Breaking news!! Kerry called about 15 minutes ago to concede the election…I am amazed. I did not think the election would really be over this quickly! Praise the Lord!! I definitely did NOT want it to be a repeat of 2000.
I am still in shock that this election went the way that it did…I did not expect such a clear Bush win…so this will take awhile to sink in. 🙂
Wow…
Before today, I had voted in 4 elections (1 gubernatorial primary and 1 election, 1 recall election and 1 presidential primary)…and it never really hit me just how amazing it is to vote.
But today, as I was voting, I was struck by the incredible privilege we have here…I was struck by the power we as the people have…and I was amazed at the thought that so many people feel as if their vote doesn’t really count, or doesn’t really mean anything. Why?!
My vote today for President Bush was my voice speaking out…it was my chance to say that I support him…and the same goes for each American, no matter who they voted for. How incredible it is!!
Had there been less people there (it was crowded and it had been like that all day–SO exciting!), I might have been a little teary eyed…and though that may seem silly, please understand that politics is a major part of my life. I am a student of political theory and of the political system, and I never cease to be amazed at how blessed we are to have the governmental system that we have…and I know that my vote made a difference today, just as each vote in America did.
But enough for today…I’m heading over to Todd’s for an “Election Night Celebration”, even though until an hour ago I had decided to not watch the news or anything…I think I’m ready to celebrate.
So, after network issues this morning, I finally was able to register for next semester’s classes…it took 30 minutes, but by 7am I was registered. I am so excited about these classes, mainly because (1) I’m graduating and (2) it is a perfect balance between easier/harder classes.
I will be taking 14 units:
Senior Seminar: Religion and Politics (the class where we write our thesis)
General Epistles (Hebrews, James, etc.)
Analytical Inquiry (Math class, general ed.)
Principles of Physical Science + lab (gen ed. science)
and…the best one of all…
Intro to Outdoor Education: Camping
Woo hoo! A class on camping! It’s a one unit class, and Leslie and I decided to take it together, since she needs a one unit class. How fun!
Anyway, busy day ahead…REMEMBER TO VOTE!!
“There is a time for everything…a time to be born and a time to die…a time to plant and a time to uproot…” Ecclesiastes 3 
Yeah, I’m a little weird. 🙂 But you know what? I have fun! My dad always told me (and still does) that it is okay to be unique, because you have more fun that way.
Back to the plant…I gave it tea…I’ve talked to it (which, seriously, does help because all plants need carbon dioxide to live!)…I’ve given it plenty of water and sun…I think that it’s just time for it to go. After 5 years, the plant is ready to die I think.
HAHA–this SERIOUSLY reflects just how stressed out I am. Wow…it’s time for bed! 🙂
For a graphologist, the spacing on the page reflects the writer’s attitude toward their own world and relationship to things in his or her own space. If the inputted data was correct Lesa has left lots of white space on the all four borders of the paper. Lesa fills up just the center area of the page. If this is true, then Lesa has a particular shyness toward people and a fear of moving too fast in any direction. Not really too sure about this one…I am NOT shy!!
In some cultures, respecting people, rules, and adhering to protocol are ways of life. The right side of the page represents the future and the left side represents the past. Lesa seems a bit stuck in the middle, afraid to take action. Lesa seems to have a fear of looking bad or of crossing boundries. Again, not entirely. I do not like to look bad–but who does?
It will be easy to work with Lesa on a team, because Lesa will usually follow the rules. However, this desire to respect the boundries can often be construed as a lack of confidence and people will walk over Lesa if she is not careful. Hmm…I have never been one to necessarily be like that…
Lesa has a healthy imagination and displays a fair amount of trust. She lets new people into her circle of friends. She uses her imagination to understand new ideas, things, and people.
Lesa is very self-sufficient. She is trying not to need anyone. She is capable of making it on her own. She probably wants and enjoys people, but she doesn’t “need” them. SO true!
Lesa is sarcastic. This is a defense mechanism designed to protect her ego when she feels hurt. She pokes people harder than she gets poked. These sarcastic remarks can be very funny. They can also be harsh, bitter, and caustic at the same time. Um, not really. I can be sarcastic, but not like that!
Lesa is a practical person whose goals are planned, practical, and down to earth. This is typical of people with normal healthy self-esteem. She needs to visualize the end of a project before she starts. she finds joy in anticipation and planning. Notice that I said she plans everything she is going to do, that doesn’t necessarily mean things go as planned.
Lesa basically feels good about herself. She has a positive self-esteem which contributes to her success. She feels she has the ability to achieve anything she sets her mind to. However, she sets her goals using practicality– not too “out of reach”. She has enough self-confidence to leave a bad situation, yet, she will not take great risks, as they relate to her goals. A good esteem is one key to a happy life. Although there is room for improvement in the confidence catagery, her self-perception is better than average.
