Saturday, September 13, 2008

Various and Sundry Things

The Big Project at work continues to consume my life. . .things are in full swing now, and I'm sleeping only 3-4 hours a night. I've been going to bed at 11-midnight, and getting up at 3 am to keep working. It's insane, but in a mostly good way. I finally had a night off last night, and managed to have dinner with Terrific T., and got a solid night's sleep. It's amazing how much more clear-headed I am this morning. Can I just tell you how fabulous and patient Terrific T. is about this whole ordeal, too? He hasn't complained once about the fact he never sees me, and even went out and bought me three new suits this week, because he just decided I needed them. He rocks.

I think the B6 is working. AF came and went, and was heavier and longer than it's been in years (okay, that part was a little annoying). I ended up with a 24 day cycle last month, which is obviously wonky, but it's better than the 35-40 day cycles I've had in recent month. I am hoping that the heavy AF means that I had more of a lining this past month than in previous months. It's CD11 of the new cycle today, and I seem to have CM again, which I'm taking as a good sign. I'm not sure that we'll try this month, though--I've sort of changed my mind about that again, now that it's really crunch time on the big project. I seem to be pushing the outer limits of what a human being can do, physically. Pregnancy seems like a bad thing to add into the mix, even if we could achieve it. I just weighed myself and discovered I've lost another five pounds somehow in the last week and a half. That can't be good. Racing around between things, I'm missing meals, despite my best intentions. I now weigh less than I did in 9th grade, and I was a scrawny freshman.

I have barely seen the news, and haven't followed what the candidates have been up to for a couple of weeks now. But I love politics, and am intrigued by a question Calliope has posed, which is, What are the top issues that will determine who you vote for in November? What do you wish the candidates were talking about? If you have no interest in politics, skip the rest of the post.

I haven't decided who I am voting for. The experience question has me scratching my head about both sides of the ticket. I keep comparing Pa.li.n and Ob.am.a to people I know with similar work histories, and I'm just not sure either of them belongs in the White House. I just don't know. Here's my wish list of things I'd like to hear more about:

1. Foreign policy. . .good lord, the destruction the Bush administration has inflicted. It's embarassing to me, how we've behaved internationally over the last 8 years. I want someone who is going to mend fences AND keep us safe. We don't have to be a bully to do that. It is possible to be both polite and strong. But what do the candidates actually have planned? I'm not just talking about the war in Iraq--I want to hear more about overall strategy, on a worldwide basis.

2. Energy policy: We need alternatives to oil; that much is clear. What are the candidates' thoughts on how to create alternatives? Offshore and/or ANWAR drilling are stopgap measures, at best. I want to know what their thoughts are in a more comprehensive way.

3. The Economy, stupid. What can or should be done to reverse the current trend? Tax cuts and rebates are not the answer, IMO. What do they have planned?

4. Abortion. The positions are on the table, so I don't really need to hear much more about it, but I thought I would mention it as something that's important to me, since we're talking politics. It's probably blasphemy among TTC-ers to be talking about abortion, but I'm not sure I can vote for a pro-life candidate. I've always been pro-choice, and the lack of ability to make my body do what I want it to in recent months (years?) has underscored for me the importance of being able to choose. The lack of control has further instilled in me the desire for control. I'm not a single-issue voter, by any means, but this matters to me. And I have to say it (sorry if I offend): women who try to push a pro-life agenda bug me. I figure that middle-aged white guys don't know what it's like to have a uterus, and will never be in the position of having to make an agonizing choice. It's entirely a theoretical analysis for them, and hey, who really wants to kill a baby, when you consider the issue in a vacuum. I can see why they might be pro-life. I don't like it, but I can see it. I can even understand women who have made the choice that they would personally never terminate a pregnancy for any reason. But women should know that even if they themselves would never make that choice, circumstances vary wildly such that it SHOULD be a choice. No woman should ever be trapped by her own body. And if you don't agree with me, go spend some time with women who have been impregnated as a result of being beaten and raped. Sure, some of them can deal with it just fine. But, for others, carrying such a pregnancy to term would be horribly scarring beyond measure. And then there are the billion other circumstances that women find themselves in. It is a personal health care choice, and it should be left to the individual, just like cancer treatment and Viagra. It's one of my many hangups about Pa.li.n.

5. Health care. I have great health care, but lots of people do not. What are we going to do about it? Is it even government's role? Should Massachusetts be a model for the nation?

There are a lot more issues that I think are important, but those are the big ones for now. I'd love to hear what you think is important.

PS I've noticed that there seem to be some political spin doctors monitoring the Blogosphere and posting diatribes whenever, say Pa.li.n's name comes up. If you are one of those people, please don't bother to comment. I am interested in normal bloggers' thoughts and opinions; I don't really care what the professionals think, and you are certainly not going to get me to change my mind by posting on my blog.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Honestly, one of the biggest factors people who can't decide should consider is the Supreme Court. Three of the four left-leaning judges are getting quite old. It is highly likely that the next president will be replacing at least two if not all three of them. Were McCain elected, we would have a Supreme Court that would likely be made up of almost entirely conservative judges. Roe v. Wade would almost certainly be overturned, and you can only imagine the other archaic decisions that would come through--for decades to come. I don't know if this helps you any, but it really is an important factor to consider.

Sorry if I sound a bit like a zealot--this is something about which I feel a greater urgency than most anything else.

Carlita said...

I have a very similar list of most important issues, although I would add education. Sadly, my current views on abortion are influenced by the painful experience of having chosen to have one just a few months ago. I, like Sarah P, found out that I was carrying a DS baby. One more potential negative side to reproducing at the age of 35+! The most important thing about my situation really was that I was faced with a "choice". Mo matter how difficult it was, I am grateful that I had one and I know that I will use the power of my vote to make sure that other women have the same right.

Io said...

Oh, I love what reproducing genius says - the Supreme Court thing scares the hell out of me.
I think what you have are all good things to consider.

And man, if I could weigh what I weighed in 9th grade? That would be awesome. Maybe I need to get a more intense job.

Barb said...

Great great thoughts! Thanks for the insight! I saw your comment on Cali's political post and saw that you planned to write about it. Great job. I love that she is helping to spawn some wonderful thought and discussion amongst us wonderful bloggers.