternity as all the people who have attorneys in their families were individually sworn into the bar. This part seemed especially obnoxious to me, but maybe that's just because I don't have any family members who are attorneys - it just didn't seem special to me.

Finally, after that, someone read the names of all the remaining candidates...all 500+ of us. It was sort of insane. The woman did a decent job overall (well, sort of), but she of course added a "T" to my name. I absolutely hate, hate, hate that. My name is spelled S C H M I D. Where is the T? Idiot. Anyway, we finally got through all the names and then we all stood to take our oath. I can't quite remember what I swore to do, but I'm sure I will do it. ;) After the oath, I figured we would be finished, but no. We then had to listen to a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association make a membership pitch. The guy literally listed the benefits of joining...at our bar swearing in ceremony! Ridiculous. Just provide the information in our packets and let us go on our merry ways. Finally, the ceremony ended and we were free!

To celebrate, B took me out to lunch at Kincaids, and we had an excellent lunch. Her landlord Kim works there, and she was working yesterday. It was great - she made sure we were treated like VIPs, and then she comped our lunch! What a fabulously nice thing to do, especially in this economy. Thanks, Kim! I highly recommend Kincaids (in Saint Paul) if you need a nice place for lunch/dinner. Check it out.

After lunch, I had to go back to work for a few hours. No rest for the weary. At least I'm legitimately an attorney now. I guess I better not screw up! ;)

Pathetic

Warning: the following contains some profanity.

I left work around 6:15 pm last Friday, and everything in my office was intact. I returned this morning to discover I was the victim of theft; someone from the cleaning or security staff stole my iPod docking stereo/radio from my desk. Oh, they made sure to take the remote control too. Bastards. Sadness. I had to spend the day sans MPR and my iPod tunes, and that bummed me out. Really, being robbed generally bummed me out and left me sort of shaken.

I reported the theft to the firm, and then the building managers came up to file an incident report. They suggested I also file a police report so there could be bigger consequences for the thief if s/he is ever discovered, so I did that too. I was able to file online - surprisingly convenient, especially for the Minneapolis police department. I highly doubt my report will ever see the light of day, but at least I covered my bases as my police officer friend Clare said. I do hope the building folks figure out who did it - there couldn't have been that many people in the building over the weekend, so they can at least narrow it down. I'm not holding my breath for any positive results in that area, especially since it's likely that it was a security guard and they will be doing the investigation. Bummer.

Also, even though it was just my office, I really do feel sort of violated. In order to steal it, the thief would have needed to climb under my desk to unplug it, which means it wasn't a quick gig. I wonder what else they rifled through as well. Yuck. Clearly I cannot leave anything of value in my office, which is pathetic. Really, thievery is pretty damn pathetic in general. I've never understood how someone could feel entitled to just take something that isn't his or hers. I just don't get it, and I think it really says a lot about someone's character, or lack thereof. Despicable, and pathetic. And in this case, not the brightest. Who goes around and steals stuff from attorneys' offices? Dumbass. People work hard to earn money, and then douchebags like this just feel all entitled to take what they want. Honestly, I'm quite peeved about this, and if I ran into the thief, it might not be pretty. It's really not even that the docking station was expensive (it was decently expensive), but rather the principle of the whole thing. Who the fuck does that? A nasty person, that's for sure. I don't care if it's for your kid's birthday, which I doubt it is. More likely it was to make a quick buck. Pathetic douchebag, seriously.

The ironic part is that I worked for the state senate for 5 years, which is housed in the state capitol building, and the capitol is one of the most open, accessible buildings in the state, if not the country. Anyone can come in, and there is very little security. In fact, just about anyone DOES come in. However, through all those years, not once did I have anything stolen off my desk. My desk was in the open, and I often had to leave it unattended throughout the day, but there was never a problem. Then I move to a fancy pants law firm in a secure building and with an office behind secured access doors and get robbed. Awesome! Honestly, that would only happen to me. Excellent stuff.

In good news, the firm immediately reimbursed me for the cost of the docking station. How nice! I couldn't believe they would do such a thing. Very impressive to say the least. B also surprised me with a new one, which was very sweet. Unfortunately, I'm nervous to bring one in now. I can't imagine the thief would be that bold, but then again, I never thought this would happen either. Honestly, who has that much chutzpah? Assholes. I'm exploring ways to literally chain one to my desk, via a bike or a laptop lock, but who knows if that will work. Plus, how sad is that? Really, really sad. The whole thing makes me a bit more nervous to leave alone at night too. Clearly there are some shady folks around. Again as my police officer friend said, you can't trust anyone!

If I choose not to bring in the replacement docking station, I guess I can rely on MPR online and pandora, but it's just not the same. Boo to you, jackass thief!

