Feel Good Sketch

My brother sent this simple sketch to me this morning and it made me smile. 

Congratulations, President Obama!

Election Day Extravaganza

Yesterday was an amazing day! Here are our photos from an early morning of election day volunteering in Gary, Indiana and a late night of celebrating in Grant Park. 

Enjoy!

If you would like to see the captions for these photos, mouse over the photo box and click on the bubble in the lower left corner. 

An Unforgettable Night!

I will share my pictures, stories and videos from the rally in Grant Park very soon- but in the mean time I wanted to post this video to show what the streets of Chicago were like last evening following the rally. This video was taken on Michigan Avenue in front of the Art Museum around midnight. I have been singing the song ever since...

Halloween 2008

Continuing the tradition of the OU and Chicago Halloween Parties, enjoy these photos from the 9th Annual Halloween Party in Chicago!

New England Trip

Earlier this month Chad and I took a trip to Connecticut and Rhode Island for Kori and Mike's wedding weekend. It was such a great time in a very beautiful place. Enjoy this video that I made from my photos of the weekend. 

The Fierce Urgency of 1 Week From Now

It has been 20 months and there are only 6 days left.

This week I have been reflecting upon the presidential election and eagerly anticipating November 4^th. Personally, this journey has been one filled with passion and a great deal of learning. Allow me to be nostalgic for just a moment…

In November of 2004, Deanna, Melissa and I celebrated Barack Obama’s Illinois Senate seat win in the basement of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Chicago. The room was filled with excitement, and when Deanna and I went to congratulate this young, new Senator she said to him, “Senator Obama, you are going to be the next President!” Upon which I smacked her on the back and said “Dee, he just got elected, that is crazy.” Yeah, we will be telling our Grandkids that story someday!

In February of 2007, I celebrated Barack’s announcement that he was entering the Presidential race.  Shortly thereafter, Chad, Melissa and I attended a small rally in Union Station where Barack, Michelle, and Ari Gold talked casually about their vision for the upcoming campaign. What impressed me then, and continues to impress me now, is that the vision Barack Obama spoke of when he ran for Senate in 2004, when he addressed us in Union Station in 2007, and today is exactly the same: Inspiring Renewed Hope in our Communities & Enacting Positive Change. That vision had me at Hello.

I put up my Obama 08 sign in the front of our condo so long ago that now it is faded from the sun.  I watched every single debate- from the time when there were 10 people on stage to when there were only two. I laughed at the fantastic Tina Fey spoofs on SNL, the brilliantly edited hypocrisy on The Daily Show, and the candidate’s roasts at the Alfred E Smith dinner. I cried the first time that I watched the “Yes We Can” video mash-up, and when Michelle Obama gave her heartfelt speech during the DNC. I cringed at every hateful email forward and mailer, and each time that McCain said “my friends” and Sarah Palin winked at me. I logged hours of reading and writing about the issues; and during that time I realized my passion for spreading the truth and educating people on how to be well informed voters. Finally, I experienced a profound sense of belonging at Google when our leaders spoke out about social issues, get out the vote efforts, and supporting employees taking time off work to get involved in political campaigns.

What I observed in the past 20 months is a movement of inspiration and involvement that I find truly awesome. Yesterday, I had an experience that further underscored my admiration for this movement. I spoke on the phone with a man who is organizing a Get Out The Vote effort in Northern Indiana on election day. This man is a school teacher- who between classes, at night, and on the weekends is running a field office for Barack Obama in Indiana. His enthusiasm was palatable over the phone even as the noise of the end of the school day was evident in the background. He told me that last weekend his office had 80 volunteers who knocked on 5,000 doors. Immediately my brain started to multiply those numbers by hundreds of field offices and volunteers across Indiana and in others states. In that moment the fierce urgency of a Barack Obama victory struck me.

People who have never voted before are registered and voting early. Young people who have typically thought that politics were “uncool” are now talking to their parents and grandparents about Barack Obama and Climate Change. The Barack Obama campaign has managed to make getting involved cool. This in turn is making community service cool, environmental efforts cool, voting cool…you get the point. What has John McCain’s campaign made cool? Being a bully. And isn’t that what Washington and politics has always been about- the biggest bullies getting what they want?

