January 11, 2009: 4 pieces of paper, 6 cans, 6 plastic bottles and 4 glass bottles.



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I guess I should say campaign reflections.

Well, this is it. Today's the big day. This is historic. Barack Obama is very close to being the first African-American president. That's HUGE! And the implications of it are awesome. This would really open the door to anyone. Well, anyone with money. But, still. I'm really excited. I voted this morning (well, just before noon). There was A LOT of stuff on that ballot.

This campaign has been going on for what feels like forever. I could do without the onslaught of negativity here toward the end. I find it really incredible some of the things I've read during this campaign. The media is partly at fault for running with some of these incredulous stories ... but I mostly blame TV "news." That's another subject for another day.

I have really gone back and forth in this election. I don't think either Barack Obama or John McCain would be bad for the country. I also don't think either candidate is stellar. There are things I like about both; things I dislike about both. I was pretty upset when Obama backed out of the campaign finance deal that McCain got locked into. I think campaigns are out of control. Billions of dollars raised so that one of them can run another commercial. But everything costs money, I guess. Even through last night, I was struggling with who to vote for. In the end, I picked Obama. I wanted to be part of history; part of the group that elected the first black president. And, Sarah Palin scares me. Chances are, she wouldn't do anything if McCain was elected - VPs really aren't that important - but, there's a chance she could be president. And that frightens me. I'm sure she's a great hunting buddy ... or drinking buddy. But I just can't imagine a happy world with Sarah Palin as president. I think McCain made a really terrible choice by picking her. I have, however, quite enjoyed all the Palin spoofs. I've also been disappointed to see McCain pander to the religious right. I mean, he's doing everything in this election to get elected - but, looking at his record, campaign McCain looks a lot different than Sen. McCain. I want to think that, if elected, he would go back to the old McCain - the bi-partisan, for-the-good-of-the-people McCain.

Also, Barack is so inspiring. He really is like a rockstar - which is good and bad. But, when he talks, people really listen. And who could go wrong with those messages of hope? I saw Michelle Obama speak in Gainesville. After waiting for hours, feeling light-headed, almost leaving, a dozen lesser-known speakers, she finally came to the podium. I'm glad I stayed. It was my first political rally. She was very inspiring. And, it's so clear she loves her husband and really believes in him. After the speech, I wanted to kiss my husband, thank my parents and tell them I'm forever grateful, and of course, vote for Obama.

My only real wish for the election is that the record numbers of registered voters make their voices heard. It sounds a little naive, I'm sure. But, this is one of the most important things you can do. And it does feel a little like, I'm only one person, my vote doesn't really count - but it does.

I've gone through a whole slew of emotions in this election. It's been so in-my-face for the last two years, I'm a little ready for it to be over. But, I'm really excited to see the outcome tonight. And to work my first election night at the newspaper. It probably won't be as exciting as I'm picturing it, but I think it will still be fun.

Anyhow, make sure you VOTE! If you don't know where to vote, check here: http://www.voteforchange.com/

I wish I could turn my dreams off. My brain is ... I don't even know. When I'm asleep, my brain comes up with the wierdest, most random stuff. I've got a pretty big imagination as is, but when I'm asleep, things come out of the woodwork that I didn't even know were there. And my dreams make no sense. Sometimes my dreams are work/stress related - so I'll be designing pages that have no end or trying to edit stories that make no sense. But, most of the time, it's like an acid trip or something. Not that I've done acid; I just think it must be like that. Some sort of hallucinatory drugs. Why can't I have prophetic dreams (or dreams that seem prophetic)? Or sudden moments of clarity where I wake up and know how my life should be? Instead I have random, jumbled, crazy dreams. That really make no sense. I don't always remember them, but the pieces I do remember leave me so puzzled. Last night/this morning I was dreaming that my family had somehow adopted a baby alligator. It was cuddly, but it kept trying to nip at me. And it was swimming in this big bathtub/whirlpool tub. I have no idea where we were (I think we were traveling?). Or how we got this alligator. But, there you have it. I was holding and cuddling a baby alligator. Seriously, WTF?! Also, my dreams usually leave me really tired when I wake up. There's just so much going on in my head when I'm asleep.

