so, i’m awake on a sunday morning because my neighbors and their roofers don’t believe in sleeping in. isn’t there some kind of city ordinance about when construction work is allowed to be done? i vaguely remember that sunday is supposed to be off-limits. whatever.

so, i’m awake and going over our finances, because i’m obsessed with it. and looking over our line-item spending, i notice that in the month of june, we paid $172.55 on petrol. i’m quite grateful that during the summer of speculation it was as low as it was. i attribute that to us owning only one relatively fuel efficient car, having a relatively short commute, and using public transportation. between then and now, our commuting pattern has not changed, but for the month of november, we paid $73.05 in petrol. while my pocketbook is ecstatic, i’m not sure i am.

see, generally, most people don’t do the right thing because it’s the right thing (notice that i qualified that with “generally” and “most”. yes, i know that there are exceptions to the rule). also, a lot of people will do things because it’s trendy (someone please explain disco and the 80s to me). right now, being ecologically sound is very trendy. people are going to the grocery with their own shopping bags (i own more than i can count), switching to those ugly coiled light bulbs that take forever to get bright, and the US government is forcing the Big 3 to consider fuel economy. even our president-elect own a hybrid, and the vpotus-elect took the train! so, with all that said, i will repeat, generally, most people don’t do the right thing just because it’s the right thing.

when gasoline was expensive, the mta ridership skyrocketed. people were deeply troubled by their gigantic cars, and people walked, rode their bikes, carpooled more. it truly was a beautiful thing. it looked like legions of americans banding together to do what was right for their environment, and for a moment, it looked as if we were thinking globally by acting locally. but not. it wasn’t that we were doing the right thing. we were doing the right thing because we simply could not afford over $4 for a gallon of gas. milk was cheaper. now that gasoline is down to clinton-era prices (wtf?!), metro ridership is down again, there are people who are feeling comfortable again with their ugly suvs, and my family has $100 extra dollars in our pocket.

i know i’m going to get more than my ration of shit for this, but i really don’t think the $100 my family saves is an even payoff. i’d trade the money for a gallon of $4 gasoline.

i’ve become addicted to paper mario. yes, i know i’m behind, but i just got my wii.

will anyone get me a wii fit for christmas?

yesterday was a great day for america. i have yet to decide if it was a good day for california. proposition 4, which would force minors to notify their parents for an abortion may be narrowly defeated (thankfully). things don’t look well for proposition 8, which would re-write the constitution to include a ban on gay marriages. as of 8:20 am, with 95% of the ballots counted, it’s at a 52-48 split.

if the constitutional ban does go through, i am fully in favor of supporting re-writing the language of state-recognized unions. the word ‘marriage’ is, in it’s inception, religious in nature. so, let them have it. the state should only recognized ‘civil unions’. as a separation of church and state, no one should be ‘married’. the state should not have, in any way, shape or form, discrimination written into the constitution.

this really is quite awesome.

we’re going to the playoffs, bitches.

so, i think winston is a bit of a sexual predator. and i think that’s why puddin’ ran away. she was tired of his abuse, saw an open door, and made a run for it. i don’t blame her, and i still think about her, and the day we find her. i fear for waffle. she doesn’t seem to be liking winston either. and i think, like puddin’, she’ll take off. i can hear them at night, making grunting noises, in only the way that they can. then, i can hear her run.

i was super productive today. after work, i
* went to the dentist
* checked on squee
* went to the pharmacy
* went to costco
* went home for a bit, then
* did laundry at the baby-infested laundromat down the street

tomorrow, after work, i
* need to get a manicure/pedicure
* check on squee
* finish packing
* make a happy airplane bag
* i think i’m forgetting something, but i’m not sure what it is.

i’ve had a long conversation about this with ben and tyson about mccain’s choice in choosing sarah palin as the republican vpotus. on so many levels is she the wrong choice, and i can only hope that this backfires on his decrepit ass.

if we wanted any woman, we would’ve taken her. if we wanted any woman, we would settle for the random mother/daughter/sister off the street. but we don’t want just any woman. we want a woman who’s qualified, and will champion the rights of women, and what women care about. i’m not going to assume that all of us back a woman’s right to choose, she doesn’t even support abortions in extreme cases, ie rape, incest, health/well-being/safety of the mother. i’m hoping that the hilary supporters who are angry with obama can understand this. i’m hoping that they also understand that she’s not going to continue the work set forth by the trailblazers of the 60s. i’ll take a man over a woman if he’ll fight for my best interests. do you hear that PUMAs? hilary wants you to vote for obama. HILARY WANTS YOU TO VOTE FOR OBAMA.

grr. i’m frustrated that mccain thinks we’re collectively that stupid. and i’m frustrated that some women actually are.

i have an assignment for a class i’m taking. if you wouldn’t mind answering the following question, i’d really appreciate it.

“what does it mean to be an american (in los angeles)?”