No longer on the fence

Since early Spring my interest for the political race had lost its energy. I knew there were many months left and clinging to the news stories and Fox/MSNBC/CNN was no longer worth my time. So I took a break and recently started thinking about who I would come to vote for in November. I'll revert back and say during the Democratic primaries I was a strong proponant for Obama. I liked his attitude and behavior, and his absence of strong connections to lobbyists or former politicians. He was more grassroots than anything else. The one thing that turned me off while Hilary fell and Obama eventually became the obvious nominee was his obscure stance on policies. Nothing I felt was definitive. had no idea how concrete he was on abortion rights, fiscal policies, his plan for the war, ect. I just want to whisper in politicians ears "Answer a damn question."
So anyway... it's late August, both nominees have named their VPs and because of this I have made my decision. It honestly came down to the VP decision. I can't believe it, it feels lame. I thought that it was going to end up being a day-of decision like it had in 2004.
I'm happy for a female nominee, I believe it was a smart decision on McCain's behalf and I will credit him for this move. Though I don't agree with Palin's conservative stances, she at least states what she believes in. There was no speculation in the discussions surrounding her potential nomination. Reporters knew what she stood for and could then could further analyze what groups would be affected by this VP choice. I have respect for Palin that she knows what she believes in, though over the next few months i'll be curious to find how solid she is when having to answer tough questions while reaching out to many demographics.
So simply put, I think i've made my decision and it came down to the last VP nomination. Though i'm happy a woman is up on the spotlight, I don't care if she's my mom or aunt, I would never vote for someone that conservative. One more goes to Obama in November.

Officially a "vet"

I'm now an officical veteran of the MidWest. As just starting another year on the job, living in cornland, and soon to start another year of grad school I can consider myself no longer a newbie. However, I still refuse to change my license plates. You can stare at it all the way down Fluer, they're going to say "Maine: Vacationland."
Since i've been back for oh... four days, i've greatly appreciated the fact that i'm returning. Not that I wanted to leave my incredible summer, but it was so relieving to come back to a furnished apartment and an somewhat organized office. It's nice to know where the grocery store is, or the closest bar (about 50 feet away.) It's also nice to know how ripped off i'll be when it comes to buying books so I can mentally prepare myself in advance. I swear to God, I don't know how the undergrads and law students do it here, their books for the semester could buy them a small car.
So needless to say, this year is starting off (and I stress the word "Starting") pretty well. It's never easy being the new kid in town, or school, or work. This year i'm a vet. Thank God.