Hi. It's been awhile. That's the most recent picture of me, by the way. Just in case you all forgot what I look like.

I haven't been typing or blogging at all. I sign into Facebook every once in awhile (mostly when they send me e-mails or someone has messaged me and sometimes to play Scrabulous) but that has been about the extent of my Internet interaction. Maybe it's because I'm on the computer for 8 hours at work and then tend to avoid it all other times. Maybe it's because I used to just blog about drama - which my life is lacking these days, quite happily. I'm in a weird place. An in-between phase. I'm 27 but don't look it or feel it. I'm in a temporary house, in a temporary city, always thinking about the day I get to leave. I'm in between sizes - too small for a small, too big for a medium - and too short for it all. I'm in between places at my job - most of the time I'm designing and not editing ... and I don't know how I feel about it.

I've been feeling pretty lonely lately. For girlfriends. Matt is amazing. And I'd be going totally crazy without him. But, he's not a girl, ya know? I have a girlfriend here who is fun, but it's not like a typical friendship. We hang out but don't call each other. Sometimes we go days without really speaking - even though our desks at work are next to each other. And my best girlfriend here ... well, we'll always be friends but I feel really disconnected from her. We live 15 minutes apart and haven't seen each other for months. I guess I just keep thinking about how life will never be the same; it will never be like it used to be. My best, best friend lives thousands of miles away; there's a chance my sister and I will never live in the same city again; I don't know where I'll be a year from now; my relationship with my parents will change drastically when I leave Gainesville ... am I ready for all this? I'm ready to leave this town, but not some of the people. I was in Minnesota last week, and I just felt so at home there. The city, the bars, the food, the people, the accent, the weather; everything just feels so good when I'm there. But it's not just me anymore; it's Matt and I. We've both got things we want, things we miss about our "homelands" ... the next phase will be a compromise, whatever is good for both of us.

I don't know. The future is a scary place.

One of the morning radio DJs asked this question this morning:

If you could trade places with someone for a day, who would it be?

This is a good question. And, when answered, can really tell a lot about a person. Unfortunately, the one answer I heard was this: My friend says she wants to be Paris Hilton so she can see what the inside of a jail cell looks like.

Now, having mostly given up on humanity, I assume all of the responses went something like that.

Although the radio response(s) was disappointing, it's still a good question. And I want to know your answer.

My first thought was to trade places with the president or some high-ranking (male) political figure. One, I think I'd like to be a man for a day. And two, I'm not an authoritative person ... or power-hungry. It's kind of the opposite of my personality, I guess. And I think that would be interesting to experience.

OK, it's your turn!

So, it's a completely dreary, rainy day. I've basically been watching movies and flipping channels. In my flipping, I landed on what I'm pretty sure is Grease 2. Now, I've never seen this movie so I watched for a few minutes. Lucky me it was the exciting motorcycle scene where they all wonder - through song - who the goggled biker is. The next scene - or pretty close to it, like I said, I was flipping channels - is of a couple in a bomb shelter. Basically the guy is trying to con the girl into having sex with him - because, hey, who wants to die a virgin, right? Well, there's singing about "doing it for our country" and, never having seen this movie, I really thought the girl was going to fall for that crap. In what is most likely the one bright spot of the movie, she took "it" to mean something totally different and stormed out.

And, Michelle Pfiefer (sp?) works at a gas station? Checking oil and washing windshields? Seriously??

Unfortunately I have to start getting ready for work and won't get to see the rest of this gem. Shucks.

To go along with this, why does TV suck so badly during the day? I mean, I don't alway sit around watching TV but sometimes that's all I'm really in the mood for. Especially when there are severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings. I just wish there was something really interesting, possibly even thoughtful, to watch. I guess that would go against American principles or something.

