Palin--a Dark Horse

I think I've come to the conclusion that the biggest thing this choice brings to the campaign is that people are now talking about his side of it.
She's new, she's fresh, she's highly inexperienced and has made some iffy calls in the past that I still need to research more, but she's a hardliner who has built a budding career on ethics and reform.

I do worry about her seven years of experience, as it is counter to everything the McCain campaign has been trying to build this summer. However, the choice of Biden as Obama's VP lessens the impact of the inexperience card.
Biden is also sort of a blah choice, it's safe, it's old--it'll calm a lot of people on the dem side (i've already seen this first hand).

It remains to be seen if the choice of Palin will be a net gain or loss for McCain.
One thing is for sure, the historic implications of this election will not go unnoted. At the very least we have the most diverse line up of candidates that we've ever had from demographics to policies.

This started as an election that Republicans couldn't win. Their only hope was McCain.
In an election that the democrats couldn't lose, they fought over Clinton or Obama--embittering many of their core supporters while doing so.
Between the two of them--it's even ground.
Their VP's could very well tip that balance. More to the point--McCain's VP could tip it.

So what makes him feel so secure as to be able to pick a dark horse?

Semesters Start Strangely

They really do.


Within the first day, I realized we had made a mistake and promptly dropped my public policy class (which turns out i took already under a different course name) and exchanged with with Forensic Geology.
I'm excited.
So excited, and tomorrow is the first time I'll run in there. It will also be the first time I'm balanced between geology and political science. My geography class is even a mix of the two.

I really think that the more time I spend around Callaway, the better and stronger I feel in political science. It's hard to explain and the only way I can is to contrast it with my freak out over my geology class--I have to write a scientific paper and yes, i am NERVOUS about it. Especially since he spent the first hour of class bashing creative writing ;p
Nervous!

But I'm rather secure in her classes, comfortable I suppose. I dig it.

This will be a super damn busy semester. It will, I know. But my second book is in my capable editor's hands and I'm looking forward to revision, I just am not sure when I'll have time to!
All my classes are writing enhanced with the exception of two: one is web based and one is web enhanced, Geography and Kine respectively. Both should be easy grades, though, provided I keep up with the work.

Aside from that--IR will be labor and thought intensive with more reading than I care to think about (but lol I've gotten a head start so :) ) and also a group presentation and four papers

Attitudes and Behaviours will be the worst, I think, in terms of work load--however I have the feeling that Biles isn't a hardass, he reiterated several times that our data work will be largely practice for the 60% worth in papers (two papers divided 40/20) of the grade

Ocenography will require a paper, a project, and delicious amounts of lecture

I have no idea what Forensic geology will have...none.
Nervous

PS--popcorn is horrible the second time around. Horrible. Sharp shards of kernels slicing up your throat.

(Also lol Biden...lol lol and a little more lol)

Human Indifference Virus

This evening I went to dinner alone. I asked the waitress for a booth, as I usually do, in the back. I told her I was feeling anti-social today and she smiled sympathetically.
Coffee, I ordered coffee and began to revise the past two year's worth of poetry.
The booth next to me contained three kids, high school age I would guess. They couldn't remember what HIV stood for:
Hydrolic Immune Vitals
Human Inane Virus
Homo Immune Villian

Human Indifference Virus.

I almost agree with the last. For the first time, I didn't feel embarrassed about correcting them. They said they were falling asleep in their class, but at me they starred, mouth agape, attentive, afraid.

I tell them about how they can contract HIV and how they can't, that the fastest growing population is minority women. I tell them that the global and domestic impact will not just be political or social but economic as well, and that it's not a problem that can be cured overnight.

I don't convince them of their own mortality or that they're just as risk as the rest of the population without taking matters into their own hands, without being smart and safe in their behaviors. They don't feel any less bullet proof, or truly believe that being safe doesn't happen by default, but they do know that HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

Rough Week

This week has been rough. Not only was I the full timer at my office, but Nathan has had a record number of seizures, one episode of which landed him in the ER because they happened at school and his instructor flipped out.
As if the ER could do anything about epilepsy.

I'm extraordinarily tired and just feeling all around beat.

But, I did 'finish' TGTD. Finished as in I think i reached a stopping point at 88,700 words and I sent it to Amelia for the first cut.
I'm not entirely sure if I'm going to be adding on or subtracting, and I don't know how long it will be before I start the third in the series.

I will be taking the time while Amelia is editing to work on my other project-- peeks can be found at my deviantArt account. I think it will be a departure for me in terms of my prose. Mostly because I'll be working in a realistic and contemporary world, which is not something I have a lot of experience with with novel length work.
Of course any help with this project would be highly appreciated.
I'm excited to work with Jes on this. Can't wait.