New Life and New Blog

Today is election day. It is finally here. Unfortunately I have so little faith left in the American democratic process that I don't believe the vote I am about to go cast is going to even matter. I also have no faith that this election will be over tonight. I think we are looking at another Bush/Gore debacle. There have been reports of Obama support signs being burned in peoples yards. A woman who refused to give halloween candy to children whose parents were not McCain supporters, and all of the countless voter fraud charges. Electronic voting machine tampering, media bullshit that amounts to another election where the dumbest Americans whims are pandered to, which drops the level of the entire discourse a few notches. But I am still going to vote. Just in case they decide to actually count every vote.

I think my life is settling down. Theres been so much happening over the last few months that it's taken a while. I am still looking for a roommate, as my temporary one has moved out. I've been struggling with my dissertation topic, and working on a project with some faculty which I will be presenting to the sociology department next week. I'm nervous, but I guess that's life. I honestly think my dog Amelie is the solid support I have needed, because even with the stress she can cause, she makes me happy. I don't know what I would be doing if she weren't with me, but I know that it would be very different from where I am now.

I've spent a lot of time with friends these past few weeks, most of that time in the form of some sort of dog party (where we all hang and the dogs all play). I've been dating, and having a lot of fun doing that. It's good to know what is out there. I'm still going to the gym 3 times a week, with the occasional day I miss because I'm busy with something else, and still riding my bike to and from work when the weather permits (which is most of the time besides that 2 week period of almost constant rain). Last weekend I rode with a couple people about halfway to Beatrice, NE and back. We would have gone farther, but the wind was coming at us from the south, and it was a serious challenge on many of the hills. Regardless, riding my bike is fun, and hard to beat with just about any other event.

Lindsay started counseling this week and will be seeing a psychiatrist as well. I'm so relieved that she is hopefully going to get the help she needs. I read her blog this morning and she is still convinced that I am a total asshole to her and all of that stuff. It's fine. I guess as long as she is getting help, I don't mind being the villain. I just hope that she isn't putting her energy into solving a problem that didn't exist. I honestly just want her to get things figured out, and to take care of them. It's hard watching someone you care about spiral downward and refuse to take your advice. I've seen it happen several times in my life and it's hard to watch every time. Luckily, she took the same advice I gave her from someone else. Sometimes that is what it takes I guess, but I honestly think that if she can get things sorted out and get back to being herself she can have a good life. I am in the same boat, although I think I've done all of the figuring out that I need to do (I think). I'll just keep myself satisfied with dating until I finish school and then I'll move away when I find a job. Hopefully I can find someone when I move away, though. Unfortunately for me, this pretty much means that I'll have to look for jobs in/near large metropolitan areas, where there will be a suitable population for dating. I guess I'm still afraid of being alone forever, but maybe that's how it will end up. There's really nothing I can do about that. Maybe Obamagirl (pictured above) will be available after the election.

I'm hoping to go to Paris over my spring break next year. I'm hoping to visit my ex-girlfriend Leanne, and to check out the city. Maybe she even has some hot French friends to hang out with. I haven't seen her in almost five years, and I do sort of miss her. We spent a lot of time together, went a lot of places, and had some good times. Things didn't work out, but I think maybe now that we've both swallowed our pride about the end of the relationship we could still be good friends. I hope my parents are generous this holiday season, so I can afford this trip.

On another note, I've started a second blog. I know I don't keep up with this one enough, but the other one is more humorous than this is. I'll soon get a URL to link this to, but for now, lanceandrileyfight.blogspot.com is the address. A little about that blog (taken from the blog):

Riley and Lance are two friends of mine. I've known them for a couple of years, but they've known each other forever. They fight like a married couple, about pretty much everything from who is eating more of the pizza they are sharing, to who is cleaning up around the house. I've attempted to document these fights as well as I can, but most of the time they get mad that I am recording it and I shut the recorder off.

Either way, I told them I was making this blog, and now that I have actually done it, we'll wait and see how they respond.

I love these guys to death, but most of their arguments are too funny not to share. Stay tuned for video and audio clips of their fights. Enjoy.

There will be lots more, as pretty much every time I see these guys they start arguing about something. Last night Lance told me that they are not fighting like a married couple, but like brothers. You can watch videos (which usually are just the camera pointing whereever and me videotaping because they get so mad about me recording it, the audio is priceless).

But as for me, I am going to vote. I guess I will just have to see what happens this time around.