2008 in review (Or, what has inspired me this year)

These little guys (in 2005)...

...Who are now this big.

And him, my life partner, who is my source of balance and strength every day.

Quality time together as a family...whether on vacation or around the holiday table or simple, everyday things, like hanging out in our pajamas at home (or in this case, at a campground).

This awe-inspiring victory, and what it has meant for me, our children and the potential we can reach together...reminding me just how far we have come. 

The wonderful company of female friends who are trying-to-balance-it-all-dammit. And who can also relate to this stressful, crazy, but blissful time in our lives parenting little ones.

Believing in magic, and viewing the world with the hope and wonderment that my children see with every little thing that most adults take for granted.

The beauty of children in general, and what I learn from them each day...especially the lesson about being carefree and unapologetic about anything.

Bummed

I have been lucky the last couple of years to not travel as much as I did early my career when I was living the life of a airline mileage-racking, hotel points-collecting,  Admiral's Club-card-toting life of a jetsetter management consultant.

And as timing would have it, the couple of times I've traveled for work lately, either we were hard-pressed for extra hands to help with the kids or I was missing some event.

Well, this time I'm missing a big event - their annual Holiday Christmas pageant at preschool.

Yep, the one where they wear Santa or Rudolph or Snowmen costumes and sing holiday carols. Truly, video-recording-worthy moments.  This time, instead of just recording the pageant for posterity, it will also be so I can witness it second-hand since I will have to go deliver a biggie presentation to some biggie partner in-person, 2000 miles away from home on this day of all days.

And.

I'm bummed.

SO bummed.

But, I also recognize that it's necessary for me to carry out my responsibility for work and be there.  

Because I'm required.

So, while the other moms and dads will be there to listen and video-record and cheer on their kids as they belt out their holiday hymns, I will be sitting in a presentation in unnamed corporate giant's campus thinking about my kids as hey sing "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer."

Such is the reality of a working mom living the corporate life.  And I can't help but feel such guilt because I'm sure I'll be the only mom in both of their classes who won't be there because she's traveling and working.

(sigh.  thank goodness for daddy and for the grandparents.)

Letter to my Lu-Lu

My Dearest Lu-Lu,

You are my youngest child by one minute and you are now as old as the number of years I spent in college.   My, how time flies.

All too often, your daddy and I have referred to you and your twin sister as a unit. After all, you were conceived together, you lived in my belly and subsisted on my nutrients together, you were born together and have cribbed together. And now, 4 years later, not only do you school together but you are each other's 24/7 playmates. So unique is your relationship with your twin sister that I hope you cherish what you have...it is a bond unlike any other.

Despite all of this, please know that we've always recognized you and your sister as two very unique, lovely individuals who bring such different aspects of delight to our lives.

And, like my letter to your sister, I wanted to write you a letter so that you know who you are but also, and most importantly, so you understand what and how much you mean to me during this crazy, hectic, beautiful time in our lives.

If Hannah is the cat, you definitely personify the loyal puppy dog: you are warm, loyal, welcoming, perennially energetic, charming.  I love it when you run to me after a long day at work and knock me down with your enthusiastic, vigorous, signature Luke-hugs. You have one of the most warm, loving hearts I have ever seen.

There are many sides to you, Luke but at it's core, you are an open book.  On   one hand you are analytical, methodical in your approach to solving problems, organized.  On the other hand, you are a free-spirit and love to go where the wind blows.  You love to be the center of attention;  you are often the life of the party.  You invite people to participate in your world by constantly engaging others around you, including your not-so-gregarious sister.   You love to sing at the top of your lungs.   You love to dance.   You jump up and down when you get excited and scream, "Hurray!"  You are like the Energizer bunny and keep going and going and going... constantly in motion.   You are not easily embarrassed and are completely unapologetic of who you are and what you are doing.  I so admire this quality in you and am in awe of you every day.

You wear your heart on your sleeve, always - whether you are ecstatic or sad, angry or surprised.  You are a quick study.    Your self-awareness and emotional IQ in relating to others constantly amazes me; I only hope you sustain this awareness as you get older...it's a good trait to have.