PS - if you are shopping for electronics on craigslist and see and iHome docking station (black) that also has a radio, send me a note so I can check it out. Perhaps I'll conduct a little investigation of my own! ;)

Snow and boxelder bugs

The weather forecast called for snow today, but I wasn't sure I believed it (come on, they are always wrong!). It's only October 26th after all. However, there was definitely sleet out there today - yikes! I don't know why these things still surprise me, as I remember vividly the Halloween blizzard of 1991, but for some reason I'm always a bit taken aback when it snows so early.

The upside of the early snow/cold? Death to all the boxelder bugs on the outside of my bedroom window. I hate those damn bugs. They are all over the inside of my window, on the blinds, and on my curtains. I know they are harmless, but they still creep me out. Not a fan of bugs in my house, period. I hope this blast of cold air kills the rest of them so no more can crawl in. I also wish Crosby Pointe would do something about them. They always say there's not much they can do...clearly they are not familiar with a little something called GOOGLE. Sigh. Again, not sure why I'm surprised, as our apartment manager doesn't even know how to keep track of who parks where in the garage...I guess google is just beyond her.

Anyway, we won't have any accumulation today, so the snow isn't really a big deal. However, I did hear that we are supposed to have more snow than usual this year overall, and also that it's supposed to be colder too. Not sure how B will handle that, as she barely made it through last winter! I'm also not sure how I will handle it, since I've been freezing lately, so much so that I have to use this microwavable heating pad that B has. Yikes! Stay tuned...

More political pleas

It turns out that El Tinklenberg has a real chance at beating Michele Bachmann after she blurted out on Hardball with Chris Matthews that Obama is anti-American and that members of Congress should be screened to ensure they are pro-America. After her idiotic statement, Tinklenberg received more donations in three days than he had in the entire 3rd quarter, completly changing the race in the 6th Congressional District. The DNC is now going to pour at least $1 million into the campaign, and the prediction has changed from Republican leaning to toss up. With our help, Tinklenberg can and will defeat the idiotic Bachmann, and we can all be spared her gay hating, xenophobic, idiotic ways. I gave money to Tinklenberg today, and you should too. Click here to donate today! Honestly, even if you can only give him $5, it's worth it. Every little bit counts.

Another worthy candidate you might consider supporting (with your time or money) is Ashwin Madia. Madia is running for Jim Ramstad's seat in the 3rd District (western burbs). I don't know a ton about him, but I've heard from someone whom I trust that actually knows him and she assures me he's worthy of support. Plus he's running against Erik Paulsen, who served as the State House Majority Leader (and maybe minority leader later?) after Governor Pawlenty. It would be great to pick up the 3rd District, as the moderate Republican Ramstad (not a bad guy really) held that seat for what seems like an eternity. Paulsen is no Ramstad however, so let's help Madia too. He is a veteran and served in the Marines. Seems like a decent guy. Click here to support Madia. Again, even $5 is helpful at this stage in the game!

Go Dems! Let's return Minnesota to a bright, bright blue, the way it should be! As Coach Yoast tells Coach Herman Boone in Remember the Titans, "run it up, Herman - leave no doubt!" We have a chance to do that here, but it will take all of us. Together we can do it!

Seriously McCain?

The other night, the home phone rang and the caller ID said something like Victory for America. I figured it was Obama's campaign calling again and I didn't want to deal with being badgered for time or money, so I let it go to voice mail. I checked the message later, and it was John McCain's campaign calling! WTF?!? I'm a registered Democrat, I have volunteered for the Dems, I have given money to the Dems, etc. Why on earth was McCain calling here?? To make it more insane, it was actually a real person who left a ridiculous message attacking Obama and promoting McCain. Yuck.

The next day I saw an article in the Strib about how McCain has been "robo-calling" in MN and WI. MN law requires such calls be made by a human rather than via recorded message, which explains the real guy. I heard the calls in WI were just awful; hate filled lies about him being a Muslim terrorist, etc. These calls seem to indicate that McCain has reached a whole new level of desperation. I can't believe he continues to spread this hate, and I can't imagine what he thought the calls would accomplish. He didn't need to woo his supporters, he probably irritated the undecided, and he pissed off the Dems enough that I'm sure more of them went out to volunteer or donate money. Plus, I think tons of people actually lodged formal complaints against him. Way to go, John! That was money well spent!

In other campaign news, I sort of have a bad feeling about the presidential election. I know Obama is leading in most polls, but his lead has slipped some places, and I'm a big believer in the silent majority as well...racism is still a big concern, and Obama needs to do well in places where Clinton wiped the floor with him (places filled with working class white voters). Plus, McCain is so desperate it's hard to say what tactics he will embrace at this point. Thus, I implore you to keep working hard as election day nears, and most importantly, get out and vote! I think people might figure that Obama is so far ahead at this point that voting won't matter, but it will! He needs every vote he can get. As Nike says, Just Do It! :)

I hate creepy men!