A Barack Obama victory is fiercely urgent because I fear that a defeat would deflate this amazing 20-month long surge of Americans finally caring. A defeat would discourage people from getting involved in politics in the future and create an even larger divide between the classes and the races in our country. I also fear that a Barack Obama defeat would cause the international community to be affirmed in their misconceptions that Americans are a bunch of racist, egocentric, country-folk.  But the concept of the Fierce Urgency of Now is not about acting on fear; it is about acting on hope and believing in the greater good of people and potential of our country. 

So for the next 6 days, I will continue to Hope. 

Happy Halloween!

I just loved how this video brings together the Halloween tradition of pumpkin carving and the passion that people are feeling for the 

upcoming election! Check out yeswecarve.com for more fun pumpkin pictures. 

Enjoy!

Tackling a New Blog Post

There are many topics that I have been wanting to write about since my last post, but I just haven't had the time to blog lately. I suppose that Facebook, Twitter and IM  are somewhat to blame. My daily communication vehicles keep getting faster and faster, so the thought of sitting down to write a few paragraphs in my blog felt like slowing down to a crawl.  I can't even imagine what it would feel like to sit down and hand write a letter! 

Ironically, one of the things that I have been doing over the last 2 weeks is participating in a number of lectures, readings, and one-on-one discussions in an attempt to learn how to slow down, focus and prioritize. It started as an exercise to help me understand how to further develop my leadership skills but it has evolved into so much more. Tuesday I took a yoga class where part of the practice focused on setting intentions and meditating on those intentions. Thursday I attended a lecture on eating for energy which also touched on "primary foods" in your life such as positive relationships and intellectual stimulation which give you energy. It has been very interesting to say the least, and has caused me to think about many things that I would like to do both in the long and the short term. Never fear, when I reach the height of my enlightenment, I will share my learnings. :-)

Also in the last few weeks, I continued to immerse myself in the saga that is this election, and I have been continuously entertained. I waged a war against the pet insurance industry, who has proven to be completely worthless in the treatment of Roscoe's condition. Finally, on a much more positive note, I traveled with Chad and my friends to New England for Kori and Mike's beautiful wedding weekend. 

Now that you got the Cliff's Notes overview, I promise to post photos from New England as soon as I have a chance to organize them online and create something that does justice to the beauty of the weekend. I also promise to unabashedly rant at some time about how the Pet Insurance company is royally screwing us in reimbursement for Roscoe's Polycythemia treatment plan. Until then, to keep my loyal readers (all 3 of you) satisfied, I have posted below two highly entertaining election-related videos that were shared with me today. They are not what you think, so watch them until the end- I promise that you will have a great laugh. Finally, don't forget to get out there and vote...or else! :-)

5 Friends

Google teams with film stars to encourage people to get out, register and vote. This makes me very happy.

Enjoy!

Chicago Pride!

This slideshow and song by Eddie Vedder does such a great job of representing the excitement and anticipation that is in the air right now in Chicago. We can't wait to cheer the Cubs through the playoffs, starting with game 1 tonight!
Go Cubs!

I'm hoping that this post registers...

October 6 is the last day to register to vote in the 2008 Presidential Election. This critical date is just 1 week away, so now is the time to make sure that you and everyone that you know is registered to vote. In many states early voting is available, and in every state you can vote absentee. If you have any questions about how to register or where to vote I am absolutely willing to help you figure it out, so please don't hesitate to ask.

To me, this is a matter of encouraging everyone to exercise this meaningful right that we have as American citizens. It is not a matter of trying to get only those who are going to vote for my candidate of choice out to the polls. One of my favorite parts about this past primary season was that voter turnout records were being broken across the nation. No matter what happens on November 4, we are going to have a historical election. Wouldn't it be great if we also accomplished the highest ever voter turnout in our nations' history?

To help you get ready for November 4th here are a few extremely helpful resources: 

• Find non-partisan voter registration information for every state here. 
  
• Register for the easy to digest and completely non-partisan Factcheck.org email alerts here.
  

PAWS Chicago- Walk for Their Lives

This morning Chad, Roscoe and I participated in the fantastic 4K sponsored by PAWS Chicago. PAWS- which stands for Pets are Worth Saving- is the organization which sponsored the adoption event last August where we found Roscoe. They are working hard to make Chicago the first no-kill city in the USA, where all pets can be kept safely in a shelter and receive care until they can find their forever home. 