Lesa is a cumulative and procedural thinker. She likes to have all the facts before making a decision. She thinks or creates much like a brick mason, stacking fact upon fact. Her thought pattern or the conclusion will not be complete until the last fact is in place.
Like that brick wall, Lesa learns faster through visual demonstration than through quick verbal instructions. Once she has learned new material, and understood it, she won’t forget. Exactly!
Lesa is a methodical thinker, therefore she is able to build things and come up with new ideas. In an argument, she often loses to rapid thinking people because she is thinking thirty minutes later about what she should have said. SO TRUE!!! These people often are very booksmart, but can be out-gunned in a rapid fire verbal debate. She may learn new ideas at a slower pace than other “less detailed” people, but once she gets it, she can handle repetition. Some people hate jobs with too much repetition, she can handle it better than most.
Lesa will be candid and direct when expressing her opinion. She will tell them what she thinks if they ask for it, whether they like it or not. So, if they don’t really want her opinion, don’t ask for it! Yes, that is very true.
Lesa uses judgment to make decisions. She is ruled by her head, not her heart. She is a cool, collected person who is usually unexpressive emotionally. Some may see her as unemotional. Not really!! I am pretty emotional at times. She does have emotions but has no need to express them. She is withdrawn into herself and enjoys being alone. At times…but I really love being around my family and friends.
The circumstances when Lesa does express emotions include: extreme anger, extreme passion, and tremendous stress. If someone gets her mad enough to tell her off, she will not be sorry about it later. Well, maybe I would, actually…She puts a mark in her mind when someone angers her. She keeps track of these marks and when she hits that last mark she will let them know they have gone too far. I don’t think so…
She is ruled somewhat by self-interest. All her conclusions are made without outside emotional influence. Ha! She is very level-headed and will remain calm in an emergency situation. In a situation where other people might get hysterical, she has poise. I wish!
Lesa will work more efficiently if given space and time to be alone. She would rather not be surrounded by people constantly. Most definitely!
In a relationship, she will show her love by the things she does rather than by the things she says. Saying “I love you” is not a needed routine because she feels her mate should already know. The only exception to this is if she has logically concluded that it is best for her mate to hear her express her love verbally.
Lesa is not subject to emotional appeals. If someone is selling a product to her, they will need to present only the facts. They should present them from a standpoint of her sound judgment. She will not be taken in by an emotional story about someone else. She will meet emergencies without getting hysterical and she will always ask “Is this best for me?” Hmmm…
People that write their letters in an average height and average size are moderate in their ability to interact socially. According to the data input, Lesa doesn’t write too large or too small, indicating a balanced ability to be social and interact with others.
_________________________________
Well, it’s kinda accurate. 🙂
Just a quick update…I learned this weekend that I cannot eat mashed potatoes anymore. This shows my common sense capacity–I made them, and didn’t realize that they had milk in them. Yeah. I’m so smart sometimes it kills me! 🙂 My stomach has not let me forget that lesson…so I’ll be more careful from now on!
This week is going to be insanely busy…today I will be going from 7:30am-10pm straight, basically…and tomorrow my day starts at 6:30am with class registration, and goes until about 8pm. AHHH! 🙂 In some ways, I am dreading the fullness of this week, because I know that I have so much to get done and so little time to do it. But, also, I am looking forward to it because the week should fly by. I just need to survive the next three weeks, and be extremely productive during this time…after Thanksgiving, I can breathe and relax (a bit)…
I’m still not sure how I am going to spend my “Election Day” (besides, of course, being in classes and working all day)…I don’t think that I am going to watch TV, or watch the news, or be on the internet much. I remember in 2000 going to bed thinking that Gore had won, then waking up and being told that Bush had won…I don’t really want to deal with that this election. I would like to know when it’s over (which will probably be in December), but I also know that I cannot live in a bubble. Maybe I’ll check the headlines on the internet periodically tomorrow…
We are having a “real” Autumn here in Azusa–SO strange! The leaves are actually falling on the ground, the weather is fairly cold, and I am amazed. 🙂 It’s the little things…
And on a final note, my parents and my brother went to see comedian Bill Engvall last night in Redding…and they got to MEET him! My brother even got his autograph…that is so awesome–I just wish I could have been there!
Remember to vote tomorrow!!
Bush/Cheney 2004
When you vote for the president’s re-election, you’re voting for courage, which he’s shown all 4 years in office
Newt Gingrich
Oct. 31, 2004
12:00 AM
The strongest case for President Bush’s re-election can be summed up in a word: Courage.Faced with the deliberate and horrific attacks on 9/11, President Bush instinctively understood that this was a war.He demonstrated his courage by taking that war to al-Qaida to protect the American people.
Despite opposition from confused and reluctant bureaucrats and politicians, he acted. That decision was the decisive break with the terrorism as a criminal act strategy of the Clinton Administration and in direct contrast to the terrorism as a nuisance mindset of Sen. John Kerry.
