Archive for Ponderings
11.05.08
Posted in Ponderings, Public Service Announcements, Rants at 10:36 am by Adriene
I’m not one to write political posts in general (mostly because political discussions usually make my blood boil), but here I am, writing two posts in a row about the election. However, now that, for the most part, the election is over (looks like we’re still headed for a Senate run-off here in Georgia, though), there are some things I’d like to say.
I did not vote for the guy who won. I voted for McCain. That decision was not an easy one to make, though, and if I was honest with myself, I’m still pretty firmly on the fence regarding the choice the two major parties gave us (I did not even consider any of the third-party candidates. Ralph Nader runs every single time, and I’d rather pull my toenails out with pliers than vote for either Bob Barr or Cynthia McKinney). In the end, though, I went with McCain for a few reasons. First, although I consider myself pretty much a straight up the middle moderate, I still lean right on more issues than I lean left on. I’m also not a fan of large government, and I think that some of Obama’s policies will lead to more government intervention than necessary in our daily lives. I was also praying VERY hard that if McCain won, that he wouldn’t die or resign before his term was up, because the thought of Sarah Palin as president scared the bejeesus out of me.
So, seeing as how I almost voted for him, I am not convinced that Obama is the worst thing that could possibly have happened to our country. I’m actually rather excited about watching his presidency unfold. And even if you are firmly in the McCain camp, you can’t deny the historical importance of this moment. So, even though I did not vote for him, I am going to pray for Barack Obama and his presidency. I pray that God give him the guidance to lead our country effectively for the next four years, and possibly another four, should he get re-elected.
Now that I’ve gotten the comments about our president-elect and Senator McCain out of the way, it’s time for me to turn to the American people. Maybe it’s just because I was never really one to follow politics until Bill Clinton’s presidency, but I’ve noticed that, for the past 16 years, roughly half of the country has been hoping for the downfall of whichever president we have in office at that particular time. Many conservatives itched at the possibility of tossing Clinton out of office, and the same can be said for liberals who were calling for Bush’s head on a plate. Quite frankly, that is shameful. As I said above, even if you did not vote for who was elected, that person still needs your support and prayer. I am not saying you have to agree with their policies, but you can disagree respectfully.
One thing that I am hopeful that the right does after this election is to realize that fear-mongering is NOT an effective campaign practice. If anything, it bites you in the rear. I’m positive that is one reason why Elizabeth Dole lost her senate seat. I also received COUNTLESS e-mails about how Obama was a Christian-hating Muslim in disguise who wanted to wipe Israel off the map. One of the most laughable ones even stated that the Bible (the book of Revelation, specifically) warned us against electing a Muslim president. I could think of two problems with that statement off the top of my head (one, that Obama isn’t Muslim, and two, Islam did not exist as a religion until after the book of Revelation was written), and I’m sure I could find more issues with it if I researched it further. My point is this: if you disagree with a candidate, that is fine, but spreading outright lies about him does nothing but give his supporters more ammunition.
I guess I’m basically saying “CUT IT OUT” to the American people. Stop it. I’m tired of seeing grown adults acting like five year olds and resorting to childish measures to discredit those who disagree with them. I’m tired of seeing friends of mine refusing to speak to other friends because they voted differently. I’m tired of my country being so vitriolically divided on itself. Let’s move forward and be big boys and girls about this. I also encourage you to visit this website and think about a few things: http://www.respectourpresident.org.
And with that, I am done with the political talk for another four years. 
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09.28.08
Posted in Ponderings at 4:31 pm by Adriene
Maybe it’s because I’m a mere four months shy of 30. Maybe it’s because I’ve been reading melodramatic teenage novels. Or maybe it’s because I’ve gotten back in touch with a lot of people via Facebook over the past few months, but I’ve been thinking back on my high school years a lot lately. High school was a necessary evil to me. I knew I had to get through it in order to get to college, and that’s pretty much why I was there.
I was never cool or popular, nor did I really have any desire to be either of those things. I had a smallish group of close friends, and we were all pretty much those who didn’t quite fit into any of the usual groupings you see. Maybe that was the bond that held us together - we weren’t jocks, we weren’t goths, and we weren’t super-geeky. We all seemed to have class together, but our performance in those classes varied widely from those who always made straight A’s to those who really didn’t give a rat’s ass as to why they were there (I fell somewhere in the middle). We had pretty widely varying political and social ideas, and those led to some pretty heated disagreements on occasion, but we were friends, and we were there for each other.
I didn’t date much in high school, either. I only seriously dated two guys, the first of which was a SPECTACULAR failure and a cautionary tale about why you should listen to people if both your parents and your friends don’t like the guy (suffice it to say that having a rich daddy doesn’t mean you can buy yourself a personality). The second wasn’t so bad - it just wound up that we were better off as friends, and we’re still friends today. I went to prom with guys who were friends both my Junior and Senior years. I’d known most of the guys I went to high school with since elementary school, so I guess it was just hard for either me or them to see the other as anything other than an acquaintance. Plus, I had a bad habit of telling guys when they were acting stupid, and apparently they don’t like that. Oh, and there was that one time when I jokingly told a guy I was a lesbian and he believed me, heh.
As an only child (and a girl to boot), my parents were probably a little more overprotective than some of my friends’ parents were. I had the earliest curfew of any of my friends (10:30), and Mom and Dad refused to budge when I begged and pleaded to extend it to 11:00 (I believe my dad told me “Someone’s got to go home first. Might as well be you.”). Luckily, my friends were pretty accommodating and willing to take me home so I wouldn’t break curfew, and Mom and Dad were pretty cool about letting them hang out at my house until they had to go home if they wanted to (and on occasion, they let me stay out a little later if I called and told them I was just down the street). Of course I thought my early curfew was monstrously unfair back then, but now that I have daughters of my own, I’m sure I’ll be as strict as my parents were. Besides, I think I turned out okay.
There are a few things I wish I had do-overs on, of course. Those of you who didn’t know me back then may find this a little surprising, but I had a hard time sticking up for myself. I wish the backbone I grew in college had come in a few years earlier, I guess. I also wish I hadn’t been so willing to walk away from situations rather than confront them, especially with regards to friendship. I also wish I was a bit more willing to laugh at myself and not be so melodramatic back then (but what former teenage girl doesn’t?).
In all, though, I’m at the point now where I can look back at high school and see where my experiences there made me into the person I am today. I learned a LOT during those years, about myself, about friendship, and about God. I won’t say I’m willing to go back and do the whole thing over again, but I do have some fond memories of that time. I hope in another ten years, I can look back and say the same thing. Though I think I’ve had much more fun in my twenties than I did during my teen years.
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12.31.06
Posted in Better Me, Ponderings at 10:11 pm by Adriene
Happy New Year, y’all.
I guess it’s time for one of those deep, introspective blog posts where I reminisce about all the things that happened to me this year. But at the same time, I don’t want this to turn into one of those run-of-the-mill Christmas Letters (”Susie won the school spelling bee this year! Austin is captain of his pee-wee soccer team!”) that we lovingly mock when we receive them in the mail, but at the same time, we’d be very hurt if our friends and relatives didn’t send us any. So, instead, I thought I’d do a couple of lists, one of things I’ve learned in 2006, and one of things I want to do in 2007.
Top Five Lessons I’ve Learned This Year:
1) I am not 100% in control of anything. If there’s one lesson I’ve learned this year, this is it. Trying to control so many aspects of my life usually only makes me a stressed-out mess.
2) I am a rather impatient person. This isn’t news, of course. I’ve known I’m impatient pretty much all my life. But, it’s just become a bit more apparent this year!
3) Upsetting myself is stupid. Nine times out of ten when I get upset, I’ve done it to myself, either by overthinking something or dwelling on something unpleasant.
4) My relationship with God is directly relational to my happiness. I know, I know. I should have learned this a LONG time ago. And I did. But, I’ve found it’s a lesson I have to learn over and over and over again.
5) Sometimes, you gotta just let things slide off your back. Being overly sensitive about things really gets you nowhere except upset. And that’s just not cool.
So, in the spirit of learning and letting things go, I have also made another list:
Top Five Things I Vow to Do in 2007:
1) Read more books. One thing I haven’t done in 2006 is read enough. I read MAYBE five or six books this year, and I want to change that. My goal for 2007 is to read 25 books - roughly one book every two weeks or so. Hopefully I’ll read more than that, but I’m aiming low!
2) Drink more wine. There’s really no reason for this one other than the fact that I enjoy a nice glass of wine and I don’t drink it as often as I’d like. Haha.
3) Finally clean my closets. I’ve found that clutter in my house is usually directly proportional to clutter in my life. So, cleaning out my closets is a way of letting go of a lot of stuff.