Love is so many things. Romantic love is wonderful but I would almost prefer the deeper, friendship love. What's really awesome is that Matt and I have both. I love him, I'm in love with him, we share that friendship love. Love is knowing that no matter what I look like, how bitchy I'm feeling, how unattractive I feel, Matt thinks the world of me. And vice versa. Love is being blissfully happy at home, curled up on the couch in Matt's arms.

Love is also knowing you have someone to count on no matter what. Love is Abi kisses. And kitty cuddles. And letters in the mail. And small gestures. Love is everywhere, in many forms.

So, here's hoping you have a love-filled day (days, weeks, years!).

I woke up this morning wanting to have a baby. Probably because I dreamt I was pregnant and going into labor. It's odd how real some dreams can feel.

Also, I've been really wanting to create lately, but just not having the patience to do it. It's a really bad combination. I think I'm overstimulated. I see so many things I like, or would like to do ... and then I just get overwhelmed. Need to work on reeling that in.

Yep, I'm still alive.

It's been so long since I've written here, I couldn't immediately remember my password. I've been bad about journaling since I started my new job. Most of my free time is spent doing things that don't require a computer. I'm also addicted to Scrabulous on Facebook and freerice.com. I would argue, though, that there are much worse addictions! At least this way I'm broadening my vocabulary.

I had an AMAZING holiday. Christmas was a very good day. Of course, we missed Kelly. But I was happy to know she was spending the holiday with a friend. Matt and I woke up late-ish. We made french toast for breakfast and wolfed it down. After breakfast, we opened the presents we had gotten each other. Good stuff this year! Matt got me the new Harry Potter DVD, hardcover versions of Harry Potter 1-3, a travel book - with interesting places marked, a set of portable iPod speakers so I can jam out anywhere in the apartment (including the shower!), and a transmitter to play my iPod in the car. After presents, we decorated our gingerbread house. Matt had cut out and baked the pieces beforehand. We weren't sure it was going to hold up, but it's still standing. It was fun to decorate, but next year we'll be better prepared (it's going to be one of our traditions). We headed to my mom and dad's house in the late afternoon to have dinner. We had a really nice time there. We ate some good food, opened some more presents, watched Casino Royale and enjoyed hanging out.

The rest of the week has been really nice, too. I could get used to Matt not going to work until I do. And watching movies all day. :)

This weekend (tomorrow) we're headed to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure to use up some passes that are going to expire. After the park, we're going to check out a beer bar. We're staying the night and coming back Sunday. We haven't figured out New Year's plans yet, but dancing could be involved. Some friends are in town, so hopefully we'll be able to spend it with them.

If you haven't done so already, check out the joint blog (www.krissiandmatt.blogspot.com) for our holiday message. And some Christmas pictures.

Hope you all are having as good a time as I am!

The question of the day in tomorrow's Gainesville Sun is somewhat upsetting.

Who has had the worst year?
Britney Spears
Don Imus
Lindsey Lohan
Paris Hilton
Jessica Sierra
Michael Vick

I personally think there are many, many more people who have had worse years. I mean, two of them had to serve incredibly short jail sentences; one went crazy, shaved her head and lost her kids; Imus got booed; I don't even know who Jessica Sierra is (which might be why her year was so bad); and Vick had his dogs taken away and got suspended from the NFL (right?). All still are alive, have oodles of money and live a life of so-called luxury.

My point being, most people don't care when things like this happen to average people. I continue to be disheartened by the way we put celebrities on a pedestal. I admit, I'll surf the celebrity gossip pages occasionally (mostly to look at the fashions). And I do like some celebrities and somewhat "follow" those few. But, I don't need to know what so-and-so looks like while grocery shopping or that so-and-so goes to Starbucks. I mean, these people are being stalked and somehow it's OK because they are in movies or make music. I know, I know - this wouldn't be happening if magazines didn't sell like hotcakes. But, sometimes the ridiculousness of it all really just hits me.

I beat Matt at Scrabble last night. By 98 points. I rock.