And perhaps because of your self-awareness, you are able to project this awareness in how you interact with others around you.  You are a sensitive little boy - you are easily amused, but at the same time, you readily get angry or frustrated.    And sometimes this anger and frustration is manifested in playing control games with your daddy and I.  A favorite of yours is to "reset" and start over at the point the affliction was made.  You don't easily let things go; you often want to go back and start over  before you can move forward.   And like Hannah, you picked up a trait (or two...or three) of mine that I am not proud of  and that I am aware I need to change.   I only hope you can cultivate those coping skills as you grow older.

As your mother, I am so aware of your capability to charm and break hearts in the not-so-distant future.    In fact, you already have a following in our neighborhood.  :)   I am sensitive to raise you into responsible young man who is respectful of women and what we bring to the table.  And the only way I can best do this is by role modeling behavior of a woman, a mother, a wife who leads a balanced life.  I am hoping you pay careful attention to the woman who is raising you (and of course, your daddy too).

I love that you are not afraid to show me how you feel about me every day, whether it's jumping on my back and giving me a Luke-hug from behind, or slopping on one of your big wet kisses on my nose.    I especially love when you look into my eyes and tell me "I love you, mommy" and tell me I am beautiful.    What mom doesn't find her son saying such things music to her ears?

You are truly momma's little boy and are one of the biggest delights of my life.

If I were 4 years old again I would want to marry you.

Letter to my mini-me at 4 years old

My Dearest Baby Hannah,

You are my firstborn by one minute and my, how I have watched you grow into lovely little person the last 4 years.

You will read this blog at some point when you can read and when you actually care to learn what kind of person your mom was like when she was parenting you as a young child.

And so, I want to make sure to capture this snapshot of you exactly as you are...so here goes.

There are two sides of the continuum of your personality that I have grown to appreciate and love: the "I'm-just-getting-to-know-you" Hannah all the way to the "I-now-feel-comfortable-with-you-so-I'll-now-open-up" Hannah.

First, let's start with the "getting to know you" part of you.

I have always described you to many who don't know you as having the personality of a cat: You are very independent, cautious, shy and don't like to draw attention to yourself. You like to sit on the sidelines and watch before you jump in, and you are careful to observe your surroundings and absorb every little detail, even the most amazing of minutia. While it may not look like you are engaging as you sit on the sidelines, you really are - more than any of us ever realize.

When meeting you for the first time, you are polite (mostly because you know I expect it of you) but you can also be a little ice queen. I can tell you are skeptical of a person or situation from this very defining and SO-signature Hannah action you would take: You would cock your head to the side to carefully observe the said new person as if to say "I really don't know about you. I need to check you out a bit before I determine that you're OK." You've been doing this since you were 7 months old and could sit up.

A case in point:


When you realize said new person has surpassed your bar and has earned your trust (toy gifts and chocolate usually help), then I see the ice wall slowly start to melt. From there, you form a connection that, once established, is a difficult bond to break. Once trust is cemented with you, you are incredibly loyal and loving.
You are one of the most articulate and most absorbant sponges I've ever met. Your careful and detailed observations from first having sat back and taken in the scenery vs. jumping right in come out in the funniest and most pleasantly surprising of ways. And my how amused I am to see how you the application of your observations to many situations -- appropriately so. Which leads me to believe that you have deep capacity for problem solving and analytical thinking...which is a good thing. And I'm not sure where you get it from but there is a certain goofiness and playfulness to your personality. You are a character and constantly make me, your daddy and Luke chuckle.
And when you decide to be serious and focused, oh boy. When you decide you are really in to something, there's no taking your eye off the ball - whether it's coloring, playing with your dolls and figurines or building something with your legos or finding your lost blankie and revered dalmatian Puppy or baby Monkey.

Then I see a little mini-me come out. Yes, even when you were 3 years old, I already started to see traits of me in you. And now at 4, they couldn't be more pronounced. And of course, I see in you some of my very best and some of my very worst traits. My best I see in you: you are persistent, focused, aggressive, detail-oriented. My worst: you become obsessive, you are sometimes indecisive, you divert accountability and begin making your problem others' problem. Hannah, you are a mini-me in so many ways and often provide a mirror into things about myself that I am now learning to not take so seriously, or to change.

You are definitely your mother's daughter, for better or for worse.

All of this said, you are undoubtedly one of the three brightest beacons in my life. And even at 4 years old, I see so much inner and outer beauty in you and what I know you will become.  I only hope to be a role model for you to help you truly reach your God-given potential.

