Unapologetic

I am writing this here for catharsis and because I refuse to clog Facebook with a rant like this, even with all of 3 readers. (<3 you guys).  This is what I would post on Facebook today:

I voted for President Obama and I'm not ashamed. I voted for President Obama and I'm not ignorant, uneducated, uninformed, or lazy. In fact, I have a law degree, am well-read, and I stay informed on current events.  I don't live off the government. I work hard and so does my husband. We pay taxes. We are "responsible" for our lives. So are many of my friends and colleagues who also re-elected the president. Some of the smartest and kindest people I know. 

I don't expect government handouts but my experience tells me that there are people in our country much less fortunate and in many ways through no fault of their own who do need help. My career is dedicated to serving the underprivileged. While it is true that some poor people take advantage of government benefits, it is also true that big corporations and the wealthy take advantage of them, too. Entitlement isn't just a poor problem. You might want to put all the blame on the President for economic state of the country, but how about taking individual responsibility, too? For example, stop supporting chains like Walmart that sell you mass produced products from other countries with terrible working conditions, and buy local. Don't spend beyond your means and then complain about paying taxes. You don't really need to spend $500 on the latest I-phone, do you? How about you volunteer to mentor someone who needs job training? And how about you give credit where it's due? If you bought a house this year, the record low mortgage rates are thanks to the government policies. 

I'm not blind to the fact that our system is in need of reform and that our national debt is a problem. I just don't believe that cutting spending on important things like investing in sustainable energy and education is the way  to do it. Investments are important- and all business-minded people should know this. I also don't believe that the private health care industry can be expected to provide reasonable health care for the average person, and I do believe that we are spending a lot of money on the uninsured. I believe it will take more than 4 years to get out of the mess that was made during the Bush years. 

Besides all that, while Mitt Romney himself has led an impressive life, his party stands for the oppression of minorities- they support the "show your papers" law in Arizona, they want to force their particular brand of religion on gay and lesbian people who want to get married, and while they moan about government intervening in their lives, they are okay with the government interfering with women's lives when it comes to contraception and child-bearing. I could never get behind a party who operates in one exclusive world-view.

So the next time you decide to post some hateful comment about how stupid more than half of your fellow citizens are, consider that you are publicly pigeon-holing more than half of the county into a category that just isn't fair, and is not reality. No, I didn't vote for him "just because he's black." That is offensive. No, I'm not ignorant. No, I'm not stupid. No, I'm not blind to the problems that our nation is facing. I just have a different view on how to move forward, and I'm trying (perhaps too hard) to respect your differences by not belittling you on Facebook with rash and offensive generalizations about people who voted for Romney (and believe me, I have plenty). 

Thanks,

Your fellow Citizen.

Good Reads- Fall 2012

When I was a kid, I read voraciously. I would read a book under my desk during class in grade school or read while walking in single-file line. (Do they still make kids do that?)  In high school I would get busted for staying up late into the night reading, when blocking the light in the door crack didn't work so well. Fiction is and has always been an escape for me. A good story might be the only place my singular attention can be captured, and I can be fully absorbed. Since moving back to Cincinnati, I've had the luxury to have more time and more brain energy left to read on a consistent basis, and a kindle that makes it possible for me to get a book while sitting on the couch. I've also had some family drama that probably contributed to my desire to block out and escape. Plus the Cincinnati Public Library system is the bomb. It seems silly that I would make lists and not include one about books. So here it is, my current top book recommendations in no particular order, with a short description, to answer the commonly seen Facebook post: "Any book recommendations?" Enjoy!

1. Last Night in Twisted River, John Irving: A dense, richly detailed novel about a cook and his son, who at the age of 12 mistakenly thought the local constable's wife was a bear. The two become fugitives, and the story tracks their progression from town to town and city to city. One of my favorite Irving books.
2. American Salvage, Bonnie Jo Campbell. Gritty meth country short stories.
3. The Devil all the Time, Donald Ray Pollack. A dark look into the lives of rural Ohio serial killers...
4. Chemistry and Other Stories, Ron Rash. Great short story collection, very poignant. 
5. The Art of Fielding, Char Harbach
6. In One Person, John Irving. A book about sexuality: transgender transformations, bi-sexuality, and relationships. 
7. Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern. Very beautiful and imaginative book about magic and the circus. 
8. Waiting, Ha Jin. A Chinese doctor caught between his wife and another woman, who exist in vastly different worlds- painfully beautiful book about betrayal, action and inaction... 
9. Lowboy, John Wray. A story following the journey of a mentally ill teenaged boy in New York. 
10. A Visit from the Goon Squad, Jennifer Eagan. Collection of intersecting short stories of characters in the music industry.
11. 1Q84, Haruki Murakami. Bizzarely wonderful Japanese crime/mystery novel. Worth the long read.
12. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz. Another book that is worth the long read- rich in Dominican political history- follows the life of poor, overweight, hapless Oscar Wao. One of my favorite contemporary authors. 
13. The Bayou Trilogy, Daniel Woodrell. Amazing writing, amazing stories. Think The Wire set in Louisiana. 