The walk and festival that followed brought together 3,000 owners, pets and supporters. It was such a fun morning and so gratifying to support this wonderful organization. Enjoy the slideshow.

Ready for this Reality TV Show to have its Season Finale!

On that fateful Friday in August when John McCain announced to the country that his running mate would be Sarah Palin, I began to liken his campaign to a reality TV show.

I continue to stand firm in my belief that choosing no pun intended Palin- while it may have been an excellent political strategic move- was irresponsible and dangerous and I don’t understand why Americans are not more insulted. Instead many are captivated by her glasses, her children, and her affinity for lipstick. She is like a cross between Super Nanny and Omarosa.  It is obvious that she was chosen to help McCain win, rather than because she is a capable and prepared to be Vice President.  In reality TV we would have dramatic background music and cast members in small rooms at odd camera angles calling McCain out on this, and in the next elimination ceremony he would be in the bottom 2.

Instead, our reality is that we have had only 3 opportunities to hear Palin speak unscripted since her nomination. Yesterday, in an interview with Katie Couric which I highly encourage you to watch here, Palin was pushed for details on two relevant and fair questions: 1. Give  examples on how McCain has been a maverick and pushed for more corporate regulations in his 26 years in the Senate? 2. Explain how McCain’s campaign manager receiving pay checks from Freddie Mac is not a conflict of interest? Palin overtly stumbled and was unable to produce an answer. Actually, during the Freddie Mac question she kindof reminded me of Miss South Carolina talking about Maps and The Iraq. Meanwhile over at the UN , Palin was paraded in and out of photo ops with world leaders so that the campaign could put virtual stamps in her empty passport. Stay tuned, in the next episode you’ll have photos of Palin attending Econ 101 classes in the local University classroom.

This woman is unfit to be in this race! She is the pitchy singer that stays on American Idol for way too many weeks, the clunky dancer who keeps squeaking by on Dancing with the Stars, and the sloppy designer who is still on Project Runway.

Finally this week, in the midst of an economic plot twist "The fundamentals of our economy are strong. Wait, I mean we are in the midst of a financial meltdown and we must stop everything and take action now!" McCain and his co-stars make the melodramatic announcement that they are suspending the campaign and not attending the first debate unless the extremely complex and serious bailout issues are resolved in the next 48 hours.  This desperate move is nothing short of a 3 year old stating stubbornly, “I am not going to play unless I can be the Super Hero!” I hope that the American people will participate in a collective eye roll and go back to judiciously evaluating these candidates and how they stand on the issues in preparation for the big results show on Nov 4.  

Oh, and one last thing, Barack Obama, will you accept this rose?

What's the Plan, Stan?

We can all agree that an economic crisis is occuring in our country. 

I believe that the timing of this crisis is paramount- because we are actually in a position where we can have an impact on how it will be addressed.

This 2 minute video summarizes Barack Obama's economic plan, and the entire plan has been made public at the link below.

 

Read the entire plan here.

Google Cares Day at Misericordia

Today, the Chicago Googlers volunteered at Misericorida, a home for over 500 children and adults with developmental disabilities on the northside of Chicago. We worked various jobs at a County Fair that was organized for the residents, and throughout the day we got to know these amazing men and women. 

As you will see from the slideshow below It was an awesome day!

Finally, Someone is Having Fun!

This is too fun and clever for me not to pass on. Try it out and let me know what your Palin name is.

Palin Baby Name Generator

Sincerely,

Smoke Strapon Palin

49 Days!

With only 49 days remaining until the critical 2008 Presidential Election, I implore you to become engaged in the dialog and seek out the facts. My favorite resource for the facts is the Factcheck.org email subscription. 1-3 times a week, they will send me an short email with a bulleted list of information. This email dispells the spin from current commercials, interviews, and false emails circling over the internet. It is extremely easy to digest and to forward on to others. 

Please click here to subscribe. If it is the only thing that you read between now and November 4th you will be a well-informed voter. 

The Fabulous Tina Fey!

In case you haven't already seen the hilarious opening scene from this season of SNL...

I also found a fun fact that I couldn't resist copying here: According to a non-scientific poll on the Watcher Web site, 86 percent of TV viewers would rather watch Fey as Palin than Palin as Palin. 

