I'll try to not make this painful.

Okay, I know you probably didn't come to Days in Red to read my political views, so I'll try to make this quick and fast--like ripping off a band aid.  No, I'm not going to discuss the presidential debates, or even the presidential candidates (that's next time, muwahaha ;)), but the much lamer issue at hand--Congress.

Last Friday, I went with some coworkers to Luigi's, an Italian restaurant in downtown Midland.  At lunch, I overheard one of the ladies saying that it didn't matter who wins the presidency, what matters is who we elect to Congress since they, "control most of the issues that concern us anyway, the president just gets blamed for them."  Okay, fairly valid point (in case you're wondering, I kept my mouth shut!).  When I got back to my computer, I decided to research some facts on the 112th Congress (our current fine lawmakers) to see how they compare to previous Congresses, so I could see if this practice of "do-nothing" Congress is a tradition, or if it is a more recent development.

The paradoxical thing about Congress, is that the Framers of the Constitution designated Congress as the branch of government that is the most directly connected to the people, yet it is the institution that we Americans despise the most.  Incidentally, the Supreme Court is the most removed from the people and public opinion, yet Gallup polls declare that the Court is the institution we trust the most.  Wait...what?  Gallup research also indicates that Americans don't dislike their congressperson, it's everyone else's.

Regardless of your political views, the fact that Congress is morally bankrupt is something we can all agree on.  But, just how bad is it?  

Bad, my friends.  

This batch of "Brooks Brothers barnacles" has managed to do worse than the 111 Congresses that preceded them.  They've broken the system.  The approval rating of the 112th Congress is hovering above the margin of error--and that's only because a percentage of people polled believe the president to be Martin Sheen (the president in the hit TV series The West Wing).

Let's start with the Senate.  Because of the abuse of the filibuster, the Senate is now dysfunctional.  The filibuster is a practice as old as the institution that was originally designed to delay vote through a senator's blabbering.  Famous uses of the filibuster have gone on for up to 24 hours (really, people, come on).  Now, this practice is used a veto threat by both parties, and anything less than the 60-member super majority means stalemate.  In other words, without a super majority "nothing" is possible.  The same amount of votes it takes to amend the Constitution is now the same number of votes it takes to rename a post office.

Speaking of renaming post offices, that is about all the House has been doing for the past two years.  Naming things that already have a name.  Out of the pathetic 124 laws that have originated in the House, 27 of them have been to rename post offices (See congress.gov). They have issued two commemorative coins.  How do they compare?  Typically, circa 300 laws originate in the House every two years regardless of party control.  

What has the House been doing?  See Eric Cantor, the House Majority Leader's website.  According to the official House calendar, the House is "in session" 104 days this year.  104 days out of 365?!  That's less than four months!  I used to think that House recess was a Nancy Pelosi thing--nope.  Seems as if the "do nothing" attitude doesn't discriminate against party.  I don't know if that cracks me up, or if that deeply insults me.  Haven't decided yet.  But I have decided that I want to be a congresswoman so I can party all the time.

Doing "nothing" would be something to aspire to.

The House has voted (and failed) to overturn ObamaCare 33 times.  As if the president would ever sign that piece of legislation.  Ever.  (Yep, that's right, not only are they unsuccessful at creating new laws, they're unsuccessful at disbanding old ones.)

Congress is on yet another break right now until November 13, to go campaign for the jobs that they already don't do.

When I was discussing all this with my dad the other evening he made the argument that maybe this is a good thing.  The less the government does, the better.  What do you think?  Why are they there in the first place?

The choice is yours, people.  Vote.

My Mid-Hiatus

Holy moly!  Good morning! Man, I am happy to be blogging today.  Days in Red has been on quite the hiatus (I know you're thinking "Hiatus? Yeah, right! More like a full-on break-up! But it's hip to use the word "hiatus" in the Blogosphere, so I'm taking full advantage) the past nine months, but we’re back and ready-oh, so ready- to write. 

My last post I wrote to you from a Starbucks in Leeds, England where I was finishing up my semester abroad and only hours away from returning to America.  Today, I write to you from an office building in Midland, Texas (a little less climatic, I know).  In the last nine months, I have been to Boston, New Orleans, upstate New York, and all over west Texas and southeast NM.  I attempted to be—and failed miserably—a waitress at an expensive Latin restaurant in the chic north Dallas suburbs.  I have started and completed a sales associate position at Nordstrom—a top upscale American department store and a great company to work for (and a great way to stock your wardrobe… just sayin’…).  

Also, I watched my parents wrestle with a difficult decision to sell their dream home in Murphy (one of those chic north Dallas suburbs) and give up their brief life as big-city people, to come back to their roots in the sticks of west Texas to follow an opportunity that was too-good-to-pass-up.  I’ve also been back to Albuquerque (shout out to all my ABQ homies!) to have LASIK eye surgery—which was totally awesome and amazing.  While all that madness has been happening, I’ve also applied to about 443 jobs.  So, a lot has been going on!