Winning word: Squat - hit the double letter (Q) and the triple word. Plus, it was built off the word Gnome(added the S) so I got those points too.

I think it may have been my best game yet.

I swear I'm still alive!

In the past month I've celebrated my one year anniversary (with a super yummy dinner, anniversary cake and champagne), worked a bunch, went to Colorado and played in the snow/cold weather (so glorious!), saw my best friend get married (also in Colorado), had some yummy beer (in Colorado) and had just a busy/fun time. I think pictures are in order.

Anniversary:



Yummy beer!



Snow!



More snow!


Because of all the October happenings, I've been completely out of the Halloween loop. Considering it's next week, I better figure out what's going on!

My sister leaves for Ethiopia in 2 days and 19-some hours. I'm losing my strength. I've been strong all this time, telling everyone how great of an experience it will be and how she'll be fine. And I still believe that. But, I'm really going to miss her. We all cried at church yesterday. Everything is becoming 'our last' ... our last day at church together, our last dinner as a family, our last trip to Target, etc. It's only two years. I'm sure it will fly by. I hope we'll be able to contact Kelly somewhat easily. Letters take weeks to get there. I'm going to be worried, of course, but moreso, I'll be sad that I won't be able to pick up the phone and call her to hang out. I love her a lot and it's going to suck not having my sister around. But, I guess this will prep us for the rest of our lives. I don't think we ever planned to be neighbors forever, although it would be nice. It's just hard to grow up. I missed her when she was in DC, but we could call and e-mail. And I got to visit. I'm just not sure how easy that all will be while she's in Ethiopia. I can't believe it's already here. She's leaving. We're going to dinner tonight, I'll see her after work tomorrow and I'll be at the airport with her Wednesday morning. But then that's it. We'll all be fine, I know that. It's just going to be a sad couple of days/weeks. I'm proud of her for chasing her dreams. And not giving up. But, this is bittersweet, ya know?

I'm just really going to miss my sister.

A UF student was Tasered during a speech by Sen. Kerry on Monday. Here's the story (with video on that page):
http://www.gainesvillesun.com/article/20070917/NEWS/70917016/1002/NEWS


Here's the entire video from a local-ish news channel:
http://video.nbc6.net/player/?id=157250

Watching the video in its entirety, the guy did seem to be a bit of a jerk. He hijacked the mic, and ranted for a few minutes, but did his ornery behavior and conspiracy theories deserve that reaction from police? Hard to say. He was definitely a hinderance to the forum, but I don't believe he was a threat to officers. They Tasered him when he was already down, for crap's sake!

From The Gainesville Sun story:
Capt. Jeff Holcomb of the UPD said there would be an investigation into whether the officers used force appropriately, adding that employing a Taser gun would only be justified in a case where there was a threat of physical harm to officers.

Doesn't seem like there was much evidence to support that the Tasering was justified, if you go by what the police captain said.

Thoughts? Reactions?

EDIT: This story has blown up! It was on CNN every 10 minutes yesterday. I'm sure it was on all the other news channels too. There are You Tube videos with half a million hits. It's crazy. I still want to know what you all think!

I barely have time to read LJ anymore. Now that I have a job that actually requires me to do work. It's a small bummer.

The memorial service for my uncle was Sept. 7th. It was harder than I thought it would be. I should have cried more. Everytime I started to, I would fight the tears back. I guess I was trying to be strong for everyone else. It's kind of what I do. But, it was really hard. My aunt Carol hugged me, really tight, and that made me almost lose it entirely. Even thinking about it, I can feel the tears in the back of my eyes. It wasn't much of a service, but it was nice the VFW did something. It was odd to have the majority of people smoking and drinking during the service, but, to be honest, it's probably what Roger would have wanted. There were so many things I never knew about him. I should really make the most of my relatives while they're still around, ya know? There was a church funeral for him in MN on Friday and a service at Fort Snelling. I guess that's where his ashes will rest. The more I think about it, the more I think I want to be cremated. And have my ashes spread around. It's kind of creepy when people the jars on mantles and such.