Today, because of President Bush’s courage, there are no terrorist training camps in Afghanistan threatening Americans. Liberated from the Taliban, the Afghani people, for the first time in their history, freely elected their president. In a country where just a few short years ago women had no civil rights, women cast 43 percent of the votes.
When British and American intelligence reported that they believed Saddam was trying to acquire weapons of mass destruction and Russian President Vladimir Putin told President Bush that Russian intelligence had evidence Saddam Hussein was developing plans to attack America, the president had the courage to go to the United Nations.
After 11 years of UN inspectors reporting that Saddam was not cooperating and 17 feckless Security Council Resolutions, the president faced objections from many of his most conservative advisers. Still he and Secretary of State Colin Powell laid out the case against Saddam and won a UN Security Council Resolution giving Saddam one last chance to prove he was disarming and to avoid war. When Saddam still would not comply, the president again had the courage to act.Saddam Hussein is no longer in power.
The Iraqi people have an interim government and are looking forward to their first free election. Today, thousands of Iraqis willingly risk their lives to ensure that their future is safe and prosperous by defeating a small but vicious insurgency that seeks to impose death and torture on the people of Iraq for daring to be free.It may not be obvious through the filter of the news media how moral and how courageous President Bush’s stand has been.
However, it is no coincidence that the Army Times reported that nearly 80 percent of the men and women in uniform in Iraq will be voting for President Bush. They know what courage is and they know that what they are doing is for a noble cause. So their support of the president should come as no surprise because his leadership is improving the future for both the American and Iraqi people.
As the economy began to weaken late in the Clinton Administration, then candidate Gov. George W. Bush proposed tax cuts as the right solution to encourage the entrepreneurial spirit of America. When he won a bitterly contested election, “pundits” expected him to reach out to liberals and modify his campaign positions. His courage enabled him to ignore the entire Washington establishment and the elite media and insist on a major tax cut as the best way to combat the recession and get America growing again.
After the attacks of Sept. 11, it became obvious that the Bush tax cuts were vital to preventing America and the world from slipping into a deep recession that would have killed millions of jobs.Among our biggest domestic challenges is improving the American health and health care delivery systems. President Bush had the courage to step outside the usual policy experts and government dominated solutions to advance three bold, new approaches.
First, he created health savings accounts, which today are already saving small businesses an average of 40-to-50 percent on their premiums even though he knew it would enrage the liberal left who have committed themselves to failed government control of health care.
Second, despite a dominant political news media that does not understand its significance, he is implementing the development of health information technology as the key to saving lives and saving money.
Finally, he has had the courage to advocate for an interstate market for health insurance for small businesses, farms and the poor to bring down the cost of coverage even though the proposal will invite special interest hostility.
As we have seen in this campaign, being honest about Social Security has subjected the president to attacks, lies and distortions. Yet when confronted with the facts about Social Security’s solvency as the Baby Boom generation begins to retire, President Bush did not shirk his responsibility or resort to scare tactics, instead he courageously insisted upon saving the system by arguing to allow workers to voluntarily own a personal Social Security account, which is the only solution that will allow us to both avoid benefit cuts for seniors and near-retirees and not raise taxes on today’s workers or their children.When searching for solutions to help the truly needy, President Bush, in an age of secular political correctness, supports faith-based initiatives and talks about the importance of faith. President Bush is the most openly faith-affirming president since Abraham Lincoln.
In this period of cynicism and secularism, it takes a tremendous amount of courage to live out your faith.Of course, the president has weaknesses. He can be direct and blunt and impolitic. He will never be a Ronald Reagan communicator. Yet, in my lifetime I do not know that I have ever seen a president with a greater level of courage and a greater willingness to do what is right.In contrast to President Bush’s courage, the opportunism, the liberalism, the uncertainties, and the constant flip-flopping of John Kerry make my vote for president a very easy one. Courage beats glibness in leading a free people in difficult times.
Newt Gingrich is a former speaker of the House in the U.S. Congress. He was the architect of the 1994 “Contract with America.”
The Cheat and Trogdor–the Burninator (from Homestarrunner.com)
Thanks to my roommate Courtney for dilligently carving these pumpkins!
My poor plant…any suggestions? Sorry–I’m random like this…I just don’t want to lose the plant! 😦
It has been a long while since a book has so captured my attention that I proceeded to read the entire book in a matter of hours. Today I read “Inside the Kingdom” by Carmen bin Laden…and I was captivated, to say the least.
Carmen is the ex-sister in law of Osama bin Laden…and it was SO absolutely riveting to read about her experiences in the astoundingly oppressive Saudi Arabian culture. She was a Westerner, who followed her husband, Yeslam, to his country. Her experiences are incredible, and have given me a fresh insight into that culture. It also explains so much about the prominence of the bin Laden clan in Saudi Arabia…and also shows where Osama became a threat to the world.
I highly recommend this book. I believe that will leave a lasting mark on all who read it, as I believe it has left a mark on my life.
Even So, Joy 