Tales From a Lost College Grad

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2008-11-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

My heart was definitely not here this Thanksgiving. Don't get me wrong, I definitely enjoyed every scrap of juicy turkey and the mounds of buttery mashed potatoes, but I couldn't get my mind off of the terrorist attacks that occurred in Mumbai, India two days ago. My heart goes out to all those who were affected by these events. I traveled through India for two months in April and May 2008 and it is truly shocking to see what has happened. From what I have gathered from various news sites, nobody seems to know who was behind the attacks. LeT ( Islamic extremist group) has condemned the attacks. Speculations of a Pakistani extremist group has also been suggested due to a tense relationship between India and Pakistan that has been going on since India's independence from Britain. Al Qaeda has been brought up, but the attacks were not very characteristic of Al Qaeda (mass casualties, suicide bombers) Also in the mix is a new group called Deccan Mujahideen, but nobody seems to have much information on them. What is interesting to me is the fact that whoever did this horrible act is really wanting to see India suffer. I mean what better way to scare away tourists than to bomb all of the tourist hotels and hot spots in the area? India is going to feel a huge impact from this event and definitely struggle financially. Was this the plan? Who wants to see India go down so badly? It breaks my heart to see such a lively and historical city go down in flames. You can only do so much to promote peace in this world and despite tremendous effort, shit is going to happen. Life is unpredictable. I'm here for the ride.

Life Without a Dryer

2008-11-25T00:31:00.000-07:00

Last week my clothes dryer decided to stop blowing hot air. This was disastrous at first, considering that my dryer is my iron. ( I hate ironing with a passion) My routine was tampered, clothes were piling up and my wet, now moldy clothes from the day before had to be re-washed. What the hell was I going to do without a dryer?! Later in the week, after realizing I had no clean underwear, I decided to accept my broken dryer and show it who’s boss. I washed a load of laundry and proceeded to lay all of my clothes on the table on the back patio. (wow what a concept) It probably took about two minutes longer to do this rather than to just throw them in the dryer. Luckily, I live in Arizona and all of my clothes were dry within the hour. I then put all the clothes into the broken dryer and “fluffed” them with cool air like the dryer mechanic suggested. He really knows what he’s talking about, they were as good as new. Take that dryer! I now am completely satisfied living without a dryer and saving roughly $85.00 per year. Now I have to stay in Arizona so I can continue my new life, drylerless...

Little Tomatoes Make Me Happy

2008-11-15T00:31:00.000-07:00

Tomatillos are officially my new favorite vegetable (technically it’s a fruit) and I don’t know how I have survived five and a half years in Arizona without discovering this scrumptious little vegetable! It’s a staple in Latin American sauces, such as green chile from Mexico and it’s fabulous in salads! Tomatillos come in a green husk and are similar to tomatoes, but more crispy and much more tart. The word tomatillo really means “little tomato” and they belong to the tomato family, just a different genus or class. Another reason to Love Mexico! Try this delicious recipe for a refreshing little snack or serve with rice as I like it :)

1/4 Onion, diced
2 Tomatillos, diced
1/2 tomato, diced
1 ear of corn (taken off husk)
1 Jalepeno, diced
1 Anaheim chili, diced (optional)
Cojito cheese (Smei-soft Mexican cheese)
diced chicken (cooked) (optional)
2 Tbs Olive oil
* Thrown onion and olive oil in pan and cook for 5 min on medium heat, then add everything else except the cheese and cook for another five minutes. Lastly, add cheese, cook for another two minutes and Enjoy!

Good Vibrations

2008-11-13T00:30:00.000-07:00

Maybe waiting tables right now is not such a bad job after all, considering our current economic situation, where millions are without jobs. This situation we are in also generates excellent eavesdropping opportunities at my tables. I hear bits and pieces of all types of conversations, ranging from catty gossip to corporate lingo and nonsense numbers. However, lately there has been much talk about our own government and economy. “ I think it’s a great time to be a proud American.” I heard one man say as I cleared his half-eaten quesadilla plate off the table. I intentionally took my sweet time cleaning the table just to hear a bit more of their conversation. I love how I can learn what the public is thinking through actually listening first hand, rather than receiving a generated opinion from FOX or CNN through “breaking” news. (Has anyone noticed how everything is breaking news now? What ever happened to preserving the “breaking News” graphic for actual breaking news?) Anyway, as I slowly cleared off their table I heard the other person reply, “ Yeah you know I heard that they were thinking about having some republicans join Obama’s administration, wouldn’t that be a great idea.” I smiled as I walked away and thought, you know, I am proud to be an American. We have hung our heads low for a while, but look at us now, we are progressive, working toward change and have a reason to lift our heads up.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

