Michael Jackson is gone.

Damn.

God I HATE moving.

Alles Gute zum Geburtstag, Opa!

Ich werd für uns beide feiern.

It's kind of strange to see my last post now. When I wrote that, I felt like time was running out way too fast. Now I just want this year to end. Every day feels endless and my sleeping schedule is all messed up.

It's the first day in two weeks that I feel like even touching this keyboard, so I'll take the chance to do what I wanted to do ever since December 18th. Even though I only have four people reading this, I feel the need to give a big shout-out to zeraphita.

I must confess that I cannot recall exactly what it was you said to me that day. All I know is that your words gave me comfort. You gave me the best gift I could have hoped for - precious peace of mind for five sweet days in a time where I couldn't bear being awake. In the end there's nothing even you can say to make everything better, but you gave me respite when I badly needed it and helped me gain the strength to somehow make it through the following days. I don't think you're aware of just how much you helped me, so I want to thank you.

So, zeraphita is the best person ever. Thank you.

The end of the year, that is. It's only December 7th, but I still feel like I have no time left.

December 5th was my last day in the office for this year, so right now I'm officially on holiday! But sadly, there's not going to be much opportunity for simple rest and relaxation. Starting from tomorrow, I'll be spending the rest of the year in three different countries, without spending more than a week in one place. And I still don't know where I'll be for New Year's Eve!

Off to do some packing!

Don't get me wrong, I love my job, I love my colleagues, I even love my desk and the plant next to it, but right now I'm beyond frustrated and disappointed.

What else is new? I have a new phone number, so for those who don't have it already and think it would make a neat addition to their phone book, tell me and I'll pass it along to you.

I can't believe it's already December 1st! My last day of work (December 5th) is approaching fast. Which means I have exactly one week to get a couple of things done before I'm on a long, sure to be hectic but great vacation. Not to mention that I get to see my family again for the first time in five years. A few weeks earlier I couldn't wait to go, but right now I'm more anxious. My grandfather is in pretty bad shape and I hate to leave him behind. I suppose there's no use in worrying too much right now, but I just can't help it. That's been the cause of many nightmares of mine - him passing away while I'm far away and can't get to him in time.

...Wow. That was a depressing post. Let's lighten the mood with an Avatar flash video that for some strange reason makes me laugh (even though I've never seen the show):



Avatar: Zuko the fire lord by *Go-Devil-Dante on deviantART

( What I have to say about the results on the 2008 ballot measures concerning gay rights )

Enough said.

Alllrighty! It's November 4th! I am already already happy, if only because the election is finally over!

I didn't get to post many entries lately. Since I don't want to bore you with long entries, let me summarize the last few days:

- Despite the odds, I managed to obtain a ballot and send it back just in time for the election. I voted! Booyah!

- I voted in Tingle's Voting Booth (this one is more for _wyrd_sister_ - it was the only place in the office I could go to for some "privacy"!)

- To my surprise, the ballot listed seven presidential candidates as well as candidates for Senate and House of Representatives. Why didn't anyone tell me I had to cast three votes, not just one? Damn the Democrat-Republican mainstream media! *shakes fist*

- I didn't vote consistently for one party.

- If Obama doesn't win, I'll have to face the wrath of my colleagues. Also, he'd owe me roughly 100 € shipping costs as well as at least 50 € in compensation for running around for at least 4 hours per day. You hear that, Obama?! You better win!

- Biden is made of AWESOME.

- So is Obama.

- I want a sticker saying "I voted" too!

- International threats are lurking right in front of the Alaska border!

That said, I might stay up all night to watch the election results. Hey, I might be watching history in the making! And now that I've been all serious and voted, I can go for the mindless fangirling portion, yes?

( ETAs, ETAs, ETAs )

Congratulation Barack Obama, President-elect of the United States of America, and congratulation, Joe Biden, Vice President-elect!!

That said, this election is not over for me yet.

( Proposition 8 )

Election Day is little more than a week away, but whoever thought that the last nine days of the election were going to be uneventful needs to think again. Today's articles have already been very interesting:

Anchorage Daily News sez: Obama for President!

Yes, the Anchorage Daily News, the biggest newspaper in Alaska, has just given out their endorsement - and it's not for the McCain-Palin ticket. To quote:

Gov. Palin's nomination clearly alters the landscape for Alaskans as we survey this race for the presidency -- but it does not overwhelm all other judgment. The election, after all is said and done, is not about Sarah Palin, and our sober view is that her running mate, Sen. John McCain, is the wrong choice for president at this critical time for our nation.

Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, brings far more promise to the office. In a time of grave economic crisis, he displays thoughtful analysis, enlists wise counsel and operates with a cool, steady hand. The same cannot be said of Sen. McCain.

And despite the main focus of their criticism being on McCain, Palin herself is not exactly praised either.

Gov. Palin has shown the country why she has been so successful in her young political career. Passionate, charismatic and indefatigable, she draws huge crowds and sows excitement in her wake. (...)

Yet despite her formidable gifts, few who have worked closely with the governor would argue she is truly ready to assume command of the most important, powerful nation on earth. To step in and juggle the demands of an economic meltdown, two deadly wars and a deteriorating climate crisis would stretch the governor beyond her range. Like picking Sen. McCain for president, putting her one 72-year-old heartbeat from the leadership of the free world is just too risky at this time.

Ouch.

Many wonder what Gov. Palin's face will be like when she finds out, but I think she has other things to worry about:

Several McCain advisers have suggested to CNN that they have become increasingly frustrated with what one aide described as Palin "going rogue."
(...)

McCain sources say Palin has gone off-message several times, and they privately wonder whether the incidents were deliberate.(...)

A second McCain source says she appears to be looking out for herself more than the McCain campaign.

"She is a diva. She takes no advice from anyone," said this McCain adviser. "She does not have any relationships of trust with any of us, her family or anyone else.

"Also, she is playing for her own future and sees herself as the next leader of the party. Remember: Divas trust only unto themselves, as they see themselves as the beginning and end of all wisdom."

While I can certainly see her desire to break free from the restraints the campaign has put on her, she should also realize the restraints were there for a reason. Whenever she was allowed to say something, she made a complete idiot out of herself. And also, it's just nine days before the election! Way to sabotage your own campaign! It's not like it's already struggling...

All this is fortunate for the Obama-Biden campaign, of course. Biden - also known to the media as "the gaffe machine" - has made several statements that could have been a bit troubling. Just a few days ago, Biden has made a remark about Obama's first six months of presidency, in which he suggested that the enemies might "test" Obama. He even said Hillary Clinton would have been the better VP pick, compared to him!

Then again, at this rate, Biden would have to set Obama on fire to compete with the disaster that is the Republican ticket.

Ich bin heute über ein sehr interessantes Blog gestolpert, das ich euch nicht vorenthalten will:

http://bestatterweblog.de/

Wie der Name schon sagt, handelt es sich hier um das Weblog eines Bestatters. Für interessante, gut geschriebene Einblicke in die Welt eines Bestatters, die einen durchaus auch zum Nachdenken anregen, bitte dem Link folgen.

( Persönliche Empfehlung für einen Eintrag und mein Familienprojekt )

Colin Powell endorses Obama.

This might not be too unexpected, but this is huge. Colin Powell is a Republican, after all, despite his break from the Bush administration. And for someone with so many military and foreign policy credentials to endorse Obama against his long-time friend McCain is amazing.

He made some very good points, too, such as the following:

Powell said he was concerned about what he characterized as a recent negative turn of Republican candidate Sen. John McCain's campaign, such as the campaign's attempts to tie Obama to former 1960s radical Bill Ayers.

"I think that's inappropriate. I understand what politics is about -- I know how you can go after one another, and that's good. But I think this goes too far, and I think it has made the McCain campaign look a little narrow. It's not what the American people are looking for," he said.

And he is right. The McCain campaign became progressively nastier, which might be what the Republican base prefers, but according to recent polls, independent and undecided voters are put off by this. And it's not only the voters who speak out against this. John Lewis, of Georgia, harshly critizised the campaign for "sowing the seeds of hatred and division". And I agree, it goes too far.

It's not only nasty, but also astounding. After all, this is the man who experienced the Rove-style dirty mudslinging first hand during the Republican primary in South Carolina, when he ran against George W. Bush. He was accused of being a homosexual, of having fathered a black child out of wedlock (yes, this worked against him in 2000...), his wife was portrayed as a drug addict and his track record was twisted until it was unrecognizable. Of course, there was no direct proof that the Bush campaign was behind this, but McCain was convinced, as this article suggests:

During a commercial break in a debate [in South Carolina], Bush put his hand on McCain's arm and swore he had nothing to do with the slander being thrown at his opponent. "Don't give me that shit," McCain growled. "And take your hands off me."