My sister is leaving for Ethiopia in 17 days. Seventeen short days. I feel like I've barely seen her since she's been back from D.C. Chances are, I won't see her for 2+ years. That's a long time. And, it's finally sinking in that she's leaving. Again, I've been the strong one. I've been the one reassuring everyone else that she'll be fine. That what's she's doing is a great opportunity. That this experience will be so good for her. I do believe those things. But, we don't know if she'll have phone access or Internet. And mail takes weeks to get to her. Packages are hundreds of dollars to send and there's so much mail theft, there's no guarantee she'll even get what we send. There are just so many unknowns at this point. I'll feel better when I have an address for her. Right now we just know she'll be in the capital for three months training. Then she'll be sent somewhere. I don't necessarily worry about her getting raped or killed or mauled by a lion. But, it will be hard not being able to see her and talk to her like I do now. It'll be an adjustment. A hard one, for sure. I'm still really proud of her, though, and probably one of her biggest cheerleaders. I'm naysaying the naysayers.

My job is still going fantastically. I love fixing other people's mistakes. It's kind of a sick, twisted pleasure. It makes me feel ... a little bit powerful, I think. We're getting new people next week which I'm conflicted about. It'll be nice to have extra help, and I'll get to develop my design skills more. But there are times when I feel like there are too many of us as it is. I'm excited about the new girl though; we seemed to have some things in common when she interviewed here.

Next week my cousin Todd is getting married. I'd like to credit my engagement with pushing him to pop the question. Kidding. I'm excited to be going to MN. I wasn't originally going to attend, but I decided it would be the last "family" trip we'd take for a while. So, mom, dad, sis and I are all heading up there. Besides, I love seeing my family. It doesn't happen often enough. Isn't it funny how once you get married, everyone you know gets married? I've been to more weddings since getting married than I have in the last 10 years - maybe even my whole lifetime. It's just an odd coincidence; a consequence of my age, I suppose.

Speaking of age, I don't feel 26. I do but I don't. I've been watching "What Not to Wear" since having cable again and a lot of the women they have on the show are around 26. Still stuck in their college gear. I've been noticing what I wear and how I look a lot more often. I mean, I always try to look put together, but I've been looking at my t-shirts in a slightly different light lately. The new job has a lot to do with this. But, I think fit is more important than content. I mean, some of my t-shirts are silly, and Clinton and Stacey would throw them away, but I like them. I don't know, I've just been more self-aware than usual lately. I do like working weekends though - yay for casual days! It's sometimes nice to wear jeans and a t-shirt to work. Oh, and being able to zone out with my iPod is fun too. The other night, I told Matt I liked the way I walked in heels better than in flip flops. I can kind of feel myself becoming a high heel girl...

I'm three beers away from completing my beer list at Stubbies. For those of you who don't know, Stubbies is my favorite local bar. They have a beer list deal - drink 100 different beers in a year and get a t-shirt (or glass). I started my list Oct. 6th, 2006. It's taken me almost the full year, but I'm almost there! Being a repeat offender will definitely be more fun - you get to drink whatever beers you want. You can drink 100 of the same beers. As long as you do it in a year. Fun stuff!

I really think that's all the news I've got to report. All in all, life is still good. :)

My uncle Roger died this morning. He had been really going down hill recently, and went into hospice last week. But I guess I didn't expect it would happen so soon. He was ready to go; he had told my aunt that. I'm glad he doesn't have to suffer anymore, but it's still really sad. Thankfully I saw him a month or two ago.

It had been really hard for me to see him ... sick, incapacitated. He was always such a fun guy. I have a lot of memories of going boating with him. He loved to take his boat(s) out.

Thankfully my aunt was prepared for it and they had a chance to say goodbye. I think a lot of my sadness right now is for her. I don't know what she'll do without him.

So, just keep my family in your thoughts/prayers please. It'll be a tough week.

I've been through my first full week at The Gainesville Sun. I love it!

