Are the Holidays Over Yet???

     Well, my time in Arizona is almost complete.  I love spending time with my family, but I often feel guilty about the chosen career path I've decided to take.  It's the one topic that isn't supposed to be discussed at family events.  I always go out of my way to make sure I don't bring up the topic around family, especially since I am opposite side of the political spectrum.  It always seems to be another member which says something small or asks me a ligament question about a certain aspect of politics. Once that happens, there is always that one family member who just has to chime in with their thoughts even though they have no clue what they are talking about...or if they do, it is not of their own thought process.  I generally do not say anything and just let it slide; but, it is like a volcano...it keeps building up and building up.  Eventually, someone makes a comment one to many and I let it lose because I never back down from an argument, even if I have to just say "well, that's your opinion" or something like that.
     I mean, it is one thing to disagree with me.  That is fine.  If we all agreed on everything then society would be a boring place. In fact, it is very american to disagree and have intelligent conversation about complex issues in order to solve said issues.  What I don't like s when someone flat-out challenges your stand when you have spent your entire life and career in that particular field.  Yes, I am well versed in Healthcare issues and when legislation were passed; and, I am also well versed on different foreign relations bills.  I am even well versed in MANY social issues and their effects on society.  I will never apologize for my level of education, or the pursuing of further education.  As my uncle tends to say, "knowledge is power". I honestly don't care if I'm the black sheep of the family, but I do know what I'm talking about when people start talking about MY field of expertise.  Also, a side note, just because one goes to college does not mean they will have all liberal professors or they will suddenly all "drink kool aide".  I can't help the fact that you can't understand the knowledge that I know, but how dare you attempt to insult what I do for a living.  If my career bothers you that much and if you feel so threatened by my intellect in a vast array of professional fields, then I'm sorry but please get over it.  I make it a personal effort to not make people feel uncomfortable and always try to respect the wishes of others, the least you can do is respect my career and the education I've had to earn to become successful in my line of work. Geez!
     Ok, I'm fine. It just bothers me. So I guess dinner is ready so I should probably get ready for that.  Only two more days and then I'll be bound for North Carolina.  I know some changes I'll be making in 2013.  Some will be good and some will be bad.  I just know I need to start living for me and reduce my guilt for my life decisions. I accept everyone else's life decisions and faults, so I think it's time for others to start doing that with me. Okay, end of rant.

Christmas Road Trip to Arizona Part 2

Well, it has been a long day on the road, but we are safely in Arizona for Christmas! We even went to the evening service of church.  It was interesting and a nice service.  It is amazing the level of information I have learned from the Political Rhetoric class and how I apply it to almost everything I hear each day.  I can certainly give credit to Dr. Beth Huber for teaching me the basics of Rhetoric.

So anyway, this will be my first Christmas in Arizona. I am fairly excited about this endeavor.   In addition to that, I have family coming in from California and they have a new addition to their family unit.  Needless to say, I am a first cousin…I think anyway.  This will be the first time I will meet her. As for her parents, I am really excited to see them. I love my aunt and uncle! They are awesome, hip, and closer to my age so it seems like we relate on a lot of levels.

As I write this, I realize that I am writing this on Christmas Eve.  I don’t plan on making a blog entry on Christmas Day.  I try to abstain from all electronic distractions like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, iPhone (in general), FourSquare, etc.  It is always a big challenge to me so hopefully I will be able to go the whole day without checking my phone; or, at least once at the very least.  I know I’ve stated that the holidays are the most stressful time of the year.  I guess the only reason to justify that is because I am my own person.  I know I am much different than the rest of the family (in just about every way). However, at the end of the day, I am able to look past all of the differences and try to just enjoy the company of my family and the time together.  If there is anything to be taken away from the year 2012, it is simply this: spend as much time as you can with those you love because you never know when it might be the last time.  I can say that it is a mature thought for someone in their twenty’s.  I know this is the “time of one’s life”, but it honestly doesn’t need to be all about oneself.; to me, that is selfish (on certain levels anyway).  The only things to really take away from this blog piece are: 1) Texas is the most boring state to drive; 2) Dr. Huber from Western Carolina University is the best Professor to have for any Rhetoric class; 3) Try and go as long as you can without social media (even if it is just five minutes a day); and, 4) Remember that no matter how complex your family members can be, at the end of the day they are still family so cherish your time together while you can.

