obama's promises

i haven't blogged in a while because 1) i've been busy and 2) i haven't had anything to say.

this semester, i took an econometrics class that i thought would be the death of me, but i ended up with an A. partied over that today.

in other life news, i've narrowed my graduate school applications to these schools: oxford, london school of economics, yale princeton, uc-san diego, minnesota, michigan, and boston college. like i said on twitter, i'll probably be rejected from all of them and end up at wal-mart or mcdonalds. but someone's gotta do those jobs, too, right?

anyway, i had a twitter convo with one of my favorite NYT columnists, charles blow, today about obama and race. blow is a liberal and he's not afraid to admit it, something i really respect and try to emulate. but, sometimes i think he focuses on race a little too much, and despite its tremendous exigency in both politics and society, sometimes it really isn't a relevant aspect in the public discourse.

one of the things i've respected most about obama is the way he doesn't linger on his race. he's truly a president of the people, blacks and whites alike. despite his presidential victory being a monumental achievement for minority groups, he hasn't focused on it too much. mr. blow said he was the "green mile" president, i.e., he's a black man with a lot of power but no aggression - blow called it a stereotype. but it's not a racist stereotype, mainly because for a stereotype there has to be a precedent (we've only had old white men as presidents).

second, if you take away the race aspect of the "green mile" metaphor, then every president falls into that same category. bush made big promises, many of which were never realized. clinton was the same way. that's part of politics, but it's where obama's finding the source of most of his criticism, both from the left AND from the right (especially from the right). despite keeping most of his promises (blow cites politifact and says that he's kept 123, broken 24 and compromised on 39), many of them have lacked popular support. and example of this is healthcare reform, which was full of back room deals and old washington political games. america's dissatisfaction with his first two years is exacerbated by the fact that the promises he's failed to keep are biggies, eg, environmental protection, but we'll save that for later.

with that said, the discord surrounding obama doesn't have anything to do with the fact that he's black; rather, it has to do with his politics. blow is right in saying that the left's expectations for obama were way too high, and from the beginning, as a lot of people pointed out, he was destined to fail because of it. the fact that he's weathered the storm this long says a lot about the great job he's doing. personally, i wish he wouldn't compromise so much, i wish he would move a little farther left, use his keen political foresight to maneuver his social and economic initiatives through congress and leave the white house knowing he tried his hardest to do what he promised his (liberal) base he would do. but, he needs to stop pretending that there's a different way to do it.

maybe i'm way off base, but it seems like a lot of people i talk to are leaning republican lately because they pick a side and stick with it - even if it's an opinion you disagree with, you can rest assured a tea partier isn't going to change her mind. granted, most tea partiers are lunatics (i live in mississippi, so just take my word for it), but their commitment to conservatism, no matter how off-base it may be, is attractive.

supporters of obama who are "liberal" have a hard time calling themselves liberal because obama avoids labeling himself the same way. so if i walk around and call myself a liberal, i'm not associated with obama, but rather nancy pelosi (who i also love). i think that's at the heart of recent polls' low numbers for people who identify as liberals.

because of this polarization, the only options in modern politics are "yes" and "no". and with obama trying to take the middle road, there aren't a lot of people willing to support him. the left attacks him for being to soft and the right (no surprises here) accuse him of being a socialist dictator bent on creating an obamaist empire (a stretch, but whatever).

to conclude this post that's already too long, dissatisfaction with obama isn't based on his race. in fact, it surprises me that there haven't been any major racist gaffs about obama yet.

the real reason obama can't catch a break is because he's doing his job the right way - trying to pull two polarized and increasingly factionalized political parties together, compromising on tough issues, and growing from an inexperienced idealist on whom everyone left of center rested their "hope" to an experienced president who knows how to work a system he claimed he could change.

but, no matter how hard he's trying, no matter how much he's grown, he's going to fall short sometimes, and the beauty of the american system is that we can criticize him when he does. it's imperative, though, that our criticisms be fair and balanced (i'm talking to you fox news) and that our suggestions for obama's improvement be realistic. to allow for fair criticisms, we have to take race out of the picture, and we can't write off everyone who disagrees with him as a racist just because he happens to be black. double standards, especially in politics, are unacceptable.

good luck, president obama. i'm rooting for you, but i'm not going to be scared to call you out for what i think are sometimes mistakes.

and thank you, mr. blow, for making me think about this. as always, i'll look forward to your next column.