LiveStrong Roscoe!

I got some good news about Roscoe this morning!

Roscoe and I went to the vet last night for another round of tests to see how his blood count is responding to the chemotherapy drug. This morning the vet called me with the test results and Roscoe's red blood cell count is down to 53%! This is great news, considering that less than 1 month ago it was at 87% and Roscoe's health was in serious danger. Also, the drug does not appear to be negatively impacting his white blood cells or platelets, which means that at this time the dosage seems to be working. We will continue to see the vet weekly, until he feels confident that Roscoe's bone marrow is responding well to this treatment plan and it is suitable for the long term.

Here's hoping for more good test results in the weeks to come for Roscoe!

Taking a Nap-a from Political Blogging

I am going to take a week off from blogging about Politics. My blood pressure needs a break and there are 60 long days to go until Nov 4. Still plenty of time to make friends and influence people.

Right before the conventions kicked off, I had the most lovely weekend in Napa California with my girlfriends. The weekend was girls get-a-way in honor of Kori's upcoming wedding. I have a hard time calling it a Bachelorette Party because it was so tame and relaxing- although we did start a dance party while singing "Get Lo" in the Del Drunko, um I mean Del Dotto, wine caves.

The weekend was also totally delicious- with wine tastings, amazing organic meals and the most delectable cookies (chocolate chip coconut pecan clusters) we have ever tasted. Our time in Napa stirred in me the desire for simpler things in life- things like gardening, cooking, and relaxing in a quiet place where you can actually see a sky full of stars at night.

The weekend also reminded me how lucky that I am to have such wonderful female friends in my life. We always make great memories together. Enjoy these photos from our weekend:

The Republican National Contradiction

Well folks, I survived. I vowed to watch the entire DNC and RNC and listen to both sides of the story. As a wrap up, here are a few of my favorite contradictions from the RNC this week:

• John McCain, how can say that you are for small town values, community colleges, community service...when Wednesday night of your convention relentlessly bashed "community organizers?"

• How can you be against big unions, but for the working man?

• How can you be for families with special needs children but be against a bill that grants mandatory health insurance to all children in America?

• How can you be for bi-partisanship and reaching across party lines when your entire convention was focused on attacking and mocking the Democratic Party, the "Liberal Elite Media" and anyone else in America who doesn't believe what you do?
  

• How can you tout "change in Washington" as a part of what you offer as President? How can "change in Washington" come from another Conservative Republican ticket which includes a 72 year old rich white man who has been in Washington for over 25 years, believes in war, national debt and tax breaks for the rich?

And my favorite contradiction of all:

• How can you believe in the sanctity of life, of protecting the unborn, of standing up for helpless children...but celebrate the killing of helpless deer, moose and caribou; pass a law that permits helpless wolves to be killed from the air; and protest the helpless Polar Bear being put on the Endangered Species list. WTF?!

In an effort to end on a lighter note, the most entertaining collaboration of contradictions was sent to me by my brother Patrick, a huge fan of The Daily Show. Watch and enjoy!

The Dirty Spread of...Facts

As I have said many times already during this election, I am on a personal mission to educate people on how to find out the facts. Below is a great article from the AP which highlights some areas where the facts weren't all that clear last night.

Attacks, praise stretch truth at GOP convention

By JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press Writer Wed Sep 3, 11:48 pm ET

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her Republican supporters held back little Wednesday as they issued dismissive attacks on Barack Obama and flattering praise on her credentials to be vice president. In some cases, the reproach and the praise stretched the truth.

Some examples:

PALIN: "I have protected the taxpayers by vetoing wasteful spending ... and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. I told the Congress 'thanks but no thanks' for that Bridge to Nowhere."

THE FACTS: As mayor of Wasilla, Palin hired a lobbyist and traveled to Washington annually to support earmarks for the town totaling $27 million. In her two years as governor, Alaska has requested nearly $750 million in special federal spending, by far the largest per-capita request in the nation. While Palin notes she rejected plans to build a $398 million bridge from Ketchikan to an island with 50 residents and an airport, that opposition came only after the plan was ridiculed nationally as a "bridge to nowhere."

PALIN: "There is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform — not even in the state senate."