I have no doubt in my mind that you will succeed in whatever you decide to do. You wouldn't dream of anything else.

Happy birthday, my sweet padawans

The things we do for our kids.

Like this.

Just because we can. 

Yes, this is the fight scene from Star Wars, Episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith.  This is the one where Anakin Skywalker turns progressively to the Dark Side and at the very end of the movie he is in a fight scene with Obi Wan Kenobi in the lava fields of Mustafar.  This is right before he loses his limbs and burns himself...only to then become Darth Vader.  

 Queen Amidala, his heartbroken bride gives birth to young twins Luke and Leia - who are hidden and separated at birth so that they are spared from the evil forces of the Dark Side. 

And from there begins the saga.

Happy 4th Birthday, my precious little ones.

And may the force be with you.

Blog guilt (Or, random musings and justification of how I spend my free time these days)

Where did the month go? 

The election happened; my candidate won.

Work continued to happen, and happen, and happen...with seemingly no end. (not that I am complaining...believe me, I'm just happy to have a job in these fragile economic times.)

The kids are getting closer to 4 years old with every passing day.

And now they are playing holiday music where ever I go.

Gyeeesh.  I know Q4 would fly but this is so ridiculous.

And.  I've been feeling guilty lately that I haven't been blogging.  After all, this is supposed to be my love letter to my kids, and my chronicle of our lives at this crazy, insane time in our lives. But I haven't been blogging.  And it's not that I don't have anything to blog about. 

I have plenty.

It's just that life is so....

Busy.  

Crazy.

Rushed.

That I don't have time to collect myself and my thoughts and write something semi-coherent and meaningful.

And when I do have that extra time these days, I choose to have a massage.  Or do some retail therapy (or window shopping, in this economy).  Or get my nails done. Or have a date with my husband.  Or grab drinks with the girls.   Since I barely have time for myself anymore - outside of parenting, working, wifing, etc.  And the last thing I want to do with any down time is sit in front of a computer when I've been sitting in front of one all damn day for work.

I keep thinking that things will slow down.

And maybe I should accept that they won't and that such is life and such is the pace where I am - WE ARE - in our lives right now.

For now, I will post a few of my favorite, recent photos of the kids that we recently took for our annual family beach photo shoot.  I'm also posting these because I've noticed lately that my last several posts have no photos (and this is why I started this whole thing to begin with - to chronicle our lives right now!)

These photos makes me smile.  And it reminds me that all of the craziness I feel at times (ok, probably most of the time) is ALL worth it.

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy

I have waited 8 years for this.

What a victory it is. And it is so much sweeter because I know I did my teensy little part in making history here in California's 50th congressional district to help elect Barack Obama.

Effing amazing. I feel ebullient. Ecstatic. Hopeful. And I have faith in the American electorate again.

The enthusiasm and energy across the country... the world... is just amazing.

After today, I can go back to blogging about Hannah and Luke's poop or boogers and their goofy observations about life. Or darling husband's musings. Or mine, about something other than this election.

Hannah, Luke and darling husband - thanks for being so patient with me over the last 8 weeks.

All this campaigning and volunteering and electioneering and debating and attempts to educate others about why Barack- I did for you. I did this for our future, so we can feel hopeful and proud our what our country can achieve.

Yes we can.

Ever feel like you're running on a treadmill...

...and not sure how much further you have to go?

That's how I feel right now, and have been feeling for a few weeks.

Am trying to get it together.

This working mom stuff and my aspirational attempts to do-it-all is breaking me.

Thank goodness for my kids and husband, who put it all in perspective. That's what really matters in times of general stress and busy-ness.

Why I haven't been blogging lately

Yeah, I know.  Excuses, excuses:

Kids and family.

Work, work, and more work.  (it's kicking my ass right now!)

Busy weekend schedule - birthday parties, travel, Lord knows what else. 

Obama campaign volunteering, with 14 days to go.

Did I mention work?

Internet surfing to satisfy my internal political junkie and obsession with this campaign.

Would. Rather. Sleep. 

(OMG, where the hell did October go?!)