They basically threw me right into things on my first day. It kind of feels like I've been working there for ages. The programs/software basically came right back to me. And, since I've been editing during this hiatus, that has come back too. There are a few things that have changed, but nothing I can't handle. I think I'll give it another week of "working the rim" (sounds dirty, huh?) and then move on to the business section. It's a little slow when you're only editing stories and writing headlines, but I could use a little more practice. Headlines are still my weak point. But, hopefully not for long! I've adjusted to the new schedule fairly well. I actually really, really enjoy sleeping till 10 a.m. Almost all of the people that worked on the desk when I interned there are still there, so that's nice. There's one new person (young, recent grad like me) and two more coming in sometime soon. Everyone seems to remember me and it's been nice to just slip back into things. I'm still a little ... shy there but I think I'm much more comfortable than when I worked there before. But, that's also a maturity thing. I've grown a lot since then!

It's also been just over a week that we've been in our new apartment. The apartment stresses me out. I'm very much a "now" person when it comes to my living environment. I'm impatient. So, it's been hard for me to try to figure out where to put everything. We downsized a bit more than I think we thought we did. So I'm still trying to find a home for everything. But, for the most part, I like it. There are pros and cons, of course. But I'm slowly seeing more of the pros. I'm literally five minutes from work - that's a big pro! The place is still a mess though. I don't think it was cleaned before we moved in. There's lots of work to be done and I'm slowly getting through it. I really should have taken pictures of the layers of dust over everything! I honestly don't think the previous tenants ever dusted while they lived here. And then, to make things better, the painters came in and painted over the dust. So, yeah, it's been a bit hard to get rid of. Living in bad apartments is giving me a real idea of things I will NEVER have when we settle down. I was really hoping to have a lot of stuff finished when Matt got home, but it's pretty hard to hang shelves and things by yourself. And, since I'm working an opposite schedule of everyone else, it's a little hard to call in some help. But, it'll be fun to do it together when Matt gets home.

Speaking of Matt, he's away in New Hampshire this week. At a conference for work. It sounds like he's in a tiny town - he's staying in a boarding school dormitory, there's no cell phone service and no wireless, even though they were told there would be. So, I haven't really talked to him and that really sucks. I'd like to thank the genius that picked that location for a huge science conference. Idiot.

I got a card from Megan yesterday and she mentioned all the changes we've been through this year. I feel like I did a lot of growing this year - without the teenage angst of my previous growth periods. This new job and this move will be really good for me. I'm finally moving forward in the right direction; leaving the past behind me.

Today is bittersweet. I've been so depressed by this job and have wanted to leave for so long. But now that it's my last day, it's a little sad. But just a little bit. I'll still keep in touch with the people I liked and never have to deal with the other people again! Best of both worlds, really.

There is a possible snag with the job starting tomorrow. Umm.. I haven't heard anything. Hopefully when I call after work today they'll tell me I'm good to go.

The butterflies have kicked in a little bit. I'm starting to get a little nervous about the new job. I'm still excited though. :)

I've got about 10 hours of work left at the hospital. The countdown has begun!

I'm very excited to be starting my new job. Normally I would be freaking out about all the big changes in my life but I'm cool as a cucumber.

Matt and I are moving into a new apartment. Starting today. We're picking up our keys at noon and are going to try to move all that we can today. We've got until the 14th to be out of our other apartment. I'm so thankful for that overlap. Having to move everything in one day sucks!

Tomorrow I've got a wedding in Tampa. Some college friends are tying the knot. I'm really excited about it. They are really great together. Plus it'll be a reunion of sorts; I'll get to see some friends I haven't seen in awhile. And my sister is going with me, so that'll be a blast.

April said it best yesterday - I'm ready for all these changes. I've been wanting this job at The Sun for about a year now. And, I've wanted an apartment/place that belongs to just Matt and I. I'm loving every minute of my life right now! It's been awhile since I've been able to say that - and it feels good!!

This Onion article pretty much sums up how I feel about Barry Bonds and the current baseball/sports situation.