musings

epic fail at starting to blog again. but today i'm bored enough at work, and have enough on my mind, to go for it. lately, i've been trying to find answers to big, life questions: what am i going to do with my life? where do i want to be in 5 years? what makes me happy? why can't i lose this last 10 pounds? how can i get myself to where i want to be in 5-10 years?

i began to answer these questions at the end of 2009. i've started studying for the GRE pretty heavily... still have a lot to work on. i've started working out a LOT, and eating better, and it feels great. i've done lots of research about graduate school. kind of made a life plan for the next year or two. i started taking spanish lessons.

but today i was hit by the main aspect of acadamia that i've missed since graduating from college: a forum to discuss politics, social justice, international affairs. well, when i say i miss discussing politics, i don't mean the partisan politics that has taken over the media right now. it is incredibly frustrating and annoying, and i hate that obama has succombed to it all. both parties are to blame for this nonsense. republicans are refusing to cooperate or offer helpful alternatives to big issues like health care and the economy, and democrats just sit back and point their fingers at everyone else. there is a huge movement among the populous to remove everyone from office in the upcoming elections, a desire for swift change and a new, smarter, "cleaner" group of politicans who will actually listen to the public. unfortunately, what this movement (mainly GOP) fail to see is that yes, politicans do generally suck, but it's the whole system that needs a change. the reason politicans fall prey to lobbyists and big corporate interests is because they are constantly having to think about the next election and how to get reelected. members of the house of representatives only have a 2 year term, so if they campaign for 6 months prior to the election (most start campaigning earlier than that), that only gives them about 18 months to focus on the real issues. hardly enough time when you think about how long it takes a bill to get through committes and all that other BS to become a law. but what's the solution? longer terms? i don't think that'd fly by the people who already don't trust politicans as it is.

that whole rant is just one example of how and why i miss college acadamia so much. instead of just ranting by myself about the world, i'd have people around me to support and encourage me, as well as point to flaws in my arguments and their own disagreements. this kind of discussion just doesn't happen in every day life. and i can't wait to get back into it in grad school. and then after grad school, fix those problems. :)