THE FACTS: Compared to McCain and his two decades in the Senate, Obama does have a more meager record. But he has worked with Republicans to pass legislation that expanded efforts to intercept illegal shipments of weapons of mass destruction and to help destroy conventional weapons stockpiles. The legislation became law last year. To demean that accomplishment would be to also demean the work of Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, a respected foreign policy voice in the Senate. In Illinois, he was the leader on two big, contentious measures in Illinois: studying racial profiling by police and requiring recordings of interrogations in potential death penalty cases. He also successfully co-sponsored major ethics reform legislation.

PALIN: "The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes, raise payroll taxes, raise investment income taxes, raise the death tax, raise business taxes, and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars."

THE FACTS: The Tax Policy Center, a think tank run jointly by the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute, concluded that Obama's plan would increase after-tax income for middle-income taxpayers by about 5 percent by 2012, or nearly $2,200 annually. McCain's plan, which cuts taxes across all income levels, would raise after tax-income for middle-income taxpayers by 3 percent, the center concluded.

Obama would provide $80 billion in tax breaks, mainly for poor workers and the elderly, including tripling the Earned Income Tax Credit for minimum-wage workers and higher credits for larger families.

He also would raise income taxes, capital gains and dividend taxes on the wealthiest. He would raise payroll taxes on taxpayers with incomes above $250,000, and he would raise corporate taxes. Small businesses that make more than $250,000 a year would see taxes rise.

MCCAIN: "She's been governor of our largest state, in charge of 20 percent of America's energy supply ... She's responsible for 20 percent of the nation's energy supply. I'm entertained by the comparison and I hope we can keep making that comparison that running a political campaign is somehow comparable to being the executive of the largest state in America," he said in an interview with ABC News' Charles Gibson.

THE FACTS: McCain's phrasing exaggerates both claims. Palin is governor of a state that ranks second nationally in crude oil production, but she's no more "responsible" for that resource than President Bush was when he was governor of Texas, another oil-producing state. In fact, her primary power is the ability to tax oil, which she did in concert with the Alaska Legislature. And where Alaska is the largest state in America, McCain could as easily have called it the 47th largest state — by population.

MCCAIN: "She's the commander of the Alaska National Guard. ... She has been in charge, and she has had national security as one of her primary responsibilities," he said on ABC.

THE FACTS: While governors are in charge of their state guard units, that authority ends whenever those units are called to actual military service. When guard units are deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, for example, they assume those duties under "federal status," which means they report to the Defense Department, not their governors. Alaska's national guard units have a total of about 4,200 personnel, among the smallest of state guard organizations.

FORMER ARKANSAS GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE: Palin "got more votes running for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska than Joe Biden got running for president of the United States."

THE FACTS: A whopper. Palin got 616 votes in the 1996 mayor's election, and got 909 in her 1999 re-election race, for a total of 1,525. Biden dropped out of the race after the Iowa caucuses, but he still got 76,165 votes in 23 states and the District of Columbia where he was on the ballot during the 2008 presidential primaries.

FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOV. MITT ROMNEY: "We need change, all right — change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington! We have a prescription for every American who wants change in Washington — throw out the big-government liberals, and elect John McCain and Sarah Palin."

THE FACTS: A Back-to-the-Future moment. George W. Bush, a conservative Republican, has been president for nearly eight years. And until last year, Republicans controlled Congress. Only since January 2007 have Democrats have been in charge of the House and Senate.

Newsflash: RNC & Ranting

The RNC is back on, and (thank God) GW and Laura Bush will be throwing their weight behind McCain tonight on the big stage. In honor of the non-stop-spin that is about to begin, I toss out my random political rants of the day:

• Stop calling it Pro-Life & Pro-Choice when really it is Pro-Choice and Anti-Choice. Even Sarah Palin keeps talking about her choice to carry her newborn son to term despite him having down syndrome, and her daughters choice to carry her unplanned child to term. God bless America for allowing them to make their choices!

• Along those same lines, how is it that one can be "Pro-life" and an avid hunter?

• I really wish that educated young people would stop thinking that saying they are a Republican, like carrying a fake Louis Vuitton bag, will make them look more rich.
  

• If I hear the response for being undecided or supporting McCain, "I am fiscally conservative but socially liberal" one more time I am going to puke. Fixing our nation, mending the economy and helping the poor requires responsible spending. If you are so fiscally conservative and socially liberal then why are you tolerating the trillions of dollars that we have spent and the thousands of lives that we have lost in the war?!

