THINK!

In 6 days I will be voting for Obama. I am not voting for him because he is better dressed (he is) or better looking (that too) or a better speaker (anybody gonna argue with that?) than his Republican counterpart. I am voting for Obama because I have listened to both candidates speak about how they plan to make my country better and I have read each candidates views on issues that matter to me and THEN I decided that my views more closely lined up with Obama's.

If you went through a similar process and decided to vote for another candidate, I completely respect that and I am so grateful that we live in a country where we are free to make our own decisions.

Tonight my soap box is not McCain vs. Obama. My soap box is that so many people fought so hard for us to have the RIGHT to vote for either candidate we choose and I feel that most of us aren't taking our vote seriously.

I asked a coworker if she watched the first presidential debate and she told me that she didn't need to watch the debate because she already knew who she was voting for. "Without knowing where the candidates stand on the issues?" I asked. "Yup!" she answered proudly.

You may be laughing, but the sad fact is that i know MANY people who vote this way (though most of them aren't dumb enough to brag about it) and it makes me sick! 

Just today I was considering early voting and I realized that I don't know how to vote on the offices besides president. I spent an hour searching for a website that could break down the issues and tell me each candidate's position, but I came up with nothing. Knowing that many of my coworkers have already voted, I began asking if they could recommend an informational site and was frustrated beyond belief to find that almost nobody could find one. When I questioned how they knew who to vote for for County Soil and Water Representative, I got answers like this:

"I just left them blank."

"I just went thru and marked some names."

"I voted straight ticket." (While I realize that this may be what many of you do, this is my blog and I am exercising my right to free speech to tell you that is dumb- but I still love you!)

Not a single person said they read up on the candidates and made informed decisions on who they believe will best lead our state and our counties.

And that makes me very sad.

But I know a lot of you (myself included) have not voted and I hope to encourage some old school THINKING in this last election week, so I would like to share with you the website I FINALLY found that breaks down the platform of every nominee on the ballot. 

http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Section?oid=oid%3A33533&category=oid%3A160812

They are listed in alphabetical order, so it is helpful to have a sample ballot handy. You can find one by simply googling "Durham (or insert your county of choice) County NC Sample Ballot".

So I encourage you all to vote on or before next Tuesday, but more than that, I encourage you all to THINK!

happy things

this is one of my new favorite songs by my new favorite singer and somebody made a killer music video for it- i hope it makes you as happy as it makes me!

a rant

in searching online for a t-shirt last weekend, i ran across a shirt that read "The only difference between tattooed people and non-tattooed people is that tattooed people don't give a shit that you don't have tattoos" I chuckled but i knew immediately that i had no interest in the shirt because it would make me look like an asshole. what kind of egotistical jerk thinks that people actually CARE if she colors her skin?

about 5 days after discovering that t-shirt, i went in for my seventh tattoo. it was then that i began to see that the creator of the shirt might be on to something...

i want to be very clear about this- i love talking about my tattoos. i love planning them, preparing for them, getting them, and taking care of them so that the best possible piece of art is left on my skin. i dont mind when people ask to see them, want to know what they mean and why i got them, or even say things like "so are you just gonna cover your body in tattoos?"

the answer is yes :)

I'm not sure why this particular tattoo has made such waves. i can only guess that it could be the size and colorfulness of it, the fact that i posted disgusting pics that are normally reserved for freaking out my mom when the piece is healed, or maybe just that facebook and myspace make it so darn easy to wander into one another's lives that we feel we have a right to pass judgement on our "friends".

wellllllllllll ya don't...

i doubt that any of the people who inspired this rant even bother to look at my blog (that would be dangerously close to getting to know me instead of just talking shit behind my back), but just in case any of them stumble on here, i have a message:

I am a well-educated, 26 year old ADULT. the United States of America thinks i am capable of casting a vote for the next President, giving myself lung cancer, drinking until i pass out, and renting a car :) i have spent countless hours researching tattoos and how to be as safe as possible when getting them. i put a lot of thought and planning into each tattoo i get. i realize that my body will change and my tattoos will look different. NEWSFLASH: your body will also change (in fact it's changing right now- put down the cheeseburger!), but my fat will be pretty and colorful! 

in conclusion- i am very happy with who i am and my tattoos don't change that. i don't get them for anybody but myself. if you like them, i would love to hear that. if you hate them, you are welcome to your opinion and you can tell me all about it if it makes you feel better. but talking to other people about what i do with my body just makes you look silly and sad.

my wish for you is that the rest of your week will be so full of happiness that you don't have time to create drama over a flower that i got to honor my father.

and to my actual friends who know this post wasn't aimed at you, thank you for accepting me with varying amounts of color and metal- ill be needing more tattoo buddies soon ;-)

Earning my big girl badge

I hate politics.
I have always felt that politics accomplished little more than pitting well-meaning and rational people against one another over issues that may not be earth shattering concerns. And political commercials are possibly the most horrible form of entertainment since Jerry Springer and often sound like grown-ups shouting "You're a poopy head!" and "Uh-uh, you're a booger eater!"
Yes, please let these people run my country...
But as I'm getting older (and just in case I was unsure about that, I am currently laying in bed with a heating pad wrapped around my suddenly arthritic knee) I am realizing that there is little chance that I will escape these political poopy heads (unless i can spear wild monkeys and learn a nice rain dance- and even then the man with the most wives is elected leader, so I'm still at the bottom of the food chain) so I might as well embrace the fact that politics will be shoved down my throat for the next month.
And that is why, dear friends, I am currently watching the Vice Presidential debate!
I will accept pats on the back tomorrow when I'm not naked- goodnight!