30 minus 1

Another birthday has come and gone.

I’ve gotta say this one has a lil more significance than years past.

If only because 29 sounds like an actual adult’s age. I really don’t think of myself as an adult…And I’m willing to bet that if you ask many of my friends, they will agree with me.

The past year has been an interesting one. From having best friends move away, to buying my first home to being laid-off. It was a year of ups-and-downs.

Even accounting for the few downs, my 28th year was a great one.

I was afforded a luxury most people my age don’t get, time…

My lay-off this past summer wasn’t a surprise, so I was able to put myself in a position to take a summer break. During that time I was able to re-connect with old friends and even got to work with a life coach to explore who I am and who/where I want to be.

Introspection, which is not to be confused with being self-centered, is a very overlooked activity by most folks my age. Taking the time to figure-out what is important to you often takes a backseat when trying to just pay bills and keep up with the Jones’.

What have I learned about myself? First-off that I need a lot more time to figure myself out. I have absolutely no idea what I want to be doing in this world, but I am pretty sure that what I am doing now isn’t it.

I also learned thee value of friendship. Without my good friends I am not sure that I could have gotten through my extended summer “break.” It was their encouragement and faith in my abilities that saw me through what could have been spirit-breaking times.

I also learned that a big part of friendship is letting those you care about know it. And to those of you I haven’t had a chance to say it; “Thank you very much for your support. I appreciate you.” It may sound hokey, but I it’s truly how I feel and if being genuine is hokey to you, then perhaps you need to re-examine your world view.

From introspection I came to learn the value of solitude. It’s a complex thing. It can all-at-once be empowering and depressing. Insightful and a roadblock. It is unique, as one can be sitting in a room full of people and still feel completely alone. Or one can be sitting at home alone and obnoxious neighbors remind you that people are everywhere.

It is this solitude that allowed for my introspection as well as my desire to reach-out and reconnect with old friends. It is time spent alone that allows me to ponder and reflect and come-up with the ramblings that constitute my blog. It was also this time alone that created feelings of disconnectedness and loneliness. It’s a funny thing about solitude and being alone, they are very easy emotions to come across, yet they can be nearly impossible to remedy. I’ve found that the best defense to loneliness is a great offense: Pick-up a phone, IM, text…People are social beings, all it takes is a little effort to make something happen.

On a lighter note, I have accomplished most of the goals I set-out for myself last year.

I’ve:
- Bought a home.
- Paid-off my car.
- Lost 45 pounds.
- Dated a bit, but am still looking for Miss Right.
- Started writing again.

So what is on tap for my 29th year?
- Find a new job. Be it a promotion or change in career.
- Start writing a book. I don’t expect to have anyone read it, but it’s something I want to do for myself.
- Read more. At least 6 books this year.
- Re-connect with my faith. Most folks wouldn’t know that I am a Christian, who prays every night. That is a sad commentary on my personal convictions.
- Lose another 15 pounds.
- Meet new people and be more outgoing. Maybe even meet a nice lady who doesn’t mind spending time with me.
- Travel. Maybe, just maybe, finally make it to Europe.

My old boss promoted the idea of setting goals for yourself and writing them down. I wasn’t too big on the idea until he let us out of work an hour early if we could show him our list. A year after drafting the list, I’m amazed at how well it has worked. If nothing else, it was great self-affirmation to go back and see what I had accomplished. I recommend taking 30 minutes and drafting a list for yourself. It’s not a bad habit.

I am not in a bad place in life. I am not as happy as I’d like to be, but I have a good idea of what I need to do to remedy those ailings. And if there is one thing this past year has taught me, it is to value what you have instead of focusing on what you don’t. That seems to be a re-occurring mantra for me, it seems so simple but it keeps complex problems in perspective.

The Magic 8-Ball says: Obama-Edwards '08

I said it a few months ago, but I am going to put it in print today.

Obama/Edwards in ’08.

The last full field debate was when I noticed some sidling on the part of John Edwards. At that point Hilary Clinton was still the “Candidate of Destiny” and everyone was gunning for her.

But what I saw from Edwards was a man also making mends with a former opponent, Barack Obama. Instead of pointing-out why he was better than Clinton, Edwards starting using the word “we” or “myself and Barack” when making points.

I could see the bridge being built from the Edwards side. And while there was little reciprocation from Obama at the time, I think the ticket would make sense.

Obama is an educated black man, from a Northern state, always a problem in the South. And Obama is from Illinois, the very state that brought us Abraham Lincoln, who defeated the South and abolished slavery…all points that aren’t overlooked by many Southerners.

Obama needs to balance the ticket to win the states that are currently going to Hilary.

Edwards offers that balance. He is a white southerner, who comes from a blue-collar family and offers the “picked himself-up by the boot straps to make something of himself” story that all corn-fed hard-working good-old-boys love. Edwards can play the “I am one of you” card to bring those voters into the Obama camp.