Blog topics that I will attempt to cover in the near-term, time permitting:  

• Funny (and appalling!) stories from my campaign involvement (and the myriad 80 year olds I seem to have to call from my canvassing lists)
  
• Camping with the kiddos, Take 1 (or, how to avoid having your 3 year old twins whine all night  when sleeping in a tent in the great outdoors)
  
• Family reunion (I guess I now understand why we only seem to do this every couple of years)
  
• Birthday party planning (I can't believe my babies are  actually kids now!)
  

You see, I actually DO have a lot to say and share; there are just not enough hours in the day to write about them.  

Fear and loathing in America

There was a lot of hullaballoo this week about the recent McCain/Palin rallies and all of the fear and loathing that these candidates have incited at these events.

"Arab!"     "Terrorist!"      "Kill Him!"  

Basically, it was everything short of calling the man a N -----, which, I have no doubt, was  being privately harbored or said under one's breath by many.

I've watched endless news and YouTube videos this week of these rallies.  And I took heed of the audience's background comments as Palin made insinuations of Obama's dangerousness and terrorist associations.  Not surprisingly, I  became more and more appalled, and more and more saddened by what I was seeing.  

And then, I got bitter.  So bitter that I became almost obsessed about this turn of events this week, wondering how this incitement of fear and loathing would impact the polls and the tide of the election.   And more importantly, I wondered what types of deep-rooted, downright ugly sentiments would surface from the American electorate when stoked by others...in this case, pitbull Palin.

It harkened me back to a time when I was an awkward teenager living in Charlotte, North Carolina, just having moved from the cultural melting-pot of Northern California.   My bitterness was rooted in a seminal event from my youth: when I had first heard racial slurs directed at me from some ignorant teenagers at a Burger King drive-thru.  

"Chink!  Go back to your own country!"  

they yelled with a North Carolina southern twang.

Needless to say, I was shocked.  And angry.   And I told myself that these people were ignorant, stupid fools.  (By the way, there are very nice people in the state of North Carolina...I just happened to run into some unfortunate ones that night).

"There are other countries besides China in the continent of Asia.  These dumbasses think that every Asian is Chinese.   How stupid!  They probably can't even name other Asian countries on the map!"  

This is what I justified to myself as a 1st generation Filipino who had just been called a chink.  And after this,  I vowed to myself that when I grew up I was never going to live in a non-socially progressive place again  - I did not want my children to ever experience this kind of disdain and disrespect (little did I know how naive that thinking was).  

So back to the events of this week.  

I wondered who these people at these rallies are.  Are they the sons and daughters of small-town U.S.A.??  Of bumblef&ck hicksville??  It also made me wonder - are there many closeted, narrow-minded people here in my own backyard of the so-called socially progressive, culturally-tolerant state of California??  

Who are these people making these awful comments and where the hell did they come from?! 

And sadly, these were my angry thoughts as I tried to rationalize what I was seeing:

They are certainly not people that I dare associate with.  

Nor will we ever be cut from the same cloth.  

Because I am more educated and open-minded than these people.  (yeah, yeah, call me an elitist)

And they are just a bunch of...retards.

But then I realized, and a fellow socially-progressive friend (thanks, M!) reminded me:  mocking and making fun of these people does not advance our cause; it only serves to fuel the fire and further polarize Americans into the elitists and non-elitists, the progressives and the conservatives, the free-thinkers and the narrow-minded, the well-informed and the ignorant.

And today, McCain attempted to tame the flame that his campaign had started, whether they intended to do this or not.  Unfortunately, this flame may turn into a fire that will continue to burn, if not on the surface then in the closets and basements...and nothing can be done to put it out.  This ugliness is what scares me the most -- for our generation and for our children's generation.  

So, now, I must have patience.  Patience that America will come through.  Patience that some good will come out of this.   Patience that the dark days we Americans are feeling are almost behind us.  Patience that the hope I continue to feel is palpable and real and is practically within our reach.

And I must continue to have tolerance that not everyone sees the world as I do.  And that there is still some ugliness that exists in this world.  In this country.  And probably even in my own socially progressive backyard here in the state of California.

Patience and tolerance does not come easy for this working mom of twins, but for the sake of my sanity over the next 25 days left in this campaign, I will certainly try.

My Extreme Makeover - on the Today Show site! (thankfully, no photos)

I mentioned in a post last week that my company, along with Dr. Amy Wechsler, has launched a new book on skincare with a short case study about yours truly on pages 21-23 of the book.