With all of that said, one other challenge that I will have this week is to not engage in any political discussions – even if provoked…like earlier tonight. I know…good luck with that, right? If I can ride two days in a truck with a parent who is on the opposite side of the political spectrum, I think I can go a few more days with family members that are on that same side. So yes, the challenge has been accepted…and I always win because I’m a fierce competitor.

I hope everyone has a wonderful & blessed Christmas, Kwanza, Hanukkah, winter solstice, or holiday season (mainly whatever you are celebrating over the next couple of days).  If you are traveling, I wish you safe travels to your destinations and will think positive thoughts and energy to you and those that travel with you.  Have a blessed holiday season! I image my next blog piece will be either Thursday or Friday (I’ll be back in North Carolina on the thirtieth of December).

Christmas Road Trip to Arizona Part 1

Well, it has been a long day on the road.  We, my father and I, left at 7:15 this morning from Old Fort, North Carolina and are currently in Texaekana, Arkansas.  We have stopped for gas and some food.  The drive so far has been nice.  We have mainly been listening to audiobooks. As a matter of fact, I downloaded The Hobbit so we could listen to it on the way to Arizona.  As much as I dislike anything “Lord of The Rings” or anything by Tolkein, I know Dad likes it so it might be a good bonding thing.  I don’t think I’ll be doing any driving on this trip though, which is a major bummer.  I can’t help it, I love driving!  At least I am able to take pictures and se the things I usually wouldn’t see if I were driving.  Come to think about it, I don’t know how I would feel getting out of a Dodge truck at a random stop in the state of Texas and wearing my usual style of fashion (Professional Chic).  As I am writing this sentence, we are crossing over into Texas. I have once again found may way to the Lone State.  The last time I was here was not on good terms since they assumed I was an illegal.  I fare them to try that crap on me again! 

Anyway, the drive – like I have already stated – has been nice.  The hardest part for me is to discuss politics whenever I see a bumper sticker, billboard, or enter a state that swings one way politically. My mind is just geared for politics, as it is a challenge for me to not turn that part of my brain off.  I have been secretly going through all the districts, and their representatives, in my head since I am not supposed to utter them out loud. The best I’ve been able to do is just laugh whenever I see a bumper sticker that voted for the losing ticket this year.   Anyway, I guess I should attempt to not discuss politics at the moment (I know, good luck with that goal).

One of the things I really love about traveling through the central plains is the weather patterns. I am an avid weather and storm chaser! I saw some WONDERFUL wall clouds earlier before the sun started going down.  It is a shame I won’t be in the area in the next day or so because they are calling for major thunderstorms and potential tornadic activity in Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Arkansas.  I think even Arizona might get some snow.  I guess I’ll see soon enough.  On a serious note, I think that after I earn my Master’s Degree, I will move out to one of the central plain states (maybe Iowa, South Dakota, or Kansas) because their weather patterns are AWESOME!  I would love to go back to school and earn a degree in either Meteorology or Atmospheric Sciences…I just have to get a lot better at science and math. At least I have meteorologist and storm chasers that follow me on Twitter (and we often tweet each other which is just awesome within itself)!

Okay, so we have passed Dallas/Ft. Worth and are spending the night in Weatherford, Texas. Tomorrow I will be in Arizona and it will be Christmas eve…Yay! Stay Tuned for another update on the travel adventures – Christmas Special! :-D

It's The Most Stressful Time...Of The Year!

