in seattle again

Some very fine fellow residents of Washington welcomed me last night when I returned from a family vacation in Florida. Now that I'm back here, the family time reminds me of that first trip back from college, seeing high school friends; no one is sure just how to behave. The comparison is shaky at best, because I thoroughly enjoyed being with my family. Even so, each of us has changed but no one is aware of the details of that change. To be a fundamental part of another person's life for eighteen years and then suddenly become much more distant for three years is to go across the country for college (or move out west for work or travel the world and get married...) Hearing how my parents and brothers (and sister-in-law) have changed ushered us into each other's lives once again. It was healthful, authentic, and even though we are very different in several ways, at least we now know each other again. Mom still cried when she dropped us off at the airport.
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On a different note, I wanted to briefly share a few thoughts on Obama's presidential campaign and why I support him. [As a side note, active citizenship of any kind is better than apathy.] Of all the candidates, Obama's approach to politics is most refreshing. His supporters claim that his relative lack of experience in Washington is an asset, his critics claim that it is a shortcoming. I believe it is a shortcoming only if we expect and want more of the same style of governance. But I want a change, (Obama is fresh!) So, his relative lack of experience is not a shortcoming.
by same style of governance I mean: negativity in campaigning, polarity in parties, dishonesty, money driven policy (note: Barack has raised lots of money because his contributors are many, not because they give a ton of money.)
Also, Obama supports his views with reason. It seems simple, but too many people today support a candidate for his / her stance on a select few controversial topics without evaluating the way in which the candidate comes to these conclusions. eg. abortion, stem-cell research, gay marriage, etc. What I'm trying to say is that Obama is an intelligent person who puts substance to his virtue because his logic is good. He makes sense. I support an intelligent person who disagrees with me over an idiot who agrees with me.
The first point of attraction for me was his commitment to the ideal of party cooperation.
"The pundits like to slice and dice our country into red states and blue states. But I have news for them too. We serve an awesome God in the blue states. And we don't like federal agents poking around in our libraries in the red states. We coach little league in the blue states and yes, we have some gay friends in the red states...In the end that's what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or do we participate in a politics of hope?"

before florida

The past few days solidify my classification as an extrovert. I've known for awhile that I am extroverted [ENTP] to be precise, but this loneliness leaves no doubt in my mind. This is not meant to be sappy, but I've just been (nearly) unbearably bored out of my brains. This reminder generated in me a new respect for introverts. Until now I've always considered them the shy ones, and...well, that's about as far as my consideration went. Extroverts draw motivation / energy from other people; without those people we become unproductive and negative. Introverts seem to draw their motivation from elsewhere, perhaps their convictions or principles. In this way they are independently motivated, which is a formidable character trait that I had never acknowledged.

Tonight I cooked Mexican Rice and then mixed it with scallops all by myself and it tasted good. Booyah. Thank you Arielle!

In two days my older brother and I fly to Florida to meet the rest of the family: mom, dad, oldest brother, sister-in-law. We all plan to bring our instruments which is wonderful, because playing music together and cooking together are two of the most beautiful things to do with family. We are also very excited to experience for the first time this new phase of our family dynamic. We're all adults, we now have a sister / daughter! The sons don't feel pressure to conform to the beliefs of the parents. But at the same time we respect our parents' thoughts and perspectives, so I'm really excited to share our ideas together. I'm also looking forward to some healthy, parent-son disagreement. It will be good for us all, I'm sure.

notes from underground

I'm reading Dostoyevsky for the first time. I'm enjoying the style now especially because my life during break resembles his prone-to-tangent mumblings. The plot recently accelerated (that's my impression, anyway) with the narrator forcing his presence on four old friends for a dinner party. They all despise him and he despises them, but he shows up anyway, only to arrive an hour early because they "forgot" to mention the time change. He is so disgustingly and legitimately arrogant. Legitimate because they are all idiots. The thought process and the
dialogue
weave together for a stunningly authentic (and often embarrassing) depiction of a person. He seems to strive for humiliation so as to encounter reality.
I just reread the last few paragraphs of this post and they remind me of a cheesy book review. Sorry about that.
But it's good so far and I'm excited to finish it before I fly to Florida.
If plans pan out as planned, I'll read Wind-up Bird Chronicle next.