Well, Dr. Amy was on the Today Show the other day and my specific write-up and excerpt from the book is on the Today Show website, here. How fun!

From the write-up, I sound like I lead a crazy, pathetic life of a working mom who has no time to take care of herself, but I guess it's necessary if they want to tell a true makeover story.

Hehe.

Veeps face-off

Was it me, or was the Veep debate tonight MUCH more interesting than last Friday night's debate??!

Q4 is here

October 1 marks the beginning of what us calendar year fiscal year corporate folks call Q4.  So, no doubt, things are really, really busy.

For everyone else, it marks the beginning of the "holidays" which it seems starts earlier and earlier every year.   And with the holidays, comes the kids' birthday (along with the Star Wars-themed party I must plan along with it) - their 4th.

OMG.

Where did the year go?

And where did my babies go?

4 1/2 months old, April 2005

 

Almost 4 years old, September 2008

My 15 minutes of fame

About a year ago, one of my work colleagues asked me if I wanted to participate in a focus group for the new book we were developing (I work for a large media company, in case I haven't already mentioned that). The focus group participants would work and consult with a renowned New York City celebrity dermatologist-psychologist to help improve our skin, reduce our stress and help us achieve a more youthful looking appearance by doing a few simple things.    

In addition to other criteria for focus group participants, one of the participants they were seeking was a 30-something, busy woman (preferably a working mom who didn't have time to take care of herself) and if they could find one,  a token Asian (gee - sounds familiar!).   And I seemed to fit the bill for several of the criteria.

For free.   

To help out with a work project.  

With added bonus of potentially improving my then 35-year old sun-damaged, already-starting-to-age skin.   

PLUS, access to a renowned NYC dermatologist.   

Hmmmm... 

Well, as you can imagine, it didn't take too long for me to make a decision to be one of the sacrificial lambs for the writing of this book.  The purpose of the focus group was to go through Dr. Amy's treatment and eventually be featured in the book about reversing the physical aging that is caused by stress, lack of sleep, lack of hydration, you-name-it (basically, all of the bad habits that contribute to our physical appearance and skin - which is almost everything).

A few lifestyle changes (like more sleep, more date nights), lots of Shiseido 55 SPF sunscreen, Keihl's cleansing products, safflower oil and Neutrogena moisturizer and 2 tubes of Tretinoin retina cream later, my skin is smoother and a little more youthful because of Dr. Amy's treatment.

So now, voila!

Next week, the book launches.  And on pages 21-23, I am featured as what not-to-do (at least 12 months ago). Funny enough, it is quite a  pathetic read since it sounds like I do nothing but work, hang out with the family in spurts in the evenings and on weekends, and stay up late on the computer -- which, sadly, is not entirely untrue.  But I take solace in the fact that such is the life of a full-time working mom.

Thankfully, no photos of me.  Those were left on the Simon & Schuster editor's cutting room floor.

Here's to another 6 years of wedded bliss and new adventures

Sunday, the 21st was our 6 year wedding anniversary.

Six years ago on the 21st of September, we walked down the aisle at the Church in the Forest in Pebble Beach, California. And afterwards, we had a wonderful reception at the Quail Lodge in nearby Carmel-by-the-Sea with over 160 of our closest friends and family members. It was a blissful, unforgettable day. And it was exactly the wedding I had dreamed of having as a little girl, complete with the perfect wedding dress, a handsome groom, a classy, idyllic destination setting and all.

At the time, Dave was a job-searching, laid-off software sales guy and I was working in a stressful, sweatshop job in a big-and-corporate-consumer-software company in the Valley product managing small business software. We were renting our dinky little 2-bedroom, $1900 a-month (no joke!) apartment in the San Francisco Bay Area and contemplating leaving the rat race of Silicon Valley for greener and beachier pastures down in San Diego, where Dave grew up.

Six years ago, we felt like we were running on a treadmill with no set mileage goal and we were scared of what would happen if we tried to get off and stop.  And we were wondering, dreaming of the day that we could actually, finally afford our own home and start raising a family.  At the time, it seemed like a far-and-away prospect since the home prices in the Bay Area were (at least where we were in the Peninsula, just north of the Valley where we were thinking of buying) at the cheapest were about $700-$800K a pop.  Yes.  For a 1960's or 1970's-era "starter" home with probably no more than 1500 square feet of house.  And this was back in 2002 when we were a newly married couple, practically broke by today's standards.

So, we decided to up and move down south to San Diego in 2003 to create a new life that we felt we could not have had we stayed up north. And now, 6 years later, we are blessed with 2 amazing, healthy children, a warm, supportive family on both sides, a wonderful home in a caring, eco-friendly community, a comfortable lifestyle that allows us to travel and see the world, forward-moving careers and a blissful lifestyle in one of the best cities in the world. (Really, I'm not bragging; I'm just reminiscing and counting our many blessings :)

And my, how far we have come since then. And in a strange way, this -- our current existence -- is always how I planned it in my head.  I just didn't know how we would get here.

Sunday night, we went out on date night in La Jolla to celebrate year #6 and enjoyed a swanky sushi meal at Zenbu where the fancy rolls were little art creations unto themselves. And by the time we left, we were heavier on the tummies and lighter on the wallets. It felt so indulgent, especially with all of the economic hardship out in the country right now but it was our time to celebrate, so we did.

Here's the one of the off-the-menu sushi creations we enjoyed from the chef last night...called Sid Fishous - haha. (Notice the "anarchy" symbol made out of hotsauce...Dave was thoroughly amused being a skater punk kid of the 80's and all) Sid Fishous cost $20 so you can bet we enjoyed every bit of that roll, right down to the last grain of rice which probably cost at least $.05 cents. Despite my fetish for things designer/pricey (like jeans, sunglasses and purses), I am cheap with other things, like food and treating ourselves to a nice dinner, so not surprisingly I think that way.

Nonetheless, six years is a feat. It hasn't always been easy, and there are times when I'm sure we both at some point were contemplating our choice, but we've both managed to grow and learn and continue to make each other better through it all. We are committed to one another and we're in love, 6 years later.

And Sunday night, we drank Sapporos and Mai Tais, enjoyed fancy sushi and celebrated the life we've created together and the adventures that are yet to come.

The Skills You Can Learn @ 3 years old!

This past weekend, my husband hooked up the kids' new computer in the playroom...complete with parental controls and favorite bookmarks of our carefully chosen online learning games, of course.

With my husband and I both working the in the tech industry and tapping on our computers in the evenings sometimes when we need to finish work at home, it's no surprise that they have been showing interest in computers for a while now.  And we decided it was time.

So as I watched them play their "fine motor skills" and "literacy-building and storytelling" games on the Sprout/PBS kids website, I sat there behind them proudly and was constantly bemused by the fact that our 3 year olds were clicking around on icons and learning how to work the mouse.   They can't read yet, but they knew exactly where to click once we gave them the short tutorial.   I knew this would come soon enough, but wow, at 3?!!

Part of the reason I think I was so amused was this: I don't think I knew how to work a computer and type until I was in high school (and in the late 80's/early 90's I  think they were still called "word processors"...how funny!)

And now, here is this new generation of our children for whom computers, the internet, etc. is a part of their everyday existence...

Unfortunately, this morning before preschool they woke me up to see if they could play on the computer again.

Uh-oh.

Thank goodness they haven't yet discovered games that you actually play for regular fun instead of learning fun.  Or worse yet, the Wii.

No country for (inconsistent, tired, clueless and corrupt) old men

Ok, so I'm back to my politics talk again. I just can't stay away from this topic.

So, the last few days have been B-U-S-Y...not only on the family and work side, but also on the "figuring-out-my-campaign-volunteering-commitment-between-now-and-November-4th" side.

After 4 days of spinning my wheels and creative negotiation with my husband and our September-October schedule, here's where I ended up with my Obama campaign involvement:

• Camp Obama & being a Deputy Field Organizer = just too much time commitment for little old me (Camp O meant at least 3 full weekends of volunteering - one weekend of boot camp training, 2 weekends in Nevada -- albeit Vegas - bling, bling, which would have been fun...we will likely still go though)
  
  
• After 4 phone conversations and 3 e-mails to the Obama4America peeps in the L.A. regional office, we've determined the best way for me to be involved is to sign-up with my local San Diego peeps.
  