"ah-ha" moment

a lot of stuff fell into place today.

i discovered a newly-created master's program at lse. it's called "environmental economics and climate change." it's perfect for what i want to do because:
-it's economics
-it's specialized
-it's a master's program
-it's in england

i got some pretty exciting results on a regression i ran and have finally put them into a formal paper. for those of you who care,


tot_SO2_em = -35.674 - 0.000GRP_percap + 0.004GRP_100mil + 2.846GRP_persec - 2.148empl_per_sec + ε

the important part of that equations is GRP_persec (percent contribution of secondary industries to gross regional product) and empl_per_sec (percent contribution of secondary industries to regional employment). the dependent variable is sulfur dioxide emissions, which cause acid rain and are usually accompanied by other nasty pollutants. this regression suggests that, on average, as secondary industries' contribution to GRP increases by 1%, sulfur dioxide emissions increase by 20,346 tons. that's pretty serious. the weird part is that as secondary industries employ 1% more of the population, SO2 emissions actually decrease by 20,148 tons. now the problem is explaining that discrepancy...

tonight was a lot of fun. we went to memphis to visit a haunted corn maze, but the line was really long, so we turned around and drove back to oxford. guess the fazoli's quick pasta made it worth it.

we got back to oxford, went to parish's and the library (the bar, not the books) then went home. it was a nice, easy night with friends that i haven't seen in a while.

now it's time for bed. my parents are coming up tomorrow for lunch and i'm crossing my fingers that i'll have a productive day at work.

until then,
m

Still thesising

i have successfully turned the noun "thesis" into a verb.

D: what are you doing tonight?
M: thesising, again.

S: hey, what have you been doing all weekend?
M: thesising.

L: what are you doing later today?
M: probably going back to the lab to thesis.

as annoying as data compilation and editing is, i'm actually really excited to see how the regressions are going to turn out. this has been my most challenging semester without a doubt (毫无疑问), but i'm really enjoying most of my classwork, and i'm picking up some great time management skills in the process.

sidenote: i keep meaning to blog about the ole miss mascot issue, but i feel bad for 1) wasting time to talk about it and 2) pretending it's a big deal. it's not. nevertheless, i'll get around to it...eventually.

friday afternoons

what are you doing today?

this is what i'm up to:



it's almost 4:00 PM. i'm done for the day. it's too nice outside to enjoy it from the computer lab. time for some tennis, an episode of lost, mexican food and the square. i'll get back to work tomorrow.

on china and liu xiaobo

if you follow me on twitter, you know that i wholeheartedly supported liu xiaobo's nomination and ultimate reception of the nobel peace prize.


dr. liu has been a peaceful advocate of government reform in china for years. he's well-educated, polite, and the only institution he threatens in the chinese communist party. in america, we know that if the ruling party fails to meet the people's demands, it's out. apparently the CCP knows that, too.

why is china's government so worried? if chinese communism is all it's cracked up to be, wouldn't democracy allow their party to stay in control? the government has recognized corruption as one of the biggest hindrances of social development. why, then, will they not allow political competition, which would inherently eliminate some of the corruption? why even pretend to hide behind the smokescreen that china calls a constitution, when the most basic personal liberty - the right to free speech - is trampled on over and over again?

liu's charter 08 (中文) is a great piece of work, principally authored by a man who understands freedom's necessity. he calls for equality, social justice, rule of law (as opposed to rule of a single party), and proper stewardship of our natural resources. if the government were doing it's job, none of this would be warranted, much less threatening. the government's response shows just how scared they are of reform.

but what about reformers inside the government? what about premier wen jiabao?

wen wants reform. if he weren't shackled by communist propaganda, he might be able to implement some of his ideas. he is in china's highest eschelon of power, but they still censor his cnn interview. he's not crazy - he knows things would have to move slow - and that's why the party needs to let him run with it. if they wait until people are fed up with their rule, there's going to be a violent uprising. my advice: let wen do his thing; show the chinese people that the party is on their side.

the first way to do this is by easing censorship laws and RELEASING LIU XIAOBO. this would be a great indicator that china is serious about correcting its past human rights abuses and moving forward as a world power. just look around, are there any other one-party governments that enjoy the same status as, say, america, japan or western europe? no.

democracy doesn't necessicarily equate to freedom, but it seems the two are correlated. debate would help the communist party grow and meet the needs of its constituents. unfortunately, all the debators are in jail.

that's sad, and if china ever wants to make it to the top, which it obviously does, the central government is going to have to accept political reform as inevitable and ride it out. those who should win, win. those who should lose, lose. that's how the world works.

i have a new neighbor

meet leopold rousseau



in other news, i've had yet another unproductive night. got a bit done on my literature review, though. now i'm about to go read chapters 2 - 8 and chapter 15 of my intermediate microeconomics text book (test thursday). my life is sooo much fun.