NYC and Love, Not Hate

I forgot how the heat encompasses you during a summer in New York City, but it certainly could not be ignored as I walked out of Penn Station  into the busy streams of pedestrians coming from all sides last month. I lived in NYC for just one summer, and it was long enough and short enough for me to still feel romantic about it- all the food, the lights, the people, the seemingly endless mass of neighborhoods and boroughs. Play Jay-Z and Alicia Keys "New York" in the background... 

During this visit, I had a chance to visit the 9-11 Memorial. I'm not sure how to put this- I'm not someone who was personally impacted by this event, just someone who was struck and saddened by the tragedy like any other American. I am patriotic in the sense that I love and acknowledge the freedom and privileges that most in our country can enjoy, and believe that the U.S. still has a lot of people who believe in being a force for good and have the ability to come together in strife. But I'm not someone who wears red, white and blue or will have flags in my yard. All this is to say that despite all that, I saw the reflection pools and all I could say was a breathless, "Whoa." The two pools sit where the twin towers were. The vastness of the pools, seemingly bottomless, quietly expresses a mutely deep grief over the loss of so many innocent lives. And maybe a mourning for the pre-911 America. It seems like so much has changed since then (or am I just older and wiser now?)- it's unleashed a blind "patriotism" and a vitriol that maybe was always simmering under the surface. Maybe it's just fear. But in honor of the day, this week I choose to remember the times when the country came together and were kind to each other, and hope that memories of those days will sustain us and lead the way in the decades to come.

On a lighter note...

Didn't know Mr. Ban Ki Moon had my email address! Found in my spam and made me laugh out loud:

Thoughts on a Tragedy

I woke up this morning to the news of the horrible shooting at the Aurora, CO movie theater. It feels so heavy, not just because Denver has such a special place in my heart, but because senseless violence like this is so hard to reconcile. There will be a heated debate, again, about gun control and gun rights. There will be finger pointing about who is responsible, rhetoric about what should have been done and what needs to be done to prevent this kind of thing again.

Lost in the mix will be the truth of the matter: this is an unspeakable tragedy to those killed, injured, and affected. Lost in the mix will be the fact that we cannot prevent every violent anomaly from taking place, and that no amount of tightened security or concealed weapons will stop unpredictable and random violence.

I hope this means, at least for me and those I love, that we appreciate each other that much more and cherish life. I hope it means that I remember to be kind to everyone I encounter, because who knows what sort of on-going internal anger this young man has had towards his fellow human beings and all the small and great actions that contributed to the terrible decision he made.

There really are not words to encapsulate this- so I'll leave it at that.

Letter to the Enquirer: Learn to Edit

Dear Cincinnati.com,

Would you like to pay me to edit your online articles? This is one of many sloppily released stories that no one bothered to give a good read over. So, instead, you have partial bits of notes and a lot of repetition. It's really pretty pathetic that it takes a bunch of Facebook comments about how poorly written an article is before you fix it. Seriously. If you can't afford editors, then teach your reporters to write. 

Exhibit B:

Sincerely,

A

Summer Love- Cincinnati

The few brief rains this weekend has brought a steamy sort of relief to the hot Midwest summer. It's cooler than our week of 100+ heat, but the rain has just evaporated into the trademark Ohio humidity. Sticky.

Despite the heat, the summer has deepened my love for Cincinnati. So many amazing things going on in the city: reopening of Washington Park, Bunbury Music Festival, the World Choir Games, and on and on. Beyond the bigger events, you have baseball, the river for boating, and the many neighborhood monthly activities like the Hyde Park Farmer's Market, Oakley After Hours, Second Sundays on Main, Final Fridays in OTR, and City Flea. Hey, Cincinnatians, did you know that your urban core is this vibrant and beautiful? I hope so. Before I became a Cincinnatian, I took those who called this city the "Nasty Nati" at their word, but the city as I know it now is nothing of the sort. From the beautiful hills, gorgeous historic architecture, and distinct history and culture, this is a unique city. Yes, there is a certain uber-conservative, anti-progressive contingency here that turns me off and scares me, but honestly, it seems these days that you'd be hard pressed to find a city that does not have that element when the country has become this polarized. (Not to say there isn't a difference in concentration.) This is all to say, I love this city and I love showing it off to people and changing their minds about it. It's not Denver or San Francisco or NYC, but it's home and it's special.

