In Pursuit of Mysteries

Obama Stickers

Moveon.org is offering a little sticker to commemorate Obama’s election. You can get one for free or sets for a few dollars.

https://pol.moveon.org/shepstickers/

Actually Emotionally Moved By This Election

You know, I can be as cynical as the next guy. It isn’t hard in this day and age, especially in our scandal saturated environment of constant media. I was surprised to find, watching the election results this evening, that I was actually emotionally moved, and strongly, when it became clear that Obama will be our president. I really hadn’t expected the surge of emotion that I felt with the results. So much for my jaded self.

I feel like a long nightmare is over tonight. Tomorrow, I may be cynical again because Obama is, at the end of the day, a politician from one of the two major parties. Even with that, this is the only chance that we had to reverse certain directions in this country and perhaps end our ongoing and permanent state of war in the Middle East. I also believe that Obama, unlike McCain, may do what is necessary to address our country’s immediate economic issues. I think, no matter what, we’re in for hard times but I think things can be done to alleviate some of the pain associated with it.

I was also very surprised to see how many of the typically Republican states that have been heavily contested in the last two elections went to Obama, sometimes easily. It gives me some hope that people away from Liberal bastions like California (or the West Coast in general) may be desiring of change and tired of our current troubles as well. We will see.

I am expecting that Obama will appoint a cross-party cabinet full of the right people for the jobs, regardless of politics or history. I think it will make a big difference over the next four (or eight!) years to really address things.

Let’s enjoy this moment of joy while it lasts and get to work on fixing the problems in America.

Magical Health Land

Boring health post!

I know that someone out there cares so I thought I’d give a health update. While on Saturday, I was so lethargic and exhausted, I couldn’t leave home (and missed a workshop at Noisebridge because of it), Sunday was obviously better with my field trip. Today, I felt mostly normal though a bit tired.

This, of course, was in time for the visit with the doctor for the results of my tests where he asks, “How are you feeling today?” He seemed less concerned about my suck weekend than the “Oh, so you feel pretty normal today…”

We did get the results of almost all of my tests (a couple where they attempt to culture parasites weren’t back yet). Since we’d already done 70% of the work, we agreed to do a full physical while I was there, making the whole thing less a waste of time. My lab tests basically showed diddly squat. I’m not anemic or diabetic, my white blood cell count isn’t high, sugars are good, and I show know signs of obvious illness in my system. He did an electrocardiogram and a few other tests to round things out and these all came out normal. Because of the extensive paternal family history of heart problems (my dad technically died of a heart attack though his liver was killing him and most of his male cousins or older relatives have had heart attacks or surgery), we decided that we should keep an eye on things. My blood pressure is on the higher end of normal but my cholesterol isn’t bad except that my good cholesterol is a lot lower than they’d live. To that end, other than admonishing me to continue to lose weight and exercise, I was put on niacin to help address my good cholesterol.

Between Egypt and Burning Man (and probably the vegetarian diet over the last four months), my weight is now down 15 pounds from where it was four months ago. Of course, I’m still 40 pounds too heavy working in a sedentary industry (hello, computers!) and would rather read than work out. I really need to lose another 20 or so pounds in the next four months for me to feel like I’m making progress. It all means that I really do need to get off my ass and do some exercise.

On a plus note, I felt well enough today that I walked the mile and change to get dinner and the same back. That’s definitely something I couldn’t have done a few days ago. I’m also awake at 11:00 PM without feeling a need to pass out.

So, enough health stuff to a while unless I get a sudden ER trip. I return you to the scheduled hysteria concerning elections, the Internet, and whether I get into my doctoral program or not.