Natasha will be on a jury!

I'll get the opportunity to serve on a jury for the first time in my life. I have been called for jury duty three times since moving to California, but have never actually been seated. Today was different - it seemed like fate that I would have to sit. I was called to be sent to the first available trial of the day, I was one of the first to be called to the jury box, and I ended up remaining one of the few original people to be in the box at the end of the day.

I am very curious to see how this goes, though I really hope it won't be too boring! The trial is expected for 10 days, so who know if my attention span can hold out! :)

It's a good thing I have some people working with me on BPI, since I'll be out of pocket for a while. eP will have to settle for me playing catchup at night.

I planted my political flag today

Well, I finally did it. I made a donation to my Presidential candidate of choice. It's not much - we don't have much to give after the surgery and the property taxes - but it's a stake in the ground and I have firmly planted it.

My candidate of choice is Barack Obama.

Don't worry - I'm not going to inundate anyone with propaganda or persuasive messages about anyone. I know some people didn't like it when I tried to spark some conversation on W and sent out messages about why he had to go in 2004. But I felt like my country and all of the principles it was founded on were being snatched away from me and I couldn't just do nothing! I was irrevocably compelled to make my voice heard - to cry out at the injustice of everything that Bush embodies!

But like I said - I am not going to do that this time. The reason is because this time the race is about building up the American dream again, not about tearing it down. It is a new kind of politics, and one that I believe should speak for itself. I'll remark on things from time to time, but no active campaigning will be in my future. You are safe :)

The only two things I will do is:

1) Give you a link to the page where you can donate too, if you want:
https://donate.barackobama.com/page/contribute/decmatch?match_campaign_id=5&source=feature_million

and

2) Show you a music video that was put together recently for Obama:

This video was released a couple of weeks and already has over 4 million views on YouTube!



So, there you have it. Obama is my man. I'll still love all of you who don't agree with me, and I hope you'll feel the same way about me!

Natasha

Lunar Eclipse tonight

Tonight we had a lunar eclipse - the last one until 2010. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth goes between the sun and the moon and is in direct alignment with the other two bodies so that the shadow of the Earth covers the moon.

For what we could see, it was pretty cool! We weren't able to see much of it for the clouds - it rained all day today so we had a lot of cloud cover in the area. But then, when the Earth's shadow started to recede from the moon's surface, the clouds cleared and the crystal clear blackness of the sky took over. As more clouds passed in front of the moon they made swirly patterns against the inky blackness. Liz and Dudley and I sat outside on the back porch and watched the celestial action.

Did you know that that some say the world is supposed to end on Dec 21 2012? Or at least a crossing over from this reality to the next. Liz told me all about it while watching the eclipse. Not sure what that means? Me either, but I know this - It's based on the Mayan calendar, and apparently of the 7 ages that the calendar represents, the 7th and last one ends on 12/21/12. Do you believe it? Read more about it here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012
http://www.planetpapp.com/br21december2012/
http://www.greatdreams.com/2012.htm
http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=686

And now, for contrast, something damn funny - a clip from one of the more recent episodes of The Colbert Report:

Better Know a Lobbyist - Part 1 of the Gay Lobby

Cherries for Change

Apparently the makers of Ben & Jerry's ice cream (yes, Ben and Jerry) have decided that Obama is their choice for President this year. They are creating a new ice cream called "Cherries for Change" and will be giving a large supply to Obama's Vermont campaign, where it can be given away on all of Obama's campaign stops.

Here is the report:

BURLINGTON, Vt. - The founders of Ben & Jerry's endorsed Barack Obama on Monday, and lent his Vermont campaign two "ObamaMobiles" that will tour the state and give away scoops of "Cherries for Change" ice cream.

"If there was ever a need for real change, and if there ever was a candidate to inspire us and make that happen, it's now," said Ben Cohen.
Added Jerry Greenfield: "Barack is showing that when you lead with your values and follow what you have inside that good things will happen."
Echoing Obama, Greenfield said he and Cohen succeeded when they opened their ice cream shop 30 years ago in Burlington by doing things differently, instead of copying the "tired ways" of doing business.
"What we saw is that when you want real change it's not a marketing slogan. You have to do things differently. And that is not going to be done by someone who's been involved in the system for years and years," Greenfield said. "It needs to come from inside and Barack Obama has it."
Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and his wife joined the ice cream duo to announce their radio campaign backing the Illinois senator.
Cohen initially supported John Edwards, who dropped out of the race earlier this month.
Rob Hill, director of the Vermonters for Obama campaign, said he looked forward to getting behind the wheel of one of the two ObamaMobiles — retrofitted Honda Elements.

(taken from http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_campaignplus/20080219/ap_ca/on_the2008_trail)

I hope it's as good as the ice cream they created for Dave Matthews Band, One Whirled Peace...mmmmm..................

Momentous week for presidential politics

The aftershocks of Super Tuesday are still being felt, as Mitt Romney, who vowed two days ago to take his campaign all the way to the end, decided to concede to John McCain.

This came after a crazy whirlwind and (at times) shocking turn of events on Tuesday, Feb 5, when Mike Huckabee emerged as a legitimate candidate of preference (although it still appears to be a regional preference in the Sounth) and Clinton and Obama are virtually in a dead heat.

Another important moment - when Obama and McCain won Missouri, after the votes were so incredibly close that it was only after California's victors were announced that they could actually declare the winner.

This is important because for the last 100 years Missouri has all but once accurately selected as nominee someone who ends up winning the presidency.

You may be one of the many of us who have complained once or twice over the years how disengaged you've become with presidential politics because you never really have the chance to help decide who the nominees are going to be. By the time you get to vote, it's usually all over and a presumptive nominee has been unofficially announced by the press.

