Femme Thinker

Monumental Election!

Leah — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 04:50:20 +0000

This election has really been so inspiring and gotten people involved in politics that have never even registered to vote before. Of course, I am relieved that Obama won and it really is amazing to see the overwhelming support for him. It’s crazy to see how unifying this has been. Yes, I know some die hard McCain supporters who are skeptical of Obama – socialism, connections, whatever their reasons. I’m sure they are disappointed tonight. But, overall a vast majority of Americans have rallied behind Obama and what he represents – hope, change, and a better America.

McCain’s concession speech was truly exceptional. I really like McCain and he was so incredibly gracious in turning his support to the new president. Very admirable. In all things, he often did a better job of stopping the irrational smears against Obama (at least in clips I’ve seen from the campaign trail) than some of his supporters. I really hope his supporters come together and start praying for and lending support to Obama because he really has a tough road ahead of him. He’s inheriting a broken economy, a damaged reputation, and really has high expectations to live up to. It’s not going to be easy. I have faith in him though, as I think the majority of Americans do as well.

Now we can put all that socialism rhetoric to rest and focus on fixing what needs to be fixed and looking ahead to the future.

Don’t forget to vote today!

Leah — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:10:22 +0000

Obama for the win!

Leah — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 23:15:18 +0000

Go Team Leah!

Leah — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 23:30:12 +0000

Okay so most of you know that I did my thesis defense this morning. Thank you so much to everyone who wished me luck and prayers and well wishes. I really appreciated all the support! The defense went swimmingly and of course, I passed (it’s pass or fail). I have a few minor changes to make and then my big fat thesis gets sent off to go through the formatting process and become a beautiful book in the campus library. There were a few grad students who came to watch the proceedings, but I didn’t really notice them as the dialogue between me and my committee was so engrossing. I truly love academic banter. I am a total geek that way. One of my committee members had to be replaced somewhat last minute so I had a fresh perspective on my work that was helpful. The other two nearly made me tear up with their praise at the end of the defense after they conferred and brought me back in to let me know I passed. Both of them said that this was the best Master’s thesis they had ever read. Can you believe that? What an honor! That was such an encouragement. Plus both strongly encouraged me to go on and get my doctoral degree. It always helps with people you look up to have faith in you – helps with incentive to push forward. Needless to say, I was truly taken aback and felt or still feel such a sense of accomplishment. All three committee members suggested that I take portions of my thesis to submit for publication and that I could even write a book. Again, incredible compliments.

So, yay me! I’ve also started applying for adjunct faculty positions at local community colleges. Well, only one app has been submitted. I’m working on about 10 more schools. Hopefully I’ll get a part time teaching job for Winter quarter or at least Spring. We’ll see. That would definitely be a help.

As it stands now, our goals are for Aaron to finish up his Bachelors. They are trying to get him into a Geologist Assistant position at work that would help financially while he finishes. Once he graduated, his salary would jump 3 steps. Either way, once he’s done, he’ll start on his Masters.

Some point in 2009 should mark pregnancy and welcome the arrival of baby #2. Then its snippity snip for Aaron. He jokes that as soon as the baby makes its appearance, he’ll be in the bed next to me getting prepped for surgery. Can you tell he’s serious about only having 2? lol

As far as my career goes, I plan to continue to be a stay at home mom while the kids are little but ultimately end up teaching and writing. I’m going to try to get a teaching position like I mentioned. I plan on teaching a class or two in the evenings when Aaron can watch Noah. I probably won’t take on any day classes until the kids are in school. In addition to teaching, I plan on writing – academically, freelance, you name it. I’m still configuring how that will look.

Once I graduate in December I will start preparing for the GRE exam (graduate examination that is used to determine admission into Ph.D. programs). I will probably take the test in the spring and then in the fall, I will apply to a few Ph.D. programs for entrance the following year (2010). This should be in conjunction with Aaron graduating and transitioning from his BS to his MS.

I still have a LOT of work on the road ahead but this is what I love. It is where my passion is. I love studying communication, media criticism, and feminism. I actually thought about getting a 2nd MA in Women’s Studies so I can teach those classes too but I figure it’s best to just go on and get my Ph.D. and maybe I can look for a certification program that I can complete alongside my doctorate.

Well, that’s it in a nutshell, folks.

So many falsities

Leah — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 04:42:45 +0000

I encourage you to stop in at FACTCHECK.ORG any time you hear slander against either one of the candidates. So many things are getting misrepresented and it’s really very scary how manipulative some of the ads are. They should have some accountability for truth!

Free Obama Button/Sticker

Leah — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 03:58:22 +0000

————> Go to Moveon.org

Although there’s way cool stuff on Cafepress.com. I looked at the gear for Obama and the gear for McCain and sheesh the McCain gear was all anti-Obama and saying you’re voting for terrorism and crap if you vote for him. Lame. They should just focus on being pro-McCain instead of all tearing down. The Obama stuff is all about peace and change and the people. There is an occasional mention of McCain but nothing on the level as the opposition. What cracks me up is the God, Guns, Country shirts for McCain.

Here are a couple of my fav designs from cafepress . . .

My Political Rant on Politics, Christianity, Obama, McCain, and Palin

Leah — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 05:53:53 +0000

I am a Christian but not a Republican. I’m not ready to commit to being a Democrat either. I’m that middle ground where regardless of party, I just want to see the best candidate who can do the greatest good for our country win. That being said, my vote is with Obama. He is inspiring and seems to carry hope with him. Hope that we desperately need. The rest of the world hates us and we are not as wonderful as our American History textbooks make us out to be. We just have really really big egos.