According to the same article, McCain considered becoming an independent or even a Democrat. Instead, he officially embraced the Bush administration. It's obvious: The straight talker and true maverick realized he would not get anywhere with his honesty, so he changed his path to the road to success, even if it meant selling out his integrity and principles to the likes of Bush and Rove, until "maverick" and "straight talk" became nothing more than catchphrases full of bitter irony. And seeing this just saddens me.

To take a break from all the serious entries I've written (and I plan to write), let's have some campaign humor!

( Laugh away! )

Sorry your spamming your friendslist.

"Bild-Zeitung". How I hate you. I don't only hate you for your icky rhetorics, your blatant idiocy and your self-proclaimed role as the "voice of the people". I hate you especially for your tendency to get people who are supposedly intelligent to court you and fawn over you. Politicians, professors, highly decorated people - they take you seriously. And for that I hate you.

You're not the enemy I love to hate. You're the thing I just hate. I wish I didn't have to hate you. I simply wish you didn't exist.

What inspired my moment of frothing rage was the newest installment in their newest publicity stunt attempt at serious criticism: Let's get famous people to criticize us! Yes, and we just have to listen! Surely this is the moment where people address the serious issues, right? Riiiiight.

Okay. On a lighter note, this message board signature I found on a republican site made me laugh out loud:

Jesus Christ was crucified by "community organizers."

Whoever wrote that: Shine on, crazy diamond, shine on.

Only 21 days until the election and right now I'm just annoyed with the entire election. The whole political drama is entertaining enough, but Jesus Christ on a pogostick, I just want everyone to cut it out and focus on the important things. You know, issues? All these big decisions coming up for whoever gets into the White House? Anyone? Hello?

What really fascinates me about this election is how emotional everyone gets, and how emotions seem to be a huge factor. All the drama is amusing, to an extent, but right now I feel like time is running out and I still feel like I have no clear understanding on the takes the candidates have on the various issues. And the debates really don't help that much.

Luckily, sites like CNN have a nice overview on the issues.

I'll have to spend quite some time on that (and similar) sites.

I wanted to write some longer entries on a couple of topics, but lately I have no time to do anything these days. Bah.

Oh no she didn't.

"This is not a man who sees America as you and I do: as the greatest force for good in the world," Palin said at a fundraising event in Colorado, according to a statement released by the McCain-Palin campaign. "This is someone who sees American as imperfect enough to pal around with terrorists who targeted their own country."

I get that rhetorics are different in the States, and that this kind of rhetorics is to be expected from both sides. But this is just ridiculous.

Also? No. Just no.

On another note, this article was actually kind of fun:
History's top 5 reasons to cross-dress

So MTV Germany is broadcasting a new show about three sockpuppets, or something.

I don't care if the show is as stupid as it looks or if it's actually pure comedy gold, but WHY did they have to call it "Fur TV"? Because that makes me think of something else.

I spend too much time on Fandom Wank, but I just can't quit...

So yesterday, the Republicans took Sarah Palin out of her Barbie box and let her play at debating. I haven't seen the debate live (though I'm sure there's a video up somewhere on the internet), but I've heard that - while it featured her (in)famous "folksy" SoccerHockey Mom way of speaking - it wasn't the car crash everyone expected. Well, no, of course it wasn't. After all, she spent days holed up in debate camp, just to get the basic questions right. Which she didn't actually answer, according to several news sites. But hey, that's just the liberal, elitist media talking. They don't get the warm, folksy charm of Sarah "Barracuda" "Pitbull" "Hockey Mom" Palin. But that's okay, she's not talking to them anyway. Her campaign makes sure she doesn't. She reaches out to the "average Joe Six-pack American" (to quote her), who doesn't want a president who uses a bunch of big words that just go over everyone's head. You know, a president you can sit down to have a beer with, that's what we need. Because that worked out so well over the last few years. That said, I'd have a beer with Obama any day. Or Biden, even.

In a way, I find her even scarier than Bush. Sure, Bush is president, not the VP. And sure, Bush has a great track record of screwing things up, but that woman? It's so obvious that she has no clue whatsoever - and doesn't even really care about any of the issues. With Bush, you can tell that he's being tutored on the issues by just looking at the various Bushisms. I can just picture his advisors try to explain the Wall Street crisis to him, and finally, one exasperated advisor leans forward and says: "Listen, sir. It's as if Wall Street got drunk. And now it's having a hangover, and we have to find out how long it takes for Wall Street to get sober."
But with Palin? You can actually see when and how she's being tutored. And that, to me, is already scary enough.

Now, I wanted to write an entry into this shiny new journal... But now I don't have any time anymore. So, have a video, then!

This sums up my mental state at work: