I'm back!

Wow, it has been awhile! I've actually been back since Friday, but I've been putting off blogging because it seems like there's just so much to talk about. There's nothing like stuff piling up on top of me to make me want to put everything off another day!

I've got lots to talk about, but I'm going to try to split this into a few posts so I don't get totally overwhelmed. We'll see if I get on a roll and end up with the neverending post... I'm going to work backwards, and start with an announcement from my friend Chris, who is doing PR for another friend. She sent me this great little press release to post:

StitchCraft, Nicholette Hoyer's craft shop specializing in organic yarns, fabrics, lace, and wallpaper, is holding its grand opening this Saturday, May 24! Here's what's happening:

* 10:00am Yarn Cutting Ceremony with Vancouver Mayor Royce Pollard.
* 10% off your entire purchase on the 24th & 25th.
* All Gutermann Cotton and Hand Quilting threads are 30% off.
* Goody bags to the first 40 customers who make a purchase.
* Free scoop of Ice Cream Renaissance's finest for the first 40 customers who make a purchase.


Many of you know Nicholette, a Vancouver mom of two, from parenting and homeschooling Yahoo groups or from the knitting classes she taught at Yarn Garden. Please come support this awesome "momtrepeneur" in her newest venture, bringing the largest collection of organic, sustainably produced fibers under one roof to Portland area crafters. For those of you, like me, who have rarely ventured into Vancouver, fear not! Her shop is located merely two minutes and two turns off of I-5, at 2110 Main Street. Easy-peasy to get there and just 10 minutes from downtown Portland. For more information, visit stitchcraft.us.

I'm also very excited that today is primary day here in Oregon. We vote by mail, so our ballots were sent in before we left for the cruise, but the last voters can drop off their ballots today and the results start coming in around 8 pm.

Oh, look at that! It's after 8 pm! Somehow I got distracted finishing a hat and eating dinner. No wonder I never get any blogging done...

Anyway, you may have heard that a record crowd of 75,000 turned out in Portland on Sunday for the big Obama rally. My mom was still here, so the two of us decided to brave the crowds and check it out. It was amazing - I'd already voted for Obama, but listening to him in person really clinched it for me. Here's someone who gets it - who talks about things like corporate welfare, and needing to give tax cuts to the lower and middle classes (and tax corporations at a higher rate to pay for them), and making sure that everyone has health care coverage that's as good as the coverage his family enjoys with him as a member of Congress (I often like to say that if Congress had to pay for their own private health care, the health care system would change very quickly...). He talked about reducing our dependence on foreign oil and investing in alternative energy so that Americans aren't sending all their money to foreign (often hostile) nations. He talked about taking care of our veterans who today are pretty much abandoned after they've served tour after tour in a poorly-planned war.

I know that there are plenty of people who would disagree with me, but listening to him, I couldn't imagine why anyone wouldn't want to vote for him. For the first time since I've been old enough to vote, I REALLY want to vote for someone - I don't just want to play defense. I hope that people will set aside some of their preconceived notions and really listen to him during this election season. Even if he's possibly a bit naive and inexperienced, I love the fact that he hasn't given up before he's even gotten started. It often takes a maverick, talking about ideas that are ahead of their time, to start to get these ideas out into the collective subconscious. Once enough people start talking about them, they become normal instead of radical (can you tell I was discussing The Tipping Point with a friend this morning?).

I spend plenty of time fearing for my childrens' future and wondering what kind of a world they're going to be left with. If someone like Obama can be elected, I'm going to have a lot more hope for our country and our world. If we choose McCain and vote for a continuation of the Bush Path O' Destruction, well...I'm really going to have to wonder where our values as a nation got so off course. Why is it that we call ourselves a predominantly Christian nation, and yet we worship the dollar much more than we worship the ideals of Christ? Aren't we supposed to love our neighbor, and judge not lest we be judged, and yet we threaten to bomb any nation that thinks differently than we do? We're supposedly community-oriented, and yet we refuse to reach out to individuals who are struggling and tell them that they don't deserve a "free ride". We shop at Wal-Mart instead of supporting local businesses who help to keep our communities anchored.

Wow, how did I get off on this rant? It's been a few months, so I guess I was due. I've been thinking a lot lately with all the political talk (and the incredible brains on the Ravelry Obama group who have the most amazing, intelligent discussions), and living in Portland helps me incubate all my radical ideas. I love this city!

I think I've done enough damage for today - I'll leave the Sea Socks review for tomorrow (or the day after, or next week...if you want to see some other peoples' pictures in the meantime, there's a Flickr group which I have, of course, not yet contributed anything to). I've got to go stalk the Oregon election results and hope that we made a better showing here than they did in Kentucky!