Molly’s Blog

As I was stumbling around the Internet this morning, I happened upon a thought-provoking article about gay marriage.  I took this as a response to the passing of ridiculous “Prop 8″.  Way to be progressive, America.  We have elected a black President, yet our (arguably) most liberal state in the country can’t wrap their heads around gay marriage.  As of now, CHICKENS are of more concern than gay PEOPLE.

Food for thought:

1. Being gay is not natural. Real Americans always reject unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, and air conditioning.
2. Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.
3. Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract.
4. Straight marriage has been around a long time and hasn’t changed at all; women are still property, blacks still can’t marry whites, and divorce is still illegal.
5. Straight marriage will be less meaningful if gay marriage were allowed; the sanctity of Britany Spears’ 55-hour just-for-fun marriage would be destroyed.
6. Straight marriages are valid because they produce children. Gay couples, infertile couples, and old people shouldn’t be allowed to marry because our orphanages aren’t full yet, and the world needs more children.
7. Obviously gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children.
8. Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That’s why we have only one religion in America.
9. Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home. That’s why we as a society expressly forbid single parents to raise children.
10. Gay marriage will change the foundation of society; we could never adapt to new social norms. Just like we haven’t adapted to cars, the service-sector economy, or longer life spans.

I think that speaks for itself.  The United States government has NO legal interest whatsoever in gay marriage.  Marriage of any kind is recognized by law for tax reasons and property rights.  If you disagree, then you fail at keeping religion out of government.

This is not a theocracy, this is a democracy.  Every human deserves the same human rights.

“I never thought I’d live to see the day…”

I’m hearing a lot of those types of comments when it comes to the subject of our nation’s President Elect, Barack Obama, the soon-to-be first black American President.  I think it is awesome that the majority of Americans could ban together and finally elect someone who will change this country for good.  Barack Obama brings hope not only to the United States of America, but to the rest of the world as well.

A lot of people regard this historic event substantial because of the color of his skin.  Though I think that is magnanimous, a lot more can be said about Obama’s victory against John McCain.  Barack Obama is a man who not only has overcome struggles with race and identity, but he has worked his way to one of the most prestigious positions through hard work and determination.  He is smart and focused.  He wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth.  He didn’t rely on his wealthy daddy to bail him out if he got into trouble, on the contrary, he and his father were not close at all.  He graduated from one of the best schools in the country, and proceeded to work as a public servant.  He has constantly given back to his community and he is always aware of his humble beginnings.

I am so proud of my country for electing Obama!  I am excited that I can finally stop making excuses for my country, and feeling embarrassed when I tell people where I am from.  I think his election as the new Chief Executive has made a huge statement to the rest of the world.  People have already stopped hating us so much.  Maybe now we can be a little more humble and thoughtful, instead of pushy and greedy.

I am so glad that I was part of this election process.  Ever since I was old enough to comprehend the going-ons in American/foreign politics, it has always interested me.  I like knowing what is going on.  One could argue about the media and how corrupt it is said to be, but not only do I watch TV, but I read the newspaper and listen to the radio every day.  I like to know at least some of what is actually going on rather than be completely ignorant.  I think a lot about one’s character can be taken from how ignorant or enlightened they are.  In the 2008 election, the people who pissed me off the most weren’t the Republicans or the Conservatives (I’m not being redundant; there is a difference), it was the people who were ignorant or those who were voting for only ONE issue.  It was the people who didn’t look at the whole picture, or listened to their one news station that made me angry.  I’m not saying everyone needs to know everything about every candidate, but you shouldn’t vote if you aren’t familiar with at least a handful of their policies and standpoints.  These are the people who will bring this country down, unknowingly.

However, I am very proud that so many Americans (especially young Americans) got out the vote.  I think it’s great that now people see how important it is to vote, and that every vote counts.  The American people have spoken, and they have spoken loud and clear…

I want to also acknowledge John McCain in my post.  I think that his speech on November 4 was gracious and I think he is an honorable man.  Though I do not agree with a lot of his (and especially Sarah Palin’s) ideals, I am grateful for the lifetime of servitude he has given to our nation.  I have never thought or spoken otherwise.  He was clear and heartfelt and what he said made a strong impact.  I still think a lot of his supporters need a recap of what he said about the fact that Obama will be the new President, no matter if you voted for him or not.  He deserves everyone’s respect.

Hopefully people can have a change in attitude and at least keep an open mind about everything.  After all, that is certainly what it takes to accomplish anything, especially when reaching across the aisle.  He will try to do what is best for this country, and I think he will put in all that he’s got.  That’s all anyone can really ask for.