• The Republicans are right, I am going to fall in love with Sarah Palin's story. Especially the part where her life story continues to be such a distraction to the issues-at-hand that she causes McCain to lose the race.

• Finally, have a little fun this week while watching the convention and count along with me how many times McCain says "my friends." Slate did a great piece on his Mr. Rogers speech tic that you can check out here.
  

The Nike Human Race

On Sunday evening, Chad and I joined 14,000 people in Chicago to run The Nike Human Race 10K. This very same race was going on in 20 cities across the world on August 31, 2008 and it was such a fun celebration to be a part of. It was the first time that Chad ran 6+ miles since 2002, and he did awesome!

The highlight of the race was during miles 2-4 when we were entertained by a very passionate runner who was screaming self-affirmations while running, such as..."Just do it, I'm doin' it, Just do it, I'm doin' it" and "Dig deeper, I'm diggin', Dig Deeper, I'm diggin'". It was a riot!

The race ended at Soldier Field with a free Fall Out Boy concert inside the stadium. It was a great event and a great night in Chicago.

Chad was so excited to run 6 miles. LOL!

The start looked so cool, with everyone in their red shirts.

Just before the start of the race.

Fall Out Boy concert in Soldier Field.

My Immediate Response to McCain's Running Mate Choice

I just did a 30 minute quick study on Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin and here is my trigger response:

1. I think that this pick shows that McCain is scared. He doesn't feel confident that he has enough support on his own, so he is going after Hillary supporters. The sad thing is that educated Hillary supporters should be offended by this pick. This women is pro-life, a member of the NRA, supports drilling in the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge and was a former beauty queen. By that description, she is the anti-feminist candidate!

2. What about McCain's rock-solid stance on "experience"?! He picks a woman who has only been a state governor for 20 months, and before that was a commercial fishing company owner, an outdoor recreation company owner, and a sportscaster?! Well, that makes me feel good to know that she would be our second in charge should McCain get elected! Those are the perfect qualifications for becoming president if the 72 year old McCain becomes ill or dies while in office.

3. This choice in running mate was to help McCain get elected to office, not to make him part of a stronger, smarter team once placed into office! That, in and of itself, should be offensive to Americans. We do not deserve for the future leaders of our country to chosen based on who will make you more look more popular, cuter or younger!

Celebrating History!

Tonight Chad and I celebrated Barack Obama's acceptance speech and this moment in American history.

What an electrifying night filled with energy, passion and hope for our future! How wonderful to see so many American's coming together to celebrate and become involved in our political process. I can not wait to march on and continue to be a part of history in the making over the next 67 days.

Of course, our celebration centered around great food and tasty drinks. Enjoy these few photos from our fun night.

Pupdate

As some of you already know, our Roscoe has been diagnosed with Polycythemia Vera, a rare blood disorder in which the bone marrow makes too many red blood cells. We discovered this "by accident" when we took him to the vet 2 weeks ago because he was drinking a lot of water.

After a barrage of tests, the vet ruled out other diseases that could also cause a red blood cell increase as a symptom. So then we turned our focus to getting Roscoe on a maintenance plan to get his red blood cell count within a healthy range and hold it there throughout his lifetime. Much like diabetes, as long as his blood count is "balanced" he will remain healthy. Achieving this balance will be tricky at first, but we hope that after a few months we will find the magic formula and then just continue to rinse and repeat.

Roscoe's maintenance plan includes giving him a pill called Hydroxyurea 3x per week. This medication will inhibit his bone marrow from making excess red blood cells. The trick is finding the right dose that will not negatively impact his platelets or white blood cells. In addition to medication, we will also have his blood checked regularly, and he will give blood and receive fluids on a regular basis to thin things out internally.

Throughout the past 2 weeks, Roscoe has been shaved, poked and prodded more times than...ah, forget it, there is nothing politically correct that I can insert here... Anyway, he has been very brave and remains in good butt-shaking spirits. Chad and I are in it for the long haul with our Roscoe- joking last night while watching Biden speak that "we will not rest until every dog in America has health care!"

Below you can see him resting in his favorite spot in the house- his new dog bed, and riding to the vet in the back seat of the beast. I will post updates as we learn more.