As I've said before, I take the train to work every day. I don't usually worry about my safety, but when it's dark out, I do tend to get a little nervous, especially when I have to get off at the Lake Street station and walk a block to my car. This exact thing happened last week, as I had to work late one night. As soon as I got on the train, I noticed a creepy white guy (think serial killer/sexual perpetrator images on TV, seriously) looking at me strangely. He instantly gave me the creeps, and my gut said trouble. I basically make a perfect mugging candidate (professionally dressed woman carrying a purse, laptop, ipod, cell phone, blackberry, etc.), and I worry about things much worse than mugging. In fact, I worried about the latter with this creepy guy.

I kept my eye on him as we rode along, hoping that he wouldn't get off at Lake Street. I stood up early to get off, and then he stood up too. As the doors opened, I motioned to him to exit first. He then insisted I go first, and I did, despite the bad feeling I had. As I exited, I thought about just hanging out in the station to see what he would do, but I realized that the station was pretty empty and I would be alone with him. I then decided to run down the stairs to see if I could lose him. I went fast enough that I was out of breath and my knee was hurting, but he kept up. At this point, I started to panic, as I had a long walk to my car. I called Kristin and told her what was going on and to stay on the phone with me. He was still behind me, still following me. I knew I wasn't going to make it to my car, and I was heading toward a dark area, so I decided to turn around and walk directly toward him. He then sort of dodged me and started running away. I waited a minute and then high tailed it to my car as fast as I could, all the while still talking to Kristin.

As things were unfolding, I kept thinking that maybe I was overreacting and that I was imagining things. However, since I rushed down the stairs and through the parking lot and because he was still behind me and ultimately ran away, I think I was right. Regardless, I've never felt more relieved to reach my car. I'm glad I was alert, but even though I was as ready as I could have been, I'm not sure I could have won in a physical confrontation with the creepster. All I could picture was being sexually assaulted in the LRT station parking lot...scary as hell!

I still love the train, but I don't think I will ever take it to the Lake Street station after dark if I have to park outside the lot. I will just take a cab to my car or something. It's not worth the panic I experienced, and it's definitely not worth something worse happening. Yuck. Fucking creepy men. Boo!

Sunday night fiestas suck

B lives in a diverse neighborhood which includes people from all over the world. Her neighbors two houses to the north must be Latino or Mexican, as they play Spanish music quite loudly every Sunday night (and sometimes Saturdays too). We've come to expect the tunes on Sunday nights, and normally it's not that big of a deal, as they end by 10 or 11. A slight annoyance, but really, nothing to write home about. We jokingly call the weekly event the fiesta, and we chuckle about it every week.

However, last night was another story. For some reason, the music was louder than ever - I swear they have a sound system with actual loud speakers in the yard, and the music was still going strong at 12:30 am. It was so loud that I could hear the words, and at one point, I told B that I had already heard one of the songs. I could actually make them out at this point, and my earplugs didn't really help. Beth's landlord Gordie had already yelled out the window to turn the music down, but to no avail. We looked up the non-emergency police number and placed a call. They said that someone else had already called and that the police would come check it out. 20+ minutes later, no police and blaring music. We weren't sure what to do at this point.

Suddenly, we heard Gordie get up upstairs, and then we heard him coming down the stairs. He decided to take matters into his own hands, and went down the block. I thought he was brave for doing this, as you never know how people will react to such a confrontation. I guess it helps that he brought his big, scary looking dog along. The music stopped abruptly, and we were quite relieved. Finally, we could sleep. Alas, about five minutes later, the music started up again, and within a matter of minutes, it was as loud as before.

We decided to call the police again at this point, and they said that the previous caller had canceled their complaint because it was quiet. B assured them that it had only been quiet for 5 minutes, and they again told us they were on their way. Perhaps another 5-10 minutes passed, and nothing changed. Finally, the music ended suddenly again. We are not sure if the cops finally showed up or if another neighbor went over, but we didn't care - we were exhausted by this point. In fact, poor B wound up being sick today because of the lack of sleep. Idiotic neighbors.

Honestly, I normally am not one to call the cops or get involved in conflicts with neighbors (or anyone for that matter), but this whole situation was just obnoxious. WTF were these people thinking? It was 1:00 in the morning on a Monday! I don't get why people don't consider other people when they act, but most people just don't. Ick. As I was lying in bed, unable to sleep, I composed a strongly worded letter to these people...then I realized that it wouldn't really matter. I can't imagine they would change, and who knows if they would then harass B, etc. It sure would have felt good to write and deliver it though.

On another note, WTF is up with Minneapolis cops? I know they are notorious for having a super slow response rate, and I know that a noise complaint isn't a high priority in a decent sized city, but at the same time, it's definitely a quality of life issue. I don't think it's too much to ask for the police to respond to a call within an hour. Perhaps I'm naive, but that just seems ridiculous. I've called the Saint Paul police and the Fridley police once respectively, and both departments showed up much more quickly - and neither was for a huge emergency. Either the Mpls PD doesn't care, or it doesn't have the resources required to patrol properly. I'm guessing (hoping) it's the latter, and that is truly sad. I guess it's just another reason to stay on the east side of the river - I heart Saint Paul! :)