Okay, off my soapbox. To make up for my crimes of listening to terrible pop, here are my more recent real musical finds:

1. Bad Veins: A band of Cincinnati natives, Bad Veins has really captured my interest with their two-man show and the fact that they play off a tape deck. And the lead singer sings into a phone sometimes. Lead Benjamin Davis has a nicely unique voice and the latest album, "The Mess We've Made" is a great mixture of drama and upbeat melodies. Look, I'm not a music writer, so just try it out if you like indie rock. They were super endearing at the Bunbury Festival, too.
2. Regina Spektor: I love her. Her new album, "What We Saw from the Cheap Seats," doesn't disappoint. Always quirky but never failing to deliver in her powerful, tremendous voice and classical piano prowess. 
3. Belle Histoire: Another Cincinnati band that is creeping into the scene! They just released their latest album, "Dreamers," on July 17.  I'm not sure if this will become a favorite, but the vocals are good and it's easy to listen to.
4. The Deep Dark Woods: I am a sucker for deep male vocals. The lead singer of this band has a voice reminiscent of one of my favorites, the National. The instrumentals and beat tend to have a bit of a country twang, but much more folky and a little haunting.
5. Of Monsters and Men: Reminiscent of Stars, I first saw this Icelandic band playing "Little Talks" randomly on a music video channel. There is a lead male/female duo: male vocalist think cross between the Weakerthan's, Decemberists and Ben Gibbard. Female vocalist: Feist/Regina Spektor/Bjork. 

instagram taken on stage by bad veins (I'm way up in the back)

I Might Never Not Be Sore Again

June marked my 30th birthday. I don't feel particularly different; really 29 almost seemed less interesting. I will say that one marked difference between being say, 26, and 30 is it seems like no matter how much I work out, I will feel sore. That, and it takes longer to get back into shape when it's so easy to fall out of it.

It's my second summer back in Cincinnati, which means it's the time of nearly suffocating, heavy, hot air. You can't be outside for a few minutes without breaking a sweat. Disgusting, but I suppose I chose to move back here. The husband and I have love-hated having a yard for the first time. During the spring we played the weed or plant game (definitely weeded non-weeds and left real weeds a few times) with the landscaping that was left by our predecessor. We are learning all sorts of things: pruning rosebushes, that hostas need to be separated when spanning 4 feet in diameter, vines are annoying parasites... We also have our first vegetable garden, which is slowly growing in this oppressive Midwest heat. I'll have to post a picture soon. We're also getting eaten alive by mosquitoes. These little jerks in our back yard are savages, truly. I once ran out fully clothed in the heat with a hoodie and pants on to water the garden and got bit square on my neck. Bastards!

Aaand because I love me some lists, here are a few...

Summer highlights 2012 in the 'Nati:

1. Loveland Bike Trail- This is a great trail that is fairly flat, protected, and mostly shaded. It's great to stop in Loveland for lunch and browse around, or do Newtown to Milford, etc. 
2. Lunken Bike Trail- A (much) less shaded and shorter option, you might catch a glimpse of some old-school planes around the airport.
3. Bunbury Festival- I'm really excited about this. Great line-up and I love the park.
4. Washington Park- Opens today! And Over the Rhine, one of my all time favorites, is performing for the grand opening on July 22, and I am crying inside because we are out of town that week and can't see it.
5. Smale Riverfront Park- Just another beautiful new piece to the downtown scene. See the pretty lights and water?

Guilty pleasures.. for my workouts... right... 

1. Boyfriend, Justin Bieber. Every time I acknowledge that I find this song catchy, I die a little bit inside. So wrong. But so catchy.
2. Payphone, Maroon 5. The music video is stupid. It makes no sense. Why did he save the girl and run out and then become the fugitive? What about the real robbers? Were they actually in a relationship before? IT MAKES NO SENSE. But I love belting out this song in the privacy of my own car. I love that it's jaded.
3. Call Me Maybe, Carly Rae Jepson. This is a vapidly silly song. I blame Jimmy Fallon for getting it in my head by creating this video with her and his band. They are having so much fun cheesing it up. $#%^#&.
4. Pause, Pitbull. Tell me this doesn't make you want to stop drop and pause.
5. Wild Ones, Flo-Rida feat Sia. I love Sia. Also, I kept listening to this because it sounded to me like she was singing "Running with Wilson, I'm on the prowl." Which made no sense. Wilson? Like the volleyball in Castaway? No, it's wolves. Which actually makes sense. I just love fist pumping after the opening riff and the beat comes in. 

Pin-sanity: Pinterest

Can we talk about the evil amazingness of Pinterest.com for a minute? It is the ultimate virtual bulletin board. You've probably heard your girlfriends rave about it, and seen your guy friends roll their eyes about it. Well, I've jumped on the bandwagon. Here's why:

• Easy execution: make your boards as you go (essentially tags) and with the "pin it" bookmark button, you can pin wherever you are browsing.
• Visually simple: just pictures, everywhere
• Better than bookmarking: you can visually identify the project and then if you click on it, the site will direct you to the original webpage.
• Great for inspiration and ideas: follow other people with similar styles or interests to maximize your world. 

So, are you in?

Find my boards at: http://pinterest.com/angechang/