they grow up so fast

completely unrelated, did you know i live in the most stressful city in the USA? yeah, i don't buy it either.

so, you guys are going to be proud of me. on friday, i initiated a political discussion and made valid points and educated my friend rebecca on the issues at hand and convinced her to vote in november. not that it really matters, illinois is going to obama for sure.

this is a huge step for me, considering i had to read an US weekly article to find out obama lives in chicago. and while i know i will never be on the same level of political blogging that the humanator and outdoorsy-guy are known for, i started realizing that living blind to the issues was reprehensible and now i no longer skip the "boring" stuff in the paper.

for all the reasons everyone has already stated and/or posted youtube clips, i am scared for the future. terrified, really. if obama doesn't win, i may have to ditch this country, for reals. and even if he does, the poor guy would probably be assassinated so fast, it won't even matter.

i don't understand how we can live with so many ignorant people. it makes me want to cry and throw up and scream at the same time.

but, lest you think i've gone completely responsible, let me assure you that i still makeout with strangers and buy expensive things i don't really need. sure, my 'puter has been putting along and being a jerk now and then, but it still works. i opted to not let that stop me from ordering a dell inspirion 1525. i bought it for the same reason i buy most expensive things that i don't really need: i was bored and it came in green.

oh, canadia

i spell it that way, cause if americans are from america, then canadians should be from canadia.

i'm in ottawa. in case you didn't know, that's the capital of canadia. it's not toronto. no, i'm serious, it's not.

moving on...

ottawa is beautiful. really, really, beautiful. the place i'm staying is a good example of the prettiness here. and, canadians are so nice. i forgot how nice they are. they think it's so cute that we think they're so nice. i just think they're cute with their little accents and printing everything in french and english. i'm now fluent in vending machines and warnings!

the thing i don't like about traveling alone is that it's kinda lonely. obviously, there are other people at this conference, but not all of them are canadian, so not all of them are so bubbly. i think i'm going out drinking with the staff tonight, at least the ones who don't have to present tomorrow. i was going to try to take a bus tour tonight, but i think the last one is at 4... which i'm not going to make. i'm here for an extra day, so maybe i'll do that on wednesday, after i take my "haunted ottawa" walking tour tuesday night. they do offer a pub crawl version... i'll be historical instead of going shopping! there's really no point in shopping in canadia anymore, anyway. stupid dollar being stupid.

speaking of drinking - god, i've missed canadian beer! they were serving battie's (which i never used to call it, but now i feel a strong affinity for it) at the german fest, and they called it DOMESTIC! it made me so happy.

and now i get to drink all the canadian i want. real canadian, with all of its high alcohol content. chicago is too far from the canadian border for its own good. maybe i should hang out in detroit. you know, if i ever feel thirsty and suicidal.

at any rate, i'm working on being more personable, as i found out recently that i may come across as "judgmental and standoffish." i thought i came across as "interested in others and sweetly shy." i don't really know if i should trust the opinion of someone who i recently learned does coke (much to my sincere disappointment), but it still makes me wonder - is that why guys don't call? do i just not seem interested? have my remarkable flirting skills become unremarkable?

at any rate, ottawa is lovely and if anyone feels like taking a 7-hour drive up north, you are more than welcome to stay in my princess room and experience the lovely hospitality of the citizens of canadian's capital.

sorry

i'm too tired to blog. it took all of my brain power to stay awake to read your blogs. i'm not saying yours were boring (au contraire, mon frere) i've just got nothing left. here's a few key points:

• my boss actually gave me credit for my own work and said i did "very good!" that's like getting a silver star.
• still working towards gold. not everyone can be michael phelps.
  
• the ninja and i will not be getting married anytime soon because he likes my friend better than me.
  
• too bad she has a boyfriend and lives in buffalo
• it takes me at least two days to recover from getting home at 6:30 AM. i was all like, "i should go take pictures of the sunrise!" but then i realized that the sun was rising and i should really go to sleep.
  

so, what have we learned? i like stars, ninjas and hiding from the sun.

i'll try to do better next time.