-m

i want to be a photographer

like her.

maybe, if i don't get into graduate school, i'll be able to go somewhere and take pictures of people. that would be fun, right?

same day, different train of thought

two posts in one day...wow. i guess i'm making up for lost time.

my friend tyler was reading my tarot cards the other day (don't ask) to give me some advice about graduate school. he warned me that taking something that i enjoy and trying to force it into a career is a bad idea. i know some other people who have had this same conflict.

a family member loved math in college. she chose a major that incorporated this, but it turned out that it wasn't what she was hoping for.

another is a friend, who loved music and refused to make a career out of it. i think he regrets that decision.

uh. oh.

i always visit a website or a professor or a friend and hope they'll make decisions for me. econometrics is hard, but it's challenging and it's making me buckle down and work. that class is pushing me to be better academically, and it's showing up in other classes. i made a 100 on a calculus test today (bragging, duh).

the point is, if i'm challenging myself, and succeeding, then i'm doing something right. i'm getting my prerogatives in order. i'm spending time with friends who are fun to hang out with. i'm studying subjects that are important to me. i'm doing what i think needs to be done to make a difference, even if my part - for now - is really small.

BUT, the right track now may be the wrong track tomorrow, and vice versa. while i kill myself over grad school applications, i might read something that makes me put more time into a critical language scholarship to go study urdu or turkish. i might meet someone at a football game who wants me to work for them. i might tweet at someone who randomly sees it and offers me a job.

right now my sights are set on continuing my education, but that might change. there may be a bump; there may be a mountain.

whether it's the right way or the wrong way, i might not know until it's too late, but at least i'll be moving forward.

it's starting to get real

tuesday, september 14, 4:00 PM: the single hardest hour of class i've sat through in my tenure at ole miss.

the class started with this: "so, i assume you're all familiar with logarithms."

thirty minutes later, i looked up from my scribbled notes to the professor asking, "and does anyone know the sixth assumption of the simple linear regression model?"

um...what?

so last night, i read chapter two. everything from three-dimensional graphs of heteroskedasticity to the appendices on advanced algebra.

this is all happening at the same time 1) thesis is starting to get serious, 2) graduate school application deadlines are creeping up, 3) GRE prep is underway and 4) grove season has officially started.

ruh-roh.

chapter one of a crazy semester

with almost two weeks of senior year under my belt, i can already tell this semester is going to be wild.

my econometrics course has been really enjoyable so far. i like it so much that i'm (possibly) switching from the 400-level undergraduate class to the 600-level graduate class, which includes an extra project on a topic of my choice (i.e. my thesis, duh). yesterday, my professor, dr. mayer, offered to help me explore panel data analysis, which is different cross-sections of data over different time periods.

speaking of thesis (sort of a bad segue, but w/e), i've finally settled on a topic, thanks in no small part to dr. guo's genius recommendations. roughly, i'll be analyzing environmental track records of the various provinces and major economic centers (beijing, shanghai, shenzhen, chongqing, etc.) in china and using economic data to determine what type of industry/development is better for the environment. using statistical analyses that are kind of complex for an undergraduate, especially one who's not an economics/math/business major, i'll make recommendations to provincial governments as to what they can and should do to improve both their constituents' social well-being (including environmental health) and their economic situations.

it's kind of exciting to have a topic that i can start researching. i have the statistical yearbooks from 1995 to 2009, which gives me a solid number (15) of years to analyze. should be fun...

i'll try to keep my blog updated as my thesis progresses. hopefully i'll have time to take a short break every once in a while and share my successes, challenges and failures with the one or two people who read this.

until then,
m

on the planned mosque and cultural center

debate is raging over this proposed mosque and islamic cultural center, and for good reason.