2008-11-06T00:28:00.000-07:00

The past few months have been rough on the wallet and it seemed like everyday things were getting worse in the economy and a cloud of negativity has been lingering over Americans and for once introducing uncertainty into our lives. People have not been proud to be American and most definitely have not been feeling American, like we used to. Recent events in the past four years have been building on each other and in the last few months everything ultimately came together and crushed our economy, spirits and hope.
To be an American before today was tough. However, when I got off work last night at 3:30AM I was so tired but I hadn’t seen any of the Election Day media or television so really I had no idea what happened, I just knew that Obama had won. ( I work at the Arizona Biltmore, the location of John McCain’s concession speech.) So I came home and immediately jumped on the Internet, went straight to the BBC website and I absorbed all that my mind would let me at 3:30 in the morning. I had an overwhelming feeling of hope and optimism as soon as I read the headline “Change has come to America”. I skimmed through the headline article and discovered an amazing sense of respect throughout the entire piece, which seemed very sincere and congratulatory for the American people. I proceeded to click on the videos to gain some more knowledge of just how powerful this election is to the world. There was one video, which was a montage of video clips from around the world capturing the reaction to Obama’s victory. The clips ranged anywhere from school children in Indonesia to people in Obama, Japan yelling “Yes he can! Yes he can!”
I became a little emotional when I watched it, I guess because I realized that the next time I go to Europe to visit my dad’s wife and family I won’t have to hang my head down and avoid the topic of America’s problems and poor leadership. Now I can travel the world and feel proud again to be an American, a feeling that has been lost for far too long. I’m not saying that the economy is going to improve overnight and our situation in the Middle East will all of a sudden disappear, but what will happen over night and what has happened over night is our faith in this country. Expectations are vast and Obama has an enormous role to fill, but at lease now we have a leader to be proud of, we have something to look forward to and most importantly we have hope.

18 Hour Election Day Marathon

2008-11-06T00:27:00.000-07:00

November 4th began when I rolled out of bed, put on some pants, grabbed my voter’s registrations card and walked down the street to Mohave Middle school to vote for our next president. It was pretty exciting, especially the part where I accidentally connected both lines for one judge on my ballot. I knew I did it, but I mean you can’t erase it and redoing the entire ballot was not happening at 7:30 in the morning. So, the machine beeped at me and the nice old man who was watching the machine asked me if I wanted to do it over. I smiled and said, “No thanks, it’s fine.” I took my “I voted” sticker and walked home. (The judge part was only voided not the voting for president part.)

Next, I drove to work early because we had to park a mile away due to security restrictions (The Secret Service is so badass) and this is where my 18-hour day began. I hopped on the shuttle bus that takes us to the hotel and Judy kept me company on the seat beside me.
Let me tell you a little about Judy. Judy is a bitter old lady with long red hair and lipstick-stained teeth who has worked at the Biltmore for 30+ years as a cocktail waitress. She makes a weird sort of complaining noise with her mouth when she talks to you that is similar to a sigh but with attitude. Judy has seen it all let me tell you. I’ll have more Judy stories to come, but for now, just have fun with the image you have.
We get off the bus, clock in, and begin our day. The Secret Service is everywhere checking out the place, reporters are plentiful and McCain workforce take over the patio. The Secret Service is just how I imagined by the way, like in the movies. They all wear sunglasses and suits and are constantly looking around all the time. It was highly entertaining. The majority of the day was spent feeding and hydrating camera crews and McCain campaign staff who probably hadn’t eaten in a few days. The atmosphere was lively and anticipation seeped through tired bodies still hard at work.
Judy was complaining about some nonsense with the peanuts when I noticed a camera man sit down with his equipment at my table. He had a certain demeanor about him that was intriguing. He calmly sat in the chair and observed the activities going on. I began to speak with him and realized he didn’t speak English. He was from Colombia. Good thing I speak Spanish. We talked for a bit and he well of course he was covering the election for a news station in Colombia and didn’t speak a lick of English. I said goodbye and realized what a crazy site this must be for him. It must have been a whirlwind of a ride for someone who didn’t understand what was happening or being said. The day went by very fast and before I knew it,t he sun had set, Obama was a clear winner and secret service was back one last time to do a clean sweep of the property before McCain delivered his concession speech.

Then came the drinks. There was a rather long line at the bar, so I started to go up in line and take orders. I asked one woman if I could get her a drink. She replied, “YES! you can definitely get me a drink I definitely need a drink!” Then she put her hand on my shoulder and proceeded to tell me, “ I have been working on this campaign for two years....I need a drink, yes I need a drink.”

Alright then, you need a drink. Needless to say I brought her as well as hundreds of others a drink or five that evening. However, the drinks were not depressing lets-drink-to-eas-the-pain-drinks, but more so drinks that were drunk for a job well done, a battle fought hard and a toast to new beginnings.

At 4AM I finally left my home away from home and passed out as soon as I hit the pillow. I witnessed history that day and will never forget it.