Yes, I was singing that as I wrote it.  Anyway, I hope everyone is going to have a wonderful holiday season.  I am one of the many that say “holiday” as opposed to Christmas unless I know the person I’m speaking to prefers “Christmas”.  It’s not because I’m religious or anything, I just try not offend anyone.  Well, I mean I know I offend people but honestly, I don’t really care.   I tend to follow the phrases, “What you see is what you get” and “If you can’t handle the heat, then get out of the kitchen” (among other phrases, haha).   Anyway, this is the most stressful time of the year to many people. I can honestly count myself among those people. I love my family and of course they are stressful at times…what family isn’t stressful at times, right? So I’m not really talking about that stress.  Well, I suppose I could.

            Family stress is different than other types of stress.  For me, because I have parents who have been divorced for a while, it is kind of a big thing to determine which holiday to spend with which side of the family.  This year, I decided to do Thanksgiving with my Mom’s side and now I’ll be doing Christmas with my Dad’s side of the family. I’ve been doing this for a while.  As an adult, it just seems strange that I am taking the initiative to be the peacemaker of each side of the family…in a sense.

            I guess I just naturally take on the role of making sure everyone in my family is okay.  While there are some quirks regarding some of my family members, they’re still family.  One of the things I’m sort-of looking forward to is this upcoming weekend.  Since my father’s parents have retired to the state of Arizona – the ones I visited and blogged about on my trip to and from there – it will be the first time we will all be heading to Arizona for Christmas.  This is mainly because my Uncle who lives in California has a newborn and it would be better to travel to Arizona than New York State. So anyway, this upcoming weekend, Dad and I will be traveling to Arizona…by driving out there.  Now, I love driving and I love road-trips. I even love seeing the parts of the country I don’t reside in. However, I am really looking forward to spending time with my dad since we don’t live close to each other (he lives in New York State). I can honestly say we have never really had that “father-son” relationship that so many my age have.  We just view the world through different lens and of course we have very different life experiences. It is hard to relate to him as I think we are exact opposites.  Knowing that though, I always try to reach out for common ground and build on that.  If anything the past week has taught me, we need to hold on to our family and be grateful of the time we have with them. So I image the time on the road with my father will be stressful, but it will also be a chance to rekindle that relationship we had during my childhood.

            Another stressful thing that makes the holidays stressful is the money spent during this time.  It seems that everyone is always asking, “what do want for Christmas” or “Do you have your Christmas list”…and that’s fine.  I always create a list, but I generally put things I need on the list. Heck, I even categorize my list!  I even color-code it! I know my best-friend (and roommate in college) would make fun of me and bring up some other things while laughing about it. So I love being organized, sue me! I guess that’s why I always did better in classes than he did, haha! Anyway, I think people tend to forget about the things that matter and get too wrapped up in the superficial things in life.  With that said, I love getting things. I know I don’t need them, but I am a kid at heart (yes, I just said that). I also love spending money to get gifts for others. I am actually getting into the phase of, “Well, I’m going to start making my gifts for people instead of spending money because they are from the heart” because I’m told I’m getting older. I don’t know either!  Maybe I’ll get married in the next year too and have a child!  See what I did there…I got ya! Those two things are not even something I want to think about.

            With the holidays fast approaching and the stress that endures, it is important for everyone to just stop a some point in their day and take some time for themselves. I am at the point in life where I know this needs to happen more.  It is healthy and rewarding. Within a few weeks, we will enter a new year and new paths to walk down in our various roads of life. I always take the one less traveled, and it always makes all the difference.

I hope everyone has a wonderful & safe holiday season! May all of you be blessed and continue have good health through the New Year and beyond!

P.S.