  
• So now, I am on Team B in the 50th Congressional district (San Diego) and I have taken on a small leadership role called "Data Manager" - this is nice title for data input monkey for people who can't use the online tools for our canvassing calls to Nevada. (Ironically, as a tech person and computer savvy professional, this job is probably my worst nightmare since it involves picking up the slack of computer illiterate people and inputting their results into the voting software. BUT, I am over this and will do whatever it takes to help my team. Yes I am a pig, not a chicken, as the analogy goes.)

Last night I attended the 50th Congressional District Obama rally party in Encinitas. And how refreshing it was to be surrounded by 200 like-minded individuals who want so badly for our candidate to win that they are volunteering time to do so. The energy and excitement was palpable. And our stated goal for California campaign efforts is clear -- Help win Nevada's 5 electoral votes. This election may come to 5 votes at this rate.

This weekend, I begin my phone canvassing of Nevada undecided voters. And one of the weekends in October, our family will likely make the trip out to Las Vegas to do physical canvassing and voter registration - sans any Camp Obama training...I think we can handle it.
(Funny enough, with all of this Obama talk in our household, I have my almost 4-year-old twins saying "Obama for America" to their preschool teachers -- so much so that the teachers mentioned it to me the other day. Whoops! At least they will be ready for our Nevada canvassing. :)

I know, I know...all this time, all this commitment. And you know what? We may not win in November, but at least I will know that I am not just on the sidelines watching how this unfolds. 47 days commitment to this campaign is relatively short in the scheme of another 4 (or possibly 8) years of another potentially bad leader. I want to make my difference in this, however small.

To close, there was a great editorial I read earlier this week from Thomas Friedman, author of non-fiction bestseller The World Is Flat. The editorial was in the New York Times, entitled "Making America Stupid." It totally resonated with me and is the new article I point folks to when they ask me why I support Obama.

No country for (inconsistent, tired, clueless and corrupt) old men, especially McCain.

_________________

Update on my Data Manager role as of this evening's Obama campaign 9PM PST conference call :

Apparently, there's more to my responsibilities than data input guru. I will also be training other volunteers on the voter database software tool and will be the list generator for canvassing calls and for volunteer management on specific events like out of state travel, etc. OK, I feel better now. I think. This, on top of everything else. Oy. (I have to remind myself...it's only 47 more days in the grand scheme of 4 years of the same old, same old...)

Ah, summer - 'twas good seein' ya

After the abyssmal Chargers-Broncos game yesterday where we disappointingly lost (subtext: were cheated), we decided to drive the 15 minute jaunt over to the beach to enjoy the last bits of the weekend and savor the last few nights before Summer officially turns into Fall.

The wind was a bit chillier, the water was a bit colder, and the sun was barely peeking out from the gray clouds as if to say, "Autumn's almost here... enjoy every last bit of this lovely late summer afternoon."

Of course, it was like, 60 degrees, but then again, I've become thin-skinned a total cold-weather wimp since I've moved to Southern California. I was sad to have been wearing a long-sleeved shirt in September...in San Diego of all places. But then again, it is almost Fall.

The surfers were out in full force, Luke was in regular form running circles in the sand (as only a 3 3/4 year old cooped up watching football in the house all day could be), and Dave and I were fully in the moment...enjoying the lovely stroll along the beach knowing that in another month we would be breaking out full-on sweatshirts, long pants and close-toed shoes.







There could be worse places to live, I guess.

(as I gloat :)

I got the call!!

So after the RNC, I was so mortified with what I heard that I had started to rant and spin in circles. My ranting finally became productive when, on a whim, I decided to apply with the Obama campaign to be a "Deputy Field Organizer" and do my part to help win this election in a battleground state. (California is a non-factor/traditionally blue state.)

Well, I got a call!!!!!

Yesterday afternoon, I got a voicemail from an Obama campaign volunteer named Anjali who said they had reviewed my application and were interested in having me, just so long as I could attend Camp Obama (the weekend community organizer boot camp in SoCal) AND just as long as I could spend a weekend doing community organizer work somewhere in Nevada (a battleground state) between now and Election Day!

Wow. Be careful what you wish for, right??!

Like I need another extra-curricular activity besides...um, everything else I'm doing.
BUT, I so LOVE, LOVE this stuff. And I feel so passionate about this election, and this candidate, our candidate -- more than I've ever felt before.