4) Pray more effectively. I currently pray quite often, but I think it’s mostly like asking God for stuff like He’s the big Santa Claus in the sky. Instead of asking for things I want, I need to be asking God what He wants for me and to use me effectively. And I need to be able to listen to what He says, even if it’s not something I want to hear.
5) Blog more often. So, my last post here was in mid-November, and that’s pretty bad. I’m going to try to make it a point to check in here at least once a week or so. We’ll see how that goes. Haha.
So, there they are. I hope your 2006 has been as blessed as mine - lots of good times with friends and family, and lots to be thankful for!
Here’s to 2007 - Happy New Year!
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08.18.06
Posted in Ponderings at 9:34 am by Adriene
(I just noticed I end all of my post titles with a period. Odd. :lol:)
Most of you who know me also know that I HATE people who drive and talk on their cell phones at the same time. HATE HATE HATE. I try my darnedest not to do it - if my phone rings while I’m driving, I’ll usually not answer it, then call the person back when I get to a stop light or something. I know I don’t pay attention to whatever else I’m doing when I have a phone to my ear, so operating a piece of heavy machinery while talking on the phone is NOT a good idea.
Which brings me to this morning. I was driving to work as usual, and in a pretty good mood, being as how this is Friday. I was about a mile or so away from work, and suddenly I’m cut off by a woman who appears to be my age or a little younger driving a black BMW SUV. Now, that, in and of itself, is not surprising. I live in Atlanta after all. Neither was I shocked to discover that she was yakking on a cell phone as she cut me off.
Then I noticed her license plate. It was a vanity plate, of course. Consisted of one word: D1VA.
Yep, girlfriend fancies herself as a diva. I admit, I snorted when I saw that.
Here’s my question, though. When did that become something admirable to be, or something that you bragged about? Divas, in general, are spoiled, demanding, pushy, arrogant, and rude, just to name a few of their characteristics. Not exactly something I think a person should strive to be.
I’ve noticed it a lot, lately, though - women really think nothing of labelling themselves as “divas” or “princesses.” Don’t get me wrong - I’m all about women having self-confidence, because I think a lot of women these days don’t. However, I think when you get to the point that you start calling yourself royalty, your sense of self-importance is vastly overinflated. I’ve found women who do that also have a hugely overstated sense of entitlement, and seem to think they can push other people around, be rude, and in general will get what they want. Unfortunately, this behavior does probably get them what they want, because I know a lot of people will simply cave so they don’t have to deal with the woman anymore.
Unfortunately (I guess), my opinion of the woman in traffic this morning is now not very high, given her driving manner, and considering she thinks she’s a diva. I just wonder if some women realize the message they’re sending to other people when they label themselves like that.
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05.18.06
Posted in General, Ponderings at 10:09 am by Adriene
As part of our vacation in DC, Jeff and I paid a visit to the Vietnam Memorial on the National Mall. Part of the reason we went was because we naturally wanted to see it, but also because my uncle’s name is on the wall. Robert A. Brown, from Rose Hill, North Carolina, the eldest of seven children.
I never knew him. I’m not even entirely sure what year he died, other than it was sometime around the time my mom and dad got married (between 1970 and 1972, I guess - Mom and Dad got married in 1971). I know he was roughly a year older than my mom, but he failed a grade in elementary school, so they graduated from high school the same year.
The fall after they graduated, Mom was headed off to business school in Raleigh, and Uncle Robert was headed off to the Army. Mom says that she remembered being a bit irked that my grandmother cried more dropping Uncle Robert off than she did when they dropped Mom off. I guess, though, that irritation faded after my uncle died.
My uncle was on a construction crew with the Army, and he got deployed to Vietnam. I think he was over there for only a few months when the accident that killed him happened. A bulldozer was trying to climb a steep embankment and he was behind it. It fell over backwards and landed on him, crushing him. Somehow, he survived that and was transferred to a military hospital in Japan. I’m guessing that was a blessing, because it gave my grandfather time to fly over to Japan to see him one last time and to bring him home after he died.
He’s still a bit of a mystery to me - my family doesn’t speak of him too often, save for the occasional story of him getting into trouble growing up, and everyone laughs. I wish I had known him - my mom says he always reminded her of a miniature version of my grandfather, and Grandaddy was probably one of my favorite people ever.
So, this past Sunday, I stood at the wall and looked up at my uncle’s name, remembering what I’ve been told of him and wondering what it would have been like to know him. I guess that’s my way of mourning a man I never knew.
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