Heads up, Hoosiers!


I'm coming home for Turkey Day.

I will be home around dinner time on Tuesday. I will be staying until Sunday morning.


We should hang out. But understand -- I am flying. So my car will be at Pgh International. So you will have to drive.

Election protection was, in a word, awesome.

I spent the day on the phone with lawyers, fighting for the rights of first-time voters. When there were no issues, I was either helping people figure out their polling location or listening to the stories the women in the polling location were telling.

You see ... I was incredibly lucky in my assignment. I was in the blackest, the most democratic area of Homestead. There were 4 votes for John McCain there last night. And the women running the show were beyond amazing.

Two older African American ladies spent most of the day swapping stories about living in a time of segregation. They tried to put into words what this election meant to them. They laughed, they cried. And at the end of the day, they thanked me. I was the lucky one.

We had a ton of first time voters. Men and women who cried. Entire families showing up with children, explaining to them the importance of what was happening. There are just no words for how humbling, awe-inspiring, and completely worthwhile the whole experience was. In spite of the stress, the length of the day ... it was so very worth it.

Yesterday, we took a major step in the right direction. It was a step toward a more tolerant society. A huge day. As a member of the youngest generation of voters, a woman, an American, I am bursting with pride for my country. I sincerely hope to see the end to a widespread politics of fear. I hope to see a society that embraces, includes. One where all citizens are truly equal, and where we don't trod on the unfortunate.

But yesterday was the first step. There are many to go. California's Prop 8 passed -- a huge disappointment. With anti-gay legislation passed via ballot in California, Arizona, Alabama, and Florida, we must remember that this is just the beginning. In Alabama, a state with nearly 4x as many children in the foster care system as foster parents, gay couples are now banned from fostering or adopting children.

But, to end on a high note: anit-choice propositions failed in both Colorado and South Dakota.

Stay involved. The fight is just beginning.

CNN still doesn't have Indiana called.

But it's blue at MSNBC. And I am not ashamed to say that I teared up a little.

Youth of Indiana, women of Indiana: this one was yours.



I'm so unprepared for class today. I couldn't care less.

I won't lie -- my steely German side cried when the results came in. And again during the speech.

I promised myself I would stay up until they called Indiana, but I've been up for 20 hours.

Right now, Obama's up about 23,000 with 99% reporting. I have faith in you, Indiana. I have faith you will go blue.

But, I will have to wait a few hours to know for sure. Because right now, the five hours' sleep and long day have caught up with me, and tomorrow is the long day of class.


Tomorrow I'll write a little about voter protection. It was a completely fulfilling and worthwhile experience, if incredibly stressful and frustrating.

Congratulations, President Elect Obama.

I am so proud of my country.

This election day, I will vote for change. I will vote for empowerment. I will vote for an end to fear. I will vote for the future of this country.

Tomorrow, I will vote for Barack Obama.

And, from 6:30am until the last voter in Homestead has voted, I will be protecting the rights of those showing up to the polls to vote for the candidate of their choice.

I will stay up ridiculously late to watch the returns. And I hope, I sincerely hope and wish that I will see Barack Obama elected President. I hope to watch history being made, to witness my generation taking back the government.

Tonight I hope the sun sets on our current path. I hope that tomorrow begins the road to an America that is more accepting, more tolerant. One that values all citizens equally, and accepts more than one idea as valid. One that does not seek to control by fear or religion.

Tomorrow, I am confident that hope will be realized.

I spent eleven hours at school today. And about half an hour waiting for a G-D bus in the freezing cold in Oakland to get home.

So, you can imagine what kind of mood I was in when I finally came home and saw a note pasted to the Obama "Remember to vote" sign on the door to my building. It read, in part "A change to SOCIALISM. Kiss your FREEDOM goodbye!" I took the time to read it. Then went inside and wrote out my own: 

According to Webster:
Socialism: (n) Any of several political or economic theories advocating government ownership or administration of the means of production/distribution of goods.
(i.e. the bailout bill that BOTH candidates supported, and Bush proposed)

Perhaps you actually meant:

Fascism: (n) A political philosophy that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for severe economic and social regimentation and forcible suppression of opposition
(i.e. McCain's "Country First" slogan, legislation of personal moral choices (such as abortion or gay marriage), labeling dissent as "unpatriotic", or denying due process to those who are accused by the State.)

I taped it up right next to the other one.

14 days, everyone. 14 days.

