why obama

in response to a recent question in the comments section: why am i supporting barack obama?

it's not about his stances on particular issues -- i think each of the democratic candidates would be just fine on any of the issues that i care about. (and no, i don't think that makes me a lazy voter or a bad citizen. this is a primary. if i feel satisfied with the views and policies of all the candidates, i think it's absolutely reasonable to focus on qualities like electability and leadership.) i am simply convinced that obama would be the most effective leader, both domestically and internationally, because he exudes warmth, intelligence, thoughtfulness, and honesty to a degree that i've rarely (if ever) seen in a politician. i trust him and i see that he inspires trust in other people. i want a democratic president who will be respected and admired across party lines, for generations to come, and i think obama can be that kind of president -- in no small part because it seems obvious that he genuinely respects all people.

i think caroline kennedy's op-ed in the New York Times summed it up very nicely. check it out if you're not yet convinced. or read his books, Dreams From My Father and The Audacity of Hope.

he's a uniquely talented, caring, and smart leader who makes me feel good about america. what more could you ask for in a president?

two birds

since i've already taken (and passed) two bar exams, i'm scaling down the studying this time around. i took the full barbri class just a year and a half ago, so now i'm just doing a cheapo at-home version. my favorite method of learning is listening to recorded lectures, not reading, so i'm pleased that i have 50-odd hours of lectures to listen to on my iPod at my leisure over the next four weeks.

but i'm starting to realize that sitting around listening all day makes me incredibly freaking antsy. extended, concentrated listening is a kind of unusual activity, for those of us used to engaging our other senses. as a result, i'm inclined to multitask, but i can't do other things that are too distracting, or i'll stop paying attention -- and then my only hope will be to learn by osmosis, which i wouldn't like to rely on.

i've determined the best option for non-distracting multitasking: cleaning. not my usual hobby, but i feel strangely compelled, to avoid going out of my mind with boredom. i'm going to have the best-organized apartment in san francisco by the day of the exam.

moving update 2

i'm still here. i missed my flight -- well, not technically "missed", but realized for sure at 15 minutes past the time i really really needed to leave my house that i was absurdly far from being ready to leave, so i called the airline to switch a later flight. now i'm leaving at 7 a.m.! woo. i guess i'll go to bed early-ish, get up at 4, and then nap on the plane. so much for trying to pre-adjust to west coast time.

after my plane lands at 10:30 a.m., i'm going straight over to obama HQ SF for a few hours of phone banking. this will be my first actual volunteer activity for the campaign, so i'm excited. this thing just feels so close. it really feels like the effort of one teeny-tiny individual like me could make a difference.

save scrabulous

noooooooo... without scrabulous, how am i supposed to get my daily (throughout the day-ly) scrabble fix with friends scattered across the country? if hasbro has any sense at all, it will find a way to keep scrabulous alive -- that little facebook app is creating legions of newly addicted scrabble fans, and no product currently available is anywhere close to as good or as popular.

moving update

i'm moving on friday (and working through thursday). so far i've packed & shipped exactly five boxes -- but they added up to a combined weight of about 220 pounds, so i think i'm doing okay. i'm taking full advantage of the postal service's cheapo "media mail" rate, because i own about a thousand books. the law school books are the worst -- gigantic and hardbound and heavy. nonetheless, i'm a pack rat, especially when it comes to books, so i'm going to keep them forever.

i still don't have a job lined up, but i suddenly have several attractive possibilities on the horizon, which is quite a relief (as compared to the months on end up until now in which i didn't see a single job posting that interested me). not that i have any offers -- just applications to send out. but it's fun to have something concrete to daydream about.

reality TV is fake

i guess that should be obvious. but it's still disappointing to realize how fake it is.

two weeks after the reunion show of A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila aired, MTV & ms. tequila announced that she was signing on for a second season. she claimed that the season one winner, straight boy bobby, had broken up with her because of her hectic work schedule. he apparently described a different story in a myspace bulletin:

well everyone wants to know so here it is she never called me after the last show and no one would give me her number so pretty much I feel like and ass but we are not 2gather u cant have a realationship bye urself ya know so now you all know and sometimes no matter how bad you want things to work out they dont and theres nothing you can do i tryed… thank you all.

i guess tila really did dani a favor by not choosing her.

p.s. someone should give dani her own dating show. omg.