building a mosque near ground zero, no matter how peaceful the developers' intentions may be, is a slap in the face to the victims of 9/11 and their families. i'm not some bible-thumping, ultra-conservative, but i agree with a lot of the conservative views on this subject. i respect the constitution and unwaveringly support the right to practice religion freely, but this move is obviously a publicity stunt designed to spark fierce debate. and that's disgusting.

the goals of this project are laudable: encourage american acceptance of the islamic faith and improve relations between america and the muslim world. but they're going about it all wrong.

let's turn this around. in iraq, one of the most memorable moments of the war was pulling down the statue of saddam hussein that stood in the center of baghdad. imagine if, a few years after its demolition, christian missionaries erected a huge crucifix or a statue of jesus.

even that doesn't parallel the current situation. to do that, a group of christian fundamentalists would have to blow up some important international building in a country like turkey, massacring thousands of innocent civilians. after non-stop media footage of seemingly average americans and other western citizens screaming "death to turkey" and burning turkish flags, a group of "nice christians" would have to go in and propose a new christian center right across the street from where the tragedy took place. wonder what the muslim response would be? do you think prime minister erdogan or president gul would call for equality and religious freedom? doubtful.

comparing turkey (and sadly but truthfully, much of the muslim world) to america is impossible, not to mention a cop-out. but as an exercise in comparisons, it was necessary.

now let's compare this to another current scandal that's getting a lot of media attention: dr. laura "n-word" schlessinger, and the hypocrisy that is surrounding this debate.

on august 10, schlessinger used the n-word a few times, i think the count is 10 or so, on her radio program talking about race relations. i think she's an idiot, and i disagree with what she did. so does new york times columnist charles m. blow, whose weekly column is witty and very fun to read, but often one sided. his opinion of schlessinger's outburst was spot on. in a recent column, justin bieber for president, was pretty critical of her actions, as he should have been. i'm sure mr. blow understands the constitution, which protects schlessinger's right to say whatever she wants on her show, but he knows it's wrong. she can do it, but she shouldn't, because doing so is an abuse of her rights.

now to the mosque. uh oh, mr. blow, looks like you've backtracked. a few days ago on twitter, blow started a discussion of the proposed mosque and community center, saying, "What i find ironic is that the most religious ppl in America (Repubs) are opposing religious freedom, while the group with the most non-religious ppl (Dems) are fighting for it."

wait a minute! so it's ok for schlessinger to be attacked for abusing her right to free speech, but it's not ok for the american public to criticize the cordoba initiative and the american society for muslim advancement (mosque and cultural center investors) for their blatant abuse of religious freedom?

i think schlessinger is wrong. no one should say the n-word. but no one - muslims, christians, buddhists, atheists, anyone - should take advantage of american religious tolerance.

i have the right to be a christian, a right i very much enjoy. i have the right to publish my opinions on this blog, another right i love to have. i've been in china where people don't have these rights, and as much as i appreciate chinese culture and the time i've spent over there, i couldn't imagine living in a place where i wasn't free to express my opinions - political, religious, social, et cetera. but, there are boundaries to what we can reasonably say and do, and when those lines are crossed, bad things happen. no matter how obscene or inappropriate schlessinger's comments were, we can't demonize her for abusing her rights while praising the developers of this mosque for intentionally pressing america's most tender bruise. few people would object to a mosque and cultural center being built somewhere else - i would support that 100%.

this, though, i can't and won't support.

chapter four

as a new, final school year starts, there's a lot of reflecting to do, a lot of questions to ask.

what have i accomplished over the past three years?

people tell me i've done a lot more than most college students. i've been to china a few times and spent almost a year there in total. i'm near fluent in chinese, one of the most difficult languages for an english-speaker to learn. i've grown a lot as a person, made friends, lost friends and i've found things i'm passionate about. before i came to college, i didn't really know what i wanted or who i was; i was an uncarved block. much against zhuang-zi's sagely advice, i've carved myself into the person i want to be, and i'm still carving.

what do i want to accomplish?

my first priority is figuring out what i want to do starting after may 2011, when i graduate. for the first month or two, i'm taking a much needed break. i have money saved up from high school graduation (never had time to spend it with chinese class taking up EVERY summer), and i'm spending it all on 1) a new computer and 2) a month(s) long trip through either eastern europe, south asia or latin america. i have a year to decide that.

as important as this trip is to me, graduate school is just as important, and i want to make sure i'm making the right choice about it. this fall, i'm applying to four economics phd programs in the united states. in order of preference, they are princeton, chicago, mit and boston university. i'm also applying to three masters programs outside of the united states: the university of oslo, the london school of economics and cambridge, in no particular order.

as some have been very quick to point out (friends, family, teachers, most of my support base), these are all pretty difficult schools to gain admission. obviously, i realize that. but why shoot low?

it's not like i don't have other options. not getting in would probably be a blessing in disguise. it would give me a chance to work for a year or two and make sure that i'm going the right track with economics. working might show me that i would be better suited as a finance major or a policy major, maybe even a philosophy major (joke).

in any case, i'm starting my norwegian studies next week...

a lot of people have asked me why i want to go this route. after obtaining a phd, i'd like to work for the world bank and study environmental economics, doing policy research in developing regions who are prone to environmental degradation as a result of industrialization (we can't afford a repeat of china in africa now can we?). after a while there, i'd like to move to a university where i could teach and research until i'm 80 or 90, maybe 150 if medicine catches up.

what have i discovered over the last three years? what awesome advice can i give?

people aren't always who you think they are, so don't always trust the people you meet, only the people you know. you'll never get to know anyone unless there are bumps in the road. when you start college, you don't know what you want to do. when you graduate, you still might not know. that's not a problem. find a passion and stay on track to work on it.

this year is going to be great. i'm excited to work on my thesis, i'm excited to work on my fulbright application, and i'm so excited to watch my friends and myself move on to new things. my sister is starting college with me next week, and i think that's going to be a lot of fun too.

if only the black-eyed peas had an annoying song about a good year instead of a good night...

Blah Blah Blah

i am OVER barack obama.

everyone has a friend whose parents are awesome. they're super relaxed and rarely say "no," and even when they do, it's not even a fight. they're the kind of parents who let you have a sip of beer when you're ten and justify it by saying they would rather you drink at home than at some sketchy bar. they're the kind of parents who let you and your friends eat a lot of junk food before dinner, the kind of parents who have to buy the newest televisions and cell phones. screw college savings or good health insurance. they're the kind of parents who feel great about themselves when their children think they're "cool."

remember amy poelher's character from mean girls? that's the kind of parent barack obama is, except he has 310 million kids.

president obama tells us what we want to hear. and that's it. every speech he gives is fully of lofty goals and idealistic rhetoric. "change." i'm over that, too.

the economist ran a great column this week about american "greatness." people always talk about how awesome america is, but like the author of this article points out, if you have to talk about it all the time, it's probably not that great.

it's similar to what jean baudrillard says about a society's so-called spirit. we resort to extolling the values of our "spirit" when we've run out of other things to be proud of. that's where we're at today, due in no small part to our glorious president.

here are some of his recent tweets:

Folks who've fallen on hard times through no fault of their own need emergency relief to weather this economic storm.

It’s time to stop holding laid-off workers hostage to Washington politics. We’ve got to extend unemployment insurance.

When storms strike Main St., we don’t play politics with emergency aid or desert fellow Americans during hard times.

Take a moment to thank those who fought for Wall St. reform. We are proud to stand with them in the fight for change.

Take a moment to thank those who fought for Wall St. reform. We are proud to stand with them in the fight for change.

do you srsly think barack obama has ever said used the word "folks" when he's talking to anyone other than a camera? and really, no one wants to hear his empty rhetoric about "change" and "the fight" and "wall street versus main street." unless you're gearing up for 2012, sir, you can stop with the BS. and is it just me, or is he beating the "storm" metaphor to death?

you know what we need? a president who's strong, experienced and a proven leader. we need a president who isn't a hypocrite - barack obama is "old washington politics" to the extreme. lest we forget the way he passed the healthcare bill...

it's already 2010. the media is already scrambling to place their bets on who will run for president in 2012.

if she weren't doing such a great job as secretary of state, i would be all for hillary running again. she deserved it in 2008, without a doubt. but that won't happen, and she should probably stay in the current position.

i'd really like to see maurice hinchey run, at least as a vice presidential candidate. russ feingold would be a good choice, too.

i'd actually prefer a republican president with a democratic congress. i really like chuck hagel and olympia snowe.

you know who else i like? harold ford, jr., a former senator from tennessee. let's keep an eye on him.

The reality of it is...

After 7 months back home, I'm still missing China.