Hillary Clinton wrote an oped for today's NY Times. It's not entirely obvious, given the clusterfuck that is our financial situation and the (rightful) coverage it is getting. In case you missed it: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/19/opinion/19clinton.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Here's why this bill makes me want to punch through walls:

Seriously? It's Indiana all over again: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080826/CPUB/80826059. While I respect that some people will find my decision to use birth control immoral or distasteful, I don't believe that should somehow limit my access to the drug. The pharmacist's job is to fill my prescription, check for interactions, and warn me about potential side effects. It is NOT to judge me in any capacity for the drugs I have legal prescriptions to obtain. S/he may disagree with my choices. So may my doctor. But that right does not nullify mine to control what happens to my body.

I also find it disturbing that much of this based upon the argument that a fraction of a percent of the time, the pill may prevent a fertilized egg from implanting into the uterus. This is being classified as abortion. I completely disagree with this characterization. If life truly begins at fertilization, the same people who oppose me using birth control should oppose IVF. In that procedure, an excess of zygotes are implanted into the female (and even more are left in the petri dish). Is each one that does not implant an abortion? I say no. I say that abortion is the intentional removal of an implanted fetus from the womb. 

I also say that allowing pharmacists to deny birth control to patients is not at all like allowing doctors to refuse to perform abortions. In general, we don't expect all doctors to perform all medical procedures -- they specialize. Abortions tend to be performed by a small subset of doctors, generally at clinics. The fact that all doctors do not perform them does not limit their availability to women who may seek one. However, pharmacists are expected to fill all prescriptions brought to them by patients, unless to do so would endanger the health of the patient. Right now we're discussing abortion ... but what would prevent further legislation to allow pharmacists to deny other medications to patients? For instance, anti-depressants, if the pharmacist believes that depression is not a clinical disease. While I care deeply about this issue, I also believe it is bad policy to prevent prevent patients from obtaining safe, neutral medical care. This, in my mind, extends to pharmacists.

I've spent my time focusing on the birth control issue. But the language of the rule is ambiguous: it allows medical professionals to opt out of any procedure they deem objectionable. Sentator Clinton brings up HIV/AIDS. And sexual orientation. The language of the rule is, in my mind, purposefully ambiguous. And while I am not insensitive to the consciences of medical professionals ... part of their job description is to provide neutral, safe, and proper medical care to the patients who come to see them. Just as mine will be to provide sound legal counsel to my clients. There will be times in each of these scenarios where we will disagree with the patient/client. But our duty to them remains the same.

And for the Hoosiers out there ... do not lose all hope. There are proposed bills that would help protect women and others: http://advocates.ppin.org/prev_first_legislation.aspx

Edit: I passed this on to Michel who's currently working for his Congressman in D.C. And he passed it along to the heath issues legislative aide. I feel ... well, vindicated. Even if he's not MY congressman, and they already knew about the issue. Consequently, I hope he cleaned up my language, since I sent him the link with, "Why, oh gov't employee, does my President hate me for having a uterus?"

Earthquake?

WTF, Indiana. WTF.

Woke me up out of a dead sleep.

This makes me want to yell. Loudly. At everyone.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/29/AR2008022902992.html?referrer=facebook


Edit: Erin can't paste in links. Fixed now.

I passed my comp! I can graduate!

Hells. yes.

Now, to write the paper for class in the morning. 

This week can be characterized pretty accurately by this series of events:

It began whilst checking my email and simultaneously explaining an aspect of the comp paper to a fellow biochemist. Discussing structures and kinetics took a backseat to the APO request for meeting-time excuses.

Instead of firing off an email, "I'll be taking the comp," I composed a three-stanza poem explaining what would be going on in my life during the meeting and after. Five minutes. Click send.

Back to making flashcards for structures of interest, memorizing kinetics highlights.

The girls in the next study room are playing Christmas music, loudly.

Needless to say, this has been a fucking insane and disjointed week. But tomorrow night there will be drinking. Oh, the drinking.

The biochemistry comp exam is tomorrow. While I've been studying, it's still stressful.

So, I'm having a study session with a few people.

And I just purchased a large vanilla late with three shots of espresso.

At home and sick on a Saturday night = not fun.

I remember the last time I moved out of University housing for what I thought was the last time. It was freshman year. And then ... in October of last year I was back. And now ... I'm really turning in my last set of keys. Next semester I'm living off campus, in the house of a professor. The keys will be mine. There will be no rules about candles or pets or booze. I will spend my last semester in college living freely.

But first ... I have to make it through three weeks at home.

Mayhaps I'll have some help from some of you? I've been so busy that I haven't had time to see most of you in a while. Call me. The number's still the same.

Completely spaced that today was graduation checklist deadline day.

Fucksticks.

All-nighter time of death:  5:09am

Can't keep eyes open anymore. And I'm no longer making sense while writing.

Time for a nap.

Back to the house!

This may end up being my first REAL all-nighter of the semester.

I'm oddly excited about it. Even considering that I've not slept more than 4 hours the past two nights.


Woooooooooooo!