Anyways, thus ends my celebratory post.  I’m looking toward the future with hope and excitement now instead of fear.  I think that as huge and history-making as electing our first black President is, comparative to our slew of other problems, this is merely a baby step.  However small or huge you may think this step is, it is a step in the right direction.  I think that with the hope and victory won in this election, we can expect many more steps forward.

Obama ‘08! YES WE CAN.

I had a laid back and enjoyable Halloween this year. On October 30, my neighbors and I carved our pumpkins in my driveway.  Carving pumpkins is one of my favorite holiday activities and I look forward to it every year.

I carved white pumpkins.

Matt, my sister Caroline, and our neighbors carving pumpkins in my driveway.

Think different. Carve different.

Matt was a good sport!

The finished products.

Voldemort!!

I worked from 1-5pm, but I dressed up like a zombie so that made the time more enjoyable.  (I wish more people had worn costumes…)

Me, at work in my zombie costume.

Upset, because nobody else dressed up! :(

After work, I came home briefly to retrieve my carved pumpkins and a few other items and headed over to Kroger to buy candy.  After spending $25 on the bags of overpriced sugar, I picked up the pizza from Mellow Mushroom that Matt had ordered for us.

When I came over, we set up our pumpkins and his fog machine and got the candy ready.  It was around 6pm and he already had a few early trick-or-treaters.  While we waited, we ate pizza and watched an episode of Lost.  (We have been ordering TV series through Netflix, and Lost is currently up on our queue).

Matt's cat, Beaver, helped us decorate.

Can I trix or treatz for cheezburgerz?

Setting the bush on fire, or messing with the fog machine?

Cheesin'.

Waiting for the trick-or-treaters!

Delicious Mellow Mushroom Pizza! Mmm.

After finishing Lost, the trick-or-treaters came in heats.  We had moved on to watching “Sleepy Hollow” and had to pause it almost every 5 minutes until about 8:45 when the children stopped coming around.

I had never seen “Sleepy Hollow” because when it came out in 1999, I wasn’t able to tolerate “scary” movies.  I am a big fan of Tim Burton and I enjoyed watching it this evening.  I still can’t tolerate horror movies, but this one actually had an interesting plot, good music, costumes, scenery, and cinematography.  Not to mention, excellent casting and acting.  It didn’t keep up with the legend itself as I remember it, but it had an interesting take on the old story.  It dealt a lot more of witchcraft, but I thought it was very interesting.  I have added to my list of favorite Halloween/thriller movies. After “Sleepy Hollow”, we watched another episode of Lost and then called it a night.  Overall, it was a relaxing and enjoyable holiday!  Now Thanksgiving and Christmas will be here before we know it, and we will be living in 2009 in a matter of weeks!  This year has gone by really fast.

This past weekend I took a road trip with my friend Kelly up to Young Harris College to visit some old friends.  The weather was beautiful and we had a great time. Here is a photo montage of the day trip we took to Helen, Georgia.

Sing-along.

It was a beautiful day.

Riding in the car.

Foothills.

Driving down the mountain.

Car party.

The one-man band!

Chaps. Leather chaps.

Kelly, the gold digger.

Dirty!

Checking out the town.

Helen!

Tacky tourists.

Welcome to Oktoberfest!

You don't mess with BEARWASSEE.

Farmer's Market!

Mmm... pumpkins.

Work it.

Money.

That pretty much sums up the trip! It was great to get out of Woodstock/Kennesaw and head to the mountains.  The weather was great and we all had a lot of fun.  I don’t think I could have asked for a better trip!

This past weekend, I took a mini vacation to New York City with my Aunt, Uncle, and cousins.  Even though we were there from Friday afternoon-Sunday morning, we were able to cram a lot in.

On Friday, we walked around and bought tickets for a “hop on, hop off” style double decker bus tour.  We used this as our main mode of transportation.  The weather was nice, and being perched up on the second level, we were able to easily see the city sights.

Our Tour Bus

We stopped at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where we toured inside and saw beautiful statues, ancient artwork, and an Egyptian temple.  We ventured to the rooftop, where they had a sculpture garden and mini-cafe.  The city skyline was beautiful, especially in low-laying late afternoon sun.

Statues at the Met

Rooftop Sculpture

City Skyline from the Met Rooftop

When we were done, we hopped back on the bus and went to Rockefeller Plaza.  We took an elevator to the top, and experienced a breathtaking sunset view of Manhattan and the surrounding area from 67 floors in the air.

View From the Top of the Rock

When we left, we called it a night and retreated to the hotel.

The next morning, my cousins went shopping while my Aunt, Uncle and I explored Times Square and the surrounding area. We met my cousins for lunch and then proceeded to take the bus to different areas of Manhattan.  We stopped in Chinatown and Greenwhich Village.  We walked around the NYU area and rode through Harlem.  The architecture found in New York City is amazing and unparalleled.  It is a very worldly city and the buildings directly reflect that characteristic.