Little things set it off. Hearing a snippet of a conversation between two Chinese people in the library. Watching a Chinese person in Starbucks try to explain to the barrista that they just want a medium ("What is this grande?") green tea.

My status on renren.com translates to "When I was in China I didn't miss America, but in America, I reminisce about my time in China every day. What does this mean?!"



My friend Liu Wu commented on it. Loosely translated, he said, "Haha, you're rooted to China."

That's true. After living there and loving (almost) every minute of it, I should have known that coming back to the States would be a problem. I'm rooted to America, specifically the Deep South. Don't get me wrong, I love America and the unique Southern culture that has surrounded me growing up, but after 21 years in small-town Mississippi, and after seeing plenty of places that are more interesting to live, it's hard to slow down and get used to it...again. I went to China and left part of myself there, and even in America, those roots are growing deeper and deeper.

Some people don't know what else is out there, so they're content. I think that's what travel has given me: the inability to settle. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, we'll have to wait a while to see. For now, I'm counting down the days until I can go back. Or go somewhere.

wednesday is for reading

currently reading: curtain of green and golden apples by eudora welty

i appreciate structure in my life, but unfortunately i don't have a lot of it. this month, i have calculus every morning from 8 to 10, i tutor from 10 to 10:30, i audit chinese class from 11 to 12, i have history of europe from 1 to 3 and i tutor again from 4 to 8. that doesn't leave a lot of room for fun (or homework, oops). if i could, i would make myself, say, study for the GRE from 9 to 10 every night or work on my calculus homework from 1 to 3 every day. instead, i spend three hours making a new blog, moving the icons around on my iphone, playing doodle jump, reading economics papers that having nothing to do with my classes, re-reading old magazine articles and planning my fulbright application.

needless to say, i haven't had much of a break the past few weeks. the weekend before july 4, i bought some post cards, and i had one left over (i wrote on the back, but never sent it). no need to throw away a perfectly good postcard, so i stuck it on the front of my binder.


as a mississippian, i've definitely heard of eudora welty. i know she wrote delta wedding and some short stories, and i know she's pretty famous, especially in the south. but i've never actually read anything she wrote. yesterday i was sitting in history class, and my deskmate pointed at my binder and said "aw, is that your grandmother."

"no, it's eudora welty."

"who?"

i was appalled. this girl is a college junior in mississippi and had never heard of one of our state's most famous writers. "she is one of the most famous writers in mississippi."

"oh, i like the classics more."

psh. classics. this girl doesn't even know who eudora welty is. she wouldn't know a "classic" if it slapped her across the face.

but then i thought, who was i to judge her for not knowing who eudora welty is? i only know her name, where she's from and one book she wrote. authors aren't like politicians or celebrities. you shouldn't passively know of an author - you should know her. you should relate to her, understand his happiness and his pain. french and chinese both have different words for "to know." in french, connaître means "to know a person." in chinese, it's 认识. "to know a fact" is translated differently, as savoir and 知道 in french and chinese, respectively. with authors, reading a plot synopsis of their famous novels and knowing some facts about their early lives doesn't cut it. it's not enough because through their literature, we can meet them and get to know them, not just know of them. and we should.

although i've only read a handful of her short stories, i feel like i'm getting to know ms. welty already. maybe in a few weeks and a book or two later, we'll be on a first name basis.

你好 (KNEE-how): hello

o hai.

everyone has a voice these days. the internet has given us that privilege, and i want one, too.

i have another blog, but i don't know what to do with it now that i'm back from china. i have a lot of thoughts that i want to share with the world. even if i'm the only one reading this thing, it will help me organize my ideas (sort of) coherently.

allow me to introduce myself:

my name is matthew. i'm double majoring in chinese and international studies with a concentration in global politics. i'm also minoring in economics, which i fall in love with more and more every day. most important, i'm starting my senior year, and i have no idea what i want to do.

i'm southern. i used to hate it, but after living in shanghai for a few months, i understood what it means to be truly southern. i'll get into that some other time, i'm sure.

i'm passionate about the environment, but i'm not a very vocal person, so i don't hop on my soapbox like most people. i enjoy playing the bassoon, even though i rarely have time to practice like i should.

i'm a bleeding heart conservative, if there is such a thing - a pragmatic idealist.

i love my family, and i love my friends. i'm an active social commentator and i like talking about politics, but only occasionally.

that's all i have for now.