Today is my parents’ 30th wedding anniversary.

As a child I remember asking about divorce because I had friends who were dealing with it. They told me the truth. They told me why they work. They told me that love is easy, but making a marriage work? That’s hard. It’s give and take, and it’s compromise. But it’s also one of the most wonderful and fulfilling relationships you can have. I could not have asked for a better example of what a marriage should be. Or of what parents should be. I am eternally thankful.

I love you Mom and Dad. Happy Anniversary!

I hate this day. It’s not even ten yet and I hate this day. I have a large bump and bruise on my forehead because I left a kitchen cabinet open while I was washing dishes and forgot about it. Cue raising head and attempting to impale it on the corner of the door. I ruined a very nice white blouse because I did not notice that a black pen had exploded in my jacket pocket. I did this when I was already running late for the bus so I had to grab something, smell test it because tonight is laundry night, and run for it. I look a mess. None of my clothes fit and I am in a horrible mood. When I got to work I realized all of the calculations I did when I came in on Saturday are wrong. I have to re-do them. So instead of coming in on Saturday being helpful and putting me ahead of the game it actually screwed me. I want to cry. I have two weeks until I am on a plane home…in theory because The STUPID Company can’t be bothered to make my travel arrangements until 10 days before I leave and I just realized I need to get rid of my fridge. I have an agonizing headache. It throbs. I want to go home, get in bed and cry but it will be another nine hours at least before I can do that. #&@$!!!!!!!!!

It’s story time! Today’s story is part of a series titled: Embarrassing Crap that Happens to Rachel, the Only Me Chronicles.

Last night after work I went to the gym. This is a normal part of my daily routine and usually something that I enjoy. It’s time I use to rid myself of the stress of the day and relax. This particular evening found me in the weight room doing shoulder presses. I was using a machine that lets you set guides so that as you are lifting weight with a bar there is no worry that you’ll drop the bar and hurt yourself. The guides stop any such thing from happening.

It’s just after five thirty and the weight room is crowded. The machines, benches and free weights, and the people using them make up a dizzy dance of movement. It’s almost graceful in its own special sweaty, grunting way.

I’m in a corner setting up my machine. Adding weights to the bar and grabbing a yoga ball to balance on so my core gets a workout as well. I step in, do a set and relax. I start a second set and as I’ve lifted the bar over my head the yoga ball I’m sitting on pops. The thing goes off like a gunshot. I shriek and go crashing to the ground followed by the bar and the attached weights.

Silence. Everyone stares. The world stops. Someone turns out the lights and somehow, suddenly, there’s a spotlight in the gym I never noticed before…and it’s trained on me. Small children have rushed to the windows to point and laugh. I wait, hoping to look down, find I am naked and realize it was all a dream.

My life…is…over.

I turn eight shades of red, get up, thank the universe that the machine kept the bar from falling on me and take a bow. What else can you do? Someone asks if I’m okay. I say I’m fine, suffering a seriously bruised ego, but nothing more.

The dance resumes. I finish my workout without breaking anything else, change and head home. I am now “that girl” at the gym.

I have been sitting on a post for a while about Prop 8. Like many of you I was both angered and dismayed at its passing in California. I have started and stopped typing many times and then today a friend sent me this and I decided that it says it all.

I’ve been sort of on this post election slump. I got all riled up and then we won (yay!) and now I have nothing to focus my energy on but general panic about taking the GRE. Also, moving. And money. And my job. Okay, so I have a lot of things to focus on, but nothing as fun as politics. So imagine my surprise and entertainment at the lovely comment left on this entry of my blog today.

Bobby writes:

Now we are on our way to dictatorship and socialism led by the America haters.Obama is a cult figure.Obamunnism=socialism in the last great republican democracy.Jefferson,Washington,Madison,Franklin,Lincoln,Teddy,JFK& Reagan and now a confirmed lifelong socialist intent on destroying our constitution and installing a National Socialist government(a.k.a. Nazism of the Liberal kind) on a once free people.What a sad day for America.

I decided that such an elloquent comment deserved a very personallized response.

Dearest Bobby,
Poor you. I’m not sure you know what socialism means. Also, have you ever read Jefferson? You should. You might hate him too. Oh, and Kennedy. He’d scare you as well. But then again, since you clearly don’t understand punctuation, spacing, and can’t be bothered to research your political candidates I wouldn’t imagine you’d actually *gasp* pick up a book.

It seems you stumbled across my blog and after looking up a few of the big words, decided you were angry about losing the election and typed up that hasty, idiotic response. Yes, I’m sure that all those millions of people who came out and exercised their right to vote, their Constitutional right, hate America. Damn the United States Government and its Constitution for protecting our right to elect our leaders! In fact, I’m sure that Obama spent millions of dollars to lead a country he hates. That makes perfect sense! Oh my how smart you are Bobby! You sure showed me!

Here’s the deal: If you want to argue politics, do your research. Cite your facts. Don’t like federally subsidized health care? Tell me why and give me examples of countries where it has failed. You might even go so far as to propose how we fix the health care system we have now because it’s certainly not getting the job done. I get that you don’t like Obama. Give me a legitimate reason other than: “Hurrrr, he’s black and a socialist and hates God and America.” That one has been done to death by the rest of the bigoted, uneducated population and it still didn’t win McCain the election.

I doubt you’ll be back though, Bobby. But if you do stop by, I look forward to your no doubt well written and researched reply.

Love and kisses,
Rachel

I have 86 dollars in my bank account. The good news? It’s because my rent check cleared and that means my landlord won’t kick my butt out on the street for the last three weeks I’m in Alaska. The bad news? I don’t get paid until Thursday. I really need to grocery shop between now and then. I wasn’t planning on spending eighty-six bucks on food, but I budget around $40 usually and that takes me down half. Having that little in my account is stressful. It worries me and I think about it constantly. I also had to start shipping some things home this weekend. I sent my bike and two other boxes and it ended up being around $160 (not bad Alaska to NC) but since I don’t exactly have that sort of money I had to put it on a credit card. I will get reimbursed for shipping things home by The Company, but until then I’m broke…really broke.

I’ve been low on money most of the time I’ve been up here. A couple of times, due to unfortunate roommate situations (i.e. me moving out due to their consistent drunken, hysterical screaming and fighting in the middle of the night) I’ve had to borrow money from my parents. I hate, hate, hate doing this. Logically, rationally I know that it’s not because I’m bad at managing my money, it’s not because I made poor choices. It is simply because I get paid very little and emergencies happen. When I have what people seem to like to call a “real job,” (you know, one that pays) this won’t be a problem. But right now I’m poor. Right now I owe my folks money. Right now this sucks.

I am so unbelievably proud. So proud, so touched and so hopeful for the future. Last night as I was watching President-Elect Barack Obama speak to the nation I cried. All the tension and anxiety, all the pent up frustration about the election came out. But so did my passion, my excitement, and, for the first time in a long time, my patriotism. I was completely and utterly touched. It is not often you experience something and know, in that momentthat something you did, you contributed to, changed the course of history. Last night, with tears streaming down my face, listening to Obama speak to the world I realized: this is a moment I will tell my grandchildren about. Today the sun rises on a new America. We are all changed.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves — if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment.

This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.

’twas the day of the election
and all through the nation
all the good little voters
wait in anticipation

their ballots are cast
at the precincts with care
in hopes a new president
soon will be there

 

Seriously…go vote. Right now.

Happy Halloween Everyone!

I forgot I have a Twitter account. If you’re a creeper…like I am…you should follow me. Fourth down on the right.