CourtneyP

I’m sure there is enough of this all over the blogosphere, but I’m too full of emotions that I just need to vent. I’m disappointed yet amazed at the results of this election. I am in utter disbelief, but the results are in.

So what happens now? We’ve re-elected the president whose campaign has been based on fear and lies. It sickens me to think that we will have to endure four more years of this.

Maybe President Bush can prove me wrong. I sure hope so. For the good of our country, I wish so.

There is definitely a lot of sadness in our nation today, and thankfully, not a lot of violence (although there is some anger). But we’re stuck with the monkey for another term, we have to learn to deal with it, and god forbid, make the best of it.

Some people say that America has spoken; that the voices of our nation have been heard (direct quote heard on the news today). IMHO, only 51% of America has spoken and been heard… I think the rest of us are still kicking and screaming, and it is far from over. We have not been heard. Our nation is split, and we need to be brought back together. How, I do not know.

In Mr. Kerry’s speech this afternoon, he has instilled a glimmer of hope in his supporters by trying to inspire us to continue to fight for what we believe in.

“Today, I hope we can begin the healing.” I wish I could be as optimistic as he. Maybe in due time, I don’t know.

I did not find myself comforted by Bush’s victory speech at all.

The worst thing we can say right now is “I Hate America” and “I Hate Ohio” (both sentiments I’ve heard multiple times today). If we’re truly Americans, we shan’t be so harsh, and we should try to move on the best way we can. We love our country, so we can’t let it continue to go down in flames.

Come on America, we have a lot of work to do.

During our visit to COPIA a couple of months ago, I encountered an exhibit that solicited for visitor opinions on controversial subjects relating to food. One of these subjects referred to the controversy over alcohol and age limits/restrictions.

As most people know, legal drinking age in the United States is 21. What most people do not know is that the drinking age in the U.S. is one of the highest of any nation in the world. Why is that? The popular notion is that this restriction helps stifle irresponsible behavior in teenagers. Pshaw! Most of us know that rules and restrictions seem to only prevent some irresponsible behaviors, but certainly not in most teenagers, by far. C’mon, we were all there once… experimentation and limit testing were the name of the game when we were teens, and the same still rings true for today’s teens.

With my brother going into college this year, this issue rings close to home. With the taste of independence and freedom comes the first taste of alcohol for many… and often, their first taste of irresponsibility and full-on drunkenness. His school has a no-tolerance policy when it comes to alcohol (you can get reprimanded for being caught in the same room as a drunk person, even if you aren’t drinking), but the attitude of the students seems to be different. When we pulled up to the campus on move-in day, there was a house right outside of the entrance that read something to this effect:

Keg: $60
Condoms: $9
Noise Violation: $25
Breaking in your Freshman: Priceless.
Drop off your daughters here!

They aren’t really giving anyone a good impression of the school and its students. It’s really a shame. Apparently, there had been some alcohol-related deaths in the Cal State system in recent years. Why can’t people learn from this?

I can proudly say that in high school, I did not participate in such activities because I chose not to, and my friends/acquaintances respected that. Go ahead, call me a square. I took pride in it. That scene just didn’t interest me, and I could witness first hand how much others get messed up in both the short and long term. Sometimes it was just more fun to see people make complete idiots out of themselves and be able to remember it in the morning. Funny and sad, but true. You can learn a lot from others’ stupid mistakes. It’s just too bad that some teens don’t learn that until it’s too late.

My point here is to bring up discussion about what you think the legal drinking age should be, and/or what do you think we can do, if anything about the youth alcohol issue?

There has been much controversy if we should lower it to the age of eighteen, like many other countries in the world have. I honestly do not think it would help any (if at all), because the stigma surrounding youth and alcohol is really built around our culture. I think that the best solution would be to stop the subversive advertising in the media that says alcohol makes you cooler, that it makes you sexy, that it guarantees a good time. Hey, I didn’t say that it was a feasible solution. But if this were able to change, our attitudes about the sauce would be a lot different.

