And guess what? On November 4th, 2008, Barack Hussein Obama was elected to be the 44th President of the United States of America. I missed out on most of the revelry because I actually worked at a local polling station that day (6 am - 9:30 pm, faithfully serving my country). But I was richly rewarded with some of Obama's acceptance speech on the car ride home. 
This past week I was listening to some NPR show (maybe it was Forum, based on the call-in format? I can't remember.) with callers discussing how their lives have changed in the not-even-two-weeks (at the time) since the election. The cynical part of me was thinking, "Right, because people's lives will have been radically altered in a tangible way before the guy even has a chance to throw together a cabinet." Some people contributed meaningful talking points, while others publicly patted themselves on the back for progressing so far as to deign to talk to "that one" at work since the election. Anyway. Today I finally listened on youtube to Obama's full speech on race, given at Constitution Center in Philly back in March '08. I was once again pretty much blown away by the man's ability to speak frankly, openly, honestly, clearly, and sensitively on a subject that is taboo in so many parts of the country.
One section that struck me, especially, was the following:
The path to a more perfect union "means taking full responsibility for own lives - by demanding more from our fathers, and spending more time with our children, and reading to them, and teaching them that while they may face challenges and discrimination in their own lives, they must never succumb to despair or cynicism; they must always believe that they can write their own destiny."
Obama directed this portion primarily towards black men, but I think it speaks to everybody in the U.S. and the individual responsibilities that we shoulder to collectively create the change that we want to see. I'm no expert on kids, education, or even society. But his discussion of the responsibility to, and of, future generations in this country were, I thought, profound, and I'm glad someone in such a position of power has finally said it. And I'll leave it at that.
As for other aspects of my life these days, a quick summary. I'm still working for Lucero Organic Farms at the farmer's markets around the city, but that'll only run through the end of the primary growing season (read: only a week or two more). I'm attempting to fill some more of my time by subjecting myself to medical studies in the bay area (so far no luck on that - this really is a tough job market). And I'm learning more and more about the wonderful world of sewing! I never thought I'd be a domestic diva (and never thought I'd ever utter or write that phrase until this moment), but there it is. I cook, I sew, and I'm not afraid to admit that I love it.
I made a whole buttload of tomato sauce with very ripe tomatoes, onions, and peppers from the farm stand a week or so ago, and just this week whipped up some eggplant parm with more ingredients from my employer. And just yesterday I finished my first quilt! Ta-da!
I may still do some more hand quilting on it, but it's in working order and on my bed now (it's a little less than half the size of a queen-size quilt).And finally, yet another major life decision. I'm movin' on up! To Portland, that is. No, I do not have a job offer up there. No, I do not yet have a place to live. But I have a plan! After I get back from the east coast for the holidays (17 Dec - 7 Jan for those of you who might be interested), I'll be on my way, probably for a mid-January start. So in the two weeks in early December before I head home I'll be packing up (again) and keeping my fingers crossed that I can fit everything back in the car with a few new acquisitions from my three months out here. And the rest of the plan? Uh... find a job. That's definitely at the top of the list. Find a place to live. Sharing a spot at the top. Perhaps actually slightly edging out the job's place. Other things on the list include finding wonderful new friends, travelling as soon as I get a penny to my name, world domination (I kid), and reconciling myself to the more homogeneous demographics of the Pacific NW.
