Do the Wave

I always make sure that I wave to thank the person who's driving when they let me cross the road. I sometimes let them go first, but when it's my turn to cross the road, I go as fast as I can, so I don't make them wait. I usually expect the same thing from pedestrians when I'm driving, but I rarely get a wave, and they usually cross the road very slowly. I start to expect this disrespect from pedestrians, and when one is polite, I'm always pleasantly surprised, even though I think this should be the norm. Yes, pedestrians have the right of way, but it's still nice to get a thank you. I'm just curious what these people expect when they're driving. It's sad that I'm so pleased when someone is polite. I hope when I wave, it makes someone happy, and they'll pass on the kindness.

Health Care Debate?

I've been following the recent health care debate in Congress, and it seems like such a difficult problem to solve. I agree that something needs to be done, but I'm not sure they're going about it the right way.

There are those who say (and I agree with them) that Congress can't just require everyone to get insurance. If they do, I think there needs to be some sort of public option to bring down the costs.

On the other hand, putting health care in the hands of the government could be really bad. The health care reform would probably use tax dollars, and it could increase bureaucracy and lack of choice. And what about the people who already like health care the way it is?

I think it needs to be more of a dialogue than a government decision. I've done some research about health care reform, but I would have to do a lot more if I wanted to really understand it. I imagine a lot of the public feels the same way, and trying to come to a compromise is difficult when people don't know what the plan would entail. I think we should get a whole bunch of doctors together and let them come up with a way to solve it.

Missing the Obvious

Today, I had to stay late at school to work on a project. This morning, when I got to school, there weren't many parking spaces, so I had to park on the top level. Before I went to work on my project that afternoon, I figured it would be a good idea to drop off some of my books to make the five-flight climb to my car easier that night. Unfortunately, the elevator wasn't working, so I had to climb the stairs with my heavy backpack after carrying it around all day. I got to my car and put my books up as I had planned. Then, I called my dad and started going back down the stairs. I got down to about halfway between the first and second floors when he said, "Why don't you just move your car?" I stopped for a second and thought about it. That was such a good idea. It made so much sense. Did I seriously just go all the way up to the fifth level and not realize that there were almost no cars up there anymore? And, more importantly, did I just come all the way back down without seeing all of the parking spaces on the lower levels? After I thought about it for a second, I decided now would be a better time to climb the stairs again than at night, so back I went to move my car to the second level. Sometimes you just get so caught up in what you're doing that you completely miss the obvious.

Venus de My Family

My family does Christmas a little differently. We have a tiny tree that's about two feet tall, and every year we whip it out of storage, plug it in (We just leave the lights on it.), and enjoy. I don't feel that we have any less Christmas spirit because we don't make a big production out of decorating. However, this year we wanted to do something outside too, instead of just bringing out our tiny, yet wonderful, Christmas tree. My mom has a statue of Venus de Milo in front of her house that was looking awfully cold, so our solution was to create a Christmas outfit for her. We bought a pair of little girls' socks to make the cap, and a pair of tights to make the scarf. Who says culture can't be fun?

Bo Knows

My cat, Bo, always knows exactly where to get. I'm starting to think that cats can sense the best place to get, so they'll be right in the way. It amazes me how good they are at sensing the focus of your attention and making sure it's them instead. If I'm working on homework, Bo comes and plops down right in the middle of it. If I need my backpack, Bo's sitting on it. If I need to put some shoes in a shoebox, Bo knows.

When I really need to look at some papers, and I see Bo coming, I've devised a way to make sure he doesn't sit on them: I have a decoy pile. I shuffle the papers around and make them look important, so he'll think that's the place to be. Sometimes, he catches on to my trick and still knows exactly where to sit. But you know what? I'm ok with that. It's a welcome distraction.

The Magical House

Every year about this time, something magical happens: THE Christmas lights on THE house go up. It's a neighborhood tradition. This one house hires a lighting service to put up a beautiful display of lights, featuring the nativity scene and gorgeous trees. Every year, they add something new, so it's always a spectacle.

I get so frustrated when I see Christmas displays in stores right after Halloween. Can we at least get through Thanksgiving first before we start Christmas? Thanksgiving gets pushed to the side, and Christmas loses some of its mystique when it starts so early. Therefore, I propose that we have a signal for when the Christmas season should start. For me, it's the magical house in my neighborhood.

A Work in Progress

Every day as I go to school, I pass by this house that's being built in my neighborhood. For the longest time, it was just an empty lot, so I was surprised to see the concrete foundation one day as I drove past. Every few days, there would be some major addition to the house. First, there were pipes. Then, there were walls. Now, there's a roof. I always look forward to seeing how the house has changed since I last saw it. It's cool to see something being made through the entire process. It kind of reminds me of an idea. Sometimes the process can be just as cool as the finished product.