My parents and I are now living in Midland, TX and it’s… well, it’s not Dallas J.  But it isn’t bad either.  It is just taking some adjusting for me.  My parents are in the middle of building a house, so they’re fairly consumed with that and all it entails.  And I’m working a job that I hate, which is allowing me to write to you fine folks, and to also keep looking for another job elsewhere, so I guess it isn’t so bad either.  I don’t have any friends here yet, so I’m spending my time powering through novel after novel, job application after job application.  Oh, and I’ve started doing INSANITY, a 60-day workout program that is absolutely miserable, but kind of wonderful at the same time.

Y’all—how about Days in Red’s new look?!  Spiffy, eh?  I know there is still stuff I need to add like Photos, and stuff in the About Me, but I’ll get there.  I just couldn’t wait any longer to get this post up.  Thanks for stopping by, I love you, and let’s talk again soon.

A bit about travel and free speech

I've just had my first real job interview via Skype!  (Don't you love technology?)  It went really well.  We'll see if they thought the same!

I have a few things to tell you!  First, I'll be in Boston tomorrow!  I'm so excited.  I'll be meeting up with a friend from Albuquerque, and of course, being a tourist and seeing the city.  The east coast is supposed to get dumped on with snow tomorrow, so hopefully my flight plans don't get messed with.

As I said in my last blog, the Aussies and I went to Bath and Stonehenge earlier this week.  Special thanks to my friend Mike Manz who suggested we go.  (Everyone say hi, Mike!)  Mike was one of my friends in the BA/MD Program-- we go way back.  He's been to Bath and said it was something I definitely shouldn't miss; he was right!

The town of Bath and the Stonehenge monument were beautiful, but holy moley, it was cold!  We were lucky to have sunshine though and no wind so it was bearable.  We got to see the ancient Roman bath ruins, which were super cool, then we went out to Stonehenge on a bus.  In the evening, we went and got in the baths that are open to the public.

I've been asked to talk a little bit about hostels.  Yes, that's what I've been staying in while I've been traveling (travelling?) around, and I stayed in one in Bath.  Hostels are awesome... mostly, haha.  The concept is that it is a cheap place for travelers to stay and a fun way to meet fellow travelers.  The more inconvenient- the cheaper it gets.  So, you can typically choose any type of room to stay in.  Some rooms have 4 beds, 8 beds, 12 beds, 32 beds, etc.  (Bunk beds, of course).  Each also has their own way of doing a bathroom.  Some of the smaller rooms have their own bathroom, and the ones with more beds have big co-ed bathrooms.  You can also choose if you want it to be "mixed" or "all female" or "all male."  Theoretically, you can be in a room with 11 other strangers, men and women, from all over the world.  Which has been the case in most the places I've stayed.  Some hostels are definitely better than others.  Most of them also have a bar or some area for everyone to hang out and meet each other.  Most of them also have Internet and free breakfast.  It's a good deal, and it is definitely the way to travel cheaply.  But, it's definitely for young people!  In fact, I'm staying in a hostel in Boston this weekend.  Should be fun.

Here are some pictures!  The Roman baths are the first ones.

Moving on from Bath, I also want to talk to you a little bit about the current legislation in Congress-- SOPA/PIPA.  (I know, I know- here come those politics!)  The main thing I want to tell you is to please learn what these bills are and what they entail.  I know that reading legislation sounds intimidating/awful, but these are really important and could bring about a lot of potential change to the Internet.  I've done some of my own research, and yes, it is complicated, but it is worth learning.  I've copied two links at the bottom of this blog for you to visit.  They might help you learn more about the proposed legislation.  Basically, there are potentially awful consequences in terms of free speech rights, but there are also some valid points with respect to copyright laws.

For example, if I type the word "Oreo" in this blog, my own personal blog, I could be sued for violating copyright for writing the word without permission from Nabisco, or any other type of "thing" that has a copyright.  On the other hand, since this is an open blog, someone else can come in and steal the pictures I've posted and use them for their own purposes, but if these laws passed, those people could be prosecuted for stealing my property.  It is also important to keep in mind that the Internet is a place of public contribution.  That's the beauty of it.  We can all participate and contribute to each others' ideas.  We don't want that to disappear, but we also need to figure out an effective way to protect those who are contributing.  It's a difficult conundrum.  PLEASE realize that those are incredibly simplified examples and you should definitely do your part in the process of democracy and learn about the proposed legislation and develop your own personal opinion.  Be informed.

