So I have been hearing for years about this documentary, Jesus Camp, and I finally decided to set a recording on my DVR and watch it. It is about this short summer camp for kids who are wayyyyyy into Jesus. The kids are speaking in tongues (well, at least they think so), crying and screaming for Jesus, and doing other things which are frightening.

Listen, I'm all for children going to a church if that's how their parents want to raise them. Going to church and my religious beliefs as a child, pre-teen, and teen were absolutely instrumental to a lot of who I am today, but this Jesus Camp is freaky stuff. (As I am writing this, the documentary is showing Ted Haggard preaching to these Jesus Camp people. Oh, the irony).

I find it really disturbing that people indoctrinate children and so much of this documentary felt like I was watching a documentary on a cult. Anyways, I recommend it, but be prepared.

The title of this blog post is the best way to describe my 2008.

-I drove across the country for the second time in a year.

-I met Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Bill Richardson, Dennis Kucinich, Chris Dodd, Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Duncan Hunter, Tim Russert, James Denton, Viggo Mortensen, Anderson Cooper, Candy Crowley, John King, Joe Lieberman, and more that I am forgetting.

-I adopted two kitties.

-I lived in 3 states.

-I have now visited 47 states in the US.

-I lived in my Mecca, Washington D.C.

-I worked on K Street.

-I became known as the best in my field of tracking candidates for public office.

-I bought a new car, my dream car.

-I helped a few people have a Christmas.

-I lived my dream and I had moments of such profound happiness, there are no words to explain it.

Unlike many I know, and countless I don't, 2008 was a pretty good year for me. I hope 2009 is even better, especially for those who need it.

"I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys." ~Charles Dickens

Ok, so I was hoping for snow, a lot of it, but it's now gotten to the point of ridiculousness! I have been snowed in since Thursday and could very well be snowed in until Christmas or later. I live on a hill and a sidehill. The hill is plenty covered with snow, but I think my SUV could navigate it, but the sidehill is a death trap. It hasn't been plowed and the snow is very deep and slick. So, to get out of my parking garage, I would have to either go up the sidehill or down. sigh.

My kitties arrived from Oregon on Friday and thank goodness my brother has an Xterra and drove from Federal Way to come and get me and take me to the airport. I made him stop by the grocery store so I could get some groceries and firewood (duraflame), but jeepers, had I known the hell that is my sidehill would be this bad and continue to be this bad, I would've stocked up more!

Last Christmas I spent it alone in Rhode Island. How ironic if, after moving across the country from DC to Seattle, I would spend this Christmas alone because there is no way I could make the 26 mile trek down I-5 to my parents house? Now, if my main hill is driveable and if I-5 is fine, I'm sure my brother or step-dad will come get me and my pets and bring us to Federal Way, so I highly doubt I will truly be alone, but this whole experience has made me grateful for the City of Rexburg, Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Concord, and every other town and city in Idaho and New Hampshire for the way they handle the snow.

I can't blame the City of Seattle too much. The amount of snow we get is unpredictable and it would be hard to justify the expense of several more snow plows. I do think these storms we've been having have provided the City with information and hopefully new ideas for tackling storms in the future, namely, plowing the roads.

Seattle is very hilly and the City lacks the resources to tackle all the sidehills in Seattle and trust me when I say, there are hills everywhere, but there is always room for improvement. It seems as though they have done a good job with setting up temporary shelters for the homeless and heating stations in case the power goes out and you're cold. But heating stations don't help if you can't get there!

So, my fingers are crossed for some rain to wash away the snow and/or some sun to melt it away, so I can finish my Christmas shopping, go buy some kitten supplies, and return to some semblence of normalcy.

I am totally feeling at home with all the snow in Seattle! I've never lived in a big city during winter and it is just awesome looking out my windows and seeing the snow amidst the cityscape.

I had a physical therapy appointment this afternoon and thought it best to cancel. It isn't as though I am scared to drive in it (I am, a little), but other drivers here generally have very little experience driving in it. Also, the City of Seattle, and other areas in Western Washington, just aren't prepared for weather like this. Had this snowstorm happened in Idaho or New Hampshire, the roads would be consistently plowed, salt and/or red rock put down, and the sidewalks cleared. Not here. I live on Queen Anne, which is on a hill and no roads have been plowed.

Living in New Hampshire and Idaho, I loved to venture out in my car, even in several feet of snow, and just defy logic. Here, I don't wish to defy logic and drive in it (until tomorrow to go get my kittens from the airport) and it looks like a lot of other people feel the same way. It's the traffic jam time and I-5 in Seattle has no traffic. I know this because I can see I-5 from my condo (well part of I-5, obviously). So maybe I have underestimated Seattle drivers?

I gave birth to a 7 pound 11 ounce baby girl. Happy Birthday, Katie. See you in 9 years, hopefully.

"I was wondering how Bush could make his legacy even more toxic in the few weeks left to him. Some thought it impossible in the middle of two failed wars, $10 trillion in debt; $32 trillion in new entitlement liabilties, and a second Great Depression. But we are always misunderestimating him." The Conservative Andrew Sullivan

I've been surrounded by a great deal of people in my life whose politics are moderate and often times liberal, like mine. However, with my job that I had for several months this year, I spent most of my time at Republican town halls, rallies, conferences, etc., and so I got to hear all the right wing rhetoric (the gays will convert all the children to gayism, the illegals will take over our country, George W. Bush is God's chosen President for our country, Hillary and Obama are the anti-Christ, liberals are communists, etc), yet I still am amazed by how much right wing nuttery exists. And really amazed when it comes from so-called Christlike Christians.

I find it highly amusing when Republicans point to the election of Barack Obama as a sign that the Second Coming of Christ is near. As if the insane amount of damage Bush has wrought on our country and world wasn't a sign of the apocalypse, a man who hasn't even been sworn in has suddenly done more to bring about the end of the world. Give me a friggin' break.

The problem is that both parties try too hard to lead and guide by fear. Our country will become a communist country because of Obama, global warming will kill all of human kind in the next 20 years, Bush will invade Iran, Hillary cannot be elected because her and her husband are murderers. Whether or not any of the aforementioned are factual or not, it's becoming quite tiresome that we are so easily influenced by our fears.

Call me biased (I am), but it seems as though Republicans have perfected this technique. Remember how Al Qaeda was rooting for John Kerry to win? Or how we would have another 9/11 if Kerry was elected?). Republicans have really taken national security and turned it into some type of game of "how can we scare the American public enough?" It reminds me of this quote, "A ruler, to stay in power, must convince the people that the enemy is ever at the door." Nicollo Machiavelli.

Listen, I'm not asking for your unconditional support of President elect Obama, I'm just asking you to give him the benefit of the doubt. To maybe withhold judgment until you have something factual to back up your fearmongering and irrationality. Is that too much to ask?

It isn't much and it's pretty pathetic to what Idaho and New England are capable of producing, but it's still snow and it will have to do.

I remember back in Junior High and High School when we would get a few inches and the entire area would shut down. People out here get freaked out by snow. Emergency school closures, late-starts, people thinking they can drive in it when really they can't. That's winter in Seattle.

After 8 winter's in Idaho and 1 winter in New England, I've seen plenty of snow and no matter where you are, no matter how ugly the area, snow has a way of beautifying it. Everything is so much prettier with snow. That is until the red rock is poured on the streets and the pure white snow becomes red gunk. But still, there is never enough red rock to ruin it.

My favorite is when you get the whiteout snowstorms where you are almost insane to go drive in it. We had several of those in New Hampshire. One right after another. It would take 30 minutes to an hour to dig your car out and enough of a trail to get to a road the city had plowed and then I would drive the approximate 1 mile to my office and work while the city was calm. Yeah, that's right, I'm one of those insane people who insist on driving in snowstorms.

I love sitting in an office or your home and watching the massive amounts of snow fall. Seeing the buildup on trees, roofs, cars, and streets is exhilirating. This all makes me yearn for a white Christmas that is possible in Seattle, though unlikely. Last Christmas, I was in Rhode Island. I wanted to go somewhere I might never ever see and Rhode Island was only about 2 hours from New Hampshire. I was barely in Rhode Island because about 1 mile down the road from my hotel was Massachussets. lol. Gotta love how every state in New England is so close to other states.

I didn't really have the white Christmas in Rhode Island. There were traces of snow off the sidewalks and it was cold, but to the best of my knowledge, I don't remember snow. What I remember is driving across bridges that led to islands within Rhode Island. Rhode Island was simply gorgeous.

I have very mixed feelings about the failure of the government to bailout three automakers. On the one hand, it sucks because it places a lot of families in a scary position. Our economy is already in the shitter and now we might have a lot of middle class families suffer because the executives of these companies don't understand what consumers want (hint: not their cars).

However, because of a lousy President, we have spent ourselves silly. We just bailed out some companies and that bailout was made into a mockery as their irresponsible spending is continually revealed; golden parachutes, astronomical bonuses, and lavish trips. Way to spend our tax dollars.

