Patience is not passive...

...on the contrary, it is active; it is concentrated strength.

It has been quite awhile since my last blog entry, and even that was not about anything of great importance. But then again, that is not really the point of a blog. Blogging is just a vehicle through which your subconscious is expressed. I have been denying my subconscious' right to speak freely for almost 2 months, so I guess it is time to let it out. However I am waiving all liability for any disagreements and/or controversy that man ensue below, and by continuing to read, You, the reader, hereby waive all rights to arguing, criticism, and/or trolling.

Let's begin with a small recap of some notable events that have occurred.

October:

In the beginning of the month, I participated in Timfest '08; a combination of my friend's surprise birthday, Lovefest '08, and Oktoberfest '08. It was a giant weekend filled with too much booze, crazy dance parties in the street, half and fully naked men and women, crazy drunk Germans and Belgians. I ended up staying in SF the entire weekend, and I must say, city life is quite intriguing. I thought that I'd always love the small town life ala Danville and Davis, but the hustle and bustle of the city was, well, refreshing. Who knows, perhaps someday in the future I'll move to the big city and get a taste of something new.

The following weekend was the Oceanic 7 + Others trip down to the beautiful Monterey. It was a great weekend trip filled with lots of great food/drinks, bonfires, the Dark Knight on IMAX, and a lighthearted race using the surreys (5-person bike). It's always great to get away from the stresses of the real world and just relax and enjoy the weather, the beautiful scenery, and most importantly, the company of great friends.

Halloween came and went as one would expect, and as with every holiday it seems, the Discovery cubes at work get creatively and lavishly (perhaps over the top?) decorated. Giant spiderwebs tented from the air conditioning duct towards multiple cubes, covering not only cubicle walls, but notebooks, binders, computer monitors, and even my beloved action figures. Giant spiders guarded the candy bowl, overlooked the plants by the window, and one continually attacked unsuspecting invaders. This Halloween season included multiple costumes, multiple parties, lots of booze, and unfortunately, puking that was not associated with alcohol, but rather a nasty virus that has since mutated and spread like wildfire amongst the helpless Dvaxians.

November:

I’m sure I don’t really need to significance of Nov. 4th and the great history that was made on that day, but in case you’re reading this blog from under a huge rock, the two biggest newsflashes that seem to be on everyone’s mind is that 1) Barack Obama was nominated our 44th President of the United States of America, and 2) Prop 8 was passed in CA. I don’t consider myself a very political person; I’m very apathetic about the policies and decisions that are being made around – despite the fact that I know that they will have the greatest impact on me in the future. It’s not something I’m proud of, and is an aspect in my life that I’m trying to change. I do want to get more involved and be more educated in the government and exactly what its role is going to be.

However, with this election, despite my best efforts to stay neutral and unbiased, this year’s election season proved quite difficult to remain in my atrophied state – both at home and at work. I think one of the main reasons why I try to stay out of the political arena is because it is supercharged with emotions. It’s one of those conversation topics that most people try to avoid because it ultimately leads to conflicting opinions and arguments. Politics and religion, two strong conversation topic ‘no-nos.’ Go figure that the two most talked about events from the election orbit politics and religion. I consider myself an independent/moderate, not entirely left wing and not entirely right either. Perhaps this is reflected from my two very different environments which I spend my days: in Berkeley and in Danville. Berkeley is the Mecca of all that is liberal (hippie tree-sitters anyone?), so it’s no surprise that most of my coworkers (albeit a few exceptions) are Democrats. Danville, however, is composed mainly of religious rich white folks; the town itself is quite conservative, and thus, mostly Republican. So naturally, when I’m at work, I hear mostly left-wing talk, and when I’m at home, mostly right-wing talk. I guess it’s the best (or worst) of both worlds and it allows me to hear both sides of the spectrum, which in turn helps me to be better informed and make my decisions based on both sides of the issues. The only problem is that I end up feeling that since I’m neither left nor right wing, when I’m placed in either a full left or full right wing territory, I feel out of place. Both ends of the spectrum are so passionate that when I don’t fully agree with someone about something to their degree, I tend to sidestep the topic/hide my own opinions, lest I open myself up to a flood of clashing arguments and criticism. I’ve seen just how damaging politics and social issues can be to the environment of the workplace. It’s appalling how disrespectful people can be when they don’t agree with you, and quite frankly, I don’t want to deal with that kind of high school bullshit. I find it quite ironic that liberals, who are supposed to embrace different ideas and promote tolerance and free thinking, are some of the most intolerant people. Singling specific people out at work is not acceptable, no matter what issue that agree or disagree on. Blah, I wish I could just go back to my bubble and not have to deal with all this crap.

Changing gears a bit, the day after the election, on my way home from work, I got into a car accident. A 15 year old driver with her learners permit decided to slam on her brakes in the intersection as the light went from green to yellow. I couldn’t stop in time and ended up rear ending them. My airbags deployed and my car was totaled. Despite my best efforts to plead with the insurance company, CA law says that if you’re in the back of the accident, it’s your fault. Now I’m carless and poorer. Guess I will always remember, remember, the 5th of November.

Finally, on a lighter note, I recently went up to Sacramento for a little R&R, more drinking, and even more Rock Band 2. After some discussion, Death By Turnip was formed; Sven on drums, Tusk on bass, Razlo on guitar, and Lacey as our singer. It was an awesome weekend, and a much needed break from all the crap that had happened in the beginning of the month.

Thanksgiving is coming soon, as if I needed another reason to eat more. I’m getting fat and lazy and all the food included in the Thanksgiving feast will just make it worse…deliciously worse. I can’t wait.