The Washington Post
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203735304577167261853938938.html?mod=e2tw

Please watch this video:

Such is Life

Friends,
I am writing to you from a Starbucks in Leeds where I have just finished my final essay!  And with that, and some stellar news from UNM, you are reading the words from a recent college graduate.  Exciting!  Now, to find a job... which is the case for 9% of Americans.  I guess now I am the 9%?

I am one week away from joining most of you in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, and cannot wait!  My time here in England has been, well, a whole list of adjectives.  The most valuable fruit that is coming from this trip is knowledge.  I cannot tell you how many hours I have spent enriching my mind with knowledge of history and culture by traveling, conversing, and honestly, spending hours upon hours on Wikipedia.  I have come to believe that perhaps the most valuable knowledge one can acquire is through learning and accepting cultures different than your own.    I know this experience will serve me well for the rest of my life, and the journey of my knowledge does not end with the acquisition of my college degree, but only begins.  These past five months, I've been able to evaluate why I believe the things I do,  and why other believe the things they do.  I am so blessed and thankful for this opportunity, and it would not have been possible without support from my beloved UNM, the Chase Foundation and my dear friends from Artesia, and of course, my sweet parents who support and encourage my dreams (even though my dad raises his eyebrows at some of my schemes).

Goodness, now I'm all teared up!  (All that being said, I still believe that the United States of America is, by far, the greatest nation on earth!) Like I said, this is my final week in England.  Tomorrow, the Aussies and I are going to Bath and Stonehenge, which we are really excited about!  Bath is an ancient Roman city that, you guessed it, has ancient Roman bath ruins.  And I don't need to tell you what Stonehenge is (or at least I hope I don't! see Wikipedia if necessary!).  This is our final hurrah together and we'll make the most of it.  I'll be sure to let you know all about it when I get back.  Next Saturday, I will be flying from London to Boston to see the city (always wanted to) and learn about some of my own history!  Then, I'll be heading to Pittsburgh for a day or two, where I will make a day trip to Shanksville to see the 9/11 memorial where United flight 93 crashed.  I'm feeling ever-so-compelled to visit the memorial.

After all that, I'll return to Dallas for a few days and then head out to New Orleans for the weekend (it never ends).  Then, the real world hits and I have to get out of the unemployed 9% and find a job.  Should be exciting (and by exciting, I actually mean stressful, haha)!  Now I must put to use all that I have learned to do something good--to contribute to the world we live in.  In the words of Peter Parker, "With great knowledge comes great responsibility."  (Actually, he said power not knowledge.  Power/knowledge, same thing.)

I promise to write soon about my trips in December to Italy, Paris, Holland, and Scotland.

Go Broncos!

Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in. -Martin Luther King Jr.

Back on the Map

Morocco, a set on Flickr.

It sure does feel good to be sitting down at my computer to write for fun.

I don't even know where to start. It's been one month and one day since my last post, and it has been the most eventful six weeks of my life. I have so much to tell you, but I'm going to have to limit it to squeeze it all in--or else I'll be here for ages! I'm going to give you a brief recap of what I've been up to and I'll add a few of my favorite pictures and stories from each place over the course of a few separate blogs. Tonight I will start with Morocco.

On the other hand, England is incredibly backward (in more ways than one) and it is finals week here for the fall semester. That being said, yesterday I was very happy to turn in a 4000-word essay that discussed the ways in which Americans view their First Amendment rights post-9/11 (if that sounds hard to you, it was!). I have one more essay that I am about halfway through and will turn it in on Friday. And that, friends, will be the final essay of my undergraduate career.

Before I go on a tangent about my travels, I would like to give a shout out to my mom and dad. Tomorrow, January 11, is their 26th wedding anniversary. How amazing is that?! If you have their numbers or email addresses, shoot them a happy anniversary because they sure do deserve it. There is a good chance that if you are reading this you have, at some point in your life, been inspired by my parents. They are amazing examples of love, marriage, humility, frugality, friendship, honesty, and dozens of other adjectives that I can't think of right now. So, here's to you, Tami and Darrick. I love you. Thank you for being incredible parents. I hope that some day I can only be so blessed to have a love as beautiful as yours.

Without further adieu, I present to you--Chelsea's wild and crazy six weeks in a nutshell.

Marrakech, Morocco (Click to see the map)
I spent December 2-5 in Marrakech and it was unlike anything I've ever seen. It was so much like what you would expect to see in Africa/Aladdin/a third world country. Marrakech is the heart of Morocco with so much history behind it. I, naturally, wanted to visit Casablanca because of the movie, but I'm so glad I went to Marrakech. I got to brave the city bartering markets, ride a camel in the Sahara, and I travel high into the top of the Atlas Mountains and see the most primitive villages, and yet the most beautiful nature I've ever seen in my life. It was truly remarkable--a beauty so striking that it could only be created by the hands and vivid imagination of God.  Check out the photos and captions.