Thanksgiving 2008

keeping with tradition, kevin and i hosted our pre-thanksgiving holiday feast. typically, this meal is a chance for friends to gather and enjoy each others company in a nice holiday setting before everyone scattered to their respective homes.

maybe its my slowing metabolism, my chronic laziness, the lack of gym time in my schedule, or the growing amounts of liquor i have been consuming...but i have recently added a little extra plushiness to my waistline. normally, i'd be disgusted at my gluttony, but its thanksgiving, my favorite holiday of the year (and yes, only because of the food).

so to indulge ourselves, we had a nice gathering with a LOT of food...turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, ribeye with gorganzola cream sauce, pork chops and apples with bourbon glaze, tossed salad with homemade pomegranate citrus dressing, mac n cheese, african chicken and rice stew, candied yams, stuffing, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and lots of cornbread with honey butter...and desserts of pumpkin cheesecake, layer chocolate pistachio cake, and pecan tarts.

if that hasn't got your mouth salivating yet...you can just look at these.

delicious...

Fame

after 24 years of life, experiences in many foreign lands, life stories from all walks, i have finally made it to the big time...i made it to the realm of jon stewart, bart simpson, josh lyman, and ari gold...i made it to television.

for those of you who would like to now join my entourage, please apply via the comment box.

yes, my friends, i have been featured (and when i say featured, i mean the camera panned over me while i was leaning against a wall at my boss's press conference) on c-span. for those of you outside the beltway, c-span is the network that covers congress and the rest of the government.

why was i given this golden opportunity to break the minority mold in television? contrary to previous understandings, i did not come to dc to open a shoe store (it was merely a side venture). i came here for the betterment of society, to improve the lives of millions, to make a difference...this is where you all decide to move out of the country.

but the past few weeks has been dedicated to producing my boss's vision for health care reform and the future of that endeavor. it was a massive project and a bold movement...it required hours of dedication, gallons of coffee, countless missed meals, and tireless execution to produce this 90 page document...and while the health team of the senate finance committee laboriously and amazingly produced this work, i enjoyed my weekends, hour and half lunches, and midday naps. so accordingly, i will take all the credit.

but in all honestly, for those who don't believe that i do work...here is the result of the many hours all of put into, your tax dollars at work.

Yes We Did

we stood in the face of history this election, and with the support of over 63 million Americans, we took one giant leap forward. this greatness of this election was not how barack obama was going to solve the problems of the economy, of health care, of energy, or the wars...but it was about the resurrection of the American spirit that has been drowned out by years of disappointment, corruption, and failures. but now, there is new hope, new energy, new passion flowing downward from the white house and into the fingertips of all Americans...we have found the change that we seek.

for me, it was simple to understand the moment and impact of this election and what it will mean for me and the rest of the world, but for those who were unsure, here's a great reason why we voted for this man.

watching the results with my fellow hopefuls across an array of televisions, it was an unbelievable feeling to see state after state turn blue, to see that check mark next to barack's name. and after pennsylvania and new hampshire got called, we were on the cusp of making history, only needed one of the many previously red states to turn blue...and with one quick flicker on the television screen, a riotous cheer, high fives and hugs to friends and strangers alike, we saw ohio turn blue and the race was over. and the rest was history...a phrase never more befitting the moment.

i was truly in shock as we returned to my place to watch the final push, the west coast numbers...where my homestate of california put him over the top and cnn, msnbc, and even foxnews had to call it...Barack Obama declared the next president of the United States.

i will never forget this moment in my life, where i was, who i was with...as i'm sure neither will any of you.

november 4th, 2008

Hope

"That’s what hope is—that thing inside that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that there are better days ahead."
- Barack Obama

now...how you apply that is up to you