Edwards has also been to this dance before. His experience campaigning would be invaluable to Obama, a relative newcomer to the national political scene.

Edwards has also been in the Senate since 1998. Again, adding much needed DC-experience to the Obama campaign. The draw to Obama is that he isn’t a DC-Insider, but that is also one of his biggest knocks with older voters. Edwards, offers a good middle ground, having been in the Senate since the Clinton Administration. Though he now works for a PAC, would could be a tough sell to Obama’s base.

I am no James Carville, but this pairing just seems to make sense. Obama and Hilary have gone too hard at each other in the primary and America simply isn’t ready to elect a Black man & a woman into the presidency.

I think the pair would make a good team, with Obama’s ideas and Edwards experience. They could not only win the election, but may just make some changes.

Super Dave to the rescue

A while back, I posted a piece about Barack Obama. In the post, I noted how I was impressed I have been by him since he stepped into the national political scene in 2004.

Since that post, Obama has done nothing but impress me.

His latest stand, against temporarily suspending the national gas tax, is another example of how he could just be the instrument of change that is needed in Washington.

Obama called repealing the gas tax a “stunt” which is exactly what it is. Hence the Super Dave reference.

I can’t remember the last time a politician spoke in such blunt, but educated terms. Both President Bush and John McCain are “blunt” but rarely spout anything of substance.

This break from the gas tax is just not a good idea on many, many levels.

First, there’s the obvious. Suspension of the tax doesn’t mean lower prices. Gas stations and oil companies can continue charging whatever they want, even with the suspension. And speaking of things I can’t remember, when was the last time a gas station or oil company gave anyone a break?

The next issue is simple economics. You don’t have to be Alan Greenspan to comprehend the concept of supply and demand. Suspension of the gas tax will create an artificial demand, which will cause prices to rise. And even if the spike in demand isn’t great, it may give the gas stations and oil companies reason to jack prices back-up, thereby negating any “savings” for average American.

Lastly, let’s look at the “savings” as purported by McCain and Hilary Clinton. The gas tax is 18-cents a gallon, so for the sake of keeping this easy, I’ll use a 10-gallons as the amount off the average fill-up:

- Weekly fill-up: 10 x $.18 = $1.80
- If you fill-up your tank on a weekly basis: $1.80 x 4 weeks = $7.20.
- Gas tax is supposed to be suspended for 3 months: $6.40 x 3 months = $21.60
- Gas at $3.55/gallon (estimate if tax is suspended) $3.55 x 10 gallons = $35.50

The total “savings” over 3 months $21.60 is barely enough to cover half of a tank of discounted gas. I realize this is overly simple and there are many variables, but this is assuming the full 18-cent discount makes it to end consumers.

After looking at the great “break from high fuel costs” this gas tax suspension offers, I reiterate Obama’s notion that this is nothing more than a stunt. A great political stunt, from a PR perspective, but one that will negatively affect Americans.

I am not happy to be spending $40 at the pump, but I am happy to see that ridership is up on King County Metro and Sound Transit. The fact that fuel prices are finally high enough that people are beginning to re-evaluate driving and are looking at alternatives is great.

I am not preaching from on high, as I do drive alone to and from work everyday. But I have looked into bussing and what is a 20 minute commute by car, would take over an hour by bus. Should a reasonable alternative come about, I’ll be the first one in-line to buy a monthly pass.

I am definitely driving less on a weekly basis. What used to be weekly stops at the gas station are now every other week. And when I can, I do bus it…mostly trips to downtown Seattle,…I don’t have to worry about paying for parking and I can have a couple beers should the fancy strike me.

I am not advocating getting rid of your car, I am just saying take a second look at the alternatives. They may not be so bad.

If it takes $4/gallon gas to get everyone to drive a little less, then God Bless $4/gallon gas.

Never thought I’d say that.

Toothpaste and the economy

As I stood there this morning squeezing the very last milli-ounce of toothpaste out of the tube, I got to thinking about lattes.

It’s hilarious that I’m willing to spend $2-3 (I am a cheap ass and get drip coffee) at Starbucks to kill 10 minutes while on a break, but will scrounge around Target and hold-off on buying toothpaste until I have compacted the tube to 1/100 of it’s former size.

Funny how the mind works.

I don’t think that I am alone. As I see many folks rolling to Starbucks for their daily fix and I’ve seen some pretty sad looking tubes of toothpaste at other people’s houses.

So am I headed to Starbucks today? Yup.

Am I gonna note that I need to get toothpaste on my next trip to the store and then hold-off, thinking I can make the tube last another week? You know this.

*Side note: I am aware that milli-ounce isn’t a valid form of measurement.