So now, I am busily trying to arrange for child care and do some creative juggling around our next couple of weekends since, if you can believe it, we are almost totally booked up between now and Election Day.

I so, so, so hope I can make this work.

Thank goodness for Tivo

It seems that everyone's talking about politics today and I am making a concerted effort not to (only because I am getting really obsessed about it and talk-- or read -- about it incessantly when I'm not talking about the kids or work or my other pastimes.)

Sooooo...I thought that I would write about something completely innocuous and mundane like my excitement over the TeeVee fall line-up of premieres that I am looking forward to checking out, starting with...

1) The Amazing Race

My fave, fave, fave reality show of all time - even more than Survivor. I love seeing these random couples duke it out against each other and also be put in precarious situations where they need to work out Roadblocks or Detours or FastForwards, etc.  Not to mention, Phil Keoghan is probably the least annoying of all the reality show hosts...This show harkens me back to the old days when Dave and I used to jaunt to Aruba, Florence, Istanbul, Costa Rica, Sydney...satisfying our wanderlust.   Since we've had the twinsies, we've (or should I say I have) started at least 2 show applications but have never dared send it in.  Maybe next time I'll actually do it??!  We can bill ourselves as the "yuppie-couple-from-So-Cal-who-met-and-fell-in-love-because-of-their-mutual-wanderlust-and-now-have-young-kids-and-miss-it-so."  I really think we could get cast, and win,  if we really tried.

2) Survivor: Gabon

I have been a fan of Survivor since Season 2.  I remember catching the last epi of Season 1 when Richard Hatch won wondering what all the fuss was about it.  Well, now I know!  And 17 seasons later, here I am anxiously awaiting the latest - Survivor in Gabon, Africa.  I love all the strategery   (hehe) of the game and watching everyone outwit, outplay, outlast the other.  Can't wait to find another character I love to hate.

3) Grey's Anatomy

So goes another season of Meredith and Derek, Izzie and George, Christina, Bailey and the others.  I've been watching since Grey's was a pilot after the Superbowl a couple of years ago. And even with all of the ridiculousness that has transpired over the last couple of years, I am still watching it.  For no other reason except that it feels like such a great escape to me since these characters are nothing like my life today.

4) The Office

Dunder Mifflin rocks.  So does Schrute.  Need I say more?

5) Lipstick Jungle

I tuned in last year by accident.  I was up a few nights doing work and it happened to be on the TeeVee a few times.  Now I am  totally into it.  I love all 3 of their characters and most especially, I can relate to Brooke Shields's character as the full-time working mom exec with the supportive hubby.   I also love the backdrop of New York City.  It's such a fabulous place to watch these fabulous women live their fabulous lives.

6) 90210

Yes, I am one of those mid-30 somethings that back in the day watched Brenda and Brandon Walsh  fit in with the likes of Kelly Taylor, Dylan McKay, Donna Martin and Andrea Zuckerman at West Beverly High.  I remember watching this show (along with Melrose Place, of course) in college and having a whole social gathering with my sorority sisters planned entirely around the epi.  90210 is to my generation what the OC and Gossip Girl is to today's legion of youth. It's only been 2 epis and I am already sucked in.  And of course, I can't even remotely relate to this age group anymore, but it's still a nice guilty pleasure.

7) Desperate Housewives

Even though the storyline has gotten more and more out of hand the last few seasons, I can't help but tune in to the women of Wisteria Lane season in and season out.  Bree, Lynette, Gabrielle and Susan are all caricatures of every day women we know and love, and the great part of this is that we can see a little bit of each of them in us.

8) NFL

Go Chargers!

Wow, that was nice to talk about something else besides politics for a change.  

Thank goodness for Tivo.

Birthday cake, yum, yum

We've been on the late summer birthday party circuit these days (think 5 birthday parties in a 4 week span...and we're not yet completely through it!). For some reason, late August - early September is B-U-S-Y with birthdays.

As a tribute to our friends' kids who have recently celebrated birthdays we've attended, I thought I'd post a few party photos of every kids' absolute favorite part of the party - CAKE!!!!

(The goody bag handout ranks high with our kiddos, too)

And of course, a piece of cake is often followed by sugar-induced exuberance.

Here's a chronicle of their sugar-high, cake loving (and eating) adventures at various friends' parties.