Monday Minutia

I haven't had much blogging time lately so I'll try to cover a few different things today. First, the primary here in Virginia was a resounding success for my candidate, the candidate who I ended up organizing nearly all volunteer efforts for in our county on super short notice. In one week, we managed to move the masses (pulling in over 100 volunteers in a week who had never volunteered before for a candidacy) to a 64% victory. Virginia will be a blue state, I believe this firmly. At the fancy dinner I attended last Saturday night, the biggest fundraiser for the party of the year here, I hobnobbed with bigshots (two former governors, a congressman, that sort of bigshots). It was amazing. Participating in the political process is amazing, much less when you get such a win. It honestly has me reconsidering my career path and current degree pursuit.

I don't even know what to say about the NIU incident. I spoke on the issue when the Virginia Tech massacre happened in April last year, because it too hit close to home. I did a semester there right out of high school before transferring to the not-so-wonderful central Illinois prarie. My sister graduated with a bachelor's degree there. It was one of the schools I applied to this time last year in my great east coast job hunt. Again, it hits too close to home. My old employer had this one as a current student. He bought his guns where I called home for seven years. Where will it happen next? Penn State where my sister is in law school? Michigan where my folks are? Here at my little elitist college? The sadness I feel over the trend is indescribable.

About a year ago my marriage really started to fall apart. March 17th it came to a crashing halt. It was effectively over shortly thereafter. It's been a hard week for me. I've grieved hard for my loss again this last week or so, perhaps triggered by Valentine's Day, perhaps by the impending real anniversary of the insanity that ensued. It's the first time I've cried in months. Everywhere I see reminders of what happened. On Law and Order. Britney Spears. The mentally ill shooters on campuses. I don't know that I'll ever go into the dirty details of what happened, but in the end, approaching the one year anniversary of all that came to be, I just want to say that bipolar illness is a terrible, terrible, and very real illness. It kills relationships. It ends employment. It leaves a trail of medications, involuntary hospitalizations, broken marriages, destroyed children, family unheaval, broken hearts, financial turmoil and sheer chaos and pain in its wake. Don't ever believe it won't happen to someone you love.

I finished my first paper for this semester's class and submitted it to glowing reviews today. Something to the effect of "great, really great, really really great". It isn't due until next Monday. What can I say? I'm a nerd. But I wanted to get it done so I could play this coming weekend. I am in class right now, and it's 72 degrees and sunny. I didn't want to miss another opportunity for fun in the sun.

The college I work for and take classes is mired in a controversy because the Board forced the President out this week. It's over politicians who want to be moral police forcing the hand of weak, conservative board members. The students and faculty are in an uproar. There have been striking from classes, sit ins, teach ins, letter writing campaigns, public vigils, you name it. It once again shakes my faith in my choice of career a bit.

Other than that, life goes on here. I have garlic sprouts four or five inches tall and a couple daffodils in full bloom. The bulbs are up all over the yard. The grass will start to need cut again soon. Walks on the beach are imminent. Life is good.