If that is the case, then here is your chance!

There is NO clear nominee on the Dem side, and no one knows if Huckabee's grassroots surge will continue against McCain.

If ever there was a time in American history where we are all truly being given the opportunity to impact the future of the country, this is it.

Many more delegates need to be won by all of the candidates before they can claim to be their party's nominee. In the Democratic party this is especially true.

Super Tuesday did NOT coronate each side's nominee and other states will have a chance in the very near future to weigh in, including Louisiana.

Come on Katrina victims, make your voices heard!

Here are some links in case you are interested in the more interesting points of what has happened this week:




A graphic representation of the number per state as the primaries continue: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21660914









Romney bows out:




Obama raises $7 million since Tuesday.... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23050238/









...while Hillary has to loan herself money! http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23037431/








The significance of the Missouri vote:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri#Status_as_a_political_bellwether




Lastly...what happens if there is no clear winner of the delegates in the primary? That's right folks, the national convention takes on a whole new dynamic (something that hasn't happened in about 30 years) -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brokered_convention

Today's episode - Jen's visit from Houston

Time for the next installment of let's play catchup!

A few weeks after my birthday in December, my sister Liz moved out to SoCal to live here with us, and my nephew Nic did the road trip with her. Alberto and I wanted to do something fun with them during the weekend Nic was visiting and thought of taking them to the Gaslamp since they are now both 21. Right around the same time, an old friend and fraternity brother made a trip to Southern California for business and made a stop to see us!

Jennifer is a reporter down in Houston. She and I went to college together, and are in the same business fraternity.


Tan, who went to school with us too, came out for the festivities as well. He brought along another Houston friend that we all know, Hiro. Then Jen also brought another familiar face with her on the trip, another university alum named Ernesto that we all knew. What resulted was a confluence of different people showing up in town all at the same time. There's only one thing to do when that happens - party!


Dinner in the Gaslamp


First, we met up on Friday night at a Persian restaurant in San Diego's Gaslamp District. We really treated ourselves to some delicious, hot, steamy food and a couple of bottles of wine for the table. Yum!

After completely stuffing ourselves and feeling a bit tipsy from the wine, we set out on foot to see what we could find. I was really looking forward to what was in store, since our last trip to the Gaslamp on my birthday had been such a smashing success!

Fun on the Rooftop

We walked along the edge of the Gaslamp and saw Petco Park gleaming in the distance - Ernesto was interested in seeing it up close, so he and Alberto took a walk down the street while the rest of us decided to go into a hotel that was located on the corner where we were, and see what the bar was like.

What a great idea! The bar ended up being a rooftop lounge, decked out with firepits, twinkly lights, chairs and tables covered with plastic tents to keep out the cold, and a bar underneath a palapa. In the corner was a long and narrow swimming pool that was illuminated from below, washing the whole scene in a soft glow.

Most of us got some drinks and just enjoyed chatting and relaxing by the pool, while Nic and Liz explored every corner of the roof and found the designated area for smoking. They took some fun photos all around the scene and then joined us for drinks.


After a couple of drinks we started getting itchy feet and decided to set out and explore again.





jimmy love's

This time we ended up at Jimmy Love's, a very lively venue with a bar, stage and dance floor upstairs, and another lounge-type bar with cushy chairs downstairs for those who want to rest their dancing feet for a bit.

That night, a live cover band was performing all sorts of hits from the 80's and we were immediately surrounded by thirty and forty - somethings who were boogying like it was 1999 again :) It wasn't exactly the crowd we were expecting, but everybody had a great time getting into the fun of the music and the crowd.

Liz and Nic stayed on the sidelines for part of it, watching us dance and probably laughing at the music (they weren't even born yet for half of the songs that were being played!), and Nic kept snapping away at funny moments and odd dancing facial expressions.

As 2 am neared we started drifting in small groups downstairs to the lounge-type bar. As the dance floor cleared upstairs, we were having a round of something called Liquid Cocaine to celebrate the fabulous time that was had by all.

After leaving Jimmy Love's we decided to pause for a group photo on the street. Are we hot?



The Long Walk Home


After the long walk back to the car, we headed back to Tan's for a brief respite before heading home for the night.
















Tan's House



It didn't take long for us all to become very sleepy after we arrived at Tan's house.


Jen and I took advantage of Hiro's air mattress on the floor and cozied up under a nice electric blanket.



Ernesto dozed off in the armchair while Alberto and Liz sat at the fireplace, quietly surveying the scene.


The rest of the boys played around a bit on the internet with silly videos and cartoons, but not much passed before we were ready to turn in for the night.




You go home!







Saturday Brunch at Beach Breaker


The next morning, we met up for brunch at the family-owned and always bustling Beach Breaker Cafe here in Oceanside. After rubbing shoulders with the well-dressed, cosmopolitan and hip crowd that frequents the Gaslamp, I wanted to give Jen another perspective of San Diego.

The place is loaded with all sorts of surfing memorabilia and gear, and the atmosphere is laid back and very friendly.

We had delicious omelettes, pancakes, and scrambles and sat with a sense of relaxed satisfaction and pleasure when our plates were empty.




Oceanside Pier

To finish off the visit before Jen and Ernesto headed back up to L.A., we took a short stroll on the Oceanside Pier.


It was a perfect day. Beautiful blue sky, shortboard surfers out in droves, and the air was just chilly enough to put a brisk spring in your step.



I am so happy that Jen got to take some time to see us, and that we were able to get such a fun group of Houstonians together! It was such a special treat for us to see everyone and have such fun times. Thank you for the great memories! We love you!

Fin

Happy Friday - Something to entertain you

I found a fun and creative music video this morning with a very catchy little tune. Thought I'd share it with you.

Happy Friday!