The world did not end today. So, to recap: Mayans - 0 & Humanity in the 21st Century - 1

“No Words for the Unspeakable” Ushers in a New Generation of Change

I am just at a loss. The past few days have been added to the list of “Darkest Days in America” because of the innocence taken from an elementary school Newtown, Connecticut.  It is a moment of “where were you when…” and “what’s next for the nation”…among many other questions.  Never in my life have I seen an American President openly show emotions for an atrocity so horrendous as the one of Friday, December 14, 2012. [I want to say President Clinton did after Columbine, but I honestly don’t remember it as powerful as President Obama’s remarks.] It is because of a lone gunman, who was just twenty years (just five years my junior) took the innocent lives of 20 children ages six and seven. It didn’t stop there though. He further stole the lives of six adults including the principle of the school and a first grade teacher who was just TWO YEARS older than I am. The shooter’s name will not be mentioned at all from me, because, I agree with Anderson Cooper…he had enough coverage and deserves no more time as he did multiple unspeakable acts within a mere ten minutes or more.

I have been trying to figure some things out.  Yesterday, I posted on Facebook that we should hold off on the political commentary and focus on the families and others affected by this tragedy.  I figured a week would be appropriate; however, the time to speak is now.  This is the second shooting within a week. I would like to just discuss some things going through my head as I think it would be the best way to attempt to cope with this tragedy.  While I am not directly affected, and while I have no children of my own, I feel that as a future parent and as someone’s child (not to mention a constitutional right) I have just as much right to talk as the next person.  I am not here to say my thoughts or ideas are the right and only way; but, I am here to offer my thoughts and contribute them to the conversation that will need to take plan sooner rather than later. I am not an advocating for stricter laws or better healthcare or any other political stance.  I am advocating for common sense, respect, and a potential gateway to having a constructive dialogue to help diminish the violence that we are finding more and more within our daily lives. So here it goes…

I do know that the United States Constitution has a second amendment referring to firearms. In fact, I know it well. It says:

“A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”

Now for me, I have to think about this for a while. Please bear in mind that I have only taken one legal class (and it was Legal Environment of Business) and was president of the Pre-Law Club in college. To me, the right to bear arms is clear: citizens can do that. I also know that in order to protect a state, citizens can be in a militia…which I think of as the National Guard of a state. Each state has a national guard (e.g. “The Texas National Guard”, “The North Carolina National Guard”, etc).  One key word that I think people often overlook is the word “regulated”.  I think that this word alone allows policy-makers to regulate the laws and determine which firearms are restricted to solely those protecting the free state and not to the citizens of the state. I understand that many citizens hunt, which is fine.  However, I don’t find a reason why someone would use an AR-15, or another semi-automatic gun, to hunt deer or medium game animals. I have many friends who hunt and I have asked some of them and they say that kind damage done by the ammunition would either destroy or spoil the meat. I honestly don’t know because I don’t hunt, although I have hunted in the past.  Again, I am not advocating for stricter laws, I am merely trying to make sense of all of this and how we can move forward. Guns can be a good thing; but they must be regulated as outlined in the Constitution.

Another thing I would like to mention: why is the shooter being considered as “a mentally-imbalanced person” or “a deranged young man”?  Why not consider him a domestic terrorist? A terrorist by definition is:

“A person, usually a member of a group, who uses or advocates terrorism” or even “a person who terrorizes or frightens others”. (by the way, the part of speech is considered to be a noun)

 Now, some things come to mind.  While we still don’t know the motive, some things could be made: 1) not ideal childhood in school so why should these innocent ones have a better one (selfish); 2) done days after a mall shooting in Oregon (either “copy-cat” or “one up”); 3) done during Hanukkah (religious harm); and 4) wants attention to compensate for said childhood experience.  Clearly I have no answers regarding these observations, but the one thing I can deduce is that this shooter killed innocent lives and has once again instilled fear into not only those families but millions of parents in the United States. To me, that’s a terrorist. I don’t understand the difference is between this shooter and a member of Al-Qaeda.  They both destroy lives and themselves. They commit cowardly acts for those that commit horrendous crimes against humanity…and innocent lives at that.