Even if our previous bailout was miraculous and was the beginning of our return to a strong economy, we still are spending way too much money. It feels like we are damned if we bailout and damned if we don't.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich has to be one of the biggest idiots in the history of politics. Not only should he resign as Governor, but if it were possible, I wish we could kick him out of the Democratic Party for not just being corrupt, but a moron.

I am so tired of corruption. We know where corruption is the worst, can't more be done to stop it???

As I get older and older, I realize more and more the importance of mending fences and moving on. I wish I could perfect this and that it was easy, but it isn't. I guess part of human nature is holding a grudge, wanting revenge, wanting vindication in the worst way, even when this desire for vindication hurts you and you alone. It's a poison you make but can't serve someone else, it is only served to yourself.

A few days ago I sent an email to a former supervisor I had who, I felt, treated me unfairly. I respected this person a great deal and being angry at her had consumed so much of me. I cannot say how good it feels to have one less person to be pissed off at.

I think what triggered this was watching tv and someone saying that it is recommended that when you need to say something to someone, you should write them a letter and even if you never intend on sending it, even if you think they will never read it, you should still get those feelings out.

One of the reasons I have supported certain politicians, or have been able to forgive certain people is because I believe in redemption. I am trying to learn that someone's mistakes or shortcomings don't define who they are or erase the good in them, just as I hope they understand that about me. For me this is especially difficult because I do something called "splitting," which I've written about before. Basically, I lack the ability to see the good and bad in people, I either see them as good or bad, not a mixture. So being able to see people for who they are, the good and the bad, the perfect and imperfect, takes an incredible amount of work for me.

So I'm gonna give myself a pat on the back for mending one fence. Only a couple more left???

"I know for sure that everything in life happens to help us live." Oprah

"God does not require that I succeed, only that I do what I can." Mother Theresa

I'm getting really tired of people, namely some Republicans, decrying our supposed move towards Socialism, or my personal favorite, Marxism. I taught several graduate level classes on Marxist theory and it's pretty heavy stuff and so I kindly ask that you not complain about Socialism or Marxism unless you can define what the aforementioned terms mean.

I mean, seriously, do we need to go over our "Socialist" Social Security system, Medicare, or Medicaid? How many of you were on Medicaid or WIC when you were pregnant? What about our Socialist fire and police departments? Let's just buy ginormous hoses and put out our own fires. Who needs them? Who needs the cops? Let the rapists, child molesters, and murderers police themselves.

Obama isn't even President yet and I am already getting bombarded with nutty emails crying apocalypse. Why do I have a feeling that Obama will be the scapegoat for everything? And the worst President in the history of the United States won't get the credit he deserves for SCREWING UP OUR COUNTRY by making a mockery of our Constitution, by allowing the torture of human beings, by reducing regulations that have led to the worst financial crisis we've faced since the Great Depression.

GWB got us into an endless unwinnable war, he has stripped many of our rights and liberties through the Patriot Act, he has put corporate interests ahead of regular people interests time and time again.

Far too many people still view GWB as some godsend, as some hero. I just don't get it. Do you not see what him, his cronies, and his policies have led to? Do you support torture? Do you support attacking a county that poses no immediate threat to us and invading them and staying there while 1,000,000 people die? Do you support the removal of our Constitutional rights through the Patriot Act and warrantless wiretapping and other illegal and immoral actions? Do you support the disenfranchisement of voters? Do you support the lack of regulations that have given us dirtier air and water, the recession we are now in, the hideous housing crisis? Aren't you tired of what has been taking place the last 8 years? Aren't you ready for something different?

Many Republicans sit there and decry "liberal" politics while they sat there and did nothing over the last 8 years. They throw out scary words like "liberal", "Marxism", "Socialism", "Communism" and most of them cannot even differentiate those terms and cannot even define them! They sit there and enjoy our roads, libraries, parks, public schools, public services, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, WIC and then whine about paying taxes and how we are becoming a Socialist country. Give me a freaking break. Give Obama a chance and get to know a little thing I like to call a dictionary.

Still think I'm a nut for thinking Republicans aren't hypocrites? Look at this:
If you can't read this, go here for the website.

After seeing this picture, is there any doubt that New Hampshire is the prettiest state out there? The only way to describe the fall colors is that every color of the rainbow is represented and colors you didn't even know existed are displayed for miles and miles.

What do you think? I'm digging it. I don't like the orange very much, but I think my other options aren't as attractive.

"There comes a point in your life when you realize who matters, who never did, who won't anymore, and who always will. So don't worry about people from your past, there's a reason why they didn't make it to your future." Anonymous