Scranton on my Mind

As a fan of NBC's The Office and of the Democratic Presidential Ticket, I would love to see Michael Scott endorse Joe Biden & Barack Obama.  Wouldn't that be a beautiful display of Scrantonicity? 

Besides, I am sure that one member of that extra-large Biden clan has interned at Dunder Mifflin at some point in time. 

That's what she said.

Wonder Women

With the Democratic National Convention kicking off less than 24 hours after the Olympic closing ceremonies, I have continued my bad habit of adrenaline-filled late nights in front of the TV. While the Olympics had me bursting with American pride, the convention has me bursting with pride that I am a woman in America.

Monday night, Michelle Obama took the podium and was poised, genuine and energizing. I admire her community and family values, and I can relate to her at-the-surface emotions about those that she loves. I can't imagine Cindy McCain having even 1/2 of Michelle's passion next Monday. Plus, as a fashion addict, I can't get enough of Michelle's feminine and classic style. I hope that someone out there is blogging about who she is wearing at the convention!

On Tuesday night we had Hillary. Her speech was electrifying! I found her message to be authentic and her delivery flawless. I really appreciated the slams and humor in her speech- especially the reference to her "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pantsuits!" By the way, I still don't understand who is her stylist, the tangerine pantsuit that she was wearing was absolutely horrible! Hillary is no doubt a strong woman and an incredible leader, and I only hope that the PUMA's can put their (irrational!) emotions aside and understand that a vote for Obama is a vote for Hillary too.

I feel so proud to be a woman in America today. Proud to have historical things happening right in front of my eyes- and to have these two very different woman to watch, admire and emulate.

Photos courtesy of www.demconvention.com and cnn.com

Insecurity.com

Just in time to get me fired up about this week's convention, this morning a friend of mine brought to my attention the stark contrast between the GOP and Democrat's websites. I couldn't resist dissecting the two here.

Note that the GOP's homepage does not even highlight their candidate, but rather uses up almost the entire home page to attack Obama and Biden. Much like an insecure high school clique, to make themselves feel better they make fun of others. You have to dig to find any content related to their position on the issues. Instead of building excitement and interest in their upcoming convention, they poke fun at the Dems in Denver. They even came up with the slogan "A Mile High, An Inch Deep" and posted a ticker to "countdown to Biden's next Gaffe" referring to Biden's upcoming keynote. For a party that prides themselves as being rooted in Christianity and Family Values, they sure are open about attacking and judging other people.

I find the entire experience to be nothing short of pathetic.


The Democrats, on the other hand, use their website to highlight their presidential ticket and their convention front and center. The majority of the real estate on their home page is dedicated to the democratic party, with only a small badge on the lower right hand side of the page where you can click to hear more about John McCain. The messaging is exciting and hopeful and doesn't resort to mudslinging.

But don't just take my word for it! If you would like to check out the websites in more detail, you can click on the images above or go directly to rnc.org and democrats.org

The Chicago Distance Classic 1/2 Marathon

On Sunday morning I willingly woke up at 4:30am to go for a run. The Chicago Distance Classic 1/2 Marathon had a 6:30am start time, and I had to figure out a way to trick my body into thinking that it was already noon. It was a beautiful crisp and clear morning, almost fall like, and a perfect day for the race. The last time that I ran this race was August of 2004. I was 4 years younger and in the thick of training for the Chicago Marathon- in better shape than I am today, to say the least. My time in 2004 was 1:58. I would have loved to finish Sunday's race in 2 hours, but apparently you get a few minutes slower as you get older. Unless you are Dara Torres, then you just get faster and stronger as you get older. Hmm, maybe I will be in the best shape of my life at 41 like Dara...but I digress. 

I had a blast running the course with Yoomee. I enjoyed every part of the race, especially the beautiful views along the south side lakefront path. Aside from that sneaky hill at Museum Campus (placed less than .5 mile from the finish- how cruel is that?!), I felt great right through the finish. Chad and Roscoe cheered me in at the finish line and Chicago's very own Bernie from the Biggest Loser 2008 finished just 15 seconds behind me!

My Results!
Bib: 6012
Name: Kellie Fitzgerald
City: Chicago
State: IL
Div: Women 30-34
ChipTime: 2:07:02