I’m thinking that my Christian Republican friends who are scared of Obama being the anti-christ (I’m serious, there are those that do) will fall head over heels for McCain now that he has an attractive, youthful, female running mate. I know that one of the biggest criticisms of Palin is her lack of experience and there is no ignoring gender in what is clearly a tactical move. Obama has an old white guy. McCain has a young female. It’s all about balance. I think that many voters on both sides have moved back to the center and are avoiding the extremes – at least those that I’ve come in contact with in the 20s – 30s age range. As a presidential candidate, you’ve got to do what it takes to win. I get that.

I just hope that the voters out there will seriously evaluate the issues and the candidates thoroughly. Especially the Christian voters. It just bugs me so bad when Christians only look at two things, abortion and gay marriage, when there are SO many other important issues to focus on. I remember when Bush stood to get reelected and it seemed like everyone around me voted out of fear – like somehow Bush would save us from the bad guys. It used to frustrate me when the abortion issue would come up because so many Christians are anti-abortion and ‘pro-life’ but they were more than happy to support a war where lives were being taken every day. In my opinion, if they truly believed in salvation, they should have been more concerned about the ‘souls’ being lost daily in the war than ones that were most likely back in heaven anyway.

What was Jesus all about? Salvation, of course. But he served people, healed people, visited outcasts, and cared for those less fortunate. To me, those values seem to line up more with the Democrats in caring for the homeless and needy although admittedly there are moral conflicts. In my life, the Republicans I know seem to be more concerned with less taxes, less government – thus pocketing their money rather than giving any of it up for the greater good of society. Granted, I’ve heard the argument that each individual should be given the choice of whether or not to ‘give’ to others and ‘serve’ others with their finances. I find it odd that service and giving should be choices, but abortion and homosexuality should not. The Bible is all about choice. God made us free agents with the capacity to make our own choices, good or bad. Why do Christians want to ‘enforce’ choices on others, when they have so graciously been given the freedom of choice in their own lives? It just doesn’t make sense to me. As Christians, our only concern should be demonstrating God’s love, not condemning people that haven’t committed themselves to follow the same moral code. Leave the judgment to God. Nowhere does the Bible charge us with condemning others outside the faith and regulating their actions. I’d rather see all this effort put into reforming the church and building doors that open to others rather than walls that keep others out.

In any case, I’ve never understood Christian being synonymous with Republican. There are just so many things that seem to contradict what Jesus preached. In truth, some of the regulations and enforcements seem to be more in line with the Pharisees of the Bible that opposed Jesus. He was for the people, not for the law.

I’m sure I would piss off and alienate myself from my Christian friends if I shared this line of thinking with them. Hence, the anonymous blog.

Whatever your politics, the Daily Show’s take on Palin is freakin funny. Click on the quote to see the clip.

Why am I hiding?

Leah — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 22:56:15 +0000

I started this blog, sadly, because of all the slack I got from friends and family for speaking my mind on my personal blog. They prefer censorship and niceties. I would rather air my opinions like a big scream into cyberspace. So, in an effort to save my relationships and still have an outlet for expression . . . I started this blog.

I finished my Master’s Thesis last night, well until the next round of edits. I can’t really share much about it with family because it’s a feminist work. I’m a christian and I can’t talk about God at school or feminism at church. It sucks. Why do those things have to be mutually exclusive? Why can’t I be an academic and have faith? Why can’t I be a christian and a feminist? I’m perfectly okay with these “contradictions” within myself. Although, truly I don’t understand WHY they are perceived as contradictions. To me, they fit together easily.

Well, I am thanking God in my acknowledgments page in my thesis. I also mentioned my beliefs when discussing my own unique perception as a feminist. It will be forever in the library. And I’m going to continue to let my christian friends know that its okay to be a feminist. I will acknowledge both parts of myself even if it makes others uncomfortable.

But, as I already mentioned, the excess of my thoughts and opinions will be posted on this blog rather than on my personal one where my closest friends and family visit and give me slack about it.

What is this??

Leah — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 21:24:56 +0000

Do people use this??? I found this on amazon in a search. WTF

Splits

Leah — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 06:24:45 +0000

I can’t help it. I’m a blogger. I love to write. I love to publish. But, I’m still learning boundaries and where the lines are. Sometimes you have to step on lines to know they are there. I’ve been thinking about this and just as there are different aspects of myself (i.e. intellectual, spiritual, academic, motherly, wifely, friend, sister, daughter, etc). Each one has a different way of speaking and interacting according to what is appropriate within the context of the relationship. Can you tell I study communication? I tried to merge all aspects of myself into one master blog but maybe that’s not possible without damaging relationships with finer boundaries. There are things we share with our best friends that we don’t share with acquaintances, etc. I tend to blog on a super personal level as though I’m speaking to a best friend. Or a journal. This can offend people who don’t know me super well and even those that do, but have a different opinion than me. What’s beautiful about life and free thinking is that we can all have different opinions and still be equals. After thinking on this a bit, I’ve decided . . . for now . . . lol . . . to split blogs again. I’ll keep this one as the safe and family oriented one. I’ll still be honest and share the day to day, but I’m going to move the controversy somewhere else. This will make for an easier time for all of us. Plus I need a place to explore some concepts that are related to my research. Better to involve the general public in that to get a wider variety of opinions.

With that, you’ll notice some minor changes to this blog. Nothing major – just a little tidying up.