In some European countries, it is commonplace for everyone to drink with dinner, and be able to stop at only a glass or two. Why do Americans have such a hard time setting limits? Why do we have to be so damn excessive? (afternote: apparently, this is seemingly a perception? I would like to do more research on this topic to be sure)

Then again, advertising is all about creating these atrocious lies to move product anyways. This is something that is embedded in our culture. I think I’m just very sensitive to this particular issue since my work is a lot about promoting, advertising and marketing. I quote the title character from the movie Roger Dodger when he says:

“You can’t sell a product without first making people feel bad… You have to remind them that they’re missing something from their lives… And when they’re feeling sufficiently incomplete, you convince them your product is the only thing that can fill the void. So instead of taking steps to deal with their lives, instead of working to root out the real reason for their misery, they go out and buy a stupid looking pair of cargo pants.”

Amen. That says a lot about our culture.

As tempting as it is to slack as much as possible when you decide to work for yourself, it is not the best way to get anything done. It’s a definite hinderance, to say the least. I know there was a time a little while back when I said that I was the worst boss that I’d ever had. I am aware of the problems, and hope to nip them in the bud this time around.

1. Go to sleep and wake up on a consistent schedule. Last year, I found myself waking up at different times of morning (er, late morning, early afternoon… same difference), and pushing my bed time further and further back. Granted, I do consider myself more of a night person than a morning person, but I think to run a business, I need to run business hours. So 9 AM it is.

2. Resist the urge to clean the house. One of the prominent dangers of working from home is the constant load of housework that taunts you like a schoolyard bully. Don’t scrub the shower, don’t mop the kitchen, do your work and stick to it. So far, this has proven to be my downfall as far as working from home. The next point encourages me to break the habit…
3. Get out of the house. The house is distracting, as noted in the previous point, and it really is not a place of work since there is no real defined “work space”. I have been finding myself cafe-hopping, trying to find a good place to concentrate on my tasks (suggestions in the Silly Valley are welcome in the comments). The new library in town has also proven to be a great place for some quiet, although I am hesitant to do my calls from there since it *is* so quiet.
4. Don’t get too distracted by the intar-web thingy. This is already a hard one to conquer. Even with some of my regular full time jobs (previous job excepted, since it was a retail environment), the web in all its glory has tempted me. It is actually easier to ignore with the man (a.k.a. pointy-haired bosses) always checking in on you. OTOH, it also has been made difficult by bosses that fall victim to the same habits.
5. Maintain a constant presence with the people on my contacts list. Oh, how I’ve learned the importance of networking and contacts. They are invaluable and are my window to the world. I have been horrible at keeping up with the business contacts that I have been making, and I am vowing to change that. Besides, how am I going to find more work if I don’t let people know that I’m there and available? Keeping on the phone and sending e-mails (business related, natch) is also a good way to make sure I don’t slack off.

I’m also considering taking a part-time job and/or temping to fill in the blanks. So if you know of any opportunities in the Silly Valley, let me know.

*ahem* So yeah, back to work.

This was originally a slightly off-tangent rant from the previous entry, which I thought should be its own entry. So on the heels of the previous rant…

Is it just me, or does it seem like today’s teens are more worried about image than ever? They are extremely brand-conscious, not just with their logo-emblazoned clothing, but with the television shows and movies they watch, the makeup they wear, the food they eat, and lots more. The media continues to barrage us with images of “cool”… and the younger generation (and the older ones who don’t know any better) strive to follow these rules of cool to a T.
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So summer is supposed to be over officially on this Tuesday, 23 Sept.

Tell me why it has been so friggin’ hot this weekend? The National Weather Serivce claimed that it climbed up to 97 in our area today. I tell ya, I am *so* ready for autumn to be here.

And it’s unfair that SoCal has apparently had nicer weather this weekend. It’s just… unheard of.

update 9/22: Word is that it’s supposed to reach 105 today! argh!