Vote!! (Avenue Q)

Harlem

RIP John Lennon (this is the apartment where he was killed)

Columbus Circle

At night, we took a night tour.  Our tour guide was great and the experience was unique.  The City really comes alive at night and the lights were really beautiful.  Not only did we travel around Manhattan, but we also rode over to Brooklyn and saw Manhattan from afar.  It was my favorite part of the trip.

When we returned from the bus tour, we walked over to the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue.  I had been looking forward to visiting it the whole trip.  The architecture is amazing; from the glass cube entrance, you have the choice of either taking the glass tube elevator or the winding glass staircase down into the store.  The cube is flanked by a large fountain that lights up at night.  The store is open 24/7 so it is always lit up.

Looking into the Apple Store

The Apple Store, 5th Avenue

Once we left the Apple Store, we walked across the street to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel and walked around the lobby, followed by eating at a Pop-art burger place (the restaurant/lounge was actually called “Pop Burgers”.

By the end of the night, we were tired and returned to the hotel.  My cousins and I hopped on a flight back to Atlanta early the next morning, so we didn’t have much time to do anything else.  All in all, it was a good weekend escape from school and work.

I love autumn. I have been anticipating the morning where I walk outside and the climate is cool and no longer super-saturated with humidity.
I finally got a sample of the crisp air this morning. It could be the fact that the rain from the tropical storms have cooled down everything… But I don’t care. The first day of fall is September 22. I’m excited that it is right around the bend!
There is something that I find very nostslgic about autumn. I have vivid memories from my childhood about raking leaves with my dad, carving pumpkins and dressing up for Halloween, the way my house permiates with smells of comforting meals. Autumn is the best time of year.
In other news, my family is in Vancouver for the remainder of the week. I wish that the university system gave students a fall break (I really miss that from high school). I would have really liked to have gone with them.

It’s amazing how fast time flies… Especially as you get older. Two years ago I was experiencing the first months of my senior year in high school, now I am in my second year of college.

I guess I have been thinking about this a lot recently be because today is the 20-month anniversary of mine and Matt’s relationship. I am glad we have been successful so far; just yesterday one of my good friends and her boyfriend broke up.
Obviously, relationships aren’t easy. I am glad mine has worked out so far, but compared to others, we have minor complications. Lately I have been stressed with the issue of what will happen if I go away to UGA. I guess we will cross that bridge when we get to it.

I am starting to both really love and really hate my best friends.

What they do is their business.  I am just a little tired of losing my faith in people.

I guess in a way they have possibly lost their faith in me.

The secret’s finally out after almost 2 years… I am surprised it was even a secret and not an assumption.

We are adults, life goes on.  It’s important to not get too swept up or get left too far behind.  Live in the now and look ahead towards the future with high hopes.

Too many people put themselves down.  I try not to keep my head down for too long, but rather keep my eyes set on goals and things I look forward to.

There is nothing more relaxing than falling asleep to the sound of rain at night. When I woke up this morning it was still raining but at an even more intense rate than the night before. It made me want to roll back over and bury myself deeper into my warm blanket. If I could sleep all day long, I think I would.

Even though I hate being wet, the rainy weather certainly has its advantages. I am writing this entry at the library, and there is almost nobody here. I have a feeling that classes will be low-key and there won’t be as many people there today.

I can only hope…

I have been a member of Blogger for almost 2 years now, and I have always been curious about using WordPress.  I am attracted by the sleeker and more sophisticated interface, as well as it being much easier to customize.  The picture in my header was taken by me during my trip to Rome, Italy.  I have tried to use it (and other images) on my Blogger header, but going through the html code was a pain.  I am much happier with the layout of this new blog than I have ever been with my Blogger page.  I maintain ownership of my Blogger simply because I have used it for so long and I think it is important to record and save the thoughts and events of my past.  I regret deleting my old Xanga entries and pages from my earlier years in high school.  I wish I could see the pattern of my thoughts more clearly from when I was younger.

Another thing I like about WordPress is that it has an iPhone 3G application.  There have been so many times where I want to write my thoughts and I am not near a computer.  It’s frustrating when sometimes your most important thoughts of the day are forgotten by the time you get home.  Re-creating those thoughts and feelings is very hard; they lose their potency after so long.  Sometimes I don’t like carrying a mobile phone, but it’s times when I want to write and I’m away from a computer that I am glad to have easy access at my fingertips.

I think now is an appropriate time to start a WordPress  page.  I am now entering my second year of college.  I always think it is good to start something somewhat epic at a turning point in one’s life.  I think I have been successful in starting out on the right footing, I hope for good luck as I continue to record my thoughts.