So the second thing I would like to discuss is the topic of health. No, I’m not going to talk about The Affordable Care Act or it’s other alias. Since the law is not discriminatory, it allows every citizen to the same healthcare benefits as others.  It includes a broad range of things, including Mental Health. In fact, there are at least two different sections in two different titles addressing enhancements in Mental Health.  Of course, there is always more we can do to improve mental health within our country.  One of the things I keep hearing is that there should be more funding for mental health, yet the same people who want states to do more are in deficits.  In fact, mental health needs to be addressed in every state…but as states can’t handle some of these demands, they rely on the federal government for this…and ironically, the federal government has responded.  It is interesting that the only time people need the federal government is when something bad happens and when they can’t rely on their states for ways to help.

It seems that we can come to a common sense approach regarding this issues of guns, violence, and the future of the United States. Yes, citizens are guaranteed the right to own guns in their own homes. Yes, the states have a right to protect themselves…which is why they have national guard unites within their state lines. I do think there is a certain line of balance that needs to be addressed with regards to the second amendment.  I think more of the emphasis needs to be focused on “regulated” and less on the words “right to bear arms”. If we regulate guns and take the appropriate steps, hopefully we can reduce the deadly shootings within the United States each year.  Nobody should live in fear that the next movie they see will be their last; or that new shirt in the mall will never be purchased, or that they will see their child off to school only to find out that they won’t be coming home with homework ever again.

This is one final thing that crosses my mind regarding these tragic events. I would like to address anyone that says that the reason this happened is because of the lack of God in our country or that he has been banned from schools via school prayer: How Dare you! I mean seriously, who the hell do you think you are attempting to tell grieving families that the reason they lost their children is because God isn’t allowed in the school building?  Furthermore, I would love to challenge anyone to prove that God was not in that school building. The fact is we can’t prove or disprove he wasn’t. It is entirely selfish for ANY follower of God to attempt to rationalize any actions they think their God makes. As far as I am concerned and through my teachings and personal studying regarding the subject, God would never harm the innocent and even told his followers to allow the little children see him. Not to mention that it is NOT the time to even attempt to thrust your religious beliefs on those who lost loved ones. I mean, do you plan to tell those same grieving parents that if their children weren’t saved then they were in Hell??? I mean, how screwed up and how selfish do you have to be to bring your own religious beliefs to the conversation.  This is also a violation of those mourning parents’ constitutional right to not be blasted with religious rhetoric. I do happen to believe the United States Constitution has wording that validates the separation of church and state.  Religion, personally speaking, is a private matter and should NEVER be used to try and boost attendance on Sunday services or used as scare tactics. I also firmly think that Mike Huckabee, and others, who claim this event happened because of the lack of God in schools should formally apologize to every single parent who lost an innocent child and should resign from whatever position they are on – if they are on a television network – and return to the pulpit where they belong!

The only solution I can offer is that we stand up.  This has to be the last straw for the American public. I am challenging everyone who reads this, especially those that are a part of my generation, to get involved and let your voice be heard.  I know many in my generation are outraged at the past events of the past six months. We are the 21^st Century “Generation of Change”.  We are at the forefront of many important issues. Regardless of beliefs, I think it is important that those who care about humanity and strive to co-exist will find a way.  Here in the United States, our struggle is with how to enact laws to not violate the constitutional rights of all Americans. 

Again, I am still concerned with the recent events that have taken place in Newtown, Connecticut.  I am not well-versed in gun laws.  I am, however, am a human being who thinks that we need to change some things in order to better society. I don’t want the United States to become the nation as gun deaths rising by 50% each month. What I can promise, though, it to become more engaged in these conversations (after educating myself on all aspects of these tense dialogues). In the meantime, I will continue to send positive thoughts to the families of those affected in Newton; I will continue to support teachers 100%; I will continue to push for common-sense laws to ensure children can’t lose their innocence to vicious cowards; and, I will continue to be an American that has had enough of members of Congress who claim to represent the will of their constituents, yet continue to vote against their interests because they receive funding from groups that want to advance their own interests. I will stand up and I will fight for all Americans…it’s the very least I can do to ensure these unspeakable acts don’t happen to any parent or child again. I am part of the new “Generation of Change” and I am not backing down…and neither should you!