Chatter

As you can see

Michelle7 Comments

I had some work to do at home tonight so of course I procrastinated. And instead of doing some productive procrastinating like finishing my Christmas shopping or eating dinner, I decided to change my theme.  I get bored easily and am attracted to shiny objects so this may occur with some frequency. Unless you all hate change and let me know that you hate change.  Now I must go eat dinner and get to that work.  But at least I have a pretty theme to think of while I do it.
What do you think? I’d love to hear from you.

I’m curious: when do you read?

Michelle12 Comments

I’ve already accepted the fact that I don’t read quickly and I don’t dedicate as much time to reading as others do and that is why I will never come close to three digits in one year.  But after this week in which I failed to even pick up a book, I’m wondering when other people read.

I generally read on the weekends and often have weeks like this past one where I didn’t read at all. I regularly read a lot during the day for work and by the time I get home I just want to turn on the tv and not think. I also go to dance class and (less often lately) the gym in the evening and it makes that time disappear. Not to mention the 10,000 television shows I seem to watch these days. In the back of my mind, I’ve had a one book per week goal for this last part of the year. And I’ve come close. But I read it all on the weekend. I just end up reading for hours on Saturdays and Sundays. Occassionally, when I have the apartment to myself or when Ben is working/reading, I read in the evening after work. Maybe I should dedicate one evening a week toward reading. Or an hour each night. Or maybe I’ll win the lottery and just sit on the beach and read all day.

So, to ease my curiosity, when do you read? Do you have a favorite time of day to curl up with a book? Do you read mostly during the week or on the weekends? Do you read on your commute?

The Day We Changed the World

Michelle5 Comments

(Sorry, 2 non-book-related posts in a row.  I promise the next one will be about books)

Ben and I just spent the last 2 hours watching By The People in honor of the historic anniversary that is November 4.  For those of you who are new to my blog, I was a Field Organizer for the Obama Campaign during the general election.  For 3 months, I lived and breathed Barack Obama.  I went home only to get a few hours of sleep and I think I saw my husband less than I did when we lived in different parts of the country.  But watching this documentary reminded me why I did it and why I would do it over if I had the chance (possibly with some Xanax nearby).  In honor of the anniversary, I’m reposting my thoughts from after the election last year.  I wrote this on November 9. 2008 and the original post can be found here.

So…we won!  Barack Obama is our next president.  And we won Florida and Pinellas County – both of which went for George Bush four years ago.  I couldn’t have asked for more.  All I want to do is stare at the little blue Florida and the little blue Pinellas county all day.

I am extremely glad that I had the opportunity to be a part of something so important.  The last 3 months definitely had its ups and downs.  Some times, I was curled up on the office floor crying out of exhaustion and anxiety.  Other times, I was having the time of my life.  I met so many amazing people – co-workers, volunteers, community members.  I am going to remember this forever.  It could possibly be the biggest thing that I am ever a part of.

Here is what Joe Klein had to say in Time magazine about us:

Indeed, there are — an army of them, untold thousands of young organizers operating out of more than 700 offices nationwide. And they have delivered a message to Rudy Giuliani, who sneered during the Republican National Convention that he didn’t even know “what a community organizer is.” This is who they are: they are the people who won this election. They were the heart and soul and backbone of Barack Obama’s victory. They are destined to emerge as the next significant generation of American political operatives — similar to the antiwar and antisegregation baby boomers who dominated the Democratic Party after cutting their teeth on the Bobby Kennedy and Eugene McCarthy campaigns of 1968, similar to the pro-life, antitax Reaganauts who dominated the Republican Party and American politics from the election of 1980 … until now. They are a preview of the style and substance of the Obama Administration.

I am glad to get back to my life.  Back to friends, family, reading, ballet, and everything else.  But I am also terrified because I have no idea what comes next.  I have to choose which direction to take my life now.  For now, I’m trying to remember how to relax and enjoy our success.  I’m going on a trip up north in a few days with some of my fellow organizers and seeing my dad in Boston and my family in Michigan.  So I guess I can put off some of these decision for a few weeks.

When I start getting nervous, I just try to remember everything that I have done so far and how much we actually accomplished here. We elected the president.  Kind of a big deal.

I’m looking forward to catching up with all of you.  I missed you all the last 3 months.

Back to realtime Michelle.

That chapter of my life is over.  I am still involved in the campaign world to a lesser degree, but I have moved on with my life.  I will never forget those 3 months, the people I met, the friendships I made, the lessons I learned.  I am so thankful that I got to be a part of Obama’s story and I can’t wait to see what he does the next 3 (7?) years.

Is it 2012 yet?