|
1 2 . 3 1 . 0 4 Still reeling from the tsunami aftermath. The death counts keep increasing by the hour. I made a small donation to the International Federation of the Red Cross Red Cresent, small in comparision to what is needed in full, but not bad, compared to what the US government is contributing per person. The more I read about the aftermath and the situation on the ground, the more helpless I feel to do anything. I think this might help explain my antsy feelings as of late. Watching C-Span and reading some articles online, I can't help but notice and be ashamed of the selfishness of some of my fellow citizens in their comments. Some Americans seem to think that since the countries in the region that were affected did not help people in Florida with the hurricanes, they shouldn't expect anything from the US. And some others claim that there is simply not enough money to go around, that with the government already so bogged down in debt, there is no money left for humanitarian efforts. Nevermind that most of the deficit is being pissed away in an expensive and bloody war, and as the structual result of massive tax cuts to the upper class. One estimate I read puts the total cost of the war as $100B annually, which is a crazy amount. I maintain that if we as Americans choose to continue down this path, then we will simply have to pay the costs, in higher taxes, and in human lives. I for one do not think that this war is worth it. The other day I was reading something by a right-wing conservative writer about liberals being part of the "Blame America First" crowd. That is that when faced with any criticism, or countering opinion on an issue, they immediately question the person's patriotism, claiming that hey blame America for all of the worlds problems. I'm sure that these arguements might be a source of comfort for many in the economic north who do not think that the US should extend any humanitarian aid or help, and aren't too happy about hearing any criticism from the UN. Irony is that while we were so critical of the UN, bragging that their hesitation during the march towards war that they would thus become irrelevant. Now when faced with a humanitarian disaster of historical proportions, we are quick to defer responsibility to them. Then there is the issue of the cost of the presidential inaguration is almost as much as the total amount of Aid that we are sending to the region. I'm sorry, but facts like these just make us look like a bunch of rich kids refusing to share any of our toys. I'm just waiting for some fundy bigot proclaim that the victims of the earthquake and tsunami deserved to die because the majority of them were not Christians. I'm sure that there is more than a handful of the faithful who are thinking this. What a way to ring in the new year. 1 2 . 2 8 . 0 4 Back in DC. Have to say that the flight from here to home is long a tedious, a bit too much for my taste, especially when its done twice in one week. I have a lot of respect for people of the Hawaii delegation who make the trip several times a year. Plus it seems like the service on the airlines has been declining every since 9/11. I understand that a lot of this has to do with security concerns, but hey it wouldn't hurt to exercise a little common courtesy once in a while. It might help your business model a bit. Besides, trying to cut some crappy piece of reheated chicken with a flimsy plastic knife is no fun, especially when you're cramped between people who can barely fit in their cramped seats. So its back to the daily grind again, work work and more work. I think it was definitely worth it going home for a bit though, got to hang out with my folks a bit and talk about life. I also learned that my Dad is a fan of rusty nails once in a blue moon. This is my father who never drinks anything but a bud light here or there, and an occaisional Sam adams. I think Khamp would dig it, although its no dirty thats for sure. Been antsy lately, a couple of days ago I was very anxious and had a deep feeling of dread, as if something horrible was going to happen. Not necessarily anything that would affect me directly, but something that would hurt a lot of people. Immediately I thought about another attack like 9/11, but I couldnt' quite place it. I dont' know if it was before or after I learned of the earthquake and tsunamis hitting south east asia on Xmas day, but I wonder if it was the sense of suffering and pain of thousands of lives being lost instantly. Looking forward to what 2005 will bring, right around the corner. It has been an eventful year no doubt, a lot of lessons learned, and adventures. 1 2 . 2 6 . 0 4 Back home for Xmas, only 4 days total. The scheduling at work was kind of tight , hopefully this is a one year thing, I couldn't see myself rushing at the airport every year. One concession is that I'll be able to save a lot of my vacation time for a later trip. I did notice that extra 3 hours flying in from the east coast were enough for me to notice. Honolulu is different yet again, even after six months. The biggest change I'm noticing so far has got to be the traffic, it has gotten noticibly worse since I last came. People I've been talking to agree as well. Also there are a lot more aggressive drivers and road rage-ish types. This is significant being that I've been living in a place where with some pretty inconsiderate drivers as is. Had dinner with friends, family, perceptions of life and occupations are hitting me now. I'm in between degrees more or less, but am still experiencing the working life. I also am confused with how charmed some people's lives are in general. I think about the dragon's comments about how some people can live through life fully subsidized by their folks through college, grad school, and even when they start their first real job. I really wonder if it is more so here at home than on the mainland. 1 2 . 1 9 . 0 4 First snowfall of the year in DC, first wintry weather in general. Might actually hit zero degrees tonight, a lot colder than normal. Walking home from the metro I swear I was in Wisconsin again. Icy paths and bone chilling winds. Went skating on the National Mall today, strange seeing it all frozen now compared to the summertime when it was a fountain. Then it started snowing/sleeting, walked to the Metro in a flurry of frozen rain and ice. Just found out that it might snow up to 2 inches tonight, kind of unexpected considering the moderate temps we've been seeing so far this year. Saw Sideways this weekend too, I liked it a lot, partly because of Paul Giamatti, but also because of the interesting and realistic storyline. I think it had a little bit of the lonesome feel to it, with the characters going through some of life's bumps, struggling with the transition. Overall it was a very real low key film, in that I don't think that it was far off from what people are actually going through in life. Of course there was a lot of good wine involved as well, and life in California. Will be going home for a visit pretty soon for about a week. Looking forward to it, although the reality that I may very well be on the continental US for at least a couple of years more is dampering it. It will be good to see home again, and spend some time with my folks, but knowing that I'll be headed back in no time is a bit of a cop-out. I have my eyes on some bigger plans though, hopefully things will work out. If not, I'll most likely take some language classes. Had a dream about going back to Japan, this time stopping by in Tokyo to visit friends on my way to Naha. I notice that I never seem to make it there, always getting stuck in the subway, or some love hotel of sorts. Someday I'll go for sure I think. 1 2 . 1 2 . 0 4 Got back from Atlanta, I think it was a good trip overall. Had some good food in between agency meetings, even the cafeteria was pretty nice as well. I suppose it is a southern town with a big city feel to it. A couple observations of Atlanta in general, the traffic was pretty brutal, I think the city is a prime example of how much Americans love their cars. Got to stay in the Westin Buckhead, which was pretty nice for a business trip, not to mention the reduced room rate. Traveling for work is a different experience, I think in general it puts you on edge being that your boss and co-workers are right there with you the whole way, it adds a layer of stress in deciding where and when to stop for lunch, who drives, when to leave, etc. And when things don't go quite as planned, then there is a mini crisis or two that come about. For me personally I've been kind of blah about a lot of this, I've gotten so used to travelling solo from Madison to Honolulu so many times that the layovers and delayed flights don't faze me nearly as much as the average person. Can't say that I'm all too thrilled about work travel, although I think if I went to the private sector and could upgrade my seat to anything but coach, then maybe I would change my mind. The seats on delta really suck. One thing that I noticed is that the airline industry is not really customer-oriented. Given all the security demands and fuel costs one might be sympathetic to their challenges, but after reading up on some of their business practices I have to be a little skeptical. I've been noticing the demographics of a lot of agencies that I've been visiting, along with the observations of the federal government as well. To be blunt, its surprisingly haole, in saying this I should mention that while I fully expected a majority, I didn't think it would be at this level. I notice that aside from the few token minorities (including myself) most of the people of color are either custodial, security, or office supply support staff in most of the agencies. Went to a row house party last night and off to U street to a place called Saint Ex. It was a standard DC bar/club with two floors featuring two different types of music and venues. The usual crowded fare with lots of dressed up 20-somethings and lots of smoke. Haven't been out dancing in a while it was a change of pace for sure. The crowd I was with was a mix of professionals, another change of pace from the college/grad student fare. I noticed that I started to get a little winded by about 2am, I think working full time takes some of the energy out of you to party all night long. 1 2 . 7 . 0 4 December is here and 2004 is almost pau. I just got the results of my first assessment today, It looks like I'll be getting a bigger paycheck, with a slight bump in my biweekly budgets. I'm still a little fuzzy on how it all adds up, but all I know is that a got an email this afternoon outlining my base pay increase pre-locality. It seems like the first period went by a lot quicker than I had originally expected, and at least on paper the mid-result has been a very positive one. Pau with 5/6 apps, really am hoping that this will be the last time I ever have to apply for any kind of academic program, period. I probably shouldnt' be complaining, being that I have gotten into a number of schools already, but held back on committing to them in pursuit of other opportunities and experiences that sometimes presented themselves quite suddenly. I'm crossing my fingers that the little extra effort I put in drafting some writing samples will pay off this time. Heading down to Atlanta to visit an agency and get some information on their programs and procedures. Probably get a tour of their facilities as well, looking forward to it. Will be staying in a pretty nice hotel, at the expense of the agency, another perk. I'll get to add another state to my list. Lots going on in the world today, added some links to the index.html page on articles that I've come accross. one that stuck out: religious views of Robert M. La Follette. |